memeorandum: After Covering The Ejection Of Jews From A Chicago Pride Parade, Reporter Is Moved To The Sales Desk (John Sexton/Hot Air)

6:15 PM ET, July 11, 2017

Top Items:

Russian Dirt on Clinton? ‘I Love It,’ Donald Trump Jr. Said — The June 3, 2016, email sent to Donald Trump Jr. could hardly have been more explicit: One of his father's former Russian business partners had been contacted by a senior Russian government official and was offering to provide …

The Daily Beast:

Trump Aides Freaking Out Over Don Jr.'s Russia Email: The ‘Sum Of All Fears’ … President Donald Trump's son, his former campaign chairman, and his son-in-law were all told that the opposition research they were soliciting on campaign rival Hillary Clinton was coming from the Russian government …

Discussion: Vox, Mediaite, Washington Post, Raw Story and The Guardian

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Trump Jr. delivers ‘smoking gun’ to Mueller — Donald Trump Jr. may have just given Robert Mueller “smoking gun” evidence signaling his father's presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government to win the 2016 election, according to veteran prosecutors and white-collar defense attorneys experienced in Washington scandals.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Daily Kos and Fox News Insider

NBC News:

Russian Lawyer Who Met With Trump Jr.: I Didn't Have Clinton Info They Wanted — MOSCOW — The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign denied in an exclusive interview with NBC News that she had any connection to the Kremlin and insists she met …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, CNBC, Vox, The Atlantic, New York Times, Florida Politics, Business Insider, CNN, Mother Jones, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, NBC News, TheBlaze, Daily Wire, The Root, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and IJR

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Inside the White House scramble on the Trump Jr. emails — The general view of the Donald Trump Jr. email bombshell, according to sources within and close to the White House: no crime, all perception. They know it was politically awful, but have decided there was no real crime.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Mediaite

CNN:

Source: Justice Dept. probe will look at Trump Jr.'s disclosed emails, meeting — (CNN)Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators plan to examine the meeting and email exchanges disclosed by Donald Trump Jr. as part of the broader Russian-meddling investigation, according to a US official briefed on the matter.

Amy Zegart / The Atlantic:

Donald Trump Jr.'s Emails Vindicate the Intelligence Community — Line by ugly line, Donald J. Trump Jr.'s emails with British-born former tabloid reporter and Russian intermediary Rob Goldstone are now plastered on The New York Times website. They reveal an astounding set of communications.

Discussion: New York Times

Rick Hasen / electionlawblog.org:

Donald Trump Jr. Emails Paint Serious Case of Campaign Finance Violations — Just to recap where we are: — It is illegal for a person to solicit a contribution to a campaign from a foreign individual or entity. To solicit: … (This is from another FEC regulation, incorporated by reference into the foreign contribution ban.)

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:

New details emerge on Moscow real estate deal that led to the Trump-Kremlin alliance … While in Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant in November 2013, Donald Trump entered into a formal business deal with Aras Agalarov, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, to construct a Trump Tower in the Russian capital.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and AOL

Ezra Klein / Vox:

We are past the point of innocent explanations on Trump and Russia — Imagine if the Clintons had done what the Trumps did on Russia. — Imagine the names were different. — Imagine Chelsea Clinton had taken Bill Clinton and campaign chair John Podesta to a meeting set …

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Axios, The Guardian, The Daily Caller and The Atlantic

Fox News:

Donald Trump Jr. releases ‘entire email chain’ regarding Russian meeting — Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday released what he said was the “entire email chain” of his conversations setting up a disputed meeting with a Russian attorney, showing what appeared to be an offer to provide information that would …

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen / Just Security:
The Media Is Not Asking the Right Questions on Trump Jr. Emails and Meeting with the “Russian Government Lawyer”

Discussion: Lawfare and Political Wire

John Hinderaker / Power Line: Trump Jr. Releases Emails; They Support His Account

New York Times:
Russian Government Sought to Aid Trump's Candidacy, According to Email

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:
Trust Nothing, Defend Nothing

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
This law might explain why a Russian lawyer wanted to meet with Trump

Discussion: CNBC and Politico

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
A Conspiracy of Dunces

Discussion: The Atlantic, neo-neocon, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Conservative News Today

