memeorandum: KIEV, Ukraine — Pro-Russian separatist militiamen have seized custody … (New York Times)

2:25 PM ET, July 20, 2014

Top Items:

Katie Glueck / Politico:

What we learned from liberals at Netroots Nation — DETROIT — At a high-profile gathering of progressives this week, Hillary Clinton was tolerated, Barack Obama was pitied, and Elizabeth Warren was treated like a hero. — The annual liberal confab known as Netroots Nation brought together …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Alexandra Jaffe / The Hill:

The GOP's 2016 Hillary paradox — The GOP can't live with Hillary Clinton running for president, but they can't live without her either. — Most Republicans see the former secretary of State as a formidable challenger, albeit a flawed one. Her sheer presence does perhaps more to excite …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

A Popular President — WASHINGTON — THE thing about him is, he just keeps going. — At 67, he continues to be, as Anna Quindlen once wrote, like one of those inflatable toys with sand weighting the bottom — you knock him over and he pops back up. — As Hillary stumbles and President Obama slumps …

Discussion: Informed Comment and Althouse

Byron Tau / Politico:

Kerry caught on open mic — Secretary of State John Kerry was caught on an open mic just before his interview with “Fox News Sunday” candidly speaking about the conflict in Gaza. — “It's a hell of a pinpoint operation, it's a hell of a pinpoint operation,” Kerry said to an aide on the phone, with some measure of frustration.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, CNN, Israel Matzav and The Times of Israel

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Fox confronts Kerry with hot-mike comment on Israel: ‘Hell of a pinpoint operation’ — In an unusual moment during Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace presented Secretary of State John Kerry with video recorded before he came on air. — The segment begins shortly after the 11-minute mark in this video.

Discussion: Power Line, Scared Monkeys and National Review

Shannon Travis / CNN:

Senate Intel chief: Putin should ‘man up’ on plane disaster — (CNN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin should “man up” and offer clear explanations amid important questions about the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein said on Sunday.

Discussion: Associated Press and Politico

New York Times:

KIEV, Ukraine — Pro-Russian separatist militiamen have seized custody of the bodies of about 200 victims of the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday, and rebels continued to limit access to the crash site …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Daily Signal and kyivpost.com

Kendall Breitman / Politico: Kerry: ‘Pretty clear’ separatist involvement

Washington Post:
Ukrainian officials accuse rebel militias of moving bodies, tampering with evidence

Discussion: Malaysia Airlines, Associated Press, Reuters, Business Insider, BBC, kyivpost.com, The Moderate Voice, Guardian, New York Times, protein wisdom, Mashable and Power Line

Anne Applebaum / Slate:
The downing of the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane has exposed the chaos in Ukraine as a real war.

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air and New York Times

Bruce Weber / New York Times:

James Garner, Witty, Handsome Leading Man, Dies at 86 — James Garner, the wry and handsome leading man who slid seamlessly between television and the movies but was best known as the amiable gambler Bret Maverick in the 1950s western “Maverick” and the cranky sleuth Jim Rockford in the 1970s series …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:

Obama aides were warned of brewing border crisis — Nearly a year before President Obama declared a humanitarian crisis on the border, a team of experts arrived at the Fort Brown patrol station in Brownsville, Tex., and discovered a makeshift transportation depot for a deluge of foreign children.

Discussion: Power Line, Real Clear Politics, Associated Press, NewsBusters and The Daily Caller

Paul Horwitz / PrawfsBlawg:

We Have Lost Our Beloved Friend, Dan Markel — We write this together, all of us, as a community. Our friend Dan Markel has been taken from us, suddenly and terribly. His law school, the Florida State University College of Law, will issue an announcement in due time.

Discussion: Washington Post, TaxProf Blog and ProfessorBainbridge.com

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Palin: 'I don't need lectures from Eric Holder' — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hit back at Attorney General Eric Holder on Saturday for criticizing her call to impeach President Obama over the border crisis. — “I don't need lectures from Eric Holder, a guy - get this …

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin

Peter Smagorinsky / The Atlantic Online:

‘The Ideal Head’: Bizarre Racial Teachings From a 1906 Textbook — I recently opened an online order and discovered an unexpected bonus: As a buffer against damage, the seller had included a 1906 elementary school textbook called Frye's First Steps in Geography.