The Note's Must-Reads for Thursday, July 2, 2009

July 02, 2009 5:45 AM

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

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PRESIDENT OBAMA AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS:

The New York Times’ Sam Dillon: “Facing Deficits, Some States Cut Summer School” LINK

The New York Times’ Jesse McKinley: “California Fails to Break Impasse as States Struggle to Meet Budget Deadlines” LINK

The Washington Times’ Christina Bellantoni: “Military Seeks stopgaps to deal with gays” LINK

Time Magazine’s Michael Sherer: “What Happened to the Stimulus?” LINK

LA Times’ Peter Nicholas: “Obama administration touring competitive rural districts” LINK

LA Times’ Josh Drobnyk: “Iraq war veteran will lead effort to reverse ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’” LINK

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman: “The Mind of Al Franken” LINK

USA Today’s Suzanne Gamboa: “Feds begin immigration crackdown at 625 companies” LINK

USA Today’s Daniel Wagner: “SEC requires all companies to provide more info on exec pay” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HEALTH CARE REFORM:

The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny: “President Pushes Health Plan as an Economic Boon” LINK

The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank: “Confused U.S. Has Lots to Say About Health Care” LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael D. Shear and Jose Antonio Vargas: “A Pitch on Health Care To Virginia And Beyond” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler: “Obama Moderates Health-Care Stance” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jane Zhang: “Medicare Plans to Cut Specialists' Payments” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Alicia Mundy and Jared A. Favole: “Warnings Sought by U.S. on Drugs to Halt Smoking” LINK

New York Daily News’ Michael Mcauliff: “With emotional hug of cancer patient, President Barack Obama pitches his health plan” LINK

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown: “Obama vows health bill by year’s end” LINK

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: “Obama Quizzed at Health Care Town Hall: On Taxing Benefits, Single Payer System, and Costs” LINK

LA Times’ Noam N. Levey: “Obama urges public to demand healthcare reform” LINK

Newsweek’s Susan Page: “Obama takes health care pitch to Virginia” LINK

The Hill’s Jeffrey Young: “Administration trims health reform price tag” LINK

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES:

The New York Times’ Benjamin Weiser: “Sotomayor’s Recusals Suggest Impartiality” LINK

The Washington Times’ Tom LoBianco: “Sotomayor advised critics of Bork” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The New York Times’ Richard Oppel Jr.: “U.S. Marines try to Retake Afghan Valley From Taliban” LINK

The New York Times’ Charlie Savage: “To Critics, New Policy on Terror Looks Old” LINK

The Washington Post’s Del Quentin Wilber: “ACLU Says Government Used False Confessions” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Yochi J. Dreazen: “U.S. Launches South Afghan Offensive” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman in Washington and Gregory L. White and Alan Cullison in Moscow: “U.S. Hardens Its Stance Ahead of Summit With Russia” LINK

Bloomberg’s Ed Johnson: “U.S. Begins ‘Major’ Operation Against Afghan Taliban” LINK

Politico’s Michael Calderone: “Newsweek disputes Iran reporter’s ‘confession’” LINK

ABC News’ Ann Compton: “Afghanistan Offensive and Iraq Withdrawal Obama’s National Security Advisor Discusses Both with ABC News” LINK

ABC News’ Jeffrey Kofman: “One Country, Two Presidents” LINK

Newsweek “NEWSWEEK Statement on Maziar Bahari” LINK

USA Today’s David J. Lynch: “U.S. regulators could learn from Canada’s banks” LINK

USA Today’s Ken Dilanian: “Turmoil in Iran stifling Obama’s outreach” LINK

SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR SANFORD:

The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker: “S.C. Governor Resists Pressure to Resign” LINK

Bloomberg’s Juliann Neher and Jonathan D. Salant: “Sanford Hears Republican Demands to Quit Over Abuse of Office” LINK

Boston Herald Columnist Margery Eagan: “Silver linings rip in story of Sanford and sins” LINK

Politico’s Andy Barr and Jonathan Martin: “South Carolina GOP: Mark Sanford must go” LINK

ABC News’ Huma Khan: “Calls for Sanford to Resign Grow Louder in South Carolina” LINK

The Hill’s Reid Wilson: “In an affair, Sanford loses closet ally: his wife” LINK

CONGRESS:

The New York Times’ Carl Hulse: “What’s So Super About a Supermajority” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Brody Mullins and T.W. Farnam: “Congress's Travel Tab Swells” LINK

Time Magazine’s Jay Newton-Small: “How Will Al Franken Make a Difference in the Senate?” LINK

Politico’s Josh Kraushaar “Sununu not running for the Senate” LINK

Politico’s Ben Smith: “Deeds turned down chance to be with Obama today” LINK

LA Times’ Kristina Sherry and Kate Linthicum: “Ailing Henry Waxman said to be improving” LINK

The Hill’s Aaron Blake: “Sununu won’t seek Senate return” LINK

The Hill’s Sam Youngman: “White House downplays 60 in Senate” LINK

The Hill’s Aaron Blake: “A few victory laughs for Sen.-elect Franken” LINK

ECONOMY:

LA Times’ Jim Puzzanghera: “Consumer fraud charges filed against five Van Nuys companies” LINK

USA Today “Jobless rate seen rising to 9.6 percent” LINK

USA Today’s Tom Vanden Brook: “Military to add 5,200 upgraded MRAPs” LINK

The Hills’ Ian Swanson: “Union hits Citigroup over rate hikes” LINK

DEMOCRATS/REPUBLICANS:

The New York Times’ Raymond Hernandez: “For an Insider, a Lonely Road to Senate Run” LINK

The New York Times’ Katharine Q. Seelye: “Franken, in Long Wait, Studied for Senate Role” LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “Democrats’ supermajority may be illusory” LINK

Boston Herald Op-Ed by Wayne Woodlief: “Recipe for GOP rebirth” LINK

OTHER MUST-READS:

The Boston Globe’s Foon Rhee: “Obama vs. Palin, the Olympics version” LINK

New York Daily News’ Irving Dejohn and Simone Weichselbaum: “Naked man spurs plane to divert from Los Angeles to Albuquerque” LINK

Politico’s Josh Gerstein: “HHS scales back estimate for HIV cases due to immigration change” LINK

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller: Who Makes the Big Bucks at the White House?” LINK

USA Today’s Rick Hampson: “Statue of Liberty gets her view back” LINK

USA Today’s Larry Copeland and Paul Overberg: “4th arrives amid shift in driving habits” LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO:

“Franken Holds Rally to Celebrate Victory” LINK

“Obama Hugs Cancer Patient During Forum” LINK

“Can Gov. Sanford Save His Marriage?” LINK

“U.S. Troops Turn Over Iraqi Security” LINK

“The New 'President' of Honduras” LINK

“Governor Calls Mistress His Soul Mate” LINK

“Newt Gingrich on Health Care Reform” LINK