memeorandum: Alabama Gov. Bentley removes Confederate flags from Capitol grounds (Charles J. Dean/al.com)

3:30 PM ET, June 24, 2015

Top Items:

Charles J. Dean / al.com:

Alabama Gov. Bentley removes Confederate flags from Capitol grounds — On the order of Gov. Robert Bentley, the Confederate battle flag which stands at the foot of the confederate memorial on the state Capitol grounds was taken down this morning. — Two workers came out of the Capitol building …

Jim Webb / Facebook:

This is an emotional time and we all need to think through these issues with a care that recognizes the need for change but also respects the complicated history of the Civil War. The Confederate Battle Flag has wrongly been used for racist and other purposes in recent decades.

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Mother Jones, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Bearing Drift, Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

The Righteous Logic of the Neo-Confederate Watershed — I think this is the third post I've started with some version of this incredulity. But I still cannot believe the Charleston Massacre has triggered quite this total a collapse of support, not just for flying the Confederate battle flag …

Discussion: The Hill, The Moderate Voice and Bloomberg Business

Rush Limbaugh:

I'm Not Arguing to Keep It, But This Is Not Really About the Confederate Flag in South Carolina — RUSH: Okay, look, look, look, in the first place, it's not the Confederate flag. I know it's a mere technicality, but I'm the mayor of Realville. Facts matter to me. We're not talking about the Confederate flag.

Discussion: DailySurge, The Other McCain, Reuters, Infowars, Politico, National Journal, Hot Air, Daily Kos, RedState and BuzzFeed

Campbell Robertson / New York Times:

Flag Supporters React With a Mix of Compromise, Caution and Outright Defiance — COLUMBIA, S.C. — It has been quite a few years since the lost cause has appeared quite as lost as it did Tuesday. As the afternoon drew on and their retreat turned into a rout, the lingering upholders …

Discussion: The Mahablog, Making Light, CNN, Althouse, Daily Kos and Political Insider blog

Politico:

GOP contenders play it safe on Confederate flag, but at what cost? — After vowing to broaden their party's appeal following their 2012 loss, Republicans struggle to follow through. — Getty — After letting a White House win slip through their fingers in 2012, Republicans made a commitment …

Discussion: The Hill, Yahoo Politics, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, al.com, Daily Kos, Mediaite, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, The Moderate Voice and New York Times

Nora Kelly / National Journal:
Mitch McConnell to Kentucky Capitol: Lose the Jefferson Davis Statue

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, msnbc.com, The Last Tradition, BizPac Review, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Hill, Bloomberg View and Slantpoint

Rich Lowry / National Review:
Yet More on the Confederate Battle Flag

Discussion: Washington Monthly, alicublog and Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality

Katie McHugh / BREITBART.COM:
Amazon Takes Down Confederate Flag, Continues to Sell Communist Merchandise

Discussion: The Last Tradition and Infowars

Justin HydeManaging / Yahoo Autos:
General Lee From “Dukes of Hazzard” Losing Its Confederate Flag

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, The Verge and Mashable

Cynthia Roldan / Post and Courier:
Officials exploring temporary removal of Confederate flag

Discussion: WLTX-TV, Guardian, Raw Story and Daily Kos

Bradley Engle / BobbyJindal.com:

A Special Announcement From Bobby Jindal — My name is Bobby Jindal, and I am running for President of the United States of America. There were three people I think you would agree my wife Supriya and I had to tell first. … Puppy — My daughter Selia cut to the chase: she wanted a puppy.

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Jindal Launches His Doomed Candidacy — So retreating to his old congressional district in suburban New Orleans, perhaps the only place in America where he's held in high regard, the one-time wonder boy of American politics, Bobby Jindal, is expected to officially launch his presidential campaign today.

Discussion: New Orleans Times-Picayune, Associated Press, Bloomberg View, FiveThirtyEight and Outside the Beltway

Margaret Newkirk / Bloomberg Business:
Bobby Jindal Joins Republican Presidential Race

Discussion: Politico, The Atlantic, Fusion, Dealbreaker and Shakesville

Washington Post:
Bobby Jindal announces entry into 2016 presidential race

Discussion: UPI, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Infowars, Joe. My. God. and KLTV-TV

Tom Jackman / Washington Post:

Anesthesiologist trashes sedated patient — and it ends up costing her — These audio clips are excerpts from conversations between a gastroenterologist, an anesthesiologist and a medical assistant during a colonoscopy. This was entered as evidence in a lawsuit filed by the patient for defamation and medical malpractice.

