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First Read's Morning Clips

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

OBAMA AGENDA: Fence-jumper

The New York Times: "The Secret Service is considering screening tourists and other visitors at checkpoints before they enter the public areas in front of the White House in response to the episode Friday in which a man with a knife managed to get through the front door of the president’s home after jumping over the fence on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to law enforcement officials."

The Associated Press reports that about 130,000 Syrian refugees have reached Turkey in the last four days as they flee ISIS.

From Meet the Press on Sunday: Retired Adm. Mike Mullen told NBC's Chuck Todd that reports of major differences between Obama and his military advisers are "blown way out of proportion."

"The U.S. military and its allies have launched an urgent effort to train Kurdish forces to use sophisticated weapons that the West is expected to supply in the coming months for a stepped up counteroffensive against the extremist group Islamic State," writes the Wall Street Journal.

“Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was declared the winner of Afghanistan’s contested presidential election Sunday, setting the stage for President Hamid Karzai’s departure from office and a security agreement allowing American troops to remain in the country after this year,” writes the Washington Post.

Iran wants concessions on its nuclear program in exchange for aiding in the fight against ISIS, writes Reuters.

It’s a big week in diplomacy as world leaders head to the UN General Assembly.

The New York Times reports that the U.S. is extensively modernizing its nuclear capabilities despite Obama's stated vision of disarmament.

OFF TO THE RACES: GOP winning the midterm intensity war

One of us(!) wrote over the weekend about new NBC/WSJ/Annenberg numbers that show the GOP winning the intensity war. "A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll shows that 54 percent of Republicans say they’re highly interested in the upcoming elections, compared to 44 percent of Democrats who say the same. Another way to look at the GOP intensity advantage: Democrats hold a four-point lead on the generic ballot, 46 percent to 42 percent. But among high-interest voters, Republicans have the edge, 51 percent to 43 percent."

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Bridgegate investigation is still "very much ongoing." MORE: "The federal investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane closures isn't over, as attorneys for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's staff respond to subpoenas and witnesses are called to testify before a special grand jury, said people familiar with the matter."

The Washington Post sums up how many GOP candidates are moving to the center on issues like birth control and minimum wage.

The group Americans for Shared Prosperity is launching ads that push back at Democrats' focus on "the war on women." POLITICO writes that the ads feature a woman speaking directly to the camera who "accuses Democrats obliquely of treating women like single-issue voters, and talks about President Barack Obama as if he’s a boyfriend she’s stuck with for a few more years."

Noted: Rick Perry still supports a Texas law that grants in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.

COLORADO: The Washington Post writes that Gov. John Hickenlooper is in trouble because of his "difficulty showing decisive leadership, especially on a few high-profile issues."

IOWA: Mark your calendars: the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg are teaming up for polling, and the first one will be released in October.

KANSAS: Well, this is stirring up the Kansas governor's race. Paul Davis says he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when he was detained at a strip club in 1998. "According to the Coffeyville Journal, at the time, Davis, a single 26-year-old attorney not yet elected to public office, was briefly detained with others inside the club by officers of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department. Davis wasn’t accused of wrongdoing, but the raid resulted in arrest of nightclub owner Marvin Jones in connection with trafficking methamphetamine."

From POLITICO: "Davis was not charged with any crime, but a police chief involved in the raid wrote afterward that he had been drinking and was found “in a somewhat compromising position … in a back room of the club.” According to police reports, he was alone with a topless stripper who was wearing only a G-string."

Here's the Washington Post editorial board about what Sam Brownback's tax cuts mean for conservatives. "Mr. Brownback’s Kansas trial is rapidly becoming a cautionary tale for conservative governors elsewhere who have blithely peddled the theology of tax cuts as a painless panacea for sluggish growth. Most key indicators suggest that job creation and economic growth in Kansas are lagging those of its neighbors."

The Wichita Eagle is no longer amused. The ed board: “The novelty of seeing Kansas at the center of the fight over U.S. Senate control is wearing off, as partisans start to demonstrate how far they are willing to go to assure victory for their side.”

KENTUCKY: Alison Lundergan Grimes is up with another ad hitting Mitch McConnell on skipping committee hearings.

LOUISIANA: The photo of the weekend: Mary Landrieu helped a bro do a keg stand at an LSU tailgate. From Mother Jones: ""My first keg stand," Landrieu says, as we walk away. "He wanted me to do it, but I said absolutely not—at least not in front of the national press." What if it would've won her some votes? "That's alright—I'm not that desperate."”

TEXAS: The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty writes about tensions between four big names on the 2016 stage.

PROGRAMMING NOTES.

*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Tamron Hall interviews Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo and The Washington Post’s Taylor Shapiro on the search for the missing UVA student; Fmr. ATF Hostage negotiator Jim Cavanaugh on the Pennsylvania manhunt; ESPNW Columnist Kate Fagan with the latest on the NFL controversies; and in our exclusive Born in the U$A series, 11 year old cancer survivor Kylie Simonds , inventor of the IV Pediatric Backpack for Kids With Cancer.

*** Monday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, Rep. Elijah Cummings, Fmr. Secret Service Agent for JFK Clint Hill, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and David Ignatius, the New York Times’ Jackie Calmes and NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski and Peter Alexander.