Morning Must Reads: March 24

March 24, 2014 8:30 AM EDT

Obama tries to reassure jittery allies on foreign trip [TIME]

3 Presidents and a riddle named Putin: “For 15 years, Vladimir V. Putin has confounded American presidents as they tried to figure him out, only to misjudge him time and again. He has defied their assumptions and rebuffed their efforts at friendship. He has argued with them, lectured them, misled them, accused them, kept them waiting, kept them guessing, betrayed them and felt betrayed by them.” [NYT]

Mitt Romney on Obama: “Well, there’s no question but that the president’s naivete with regards to Russia, and his faulty judgment about Russia’s intentions and objectives, has led to a number of foreign policy challenges that we face. And unfortunately, not having anticipated Russia’s intentions, the president wasn’t able to shape the kinds of events that may have been able to prevent the kinds of circumstances that you’re seeing in the Ukraine, as well as the things that you’re seeing in Syria,” [CBS News]

Jimmy Carter believes NSA is reading his emails [TIME]

Michelle Obama praised for style, warmth in China [AP] Photos at Politico

“The Senate Intelligence Committee is poised to send a long-awaited report on the CIA’s interrogation practices to President Barack Obama’s desk for his approval — or redaction. Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) says she has the votes on the narrowly divided panel to publicly reveal the executive summary and key conclusions of a 6,300-page report on Bush-era interrogation tactics, a move sure to fuel the Senate’s intense dispute with the CIA over how the panel pieced together the study. That vote is likely to happen sometime this week.” [Politico]

Japan turning over nuclear stockpile to U.S. [The Hill]

“The legal battle over Obamacare’s contraception mandate is essentially tied as it heads into Tuesday’s Supreme Court arguments. Both sides have suffered some bad losses in lower courts, and the weaknesses that hurt them before could spell trouble again on Tuesday.The Court has combined two cases on the birth-control mandate—one the government won, and one it lost. Both challenges were filed by for-profit companies that say the mandate violates the religious beliefs of their owners…there are good reasons why each side might lose at the Supreme Court.” [National Journal]

“Political attacks on the Koch brothers have emerged as a key, practically everyday part of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Democratic Party’s 2014 election strategy — accusing the wealthy conservative donors of trying to buy elections and block aid to Ukraine.” [Fox News]

Nate Silver predicts GOP will win Senate Midterms [TIME]

Condoleeza Rice defends Senate candidate in crossroads Senate ad [National Journal]

“Thirty-two people were injured — none seriously — when an eight-car Chicago Transit Authority train continued through the end of the platform and struck the escalators leading to the terminals at O’Hare International Airport early Monday morning.” [NBC Chicago]

Eight dead, 18 missing after Washington state landslide [Reuters]

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