--- ---  # Morning Must Reads: June 24 (24 Jun 2015) by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jun 24, 2015 11:35 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 Jun 24, 2015 11:35 AM UTC President Obama is revising the U.S. policy toward family members whose loved ones are being held hostage by terrorist groups, dropping the long-standing threats of prosecution for those paying ransom. The change follows the beheadings and failed rescue attempts of a number of hostages held by ISIS and other extremist groups in recent years. A government auditor found massive security gaps at the Office of Personnel Management, the beleaguered agency at the center of a massive hack of government employee data, allegedly carried out by China. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will become the latest GOP contender to enter the president race, but he faces a steep climb to the nomination as one of the least-known candidates in an already packed field. After years of being a litmus test for candidates in the South, the politics around the Confederate flag have dramatically shifted since last week’s Charleston shooting, but a host of U.S. remembrances to those supporting the rebel cause remain. Here are your must-reads: **Must Reads** [Bobby Jindal’s Uphill Battle](http://time.com/3933048/bobby-jindal-campaign-launch/) The Louisiana governor is launching his presidential bid from the back of the pack \[TIME\] [Bipartisan Push for Criminal Justice Reform Sets Its Agenda](http://time.com/3931188/criminal-justice-reform-agenda/) Momentum builds behind effort to reform sentencing laws, TIME’s Alex Altman reports [Democrats Borrow From the Republican Playbook](http://time.com/3932216/congress-democrats-hostages/) TIME’s Jay Newton-Small on the rise of Democratic hostage-taking in Congress [Obama Ordering Changes in U.S. Hostage Policies](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/world/obama-ordering-changes-in-us-hostage-policies.html?%5Fr=0) Families of hostages won’t be threatened with criminal prosecution for paying ransoms under proposed change \[New York Times\] [New report blasts personnel office cyber security management](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/06/23/new-report-blasts-personnel-office-cyber-security-management/) High risk failures at agency at center of massive hack \[Washington Post\] [Calls to Drop Confederate Emblems Spread Nationwide](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/us/south-carolina-nikki-haley-confederate-flag.html?ref=politics) A once-moribund effort to scale back the flag’s use picks up steam \[New York Times\] **Sound Off** “\[Wisconsin Gov. Scott\] Walker weighed in and said the 20-week abortion ban is something he would like to see hit his desk … It sent a message to us.” — Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader [Scott Fitzgerald](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/us/politics/scott-walker-promising-bold-leadership-faces-gop-discord-in-wisconsin.html?ref=politics) to the New York _Times_. Walker had refused to take a position on the issue during his 2014 re-elect. “One of my dorm mates in tenth grade is running for president also, Jeb Bush. We had some spirited games of ping-pong and our paths have not crossed much since high school but I think we still consider each other friends.” — Former Rhode Island Gov. [Lincoln Chafee](http://www.theskimm.com/skimm-your-candidate/lincoln-chafee), a longshot Democratic presidential candidate, on his high school classmate. **Bits and Bites** [Senate Clears Trade Bill’s Way to Passage](http://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-clears-trade-bills-way-to-passage-1435101401) \[Wall Street Journal\] [U.S. Flag Waves Over 10 Army Bases Proudly Named for Confederate Officers](http://time.com/3932914/army-bases-confederate/) \[TIME\] [A field guide to the racists commemorated inside the U.S. Capitol](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/06/23/a-field-guide-to-the-racists-commemorated-inside-the-u-s-capitol/) \[Washington Post\] [Six plans to fix Obamacare should the Supreme Court eliminate federal subsidies](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/06/23/your-pocket-guide-to-obamacare-replacement-plans/) \[Washington Post\] [Kasich: ‘I’m coming to Iowa … to show respect’](http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/06/23/john-kasich-coming-iowa-want-show-respect/29191257/) \[Des Moines Register\] [Pawn Stars host cuts video for Rubio ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txUo5wFveas&feature=em-uploademail) [Families whose children were held captive in Syria felt that U.S. officials had abandoned them. So they secretly joined forces.](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/06/five-hostages) \[New Yorker\] Morning Must Reads: June 24 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3933550/morning-must-reads-june-24-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3933550/morning-must-reads-june-24-2/"},"headline":"Morning Must Reads: June 24 (24 Jun 2015)","datePublished":"2015-06-24T11:35:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-26T19:55:35.960Z","description":"President Obama is revising the U.S. policy toward family members whose loved ones are being held hostage by terrorist groups, dropping the long-standing threats of...","url":"https://time.com/3933550/morning-must-reads-june-24-2/","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":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"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":"https://time.com/3933550/morning-must-reads-june-24-2/","name":"Morning Must Reads: June 24 (24 Jun 2015)"}}]}] ```