The Note's Must-Reads for Monday, August 12, 2013

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' Carrie Halperin, Jayce Henderson, Will Cantine and J.P. Lawrence

ELECTION SEASON ABC News' Jeff Zeleny: " Joe Biden's Going to Iowa, too" With all the talk of Hillary Clinton's political ambitions in the air, Vice President Joe Biden isn't being outdone: He's now speaking at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry in Iowa next month, ABC News has learned. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is already the marquee speaker for the Sept. 15 event, but Biden will deliver a speech after Castro. It was Biden's idea to attend, people with knowledge of the event said, and he raised it with Harkin. LINK

IMMIGRATION USA Today's Alan Gomez and Mandakini Gahlot: " Immigration debate ensnares foreign workers" Sukh Singh had a college degree in mechanical engineering and a dream of working in the United States, but that seemed impossible from his small farming village in northern India. Then a man named Sukhwinder came to town in November. He says he had just come back from America. He dressed the part, with designer jeans, distinct T-shirts and "fancy sunglasses." He even talked the part, sporting close to an American accent. He says he could help college grads find a job in a big American city for a big engineering firm. Ears perked up when he mentioned Austin as a possible destination. LINK

ECONOMY The Wall Street Journal's Nicole Hong: " Wobbly U.S. Economy Shakes Faith in Dollar" The dollar is stumbling as investors begin to question the relative strength of the U.S. economic recovery, which had powered a rally in the greenback in the first half of 2013. The WSJ Dollar Index, a gauge of the dollar's exchange rate against seven of the world's most heavily traded currencies, is down 4% in the past month and hit a seven-week low on Friday. Before the selloff, which began after the dollar hit a three-year high in early July, the U.S. currency was up 8.3% for the year. LINK

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT The new York Times' Charlie Savage: " Justice Dept. Seeks To Curtail Stiff Drug Sentences" In a major shift in criminal justice policy, the Obama administration will move on Monday to ease overcrowding in federal prisons by ordering prosecutors to omit listing quantities of illegal substances in indictments for low-level drug cases, sidestepping federal laws that impose strict mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related offenses. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., in a speech at the American Bar Association's annual meeting in San Francisco on Monday, is expected to announce the new policy as one of several steps intended to curb soaring taxpayer spending on prisons and help correct what he regards as unfairness in the justice system, according to his prepared remarks. LINK

POTUS The Washington Post's Billy Kenber: " President Obama Begins Martha's Vinyard Vacation With A Round Of Golf" President Obama began his Martha's Vineyard vacation in traditional style Sunday, wasting no time in hitting the golf course. Taking a break from wrangling over immigration reform and planning for federal budget debates, the president began his first full day of vacation with a midday round at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs. He was joined by aide Marvin Nicholson and White House chef Sam Kass, with Robert Wolf, a former UBS Americas chairman and one of Obama's principal Wall Street allies, completing the foursome. LINK

SNOWDEN The Washington Times' Ben Wolfgang: " McCain: Young Americans admire Snowden, see him as 'some kind of Jason Bourne'" A deep distrust of government has led young Americans to hold up NSA leaker Edward Snowden as a hero, Sen. John McCain said Sunday. "There's a young generation who believes he's some kind of Jason Bourne," the Arizona Republican said during on "Fox News Sunday," referring to the lead character in the Bourne movie trilogy who battled his own government, particularly the CIA. LINK

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