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' Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen and Carrie Halperin

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION ABC News" Russell Goldman: " Dems Lampoon Romney and Defend Obama on First Night of Convention" Democrats defended President Obama as a man who is "betting on the American worker" and lampooned Mitt Romney as someone "who is betting on a Bermuda shell corporation" on the opening night of their presidential convention tonight.

They defended Obama as a president who saved the country from a Depression and ridiculed Romney as someone "whose money needs a passport." LINK

ABC News' Amy Bingham: " Top Democrats to Skip Party's Convention's" Democrats descend on Charlotte, N.C., this week to light a fire under President Obama's re-election campaign, a few of the biggest names in the party will not be there.While party honchos like former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are set to take the stage, other Democratic heros such as Al Gore and Hillary Clinton are staying far from Charlotte. And with hotly contested House and Senate races peppered across the map, many Democratic members of Congress have swapped convention parties for campaign events. LINK

USA Today's Aamer Madhani " In effort to woo veterans, every detail matters" Mike Breen, a retired Army campaign officer, offered some simple but critical advice Tuesday to Democrats looking to court the veteran vote: Make sure you're calling them by the right name. "This is probably the most important slide in the presentation," said Breen, vice president of Democratic-aligned Truman National Security Project. LINK

The New York Daily News' Kristen A. Lee: " Petition pushes for Betty White to introduce President Barack Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C." Some Democrats want Betty White to make their day. In the wake of actor Clint Eastwood's bizarre chat with an empty chair to introduce Gov. Mitt Romney's convention speech, there is a push for the iconic comedienne to appear before President Obama. LINK

The Washington Times' Stephen Dinan: " Abortion issue sets tone ? for attracting women at DNC" Inside the convention hall Tuesday, Democrats affirmed themselves as the pro-choice party, delivering the most detailed discussion of contraceptives and reproductive health in major-party political history and adopting a platform that defends abortion, including taxpayer funding for the procedure. But outside the hall, a small group of pro-life Democrats pleaded for the party to soften that stance, arguing that it will doom the party to minority status in the House. LINK

Bloomberg's Lisa Lerer and Margaret Talev: " Democratic Keynoter Castro Seeks To Boost Latino Support" Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, said Barack Obama deserves Latino support because the president took action to "lift the shadow of deportation" from a generation of young immigrants "called dreamers." "Ours is a nation like no other, a place where great journeys can be made in a single generation," Castro, the first Latino to give a keynote convention address, said yesterday before Democratic delegates at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. "No matter who you are or where you come from, the path is always forward." LINK

MICHELLE OBAMA The Los Angeles Times' Paul West: " Michelle Obama opens convention with personal pitch" Michelle Obama made the case Tuesday for her husband's reelection by contending that he was the same person who voters embraced four years ago - and by implicitly skewering his November opponent. The first lady's enthusiastically received remarks were designed to reintroduce her husband, in intimate terms, and to counter diminished enthusiasm for his reelection among members of his 2008 coalition. LINK The Hills' Amie Parnes: " President is 'kindred spirit' says first lady Michelle Obama" First lady Michelle Obama depicted the president as her "kindred spirit" in a prime-time address Tuesday that made the political case her husband is also a kindred spirit for all Americans. Headlining the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, the first lady - with her high approval ratings - sought to highlight her husband's populist pitch, emphasizing his middle-class roots in an effort to lure women and minorities to his side. LINK

The Boston Globe's Julie Pace " Michelle Obama delivers message of devotion, trust" The first lady told the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday in an address intended to reassure voters that her husband share their values - hard work, perseverance and optimism - while also drawing a contrast between him and Mitt Romney. LINK

The New York Times' Jim Rutenberg: " Michelle Obama Tops Opening Night for Democrats" Democrats opened their convention here on Tuesday night with a parade of officials telling voters that Mitt Romney does not get it and with a rousing speech from Michelle Obama making the case that President Obama does. Mr. Obama's roster of Democratic promoters spent the first hours detailing a political indictment of Mr. Romney, blistering him as being out of touch with the middle class and intent on taking the country back to the policies that caused the economy's problems. LINK

The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty: " First Lady Michelle Obama lauds husband's values, vision" First lady Michelle Obama declared Tuesday that her husband's record in office has proved his values, his vision and his courage, as the Democrats opened their convention here with a wide-ranging appeal to the diverse constituencies and interests they must bring out in force to reelect the president.The first night of the convention featured the strong presence of - and a heavy appeal to - women, Latinos and young people. Speakers evoked their shared values and issued a warning that Republican nominee Mitt Romney would take the country backward. LINK

Politico's Jennifer Epstein: " Michelle Obama DNC speech: Obama's life makes him understand" First lady Michelle Obama set out to do for Democrats Tuesday exactly what Republicans wanted Ann Romney to do: humanize her husband, making him more appealing and accessible to voters whose connection has wavered. Without ever directly attacking, Obama built an attack on Romney that called on simple details - rusted cars, student loans, a grandmother passed over for a promotion - that drew an implicit contrast with the privileged upbringing of the Republican nominee that Ann Romney could only gloss over last week in Tampa. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO "Julian Castro DNC Speech: 'It Starts With Education'" LINK "DNC 2012 Day 1 Best Moments: Michelle Obama, Julian Castro" LINK

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