Discussion: American Spectator, CBS DC, NOLA River, Raw Story, WQAD-TV, The Daily Caller, WGN-TV, fox8.com, Eschaton and myfox8.com

Mike Allen / Politico:

Fox dumps Sarah Palin — Fox News will not renew its contract with Sarah Palin, whose bombastic appearances have been a cable staple since the former Alaska governor's failed run on John McCain's ticket in the 2008 presidential election cycle. When asked for comment, a Fox News spokesperson confirmed …

Discussion: Guardian, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Mediaite, Poynter., Joe. My. God., Mock Paper Scissors, No More Mister Nice Blog, NOLA River, Daily Mail, PinkNews and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo:
Fox News Doesn't Renew Sarah Palin's Contract

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, PoliticusUSA, FishbowlDC and Mediaite

Scott Shane / New York Times:

Homegrown Radicals More Deadly Than Jihadis in U.S. — WASHINGTON — In the 14 years since Al Qaeda carried out attacks on New York and the Pentagon, extremists have regularly executed smaller lethal assaults in the United States, explaining their motives in online manifestoes or social media rants.

Discussion: Liberaland, The Jawa Report, Right Wing Watch, Wonk Wire, Mediaite, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Refinery29, Political Wire, Fusion and Prairie Weather

Emily Cahn / Roll Call:

Kay Hagan Won't Challenge Richard Burr in 2016 — Hagan is telling donors she will not make another run for the Senate. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo) — Former North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan will not be mounting a challenge to her former GOP colleague, Sen. Richard M. Burr.

Discussion: Fox News

Alex Roarty / National Journal:
Hagan's Decision Leaves Democrats With Few Options in North Carolina

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, American Spectator and The Daily Caller

New York Post:

Shawskank had closet sex with killer at least 100 times: ex-inmate — Joyce Mitchell (left), Richard Matt (top right) and David Sweat (bottom right). — Prison worker Joyce “Tillie” Mitchell had sex at least 100 times in a sewing-shop storage closet with one of the convicted killers she helped spring …

Discussion: Daily Mail and Gothamist

Nicholas Vinocur / Politico:

Hollande to Obama: start explaining — The French president's office calls it “unacceptable” that French leaders and their staffs were monitored for at least six years. — PARIS — French President Francois Hollande will press President Barack Obama on Wednesday to promise that the United States …

Discussion: USA Today

Julian Hattem / The Hill:
French outraged over news of NSA spying

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Lawrence Wright / New Yorker:

Five Hostages — Families whose children were held captive in Syria felt that U.S. officials had abandoned them. So they secretly joined forces. … BUY THE PRINT » … The five hostages, from left: Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, James Foley, and Theo Padnos.

Discussion: Politico and Poynter., more at Mediagazer »

CBS Dallas:

Dirty And Dangerous; Woman Loses Sight In Eye After Mud Run — COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - A young woman went blind in one eye within 24 hours after catching a flesh-eating bacteria during a mud run in Dallas this month. — “My eye started hurting, like maybe I've got mud or some debris in there …

Discussion: Daily Mail, WTVR-TV and fox8.com

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

Scott Walker to sign legislation expanding gun rights in Wisconsin — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) plans to sign two new laws on Wednesday that expand the rights of gun owners by removing a 48-hour waiting period for those looking to purchase a firearm and allowing off-duty …

Discussion: Daily Kos, RedState and New York Times

Bloomberg Business:

Lexus Builds a Functional Hoverboard Prototype — Back to the Future fans may finally get to try a real, live version of the film's famous floating skateboard — Watch out, world. Toyota is heading back to the future. — The automaker has hinted it's looking into flying cars.

Discussion: The Verge, Business Insider and USA Today

Amy Howe / SCOTUSblog:

And then there were seven: The remaining cases, in Plain English — Yesterday the Justices were back in the Courtroom to issue four decisions in major cases involving the Fourth Amendment, patent royalties, the Constitution's Takings Clause, and claims that prison officials used excessive force against arrestees.

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal, Balkinization and Advocate

Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:

Every state flag is wrong, and here is why — As long as we're on the subject of flags that should and should not be flown in states, let's take a moment to talk about state flags. — Every state flag is wrong. If you don't believe me, look at them. Here are the 50 worst.