memeorandum: During Pride month, journalists should be ashamed (Dan Froomkin/Press Watch)

3:20 PM ET, June 6, 2023

Top Items:

Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:

PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf — The PGA Tour agreed to merge with rival LIV Golf, which is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by the Saudi crown prince. — The proposed merger comes after the PGA Tour and LIV Golf …

Discussion: PGATOUR.COM, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, ABC News, New Republic, Mediaite, Breitbart, Washington Press, New York Post, Quartz, Politico, RedState, Fox News, CBS News, 24/7 Wall St., Awful Announcing, NPR, The Daily Caller, The US Sun, Just The News and Political Wire

Alan Blinder / New York Times:

PGA Tour and LIV Golf Agree to Merger — In a stunning announcement, the tour, along with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, said the rivals had agreed to create a “new, collectively owned, for-profit entity.” — The PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled …

Washington Post:
PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, ending feud

Garrett Ross / Politico:
Playbook PM: 9/11 families tee off on LIV Golf

Discussion: New York Post and Next Impulse Sports

New York Times:

Russia-Ukraine War — Crucial Dam Destroyed on Southern Ukraine's Front Lines — President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia and convened the National Security Council. The damage threatened the safety of a nearby nuclear plant and forced the evacuation of thousands.

Discussion: Reuters, Financial Times, Bulwark+, Politico, NBC News, The Guardian, New York Post, Defense One, Forbes, Al Jazeera, The Messenger, Sputnik News, TIME and TASS

NBC News:

Live updates: Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of blowing up a major dam — The critical Kakhovka dam was destroyed, according to video verified by NBC News and local officials on both sides.

Discussion: European Commission, Irish Examiner, The Guardian, The Kyiv Independent, TASS, Sputnik News, Fox News and The Messenger

Washington Post:
Live updates: Nova Kakhovka dam destroyed on Ukraine's front lines, causing flooding and evacuations

Financial Times:
Military briefing: Russia has most to gain from Ukrainian dam breach

Washington Post:

U.S. had intelligence of detailed Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream pipeline — The CIA learned last June, via a European spy agency, that a six-person team of Ukrainian special operations forces intended to blow up the Russia-to-Germany natural gas project

Discussion: HotAir, Reuters, Washington Examiner, Financial Times, The Guardian, Breitbart, The Messenger, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Trending Politics Conservative, Sputnik News, The Post Millennial, The Daily Caller, Rolling Stone and The National Pulse+

Bloomberg:

Trump Special Counsel Summons Florida Witnesses in Classifed Documents Probe — Special Counsel Jack Smith's office in recent weeks has issued federal grand jury subpoenas out of southern Florida to multiple witnesses linked to the classified documents probe involving former President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Raw Story, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, The Messenger and Wall Street Journal

Philip Rotner / Bulwark+:
Here's Why Trump's “Declassification” Defense Falls Apart

Discussion: USA Today

Ali Vitali / NBC News:
Rep. Jim Jordan demands DOJ memo outlining scope of Trump probe

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, The Hill, MSNBC, New Republic, Washington Examiner, IJR, The Federalist, CBS News, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Rolling Stone, The Post Millennial, Washington Post and HuffPost

Washington Post:

These academics studied falsehoods spread by Trump. Now the GOP wants answers. — Rep. Jim Jordan is demanding emails and meetings with leading disinformation researchers, part of a flurry of records requests, subpoenas and lawsuits that academics say have become a means of harassment.

Discussion: Breitbart and Political Wire

Naomi Feinstein / Miami New Times:

DeSantis Critic, Professor Tossed From New College After Inviting Black Historian Marvin Dunn to Campus — Richard Corcoran speaks at the end of a special legislative session, flanked by Rick Scott (right) and Joe Negron (left), on June 9, 2017. … On May 12, New College …

Matthew Chapman / Raw Story: Florida college left without American history professor after axing DeSantis critic

Adam Gabbatt / The Guardian:

Texas sheriff files criminal case over DeSantis flights to Martha's Vineyard — Sheriff recommends charges over flights arranged by Florida governor to deport 49 South American migrants to wealthy town — A Texas sheriff's office has recommended criminal charges over flights that the Florida governor …

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
It Is Completely Bizarre That Florida Is Allowed to Do This

Discussion: KQCA-TV, KRON4, Reuters, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, NBC News and Joe.My.God.

