Top Items:
Andrew Higgins / New York Times:
Putin Hints at U.S. Election Meddling by ‘Patriotically Minded’ Russians — MOSCOW — Shifting from his previous blanket denials, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Thursday that “patriotically minded” private Russian hackers could have been involved in cyberattacks last year …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Political Wire, Boing Boing, Business Insider, Mediaite, Althouse, The Week and Balloon Juice, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York … The Trump administration is moving toward handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland's Eastern Shore, from which its officials were ejected in late December as punishment …
Discussion:
Sputnik International, Washington Times, NBC News, Shareblue, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Hill, IJR, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Axios, Hot Air, Politicus USA, New York Magazine, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, Business Insider, War in Context, The Week, alicublog, nucleardiner.wordpress.com, RedState and Political Wire
CNN:
First on CNN: Sources: Congress investigating another possible Sessions-Kislyak meeting — DOJ: Sessions didn't disclose Russia meetings — Washington (CNN)Congressional investigators are examining whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions had an additional private meeting with Russia's ambassador during …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Shakesville, Daily Kos, The Week, War in Context, Politicus USA, Joe.My.God., Business Insider, Mediaite, Raw Story, Axios and Political Wire
W. James Antle III / Washington Examiner:
The vast right-wing conspiracy 2.0, Russia edition
The vast right-wing conspiracy 2.0, Russia edition
Discussion:
Power Line, Politicus USA and IJR
The Guardian:
Nigel Farage is ‘person of interest’ in FBI investigation into Trump and Russia — Exclusive: FBI interested in former Ukip leader's ties with people connected to US president and WikiLeaks' Julian Assange … Nigel Farage is a “person of interest” in the US counter-intelligence investigation …
Erick Erickson / The Resurgent:
White House Sources: Reince Priebus's Departure is Imminent — I think many conservatives have failed to appreciate having a committed Christian in the White House Chief of Staff's Office. Reince Priebus was unappreciated as Chairman of the RNC by many on the right and often blamed for things not in his control.
Discussion:
Power Line, RedState, Daily Wire, The Right Scoop, Hot Air and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Trump Exempts Entire Senior Staff From White House Ethics Rules … President Donald Trump has exempted his entire senior staff from provisions of his own ethics rules to allow them to work with political and advocacy groups that support the administration. — Staffers given a pass …
Discussion:
Vox
Bill Allison / Bloomberg:
White House Waivers Let Trump Appointees Work With Past Clients
White House Waivers Let Trump Appointees Work With Past Clients
Discussion:
AOL
CNN:
First on CNN: Senators asked Comey to investigate AG Jeff Sessions for possible perjury — CNN previously reported congressional investigators are seeking information on whether there were any encounters between now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Russia's ambassador at a Trump campaign event
Discussion:
Boing Boing
RELATED:
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Did Trump, Kushner, Sessions Have An Undisclosed Meeting With Russian? — The FBI and Congress are examining a campaign event last spring during which Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner were in a small gathering with Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak and other diplomats …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Politicus USA
Meghan Keneally / ABC News:
Democratic Senators asked FBI to investigate Jeff Sessions for perjury
Democratic Senators asked FBI to investigate Jeff Sessions for perjury
Discussion:
Politico
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Comey will testify before Senate committee next Thursday — Former FBI Director James Comey will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, June 8, regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election, committee leaders announced on Thursday.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Comey Expected to Testify Before Senate, if He Isn't Blocked — Senators expect the former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to testify next week about his conversations with President Trump, congressional officials said on Wednesday, setting up a test of the White House's willingness …
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Fox News, ThinkProgress, Politicus USA, Washington Post, Sputnik International, Axios, Washington Times and MSNBC
Steven T. Dennis / Bloomberg:
Fired FBI Director Comey to Testify June 8 Before Senate Panel
Fired FBI Director Comey to Testify June 8 Before Senate Panel
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Ex-DNC aide hits back hard at Clinton, says her campaign ignored data on Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin — Hillary Clinton has found plenty of non-Hillary Clinton things to blame for her 2016 loss, including Russia, James B. Comey, debate moderators and misogyny.
RELATED:
CBS News:
Commentary: The left is winning — Here's an argument that seems unavoidable yet endlessly debatable: In American politics, progressives are winning, and have been for some time. When it comes to economic policy in particular, every day it seems the Overton Window skews a few more millimeters leftward …
RELATED:
Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times:
Has the Democratic Party Gotten Too Rich for Its Own Good?
