memeorandum: Noem? Reynolds? A very early look at the Republican ‘veepstakes’ (Tal Axelrod/ABC News)

12:05 PM ET, July 3, 2023

Top Items:

Israel targets a West Bank militant stronghold with drones and troops, killing 8 Palestinians — Israel struck targets in a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank with drones early Monday and deployed hundreds of troops in the area, in an incursion that resembled the wide-scale military …

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News, BBC, Reuters, The Messenger, The New Arab, Financial Times and Florida Politics

Jack Khoury / Haaretz:

Israeli Army Strikes Jenin in Large-scale ‘Anti-terror’ Op; Eight Palestinians Killed — After drone strike on militant HQ, Jenin op continues with ground incursion, weapons seizure ■ At least eight killed, 50 wounded ■ Security sources say op may ‘accomplish goals within 48 hours’ ■ …

Discussion: The Hill, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Just The News, BBC, Reuters, TASS, The New Arab, UPI and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Washington Post:

Israel invades West Bank city, killing at least 8 Palestinians — JERUSALEM — Some 1,000 Israeli soldiers backed by drone strikes stormed Jenin on Monday, targeting a militant “operational command center,” the most expansive Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank in two decades.

Discussion: The Times of Israel, The New Arab, TASS and Voice of America

Emanuel Fabian / The Times of Israel:
IDF strikes in Jenin, launches major counterterrorism campaign; 8 Palestinians killed

Discussion: Breitbart, National Review, TASS and FDD

CNN:

Trump once said a president under felony indictment would grind the government to a halt and create a constitutional crisis — Former President Donald Trump said in 2016 that a president under indictment would “cripple the operations of our government” and create an “unprecedented constitutional crisis” …

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story and Political Wire

Marc Caputo / The Messenger:

‘A Ginormous Jug of Diesel Fuel on a Bonfire:’ How Trump's Indictments Could Win Him Iowa and the GOP Nomination — Trump so far has persuaded enough Republicans in the crucial early state that his indictment is their political cause — A Facebook icon representing an external link to share …

Discussion: New Republic

Dean Obeidallah / CNN:

Lindsey Graham getting booed at Trump rally is both hilarious and alarming — Editor's note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show.” Follow him @DeanObeidallah@masto.ai. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

Discussion: Vanity Fair, American Wire News, Raw Story, The Western Journal, Occupy Democrats, Insider, USA Today and RedState

David Siders / Politico:

The ‘Shrinking Baptist Convention’ Is Doubling Down on the Culture Wars — The challenges facing the nation's largest Protestant denomination mirror those facing the GOP — and both would rather stick to their guns than shift course. — Thousands of Southern Baptists traveled to New Orleans …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

New York Times:

Musk Says Twitter Is Limiting Number of Posts Users Can Read — The change on Saturday came as thousands of users complained about getting an error message that they had “exceeded” their “rate limit.” — Elon Musk said on Saturday that Twitter will temporarily limit the number of posts users …

Wall Street Journal:

Jack Smith Probe of 2020 Election Challenges Focuses on Trump Lawyers — Prosecutors examine efforts to create fake electors and claims made in fundraising drives — WASHINGTON—Special counsel Jack Smith's team in recent weeks has taken a growing interest in the role of lawyers …

Discussion: The Messenger, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Forbes and Slate

Steve Vladeck / MSNBC:

Don't believe the data: This is the most conservative Supreme Court we've known — Hot takes summarizing the justices' work can try to spin to the data, but the reality is simple. — The effective end of the Supreme Court's term on Friday touched off what has become an annual tradition …

Max Tani / Semafor:

Why Netflix quietly shelved an anti-racist video project — The Scoop — Amid the turmoil after George Floyd's murder by police in 2020, Netflix sought to address racist depictions in its film and television library in its own, particularly on-brand way.

Discussion: Fox News and Yahoo Entertainment

Daniel Mordzinski / PEN Ukraine:

Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer, and our dearest colleague, passed away — Цю статтю можна прочитати українською

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, PEN America, The New European, New York Daily News, UPI, Associated Press, The Guardian, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Euromaidan Press, Financial Times, The Messenger, inews.co.uk and The Kyiv Independent

Lee Moran / HuffPost:

Jen Psaki Exposes Hypocrisy Of GOP's Latest Anti-Trans Strategy — The former Biden White House press secretary pointed out the “cynical ploy to tear at the fabric of our society.” — MSNBC's Jen Psaki on Sunday highlighted the “reemergence of a very old GOP playbook” …

Discussion: RedState, Fox News, Twitchy, IJR, Instapundit, The Daily Caller and Washington Examiner

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:

Procedure exists to force the Supreme Court to rehear ‘made up’ wedding website case: Neal Katyal — Based upon new evidence that a landmark Supreme Court case on religious and 1st Amendment rights was based upon a bogus claim, former Solicitor General Neal Katyal claimed that Colorado's attorney general …

Discussion: Breitbart and The Messenger

Ann M. Simmons / Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Ambassador Meets With Detained Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich — Visit is the second time Gershkovich has been granted consular access since he was detained in March — The U.S. ambassador to Russia was granted access to jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich …

Discussion: The Messenger, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and The Guardian

Ronny Reyes / New York Post:

Hunter Biden filmed himself smoking crack behind the wheel, driving at 172mph on way to Vegas: photos — Hunter Biden apparently filmed himself smoking crack behind the wheel of a car in 2018 — the same year he took a picture of himself driving 172mph in a Porsche, according to thousands …

Discussion: American Wire News, One America News Network, Twitchy, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and Daily Mail

Benedict Vigers / Gallup:

Confidence in U.S., U.K. Governments Lowest in G7 — For decades, much has been made of the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom. But in 2022, the national governments of both nations shared a somewhat less special accomplishment: earning the least confidence …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner and Voice of America

Reuters:

Hong Kong police issue arrest warrants for eight activists — Hong Kong police on Monday accused eight overseas-based activists of “serious” national security offences including foreign collusion, and offered a HK$1 million ($127,656) reward for information leading to any arrest.