Top Items:
Mike Levine / ABC News:
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein acknowledges he may need to recuse himself from Russia probe, sources say — The senior Justice Department official with ultimate authority over the special counsel's probe of Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 election has privately acknowledged …
RELATED:
The Daily Beast:
Trump Declares War on Rosenstein: ‘He Has No Qualms About Throwing Him Under a Bus’ … President Donald Trump woke up on Friday and decided to publicly confirm that he is under criminal investigation—and to put his deputy attorney general in the line of fire.
Abby Phillip / Washington Post:
Trump appears to confirm obstruction investigation, attack Rosenstein in morning tweet rant — President Trump fired off tweets Friday morning attacking the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and apparently, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
Discussion:
The Hill, Breitbart, New York Times, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, Slate, Fox News, Power Line, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Fox News Insider, Politico, IJR, NBC News, Associated Press, The Washington Journal, KTLA, fox5sandiego.com, Deadline, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, CBS Miami, Mediaite, Raw Story, CNBC, Politicus USA, Just Security, NPR and New York Magazine
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Trump allies on the offensive against Mueller
Trump allies on the offensive against Mueller
Discussion:
The Washington Journal and Outside the Beltway
CNN:
Robert Mueller expands special counsel office, hires 13 lawyers
Robert Mueller expands special counsel office, hires 13 lawyers
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, The Week, Daily Wire, Real Clear Politics, Washington Post, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Washington Free Beacon, CNBC, Fox News Insider, Conservative News Today, FOX News Radio, Deadline, Politicus USA, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Washington Times
Sumner Park / The Hill:
Gingrich: A president ‘cannot obstruct justice’
Gingrich: A president ‘cannot obstruct justice’
Discussion:
RedState, ThinkProgress and The Week
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
Alex Jones Scoops Megyn Kelly And Proves The Media Isn't Ready For The Trolls — Thursday evening, Alex Jones dropped a bomb on Twitter. After a week of roiling controversy surrounding the conspiracy theorist's upcoming interview with Megyn Kelly, Jones announced a plan to take the interview into his own hands and scoop NBC.
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Tom Sykes / The Daily Beast:
Megyn Kelly Exposed by Alex Jones in Leaked Audio Recordings … Alex Jones, the conspiracy-theorizing host of the Infowars website whose controversial interview with NBC's Megyn Kelly is set to air Sunday night, has fallen back to the argument of every disgruntled interviewee: “They took me out of context.”
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Variety, ThinkProgress, Axios, The Nation and IJR, more at Mediagazer »
Joe Concha / The Hill:
Alex Jones releases more secretly taped Megyn Kelly audio; NBC responds — Alex Jones released more pre-interview audio of Megyn Kelly late Thursday night and early Friday that includes the NBC News host saying Jones “became very fascinating” to her while separately assuring him the interview won't be “some kind of gotcha piece.”
Discussion:
The Root and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Tara Golshan / Vox:
We asked 8 Senate Republicans to explain what their health bill is trying to do — Senate Republicans can't answer simple and critical questions about the health care bill they're crafting in secret. — Some still can't say what it's trying to do — other than garner enough votes to pass the Senate …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, The Week and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times
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Los Angeles Times:
Republican secrecy faces mounting criticism as GOP senators work behind closed doors to repeal Obamacare — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), speaking here to reporters, is facing increasing criticism that GOP leaders are developing their Obamacare repeal in secret. (Getty Images)
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Business Insider, Politicus USA, NBC News and Washington Post
Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
Murkowski ‘committed’ to funding Planned Parenthood — Sen. Lisa Murkowski has assured an Alaska constituent that she's committed to preserving Planned Parenthood funding as part of a health care bill — the strongest line she's drawn yet over one of the most controversial elements of the Obamacare repeal effort.
Discussion:
Vox
Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
Senate likely to miss its Obamacare repeal deadline
Senate likely to miss its Obamacare repeal deadline
Discussion:
Vox, RedState, Daily Kos and Politicus USA
Jeff Stein / Vox:
Mitch McConnell is crippling The Resistance with his secret health care bill
Mitch McConnell is crippling The Resistance with his secret health care bill
Discussion:
Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Fusion
Mitch Smith / New York Times:
Minnesota Officer Acquitted in Killing of Philando Castile — ST. PAUL — A Minnesota police officer, whose fatal shooting of a black motorist transfixed the nation when his girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath, was acquitted of all charges on Friday. — The officer, Jeronimo Yanez …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Lawyers, Guns & Money
RELATED:
Mark Berman / Washington Post:
Minn. officer acquitted of manslaughter for shooting Philando Castile during traffic stop — The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop was acquitted on all charges by a jury Friday, a decision that came nearly a year after the encounter …
Discussion:
Death and Taxes and Refinery29
Washington Post:
Michelle Carter, who urged her boyfriend to commit suicide, found guilty in his death — In a landmark case, a Massachusetts judge has ruled that Michelle Carter, who urged her boyfriend through phone calls and text messages to kill himself, is responsible for his death.
