memeorandum: First Read: Is the GOP the Party of Big Business No More? (NBC News)

12:15 PM ET, July 2, 2015

Top Items:

As Donald Trump surges in polls, Democrats cheer — For Democrats, Donald Trump amounts to a kind of divine intervention. — With the Republican Party on an urgent mission to woo Latino voters, one of its leading presidential candidates has been enmeshed for two weeks in a nasty feud …

Discussion: Business Insider, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, CNN, Bloomberg Business, Bloomberg View, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Hinterland Gazette, Daily Mail and Hot Air

Claire Boston / Bloomberg Business:

Serta Will Stop Selling Donald Trump Mattress Line in Latest Defection — The move comes after the presidential candidate made disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants. — Serta, the largest U.S. mattress manufacturer, will end its business relationship with Donald Trump …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Gawker, Business Insider, Hinterland Gazette, Mashable, Political Wire, Mediaite and New York's PIX11

NBC News:

First Read: Is the GOP the Party of Big Business No More? — People hold signs in front of Macy's Herald Square flagship store, Wednesday, July 1, 2015, in New York. Macy's became the latest company to end its relationship with presidential candidate Donald Trump after his remarks about Mexican immigrants.

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Politico and The Reaction

John DiStaso / WMUR:

New Hampshire Primary Source: Texas governor now sending ‘love’ letters to NH businesses — Also: Ayotte won't talk about the ‘Hassan question’ — (New Hampshire Primary Source covers breaking and behind-the-scenes news and analysis on the New Hampshire presidential primary and all things political in the Granite State.

Discussion: Political Wire

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
De Blasio: We're Reviewing Trump's NYC Contracts over ‘Disgusting’ Comments

Discussion: Business Insider

Mike Allen / Politico:

HILLARY'S OMNIPRESENT HUMA emerges as own power center - DEMS WANT BILL to rai$e for HRC super PAC; fears she'll lag Jeb - PERRY speech courts African Americans - RAND banks on Nev. — By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; mallen@politico.com), and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com)

Discussion: Associated Press, BostonGlobe.com and Bloomberg Business

Annie Karni / Politico:

Hillary's shadow — After years as the former secretary of state's loyal assistant, Huma Abedin is emerging as a campaign power center of her own. — Hillary Clinton had just wrapped a campaign event in the warehouse of the Smuttynose Brewery in New Hampshire in May, when the crowd began crushing in …

New York Times:
Scott Walker's Hard Right Turn in Iowa May Hurt Him Elsewhere

Discussion: Daily Kos and US News

Nick Gass / Politico:
Scott Walker to announce White House run on July 13

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Week

Elliot Smilowitz / The Hill:

Sanders draws massive crowd in Wisconsin — Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders drew 10,000 supporters, the largest crowd of his campaign thus far, according to reports. — “Tonight, we have more people at any meeting for a candidate of president of the United States …

Discussion: Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, RedState and The Last Refuge

Ben Brody / Bloomberg Business:
Bernie Sanders Gains on Hillary Clinton in Iowa, Quinnipiac Poll Says

Discussion: Politico

Dan Merica / CNN:
Bernie Sanders draws nearly 10,000 supporters in Wisconsin

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Loretta Chao / Wall Street Journal:

Revamped Bubble Wrap Loses Its Pop — Sealed Air, maker of the iconic packaging material, is rolling out a new flat version to cut down on the high costs of shipping air — Sealed Air Corp. has revamped its iconic Bubble Wrap. The new product dubbed iBubble Wrap looks …

Discussion: Mashable, The Week, CBS Boston and The Huffington Post

WUSA9:

Navy Yard lockdown: Police look for 2 men, say sources — 8:37 a.m.: Homeland Security vehicle rolls in — 8:30 a.m.: People evacuated from buildings near Navy Yard building are on the street waiting to see what to do next. One man told Mike Hydeck that he saw a note on the door of the Dept …

Discussion: Politico, Fox News, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Reuters, The Week, fox13now.com, Fox News Insider, Guardian and Hit & Run

Arelis R. Hernández / Washington Post:
Police swarm Washington Navy Yard after reports of active shooter

Discussion: ABC News, WIS-TV and Hot Air

NBC News:

Gunman Killed Trying to Rob Ex-Reporters Lynne Russell and Chuck de Caro in Albuquerque — Two journalists got their hands on a crime story up close and personal this week. — Former CNN and Headline News anchor Lynne Russell and her husband, former CNN reporter Chuck de Caro …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Shawn Cohen / New York Post:
Ex-CNN anchor survives wild motel shootout

