memeorandum: Trump's Taxes, Birth Control Top Supreme Court's Closing Agenda (Greg Stohr/Bloomberg)

10:25 AM ET, July 5, 2020

Top Items:

CNN:

Trump doubles down on divisive messaging in speech to honor Independence Day — (CNN)President Donald Trump delivered another deeply divisive speech to mark Independence Day on Saturday, comparing the US's fight against Nazis and terrorists to his efforts to defeat “the radical left” …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Breitbart, Twitchy, Daily Kos and Slate

Neo / The New Neo:

Trump gives America a history lesson at Mount Rushmore — Even though political speeches are not my thing, I watched Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore last night (you can find a video and transcript at American Digest). — It was a well-crafted story of America's past and a pledge about America's future.

Discussion: americandigest.org and Rev

Maeve Reston / CNN:

With inflammatory July 4 message, Trump distracts from the real threat to America — (CNN)As the nation marked a somber Fourth of July with many Americans confined to their homes amid an alarming rise in coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump used his stage on the White House's South Lawn Saturday …

Discussion: The Hill, KTLA and WGN-TV

David Nakamura / Washington Post:

In Trump's new version of American carnage, the threat isn't immigrants or foreign nations. It's other Americans. — The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights — In his inaugural address, President Trump sketched the picture of “American carnage” …

Discussion: American Greatness and Twitchy

New York Times:

At Mt. Rushmore and the White House, Trump Updates ‘American Carnage’ Message for 2020 — His ominous remarks were a concession to his political standing: trailing in the polls, lacking a booming economy or a positive message to campaign on, and leaning on culture wars to buoy his loyalists.

Discussion: Politico

New York Sun: At Mt. Rushmore, Trump Scoops the Democrats

Washington Post:
Trump's push to amplify racism unnerves Republicans who have long enabled him

Discussion: Townhall, Redstate, Twitchy, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones and Political Wire

The White House:
Remarks by President Trump at South Dakota's 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration |

Discussion: Washington Post, WTOP, C-SPAN.org and Joanne Jacobs

Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:

239 Experts With 1 Big Claim: The Coronavirus Is Airborne — The W.H.O. has resisted mounting evidence that viral particles floating indoors are infectious, some scientists say. The agency maintains the research is still inconclusive. — The coronavirus is finding new victims worldwide …

Discussion: Raw Story

Baltimore Sun:

Christopher Columbus statue near Little Italy brought down, tossed into Baltimore's Inner Harbor — A crowd of shouting protesters yanked down the Christopher Columbus statue near Little Italy, dragged it to the edge of Baltimore's Inner Harbor and rolled it with a splash into the water …

Discussion: Axios, Outside the Beltway, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News and The Hill

Daniel Strauss / The Guardian:

'We've got to do something': Republican rebels come together to take on Trump — A slew of organized Republican groups have sprung up to do all they can to defeat Trump in November. Will their effort work? — Just like in 2016, a faction of the Republican party has emerged to try …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jason Easley / POLITICUSUSA:

Trump Appears To Claim Desert Storm Happened In Vietnam In 4th of July Disaster — During his Fourth of July Speech, Trump claimed that Operation Desert Storm happened in the jungles of Vietnam. — Trump said, “In the fields and jungles of Vietnam, they delivered a swift and swiffian …

Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Trump and Biden in close race in Georgia

Discussion: Politico

Greg Stohr / Bloomberg:

Trump's Taxes, Birth Control Top Supreme Court's Closing Agenda — President's tax returns could become public if he loses case — Justices to issue opinions in July for first time since 1996 — The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to cap a term like no other with potentially blockbuster …

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:

Democrats, Biden look to accelerate Southern political shift — ATLANTA (AP) — From Mississippi retiring its state flag to local governments removing Confederate statues from public spaces, a bipartisan push across the South is chipping away at reminders of the Civil War and Jim Crow segregation.

DCist:

Live Updates: Protesters, Trump Supporters Clash In Front Of The Washington Monument As Fireworks Exploded Overhead | DCist — 9:49 p.m.: In the red, white, and blue glare of fireworks, a group of protesters and Trump supporters faced off near the Washington Monument.

Discussion: NPR and WTOP

Marisa Schultz / Fox News:
Trump defends US history, blasts ‘radical left’ in ‘Salute to America’ celebration

Discussion: The Hill

New York Times:

Hong Kong, Changed Overnight, Navigates Its New Reality — In a city where China has made some ideas suddenly dangerous, people are trying to figure out where the boundaries lie, and how their lives have changed. — HONG KONG — A barge draped with enormous red banners celebrating China's …

Discussion: Reuters

Michael Levenson / New York Times:

Kansas Governor Criticizes G.O.P. Official's Cartoon Comparing Mask Order to Holocaust — The cartoon, which shows Gov. Laura Kelly wearing a Star of David mask as people are loaded into a cattle car, was posted Friday on the Facebook page of a newspaper owned by a Republican county chairman.

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press and Anderson County Corn …

Rebecca Tan / Washington Post:

A Confederate statue is toppled in rural Maryland, then quietly stored away — After the Confederate statue was vandalized, toppled, and removed, all that was left was an empty pedestal paying tribute to the Montgomery County, Md., “heroes” who fought in the Civil War.

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

We Now Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Convention Programming — Instead of the usual media circus, this summer's made-for-TV political confabs will have a whole lot less TV. — Forget the luxury-suite studios soaring above the convention stage. Or the morning-show stars flown in for an on-scene dispatch.