--- title: Morning Must Reads: July 23 description: Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sit down with TIME's Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy exclusively for this week's cover story, exploring the... canonical: https://time.com/3969307/morning-must-reads-july-23/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-23T11:58:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-26T19:56:08.323Z article:section: Politics og:title: Morning Must Reads: July 23 og:description: Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sit down with TIME's Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy exclusively for this week's cover story, exploring the... og:url: https://time.com/3969307/morning-must-reads-july-23/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Morning Must Reads: July 23 twitter:description: Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sit down with TIME's Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy exclusively for this week's cover story, exploring the... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Morning Must Reads: July 23 (23 Jul 2015) > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jul 23, 2015 11:58 AM UTC  The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jul 23, 2015 11:58 AM UTC Former presidents **Bill Clinton** and **George W. Bush** sit down with TIME’s Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy exclusively for this week’s cover story, exploring the dynamics of two patriarchs of American politics watching loved ones compete for their old job. They tell TIME that they are not rushing to play large roles in 2016, but that they will help when and if asked, which makes sense, since both are double-edged swords for **Hillary Clinton** and **Jeb Bush**, respectively. Clinton’s dynamism on the road serves to highlight his wife’s discomfort with retail campaigning, while the elder Bush is still tainted from his time in office. Donors who have given to multiple campaigns do it for a multitude of reasons, usually boiling down to helping their friends, raising questions about the role of money in politics when it’s no longer about supporting a candidate. Republican fire against **Donald Trump** is escalating, with former Texas Gov. **Rick Perry** calling him a cancer on the GOP and **Lindsey Graham** undeterred by Trump releasing his phone number to the masses. Trump will visit the U.S.-Mexico border today, where things are expected to get heated. And **John Kasich** and Hillary Clinton had an unlikely meeting in 1993 to discuss healthcare reform that colors today’s debate. Here are your must-reads: **Must Reads** [Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and the American Game of Thrones ](http://time.com/3969265/bill-clinton-george-w-bush-and-the-american-game-of-thrones/)TIME’s Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy talk to the two ex-presidents on the cover of this week’s magazine [Bill Clinton and George W. Bush’s Plan for 2016 ](http://time.com/3968132/bill-clinton-george-bush-interview/)The former commanders-in-chief aren’t rushing to play a big role this cycle, they tell TIME. [Here’s Why These Donors Gave to Both Hillary Clinton and a Republican ](http://time.com/3968470/hillary-clinton-jeb-bush-donors/)It’s about helping their friends, TIME’s Tessa Berenson explains [The On-Demand Economy Takes Workers for a Ride ](http://time.com/3969247/is-the-on-demand-economy-taking-workers-for-a-ride/)TIME’s Katy Steinmetz goes behind the scenes on 2016’s newest campaign issue [Inside the Next Social Security Crisis ](http://time.com/3969233/inside-the-next-social-security-crisis/)American women are bearing the brunt of the retirement crunch, TIME’s Haley Sweetland Edwards reports [Africa Trip Takes Obama Back to a Complex Part of Himself ](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/world/africa/africa-trip-takes-obama-back-to-a-complex-part-of-himself.html?ref=politics&%5Fr=0)Obama returns to his father’s birthplace \[New York Times\] **Sound Off** “I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say that I have woken up in cold sweats wondering how I’m going to deal with a Donald Trump who’s not listening.” — Fox News anchor and 2016 GOP debate moderator [Bret Baier](http://time.com/3969245/10-questions-with-bret-baier/) to TIME’s Michael Scherer on how he will keep time with Trump on stage “He offers a barking carnival act that can be best described as Trumpism: a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued. Let no one be mistaken – Donald Trump’s candidacy is a cancer on conservatism, and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised and discarded.” — Texas Gov. [Rick Perry](http://time.com/3968398/donald-trump-rick-perry-cancer/) taking his criticism of Trump to the next level **Bits and Bites** [Hillary Clinton Dined With John Kasich Over Healthcare Reform—In 1993](http://time.com/3968801/hillary-clinton-john-kasich-healthcare/) \[TIME\] [Donald Trump: As President, ‘I’ll Change My Tone’](http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/22/politics/donald-trump-anderson-cooper/index.html) \[CNN\] [Jeb Bush’s Reform Myth](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/jeb-bushs-reform-myth-120505.html?hp=rc3%5F4) \[Politico\] [Why Hillary Clinton and Her Rivals Are Struggling to Grasp Black Lives Matter](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/why-hillary-clinton-and-her-rivals-are-struggling-to-grasp-black-lives-matter/2015/07/22/8b5870e8-2f34-11e5-8f36-18d1d501920d%5Fstory.html?hpid=z5) \[Washington Post\] [Can Congress Pass Criminal Justice Reform?](http://time.com/3968149/criminal-justice-reform-congress/) \[TIME\] [Unmanned Aerial Vengeance: Drone Takes Out Terrorist Linked to Marine’s Killing](http://time.com/3968771/muhsin-al-fadhli-tony-sledd/) \[TIME\] [Watch What Donald Trump Made Lindsey Graham Do to His Phone](http://time.com/3968040/hillary-clinton-hollywood-strategy/) \[TIME\] [What Did Hillary Clinton Talk About During Those Speeches? Cookies, Cars, Camp](http://www.wsj.com/articles/what-did-hillary-clinton-talk-about-during-those-speeches-cookies-cars-camp-1437613102) \[Wall Street Journal\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3969307/morning-must-reads-july-23/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3969307/morning-must-reads-july-23/"},"headline":"Morning Must Reads: July 23 (23 Jul 2015)","datePublished":"2015-07-23T11:58:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-26T19:56:08.323Z","description":"Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. 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