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First Read's Morning Clips

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day.

OBAMA AGENDA: Chicago-style library

It's official: The Obama Library is headed to Chicago.

"The Obama administration is urging lawmakers to pass a bipartisan bill that would end the National Security Agency’s mass collection of Americans’ phone records, an effort that has been boosted by a federal appeals court’s ruling last week that the program was unlawful," writes the Washington Post.

Secretary of State John Kerry is poised to hold the first direct talks with Vladimir Putin in two years.

CONGRESS: Today’s trade vote is coming down to the wire

The trade deal vote is coming down to the wire.

"Senate Banking Chairman Richard Shelby plans to unveil on Tuesday a wide-ranging bill that would heighten congressional scrutiny of the Federal Reserve and revamp numerous rules faced by small- and medium-size banks, according to Republican committee aides," reports the Wall Street Journal.

POLITICO writes that David Vitter is winning no love from his colleagues as he continues to try to scrap health care subsidies for lawmakers and their staffs.

OFF TO THE RACES: Will Hillary back the free-trade deal?

This is a big number. A new Pew survey finds that the Christian share of the population has fallen eight percent since 2007.

The first GOP debate is coming: August 6 in Cleveland.

BUSH: In addition to Bush's comments on Iraq, here's what he said about religious liberty in yesterday's interview with FOX News: " I don’t think it’s appropriate for people on the left or people that don’t have a guiding faith to be able to say to others, look you can’t do anything. That’s the kind of the world we’re moving towards, that the First Amendment rights only exist for people that don’t have faith. I mean if we reflect on this the right way I think we will realize that we’re a big enough country to allow dissenting views on any subject. That’s where we need to get."

From the Washington Post: "A nonprofit group allied with former Florida governor Jeb Bush is playing a more expansive role in his current political operation than previously known, housing several top policy advisers who are expected to join his eventual campaign, according to people familiar with the structure. At least four people with expertise on energy issues, foreign affairs and communications are working with Right to Rise Policy Solutions, a nonprofit advocacy group that can accept secret, unlimited donations from individuals and corporations."

POLITICO reports on the tensions between Jeb Bush and Karl Rove. "As Bush intensifies fundraising for his Right to Rise super PAC, expected to reach $100 million by the end of this month, he finds himself approaching many of the same contributors as Rove, whose American Crossroads super PAC is also financially dependent on many of the givers who have long supported the political causes and campaigns of the extended Bush family network."

CLINTON: Will she support the Pacific trade deal or not? The New York Times: "The issue has become the first major policy test in her fledgling campaign, with Mrs. Clinton under mounting pressure to pick a side in the delicate and heated debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, a 12-nation trade agreement that Mr. Obama has aggressively pursued and that is facing a critical vote in Congress on Tuesday."

And here's Jon Ward in Yahoo News: "Labor and progressive groups are eager to see Clinton come out swinging against the deal. But Clinton would open herself up to charges of flip-flopping and cynical pandering if she did so now, given her past remarks and her generally pro-trade positions in the past."

More, from the Washington Post: "Clinton’s silence on trade, coming at the worst possible time for Obama, dovetails with her transformation into a presidential candidate eager to align herself more squarely with the liberal wing of her party. In other areas in which Clinton has moved to the left — such as immigration reform and gay marriage — White House aides have been delighted that she has forcefully embraced the president’s governing record.'

The AP: "During Hillary Rodham Clinton's tenure as the top U.S. diplomat, lawyers and other ethics officials in the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser gave near-blanket approval to at least 330 requests for Bill Clinton's appearance at speeches, dinners and events both in the U.S. and around the globe. More than 220 paid events earned the family nearly $50 million, according to a review of State Department documents and Hillary Clinton's financial disclosure forms by The Associated Press."

PAUL: The New York Times looks at how Rand Paul has positioned himself as the candidate of civil liberties.

RUBIO: Bloomberg notes how Marco Rubio became more hawkish after the failure of his immigration reform hopes.

SANTORUM: One of Iowa's most frequent campaigners is making a rare visit to New Hampshire.

And around the country…

TEXAS: "Texas Republicans are pushing legislation to bar local officials from granting same-sex couples licenses to marry, launching a preemptive strike against a possible U.S. Supreme Court ruling next month that could declare gay marriage legal."

WEST VIRGINIA: Billionaire Jim Justice is running for governor as a Democrat.

PROGRAMMING NOTES.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Fmr. Ambassador Michael McFaul, Nina Khrushcheva, Fmr. Defense Secretary William Cohen, msnbc’s Mika Brzesinski, NBC’s Tom Brokaw and Pete Williams, the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, Bloomberg’s Jeanne Cummings and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.