By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• ANALYSIS - ABC's JEFF ZELENY: A week ago, President Obama implored the Texas Congressional delegation to step up and help address the crisis at the border. Today, the bipartisan duo of Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Henry Cuellar are doing just that as they introduce their bill to swiftly return young migrants to Central America. Their proposal is being met with sharp criticism from many Democrats and most immigrant-right groups, who say the U.S. has a moral responsibility to help kids who are fleeing their violent home countries. The House could take up the bill first, opening the door to the first real debate about the humanitarian crisis at the border. The White House knows that its $3.7 billion emergency spending request faces a steep climb without some significant reforms. Will any other Democrats sign onto this plan?

• WHAT THE BILL DOES: The bill, the Helping Unaccompanied Minors and Alleviating National Emergency (HUMANE) Act, to be introduced today, expedites an immigration court hearing for minors to within seven days of their Department of Homeland Security screening, notes ABC's JAKE LEFFERMAN. Within 72 hours of that proceeding, an immigration judge would determine if the child were eligible for relief and able to continue proceedings in the U.S. If they are deemed ineligible, they would be swiftly returned to their country of origin. This differs from the current law, which could see a court hearing pushed months or years out, with minors returned to relatives or placed in foster care. http://abcn.ws/WdDCGe

• WHAT THE POLLS SHOW: More than half of Americans in a new ABC News-Washington Post poll support a White House plan to address an influx of Central American children crossing the border from Mexico, though the president himself receives poor ratings for handling the issue - as do his Republican critics in Congress, notes ABC's RYAN STRUYK. Only a third of Americans approve of the way Barack Obama is handling the issue of undocumented immigrants entering the United States. But even fewer approve of how the Republicans in Congress are dealing with it - 23 percent, including fewer than half of Republicans themselves. Those poor political ratings aside, 53 percent support the plan to spend $3.7 billion to address the immediate problem of unaccompanied, undocumented children entering the country. Still, sharp partisan divisions mark that view: Sixty-six percent of Democrats support the proposal, advanced by Obama last week, dropping to 51 percent of independents and just 35 percent of Republicans. http://abcn.ws/1jLTzhd

HAPPENING TODAY

GOOGLE HANGOUT WITH YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. Join the U.S. Department of State today at 2:00pm ET for a Google+ Hangout with young African leaders who are studying in the U.S. through the Washington Fellowship program and Assistance Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan. The hangout will be moderated by ABC's DANA HUGHES. The Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of President Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. The 2014 Washington Fellows are 500 of Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising young leaders ages 25 to 35. The Fellows have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries. Do you have a question for the fellows? Join the conversation by posting your questions on Google+ or Twitter using #USAfrica. Follow this link to join ABC's DANA HUGHES and the State Department for the 2:00pm hangout: http://bit.ly/1mR94n0

14 FOR 14: THE MIDTERM MINUTE

-CHRISTIE UNDER FIRE - IN IOWA. A conservative legal group, the Judicial Crisis Network, is running ads in Iowa this week slamming Gov. Chris Christie for appointing liberal judges in New Jersey, ABC's JONATHAN KARL reports. The ads feature a photo of Christie and Obama together (Christie is wearing his Hurricane Sandy blue fleece) and are scheduled to run while Christie is in Iowa this week. It's a small ad buy - $75,000 over three days - but it's a foreshadowing of the kind of attacks Christie will face from the right if he runs for the Republican presidential nomination. The George Washington Bridge scandal will not be his only challenge. The Judicial Crisis Network is run by a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Here are the ads - 15 second spot: http://bit.ly/1kZldSG 90 second spot: http://youtu.be/8U3NwlwvNyE

-TEXAS GOV RACE HITS THE SILVER SCREEN: Think you can escape politics while at the movie theater? Well in Texas, think again. As of last Friday, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is plugging his gubernatorial campaign in two dozen movie theaters in Texas through the end of the week, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. The 30 second ad, which includes outtakes from Abbott's other ads and features the Texas attorney general sitting in a movie theater, asks moviegoers to text FREEDOM to a phone number to get updates about the campaign. WATCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK9HJUbzAMs

-MCSALLY OUTRAISES BARBER IN ARIZONA'S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. Yesterday Martha McSally announced that, for the fourth straight fundraising quarter in a row, the Arizona House candidate and presumed Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Rep. Ron Barber outraised the congressman by roughly $100,000. According to a statement released by her campaign Monday, McSally raised $653,107 in the best fundraising quarter the retired Air Force Colonel has seen yet, which ended June 30, ABC's ALI DUKAKIS reports. Barber, who just narrowly beat McSally for the seat in election 2012, also took in his personal best in campaign bucks during the period, over $550,000. While McSally is the presumptive GOP nominee, she still needs to prevail in the Republican primary next month. Assuming she is the victor, the race is expected to remain very close. But Barber is an incumbent who is closely associated with their beloved former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, for whom Barber served as district director. What's more, Barber was recently endorsed by a large group of Southern Arizona veterans and their families - a big blow to McSally, who is a retired Air Force colonel and has campaigned largely on her experience serving in the military.

