Top Items:
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Reverses Course on Citizenship Question on Census, Citing Trump's Orders — WASHINGTON — A day after pledging that the 2020 census would not ask respondents about their citizenship, Justice Department officials reversed course on Wednesday and said they were hunting …
Discussion:
Vox, Politics K-12, The 74, Townhall, Axios, Mother Jones and Mediaite
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Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News:
The Trump Administration Said It Wouldn't Put A Citizenship Question On The Census, And Then Trump Blew It Up With A Tweet — One day after saying the 2020 Census would go ahead without a citizenship question, Trump tweeted Wednesday they were “absolutely moving forward” with it.
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Press and Big League Politics
CNN:
Trump administration reverses course on census citizenship question
Trump administration reverses course on census citizenship question
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway and Slate
Washington Post:
Reversing course, Trump administration will look for a way to add citizenship question to 2020 Census
Reversing course, Trump administration will look for a way to add citizenship question to 2020 Census
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Political Wire, NPR, The Root, Washington Press, Daily Kos, Mediaite and Off the Kuff
Janet Adamy / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Tweet Sows Confusion on Census
Trump Tweet Sows Confusion on Census
Discussion:
Big League Politics
Nancy Cook / Politico:
‘They started this too late’: Trump officials and allies anxious about July 4 fest — The White House and Republican National Committee have spent the past week scrambling to distribute VIP tickets to President Donald Trump's Fourth of July speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice and Washington Post
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New York Times:
Washington Prepares for a July 4 Spectacle, Starring and Produced by President Trump — WASHINGTON — Two Bradley armored vehicles rumbled into place on Wednesday in front of the Lincoln Memorial, to be joined later by two Abrams tanks parked nearby. Cranes were putting into place the scaffolding for Jumbotron screens.
Discussion:
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA, Washington Post, DCist, Townhall, Politico, Rolling Stone, POLITICUSUSA and fox8.com
Washington Post:
Inside the effort to build suspense — and crowds — for Trump's Fourth of July — As President Trump's appointees have worked doggedly to assemble the most ambitious and costly Fourth of July ceremony the nation's capital has ever seen, they have been guided by one overriding principle: It cannot be a repeat of his 2017 inauguration.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Axios, Mediaite, Sunlight Foundation and Washington Times
Matt Cohen / Mother Jones:
Pentagon Guidance to Troops in Trump's July 4th Event: Say I Love My Tank — Tanks are rolling into to Washington, DC, tomorrow for Donald Trump's “Salute to America,” a revised version of Washington, DC's annual Fourth of July celebration that the president promises will be the “show of a lifetime.”
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Post, Mediaite, HuffPost, ABC News, Daily Wire, CNN and Roll Call
Elizabeth Thomas / ABC News:
Trump defends cost of July 4th ‘Salute to America’ event despite extra millions expected
Trump defends cost of July 4th ‘Salute to America’ event despite extra millions expected
Discussion:
CNN, Political Flare and Washington Post
Aaron Rupar / Vox:
Trump's controversial “Salute to America” July Fourth event, explained
Trump's controversial “Salute to America” July Fourth event, explained
Discussion:
USA Today, Breitbart, The Atlantic and The Hill
Breck Dumas / TheBlaze:
ABC, CBS, and NBC announce they will snub President Trump's ‘Salute to America’ celebration — Major networks opting to run shows like ‘Jeopardy!’ in lieu of live coverage of the Fourth of July event — What are the details? — The Daily Mail reported that the networks will stick …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, NBC4 Washington, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, CNN, WPRI-TV and The Gateway Pundit
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Daily Mail:
TV networks snub Trump's ‘Salute to America’ …
TV networks snub Trump's ‘Salute to America’ …
Discussion:
CNN, The Gateway Pundit and Reason
Rebecca Traister / The Cut:
Politics Is Changing; Why Aren't the Pundits Who Cover It? The Donny Deutsch problem in media. — In past weeks, the curtain has officially been raised on the vast and diverse field of candidates for the Democratic nomination, many of them politicians who would not have been seen …
Elliot Spagat / Associated Press:
Appeals court: Trump can't use Pentagon cash for border wall — SAN DIEGO (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump's ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.
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Associated Press:
Harris says busing should be considered, not mandated — WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Kamala Harris said Wednesday that busing students should be considered by school districts trying to desegregate their locations — not the federal mandate she appeared to support …
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Caitlin Oprysko / Politico:
‘We have a predator living in the White House’: Harris sharpens attacks on Trump — Kamala Harris on Wednesday debuted a new line of attack against President Donald Trump, saying that her background as a prosecutor made her uniquely suited to take on “a predator” like the president.
