--- description: In the news: Iraq creeps closer to "all-out" sectarian conflict; What went wrong with Eric Cantor and the fight to take his leadership post; proof of a partisan U.S.; what's prettier in print title: Morning Must Reads: June 12 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: June 12 by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 12, 2014 12:40 PM 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 [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 12, 2014 12:40 PM CUT * “Iraq edged closer to all-out sectarian conflict on Thursday as Kurdish forces took control of a provincial capital in the oil-rich north and Sunni militants vowed to march on two cities revered by Shiite Muslims.” \[[WSJ](http://online.wsj.com/articles/islamist-rebels-vow-to-march-on-iraqs-capital-1402562192?mod=WSJ%5Fhpp%5FLEFTTopStories "undefined")\] * “As the threat from Sunni militants in western Iraq escalated last month, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki secretly asked the Obama administration to consider carrying out airstrikes against extremist staging areas … But Iraq’s appeals for a military response have so far been rebuffed by the White House.” \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/world/middleeast/iraq-asked-us-for-airstrikes-on-militants-officials-say.html?hp&%5Fr=0 "undefined")\] * On the Edge of Civil War in Ukraine \[[Buzzfeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/on-the-edge-of-civil-war-in-ukraine "undefined")\] * What went wrong for Eric Cantor? \[[WashPost](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/what-went-wrong-for-eric-cantor/2014/06/11/0be7c02c-f180-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4%5Fstory.html "undefined")\] * Kevin McCarthy makes his move \[[Politico](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/kevin-mccarthy-house-majority-leader-campaign-eric-cantor-107756.html "undefined")\] * Cantor stands to make a lot of money should he head to K Street \[[National Journal](http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/eric-cantor-s-loss-could-be-the-best-thing-that-s-happened-to-him-20140611 "undefined")\] * Here are 10 Pew charts showing how the United States is growing more partisan \[[TIME](http://time.com/2862299/how-the-united-states-is-growing-more-partisan-in-10-charts/ "undefined")\] * Prettier in Print * Cover: [Ending the War on Fat](http://time.com/2863227/ending-the-war-on-fat/ "undefined") by Bryan Walsh * [We’ve All Got GM Problems](http://time.com/2863214/weve-all-got-gm-problems/ "undefined") by Rana Foroohar * [The (Slow) Greening of America](http://time.com/2863213/the-slow-greening-of-america/ "undefined") by Michael Grunwald * [The Bergdahls Are Sacrificial Lambs](http://time.com/2863225/bowe-bergdahl-parent-the-sacrificial-lambs/ "undefined") by Joe Klein * [Russia, We Have a Problem](http://time.com/2863223/russia-we-have-a-problem/ "undefined") by Jeffrey Kluger * [Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko: Man in the Middle](http://time.com/2863204/petro-poroshenko-man-in-the-middle/ "undefined") by Simon Shuster * [Stars, Stripes and Soccer](http://time.com/2863212/stars-stripes-and-soccer/ "undefined") by Bill Saporito * [Hillary’s Highly Choreographed Reality](http://time.com/2863222/hillarys-highly-choreographed-reality/ "undefined") by Michael Crowley * [Cantor: Loss Leader](http://time.com/2863210/loss-leader/ "undefined") by Jay Newton-Small * [10 Questions With Ice Cube](http://time.com/2863202/10-questions-with-ice-cube/ "undefined") by Belinda Luscombe * “As the threat from Sunni militants in western Iraq escalated last month, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki secretly asked the Obama administration to consider carrying out airstrikes against extremist staging areas … But Iraq’s appeals for a military response have so far been rebuffed by the White House.” \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/world/middleeast/iraq-asked-us-for-airstrikes-on-militants-officials-say.html?hp&%5Fr=0 "undefined")\] * Kevin McCarthy makes his move \[[Politico](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/kevin-mccarthy-house-majority-leader-campaign-eric-cantor-107756.html "undefined")\] * Cantor stands to make a lot of money should he head to K Street \[[National Journal](http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/eric-cantor-s-loss-could-be-the-best-thing-that-s-happened-to-him-20140611 "undefined")\] * Cover: [Ending the War on Fat](http://time.com/2863227/ending-the-war-on-fat/ "undefined") by Bryan Walsh * [We’ve All Got GM Problems](http://time.com/2863214/weve-all-got-gm-problems/ "undefined") by Rana Foroohar * [The (Slow) Greening of America](http://time.com/2863213/the-slow-greening-of-america/ "undefined") by Michael Grunwald * [The Bergdahls Are Sacrificial Lambs](http://time.com/2863225/bowe-bergdahl-parent-the-sacrificial-lambs/ "undefined") by Joe Klein * [Russia, We Have a Problem](http://time.com/2863223/russia-we-have-a-problem/ "undefined") by Jeffrey Kluger * [Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko: Man in the Middle](http://time.com/2863204/petro-poroshenko-man-in-the-middle/ "undefined") by Simon Shuster * [Stars, Stripes and Soccer](http://time.com/2863212/stars-stripes-and-soccer/ "undefined") by Bill Saporito * [Hillary’s Highly Choreographed Reality](http://time.com/2863222/hillarys-highly-choreographed-reality/ "undefined") by Michael Crowley * [Cantor: Loss Leader](http://time.com/2863210/loss-leader/ "undefined") by Jay Newton-Small * [10 Questions With Ice Cube](http://time.com/2863202/10-questions-with-ice-cube/ "undefined") by Belinda Luscombe The Morning Must Reads is published daily on weekdays. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2863463/morning-must-reads-june-12/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2863463/morning-must-reads-june-12/"},"headline":"Morning Must Reads: June 12","datePublished":"2014-06-12T12:40:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:22:35.272Z","description":"In the news: Iraq creeps closer to \"all-out\" sectarian conflict; What went wrong with Eric Cantor and the fight to take his leadership post; proof of a partisan U.S.; what's prettier in 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