memeorandum: Obama's Legacy Is at Stake in Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling (Michael D. Shear/New York Times)

10:50 AM ET, June 23, 2015

Top Items:

MJ Lee / CNN:

First on CNN: Walmart to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise — (CNN)Walmart, the country's largest retailer, will remove all Confederate flag merchandise from its stores, the company told CNN Monday. — The announcement is the latest indication that the flag, a symbol of the slave-holding South …

Clay Chandler / The Clarion Ledger:

Gunn: Confederate part of state flag ‘needs to be removed’ — Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said Monday night that the Confederate emblem in the state's official flag has to go. — “We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us,” Gunn, a Clinton Republican, said in a statement.

Discussion: Politico, Baltimore Sun, Guardian, USA Today, Shakesville, Business Insider, Washington Post, Vox, WMAZ-TV, LiberalAmerica.org, Daily Mail, Raw Story, Slantpoint, Mediaite, American Power, ThinkProgress and The Hill

Michael Falcone / ABC News:

The Note: Confederate Flag Decision Shines a Spotlight on Nikki Haley … By MICHAEL FALCONE — NOTABLES —NIKKI HALEY LEADS ‘MOMENT OF UNITY’: Yesterday GOP South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the state capitol in the wake …

Discussion: The Intercept, Washington Post, Patterico's Pontifications and Yahoo Politics

David Edwards / Raw Story:

Mike Huckabee calls for less dialog on race and more ‘conversions’ for Jesus: God already ‘solved’ racism — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee declared on Tuesday that racism had been solved. — The day after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley …

Discussion: Mediaite and Joe. My. God.

New York Times:

Take Down the Confederate Flag, Symbol of Hatred — Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina acted in the interest of her state and the nation on Monday when she called on the Legislature to remove the Confederate battle flag from the State Capitol grounds, after a white man charged …

Discussion: Poynter. and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic:

What This Cruel War Was Over — The Confederate Monument at Arlington National Cemetery (Wikimedia) — This afternoon, in announcing her support for removing the Confederate flag from the capitol grounds, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley asserted that killer Dylann Roof had a …

Discussion: Washington Post, Religion News Service, Jackson Free Press, Slantpoint, US News and Instapundit

Washington Post:
While GOP candidates stammer, Clinton directly confronts race

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Slate, Gizmodo, Politico, NPR, ABC News, US News, CNN, Guardian, Bloomberg Business and Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:
The Confederate battle flag is not worthy of respect

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Monthly and The Huffington Post

Reuters:
Wal-Mart, Sears to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise

Discussion: Quartz and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:
Nikki Haley, South Carolina Governor, Calls for Removal of Confederate Battle Flag

Discussion: Tennessean.com, Fusion, Occidental Dissent, AMERICAblog News, NBC News, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story, Outside the Beltway, Gawker, CNN, CBS News and Business Insider

CNN:
Nikki Haley calls for removal of Confederate flag from capitol grounds

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Guardian, KTLA, New York Times, FITSNews, Politico, Hot Air, RedState, Raw Story and Warren Throckmorton

Wall Street Journal:
After Charleston, Republicans Wade Into Confederate Flag Debate

Discussion: Political Wire

Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo:
Fox Host: Why Are GOPers Being Asked About Democrats' Confederate Flag? (VIDEO)

Discussion: PoliticusUSA

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ/NBC Poll Finds Hillary Clinton in a Strong Position — She has firm grip on Democratic nomination and leads three GOP rivals, new survey shows — Hillary Clinton has emerged from the rocky launch of her second presidential bid with a firm grip on Democratic voters and leads …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Politico, Washington Post and Outside the Beltway

Peter Schweizer / New York Post: ‘Clinton Cash’ author demolishes Hillary's self-defense

Bill Curry / Salon:
Hillary Clinton is going to lose: She doesn't even see the frustrated progressive wave that will nominate Bernie Sanders

Discussion: Diary of a Mad Voter, Roll Call, Power Line, Liberal Values, Fox News and The Stranger …

Mark Murray / NBC News:
Hillary Clinton Dominates 2016 Democratic Field, Leads GOP Rivals

Discussion: OnPolitics, New York Times, NBC News, The Moderate Voice, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and Business Insider

New York Times:

The Roberts Court's Surprising Move Leftward — This term so far shows potential for a greater percentage of liberal decisions than any since 1969. — Decisions … The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has been a conservative court.