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“Don Jr. and Jared Really Dislike Each Other”: In the Trump Campaign, It's Son Versus Son-in-Law — Suspicion has turned to paranoia as Kushner pushes for 2020 hegemony. “Don doesn't want to give Jared any excuses to delegitimize him,” says a person close to Don Jr.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Hullabaloo, Mediaite and New York Times
Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Border agency knew about secret Facebook group for years — Customs and Border Protection officials have been aware for up to three years that a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents was posting offensive messages — far longer than previously reported.
Jeremy Raff / The Atlantic:
What a Pediatrician Saw Inside a Border Patrol Warehouse — MCALLEN, Texas—Inside the Border Patrol warehouse on Ursula Avenue, Dolly Lucio Sevier saw a baby who'd been fed from the same unwashed bottle for days; children showing signs of malnutrition and dehydration; and several kids who …
Discussion:
New York Times and NBC News
New York Times:
In Surprise, Katz Pulls Just Ahead of Cabán in Queens D.A. Primary — Tiffany Cabán's 1,100-vote lead evaporated after the count, putting Melinda Katz 20 votes ahead in the hotly contested primary. — The Democratic primary for district attorney in Queens …
EJ Dickson / Rolling Stone:
Why Is Everyone So Upset About the Betsy Ross Flag? — There's a pretty long history of the flag being used by extremist right-wing movements — and a recent move by Nike has brought that into the spotlight — Conservatives absolutely love to hate Colin Kapernick, and a recent controversy …
Discussion:
CBS News, VICE, Washington Post, Daily Wire, Glamour, The Ring of Fire Network, The Daily Caller and Wall Street Journal
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David Rutz / Washington Free Beacon:
MSNBC Guest Compares Betsy Ross Flag to Swastika, Burning Cross
MSNBC Guest Compares Betsy Ross Flag to Swastika, Burning Cross
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Instapundit and RedState
Tal Kopan / San Francisco Chronicle:
Trump administration ending in-person interpreters at immigrants' first hearings — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to replace in-court interpreters at initial immigration court hearings with videos informing asylum seekers and other immigrants facing deportation of their rights, The Chronicle has learned.
Discussion:
Splinter
Kate Briquelet / The Daily Beast:
Court Orders Release of Sealed Docs About Jeffrey Epstein's Alleged Sex Ring — In a blow to the billionaire pedophile and his alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, a federal court ordered the release of sealed court records in a case brought by an alleged victim.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Mike Wright / Telegraph:
Anyone with more than 30,000 social media followers considered a celebrity, advertising watchdog rules — Anyone with more than 30,000 social media followers is now considered a celebrity and subject to advertising rules, a watchdog has ruled in a landmark case.
Discussion:
Gizmodo
Andy Borowitz / New Yorker:
Trump's Fourth of July Parade to Include Flyover by Russian Air Force — WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Calling it “incredibly exciting news,” President Donald Trump revealed on Wednesday that his long-planned Fourth of July parade in Washington will include a flyover by Russian Su-24 fighter planes.
Discussion:
Military.com, Associated Press and The Moderate Voice
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
What the Democrats' Turn Leftward Means for the Party's Chances in 2020 — Last week, twenty Democratic candidates for President debated in the course of two nights in Miami. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren appeared to bolster their campaigns, with Harris, in particular …
Jessica Sidman / Washingtonian:
The Front Page and Buffalo Billiards Will Close By the End of August — Both longtime businesses say they weren't given the chance to renew their leases — Two decades-old Dupont Circle watering holes known for their happy hours and casual vibes will close near the end of August.
Discussion:
DCist
Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times:
Trump Needs His Base to Burn With Anger — But has he raised the political temperature too high for his own good? — Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality. — For Democrats seeking to pry loose moderates and conservatives in 2020 …
Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
July 4th fireworks donor lobbied President Trump on tariffs and won a reprieve — President Donald Trump's Fourth of July celebration will feature $750,000 of donated fireworks from an Ohio retailer who has lobbied the White House against expanded tariffs on Chinese imports.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Reason, OpenSecrets.org, WFMJ-TV and Talking Points Memo
Farah Stockman / New York Times:
Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Alabama Woman Who Was Shot While Pregnant — Prosecutors in Alabama said on Wednesday that they were dropping a manslaughter charge against Marshae Jones over the death of the fetus she was carrying when she was shot in the belly.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, VICE, Refinery29, Vox, TheBlaze and Mother Jones
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
NRA meltdown has Trump campaign sweating — The National Rifle Association aired an avalanche of TV ads and pushed its 5 million-plus members to the polls for Donald Trump in 2016, propelling him in the Rust Belt states that delivered him the presidency. — Now, the gun rights group …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Washington Free Beacon, Daily Kos, Shareblue Media, Vanity Fair, New York Times and Talking Points Memo
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