First Read from NBC News: First Thoughts: Hands on a hard situation

Expect the White House to take a more hands-on approach to the unrest in Egypt… Dueling ad campaigns in the fight to define health care’s implementation… The immigration debate returns… Obama to deliver a statement at 11:50 am ET about his administration’s management agenda… The Year of Redemption continues with Eliot Spitzer’s run for NYC comptroller… Is Spitzer’s entry Weiner’s worst nightmare?… Perry to announce his political plans today in San Antonio… And Enzi vs. Liz Cheney?

*** Hands on a hard situation: As the news out of Egypt gets worse — 42 were killed and 322 were injured after the Egyptian military fired on Muslim Brotherhood supporters — one thing is certain: Expect the Obama administration will take a more hands-on approach to dealing with the political unrest there. This includes creating incentives for Egypt to get this right this time, getting Morsi released from his house arrest, having a more inclusive government, and propping up governing institutions. The White House realizes that if you can’t get a country like Egypt right, then it seems impossible to get stability in more problematic Middle East countries such as Syria. If there was a regret from the last round of Egyptian unrest, it was the decision to stay more hands off during the transition to democracy. As involved as the president was in helping escort Mubarak out of office, there was a hesitancy — understandable to many — of being very involved with the new government. After all, American involvement is a double-edged sword in these countries; no one can be successful in Egypt if they are seen as an American puppet. But at the same time, the Obama administration now realizes it needs to use its influence more than it did the last time. And make no mistake, the U.S. does have influence here; it’s just not clear how to use it. But it all starts with getting Morsi released.

Mohammed Saber / EPA

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood carry an injured supporter of ousted Egyptian President Morsi during clashes with Republican guards forces in Cairo, Egypt, 08 July 2013.

*** The fight to define health care’s  implementation: After the Supreme Court upheld the health-care law and after Obama won re-election, the White House assumed — as did most everyone else — that it wouldn’t have to fight again over the law’s legitimacy. Well, so much for that assumption. As Republicans fight implementation of the law and as the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity is planning to air TV ads attacking the law, Obama’s Organizing for Action is up with its second TV advertisement touting its benefits. “My daughter Zoe had her first open-heart surgery when she was only 15 hours old,” a mother says to the camera in the ad. “Before Obamacare, insurance companies could put lifetime caps on your health insurance… Zoe was halfway to her cap before her first birthday… Thanks to Obamacare, we can now afford the health care that Zoe needs. And for her, that’s a lifesaver.” One of the challenges that Team Obama confronts in this implementation battle is that chaos and setbacks (like last week’s employer-mandate delay) always get more attention than improvement and success does (like what’s happening in California and with declining health-care costs).  Also note how this OFA ad targets young mothers; ditto the Americans for Prosperity campaign which will air on shows like “Chopped” and “Law & Order: SVU.” This is the real battle for implementation: Convincing mothers — and thus their grown children — to get insurance. Both sides realize mothers are the most crucial group here to make or break the health-care law.

*** The immigration debate returns: Health care, of course, isn’t the only policy fight taking place in Washington. With Congress back this week after its July 4 recess, the immigration debate returns. On Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner huddles with his Republican conference to discuss how they proceed after the Senate passed its bipartisan immigration bill. And also on Wednesday, George W. Bush will deliver a speech on immigration from his presidential library in Dallas. (In an interview with ABC, the former president said immigration reform was important to pass.) This immigration fight right now is a battle over the heart and soul of the GOP. Is it a party that’s willing to compromise to solve a public-policy problem? Or is it simply opposed to reform because Obama is for it? What does Boehner do? And does Paul Ryan become the Marco Rubio in the House? As for the Obama White House’s role, the Washington Post says the president will get more involved. Obama “is devising a new, more public strategy that will include events in states with large Latino populations, advisers say — part of an aggressive effort to pressure House Republicans who remain skeptical of proposed changes. The White House intends to rally GOP constituencies friendly to the cause, as well, including business and evangelical groups.”

*** Manager-in-chief: The White House just added these two events to Obama’s public schedule today — a 10:30 am ET meeting with his cabinet and an 11:50 am statement on the president’s management agenda. Per the White House, Obama will meet with his cabinet “to lay out his vision for smarter government during his second term.  One of the president’s first priorities after taking office was to bring a government built for the 20th century into the 21st century… [T]he president will direct his cabinet and key members of his administration to build on the progress made over the first term, and challenge them to go even further.”

