The Note’s Must-Reads for Tuesday, April 02, 2013

The Note’s Must-Reads are a round-up of today’s political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News’ Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen and Jordan Mazza

CAROLINE KENNEDY
ABC News’ Sarah Parnass: “Caroline Kennedy to Be Named Ambassador to Japan” Caroline Kennedy is expected to be nominated U.S. ambassador to Japan, but the nomination is not yet finalized, a knowledgeable source told ABC News Monday.  LINK 

IMMIGRATION REFORM
The Hills’ Justin Sink: “White House ‘encouraged’ by Senate progress on immigration” The White House said Monday it was “encouraged” by progress on bipartisan immigration reform in the Senate, but cautioned that lawmakers were “not there yet” on an agreement. “We are encouraged by the continuing signs of progress that we are seeing in the Senate as the Group of Eight and the Senate more broadly works on comprehensive immigration reform,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday. LINK

The New York Times’ Ashley Parker: “Senator’s Bid to Fix Immigration Starts in His Backyard” A five-minute lunch break at Chick-fil-A was Senator Lindsey Graham’s only unscheduled stop of the day. But he had barely stepped inside the fast food restaurant here last week before a constituent was upon him, urging Mr. Graham, a South Carolina Republican, to relay a message to his colleagues in Washington: “Make ‘em understand the word ‘illegal,’ ” said Stephen Lewis, 72, a retired Marine. “If you’re not here legal, be punished or thrown out of this country for it.” LINK

BUDGET CUTS
The Washington Times’ Jerry Seper: “Border Patrol agents dodge sequestration, avoid furloughs, pay cuts” U.S. Customs and Border Protection has postponed plans to furlough Border Patrol agents as a result of sequestration, which would have taken as many as 5,000 agents off the line, and also has delayed a proposed cut in overtime pay that would have cost each agent $7,000 a year. “In light of the Fiscal Year 2013 Appropriations bill and sequestration impacts, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is re-evaluating previously planned furloughs and de-authorization of Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) and will postpone implementation of both at this time,” said CBP spokesman Anthony Bucci in an email response. LINK

GUN CONTROL
The Wall Street Journal’s Joseph de Avila: “Tough Gun-Curb Laws Proposed in Connecticut” Connecticut lawmakers proposed sweeping legislation on Monday in response to the deadly Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., calling for stricter gun laws and changes to the state’s mental-health system and school-safety procedures.  LINK    

The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker and Ed O’Keefe: “Firearms advocates target gun-control measures” Gun-control measures that seemed destined to become law after the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., are in jeopardy amid a fierce lobbying campaign by firearms advocates. Despite months of negotiations, key senators have been unable to find a workable plan for near-universal background checks on gun purchases — an idea that polls show nine in 10 Americans support. LINK

BOEHNER
USA Today’s Susan Davis and Gregory Korte: “Boehner, like past speakers, sometimes needs Democrats” Speaker John Boehner has come under fire in recent months for breaking an unwritten, often-cited GOP axiom that legislation in the U.S. House should pass only with support of a majority of the ruling party.  LINK

NORTH KOREA
Bloomberg’s Sandwon Yoon: “U.S. Sees No N. Korea Military Movement as Kim Names Premier” The Obama administration said it has detected no unusual troop movements from North Korea in support of its threats to attack South Korea, American bases in the Asia-Pacific or the continental U.S. “Despite the harsh rhetoric we’re hearing from Pyongyang, we are not seeing changes to the North Korean military posture,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters yesterday in Washington. “We take it very seriously. But it is consistent with past behavior.” LINK

HOUSE
Politico’s James Hohmann: “Justin Amash: The House’s New Ron Paul” When it comes to the House of Representatives, Justin Amash is the new Ron Paul. The Michigan congressman, only 32, sees himself as a leader of “the second generation” of Paulites in the lower chamber. Sen. Rand Paul moved quickly to present himself as his dad’s heir to libertarian faithful in recent months, but many in the movement see Amash as even purer than the younger Paul, and he’s gotten rave reviews for explaining all his votes on Facebook. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO
“Kid President Helps Launch White House Easter Egg Roll” LINK

BOOKMARKS
The Note: LINK
The Must-Reads Online: LINK
Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK
ABC News Politics: LINK
George’s Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK
Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK
ABC News Mobile: LINK
ABC News app on your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad: LINK

The Note’s Must-Reads for Thursday, March 21, 2013

The Note’s Must-Reads are a round-up of today’s political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News’ Carrie Halperin, Amanda VanAllen and Will Cantine

POTUS IN ISRAEL
ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Jonathan Karl: “In Israel, Obama Vows To Prevent Nuclear Iran” Seeking to reassure the United States’ primary ally in the Middle East, President Obama today told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his administration remains committed to doing “what is necessary” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Charles Levinson and Colleen McCain Nelson: “U.S., Israeli Leaders Seek To Bridge Divide” President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exchanged hearty back pats, smiles and jokes as they sought to showcase a mended relationship on the first day of a visit by the American president. LINK