Discussion:
National Review, The Daily Caller and Business Insider
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Business Wire:
Amazon to Acquire Whole Foods Market — Whole Foods Market ranked #28 and Amazon ranked #2 on Fortune's 2017 list of World's Most Admired Companies — SEATTLE & AUSTIN, Texas—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM) today announced that they have entered …
Discussion:
New York Times, Recode, Washington Post, TheStreet, Eater, The Root, BuzzFeed, Engadget, HBR.org, grubstreet, Mashable, Refinery29, CBS New York, Consumerist, IJR, New York Magazine and Unfogged, more at Techmeme »
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Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
GOP sirens blare over Georgia special election — The GOP is bracing for the prospect of a loss in Tuesday's Georgia's special election that could have far-reaching implications for President Donald Trump and his party's fortunes in 2018. — As grim confidential polling data circulates …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Mediaite, Shareblue and Political Insider blog
RELATED:
Tom LoBianco / CNN:
First on CNN: House Russia investigators want to bring in Trump digital director — Trump: Russia investigation a witch hunt — (CNN)House Russia investigators are planning to call on Brad Parscale, the digital director of President Donald Trump's campaign, as the congressional …
Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Trump Will Allow ‘Dreamers’ to Stay in U.S., Reversing Campaign Promise — WASHINGTON — President Trump has officially reversed his campaign pledge to deport the so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as small children. — The Department of Homeland …
Discussion:
Department of Homeland …, The Atlantic, Axios, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Rewire, Associated Press, Vox, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Refinery29, Washington Free Beacon, The Week, AOL and Althouse
Greg B. Smith / New York Daily News:
President Trump chooses inexperienced woman who planned his son Eric's wedding to run N.Y. federal housing programs — She's arranged tournaments at Trump golf courses, served as the liaison to the Trump family during his presidential campaign, and even arranged Eric Trump's wedding.
David Remnick / New Yorker:
Who in the White House Will Turn Against Donald Trump? — The yearning in the character of Donald Trump for dominance and praise is bottomless, a hunger that is never satisfied. Last week, the President gathered his Cabinet for a meeting with no other purpose than to praise him …
Megan McArdle / Bloomberg:
Beware of Blaming Government for London Tower Fire — Perhaps safety rules could have saved some residents. But at what cost to others' lives? There's always a trade-off. — A few days ago fire swept through Grenfell Tower, a large apartment building in London.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Guardian, Lawyers, Guns & Money, alicublog and AOL
Emily Shapiro / ABC News:
Scalise's vital signs have ‘stabilized,’ hospital ‘encouraged’ by ‘improvement’ in last 36 hours — Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., remains in critical condition, hospital officials said this afternoon, after the House majority whip and three others were shot at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday.
Discussion:
Axios, Politico and Associated Press
Rasmussen Reports:
in Politics — The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump's job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. — This is the first time the president's overall approval rating has hit the 50% mark since late April.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit and Infowars
BuzzFeed:
From Russia With Blood — Lavish London mansions. A hand-painted Rolls-Royce. And eight dead friends. For the British fixer Scot Young, working for Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic meant stunning perks - but also constant danger. His gruesome death is one of 14 that US spy agencies …
Joe Duggan / Omaha World-Herald:
Nebraska Democratic Party official won't resign after calling reactions to shooting at GOP baseball practice ‘so funny’ — LINCOLN — A Nebraska Democratic Party official has refused calls to resign her volunteer position after calling reactions to this week's shooting of a high-ranking Republican member …
Discussion:
Townhall.com, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon and TheBlaze
Bloomberg:
CenturyLink Is Accused of Running a Wells Fargo-Like Scheme — A former employee alleges she lost her job after raising concerns about fraudulent billings. — A CenturyLink Inc. employee claims she was fired for blowing the whistle on the telecommunications company's high-pressure sales culture …
Tim Alberta / Politico:
Man on a Wire: Mike Pence's Tightrope Act — Right around the time Donald Trump was boarding Air Force One en route to Saudi Arabia, soon to escape a capital city obsessed with investigations into his campaign's ties with Russia and the firing of FBI Director James Comey …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Week
Sergio Bichao / New Jersey 101.5:
‘Hunt’ Republicans, says Union County Democrat in response to shooting — RAHWAY — A longtime Democratic operative from Union County has responded to the Wednesday shooting of a congressman by calling for a “hunt” of Republicans. — James Devine posted several messages on Facebook …
Discussion:
MY CENTRAL JERSEY, Heat Street, The Daily Caller, Infowars, TheBlaze, IJR, Instapundit and Salon
Katie Mettler / Philly.com:
Pence's lawyer is the godfather of Comey's daughter — by , Katie Mettler & Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post — Vice President Mike Pence became the latest member of the Trump administration to lawyer up Thursday, announcing that he had hired an outside attorney, Richard Cullen …
Discussion:
Above the Law and Talking Points Memo