Discussion: Liberaland

Dylan Byers / Politico:
CNN's GoPro antics rile Supreme Court

Discussion: Washington Post, Poynter., The Daily Caller and TVNewser

Orange County Register:

Ten years later, still learning the lessons of Kelo — “Now what liberty can there be where property is taken away without consent?” - Samuel Adams (1772) — It has been 10 years to the day since the U.S. Supreme Court's infamous 5-4 Kelo v. City of New London decision …

Damon Root / Hit & Run:
The Kelo Debacle Turns 10

Discussion: Cafe Hayek and Washington Post

Ilya Somin / Washington Post:
Property owners prevail in raisin takings case

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Hot Air, SCOTUSblog, Cato Institute, USA Today, Outside the Beltway, New York Times, Althouse and Los Angeles Times

Andres Jauregui / The Huffington Post:

KFC ‘Fried Rat’ Is In Fact Chicken, Lab Test Confirms — It doesn't look appetizing, but it's definitely chicken. — Last week, KFC was forced to confront a customer's accusations that he'd been served a fried rat in a three-piece meal at a Los Angeles store.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, New York's PIX11 and KFOR-TV

Mark Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:

The Surprising Reason So Many People Still Don't Like Obamacare — The Supreme Court could issue a ruling in King v. Burwell, the lawsuit threatening to undermine a key part of the Affordable Care Act, as early as Monday. But the debate over President Barack Obama's controversial health care law …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Slantpoint

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Obama's Legacy Is at Stake in Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling

Discussion: Business Insider

Sylvia Patrycja / Hollywood Reporter:

Composer James Horner Dies in Plane Crash: Hollywood Reacts — For his work on the 1997 best picture winner Titanic, directed by James Cameron, Horner captured the Oscar for original dramatic score, and he nabbed another Academy Award for original song (shared with lyricist Will Jennings) …

Discussion: Variety, Washington Post, Guardian, The Huffington Post, KXAN-TV and Towleroad

Scott Wong / The Hill:

Punished GOP lawmaker stirs new talk of Boehner rebellion — A band of House conservatives is discussing whether to retaliate against GOP leaders for punishing rank-and-file lawmakers who voted against a procedural vote on trade earlier this month. — Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) …

Discussion: Political Wire

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News:

Prison Worker Joyce Mitchell to Husband: ‘I Was Over My Head’ — New York prison worker Joyce Mitchell told her husband she was in over her head as part of a plot to free two killers who remain on the run, he told NBC News in an exclusive interview. — Speaking to TODAY's Matt Lauer …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Daily Mail and Business Insider

Pop Culture : NPR:

Obama Visits Marc Maron's Garage; Cats Annoyed They Were Shut In Bedroom — Listen to the Story — Comedian Marc Maron's WTF podcast might not seem like the place for a typical presidential interview, but several months ago the White House reached out to Maron to see if he'd be interested in having Barack Obama as his guest.

Discussion: Latest from Crooks and Liars, NPR, Boing Boing, LiberalAmerica.org, Taylor Marsh and Charleston City Paper

TMZ.com:

Diddy Arrested — FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT with UCLA Football Coach — 10:02 PM PT — Diddy was released after posting $50,000 bail. According to the university, Diddy was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of making terrorist threats and one count of battery.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Scared Monkeys, Page Six, fox8.com, UPROXX and The Source

Stephanie Smith / Page Six:

MSNBC staff chanted ‘F- -k Brian Williams’ at party — Brian Williams' welcome to MSNBC might be frigid because staffers there haven't forgotten a scathing report he arrogantly aired on his short-lived “Rock Center” about “corrosive” cable news blowhards at MSNBC, Fox News and CNN.

Discussion: Business Insider, Mediaite and The Daily Caller