memeorandum: Montel Williams walks off The O'Reilly Factor (Dylan Byers/CNNMoney)

3:00 PM ET, July 21, 2016

Top Items:

Donald Trump Sets Conditions for Defending NATO Allies Against Attack — CLEVELAND — Donald J. Trump, on the eve of accepting the Republican nomination for president, said Wednesday that if he were elected, he would not pressure Turkey or other authoritarian allies about conducting purges …

New York Times:

Transcript: Donald Trump on NATO, Turkey's Coup Attempt and the World — Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, discussed his views on foreign policy in Cleveland on Wednesday with David E. Sanger and Maggie Haberman of The New York Times. Here is an edited transcript of their interview.

Breitbart:

Exclusive — Sarah Palin to Ted Cruz: Delete Your Career — In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin weighed in on Senator Ted Cruz's refusal to honor his pledge and endorse the GOP nominee Donald Trump.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Fox News Insider, Daily Wire, Politicus USA, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Independent Journal Review

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:

I Choose Ted — I find it nothing short of hilarious how so many seasoned political journalists (including many of my colleagues — and betters — at Fox) are visibly shocked and appalled by what Cruz did last night. Ever since I was a kid, the political press — left, right and center …

Discussion: RedState and Washington Monthly

Christopher Massie / BuzzFeed:

Cruz Campaign Manager: Christie “Turned Over His Political Testicles Long Ago” — Jeff Roe responded to the New Jersey governor's criticism of Cruz's convention speech. — Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images — Ted Cruz's campaign manager responded on Thursday to Chris Christie's criticism …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Real Clear Politics, Daily Wire, AOL, Raw Story and Business Insider

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Cruz defends distance from Trump: I won't be ‘servile puppy’ … (R-Texas) on Thursday morning defended distancing himself from Donald Trump — , refusing to say he's voting for Trump and ripping the Republican National Convention's response to his speech the night before.

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, The Hayride, Business Insider, ThinkProgress and The Week

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Ted Turns the Tables on Trump. Hard. — As you know, I believe in my heart that Ted Cruz is an odious weasel. I base this on observing him for years now and on the accounts and traumas of many close friends who've known him for far longer. But that was a singular moment.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, New York Post, ABC News, neo-neocon, Vox, RedState, Hullabaloo, Scripting News, Politico, The Hayride, Townhall.com and Business Insider

Ezra Klein / Vox:

Donald Trump's nomination is the first time American politics has left me truly afraid — Tonight, Donald J. Trump will accept the Republican Party's nomination for president of the United States. And I am, for the first time since I began covering American politics, genuinely afraid.

Discussion: Washington Post and Media Matters for America

New York Times:

Ted Cruz Stirs Convention Fury in Pointed Snub of Donald Trump — CLEVELAND — The Republican convention erupted into tumult on Wednesday night as the bitter primary battle between Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz reignited unexpectedly, crushing hopes that the party could project unity.

CNN:
Cruz booed — Cleveland (CNN)Ted Cruz sensationally withheld …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, PolitiFact, The Daily Caller, Vox, Washington Post, Independent Journal Review, The Week, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, fox4kc.com, SiriusXM Blog, The Resurgent and Fox 59

Tara Golshan / Vox:
Why Mark Cuban went from saying Trump is the “best thing” for America to #NeverTrump

Discussion: Business Insider and Mother Jones

Jordyn Phelps / ABC News:
Ted Cruz ‘Not in the Habit’ of Endorsing People Who Attack His Family

Discussion: NBC News, The National Interest, Associated Press, Althouse and Politico

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Cruz: I won't be a ‘servile puppy dog’ for Trump

Discussion: ABC News, Allen B. West and The Daily Caller

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Kasich doesn't regret skipping convention

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Mediaite

Associated Press:
The Latest: Pence: Trump Would Stand by US's NATO Allies

Discussion: Indianapolis Star, ABC News, Politico, LGBTQ Nation and NOLA River

Mike Huckabee / Facebook:
The question of the night was whether Ted Cruz would honor …

Discussion: Advocate, Business Insider, The Right Scoop, Raw Story, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and AOL

Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Trump's remarks on NATO set off freakout

