memeorandum: Is This the Weirdest Ad in American Political History? (Prem Thakker/New Republic)

2:55 PM ET, July 3, 2023

Top Items:

Activists spurred by affirmative action ruling challenge legacy admissions at Harvard — A civil rights group is challenging legacy admissions at Harvard University, saying the practice discriminates against students of color by giving an unfair boost to the mostly white children of alumni.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Fox News, Insider, Joe.My.God., The Daily Caller, The Messenger and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

Daniel Wiessner / Reuters:
Harvard ‘legacy’ policy challenged on heels of affirmative action ruling

Discussion: UPI

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 Times of Israel, New York Times, Al Jazeera, BBC, The Hill, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Fox News, TASS, The New Arab, RTÉ, UPI, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Just The News

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, RedState, The Guardian, 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, FDD and The New Arab

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: HuffPost, The Hill, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., 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: Raw Story and New Republic

Prem Thakker / New Republic:

Is This the Weirdest Ad in American Political History? — Over the weekend, Ron DeSantis's rapid response team shared a video railing against twice-impeached and twice-indicted former President Donald Trump for previous expressions of support for the LGBTQ community, proudly contrasting …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Florida Politics, NBC News and The Daily Beast

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

Jeff Shesol / New York Times:

John Roberts Is Harming the Institution He Wants to Protect — Mr. Shesol, a historian, has written several books about American politics, including “Supreme Power,” the story of Franklin Roosevelt's failed attempt to pack the Supreme Court. — In June 2012, at the end of a contentious Supreme Court term …

Discussion: Insider, Mock Paper Scissors and CNN

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

Vimal Patel / New York Times:

At UChicago, a Debate Over Free Speech and Cyber Bullying — A student objected to a class, “The Problem of Whiteness,” and tweeted the lecturer's photo and email address. Hate mail poured in. What should the school do? — Rebecca Journey, a lecturer at the University of Chicago …

Discussion: Why Evolution Is True, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money

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 …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Tami Luhby / CNN:

States have been on a tax-cutting spree, but revenues are now weakening — Fueled by surging revenues, states have been slashing taxes for individuals and businesses for the past three years. — But the party is expected to come to an end in the coming fiscal year, which started on Saturday in 46 states.

Colby Hall / Mediaite:

Trump Showed Docs to People at Mar-a-Lago's Dining Room Patio Claims Former White House Press Secretary — Stephanie Grisham revealed that she witnessed her former boss, former President Donald Trump, show classified documents to people at his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago.

Discussion: Washington Post, IJR, MSNBC, New York Post, Joe.My.God., UPROXX and Crooks and Liars

The Guardian:

Will El Niño on top of global heating create the perfect climate storm? — Rising temperatures in north Atlantic and drop in Antarctic sea ice prompt fears of widespread damage from extreme weather — ery unusual", “worrying”, “terrifying”, and “bonkers”; the reactions of veteran scientists …

Alison F. Takemura / Canary Media:

Your next BBQ could feature an electric grill — Electric grills exist and are rising in popularity — and according to some advocates, they're just as good at producing delicious food as fossil-fueled alternatives. — Mark Begansky loves his electric grill.

Discussion: Sun-Sentinel and New York Post

Bryan Pietsch / Washington Post:

Celebrated Ukrainian war writer killed in Russian strike on restaurant — The prominent Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina died Saturday of injuries sustained during a Russian strike on a bustling restaurant last week in eastern Ukraine. She was 37. — Amelina had been receiving treatment …

Discussion: Task & Purpose, Fox News, New York Times and Agence France-Presse

Daniel Mordzinski / PEN Ukraine:
Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer, and our dearest colleague, passed away

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

Julianne McShane / NBC News:

Texas pastor pleads guilty to possession of child sex abuse images — David Lloyd Walther, 57, admitted to downloading the materials to a computer at Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock, where he served as pastor prior to his November arrest. — A Texas pastor pleaded guilty to an enhanced charge …

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

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: Washington Examiner, The Messenger, New York Daily News, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and Slate

Richard Lough / Reuters:

France's last surviving D-Day commando dies aged 100 — Leon Gautier, the last surviving member of the French commando unit that waded ashore on D-Day alongside allied troops to begin the liberation of France, died on Monday. He was 100 years old. — Gautier was one of 177 French green berets …

Discussion: UPI, Associated Press, CBS News and RTÉ

Summer Concepcion / NBC News:

PGA Tour officials will testify in a Senate hearing on LIV Golf merger — Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ron Johnson said they want to examine the merger with the Saudi-backed tournament as well as the future of the PGA Tour and U.S. professional golf. — The leaders of a Senate investigative …

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, UPI, New York Post, The Comeback and Sports Illustrated

Ashan Benedict / mpdc.dc.gov:

Suspects and Vehicle Sought in Destruction of Property Offenses in the District — Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division and Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division seek the public's assistance …

Discussion: CNN, Daily Mail, The Western Journal, Conservative Brief, Fox News, HotAir, Washington Times, UPI, The Hill, WFLA-TV, RedState, The Daily Caller, One America News Network, New York Post, Just The News, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and The Messenger

Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner:

The illogical but popular affirmative action attack on Clarence Thomas — In college, I made a lot of money working side jobs, especially in the spring and summer. From April through September, I would mow tiny lawns in Annapolis and get $20 (more than $37 in today's dollars) …

Discussion: National Review

Roni Caryn Rabin / New York Times:

A Blood Test Predicts Pre-eclampsia in Pregnant Women — The assessment is the first advance in diagnosing the deadly condition since it was discovered more than a century ago, experts said. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood test that can identify pregnant women …