memeorandum: Mike Pence Is a Smooth-Talking Todd Akin (Joan Walsh/The Nation)

11:40 AM ET, July 16, 2016

Top Items:

Christopher Mele / New York Times:

Who Is Fethullah Gulen, and What Is His Role? — The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, blamed the coup attempt on the work of followers of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic preacher who lives in exile in Pennsylvania, and who once was an ally of Mr. Erdogan.

Discussion: Alliance for Shared Values

New York Times:

Turkey Detains Thousands in Military in Bid to Regain Control — ISTANBUL — Turkey's government rounded up thousands of military personnel on Saturday said to have taken part in an attempted coup, moving swiftly to re-establish control after a night of chaos and intrigue that left hundreds dead.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Politico, NOLA River and Outside the Beltway

Walter Russell Mead / The American Interest:

Turkish Coup Live Blog — 8:37PM In our last historical update (7:55 PM), we looked at Erdogan's increasingly autocratic tendencies. Here are some other factors that may have been at work in the coup: — As Erdogan has grown more autocratic, he has also grown increasingly erratic and megalomanaical.

Discussion: NBC News, ABC News, FOX6Now.com, NPR, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Liberty Unyielding and National Review

Bryan Bender / Politico:
Obama rejects attempted military coup in Turkey

Discussion: Al Jazeera English, The Hill, Sputnik International, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Allen B. West, Shakesville and The Week

New York Times:
Turkish President Returns to Istanbul in Sign Military Coup Is Faltering

Discussion: Vox, The Daily Beast, Israpundit, Washington Monthly, Washington Blade, The Week, The Verge, CNN, CBS New York, FOX 61, Taylor Marsh, CityLab, alan.com, Power Line, Hot Air, RT, JustOneMinute, Daily Kos, Telegraph and Big Think, more at Mediagazer »

Patrick Kingsley / Guardian:
Turkey coup attempt: military claims takeover of government - live

USA Today: Turkish president says he's in charge after coup attempt

Krishnadev Calamur / The Atlantic:
What's Going On in Turkey?

Discussion: BBC, RT, CNN, Al Jazeera English, NBC News, ABC News, Vox, Sputnik International, KFOR-TV, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, NPR, Boing Boing and The Last Refuge

Bill Michlowski / WNEP-TV:
Turkey coup: Military tries to take power from Erdogan

Discussion: WHNT-TV, KTLA, FOX6Now.com, WTVR-TV, FOX 61, fox4kc.com and Fox 59

Reuters:
Turkey army says it seizes power; Erdogan says ‘We will overcome this’

Discussion: Power Line, The Daily Caller, The Week and Oath Keepers

Anna Maria Barry-Jester / FiveThirtyEight:

Two Times Mike Pence Brushed Off Science — As my boss Nate Silver wrote Thursday, most people in the U.S. don't know much about Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump's vice-presidential pick. That's likely not the case among public health professionals, given Pence's rather notorious recent history with public health policy.

Discussion: Advocate and Washington Monthly

CNN:

Pence ‘very supportive’ of latest version of Trump Muslim ban — Washington (CNN)Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said Friday he agrees with Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from countries with heavy terrorist activity from entering the U.S., a reversal from criticism he levied against the real estate mogul months ago.

Discussion: alan.com and Politico

Associated Press:
POLITICAL OUTSIDER TRUMP INTRODUCING INSIDER MIKE PENCE

Discussion: ABC News and Associated Press

Vaughn Hillyard / NBC News:
Pence: I'll Stand With Tump, Implement His Policies

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Towleroad

Joan Walsh / The Nation:
Mike Pence Is a Smooth-Talking Todd Akin

Discussion: The Huffington Post and New York Times

Eric Schmeltzer / The Huffington Post:
Mike Pence: Sarah Palin Without The Charisma

Discussion: Slate, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NBC News, Mother Jones, New York Times, Talking Points Memo and Human Rights Campaign

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Trump reportedly thought about dumping Pence as VP. Which is believable, thanks to Trump.

Discussion: CNN, WDTN-TV, NBC News, Business Insider, The Week, Townhall.com, CNBC and New York Magazine

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Trump picks Pence after late hesitation, hoping for a steadying influence

Discussion: Politico and Outside the Beltway

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Turkey coup: Try to picture Donald Trump handling this well — Picture Donald Trump on a series of calls with advisors and heads of government from around the region, and inside the NATO alliance, devising a constructive response to a coup attempt in Turkey. — Good luck.

Matea Gold / Washington Post:

Sixty mega-donors gave 30 percent of the money raised by Donald Trump and the Republican Party — Sixty mega-donors gave at least $100,000 each to a joint committee raising funds for Donald Trump and the Republican Party, together pouring in $15.4 million from late May until the end of June, new campaign finance records show.

New York Times:

A Cure for Trumpism — WHEN Donald Trump accepts the Republican nomination on Thursday in Cleveland, it will represent a stunning moment in American politics — the triumph of a raw populism, embodied by a shameless demagogue, over both the official establishment and the official ideology of a major political party.

Discussion: The Atlantic

Jeb Bush / Washington Post:
Trump does not represent the future of the country — or the GOP

Discussion: Hot Air, RedState and Politico

Kate Zernike / New York Times:

Chris Christie Lost Out on the Job He Wanted. And His Bad Year Got Worse. — “Black Thursday,” one of Gov. Chris Christie's least favorite local newspaper columnists called it, under a headline that declared it his “worst day ever.” At the least, it was the New Jersey governor's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Trump's secret weapon is Ivanka — has a secret weapon as he seeks to burnish his image in Cleveland: his daughter Ivanka Trump. — A mogul in her own right, Ivanka Trump has become her father's most effective surrogate, softening the edges of Donald Trump's brash and often controversial presidential campaign.

New York Times:

Our Best Defense Against Terrorists — How we react to terror has become a measure of who we are, as individuals and as a society. It is not clear yet whether the heinous massacre in Nice, France, was the work of a “lone wolf” or a terror network, but in a way it doesn't matter.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

New York Times:

ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack in Nice, France — NICE, France — The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for the deadly Bastille Day attack on the seaside promenade in Nice, France, which killed 84 people and injured 202. — “The man behind the running-over operation in Nice …

Discussion: Complex, RT, Center for Security Policy and New York Magazine

Sara Jerde / Talking Points Memo:

Track Palin Enters Plea Deal In Domestic Violence Case — Track Palin, Sarah Palin's son, entered a plea deal last week, in a domestic violence case that included charges that included him punching his girlfriend in the face, Alaska Dispatch News reported. — Police in Wasilla, Alaska arrested Track Palin in January.

Discussion: New York Daily News and Mediaite

The White House:

Remarks by the President at Diplomatic Corps Reception — THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. I just had the opportunity to greet each of you in person. And we welcome all of you. Each year, the diplomatic corps comes so that we can say thank you for the partnership between …

Discussion: Power Line and Liberty Unyielding

Greg Myre / NPR:
Congress Releases ‘28 Pages’ That Looks For Saudi Links To Sept. 11 Hijackers

Discussion: alan.com, New York Times, Common Dreams and The Daily Caller

EndPlay / WSB-TV:

Warrant issued for former APD officer in shooting — ATLANTA — The Fulton County District Attorney's Office announced an arrest warrant has been issued for former Atlanta Police Officer James Burns. — Officer James Burns fatally shot Devaris Rogers, a man suspected of breaking into a car more than two weeks ago in Midtown.

Discussion: The Root and Raw Story