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Business Insider, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, Allen B. West, NBC News and The Week

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Ted Cruz's massive political gamble, explained

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:
Ted Cruz Is Heckled Again the Morning After His Non-Endorsement

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Political Insider blog

Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire:
EXCLUSIVE: Cruz Camp: Trump Campaign Approved Speech, ‘Orchestrated’ RNC Blowback To ‘Make Cruz a Pariah’

Discussion: The Federalist, Bloomberg, Hot Air, Fox News, Washington Times, Praxis, Heat Street and Washington Post

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Donald Trump's NATO comments are the scariest thing he's said

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Right Wing Watch, The Atlantic, Hullabaloo and Mediaite

The Right Scoop: EPIC! Ted Cruz SCHOOLS delegate on why didn't honor his pledge and support Trump [WATCH!]

Francois Lenoir / BuzzFeed:
NATO Chief Hits Back After Trump Says He Wouldn't Automatically Defend Member Countries

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Raw Story, The Atlantic, New York Times, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Media Matters for America and Mother Jones

Theodore Schleifer / CNN:
Chris Christie says Ted Cruz speech ‘awful’ and ‘selfish’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Roll Call, AOL, Mediaite, Daily Wire, The American Spectator and Heat Street

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Cruz's convention gambit backfiring badly—and now he's on the defensive

Discussion: BuzzFeed

Dara Lind / Vox:
Ted Cruz is betting Trump will lose disastrously in November and he can pick up the pieces

Discussion: The Week, Business Insider, New Republic, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times, FOX31 Denver and The Right Scoop

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:
G.O.P.'s Moneyed Class Finds Its Place in New Trump World

Discussion: American Prospect

Johari Canty / WSVN-TV:

Video shows moments before North Miami Police shot unarmed black man — A therapist who works with people with disabilities is telling his story after he said North Miami police shot him while he was trying to help his patient with autism. — Cellphone video was released Wednesday afternoon …

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, POLICE Magazine, New York Magazine, Associated Press, Business Insider, ThinkProgress, AOL, NPR, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Shakesville, Bearing Arms, Mashable, The Root, Mediaite, WHNT-TV, LawNewz, KTLA and fox8.com

Charles Rabin / miamiherald:

Cop shoots caretaker of autistic man playing in the street with toy truck — Cellphone video shows the man on ground with hands in the air — As the worker lays there, the autistic man continues to play with his toy — There's no indication a weapon of any type was found at the scene

Discussion: Liberty Unyielding, Common Dreams, Guardian, USA Today, The Root, Florida Politics, The American Conservative, CBS Baltimore and The Crime Report

Michael E. Miller / Washington Post:

Fla. police shoot black man with his hands up as he tries to help autistic patient — Police in South Florida shot an unarmed black caretaker Monday as he tried to help his autistic patient. — Charles Kinsey was trying to retrieve a young autistic man who had wandered away …

Discussion: Red Alert Politics, Daily Kos and The Week

Scott Whitlock / NewsBusters:

MSNBC Warns Sensitive Viewers Before Showing Anti-Hillary Buttons — Warning, sensitive MSNBC viewers may want to look away. That's essentially what Rachel Maddow told liberal watchers on Wednesday night before showing a picture of anti-Hillary Clinton buttons at the Republican convention.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Kyle Smith / New York Post: Mike Pence proves you can be both kind and ruthless during rousing RNC speech

Elon Musk / Tesla Motors:

Mobile Menu — Master Plan, Part Deux — The first master plan that I wrote 10 years ago is now in the final stages of completion. It wasn't all that complicated and basically consisted of: — And... The reason we had to start off with step 1 was that it was all I could afford to do with what I made from PayPal.

Discussion: Nextgov, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Techdirt, New York Magazine, Tech Insider, Mashable, Tech Times, Vocativ, The Daily Caller, NBC News, Wall Street Journal and The Verge

Sarah Kliff / Vox:

2 health insurance mega-mergers are underway. Now Obama's trying to stop them. — The Obama administration wants to block two health insurance mega-mergers. — The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it would file lawsuits against the proposed merger of Cigna and Anthem, and of Humana and Aetna.

Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice