memeorandum: The illogical but popular affirmative action attack on Clarence Thomas (Timothy P. Carney/Washington Examiner)

1:55 PM ET, July 3, 2023

Top Items:

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: New York Times, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, BBC, The Hill, CBS News, Washington Examiner, 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, 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: New Republic

Collin Binkley / Associated Press:

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: The Hill, Insider, UPI and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

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

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 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

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

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 …

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, Rolling Stone, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Forbes and Slate

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 …

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: The Post Millennial, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Mediaite, RedState, Instapundit, Twitchy, IJR, The Daily Caller and Washington Examiner

Eileen Sullivan / New York Times:

Number of Migrants Crossing U.S. Southern Border Is Down. But for How Long? — Officials say the lull after nearly two years of increased crossings is not going to last. — Nearly two months since the lifting of a public health order that allowed the United States to swiftly expel migrants …

Discussion: NewsNation, The Hill and PJ Media

Julie Bykowicz / Wall Street Journal:

A Mysteriously Financed Group That Could Upend a Biden-Trump Rematch — Centrist nonprofit No Labels says voters want an alternative, but some say effort could hand election to Trump — WASHINGTON—A centrist group is laying the groundwork to run an alternative candidate …

Discussion: New Republic and The Daily Caller