*** The Year of Redemption continues: Redemption has been a common theme in American politics. After all, every elected modern president going back to LBJ had once lost a political race. And even the most successful of politicians have experienced plenty of ups and downs. But what we’ve witnessed this year is something else. After Mark Sanford won a congressional contest in South Carolina and as Anthony Weiner is running neck and the neck in the polls for New York mayor, former disgraced New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is now running for New York City comptroller. “I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness, I am asking for it,” Spitzer told the New York Times. (What’s next, John Edwards running for attorney general in North Carolina?) Yet at time when the public’s view of politicians couldn’t be any worse, these runs for redemption only seem to demean political office. Yes, Americans have short memories. And, yes, having high name recognition is pure gold in campaigns. But disgraced politicians using political campaigns as therapy for past sins — whether it’s prostitution or lewd tweets or an affair on the taxpayers’ dime — is a disservice to those who haven’t done those things. Today is a bad day for every honest elected official in the country as their profession is dragged through the mud yet again. But it isn’t a bad day for the tabloid headline writers. Here’s the New York Post’s cover: “Here We Ho Again.”

*** Weiner’s worst nightmare? By the way, Spitzer’s entry into the race for New York comptroller is Weiner’s worst nightmare. Why? Because just as it seemed that the story about Weiner’s past has moved on, plenty of New York voters will be reminded about it with the Spitzer news. And as others have pointed out, Spitzer is running for a lesser office (from New York governor to comptroller), while Weiner is running for a promotion (from congressman to mayor of the nation’s most high-profile city). Per a campaign schedule, Spitzer will conduct several interviews and collect signatures to be ballot while stumping in Union Square at noon ET.

*** Perry to announce his political plans: Speaking of possible political redemption… As NBC’s Carrie Dann reported last week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to announce his future political plans at an event today in San Antonio with some of his closest friends and confidantes. The smart money is on Perry saying that he WON’T run for re-election as governor next year. Per the Texas Tribune, heir apparent Greg Abbott, the state’s attorney general, has planned a meet-and-greet in Austin on July 18, and Abbot has amassed the largest campaign war chest in the state. Then again, Perry — the longest-serving governor in Texas history — has surprised folks before. In 2010, it was widely expected he’d step aside to make way for Kay Bailey Hutchison. But he ended up running and crushed KBH in the primary. So anything could happen…

*** The Lone Star battle continues: Meanwhile, Perry said on “Fox News Sunday” yesterday that the anti-abortion legislation — which had been filibustered by state Sen. Wendy Davis (D-TX) — would pass in the new special legislative session, as it’s expected to do. “This is going to pass,” he said. “I’m pretty good at counting votes.” (In that same interview, Perry declined to comment on his political future.) And tonight in Texas, anti-abortion groups are holding a rally at the state Capitol in support of the legislation.

*** Enzi vs. Cheney? Lastly, the New York Times’ Martin writes about what COULD be the biggest Republican primary of 2014: Mike Enzi vs. Liz Cheney — if Cheney mounts a primary challenge against the incumbent senator. “Ms. Cheney, 46, is showing up everywhere in the state, from chicken dinners to cattle growers’ meetings, sometimes with her parents in tow. She has made it clear that she wants to run for the Senate seat now held by Michael B. Enzi, a soft-spoken Republican and onetime fly-fishing partner of her father. But Ms. Cheney’s move threatens to start a civil war within the state’s Republican establishment, despite the reverence many hold for her family. Mr. Enzi, 69, says he is not ready to retire, and many Republicans say he has done nothing to deserve being turned out. It would bring about ‘the destruction of the Republican Party of Wyoming if she decides to run and he runs, too,’ Alan K. Simpson, a former Republican senator from the state, said in an interview last week. ‘It’s a disaster — a divisive, ugly situation — and all it does is open the door for the Democrats for 20 years.’” If there was one unmistakable message in this piece: Wyoming Republicans were warning Liz — be careful of picking a fight you might not win.

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*** Monday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include MSNBC.com’s Richard Wolffe, the New Yorker’s Rick Hertzberg, Salon’s Joan Walsh, Wes Moore, and NBC’s Miguel Almaguer and Ayman Mohyeldin.

White House release: “In the morning, the President will hold a meeting with his Cabinet and senior officials to lay out his vision for smarter government during his second term.  Following this meeting, the President will make a statement on his Management Agenda in the State Dining Room.”

The New York Times: “Though many of its rules will not take effect for months, President Obama’s health care law is already the subject of an aggressive advertising campaign by Republicans to sow doubts about how it will work. In one of the largest campaigns of its kind, Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group financed in part by Charles and David Koch, will begin running television commercials this week asserting that the law will limit Americans’ health care choices. The group is spending more than $1 million on the campaign, which will initially include television advertising in Ohio and Virginia, along with online ads asking people to test their ‘Obamacare risk factors.’” Here’s the AFP ad.