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, BizPac Review, Guardian and Daily Mail

Eugene Scott / CNN:

Trump defends inflammatory comments, asks ‘Who is doing the raping?’ — Washington (CNN)Businessman Donald Trump continued his verbal attack against illegal immigrants on Wednesday, in an exclusive interview set to air at 10 p.m. on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, The Daily Caller, Gawker, FOX News Radio, New York Magazine, RedState, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, Slantpoint and Business Insider

Bloomberg Business:

Jobs Report Disappoints, Participation Rate Falls to Lowest Since 1977 … An increase in June payrolls followed smaller gains in the prior two months and wages were little changed as U.S. job market reflected a more moderate pace of economic growth. — The addition of 223,000 jobs followed …

Discussion: Hot Air, Politico, NPR, 89.3 KPCC, The Reformed Broker and Patterico's Pontifications

Monica Potts / Washington Monthly:

The Post-Ownership Society — Five and a half years ago, when I first moved to Washington, D.C., for a magazine job, I rented a basement apartment in a neighborhood called Bloomingdale. The area was full of Victorian-era homes that had once been occupied by mostly middle-class black families …

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Democrats Regain Edge in Party Affiliation — Story Highlights — PRINCETON, N.J. — In the second quarter of 2015, Democrats regained an advantage over Republicans in terms of Americans' party affiliation. A total of 46% of Americans identified as Democrats (30%) or said they are independents …

Discussion: National Journal and Democratic Strategist

Shane Simmons / WQAD-TV:

Monmouth College grad charged for allegedly stomping puppy to death — More than a dozen protesters convened outside of the Warren County Courthouse on Tuesday, June 30, with one objective: “Justice for Cash.” — Cash was a pit bull puppy who was allegedly kicked and stomped to death …

Discussion: KTLA and New York's PIX11

Timothy Cama / The Hill:

Oklahoma sues to stop Obama's climate rule — Oklahoma's attorney general filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop the Obama administration's signature proposed climate change regulation. — The federal lawsuit from Attorney General Scott Pruitt is comes less than a month after the Court of Appeals …

Discussion: Washington Post and Instapundit

Vincent Broughton / CBS Denver:

Black Suspect Arrested After Racist Message Discovered Outside Predominately Black Church — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A Colorado Springs man was arrested after police believe he left racist messages outside a church. — Vincent Broughton, 44, who is black, is facing charges …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and The Last Refuge

CNN:

Poll: Majority sees Confederate flag as Southern pride symbol, not racist — Story highlights — About 57% of Americans see the Confederate flag more as a symbol of Southern pride than as a symbol of racism, the poll says — Washington (CNN)American public opinion on the Confederate flag remains …

Discussion: Washington Post, Political Insider blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Week, USA Today and Balloon Juice

Alissa Greenberg / TIME:

Another Black Church Burns in the South, the 8th in 10 Days — #WhoIsBurningBlackChurches trended on Twitter throughout the week — Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, a prominent African-American church in Greeleyville, S.C., caught fire late Tuesday.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, MichelleMalkin.com and Post and Courier

Laylan Connelly / Orange County Register:

'I've never seen this before': How a family outing took ‘totally bizarre’ turn after dolphin lands in boat, breaks woman's ankles — A dolphin jumped from the water and landed inside a family's boat on June 21. Dirk Frickman drove the dolphin to a dock, where it was released back into the ocean.

Discussion: CBS Los Angeles, 89.3 KPCC, NBC News and The Week

Bloomberg Business:

AT&T Said to Win Antitrust Approval for DirecTV With FCC Pending — AT&T Inc.'s $48.5 billion deal to buy DirecTV is set to be cleared by U.S. antitrust officials without any conditions, said a person familiar with deliberations by the Justice Department. — The merger still needs approval …

Discussion: US News, Washington Post, The Hill and Reuters, more at Mediagazer »

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:

U.S. Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs; Unemployment at 5.3% — The American economy is entering the summer powered by a decent head of steam, with employers adding 223,000 jobs in June. — After bottoming out in March as the overall economy stalled, hiring has rebounded in recent months along …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Outside the Beltway

Con Coughlin / Telegraph:

US blocks attempts by Arab allies to fly heavy weapons directly to Kurds to fight Islamic State — Middle East allies accuse Barack Obama and David Cameron of failing to show strategic leadership in fight against Isil, as MPs could be given vote on whether to bomb Syria

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit