--- description: In the news: Ukraine forces engage pro-Russian separatists; Rescuers search for hundreds of missing people after a South Korean ferry capsized; Democrats want former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to run for Senate; the Tea Party radio network; what's prettier in print title: Morning Must Reads: April 17 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: April 17 by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 17, 2014 11:50 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 [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 17, 2014 11:50 AM CUT * “Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he hoped not to send Russian troops into Ukraine but didn’t rule it out, accusing the Kiev government of committing ‘a serious crime’ by using the military to quell unrest.” \[[WSJ](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304626304579506741617026658?mod=WSJ%5Fhp%5FRightTopStories&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304626304579506741617026658.html%3Fmod%3DWSJ%5Fhp%5FRightTopStories "undefined")\] * “Ukrainian forces engaged pro-Russian separatists Thursday in what appeared to be the most intense battle yet in the restive east, killing three militants and wounding 13 after what the Interior Ministry described as a siege on a military base in the southeastern city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.” \[[WashPost](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pro-russian-militants-killed-in-clash-at-ukraine-port-city/2014/04/17/02fc044e-c5f9-11e3-bf7a-be01a9b69cf1%5Fstory.html?hpid=z1 "undefined")\] * “Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Geneva Wednesday evening to prepare for four-party talks with European, Russian and Ukrainian officials…Although the president did not definitely say whether Russia would face further sanctions if the meeting failed, he said, ‘What I’ve said consistently is that each time Russia takes these kinds of steps, that are designed to destabilize Ukraine and violate their sovereignty, that there are going to be consequences.'” \[[CBS](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-warns-of-consequences-for-russian-actions-destabilizing-ukraine/ "undefined")\] * Russian Economy Worsens Even Before Sanctions Hit \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/world/europe/russia-economy-worsens-even-before-sanctions-hit.html?hp&%5Fr=0 "undefined")\] * NATO’s Back in Business, Thanks to Russia’s Threat to Ukraine \[[TIME](http://time.com/65776/natos-back-in-business-thanks-to-russias-threat-to-ukraine/ "undefined")\] * “Rescuers fought rising wind, strong waves and murky water on Thursday as they searched for hundreds of people, most of them teenaged schoolchildren, missing after a South Korean ferry capsized more than 24 hours ago.” \[[Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/17/us-korea-ship-idUSBREA3F01Y20140417 "undefined")\] * “Democrats are dying to have Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius enter the Senate race in Kansas.” \[[Hill](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/203737-dems-serious-about-sebelius "undefined")\] * ObamaCare is on a winning streak \[[National Journal](http://www.nationaljournal.com/health-care/obamacare-is-on-a-winning-streak-20140416 "undefined")\] * The Tea Party Radio Network \[[Politico](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/tea-party-radio-network-105774.html?hp=t1 "undefined")\] * Prettier in Print * Cover: [Barbara Brown Taylor Faces the Darkness](http://time.com/66260/barbara-brown-taylor-new-book-faces-the-darkness/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Elizabeth Dias * [Shinzo Abe: The Patriot](http://time.com/66275/shinzo-abe-japanese-leader-retakes-world-stage/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Hannah Beech * [Should U.S. Colleges Be Graded by the Government?](http://time.com/66259/obamas-college-rankings-raise-campus-backlash/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Haley Sweetland Edwards * [Putin Ups Ante in Ukraine](http://time.com/66274/putin-ups-ante-in-ukraine/ "undefined") by Michael Crowley * [The Return of Mediscare](http://time.com/66278/the-return-of-mediscare/ "undefined") by Joe Klein * [Mercado of America](http://time.com/66282/hispanic-malls-capture-trillion-dollar-market/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Sam Frizell * [Cleveland Clinic’s New Medicine](http://time.com/66268/cleveland-clinic-chinese-herbal-therapy/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Alexandra Sifferlin * “Ukrainian forces engaged pro-Russian separatists Thursday in what appeared to be the most intense battle yet in the restive east, killing three militants and wounding 13 after what the Interior Ministry described as a siege on a military base in the southeastern city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.” \[[WashPost](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pro-russian-militants-killed-in-clash-at-ukraine-port-city/2014/04/17/02fc044e-c5f9-11e3-bf7a-be01a9b69cf1%5Fstory.html?hpid=z1 "undefined")\] * “Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Geneva Wednesday evening to prepare for four-party talks with European, Russian and Ukrainian officials…Although the president did not definitely say whether Russia would face further sanctions if the meeting failed, he said, ‘What I’ve said consistently is that each time Russia takes these kinds of steps, that are designed to destabilize Ukraine and violate their sovereignty, that there are going to be consequences.'” \[[CBS](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-warns-of-consequences-for-russian-actions-destabilizing-ukraine/ "undefined")\] * Russian Economy Worsens Even Before Sanctions Hit \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/world/europe/russia-economy-worsens-even-before-sanctions-hit.html?hp&%5Fr=0 "undefined")\] * NATO’s Back in Business, Thanks to Russia’s Threat to Ukraine \[[TIME](http://time.com/65776/natos-back-in-business-thanks-to-russias-threat-to-ukraine/ "undefined")\] * ObamaCare is on a winning streak \[[National Journal](http://www.nationaljournal.com/health-care/obamacare-is-on-a-winning-streak-20140416 "undefined")\] * Cover: [Barbara Brown Taylor Faces the Darkness](http://time.com/66260/barbara-brown-taylor-new-book-faces-the-darkness/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Elizabeth Dias * [Shinzo Abe: The Patriot](http://time.com/66275/shinzo-abe-japanese-leader-retakes-world-stage/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Hannah Beech * [Should U.S. Colleges Be Graded by the Government?](http://time.com/66259/obamas-college-rankings-raise-campus-backlash/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Haley Sweetland Edwards * [Putin Ups Ante in Ukraine](http://time.com/66274/putin-ups-ante-in-ukraine/ "undefined") by Michael Crowley * [The Return of Mediscare](http://time.com/66278/the-return-of-mediscare/ "undefined") by Joe Klein * [Mercado of America](http://time.com/66282/hispanic-malls-capture-trillion-dollar-market/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Sam Frizell * [Cleveland Clinic’s New Medicine](http://time.com/66268/cleveland-clinic-chinese-herbal-therapy/?pcd=hp-magmod "undefined") by Alexandra Sifferlin ```json 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