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Everything Conservatives Said About the Paris Climate Agreement Is Already Wrong — The Trump administration's reportedly forthcoming decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement will not end the global effort to limit the effects of climate change. In the immediate time frame …
RELATED:
Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:
‘We were used, abused and exploited’ — As he built support for his signature political issue, Donald Trump formed a powerful partnership with a nonprofit group dedicated to families of those killed by undocumented immigrants, but now some of those families are alleging they were exploited …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Wall Street Journal:
Samantha Power Unmasked — Why would a diplomat need to know the names of Trump officials?
Discussion:
White House Dossier
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Opts Not to Move Embassy to Jerusalem, at Least for Now — WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an order keeping the American Embassy in Tel Aviv rather than move it to Jerusalem as he promised during last year's campaign, aides said Thursday, disappointing many Israel supporters …
Discussion:
Axios, TheBlaze, Geller Report, IJR and The Right Scoop
RELATED:
Benjamin Siegel / ABC News:
Trump breaks campaign promise by not moving US Embassy to Jerusalem
Trump breaks campaign promise by not moving US Embassy to Jerusalem
Discussion:
Hot Air
Ali Watkins / Politico:
Russia escalates spy games after years of U.S. neglect — In the throes of the 2016 campaign, the FBI found itself with an escalating problem: Russian diplomats, whose travel was supposed to be tracked by the State Department, were going missing. — The diplomats, widely assumed …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Instapundit
John Podhoretz / New York Post:
In her bubble, Kathy Griffin thought nothing was out of bounds in mocking Trump — MORE FROM: … Imagine living in a bubble so impermeable it didn't occur to you that retailing a photograph of a decapitated president's head would be a horrendous career move — a bubble in which you don't know anyone …
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Scared Monkeys and AMERICAN DIGEST, more at Mediagazer »
Fred Imbert / CNBC:
S&P and Nasdaq notch record highs after data deluge — U.S. equities traded higher on Thursday, the first trading day in June, as investors parsed through key economic data. — The Nasdaq composite gained 0.3 percent and hit a record intraday high earlier in the session.
Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:
How Twitter Is Being Gamed to Feed Misinformation — After last year's election, Facebook came in for a drubbing for its role in propagating misinformation — or “fake news,” as we called it back then, before the term became a catchall designation for any news you don't like.
Discussion:
The Week, The Atlantic and BuzzFeed
Martina Navratilova / Sydney Morning Herald:
An open letter from Martina Navratilova to Margaret Court Arena — Sporting venues named for athletes, or any place, really, named for whoever, are so named for one reason. That reason is their whole body of work. In other words, it is not just for what this person did on the field …
Discussion:
Vision Christian Radio, Washington Blade, The Guardian, Mashable and Friendly Atheist
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
Trump's special antagonism toward Germany is stupid and dangerous. — The fallout from President Trump's disastrous trip to Europe continues to poison the trans-Atlantic climate. His comments about Germany have been particularly toxic—and, beyond that, stupid, reflecting no understanding …
Discussion:
Foreign Policy and New York Times
Eliza Newlin Carney / American Prospect:
The Maps That Kill Competition — Corey Lowenstein/The News & Observer, File via AP — Republican State Senators Dan Soucek, left, and Brent Jackson, right, review North Carolina's congressional district map. — Democrats eyeing the 2018 midterm elections have a lot to feel optimistic about …
Michelle Ye Hee Lee / Washington Post:
Every Russia story Trump said was a hoax by Democrats: A timeline — There have been twists and turns over the past year in the saga of President Trump's alleged ties to Russia and Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election to help Trump win. — Yet one thing has remained consistent …
Washington Post:
Noose found at exhibit in African American Smithsonian museum — A noose was found Wednesday in a public gallery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture museum, the second such incident on Smithsonian grounds in less than a week, officials said.
Discussion:
Vox, ThinkProgress and Political Insider blog
Ace / Ace of Spades HQ:
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum — Again — It is imperative we begin emulating the left in its tactics. — A couple of years ago, I suggested a completely different strategy: I wanted to pursue a kinder path. I wanted an end to the speech wars and social media mobs and boycotts and all the rest of it.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Daily Wire, Vox Popoli and American Power
James Bovard / USA Today:
Donald Trump's budget slashes government junk food pipeline to the poor — Food stamps foolishly fuel diabetes and obesity — Perhaps the most controversial element of the Trump administration's budget is the proposal to reduce food stamp spending by 25% or $193 billion over the next decade.
Discussion:
Clayton Cramer
New York Times:
Less Tweeting, Lawyers Beg. ‘Covfefe,’ the President Says. — WASHINGTON — There was a time in the not-too-distant past when President Trump refrained from flamethrowing messages on Twitter. — That time is over. — Never mind that his aides have asked him to stop.