Memeorandum

Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
As GOP investigates prosecutors, experts worry about judicial independence  —  Investigate the investigator.  —  That has been the operating thesis of the GOP's playbook to counter the myriad criminal investigations into Donald Trump, the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

Lauren Sforza / The Hill:
GOP senator says he would ‘speak’ to No Labels about 2024 third-party run  —  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Sunday said he would be open to speaking to No Labels if they approached him about a potential third-party run.  —  “What about No Labels?”  NBC's Chuck Todd asked Cassidy.

David Cohen / Politico:
Tuberville ‘paralyzing’ Pentagon, House Foreign Affairs chair says  —  “I really wish he would reconsider this,” he said.  —  Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) repeatedly said Sunday that Sen. Tommy Tuberville's one-person blockade of military nominations was “paralyzing” the Defense Department.

Peter Baker / New York Times:
J.F.K. Assassination Witness Breaks His Silence and Raises New Questions  —  The account of Paul Landis, one of the Secret Service agents just feet away from John F. Kennedy when he was struck down, could change the understanding of what happened in Dallas in 1963.  —  He still remembers the first gunshot.

Politico:
The House GOP leadership's Trump split rears its head  —  With assists from Jordain Carney, Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers, Ursula Perano and Burgess Everett  —  HOUSE GOP LEADERS' OPEN-SECRET DIVIDE OVER TRUMP  —  It's the split that most everyone on the Hill knows about — and keeps rearing its head.

Jeff Charles / RedState:
Al Sharpton Beclowns Himself, Displays His Ignorance About the Revolutionary War in Remarks on Trump Indictment  —  It looks like Rev. Al Sharpton needs to take a quick break from his politicking so he can brush up on his American history.  During a recent interview, the so-called civil rights leader …

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Inside the courtroom: Donald Trump, Jack Smith and a historic glance  —  The former president sat at the very same courtroom table that has been occupied by Jan. 6 defendants who stormed the Capitol in his name.  —  If you blinked, you missed it.  —  For a fleeting moment Thursday …

Carrie Johnson / NPR:
Trump is arraigned and pleads not guilty to charges he conspired to overturn election  —  Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to four felony charges that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.  —  Trump entered his plea on Thursday …

Nate Raymond / Reuters:
US judge rejects challenge to Connecticut assault weapons ban  —  A federal judge on Thursday rejected a gun rights group's challenge to an assault weapons ban the state of Connecticut adopted after a gunman in 2012 killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

CBS News:
Body found at buoy barrier Texas set up on Rio Grande, Mexico says  —  Mexico City — Mexican authorities have recovered two bodies in the Rio Grande, including one that was spotted along the floating barrier that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had installed recently in the Rio Grande, across from Eagle Pass, Texas.

Shannon Osaka / Washington Post:
July blows away temperature records, testing key climate threshold  —  July was the warmest month on record, and it won't be the last.  —  The world has just gotten its first real taste of a planet that is 1.5 degrees Celsius — or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit — hotter than preindustrial times.

New York Times:
Two U.S. Navy Sailors Charged With Helping Chinese  —  Prosecutors said the two sailors in California gave Chinese intelligence officers U.S. military secrets and sensitive information.  —  Adam Goldman reported from Washington, and Jill Cowan from Los Angeles.

New York Times:
John Eastman, the architect of plan to keep Trump in power, will not cooperate with prosecutors, his lawyer says.  —  The former president was arraigned in a Washington federal courtroom on four charges tied to his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.

Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Prosecutors Took Cautious Path in Connecting Trump to Jan. 6 Violence  —  An indictment this week did not accuse former President Donald Trump of inciting the mob that attacked the Capitol, but it did show that some close to him knew violence might be coming.

Washington Post:
Trump pleads not guilty to charges that he plotted to overturn election  —  Former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election, appearing in the federal courthouse that sits just blocks away from where his angry supporters stormed …

Matt Lavietes / NBC News:
Florida effectively bans AP Psychology course over LGBTQ content, College Board says  —  The state's decision to restrict AP Psychology comes several months after its controversial decision to block AP African American Studies courses.  —  Florida “effectively banned” Advanced Placement Psychology classes …

New York Magazine:
Chris Christie Says He Was ‘Honest’ When Questioned in Case Against Trump  —  Kara Swisher talks to the former governor about Trump's legal peril.  —  In addition to his stints as a U.S. attorney, the governor of New Jersey, and as a Republican presidential candidate, Chris Christie …

Isis Terror / NBC News:
ISIS says its leader was killed by militants in Syria and names successor  —  Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi, who headed the extremist organization since November, died fighting in Syria, the militant group said.  —  The Islamic State group announced on Thursday the death in Syria …

Associated Press:
Trump pleads not guilty to federal conspiracy charges in 2020 election case.  Follow live updates  —  Follow along for live updates as Donald Trump appears in federal court Thursday after being indicted by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Washington Post:
Here's what to know  —  Hours before his scheduled court appearance, Trump continued to claim on social media that the case against him is politically motivated, while his campaign attacked Smith as a “political pawn.”  —  Here are the four charges against Trump and what they mean.  Read the indictment.