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Supreme Court strikes down North Carolina maps for Congress — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that racial considerations pervaded the way North Carolina lawmakers drew congressional maps after the 2010 Census in order to maximize Republicans' advantage.
Discussion:
Political Wire and The Week
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Supreme Court Rejects North Carolina Congressional Districts — Race played too big a role in Republican-drawn map, court says — Thomas joins liberal justices in majority of divided ruling — A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina Republicans relied too heavily on race …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Politico

Breaking and Analysis: Supreme Court on 5-3 Vote Affirms NC Racial Gerrymandering Case, with Thomas in Majority and Roberts in Dissent — The Supreme Court has issued this 5-3 opinion in Cooper v. Harris. Justice Kagan wrote the opinion for the Court, with Justice Thomas making the fifth vote for affirmance.
Discussion:
Mother Jones


Trump's bizarre and un-American visit to Saudi Arabia — Before he moves on to Israel and then to Europe, before we are consumed by the next scandal and forget, here is a list, for the record, of just a few of the ways in which President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia was bizarre, unseemly, unethical and un-American.
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Examiner, NPR, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, CNBC, vice, Just Security, New York Magazine, The Week, The Federalist, Hot Air, Shakesville, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Balloon Juice, RT, New York Times and ThinkProgress
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Tillerson says Trump's views on Islam ‘continue to evolve’
Discussion:
RedState

Trump becomes first US president to visit Western Wall
Discussion:
Politico

Tillerson holds briefing in Saudi Arabia without US press
Discussion:
CNN, more at Mediagazer »


The Trump White House is collapsing — Donald Trump certainly seems like he's having a lovely time on his first international trip as president. He touched down in Saudi Arabia over the weekend and was given an over-the-top reception by his hosts. The Saudis presented him with a medal …
Discussion:
New Republic, Townhall.com, Infowars, Politico and NBC News
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The Latest: AP Source says Flynn will invoke Fifth Amendment
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News, New York Magazine, KTLA and Patterico's Pontifications

Blood in the Water — Donald Trump has left the country …
Discussion:
Daily Kos


White House to seek 90-day delay in Obamacare subsidy suit — The Trump administration Monday plans to ask a federal court for another 90-day delay in a lawsuit over Obamacare insurance subsidies, according to two administration sources, leaving the future of the health care marketplaces in limbo through late August.
Discussion:
Mother Jones
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White House to pay insurers while Obamacare case kept on ice: Sources
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Post and ACASignups.net


Billy Bush Breaks His Silence on Trump, the ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape, NBC and a Comeback Plan (Exclusive) — Seven months after the infamous “grab them by the pussy” recording got Bush fired (and nearly toppled Trump's White House run), the former ‘Today’ host goes public with what happened on that bus …
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Billy Bush on notorious Trump tape: It wasn't ‘locker room talk’
Discussion:
Althouse, The Daily Caller and AOL


White House Moves to Block Ethics Inquiry Into Ex-Lobbyists on Payroll — The Trump administration, in a significant escalation of its clash with the government's top ethics watchdog, has moved to block an effort to disclose the names of former lobbyists who have been granted waivers to work in the White House or federal agencies.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, The Week and Raw Story


John Podesta Unloads on Trump — Donald Trump is “unfit for office,” a president whose actions are often “absolutely crazy” and whose White House has “a complete disregard for the truth.” His firing of James Comey as the FBI director was overseeing an investigation of Russian interference …
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Daily Caller and Mediaite
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Police, FBI investigating University of Maryland killing as possible hate crime — A black Bowie State University student who was set to graduate this week may have been killed over the weekend in a random, racially-motivated attack by a white University of Maryland, College Park student, officials said Sunday.
Discussion:
NBC4 Washington, The Root, Raw Story and Breaking911
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Fatal Stabbing of Black Student in Maryland Investigated as a Hate Crime
Discussion:
AOL

Authorities investigating whether U.-Md. stabbing death was a hate crime
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and BuzzFeed

Poll: Democrats have edge over Republican front-runner in Va. governor's race — RICHMOND — Widespread opposition to President Trump and his policies has heightened the challenge for Republicans hoping to retake the Virginia governor's mansion this year, with GOP front-runner Ed Gillespie trailing …


Donald Trump to America: Please impeach me — This president is all but shouting ‘get me out of here.’ We should help. — Donald Trump is doing an excellent impression of a president who desperately wishes to be impeached. Congress should grant that wish, or figure out an even quicker …
Discussion:
Sputnik International


Trump to propose big cuts to safety-net in new budget, slashing Medicaid and opening door to other limits — President Trump's first major budget proposal on Tuesday will include massive cuts to Medicaid and call for changes to anti-poverty programs that would give states new power to limit …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, Salon, Daily Kos, Common Dreams, Axios, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week, Associated Press, The Daily Caller and Politicus USA
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A millionaire, a hotel maid and an arrest after the inauguration for sex abuse — He was a millionaire, in Washington to toast President Trump's inauguration. — She was a maid, tasked with cleaning rooms that cost more in a few days than her monthly rent.
Discussion:
Raw Story


ScarJo hooks up with ‘SNL’ ‘Weekend Update’ host Colin Jost … Scarlett Johansson's appearance on “Saturday Night Live” was such a hit, she ended up making out with “Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost at the afterparty, multiple sources exclusively confirmed to Page Six.

My personal challenge this year is to visit every state I haven't spent time in before to learn about people's hopes and challenges, and how they're thinking about their work and communities. — After my early trips, people asked me what I was learning but I wanted to be careful not to generalize because every state is so different.
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Axios, Political Wire and The Daily Caller


Trump's Direct Saudi-to-Israel Flight Breaks Symbolic Barrier — Air Force One flies straight from Riyadh to Tel Aviv Monday — President heads to troubled Middle East on first foreign trip — President Donald Trump made a direct flight Monday between two nations that have historically …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Axios, Sputnik International, Donald J. Trump and New York Times


Report: Girl in Weiner sexting case lied to damage Clinton — The teenage girl who had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) lied about her age and political motivations to harm Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton
Discussion:
WhoWhatWhy and CANNONFIRE


Turkey condemns U.S. over ‘aggressive’ acts against its bodyguards during Erdogan's visit to D.C. — ISTANBUL — Turkey's foreign ministry on Monday lodged a formal protest with the U.S. ambassador to Ankara over what it said were “lapses of security” during a violent confrontation between protesters …
Discussion:
Hot Air and rubber hose