Top Items:
David Wright / CNN:
Trump: Muslim ban ‘just a suggestion’ — Washington (CNN)Donald Trump, who issued a December press release “calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” said Wednesday such a ban “hasn't been called for yet” and it was “only a suggestion.”
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Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
Trump, Ryan signal unity — touted that they are “totally committed to working together” in a joint statement after their high-profile Thursday morning meeting, calling for “shared principles” and a “conservative agenda.” — The meeting between the two GOP heavy hitters …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Israpundit and Bloomberg.com
Associated Press:
The Latest: Boehner backs Trump despite policy disagreements
The Latest: Boehner backs Trump despite policy disagreements
Discussion:
Politico and The Daily Caller
Nick Gass / Politico:
Obama: Republicans likely to correct course after 2016
Obama: Republicans likely to correct course after 2016
Discussion:
Slate and National Review
Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Judge rules for House GOP in ObamaCare suit — A federal judge on Thursday ruled in favor of House Republicans in their lawsuit against the Obama administration over ObamaCare. — In a major ruling, Judge Rosemary Collyer, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said the administration does …
Discussion:
Washington Post, RedState and MishTalk
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Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
House GOP wins Obamacare lawsuit — A federal judge on Thursday ruled the Obama administration has been improperly funding an Obamacare subsidy program, a huge win for the House of Representatives' lawsuit against the White House. — Congress authorized the program but never actually provided …
Discussion:
Hit & Run
Valerie Boey / WOFL:
George Zimmerman's gun up for auction — LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who was acquitted in the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2013, is selling his gun. — The 9mm pistol that Zimmerman said was used to shoot and kill Trayvon Martin on February 26 …
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Faith Karimi / CNN:
George Zimmerman reportedly selling gun used to kill Trayvon Martin
George Zimmerman reportedly selling gun used to kill Trayvon Martin
Discussion:
Mediaite, TheBlaze.com, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller, WQAD-TV and Boing Boing
Harper Neidig / The Hill:
Ryan declines to endorse Trump after meeting — (R-Wis.) declined to endorse Donald Trump — after a meeting Thursday morning, though he said he was “encouraged” by what he heard from his party's presumptive presidential nominee. — During a press conference, Ryan was asked directly if he was prepared to endorse Trump.
Discussion:
Politico
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David Corn / Mother Jones:
On Facebook, Trump's Longtime Butler Calls for Obama to Be Killed — Anthony Senecal, who worked as Donald Trump's butler for 17 years before being named the in-house historian at the tycoon's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, has repeatedly published posts on his Facebook page …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Mediaite and The Right Scoop
Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
I Saw Trump's Tax Returns. You Should, Too. — In January, Donald Trump had this to say when he was asked about whether he would release his tax returns: “I have very big returns, as you know, and I have everything all approved and very beautiful and we'll be working that over in the next period of time.”
Discussion:
Washington Post, CANNONFIRE, Vox, The Week, USA Today, Politico, BizPac Review and Slate
Philip Shenon / Guardian:
Saudi officials were ‘supporting’ 9/11 hijackers, commission member says — First serious public split revealed among commissioners over the release of the secret ‘28 pages’ that detail Saudi ties to 2001 terrorist attacks — A former Republican member of the 9/11 commission …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Washington Post, Raw Story, Hit & Run, Boing Boing and Common Dreams
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Annie Karni / Politico:
Biden wanted Warren as his VP — Joe Biden took months to decide he wouldn't run for president — but he was sold on Elizabeth Warren as his running mate from the start, people familiar with the situation told POLITICO. — And he still thinks the Massachusetts firebrand …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, The Week and ABC News
Adam Housley / Fox News:
‘We could have been there’: Squadron member speaks out on stalled Benghazi response — His squadron got the alert: a “real world mission was going down.” — The team - at Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy - raced to the field and was briefed, as planes were armed and prepared to launch.