BUZZ

with ABC's SCOTT WILSON

THIS IS WHAT SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL'S LIFE WILL BE LIKE NOW. Sgt. Bowe Begdahl will work a "desk job" now that he has completed his reintegration process and returned to regular duties as an Army soldier, the Army said Monday, according to ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ. The former Taliban prisoner will be assigned to the headquarters of U.S. Army North at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl has been assigned to the command to do administrative duties commensurate with his rank as a sergeant, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said. "To use a slang term, he'll be working a desk job," Col. Scott Blechwell, a spokesman for U.S. Army North, told ABC News that Bergdahl has been assigned a sponsor to help him adjust to working at the command. Blechwell said new soldiers to the command are typically assigned sponsors when they arrive at the command. The completion of the counseling and treatment he received during his reintegration process means that Bergdahl can now be interviewed for the ongoing investigation into his disappearance from his outpost in eastern Afghanistan in 2009. http://abcn.ws/1jIlrD2

6 BEST BARBS IN THE RAND PAUL VS. RICK PERRY FEUD. When it comes to dealing with ISIS, the militant Islamic group intent on taking over Iraq, there's a rift within the Republican party - and nowhere is the divide more glaring than in dueling op-eds published by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. First, Perry ripped Paul in a scathing Washington Post op-ed published Friday. Perry's critique was as pointed as it was blunt, calling Paul out by name and suggesting that Paul's "isolationist" position (advocating against re-engagement in Iraq) "compounds the threat of terrorism." Not to be outdone, Paul fired back in an op-ed published in Politico Magazine yesterday, labeling Perry's critique "bombast" - and jeering at Perry's studious new glasses. The exchange was reminiscent of Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's fiery feud earlier this year, not only in its intensity, but because once again, both combatants are likely 2016 hopefuls. In case you missed it, ABC's ERIN DOOLEY compiled the best nuggets of the Perry/Paul tirades: http://abcn.ws/1kp4R5H

WHY DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ALIKE LOVE TO SEE ELIZABETH WARREN ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. Republican or Democrat, everyone wants Elizabeth Warren to hit the campaign trail - but for different reasons, notes ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE. Monday was a big day on the 2014 trail in West Virginia, with both Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., stumping for GOP Senate candidate Shelley Moore Capito and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., campaigning with Democratic Senate candidate Natalie Tennant. It's Warren, though, who has both sides excited about her trip - and this isn't the first time Warren has sparked bipartisan hubbub with a foray into a competitive race. She's popping up in red states, where Republicans paint Warren (and whoever she may be stumping with) as anti-coal liberals, but that hasn't stopped her from being hotly requested on the Democratic campaign trail for 2014 candidates. It's Warren's populist streak that will play well even in red states, said Democratic strategist Mary Ann Marsh, and that her tendency to tell it like it is has proven popular in a time of restrained politicians. http://abcn.ws/1yibFuc

HARRY REID: JUDGE JUDY WOULD THROW OUT GOP LAWSUIT. Paging Judge Judy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said yesterday the snarky TV judge would throw out the lawsuit crafted by House Republicans in "half a second," according to ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ. "This is a phony trial that will come up. It's a show trial. It's what Republicans want. I guess that's what they want, but if that's really what they want, they should go talk to Judge Judy. Think she would throw this case out in a half a second," Reid said on the Senate floor. "The United States Congress is no place for inane, politically motivated litigation. I think Judge Judy would agree." "It's expensive and wasteful. It's wasting taxpayers hard earned money on something that is without any merit," he added. "Enough is enough. The fight over Obamacare should be long since ended. The law's here to stay." http://abcn.ws/1sVdMBb

LEBRON WON'T SCREW UP OUR CONVENTION, GOP INSISTS. The Republican Party says they anticipated the LeBron James' move to Cleveland and he won't be able to block their convention plans, ABC's BEN SIEGEL notes. In fact, they may have been planning for it, according to party and city officials. "We've worked through all of these contingencies," said Terry Egger, the chair of Cleveland's host committee. "For all of the [host] cities that had NBA teams, [playoff basketball] was one of the considerations you had to put in to the equation." James, 29, announced his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers three days after RNC Chairman Reince Priebus revealed Cleveland as the party's choice to host the 2016 national convention. Priebus told Fox News the GOP hopes to begin the convention on either June 28 or July 18 to allow the party's candidate to begin raising general election funds earlier in the summer. Should the Cavaliers make it to the league finals in 2016, they could be playing well into June. In 2013, the last game was played on June 20, roughly a week before the RNC's earliest date. http://abcn.ws/1qanKkW

