memeorandum: Witness to a shelling: first-hand account of deadly strike on Gaza port (Peter Beaumont/Guardian)

8:25 PM ET, July 16, 2014

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The Continuing Agonies of the Super-Rich — As we well know by now, being rich in America is tough. Imagine driving your Porsche out the Goldman Sachs garage, intent on a relaxing weekend at your Hamptons retreat, only to find some wretched Occupy sympathizer giving you a dirty look through …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Pelosi, in Reversal, Says She Opposes Speeding Child Deportations

Discussion: BuzzFeed, CNN, OnPolitics, National Review and Hot Air

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Nancy Pelosi's goal is to win 25 seats. Here's how she thinks it can happen.

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David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
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Numbers / Pew Research Center's Religion …:

How Americans Feel About Religious Groups — Jews, Catholics & Evangelicals Rated Warmly, Atheists and Muslims More Coldly — Jews, Catholics and evangelical Christians are viewed warmly by the American public. When asked to rate each group on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0 to 100 …

Discussion: Washington Post, Alas, a Blog, Religion News Service, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Algemeiner.com

Associated Press:

Democrats fail in attempt to reverse Hobby Lobby contraceptive ruling — WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans have blocked a bill aimed at restoring free contraception for women who get their health insurance from companies that object on religious grounds.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Hot Air and PoliticusUSA

Ramsey Cox / The Hill:

Dem birth control bill stalls — Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a bill that would require companies to offer birth control coverage in staff health plans. — Democrats had moved the legislation as a response to last month's Supreme Court ruling rejecting the healthcare law's mandate …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Politico

Wall Street Journal:
The Hobby Lobby Decision and Its Distortions

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Washington Free Beacon

Sarah Chacko / Roll Call:
Birth Control Legislation Stalls in Senate

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Peter Beaumont / Guardian:

Witness to a shelling: first-hand account of deadly strike on Gaza port — There is a deafening explosion, then a second. Four children are dead. Four survivors reach the safety of our hotel — The retaining wall of Gaza's harbour sticks out into the Mediterranean about 100 metres …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and BuzzFeed

William Booth / Reuters:

Dispatch: Israeli strike kills four children on a Gaza beach — GAZA CITY — It is not unusual for militants to launch rockets from sites near my hotel. Israeli missiles have also landed pretty close to al-Deira, an old red stucco inn with a large terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Discussion: Mondoweiss, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, Israel Matzav and Poynter

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:

FEDS TO OPEN $50 MILLION RESORT FOR ILLEGAL CHILDREN - Complete With Tennis Courts, Sauna & Pools (Updated) — Welcome to America! — The Obama administration has awarded a $50 million contract to a charitable group to buy a Texas resort hotel and transform it in to a 600 bed facility for juvenile illegal aliens.

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KRGV-TV:
Hotel to Undergo Transformation into Immigrant Center

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times:

The Coming Democratic Schism — There is a striking generational split in the Democratic electorate. — This deepening division is apparent in a June Pew Research Center survey of more than 10,000 people, “Beyond Red vs. Blue.” The Pew survey points up the emergence of a cohort …

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Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

O'Malley , Obama administration spar over immigration policies — Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) appears to be facing the consequences of sharply challenging the Obama administration's efforts to deal with an influx of immigrant children who have crossed the border into this country unaccompanied.

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Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed:
Martin O'Malley Gets Aggressive

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Washington Examiner:

Elizabeth Warren: The government shutdown was over birth control — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ELIZABETH WARREN WAR ON WOMEN CONTRACEPTION — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Tuesday blamed last October's government shutdown on Republicans wanting to deny women access to birth control.

Discussion: Hot Air, The PJ Tatler and National Review

Politico:
Behind the GOP focus on Obamacare

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Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
Mr. ‘I, Me, My’: Obama Oughta Know He's Not the Hero

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, Bloomberg View, Roger Ailes and Betsy's Page

Brittney Cooper / Salon:

Iggy Azalea's post-racial mess: America's oldest race tale, remixed — As a white female rapper mistakes appropriation for artistry, here's how black women remain pushed to the sidelines — Recently, my nine year-old nephew came running into the room, eager to find a seat to watch a performance by Iggy Azalea on an awards show.

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Washington Post:

Decriminalization arrives, and D.C. police prepare for sea change in marijuana laws — On Wednesday, a D.C. cop who catches someone carrying a small amount of marijuana is required to launch his suspect on an onerous journey through the criminal justice system — one likely to involve handcuffs, fingerprinting and forensic analysis.

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Benny Johnson / BuzzFeed:

The 7 Ugliest Government Buildings In Washington, D.C. — There are many gorgeous buildings in D.C. — Unfortunately for us, in the '60s and '70s, the federal government only hired architects with early onset glaucoma. — 7. Welcome to the U.S. Post Office building!

Maura Dolan / Los Angeles Times:

Federal judge rules California death penalty is unconstitutional — A federal judge in Orange County ruled Wednesday that California's death penalty violates the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. — U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, ruled on a petition …

Discussion: Business Insider and The Verge

New York Times:

$80 Billion Offer From Rupert Murdoch Is Rejected, but Time Warner May Be in Play — The media giant 21st Century Fox, the empire run by Rupert Murdoch, made an $80 billion takeover bid in recent weeks for Time Warner Inc. but was rebuffed. — The bold approach could put Time Warner in play …

Discussion: Business Wire, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, Mashable, Deadline.com, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, his vorpal sword, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Re/code, Politico, The Verge and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:

Surge of Central American Children Roils U.S. Immigration Debate — Obama Job Rating Steady, No Change in Economic Views — As the president and Congress struggle over how to deal with the influx of thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America across the U.S.-Mexican border …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Politico and Hot Air

Politico:

Justice IRS probe also includes Lois Lerner emails — The Justice Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the lost Lois Lerner emails, the department said Wednesday night. — Deputy Attorney General James Cole, in testimony slated for the House Oversight Committee Thursday morning …

Discussion: ABC News

Mark Harris / Guardian:

FBI warns driverless cars could be used as ‘lethal weapons’ — Internal report sees benefits for road safety, but warns that autonomy will create greater potential for criminal ‘multitasking’ — The FBI believes that the driverless car is a “game changing” vehicle could revolutionise high …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, PandoDaily, The Verge and Shakesville

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Where's the Oval Avatar? — WASHINGTON — The White House likes to use a phrase of tingling adventure to describe the president's recent penchant for wandering the country talking to people: “The bear is loose.” — There are three problems with this unbearable metaphor …