memeorandum: Pediatricians share migrant children's disturbing drawings of their time in US custody (Elizabeth Cohen/CNN)

5:25 AM ET, July 4, 2019

Top Items:

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: NPR, ImmigrationProf Blog, Vox, Townhall, Axios, The 74, Politics K-12, Mother Jones and Mediaite

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, Big League Politics and Mediaite

CNN:
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

Discussion: USA Today, The Atlantic, The Root, Washington Press, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Political Wire and Off the Kuff

Associated Press: US still looking for way to ask about citizenship on census

Janet Adamy / Wall Street Journal:
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

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, The Atlantic, Mediaite and Washington Times

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: Washington Post, INDIVISIBLE VENTURA, Townhall, Politico, Rolling Stone, POLITICUSUSA, fox8.com, Talking Points Memo and Washington Times

Matt Cohen / Mother Jones:
Pentagon Guidance to Troops in Trump's July 4th Event: Say I Love My Tank

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, ABC News, Politico, HuffPost, Daily Wire, Talking Points Memo, Roll Call and New York Times

Elizabeth Thomas / ABC News:
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

Discussion: USA Today, Breitbart, DCist and The Hill

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.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times: Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Blocking Trump From Using Defense Funds for Border Wall

Josh Gerstein / Politico: Appeals court declines to green-light Trump border wall projects

David Alexander / Reuters: Trump administration loses bid to lift bar on funds for border wall

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 and WPRI-TV

Daily Mail:
TV networks snub Trump's ‘Salute to America’ …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, CNN and Reason

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 …

Discussion: Fox News and Mediaite

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.

Discussion: Axios and Breitbart

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 …

more at Mediagazer »

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.

Discussion: Mad Dog PAC, The Guardian, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter, Washington Times, Summit News, Washington Free Beacon, Progress Pond, Michigan Advance, The Daily Beast, Slate, Fox News and Daily Kos

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 …

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

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

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

Elizabeth Cohen / CNN:

Pediatricians share migrant children's disturbing drawings of their time in US custody — (CNN)Pediatricians shared disturbing images drawn by migrant children who were recently separated from their parents while in US Customs and Border Protection custody. The drawings show people behind bars and in cages.

Discussion: Big League Politics and The Guardian

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

Nick Inman / Politico:

Europeans have a lot to say. Brussels needs to listen. — Europe's elites couldn't hear from the people they serve even if they wanted to. — LARREULE, France — Elections in my small village of Larreule, in southwestern France, are usually sociable, predictable affairs.

Discussion: One America News Network

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

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

David Rutz / Washington Free Beacon:

MSNBC Guest Compares Betsy Ross Flag to Swastika, Burning Cross — ‘Those symbols are symbols of hate’ — MSNBC guest Michael Eric Dyson compared the Betsy Ross American flag to the Nazi swastika and a burning Ku Klux Klan cross during an appearance Wednesday.

Discussion: twitchy.com, Instapundit and RedState