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CORRECTED: GOP CHIEF: Mitt Romney's ‘Self-Deportation’ Quote Was ‘Horrific’ — Correction, 12:26 p.m. ET: An original version of this story said that Reince Priebus referred to Mitt Romney's comments as “racist.” He said it “hurts us.” Business Insider regrets the error.
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Eve of Destruction — It is almost impossible to find an establishment Republican in town who's not downright morose about the 2013 that has been and is about to be. Most dance around it in public, but they see this year as a disaster in the making, even if most elected Republicans don't know it or admit it.
Discussion:
CNN, The Plum Line, The Dish, Seeing the Forest, Immigration Reform and WJLA-TV


With Clinton vote, RNC pushes back on debates — BOSTON — The Republican National Committee will pass a resolution Friday to bar NBC and CNN from hosting GOP primary debates in 2016 if the networks move forward with their Hillary Clinton projects. — But the vote is not just about Clinton.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Booman Tribune, americanthinker.com, The Fix, TheBlaze.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN and Post Politics


NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds — The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.
Discussion:
Politico, The Switch, Hot Air, FishbowlDC, Hullabaloo, protein wisdom, The Reaction, The Big Picture, Salon, CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hillicon Valley, Washington Monthly, Hit & Run, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, Guardian, RIA Novosti, Techdirt, The Daily Banter, Balkinization, Firedoglake, The Week, Washington Wire, msnbc.com, The Daily Caller, americanthinker.com, Scared Monkeys, Crooks and Liars, WJLA-TV, The Hill, Right Wing News, The Verge, Little Green Footballs, Mashable, BBC, Prairie Weather, Simple Justice, Weasel Zippers, GigaOM, WFPL, Balloon Juice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Mediaite, emptywheel, Post Politics, The Volokh Conspiracy and Philly.com, more at Mediagazer »
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New Snowden Docs Show We Don't Even Know What We Don't Know — In 2008, the National Security Agency illicitly—if accidentally—intercepted a “large number” of phone calls from Washington, D.C. because an error confused Egypt's country code—"20"—with, yes, “202.”
Discussion:
Firedoglake, ABC News, The Switch, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Hit & Run, emptywheel, The Dish, Techdirt, Pat Dollard and The Right Scoop, more at Mediagazer »


Court: Ability to police U.S. spying program limited
Discussion:
The Switch, The Fix, Techdirt, The Verge, Connecting.the.Dots, The Hinterland Gazette, Hit & Run, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Gizmodo, Gawker and The PJ Tatler, more at Mediagazer »

NSA report on privacy violations in the first quarter of 2012
Discussion:
Prairie Weather and Techdirt

N.S.A. Often Broke Rules on Privacy, Audit Shows
Discussion:
The World's Greatest …, Hit & Run, The Week, Hillicon Valley, Politico, CNN, Techdirt, The Hill and Washington Post


Taking Back the GOP Debates — The summer meetings of national political parties are usually quiet affairs, but this week's Republican National Committee meeting in Boston is full of controversy about who should moderate and run the 2016 GOP presidential-primary debates.
Discussion:
Washington Times, Mother Jones, msnbc.com, Power Line and American Prospect
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Republicans vote to ban NBC, CNN from presidential debates — The Republican National Committee (RNC) voted unanimously Friday to pull the group's partnership with NBC and CNN for the 2016 GOP presidential primary debates unless the networks kill their planned films on Hillary Clinton.
Discussion:
The Raw Story and Daily Kos

RNC's NBC, CNN boycott will extend to Telemundo, CNN Espanol — In a highly anticipated move, the Republican National Committee voted unanimously on Friday to deny NBC and CNN the rights to host or sponsor a Republican primary debate unless they cancel their respective Hillary Clinton film projects.
Discussion:
Post Politics, Hot Air and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »


RNC Unanimously Passes Resolution, No Debates For NBC Or CNN
Discussion:
Washington Monthly

The key part of the RNC resolution on NBC and CNN debates
Discussion:
Pat Dollard and Politico

GOP Votes To Punish Networks Over Clinton Projects
Discussion:
Mediaite, ThinkProgress and TheBlaze.com, more at Mediagazer »


Egyptian military chief vows to rebuild Coptic Churches — The Egyptian defense minister has ordered the repair and reconstruction of all churches that suffered damage in the country's violent demonstrations since the Egyptian military removed President Mohamed Morsi from power last month.
Discussion:
Jihad Watch
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What Obama Misunderstands About Egypt
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Foreign Policy, Booman Tribune, National Review, Hot Air and Wonkblog

The Truth About Egypt — Egypt looks dodgier than ever right now.
Discussion:
Guardian

Egypt may avoid civil war — but bloody conflict could continue for years
Discussion:
msnbc.com, MSNBC, Pat Dollard and Red Alert Politics


Critics laud John Oliver's hosting tenure — When longtime “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart announced this spring that he would be taking a leave of absence from the show in order to pursue a film project, fans of the show wondered how the critically acclaimed program could survive without its leader as …
Discussion:
Variety, Hollywood Reporter and Mediaite


Defying Reagan, Obama Returns Solar Panels to the White House — Now that the tedium of the 2012 campaign is over, President Obama is making good on his 2010 pledge to put solar panels on top of the White House. The panels (American-made, of course) will be the second set the building has ever seen.
Discussion:
rubber hose, Taegan Goddard's …, ThinkProgress and E2-Wire
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Anthony Weiner's Relationship With Former Staffer Raises Questions — Anthon Weiner. (Photo: Getty) — Before he married his wife, former Congressman Anthony Weiner had a previously undisclosed relationship with an on-again-off-again congressional and campaign aide nearly two decades his junior.
Discussion:
The Daily Banter, Runnin' Scared and The Daily Caller


Joe Scarborough: Talkers on Radio, TV Tell Voters 'If You're Not White,' ‘Not Welcome’ in GOP — On Friday morning, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe, blasted Republicans for focusing on the wrong issues in their efforts to reassemble a coalition of voters that can win national elections.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Pat Dollard and The Hinterland Gazette

Hannity Fires Cumulus — Sean Hannity gave Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey a taste of his own medicine. — He fired Cumulus. — Rejected an offer to extend his contract. — And, according to sources, said the company treats its employees “like dirt, s**t, sub-human”. — Wow!
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, American Spectator, Pat Dollard, NewsBusters, Mediaite and The Huffington Post


Media Watchdog Group Asks Fox's ‘Dads’ to Reshoot ‘Racist’ Scenes — The Media Action Network for Asian Americans fires off a letter to executives, criticizing the comedy's “racial and sexual stereotypes” and blasting co-creator Alec Sulkin for an insensitive tweet he wrote in reference to the tsunami that hit Japan two years ago.
Discussion:
NewsBusters, The Huffington Post, Inside TV and Deadline.com

Moment of Truthiness — We all know how democracy is supposed to work. Politicians are supposed to campaign on the issues, and an informed public is supposed to cast its votes based on those issues, with some allowance for the politicians' perceived character and competence.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute

Rep. Dave Camp won't run for Senate in 2014 — Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) on Friday announced he won't run for the Senate in 2014, denying the GOP a top recruit for the open-seat race. — “After much thought and careful consideration, I have decided not to run for the United States Senate,” Camp said in a statement.