memeorandum: Central Park birder Christian Cooper is turning his viral video fame into a memoir and TV show (Leanne Italie/Associated Press)

4:30 PM ET, June 16, 2023

Top Items:

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, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, al.com, New Republic, The Message Box, BizPac Review, CNN, PJ Media, New York Post, Washington Post and One America News Network

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

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

Donald Trump Has a Polling Problem — Most Republicans still support Trump. But the polls still suggest the federal indictment is hurting him. — The 50 percent threshold in a poll can sometimes be distracting. When more than half of people give a certain answer …

Discussion: The Hill, PBS NewsHour and Morning Shots

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

Discussion: Raw Story and Media Matters for America

Will Saletan / Bulwark+:
From Justifying Trump to Justifying Autocracy

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

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

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

Discussion: Raw Story

Washington Post:

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: CBS News, USA Today, ABC News, The Guardian, The Forward, The Intercept, Rolling Stone, Deadline 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

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, Truthout, Al Jazeera, Wall Street Journal, WSVN-TV and The Messenger

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

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

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, CNBC, The Hill, UPI, Washington Examiner, Washington Press, Forbes, Raw Story, Mediaite and Law & Crime

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, Associated Press, Iowa Starting Line and The Hill

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

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

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

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 …

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

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 …

Emily Shapiro / ABC News:
Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue mass shooter found guilty in federal death penalty trial

Discussion: One America News Network, The Hill, CBS News, RedState, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, New York Daily News, The Messenger, Law & Crime, The Post Millennial and Al Jazeera

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, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, CNN, 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, Fox News, Florida's Voice, Orlando Sentinel, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Messenger, American Psychological …, UPI, Forbes, Politico, WFLA-TV, Just The News and Washington Post

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.

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, HotAir, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, New York Post, The Messenger and IJR

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 …

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

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

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

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

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Trump and Johnson Were Accused of Breaking Rules. One Lost Party Support. — Donald J. Trump and Boris Johnson are at the heart of political tempests at home, facing different accusations and far different results. — Mark Landler has covered Boris Johnson and British politics since 2019 …

Discussion: NPR, Digby's Hullabaloo, Twitchy, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Daily Press and Associated Press

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

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.

Discussion: The Verge, Forbes, Gizmodo, NBC 7 San Diego, Ad Age, TechCrunch, AppleInsider, Techdirt, NPR, Bloomberg, VICE and Washington Post, more at Techmeme »

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

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

GOP lawmaker says staffer was attacked by gunman after congressional baseball game — Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) said Friday that a member of his staff was attacked by a man armed with a gun outside his home, located blocks from the U.S. Capitol building. — In a statement …

Discussion: CBS News, Fox News, Washington Examiner, CNN, Forbes and The Messenger

Zachary Faria / Washington Examiner:

America's biggest liberal cities are dying — The liberal cities with the most recognizable brands were once the dream destinations for college graduates and aspiring professionals in various industries. Now, they are all recognized as overrated dumps that have been carried by their reputation for years.

Boris Johnson / Daily Mail:

The wonder drug I hoped would stop my 11.30pm fridge raids for cheddar and chorizo didn't work for me. But I still believe it could change the lives of millions — I first thought that something was up when I saw that a certain member of the Cabinet had miraculously changed his appearance.

Discussion: Jezebel

Leah Nylen / Bloomberg:

Lina Khan Rejected FTC Ethics Recommendation to Recuse in Meta Case — The Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan declined to recuse herself from an FTC case against Meta Platforms Inc., despite the advice of the agency's top ethics official, according to internal agency documents.

Discussion: CNBC

David Weigel / Semafor:

J.D. Vance, the Senate's MAGA dealmaker — On Tuesday morning, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance rolled out the latest of his bipartisan bills — a team-up with Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin that would require tech developed by taxpayer dollars to be built in America. — Hours later, Vance announced …

Discussion: The Atlantic

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

Burgum dodges question on Trump pardon: ‘Ask Biden’ — Republican presidential candidate Gov. Doug Burgum (N.D.) dodged a question on whether, if elected, he would issue a hypothetical pardon to President Trump. — “You're asking me a hypothetical question about something from two years from now …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Political Wire and Breitbart