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
The White House knows the Trump Jr. story is bad news

Discussion: Daily Kos

Carly Sitrin / Vox:
Vox poll: before the Trump Jr. emails, Republicans thought the Russia question was a distraction

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and The Guardian

Kelsey Tamborrino / Politico:
Buzzword emerges as Trump Jr. Russia scandal deepens: Treason

Discussion: The Guardian, RedState and BuzzFeed

Shane Savitsky / Axios:
Whatever Trump Jr. did, it's not treason

Discussion: Vox, Daily Wire and The Week

Ezra Klein / Vox:
GOP senator on Russia emails: “I don't think this is relevant to the Trump administration”

Discussion: Washington Post and Weekly Standard

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Look At The Timeline

Discussion: The Smoking Gun

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Donald Trump Jr.'s full emails about meeting a ‘Russian government attorney,’ annotated

Discussion: Vox, CNN, Washington Monthly, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, ThinkProgress and Daily Kos

Ed Rogers / Washington Post:
The media's mass hysteria over ‘collusion’ is out of control

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Associated Press, CNN, Business Insider, The Week and The Daily Caller

Nicole Lafond / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Rep. Blackburn: Maybe Trump Jr. Got ‘Duped’

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:
OPINION | Don Jr.'s Russia meeting wasn't collusion — just amateur hour

Discussion: Vox, Media Matters for America, Washington Post, Daily Wire, CNBC, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, IJR, The Atlantic, Mediaite, NPR, The Week and Mother Jones

Weekly Standard:
The Trump Administration Has Forfeited the Right to be Trusted on Russia

Discussion: Vox, The Daily Caller and Associated Press

David Brooks / New York Times:

How We Are Ruining America — Over the past generation, members of the college-educated class have become amazingly good at making sure their children retain their privileged status. They have also become devastatingly good at making sure the children of other classes have limited chances to join their ranks.

Discussion: RedState, MichelleMalkin.com, The American Conservative, Washington Post, Fusion, Vox, twitchy.com, alicublog, Daily Wire, The Week, NewsCut, Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Politico:

Senate GOP ‘very pessimistic’ on Obamacare repeal — A push by Ted Cruz and Mike Lee to pull the bill to the right is dividing the caucus and complicating Republicans' already-beleaguered effort. — Tensions are rising between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's leadership team …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Townhall.com, ACASignups.net and Daily Kos

David Nather / Axios:
What's next if the Senate health bill fails

Discussion: Vox, Politico, cms.gov, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Talking Points Memo, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Shakesville and Washington Post

Austin Wright / Politico:
Graham drafting alternative heath care plan

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

CNN:
The Republican Party's quest to repeal Obamacare is on the verge of collapse

Discussion: Vox, The Atlantic, Political Insider blog, Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

Eryn Dion / Northwest Florida Daily News:

Amazing human chain formed to rescue drowning family in PCB — “I honestly thought I was going to lose my family that day,” Roberta Ursrey said. “It was like, 'Oh God, this is how I'm going.' ” — PANAMA CITY BEACH — It was supposed to just be a quick trip to the beach …

Discussion: The Guardian

Katie Mettler / Washington Post:
A riptide swept away a Florida family. Then beachgoers formed a human chain.

Discussion: USA Today and Alabama Today

John Merline / Investor's Business Daily:

Best-Run States Are Low-Tax Republican, Worst-Run Are High-Tax Democratic, Study Finds — Several states, including Republican states, have decided to raise taxes this year to cover budget shortfalls. But a new study suggests that the states might find themselves in worse financial shape after the money starts rolling in.

Mercatus Center:
Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition 2017 Edition

Discussion: Instapundit

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

This Town Melts Down — A veteran political reporter takes stock of how Washington has — and hasn't — changed in the time of Trump. — Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, was running late and “tied up in the Oval,” an assistant explained. It was late on a Thursday afternoon in June …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine and AOL

The Hill:

Senate GOP outlines revised health bill — Republican leaders on Tuesday outlined a revised ObamaCare replacement bill that will be unveiled on Thursday ahead of a planned vote next week. — The revisions are aimed at winning over additional support, but it remains deeply in doubt whether the bill can get 50 votes.

Discussion: Balloon Juice