memeorandum: As Trump is arrested, Republicans honor the insurrectionists (Dana Milbank/Washington Post)

5:25 PM ET, June 16, 2023

Top Items:

Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, dies at 92 — Disillusioned by the Vietnam War, he leaked a top-secret history of the conflict, leading to a landmark Supreme Court case — Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the voluminous, top-secret history of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Guardian, ABC News, National Review, The Forward, The Intercept, Deadline, Rolling Stone and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:

Daniel Ellsberg, Who Leaked the Pentagon Papers, Is Dead at 92 — Deeply disturbed by the accounting of American deceit in Vietnam, he approached The New York Times. The disclosures that followed rocked the nation. — Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst who after experiencing …

Discussion: UPI, Associated Press and The Messenger

Kaanita Iyer / CNN:
Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers leaker and anti-war activist, dies at 92

NBC News:

Biden allies start to chafe at Democrats' silent treatment of Trump indictment — One Democratic aide called it “malpractice” to maintain widespread silence in the face of Trump's attacks. — WASHINGTON — A week after Donald Trump's federal indictment, some Democrats are breaking …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, Raw Story, al.com, Washington Examiner, New Republic, The Message Box, BizPac Review, CNN, PJ Media, New York Post and Washington Post

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

The Indictment Can Only Hurt Trump — Even his loyal supporters will understand that his mishandling of documents endangered U.S. security. — I went back this stunning week to the first columns I'd ever written about Donald Trump, eight years ago, in the summer of 2015. It was for me a powerful experience.

Discussion: alicublog, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Examiner, Rolling Stone and The Dispatch

Politico:

Biden goes quiet on killing off the debt ceiling — The president appears to have dropped his promise to explore the 14th Amendment, worrying some Dems wary of another battle in just a few years. — With the threat of economic calamity hovering over the nation last month …

Discussion: Bloomberg

David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Donald Trump Has a Polling Problem

Discussion: The Hill, PBS NewsHour and Morning Shots

Hugh Hewitt / Washington Post:
Merrick Garland needs to explain the timing of the Trump indictment

Discussion: Reuters, American Wire News, Politico and The Hugh Hewitt Show

Will Saletan / Bulwark+:

From Justifying Trump to Justifying Autocracy — IN DONALD TRUMP'S FOUR YEARS as president, the Republican party became increasingly authoritarian through a simple formula: Each time Trump crossed a line—firing people who investigated him, usurping the power to appropriate money …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Digby's Hullabaloo

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Trump's addiction to “yes men” may be his ultimate downfall

Discussion: Raw Story and Media Matters for America

Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
In Trump Prosecution, Special Counsel Seeks to Avoid Distracting Fights

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

Here are the most significant allegations in the Justice Dept. report. — The Times has reconstructed the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Security footage, witness videos and official documents show how a series of actions by officers turned fatal. (This video contains scenes of graphic violence.)

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, Washington Post, Truthout, Al Jazeera, WSVN-TV, The Messenger and Wall Street Journal

Washington Post:
Minneapolis police engaged in pattern of misconduct, Justice Dept. says

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Raw Story, New York Times, New Republic, City Journal, WBUR and Plain Dealer

ProPublica:

How a Grad Student Uncovered the Largest Known Slave Auction in the U.S. — Sitting at her bedroom desk, nursing a cup of coffee on a quiet Tuesday morning, Lauren Davila scoured digitized old newspapers for slave auction ads. A graduate history student at the College of Charleston …

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Trump attorney quits another case, cites ‘irreconcilable differences’ — The departure of Jim Trusty from a defamation case that Trump filed is the latest shake-up in his legal team. — Former President Donald Trump's attorney Jim Trusty, who withdrew from representing Trump in a pair …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Daily Beast, UPI, CNBC, The Hill, Forbes, Raw Story, Mediaite, Washington Press, Washington Examiner, Law & Crime and Daily Kos

BBC:

Counting Russia's dead in Ukraine - and what it says about the changing face of the war — Russia has a history of extraordinary secrecy over its wartime losses. — So when it invaded Ukraine, the BBC and its partners began painstakingly verifying and counting as many deaths as possible.

Discussion: National Review

Adam Edelman / NBC News:

Six-week abortion ban blocked by Iowa Supreme Court — The state Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3, meaning the governor's attempt to reinstate a stricter ban failed. Abortion remains legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday issued a split decision …

Discussion: Pluribus News, CNN, Des Moines Register, UPI, Iowa Starting Line, Associated Press, The Messenger and The Hill

Associated Press:
In rare 3-3 decision, Iowa Supreme Court declines to reinstate law largely banning abortion

Discussion: Fox News, Des Moines Register, New York Times, Iowa Starting Line, Iowa Public Radio, Live Action News, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, LifeNews.com, Washington Post, The American Independent, Washington Examiner, KION546 and Just The News

Adam Gabbatt / The Guardian:

‘More extreme, more violent’: experts' warning over khaki-clad Patriot Front — Their button-up shirts and chinos have prompted mockery but experts say the far-right group is becoming increasingly violent — For years, there has been an element of the ridiculous to Patriot Front and their rallies …

Discussion: Raw Story

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:

Rick Wilson brutally buries ‘scumbag’ Trump after Lincoln Project meltdown — Reacting to a Donald Trump Truth Social post that labeled the founders of the advocacy group The Lincoln Project as “Perverts and Misfits,” after they created a new ad ridiculing his 37-count felony indictment …

Discussion: FactCheck.org and Twitchy

Erin Schumaker / Politico:

Republicans are already attacking Biden's CDC pick on Covid — Mandy Cohen's experience parrying GOP assaults is seen as a key attribute she'll need in leading the CDC. — President Joe Biden's announcement on Friday that Mandy Cohen will lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stoking the Covid wars once again.