Sam Stein: “Organizing for Action, the nonprofit advocacy group closely tied to the Obama White House, released a new television ad on Monday morning touting the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. … An OFA official told The Huffington Post that the ad, which is part of a ‘seven-figure commitment,’ will be airing on CNN, MSNBC, Bravo and Lifetime.” Here’s the OFA ad.

First Read confirms the ad buy and placement. An OFA spokesperson said, however, it is unsure how many parts of the series of ads there will be.

On ABC’s This Week, President George W. Bush had nice things to say about President Obama on national security and immigration. On national security, Bush said: “I think the President got into the Oval Office and realized the dangers to the United States, and he’s acted in a way that he thinks is necessary to protect the country.”

On immigration, Bush said: “It looks like immigration, you know, has a chance to pass. The reason to pass immigration reform is not to bolster a Republican Party — it’s to fix a system that’s broken. … It’s very important to fix a broken system, to treat people with respect and have confidence in our capacity to assimilate people. It’s a very difficult bill to pass because there’s a lot of moving parts. The legislative process can be ugly. But it looks like they’re making some progress.”

“Secretary of State John F. Kerry is in the headlines over the Fourth of July holiday for a decidedly unwelcome reason: questions over whether he went sailing off Nantucket as Egypt descended into chaos,” the Boston Globe reports. “Turns out he did, at least for a little while — despite his spokeswoman’s initial insistence to the contrary.”

Flashback: Bush 2004 ad showing Kerry windsurfing: “John Kerry, whichever way the wind blows.”

Fox Boston: “Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and heir to a ketchup company fortune, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Monday, a day after showing symptoms consistent with a seizure, a person in close contact with the family said.”

AP: “Republicans and Democrats will put good will to the test when Congress returns this week to potentially incendiary fights over nominations, unresolved disputes over student loans and the farm bill, and the uncertainty of whether lawmakers have the political will to rewrite the nation’s immigration laws. The cooperation evident in the Senate last month with passage of a bipartisan immigration bill could be wiped out immediately if Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., frustrated with GOP delaying tactics on judges and nominations, tries to change the Senate rules by scrapping the current three-fifths majority for a simple majority. Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has indicated it’s a decision Reid could regret if the GOP seizes Senate control in next year’s elections.”

Jessica Taylor: “Some Republican lawmakers are increasingly facing a tough choice – support a comprehensive immigration bill and face a backlash from their own voters or oppose efforts to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented workers and contribute to larger GOP losses in the future. Republican strategists are already fretting about the long-term implications for the party if they reject a comprehensive immigration bill, but that’s a bitter pill for conservative activists to swallow, who are promising primary challenges and substantial blowback if lawmakers back reform. With fewer and fewer competitive House districts and Senate lawmakers who voted for the reform bill passed last week already facing threats of primary challenges, conservative activists are threatening to kill the effort, and it’s one reason GOP leadership and House Speaker John Boehner has been hesitant to even bring up the Senate bill for a vote.”

The American Action Network is going up today with a $100,000-plus national TV ad campaign, urging Republicans to support the Senate’s immigration reform bill and trumpeting the border surge in the legislation as the “toughest border security plan ever passed by Congress.” “Our southern border isn’t secure and it’s hurting our country,” said AAN Communications Director Dan Conston. “The conservative border surge plan is tough, enforceable, takes away discretion from the Obama Administration, and that would finally secure the border. We hope Americans call their Congressperson and tell them to support the conservative plan to secure the border.”

Stephanie Cutter declares that if Hillary Clinton runs, she’ll be the nominee: “If Secretary Clinton runs, she’ll be the nominee — the first female nominee of either party,” Cutter tells Maggie Haberman. “That breaks through the ‘old’ tagline that the Republican geniuses are cooking up because, if handled correctly, women of all ages will absolutely be inspired by that. I don’t recommend that be the totality of her message or platform, but there’s no way to hide that fact and it certainly shouldn’t be discounted. “

Beth Reinhard on how Obama has insulated Christie from criticism while the Jersey Shore still struggles to recover.

IOWA: Roll Call: “An uphill climb for Senate Republicans in Iowa may be further complicated by a convention process that local Republicans fear will nominate an unpalatable candidate for a statewide race. Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin’s retirement created a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans in Iowa, a perennial swing state. But after several top-tier Republicans declined to run, a cast of lesser-known GOP candidates announced their interest.” State precinct caucuses begin in January with a astate convention on June 14, 2014.

MASSACHUSETTS: Ed Markey may be sworn in Wednesday.

NEW YORK: The New York Daily News on Eliot Spitzer’s attempted return, running for comptroller of New York City: “Lust for Power.”

The New York Post on Spitzer: “Here we ho again!”

