memeorandum: Former McCain adviser: Romney taxes complex but not ‘disqualifying’ (Justin Sink/The Hill)

5:05 PM ET, July 22, 2012

Top Items:

Christina Ng / ABCNEWS:

ABC News Exclusive: First Video of Colorado Shooting Suspect James Holmes Emerges — ABC News has obtained exclusive video and photos of Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes. The video was recorded six years ago when Holmes was 18. — Federal authorities and local police today …

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, New York Magazine, American Power, L.A. NOW, WEWS-TV, TMZ.com, Mashable! and The Lede

KDVR.com:

Police interview associate of movie theater suspect — AURORA, Colo. — Aurora Police said they interviewed an associate of the suspect in the shooting spree Friday at the Century 16 Movie Theaters. — Sources tell FOX31 Denver reporter Justin Joseph that a second man is now a person …

Discussion: Twitchy, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler and The Hinterland Gazette

NY Daily News:

Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes jailed in solitary: ‘All the inmates were talking about killing him’ — ‘He was spitting at the door and spitting at the guards,’ a just-released inmate told the Daily News. 'He's spitting at everything. Dude was acting crazy.'

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, The PJ Tatler, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, American Power, Scared Monkeys, TMZ.com and New York Magazine

Sam Quinones / L.A. NOW:
Colorado shooting suspect worked for a summer as camp counselor in L.A. County

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, newsfeed.time.com and TMZ.com

Washington Post:
Explosives removed from James Holmes's apartment, officials say

Discussion: Pirate's Cove, Crooks and Liars, Wake up America, NY Daily News and American Power

CBS News:

NCAA source: “Unprecedented” penalties against Penn State — (CBS News) CBS News has learned that the NCAA will announce what a high-ranking association source called “unprecedented” penalties against both the Penn State University football team and the school.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, CollegeFootballTalk, Jeff_Emanuel's blog, Liberal Values, Sporting News Feed RSS, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, Deadspin, TMZ.com and New York Magazine

Associated Press:

Statue of Hall of Fame Penn State coach Joe Paterno taken down from outside football stadium — STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The famed statue of Joe Paterno was taken down from outside the Penn State football stadium Sunday, eliminating a key piece of the iconography surrounding …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Scared Monkeys and Sense of Events

Jason Riley / Courier-Journal:

Sexual assault victim's tweets about attackers prompt contempt case against Louisville's Savannah Dietrich — Frustrated by what she felt was a lenient plea bargain for two teens who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her and circulating pictures of the incident, a Louisville 17-year-old lashed out on Twitter.

Discussion: The Raw Story, The Volokh Conspiracy and Outside the Beltway

New York Post:

THE VICTIMS: Real movie heroes saved their sweethearts during Colo. ambush — By CAITLIN GIBBONS in Aurora, Colo., and SUSAN EDELMAN and MICHAEL GARTLAND in NY — JON BLUNK, 26, with girlfriend, Jansen Young — They took bullets for their beloveds. — Three young men are being hailed …

Discussion: Althouse

NY Daily News:

‘Dark Knight Rises’ shooting: Three heroes died in Aurora taking bullets for their girlfriends — In final acts of valor, Jon Blunk, Matt McQuinn and Alex Teves used their bodies to shield their girlfriends as accused madman James Holmes turned the Aurora cineplex into a shooting gallery.

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Former McCain adviser: Romney taxes complex but not ‘disqualifying’ — A top campaign official who worked for Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential bid and helped select his running mate said Sunday that Mitt Romney's tax returns “do not look anything like the average American,” …

Discussion: Politico and The Impolitic

Jgalloway / Political Insider:

A rare word from Zell Miller: ‘I had a late life conversion’ — Buford, Ga. - There was no mistaking the man who walked through the glass doors of the hotel complex on the shores of Lake Lanier. — The trademark shock of white hair remains neatly groomed. The hawk-like nose still juts out over a tight jaw.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Politico

New York Times:

U.S. to Focus on Forcibly Toppling Syrian Government — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has for now abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition of like-minded countries …

Discussion: Guardian, The PJ Tatler, Prairie Weather, Mondoweiss and Israel Matzav

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McCain blasts Obama handling of Syria, warns of chemical weapons threat

Discussion: CNN

Aviva Shen / ThinkProgress:

Tea Party Senator: Keeping Guns From ‘Demented Individuals’ Will ‘Restrict Our Freedoms’ — Responding to the tragic shooting in Colorado during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he would oppose gun control efforts that could be used to “restrict our freedoms” …

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Feinstein urges assault weapons ban renewal after Colo. shootings

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools

Ktla-Ltv / ktla.com:

Riot Breaks Out After Suspect Shot by Anaheim Police — ANAHEIM (KTLA) — A crowd of neighbors got a bit unruly Saturday night after a man was fatally shot by police earlier in the evening. — The shooting happened around 4 p.m. in an alley near the 600 block of N. Anna Drive.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Orange County Register, The Hinterland Gazette and L.A. NOW

Heather Stewart / Guardian:

£13tn: hoard hidden from taxman by global elite — • Study estimates staggering size of offshore economy — • Private banks help wealthiest to move cash into havens — A global super-rich elite has exploited gaps in cross-border tax rules to hide an extraordinary £13 trillion …

Discussion: Firedoglake and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

John D. McKinnon / Washington Wire:
Tax Justice Network: Wealth Held in Tax Havens Skyrockets

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Los Angeles Times:

Obama's campaign attack on Romney was costly — President Obama's campaign spent $58 million in June, chiefly in TV advertising assailing his GOP rival's business record and personal finances. Romney spent less, but raised more than Obama. — Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Hot Air and Politico