Richard Pollina / New York Post:

Elliot Page reveals chilling transphobic attack outside LA hotel: 'I'm going to f-king gay bash you, fa—t' — Actor Elliot Page has shared he was verbally attacked and threatened by a crazed transphobic man — who shouted that he was the reason “I need a gun” in Los Angeles last year.

Discussion: New York Times, Breitbart, Louder With Crowder, RedState, Twitchy, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and The Daily Caller

The Hill:

Judge grants request for George Santos's bond sponsors to be unsealed — A federal judge Tuesday granted media organizations' requests to unseal the names of the people who cosigned Rep. George Santos's (R-N.Y.) $500,000 bond in his criminal fraud case. — The order is a blow to Santos …

Brooke Migdon / The Hill:

Families challenging Florida gender-affirming care restrictions may receive care, judge rules — A Florida judge on Tuesday blocked the enforcement of new state restrictions on gender-affirming health care for three transgender children whose families have challenged them in federal court …

Discussion: Law Dork with Chris Geidner, GLAD, The Daily Caller, New York Times and New Republic

Oriana González / Axios:
Federal judge freezes Florida gender-affirming care bans

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, Florida Politics, Law & Crime, Associated Press and The Messenger

Alicia Victoria Lozano / NBC News:

Oregon breakaway effort is down to just 8 votes, deepening urban-rural divide — The Greater Idaho movement aims to redraw Idaho's map to include 14 conservative Oregon counties, but opponents say it's only worsening political tensions. — ENTERPRISE, Ore. — A grassroots movement …

Discussion: KOIN-TV and Progress Pond

Jonathan Haidt / The Atlantic:

Phones at School Are a Disaster — Smartphones impede learning, stunt relationships, and lessen belonging. — In may 2019, I was invited to give a lecture at my old high school in Scarsdale, New York. Before the talk, I met with the principal and his top administrators.

Discussion: The Hill and Joanne Jacobs

Rachel M. Cohen / Vox:

Republicans' abortion bans are nothing like those in Europe — Yes, even the 12-week ones. — Republicans scrambling to address mounting backlash to abortion bans have landed on what they hope they can market as a moderate political compromise: limiting abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and Jezebel

Thomas Kika / Newsweek:

Republicans Urge Immigrants to Stay in Florida, Fearing New Law's Impact — A handful of Florida Republicans have implored immigrants to stay in the state in the wake of recent laws signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. — Last month, Florida enacted a new bill, SB 1718, that is set …

Discussion: Insider, America's Voice, New Republic, Raw Story, Balloon Juice and Digby's Hullabaloo

Axios:

Uninsurable America: Climate change hits the insurance industry … - It is also bedeviling regulators. … - State Farm said in late May it was done accepting new applications for California property insurance — including homes and commercial property — “due to historic increases …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:

During Pride month, journalists should be ashamed — The front-page headline in the Washington Post proclaimed that “emboldened shoppers” are threatening Target workers for carrying Pride month merchandise — a trend that the article explained had “engulfed” the chain “in culture wars.”

Richard Luscombe / The Guardian:

Black woman in Florida shot dead through front door by white neighbor — Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens killed after allegedly trying to retrieve iPad taken from her child, while shooter has not been arrested or charged — A Black mother of four in Florida was killed by a white neighbor who shot …

Discussion: Associated Press, Law & Crime, TheBlaze, New York Daily News, Fox News, The Messenger, NBC News, UPI and CBS News

Branko Marcetic / The Lever:

Clarence Thomas' Billionaire Benefactor Tied To SCOTUS Bombshell — The Supreme Court just gutted wetland protections after lobbying by Harlan Crow's business interests. — Despite being caught in a swirling corruption scandal, the Supreme Court continues to rule on cases …

Discussion: CBS News

Whitney Downard / Indiana Capital Chronicle:

