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Manic Monday Markup 7/18/16…

…And the World:

We begin today in Turkey, which withstood a coup attempt over the weekend, preserving its democracy, however bruised by its autocratic President, Recip Tayyip Erdogan. Though Turks of all stripes felt a bad democracy was preferable to the best coup and all opposition parties condemned the move by a faction of the military, many fear Erdogan will use the events to further purge the government of opponents and strip more democratic safeguards from the state. The Guardian now reports that the coup was in fact well-planned, but fumbled when it attacked parliament, denying the uprising a potential well of support.

US Secretary of State John Kerry rejected accusations from some Turkish ministers that the United States was behind the coup while European leaders warned Erdogan to show restraint in the aftermath of the coup. American operations, including those against Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL), at Turkey’s Incirlik have resumed.

The United Kingdom’s House of Commons is debating the fate of Trident (specifically the submarines that deliver it), the name of the UK’s nuclear deterrent. Embattled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for the program to be voted down and ended. Freshly-minted Prime Minister Theresa May has called scrapping Trident irresponsible.  MPs voted to renew the program today.

Meanwhile in the leadership battle for Coryn’s Labour party, one of the participants in last year’s leadership contest, Yvette Cooper, has called for a parliamentary party to slim down the anti-Corbyn field before it goes to Labour party members. Owen Smith, a Welch MP challenging Corbyn has said the same, but Angela Eagle, who hails from Merseyside, has so far demurred, but negotiations are ongoing and deal very possible.

Corbyn, Eagle and Smith debated today. The Guardian registers its view on the need for the Parliamentary Labour Party to be respected.

In Nice, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was booed at a remembrance. Residents there lay blame on officials for failing to protect Bastille Day revelers last Thursday when a driver mowed down 84 along the city’s promenade.

The World Anti-Doping agency says Russia’s summer Olympics team should be barred from competing in Rio de Janeiro.

An AIDS conference in South Africa celebrates the progress made against the disease in Africa.

The Feds:

In Louisiana, details about the man who murdered three law enforcement officials in Baton Rouge have become available. A former marine, Gavin Long’s history appeared to be a torturous path of radical views from separatism to anti-feminism to militarism. The slain officers were Officers Matthew Gerald and Montrell Jackson of the Baton Rouge Police Department and Deputy Sheriff Brad Garafalo of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Department. Several officers were wounded in what investigators are calling an “ambush.”

At their convention tonight, Republicans are poised to highlight victims of crime and slain cops to paint Democrats badly. However both President Barack Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch roundly condemned the attacks. The shootings also prompted the head of Cleveland’s police union to call on Ohio’s governor to suspend the state’s open carry laws for guns. He rejected the plea.

Meanwhile, real estate tycoon and provocateur Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice-presidential nominee, who is laden with his own baggage. The rollout, delayed by the attack in Nice, seemed an exercise in shambles. Leaks of Trump’s second-thoughts, his meandering decidedly not-Pence centered introduction at their first joint event and a much-ridiculed 60 Minutes interview have marred what has traditionally been a public relations layup for presidential campaigns. The Post counted and said Trump spoke more than twice as often as Pence.

Ohio Governor John Kasich, who won his state but is skipping the convention in Cleveland, was the target of taunts and insults from Trump Camp chair Paul Manafort. Ohio’s pro-Kasich delegation was also punished. Meanwhile, the last gasp of the Never Trump movement tried to force a roll call on the rules. If successful it would have at least recorded the voices dissenting against Trump’s nomination.  It was unlikely to unbind delegates to enable the selection of another candidate. More convention bedlam expected.

Trump’s selection of Pence gives former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, a freer hand in choosing her running mate.

A new report shows New England states lag behind the nation on infrastructure investments.

The State of Things:

Checking in with Mass GOP delegates in Cleveland. Among others, Holyoke City Council President Kevin Jourdain is there with bells on.

The Massachusetts House & Senate have begun looking at Gov. Charlie Baker’s vetoes. The two chambers are also looking at how to reconcile their differences on a ride-sharing bill that affect companies like Lyft and Uber.

Reporting from Philadelpha, WMassP&I looks at the national profile of retiring Hampden Sheriff Michael Ashe.

WMassP&I Editor-in-chief Matt Szafranski joined Reminder managing editor Mike Dobbs joined NEPR’s Susan Kaplan for another edition of the station’s week in review.

Court fights over Holyoke’s needle exchange fight unlikely to end soon even as the program operates under a different law.

Leicester Selectman Doug Belanger has not been nominated by Democrats to take on Republican Rep Kate Campanale in November, but he’s already tearing into her record. Belanger has to defeat former legislative aid Moises Dixon before he can take down Campanale.

The Fourth Estatements:

New York magazine reports that the James and Lachlan Murdoch, who head Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox are preparing to dump Fox News Roger Ailes after Gretchen Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment. The company said no decision has been made. Ailes’s brooming, however, brings a question. Who would helm Fox News?

A Pakistani Internet star was allegedly murdered by her brother in what was believed to be an honor killing over her risqué (by Pakistani standards) videos and postings.

It’s Working:

Reuters reports that US and Chinese labor groups coordinated before the latter launched strikes against Wal-Marts in China.

City Slickers:

Amid the National Debate about guns, The Boston Globe visits Smith & Wesson.

The Springfield City Council approves a resolution urging the release of funds to repair the tunnel near the Gerena School and votes to put the Community Preservation Act before voters.

Springfield and Peter Pan are still in negotiations over the bus company moving into Union Station.

Twitter Chatter:

In some ways, Donald Trump’s choice of Mike Pence was the safest decision he could make. Whatever Pence’s problems and the two men’s disagreements, he is a peace offering to the religious conservatives and, does not breath fire in the way his Tea Party compatriot Michelle Bachman did. However, Pence does general election liabilities. Many Republicans in Indiana privately fume over Pence’s approval of a religious freedom bill that discriminated against LGBT Indianans and threatened the economy. That’s Republicans. Never mind how malodorous general election voters will respond to state-sponsored homophobia, even if Pence walked some of it back. Today we award the tweet prize to Minnesota Senator Al Franken, who found Trump’s pick unsurprising given Pence’s penchant for division. Franken’s understanding of Pence’s selection highlights how the two perhaps complement each other as much as they clash.