--- description: In the News: Putin calls for troop withdrawal; Obama is 'madder than hell'; Tuesday primaries will shape 2014 climate; and new poll shows grim outlook for Dems in 2014 title: Morning Must Reads: May 19 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Morning Must Reads](/tag/morning-must-reads/) ## Morning Must Reads Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Morning Must Reads: May 19 by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 19, 2014 11:33 AM CUT  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 [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 19, 2014 11:33 AM CUT * GOP: Hillary Clinton’s health and age are ‘fair game’ \[[TIME](http://time.com/104373/gop-hillary-clintons-health-and-age-is-fair-game/ "undefined")\] * A new poll shows there would be trouble for Democrats if the 2014 election were held today \[[Politico](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/politico-poll-shows-mounting-danger-for-dems-106814.html?hp=t1 "undefined")\] * “Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered military forces to return to their permanent bases after drills in three regions bordering Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday.” \[[Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-military-idUSBREA4I04I20140519 "undefined")\] * Front-runner in Ukraine election may be shifting Putin’s stance \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/19/world/europe/frontrunner-in-ukraine-election-may-be-shifting-putins-stance.html "undefined")\] * Tuesday primaries will shape critical 2014 contests \[[USA Today](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/05/18/may-primary-contests/9143635/ "undefined")\] * “Tuesday’s primary here in Kentucky, along with others in Georgia, Idaho and Oregon, represents the most important moment on the 2014 calendar to date in the tug of war between GOP leaders and conservative activists. From the beginning, Mr. McConnell has highlighted his conservative stances, but never at the expense of his main message—that his perch as a party leader gives Kentucky more clout in Congress.” \[[WSJ](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304198504579570640751448998?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304198504579570640751448998.html "undefined")\] * Glass ceilings in statehouses in the Northeast \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/19/us/politics/glass-ceilings-in-statehouses-in-the-northeast.html?ref=us&%5Fr=0 "undefined")\] * San Antonio mayor Julian Castro is being considered for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development \[[Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/05/17/julian-castro-being-considered-for-hud-secretary/ "undefined")\] * “White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough defended the White House reaction to the scandals emerging from Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals around the country, saying on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that President Obama “is madder than hell – I’ve got the scars to prove it.” \[[CBS](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/denis-mcdonough-obama-is-madder-than-hell-about-va-scandal/ "undefined")\] * VA’s Chinese water torture continues \[[TIME](http://time.com/104175/vas-chinese-water-torture-continues/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/104455/morning-must-reads-may-19/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/104455/morning-must-reads-may-19/"},"headline":"Morning Must Reads: May 19","datePublished":"2014-05-19T11:33:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:54:54.103Z","description":"In the News: Putin calls for troop withdrawal; Obama is 'madder than hell'; Tuesday primaries will shape 2014 climate; and new poll shows grim outlook for Dems in 2014","url":"https://time.com/104455/morning-must-reads-may-19/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Morning Must Reads","caption":"Capitol","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/morning-must-reads/","name":"Morning Must Reads"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/104455/morning-must-reads-may-19/","name":"Morning Must Reads: May 19"}}]}] ```