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2:35 PM ET, June 23, 2015

Top Items:

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Rand Paul: Confederate Flag “Inescapably A Symbol Of Human Bondage And Slavery” — “... I think to every African-American in the country it's a symbolism of slavery to them and now it's a symbol of murder for this young man and so I think it's times to put it in a museum.” — Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, Hit & Run, New York Times and Hot Air

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, Joe. My. God., FishbowlDC and Mock Paper Scissors

Dave Boucher / Tennessean.com:

TN leaders: Remove Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from Capitol — The bust of a Confederate general and leading figure in the early days of the Ku Klux Klan should be removed from the Tennessee statehouse, top Tennessee Democrats and the state Republican Party chairman said Monday.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Mail, Baltimore Sun, NBC News and Occidental Dissent

Politico:

Inside the Republican reversal on the Confederate flag — South Carolina Gov. Haley began informing people Friday of her decision, while Sen. Graham worked the phones with business leaders. — John McCain has expressed regret in hindsight over his own statements during his 2000 campaign that the Confederate flag was a state issue.

Discussion: ABC News, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Washington Post, The Federalist, Bloomberg Business, Outside the Beltway and New York Times

Glenn Smith / Post and Courier:
Survey finds divide, silence on Confederate flag issue in Legislature

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Huffington Post, AIM, Daily Kos, ABC News and msnbc.com

Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo:
Neo-Confederate Group Mobilizes To Defend Confederate Battle Flag

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, PoliticusUSA, Fusion and AMERICAblog News

MJ Lee / CNN:
First on CNN: Walmart to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise

Clay Chandler / The Clarion Ledger:
Gunn: Confederate part of state flag ‘needs to be removed’

governor.virginia.gov:
In the Wake of U.S. Supreme Court Decision, Governor Begins Process to Remove Confederate Flag …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Gizmodo, Daily Kos, WGN-TV and Associated Press

Tom Dart / Guardian:
Mississippi to propose removal of Confederate emblem from state flag

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Politico, Talking Points Memo, WMAZ-TV, Washington Post, Shakesville and Mediaite

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
The Fight Against Confederate Symbols Spreads

Discussion: Baltimore Sun, Guardian, FOX News Radio, The Texas Tribune, Business Insider, NBC News, BizPac Review and Boing Boing

The Huffington Post:
As Governor, Bill Clinton Kept ‘Confederate’ Star On The Arkansas Flag

Discussion: TheBlaze.com, Weekly Standard, Washington Post, Mediaite, Hot Air, RedState and Washington Free Beacon

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

Discussion: Post and Courier, The Moderate Voice, Slate, Politico, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Hinterland Gazette, Mock Paper Scissors, NBC News, NPR, ABC News, US News, CNN, Guardian and Outside the Beltway

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate advances fast-track trade bill for Obama — The Senate on Tuesday voted to advance President Obama's trade agenda, approving a measure to end debate on fast-track authority. — The 60-37 motion sets up a vote on final passage on Wednesday. If the Senate approves fast-track …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Washington Monthly, Mother Jones, The Gateway Pundit and Common Dreams

Sen. Ted Cruz / BREITBART.COM:

Exclusive — Ted Cruz: Obamatrade Enmeshed in Corrupt, Backroom Dealings — The American people do not trust President Obama. And they do not trust Republican leadership in Congress. And the reason is simple: for far too long, politicians in Washington have not told the truth.

Discussion: National Journal, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, CNN, RedState, Politico, Daily Mail, TPNN and Hullabaloo

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Senate Hands a Victory to Obama on Trade Pact — WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday narrowly voted to end debate on legislation granting President Obama enhanced negotiating powers to complete a major Pacific trade accord, virtually ensuring final passage on Wednesday of Mr. Obama's top legislative priority …

Discussion: NBC News, Pew Research Center, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, Balloon Juice and RedState

Manu Raju / Politico:
Cruz reverses support for TPA trade bill, blasts GOP leaders

Discussion: Washington Post and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Obama scrambles for votes on fast-track authority

Discussion: Politico, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, PoliticusUSA, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Hot Air

Suffolk University:

NH GOP Poll Shows Bush the Early Leader, While Trump Advances — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (14 percent) leads businessman Donald Trump (11 percent) in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary contest, according to a poll from the Suffolk University Political Research Center.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, Real Clear Politics, Washington Times, Washington Post and New York Times

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:
WSJ/NBC Poll Finds Hillary Clinton in a Strong Position

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

Reid J. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Surges in Popularity in N.H., Taking Second Place in Suffolk Poll

Discussion: The Hill and Outside the Beltway

Caroline Bologna / The Huffington Post:

Charleston Dad's Viral Photo Captures Love In The Aftermath Of Tragedy — On Sunday June 21, local parishioners from churches across the Charleston area took part in “Charleston United,” an emotional prayer and worship gathering to honor the victims of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church shooting.

Discussion: Slantpoint, New York's PIX11, FOX31 Denver and WTVR-TV

John Nettles Jr / Facebook: #charlestonstrong #prayforcharleston — This picture was hard …

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

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

Discussion: Cafe Hayek and Washington Post

Orange County Register: Ten years later, still learning the lessons of Kelo

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: New York Times, Guardian, New York Post, The Huffington Post, Gothamist, Daily Mail, Business Insider and CNN

Charles Fleming / Los Angeles Times:

California's black license plates are back in production — The black license plates used on California cars from 1963 to 1969 are back, thanks to a piece of legislation sponsored by Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Gatto and 7,500 paying customers. — The California Department …

Gillian Telling / EW.com:

EIGHT IS ENOUGH ACTOR DICK VAN PATTEN HAS DIED — Dick Van Patten, the star of TV's Eight is Enough, has died. He was 86. — “I am sorry to report this sad news,” his rep said in a statement released to media Tuesday. “His family will not be doing any press at this time.”

Discussion: American Spectator, Shakesville, New York's PIX11, myfox8.com and KFOR-TV

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: USA Today, Variety, Washington Post, Hit & Run, Guardian, The Huffington Post, KXAN-TV and Towleroad

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