memeorandum: Trump emphasizes U.S. military might at “Salute to America” (Kathryn Watson/CBS News)

11:40 PM ET, July 4, 2019

Top Items:

Owen Daugherty / The Hill:

Code Pink denounces no helium decision for Trump baby blimp — Activists planning to fly the “Baby Trump” blimp during President Trump's “Salute to America” event on July 4 were told by the National Park Service (NPS) that they could not fill the balloon with helium, essentially grounding the giant inflatable.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, twitchy.com and Fox News

Heidi Vogt / Midland Reporter-Telegram:

Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal says if his soldiers were ‘forced to come on a holiday’ to ‘stand in the sun’ for Trump's military parade, he would've stood with them — David Choi, provided by — Retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal gave a diplomatic answer to a question …

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Antiwar group brings massive diaper-wearing Trump balloon to Washington Monument

Discussion: Reuters and One America News Network

Kathryn Watson / CBS News:
Trump emphasizes U.S. military might at “Salute to America”

Discussion: The Wrap, Boston Herald and Politico

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:

More about that Fourth of July parade — Phillip Kennicott, a lefty critic for the Washington Post, begins his column about the Fourth of July parade this way: … Really? What about those enraged feminists who marched up and down the Mall wearing pussy hats? They didn't seem conciliatory to me.

Discussion: Instapundit

Philip Kennicott / Washington Post:

Forget the tanks. Trump's violation of the Lincoln Memorial is the real offense. — The Mall is a place of public reconciliation. — Although originally conceived as a wide avenue in Pierre L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the city, the Mall and its surrounding parks were configured …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:
This July 4th Had Everything: Tanks, Trump—and Scandal

Discussion: UPI, DCist, Washington Post, Press Herald, fox8.com, The Mahablog, Slate, IJR, Grist, KTLA and Fortune

Nancy Cook / Politico: Producer-in-chief puts on a 4th of July show — with emphasis on the military

Justin Amash / Washington Post:

Our politics is in a partisan death spiral. That's why I'm leaving the GOP. — Justin Amash, an independent, represents Michigan's 3rd Congressional District in the House. — When my dad was 16, America welcomed him as a Palestinian refugee. It wasn't easy moving to a new country, but it was the greatest blessing of his life.

Avi Bueno / Medium:

Patriotism As Theatrics — One of the more common tropes in modern American politics is the claim that the Republican Party has a monopoly on patriotism. — A flag flying in front of a home or a “Support Our Troops” bumper sticker is often assumed to signify the right-wing political affiliation of its owner.

Washington Post:

Trump administration scrambles to save citizenship question on census — Spurred on by President Trump, government lawyers scrambled Thursday to find a legal path to add a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 Census, despite their conclusions in recent days that no such avenue exists.

Discussion: electionlawblog.org and Outside the Beltway

Axios:
Scoop: Trump considers executive order on citizenship question

Discussion: Law & Crime, Conservative News Today, Fox News, Splinter, Breitbart, New York Times and electionlawblog.org

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times: It's Not Nice to Lie to the Supreme Court

New York Times:

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Bring Their Debate-Stage Fight to Iowa — INDEPENDENCE, Iowa — Joseph R. Biden Jr. expressed frustration Thursday at Senator Kamala Harris's pointed criticism about his 1970s-era opposition to busing, arguing that Democrats should “be talking about the future.”

Wall Street Journal: Despite Feud Over Busing, Harris and Biden Agree on Current Policies

Anna Kaplan / The Daily Beast:
Harris, Like Biden, Comes Out Against Federal Busing Mandate

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze and Breitbart

Rob Merrick / The Independent:

Brexit: Labour crashes to fourth in poll for first time as frontbencher admits voters fleeing party — Just 18 per cent of public backs Jeremy Corbyn's party and only 25 per cent of Remain voters - down from 48 per cent at start of year — Labour has crashed to fourth place in a poll for the first time …

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

Robespierre's America — We need to reclaim the spirit of 1776, not the certitudes of 1789. — I was walking through an airport terminal trying to catch a connecting flight last Saturday when I spotted a writer I had never met but whose work I admire. He greeted me with a look of fatherly concern …

Discussion: The American Conservative, alicublog and Althouse

Mike Baker / New York Times:

Anchorage Has Never Reached 90 Degrees. That Could Change This Week. — In more than 100 years of Anchorage history, weather stations have never recorded a single 90-degree reading. If current forecasts hold, it could happen multiple times in the coming days.

Nick Weig / KGAN:

Iowa Rep. Steve King duped into sharing parody tweet from commentator — It seems the patriotic spirit of the holiday got the best of Congressman Steve King, who thought he was retweeting a salute to a service member overseas, but instead was duped by a commentator using a picture of Jack Nicholson in the hit film 'A Few Good Men.

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story:

White House staff forced to hand out VIP tickets to Trump's Fourth of July rally to anyone who will take them — The big-Republican donors that were offered tickets from the White House couldn't make it — so the White House is begging for anyone at this point.

CREW:

CREW Requests Documents into Fourth of July Fireworks Donation — Following reports that Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan both donated $750,000 dollars worth of fireworks to President Trump's Fourth of July celebration and successfully lobbied the president to not implement tariffs …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, ABC News and Reason

Tracy Jan / Washington Post:

Why nearly 350,000 workers in mostly red states aren't seeing wage increases, even though their local lawmakers passed them — For most of her 13 years working the grill and cash register at McDonald's, Bettie Douglas earned just over $7 an hour. Then in 2017, the St. Louis resident's hourly pay rose …

Elizabeth Vaughn / RedState:

Sen. Kennedy on AOC: 'Someone Needs To Tell Her The Voices In Her Head Aren't Real' — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens during questioning at a House Oversight and Reform committee hearing on facial recognition technology in government, Tuesday, June 4, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, TheBlaze and KSLA-TV

Megan Sheets / Daily Mail:

Pentagon officials 'are concerned Trump's July 4 parade could be too political' - despite the president's claim that military chiefs are ‘thrilled’ to be taking part in the event — An insider says the military's top brass have been hesitant about accepting Trump's invitation to the event at the National Mall on Thursday

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Post, The Wrap, Hullabaloo, Mediaite and CNN

Nicholas Bagley / The Incidental Economist:

The Justice Department's New Brief in Texas v. United States — Last week, the Fifth Circuit asked the parties to Texas v. United States—the broadside challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act—to submit letter briefs on whether anyone had standing to appeal.

Discussion: ACA Signups

Maxine Bernstein / Oregonian:

Portland's police chief calls for anti-mask law, different approach for violent protesters — Gallery: Chief Danielle Outlaw, July 3, 2019 — Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said Wednesday the city, police and community need “a better way” to address protest groups bent on brawling …

Discussion: RedState, Daily Wire, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and Fox News