Fort Wayne man charged with felony in harassment of Congressman Banks — (Photo courtesy of congressional office) — Allen County prosecutors charged a Fort Wayne man with intimidation and harassment of Congressman Jim Banks after he allegedly threatened the elected representative and his family.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and The Daily Signal

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:

Maine election officials say No Labels may be misleading voters in its third-party push — After receiving complaints, Maine's secretary of state is trying to make sure voters are aware they switched their registration to the centrist party. — LINCOLNVILLE, Maine …

Discussion: The Hill

Abrahm Lustgarten / ProPublica:

Climate Crisis Is on Track to Push One-Third of Humanity Out of Its Most Livable Environment — As conditions that best support life shift toward the poles, more than 600 million people are already living outside of a crucial “climate niche,” facing more extreme heat, rising food scarcity and higher death rates.

Gabby Deutch / Jewish Insider:

U.S. diplomat with antisemitic, racist blog ‘cannot continue to serve’: Foreign Service union president — U.S. Ambassador Eric Rubin called for the firing of Fritz Berggren, who remains at State Department more than two years after the discovery of his ties to the website

Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:

With Debt-Ceiling Deal Done, House GOP Looks to Cut Taxes — Republicans hope to revive expired business tax breaks in a bill they could introduce this month — WASHINGTON—After insisting on spending cuts and deficit reduction in a debt-ceiling deal that came together just before the U.S. breached …

Discussion: The Hill

New York Times:

Robert Kennedy Jr., With Musk, Pushes Right-Wing Ideas and Misinformation — Mr. Kennedy, a long-shot Democratic presidential candidate with surprisingly high polling numbers, said he wanted to close the Mexican border and attributed the rise of mass shootings to pharmaceutical drugs.

Discussion: The Message Box, Axios, Popular Information, New Republic, Politico, CNN, Trending Politics Conservative, TheBlaze, Conservative Brief, Insider, The Daily Caller, The Messenger and Rolling Stone

Lee Moran / HuffPost:

Conservative Pundit Says 4 Things Show It's ‘Gotten Very, Very Real’ For Donald Trump — Charlie Sykes explained what the former president “losing his mind” on social media amid developments in the classified documents case really means. — Conservative commentator Charlie Sykes on Monday broke …

Discussion: Forbes

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:

SEC Charges Coinbase for Operating as an Unregistered Securities Exchange, Broker, and Clearing Agency — Coinbase also charged for the unregistered offer and sale of securities in connection with its staking-as-a-service program. — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 2023-102

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

Trump Asks Judge to Stop Carroll's Second Defamation Suit — Former President Donald J. Trump told a judge that he could not have defamed E. Jean Carroll by denying her rape accusation because a jury had found him liable only for sexually abusing her. — Former President Donald J. Trump told …

Discussion: NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, Raw Story, Associated Press, The Messenger and Political Wire

Jonathan V. Last / Bulwark+:

Chris Sununu and the Good Republican's Noble Lie — You don't usually defeat authoritarians with lies. — ∙ Paid — 1. Sununu — Here is what Chris Sununu, governor of New Hampshire and certified Good Republican, had to say about Donald Trump's candidacy on March 5, 2023:

Discussion: Mediaite, HotAir, National Review, Associated Press, Bloomberg and The Hill

Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:

Harvard affirmative action challenge partly based on Holocaust denier's work — Complaint draws heavily from 2012 article by Ron Unz, who publishes antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ+ and neo-Nazi screeds — Backers of the legal challenge to Harvard University's affirmative action program currently pending …

Discussion: Raw Story

Galen Bacharier / Des Moines Register:

Top conservative spenders begin investing in Iowa, opposing Trump ahead of 2024 caucuses — Two national conservative groups appear to be laying the groundwork in Iowa to oppose former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican caucuses. — The campaign arm of Club for Growth paid …

Discussion: Political Wire

Audrey Fahlberg / The Dispatch:

North Carolina Republicans Fret Over Their Gubernatorial Frontrunner … North Carolina Republicans continue to feel uneasy about their party's current gubernatorial frontrunner, firebrand Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. But no coherent strategy yet exists to knock him out in a primary.

Discussion: Associated Press and The American Independent