7 REPUBLICANS WHO DISAGREE WITH SARAH PALIN ON IMPEACHING OBAMA. Sarah Palin penned an op-ed last week calling for the impeachment of President Obama. On Beribart.com, the former Republican vice presidential candidate said, "Enough is enough of the years of abuse from this president. His unsecured border crisis is the last straw that makes the battered wife say, 'no mas.'" Her comments have drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. "She wasn't a particularly good vice presidential candidate," Attorney General Eric Holder told ABC News' Pierre Thomas on "This Week." "She's an even worse judge of who ought to be impeached and why," he added. And it's not just Obama loyalists who disagree with Palin. ABC's SCOTT WILSON rounded up a list of prominent Republicans who say the president should not be impeached. http://abcn.ws/WdjBzp

LYNNE CHENEY MOCKS HILLARY CLINTON: 'WE WEREN'T DEAD BROKE.' It was standing room only at the Mayflower Hotel Monday for Politico Playbook's lunch with the Cheney family, according to ABC's ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN. The former Vice President was joined by his wife Lynne and daughter Liz for an interview. The conversation bounced from Dick and Liz Cheney's controversial Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal to his Ford F-350 diesel truck (he's a "proud owner") to Rand Paul's foreign policy views. Perhaps the best line of the day went to Lynne, who took a jab at Hillary Clinton. She said she "wasn't so sure" about Dick Cheney becoming Vice President, but that "we weren't dead broke!" The laughter was quickly eclipsed by several protesters, who interrupted the interview with shouts of war crimes directed at the former vice-president. Unsurprisingly, most of the conversation revolved around Iraq and foreign policy. Dick Cheney was critical of the current administration's handling of Iraq. He said entering Iraq in 2003 "was absolutely the right thing to do." http://abcn.ws/U5bAut

MEET THE FIRST SOMALI AMBASSADOR TO THE US IN 20 YEARS. Somalia has appointed the country's first ambassador to the United States in more than two decades, ABC's DANA HUGHES reports. Omar Abdirashid Ali Shamarke had his diplomatic credentials accepted today at the White House, where he is expected to attend President Obama's Iftar celebration this evening, a dinner marking the breaking of the fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "Ambassador Sharmarke's arrival to Washington represents the latest progress in advancing U.S.-Somali relations," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Ambassador Sharmarke and continuing to work with the Federal Government of Somalia to bring stability, security, and prosperity to all Somali people," Psaki added. Somalia's embassy in the U.S. closed in 1992 following the fall of long-time president Siad Barre, which plunged the country into chaos. Two years ago, the first elected government in twenty years came into power and the United States has given more than half a billion dollars in aid to help build infrastructure and provide basic services, including security and development of a justice system. http://abcn.ws/1sVeOgB

IN DEMAND: WASHINGTON'S HIGHEST (AND LOWEST) SPEAKING FEES. Speaking engagements are a common way for people to drum up some extra income after long stints in public office or attempts to reach public office. But depending on how much they're charging, and who's paying, speaking fees often lead to intense public scrutiny and criticism for politicos looking to make a buck. When accompanied by an unfortunate gaffe or an outlandish price tag, a politician's speaking engagements can color them as greedy or simply out of touch. Including Bill and Hillary Clinton's speaking fee fortune and Donald Trump's eye-popping $1.5 million speeches, ABC's SCOTT WILSON took a look at America's highest-paid public speakers to date. http://abcn.ws/1jKCtjO

WHO'S TWEETING?

@tymatsdorf: If you're looking for an explanation to the NBC poll in CO today, look here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8SQn3LQG1tk …

@costareports: The trepidation that some Ds feel w/ O - along w/ Clinton's absence on trail - has provided an opening for Warren http://wapo.st/1tKf1Yb

@zbyronwolf: NICE - "That bump you feel from the road could be a crack in the Highway Trust Fund." http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/14/politics/5-things-highway-trust-fund/ … @LisaDCNN

@maggiepolitico: Clinton and the task of melding the '90s White House years with a future-looking message http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/hillary-clinton-tax-policy-wall-street-reform-108900.html?hp=t1 …

@ZekeJMiller: The DNC is running a fundraising contest to meet Obama at a fundraiser in Los Angeles on 7/23/14