Discussion:
RedState, Independent Journal …, BizPac Review, Scared Monkeys and The Daily Caller
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Daily Mail:
‘Screw the next generation’: Anonymous congressman writes tell-all and slams ‘nation of naive, self-absorbed sheep’ as he admits he never reads bills he votes on — ‘My main job is to keep my job, to get reelected. It takes precedence over everything,’ an anonymous member of Congress writes in a new book
Discussion:
The Week
New York Times:
Russian Insider Says State-Run Doping Fueled Olympic Gold — LOS ANGELES — Dozens of Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, including at least 15 medal winners, were part of a state-run doping program, meticulously planned for years to ensure dominance at the Games …
Discussion:
New York Post, Gizmodo and The Week
Tim Kenneally / The Wrap:
Caitlyn Jenner Experienced ‘Sex Change Regret,’ Might De-Transition, Biographer Says — “It hasn't been easy for Caitlyn, it's been very hard,” Ian Halperin recalls one source telling him — Caitlyn Jenner, who announced her transition from man to woman last year, has considered de-transitioning …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Refinery29, AOL, The Daily Caller, WNCN, Fox News, CBS Detroit, CBS Pittsburgh, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Independent Journal …
Joshua J. McElwee / ncronline.org:
Francis to create commission to study female deacons in Catholic church — Pope Francis has announced he will create a commission to study the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons in the Catholic church, signaling an historic openness to the possibility of ending the global institution's practice of an all-male clergy.
Discussion:
CNN, The Atlantic, Catholic News Service, Washington Post, Mother Jones, CBS San Francisco, Religion News Service and The Week
Todd Gitlin / Washington Post:
Donald Trump's secret for avoiding hard questions — Do your homework. Ask the follow-up. — The constant spotlight fixed on Donald Trump for the last year would have overwhelmed any other candidate, particularly one so evasive. But not him: Trump now campaigns as pro-life — but he was …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and Media Matters for America
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Party Surrenders — With Marco Rubio's grudging, painful statement this week that he intends to support “the nominee” (for many Republicans, He Who Must Not Be Named), and with Paul Ryan possibly contemplating assimilation, it's a good time to take one last look back at what I got wrong …
Discussion:
Washington Post and bradford-delong.com
Andrew J. Tobias / Plain Dealer:
Artist organizing mass photo shoot of 100 nude women during Cleveland Republican National Convention — Volunteers—2754 people—pose nude on the E. 9th St. pier on Saturday, June 26, 2004 as part of a photo shoot organized by New York art photographer Spencer Tunick.
Discussion:
Mediaite, BizPac Review, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Daily Caller
David Wade / Politico:
Bernie Sanders, the Zombie Candidate — When he first decided to run for president, Bernie Sanders had a goal in mind: to start a political revolution by getting big money out of politics. — If he wants to do it—if Sanders wants to build a lasting movement to fight money's outsize influence …
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
The raging controversy over a profile of Ben Rhodes, explained — About a week ago, David Samuels published a profile in the New York Times magazine of Ben Rhodes, a second-tier but highly influential member of President Obama's national security team, that's set Washington ablaze.
Discussion:
Salon, The Daily Signal, Power Line, BarbWire.com and Washington Free Beacon
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Eric Trump: Hispanics Tell Me They Can't Wait For My Dad To Be President — “I see so little of divisiveness, which is interesting. You watch it on TV, but you see so little of it out in the field.” — Ethan Miller / Getty Images — w.soundcloud.com
Charlotte Today / WCNC-TV:
Barber arrested for pulling gun on customer, says he 'doesn't cut black hair' — A Rock Hill barber is accused of telling a man he wouldn't cut his hair because he is black and then pulling out a gun during the incident. … ROCK HILL, S.C. — Denied service because of his race …
Adam Withnall / USA Today:
Could Osama bin Laden's son be the future leader of al-Qaeda? — Osama bin Laden's son and heir apparent has resurfaced in an audio message after many months of silence, prompting renewed speculation over the leadership of al-Qaeda. — Hamza bin Laden, understood to be 23 or 24 years old …
Discussion:
Infowars
Zach St. George / The Week:
How scientists are harnessing the ice-making powers of bacteria — The first major debate over genetically modified organisms, in the late 1980s, was not over tomatoes, salmon, or corn, but instead a type of bacteria that can raise the freezing point of water.