The Note’s Must-Reads for Monday, July 13, 2009

The Note’s Must-Reads are a round-up of today’s political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News’ KRISTEN RED-HORSE, JAYCE HENDERSON, CLAUDIA MORALES, VALENCIA WICKER and GEORGIA DAWKINS

BOOKMARKS:

The Note: LINK

The Must-Reads Online: LINK

Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK

ABC News Politics: LINK

The Political Punch (Jake Tapper): LINK

George’s Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK

Clem’s Chronicle: LINK

Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK

ABC News Mobile: LINK

ABC News on your iPhone/iPod Touch: LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS:

The New York Times’ Scott Shane: “Obama Faces a New Push to Look Back” LINK

The Washington Post’s Carrie Johnson and Joby Warrick: “Bush Anti-Terror Policies Get Reluctant Revisit” LINK

Newsweek’s Daniel Klaidman: “Independent’s Day: Obama doesn’t want to look back, but Attorney General may probe bush-era torture anyway” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman: “Obama’s Foreign Strategy Mixes Encouragement, Demands” LINK

ABC News’ Karen Travers: “G-8’s Broken Promises to Africa” LINK

Time Magazine’s Michael Scherer: “The Five Pillars of Obama’s Foreign Policy” LINK

Newsweek’s Aku Ammah-Tagoe: “In Ghana, Obama is ‘President of the World’” LINK

USA Today’s Richard Wolf: “Obama meets pope, says U.N., G-8 must tackle problems faster” LINK

Newsweek’s Holly Bailey: “Why Obama chose Ghana” LINK

Newsweek’s Holly Bailey: “Obama delivers Letter from Senator Kennedy to Pope” LINK

USA Today’s Aamer Madhani: “Bomb explodes near U.S. ambassador’s convoy in Iraq” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE UNITED STATES’ ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE:

The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Benjamin and Alison Fitzgerald: “Obama’s Stimulus Money Starts to Flow as Jobless Await Results” LINK

GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN:

The New York Times’ Jim Rutenberg and Serge F. Kovaleski: “Palin’s Route to Resignation: Missteps and Ignored Advice” LINK

ABC News’ Rachel Martin: “Palin Says She’ll Stump for Conservative Democrats” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Mark Z. Barabak: “Republican pundits open fire on Sarah Palin” LINK

THE SUPREME Court AND SOTOMAYOR:

The New York Times’ Ron Nixon: “G.O.P. Senators Are Set To Question Judge’s Impartialiality” LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael D. Shear: “Hearings Not Just About Sotomayor” LINK

Politico’s Glen Thrush: “Obama chats with Sonia—about Stare Decisis” LINK

Politico’s Manu Raju: “Sonia Sotomayor battle may jolt Republicans” LINK

ABC News’ Viviana Hurtado: “Latinos Will Be on Lookout for Sotomayor Abuse” LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “Sotomayor faces easy route to confirmation” LINK

New York Daily News’ Elizabeth Hays: “NAACP supports Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor: Warns Senate foes to focus on qualifications” LINK

USA Today’s Joan Biskupic: “With Sotomayor enters a new era in judicial politics”
LINK

Newsweek’s Evan Thomas, Stuart Taylor Jr. and Brian No
LINK

Newsweek’s Mark Hosenball: “The end of the Rainbow: Will Obama scrap Bush’s color-coded terror alerts?” LINK

DEMOCRATS/G.O.P.:

New York Daily News’ Helen Kennedy: “Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to hit campaign trail after leaving office” LINK

The Hill’s Molly K. Hooper: “GOP, Holder battle over New Black Panthers” LINK

The Washington Times’ Jon Ward and Jennifer Haberkorn: “’Ration’ is GOP’s weapon in health care war” LINK

The Washington Times’ Ben Conery: “Republicans hit pursuit of torture probe” LINK

The Washington Post’s Nick Anderson: “GOP Leaving No Child Behind” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jess Bravin: “Parties Set to Paint Opposing Pictures of Nominee” LINK

Boston Herald Op-Ed by Jeff Sessions: “We can’t be blind to bias” LINK

Boston Herald Op-Ed by Bonnie Erbe: “More than justice hangs in balance” LINK

Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “Cantor wants focus on ‘ideas’ not ‘personalities’” LINK

CONGRESS:

Politico’s Alex Isenstadt: “Kent Conrad: the Senate Grinch who stole Christmas?” LINK

CIA/NSA:

The Wall Street Journal’s Siobhan Gorman: “CIA Had Secret Al Qaeda Plan” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Siobhan Gorman: “Report Cites Weaknesses in Wiretapping Program” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Cary O’Reilly: “Senate Democrats Say Cheney May Have Broken Law on CIA Program” LINK

Politico’s Alex Isenstadt: “More Democrats call for investigating the CIA” LINK

ABC News’ John Hendren and Jonathan Karl: “Former Agents Say Stop Picking on the CIA” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Julian E. Barnes: “Clamor grows over CIA secrets” LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “Senators say CIA program secrecy wrong” LINK

Politico’s Harry Siegel: “McCain says ‘no’ to potential DOJ torture probe” LINK

HEALTH CARE REFORM:

The Wall Street Journal’s Kate Linebaugh: “Slump Spreads to Health Care as Michigan Loses Auto Jobs” LINK

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown: “Health care deadline unlikely to be me met” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Noam N. Levey: “Concern grows that healthcare overhaul won’t cut costs” LINK

Los Angeles Times Opinion: “Improve care, lower costs” LINK

Los Angeles Times Opinion: “Our great hidden healthcare system” LINK

USA Today’s Charisse Jones: “Doctors express hopes to franchise urgent care in U.S.” LINK

USA Today’s Mimi Hall: “Obama begins health care push” LINK

ENVIRONMENT:

The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Power: “Climate Bill Splits Industry Coalition” LINK

OTHER MUST-READS:

The Wall Street Journal’s Miriam Jordan: “New Curbs Set on Arrests of Illegal Immigrants” LINK

ABC News’ Scott Mayerowitz: “Will Ghosts of Bush Administration Derail Obama’s Agenda?” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Teresa Watanabe: “Activists push ballot initiative to end state benefits for illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born children” LINK

Los Angeles Times Opinion: “A bipartisan blueprint for immigration reform” LINK

The Washington Times’ Christina Bellantoni: “Obama enters fray in governors’ races” LINK

USA Today’s Kevin Johnson: “Officer deaths up in first half of ‘09” LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“Burris Won’t Seek Re-election to Senate” LINK

“Obama Meets Pope at the Vatican” LINK

“G-8′s Broken Promises to Africa” LINK

“Signs of Stimulus Wasting” LINK

“Inside Sotomayor’s Family Heritage” LINK

“The Bottom Line on Stimulus Spending” LINK