The Daily News: “The last time William Thompson ran for mayor, he promised to donate thousands of dollars from his campaign war chest to charity after the Daily News discovered that of his biggest longtime donors was linked to Bernie Madoff. But four years later, Thompson not only hasn’t donated the money — he’s also pocketed even more campaign contributions from the Madoff-tainted financier Seymour Zises. Zises — who was sued by victims of the Ponzi schemer for secretly investing the majority of their money with Madoff — has given more than $21,000 to Thompson’s various campaigns over the years. When The News uncovered Zises’ link to Madoff four years ago, Thompson promised to give $4,950 from his campaign coffers to charity.”

The New York Daily News: “After years of tension, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg are ready to settle the score mano a mano — on the water. Cuomo and Bloomberg will face off July 22 in a whitewater rafting race on Indian Lake in upstate Hamilton County as part of the governor’s push to boost tourism in the Adirondack Mountains, the Daily News has learned.”

Here’s Bill de Blasio with a mullet.

TENNESSEE: Roll Call: “Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., placed a six-figure television buy more than a year ahead of Tennessee’s primary, enlisting Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul as a guest star,” saying, “Nobody wants to say no to Lamar Alexander.” The ad focuses on Alexander’s pushing of the “Freedom to Fish Act.” “The reservation will run statewide from July 8-21 and cost about $180,000. It includes broadcast and cable reservations and $24,000 in radio advertising.” Here’s the ad.

TEXAS: USA Today: “Texas Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to announce Monday plans for his political future, leaving open the question of whether he’ll seek an unprecedented fourth term next year or try again to seek the White House. Perry, 63, is already the longest-serving governor in Texas history and has been the Lone Star state’s chief executive since December 2000 when George W. Bush left to become president. Perry’s departure would set up the biggest political shuffle in Texas since he took office. The Republican was coy during an appearance on Fox News Sunday about his future, saying only that another presidential bid was ‘an option out there.’ He also said his attention is more focused now on a special session of the Texas Legislature, as lawmakers consider a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy that would also close most of the state’s abortion clinics.”

Dallas Morning News: “Rick Perry coy about political future as event to announce plans set for today.”

The Austin American-Statesman: “Gov. Rick Perry will unveil his political plans Monday afternoon in San Antonio, raising the curtain on what has the makings of a tumultuous 2014 election cycle. Perry did not tip his hand about his announcement in a nearly 12-minute appearance on Fox News Sunday.”

VIRGINIA: The Cuccinelli campaign was out Saturday at facilities in Southside, Va., that a company once run by Terry McAuliffe, GreenTech Automotive, looked at for production – before the company’s production moved to Mississippi.

The Martinsville Bulletin: “Virginia Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli said Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe ‘had a personal opportunity to make a difference for the folks in Martinsville and Southside Virginia, and he turned his back.’”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch nearly labels McAuliffe “Tricky Terry”: “It is customary for political campaigns to remain on constant attack, using even the most anodyne statements by a candidate as an excuse to denounce his or her policies, character and honesty. If one candidate says he loves puppies, then the opposing team will accuse him of hating kittens. So it’s no surprise that GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has been crying foul over Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s claims about his own business record. Yet Cuccinelli has gotten some big help from a surprising source: McAuliffe himself. The Democrat has a pattern of making expansive claims that don’t hold up under scrutiny. Republicans recently have drawn attention to several of them – including McAuliffe’s claim that he used a construction company to build 6,000 homes and create more than 100,000 jobs, and that his Franklin Pellets enterprise is shipping ‘wood pellets over to Europe.’ The first two claims appear to be highly overstated, and the second appears to be false.”

Meanwhile, The Washington Post on Thursday published a timeline of Cuccinelli’s involvement with Star Scientific, a pharmaceutical and dietary supplement manufacturer, including this year: “Cuccinelli files his statement of economic interest for 2012, including his stock holdings in Star Scientific. However, he does not include his June vacation at Williams’s home, another oversight, he says. In March, Star Scientific informs investors that it had received subpoenas in January and February as part of a government securities investigation. The company’s stock begins to slide. In April, Cuccinelli announces he has asked outside counsel to handle the Star tax suit in place of the Office of the Attorney General. He maintains his office has no conflict of interest. He sells his remaining Star stock and announces he is amending his disclosure forms for 2012 and 2011 to reflect an additional $5,100 in gifts from Williams. He says the omissions were inadvertent but asks the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney to conduct an independent review of his disclosures. In May, a judge appoints a special prosecutor totake over the chef case from Cuccinelli. Outside counsel now defending the state against Star’s tax suit announce the two sides have agreed to a December trial date to settle the matter, the first movement in the case in more than 18 months.”

Politifact Virginia gives Cuccinelli a “False” for saying that McAuliffe opposes Virginia’s right-to-work laws.