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, The Messenger, NPR, Washington Times, ABC7 and STAT

The White House:
President Biden Announces Intent to Appoint Dr. Mandy Cohen as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Discussion: New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Bloomberg, UPI, The Hill, Just The News, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller and WDTN-TV

Zac Anderson / USA Today:

Ron DeSantis wants to scrub AP classes of LGBTQ subjects. The College Board isn't having it — On the heels of a controversy over how to teach African American studies, another showdown over Advanced Placement courses could be brewing in Florida, this time over AP Psychology …

Discussion: New York Times, Florida's Voice, Fox News, Orlando Sentinel, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Messenger, American Psychological …, UPI, Forbes, Politico, WFLA-TV, Just The News and Washington Post

Ivana Saric / Axios:

Obama singles out some GOP presidential hopefuls for minimizing racial inequality … - The 44th president made the comments an interview on CNN's “The Axe Files” podcast Thursday hosted by David Axelrod, a longtime adviser who served in the Obama White House.

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, Washington Post, The Guardian and The Hill

Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
Tim Scott fires back at Obama over race remarks

Discussion: The Messenger, HotAir, New York Post, Just The News, The Post Millennial, WOWK 13 News, Mediaite, American Wire News, National Review, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, IJR and Fox News

Mike Allen / Axios:

Bud Light is launching a new effort to regain market dominance … - Axios has learned that Whitworth plans to go on the road around the U.S. this summer to listen to consumers, in connection with Budweiser's MLB sponsorship. — The company's summer ad campaign, which begins next week …

Discussion: Anheuser-Busch, Insider, RedState, TheBlaze, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, New York Post, IJR, HotAir and The Messenger

Megan Guza / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Gunman found guilty on all charges in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre — A jury of seven women and five men convicted Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers of all 63 charges against him Friday after less than 4½ hours of deliberation. — Family and friends of the 11 congregants slain …

Shawna Mizelle / CNN:

Ahead of Juneteenth, congressional lawmakers again seek to remove exception for slavery from US Constitution — A group of Democratic lawmakers has reintroduced a joint resolution to negate a clause in the 13th Amendment of the Constitution that permits slavery or involuntary servitude “as a punishment for crime.”

NBC News:

UPS workers vote to authorize strike while cheering unexpected progress on heat safety — The decision, with 97% of ballots in favor, clears the way for a potential work stoppage as soon as Aug. 1 and comes days after a tentative deal on new cooling measures that workers hailed as a big step forward in contract talks.

Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times:

Barbara Boxer warns progressives to back off on Dianne Feinstein or they may be sorry — Barbara Boxer was once among the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate, a favorite of progressives, who much preferred her over California's other Democratic senator, the more staid and centrist Dianne Feinstein.

Discussion: Vanity Fair

Javier E. David / Axios:

The financial toll of right-wing backlash: At least $28B in market value — Social issues are creating a market downdraft for America's mainstay brands — just ask Target, Anheuser Busch, Kohl's and their collective $28.7 billion loss in market value since the beginning of April.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Alex Burness / Bolts:

The Virginians Who Can't Vote on Tuesday Because of Glenn Youngkin — George Hawkins had a long to-do list when he left the Greensville Correctional Center on May 3, a free man for the first time in his adult life: stay out of trouble, find work, enroll in school, and relearn the streets of Richmond …

Steve Benen / MSNBC:

What Trump doesn't (but should) understand about the ‘Socks’ case — Donald Trump thinks he's been “exonerated” in the classified docs scandal thanks to “the Clinton Socks case.” That isn't even close to being true. — Late yesterday afternoon, Donald Trump published an item …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Political Wire

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:

DeSantis allies set up a school to train a $100 million door-knocking army — At a classroom called Fort Benning, after the Army base once named for a Confederate general, hundreds have been training for an eight-month barrage of Republican voters — WEST DES MOINES, Iowa …

Discussion: TCPalm.com and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:

DOJ seeks protective order to prevent Trump from releasing classified materials amid ongoing investigation — The Justice Department on Friday filed a motion seeking to block former President Trump from releasing any classified materials that will be shared with his legal team during …

Discussion: Insider, Law & Crime, Fox News and National Review

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

‘POTUS just called me’: Pa. GOP emails shed new light on 2020 election upheaval — In mid-December 2020, even Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano apparently had some doubts about the latest plan hatched by Donald Trump's inner circle to select fake Electoral College electors in an attempt …

Discussion: Raw Story and Election Law Blog

Ben Ashford / Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden FINALLY answers questions about his shady finances in Arkansas as baby mama Lunden Roberts surprises First Son by showing up to hear him be deposed in battle over child support — Hunter Biden was forced to answer questions about his shady finances Friday in Arkansas …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, Just The News, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:

U.S. National Debt Tops $32 Trillion for First Time — The milestone follows a recent congressional showdown over lifting the debt ceiling. Another spending fight looms this year. — Reporting from Washington — The gross national debt exceeded $32 trillion for the first time on Friday …

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:

Creeping Shariah Has Nothing on the Woke Mob — In his speech at the Republican convention in 2016, Donald Trump spoke of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, where a man with jihadist sympathies murdered 49 people. “As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect …

David Ingram / NBC News:

Reddit CEO slams protest leaders, saying he'll change rules that favor ‘landed gentry’ — Steve Huffman, the Reddit CEO, told NBC News in an interview that a user protest on the site this week is led by a minority of moderators and doesn't have wide support.