memeorandum: Can Religion and Science Coexist? (Jeffrey Tayler/The Atlantic)

3:15 PM ET, July 5, 2015

Top Items:

Donald Trump: I didn't expect business backlash to be “quite this severe” — Shares - — On the heels of several major corporations distancing themselves from Donald Trump's various business interests, the Republican presidential candidate admitted Saturday that he didn't think the corporate backlash …

Discussion: LiberalAmerica.org, Daily Kos, Washington Examiner, Mediaite and Washington Post

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Jeb: Trump's Mexico talk ‘extraordinarily ugly’ — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Saturday said he is “absolutely” offended by Donald Trump's recent remarks on Hispanic immigrants and Mexico. — Bush told reporters Trump's comments paint a false picture of Republican values, according to The Washington Post.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Mock Paper Scissors, Business Insider and Mediaite

Ben Gittleson / ABC News:

Rick Perry on Donald Trump: ‘I Was Offended by His Remarks’ — Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said he didn't believe that his fellow 2016 contender Donald Trump “understands the challenge” of strengthening the U.S.-Mexico border, adding he was “offended” when Trump labeled Mexicans “rapists” during a speech last month.

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Politico, BizPac Review, Associated Press and CNN

Fox News:
Trump stands by statements on Mexican illegal immigrants, surprised by backlash

Discussion: The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Mail and Politico

Cassie Spodak / CNN:
Trump's immigration comments hurting GOP, Romney says

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, New Jersey Online, Washington Post, NPR, New York Times, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, The Gateway Pundit, VICE, Guardian, Hinterland Gazette and USA Today

Mary Margaret / People.com:

Billy Joel Marries Alexis Roderick in Surprise Wedding at His Estate — Surprise! — Billy Joel and Alexis Roderick got married on Saturday evening. — The couple “surprised guests at their annual July 4th party by exchanging vows in front of their family and close friends,” the singer's spokeswoman said in a statement to PEOPLE.

Discussion: Associated Press, Gothamist, Daily Mail, Just Jared and Slantpoint

Liz Kreutz / ABC News:

Hillary Clinton Reporters Kept Behind Moving Rope Line At New Hampshire Parade — At the Fourth of July parade Hillary Clinton marched in today in Gorham, New Hampshire, reporters following the candidate were kept — and at moments, dragged — behind an actual moving rope line.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Scared Monkeys, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Dan Merica / CNN:
Clinton campaign corrals media

Discussion: Slantpoint

Joseph Weber / Fox News:
Clinton campaign ropes off reporters at New Hampshire parade

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

ABC News:

???This Week??? Transcript: Gov. Rick Perry — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR “THIS WEEK” ON JULY 5, 2015. — GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: That brings us to our next guest, the longest serving governor in Texas history, now candidate for president. — GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX) …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business and Politico

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:

The Supreme Court and the Politics of Fear — WHEN he ran for president the second time almost half a century ago, Richard M. Nixon made Earl Warren's Supreme Court a target of his campaign. It was a brilliant move. His accusation that the court had tilted “too far in weakening …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Kevin D. Williamson / National Review:

Americans Are Blessed with Liberty, but Not Because We Deserve It — The American proposition is a theological proposition: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” — Just how radical that idea is is difficult for the 21st-century Western mind to comprehend.

Sally Kohn / The Daily Beast:

The New Post-Homophobic Christianity — Most Christians are going to adapt to the new America just fine. — Since the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized marriage equality in America, some conservative Christians have been downright apoplectic.

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Washington brought in $70M in taxes on legal pot in one year — Washington's first year of legal marijuana sales has generated $70 million in tax revenue, a new report says. — That total follows the Evergreen State's first stores selling the drug opening in July 2014, according to The Associated Press.

Discussion: Liberaland

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

John Kerry: Iran deal can go ‘either way’ — Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday sought to calm expectations of an imminent nuclear deal with Iran, saying the negotiations could go “either way” and warning that the U.S. is willing to abandon the talks if it encounters “absolute intransigence.”

Discussion: ABC News, New York Times and Guardian

Cristina Marcos / The Hill:

GOP punts on Confederate symbolism in Capitol — House Republicans are struggling with the question of whether to remove the Confederate image from around the Capitol complex — and they seem in no hurry to commit themselves one way or another. — Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson …

Discussion: Hot Air