The Boston Globe’s Bryan Bender: “Kerry Expected To Play Pivotal Role In Any Mideast Talks” Secretary of State John F. Kerry is playing a backstage role as President Obama meets this week with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders on the first foreign trip of his second term. But once the initial excitement of the presidential trip subsides, it will be up to Kerry – who has a deep reservoir of credibility with both adversaries in one of the region’s most intractable disputes – to try to build momentum and jump-start long-stalled peace talks, according to American, Israeli and Arab specialists. LINK

The Washington Post’s Scott Wilson: “Obama and Netanyahu show unusual solidarity” President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed an unusual degree of solidarity Wednesday on a set of shared national security concerns that have divided them in the past, signaling either a turn in their vital, if volatile, relationship or a cool tactical display of diplomatic theater. The leaders’ joint appearance concluded a tone-setting first day of Obama’s first presidential trip to Israel, a visit celebrated with military ceremony, children’s serenades and a rare personal chemistry with a hard-line Israeli leader with whom Obama has often bickered publicly. LINK

ECONOMY
USA Today’s Susan Davis: “Senate Approves Funding Bill To Avoid Shutdown” The U.S. Senate approved a $984 billion spending bill Wednesday, ensuring the federal government will not shut down next week but also cementing in place $1.2 trillion in unpopular across-the-board spending cuts affecting most reaches of the federal government. LINK

The Hill’s Ramsey Cox and Erik Wasson: “Senate avoids shutdown, looks to wrap up budget soon” The Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to prevent a government shutdown and set up a series of votes on what would be the first Senate Democratic budget in four years. In a 73-26 vote, the Senate approved a $984 billion continuing resolution that will keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. Twenty-five Republicans voted against the measure, along with Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). LINK

The Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan and Seth McLaughlin: ” Senate votes to keep White House closed, slaughterhouses open“Senators voted Wednesday to make the first significant changes to the budget sequesters, shifting money to keep slaughterhouse inspectors on the job full time but refusing to rearrange money to reopen the White House for public tours. The votes came as the Senate debated and passed a bill to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year — sending it back to the House for final expected approval later this week and averting a government shutdown. Read more: LINK

The Los Angeles Times’  E. Scott Reckard: “Audit faults Freddie Mac’s oversight of mortgage servicers” At least eight big providers of mortgage customer service have failed to properly track and resolve serious complaints about servicing fraud, according to an audit of Freddie Mac, the home finance giant that has been propped up by the government since the financial crisis.Freddie Mac needs to enhance its oversight of the servicers by testing their performance and establishing fines for noncompliance, the audit says. LINK

Politico’s Jonathan Allen: “Conservative House budget fails” House Republican leaders beat back conservatives’ effort to substitute more drastic spending cuts than those contained in Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s fiscal blueprint, as Democrats forced the issue by voting present on the floor. The Republican Study Committee budget would slash domestic accounts much faster than Ryan’s plan and freeze Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program funding at fiscal 2012 levels. LINK

Bloomberg’s Brian Faler: “Senate Passes Legislation to Avoid U.S. Government Shutdown” Congress is set to clear a measure to avoid a partial U.S. government shutdown, in a rare example of bipartisan and bicameral cooperation on federal spending.  The Senate voted 73-26 yesterday to forward to the House legislation that would keep agencies’ lights on through Sept. 30, the end of the 2013 fiscal year. LINK

SYRIA
The New York Times’ Mark Landler and Rick Gladstone: “Chemicals Would Be ‘Game Changer’ in Syria, Obama Says” Showing solidarity with Israel’s growing concern about chemical weapons in neighboring Syria, President Obama stated bluntly on Wednesday that if an investigation he had ordered found proof that the Syrian military had used such weapons it would be a “game changer” in American involvement in the civil war there. LINK

GUN CONTROL
The New York Daily News’ Daniel Beekman, Larry McShane and Dan Friedman: “Show some guts: As fury mounts over the decision to strip the assault weapons ban from gun control legislation, top Democrats say Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid merely bowed to political reality” The only thing politicians could offer the dead in Newtown, the anguished survivors and the rest of the country longing for a change is this lame excuse: Because of politics, we can’t pass an assault weapons ban.Amid outrage from Connecticut to Colorado, Senate leaders circled the wagons Wednesday around Majority Leader Harry Reid, insisting he was simply responding to political reality when he announced Tuesday that he would allow the ban to die.  LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO
“Gerard Butler And Aaron Eckhart Bring Action To DC In Olympus Has Fallen” LINK
“Study Reveals 1 in 50 Schoolchildren Have Autism” LINK
“President Obama Makes 1st Presidential Trip To Israel” LINK
“President Obama, Israeli P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu Hold Press Conference” LINK

BOOKMARKS
The Note: LINK
The Must-Reads Online: LINK
Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK
ABC News Politics: LINK
George’s Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK
Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK
ABC News Mobile: LINK
ABC News app on your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad: LINK