Morning Must Reads: July 30

2 minute read
Capitol
The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC.Mark Wilson—Getty Images
By Maya Rhodan

  • U.S., E.U. boost sanctions on Russia [TIME]
  • As sanctions pile up, Russians’ alarm grows over Putin’s tactics: “…there is growing alarm in Russia that the festering turmoil in Ukraine and the new round of far more punitive sanctions — announced Tuesday by both European nations and the United States — will have an impact on Russia’s relations with the West for years to come and damage the economy to the extent that ordinary Russians feel it.” [NYT]
  • “The airwaves are filled with images of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip. President Obama is pressing for an immediate cease-fire. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have been killed. But at home, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a massive wave of popularity.” [Washington Post]
  • Israel’s operation in Gaza spreads beyond just tunnels [TIME]
  • Inside the Kerry-Israel meltdown [The Daily Beast]
  • House Republicans unveil women’s legislation in push for female voters [TIME]
  • Ex-first couple’s defense in Virginia: the state of their union [NYT]
  • Eric Cantor’s final days: “It’s an anticlimactic end to Cantor’s meteoric rise. His tenure as majority leader — defined in part by opposition to Obamacare and moments of friction with fellow GOP leaders — will close quietly on Thursday. One of the most dominant figures on Capitol Hill until his shocking primary loss in June, Cantor will spend the rest of this Congress as a member of the GOP rank and file.” [Politico]
  • “Labor advocates are claiming a big victory after a federal agency said Tuesday that McDonald’s central, corporate operations can be lumped in with its thousands of franchises for liability purposes.” [USA Today]
  • Dems fear a debacle on turnout [The Hill]
  • “The Senate has passed a bill to rescue highway and transit funding that House Speaker John Boehner says he won’t accept, keeping the specter of a “highway cliff” alive with just days before Congress is set to leave for its August recess.” [Politico]
  • Nixon’s nightmare, and ours, 40 years ago [The New Yorker]

    • More Must-Reads from TIME

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