Top Items:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Defends McMaster as Conservatives Seek His Dismissal — President Trump defended Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, his embattled national security adviser, on Friday in the face of a full-bore campaign by the nationalist wing of his political coalition accusing him of undermining the president's agenda and calling for his dismissal.
Discussion:
Pacific Standard
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Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
National security adviser attempts to reconcile Trump's competing impulses on Afghanistan — In meeting after meeting with his national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, this spring and summer, President Trump angrily hammered home two questions: — He wanted to know why the U.S. military …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Daily Caller
Rosie Gray / The Atlantic:
The War Against H.R. McMaster — Long-simmering tensions within the White House burst into public view this week after the firings of three National Security Council officials, resulting in National-Security Adviser H.R. McMaster becoming Public Enemy No. 1 of the pro-Trump online brigades.
CNN:
H.R. McMaster faces attacks from conservatives — Washington (CNN)Even as a new general atop the White House staff works to enforce order among President Donald Trump's warring factions, another general across the building is weathering attacks from the right-wing media after his disputes over policy became public.
Discussion:
The National Interest, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and Business Insider
CNN:
Exclusive: FBI tracked ‘fake news’ believed to be from Russia on Election Day — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)The FBI monitored social media on Election Day last year in an effort to track a suspected Russian disinformation campaign utilizing “fake news,” CNN has learned.
Discussion:
Axios, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, IJR and Mediaite
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Mmejido / WABC-AM | Cumulus:
Alan Dershowitz Tells Rita Cosby New Mueller D.C. Grand Jury Racially and Ethnically Stacked Against Trump — Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz exclusively tells WABC Radio Host Rita Cosby that the new D.C. grand jury impaneled by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is bad news for President Trump …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE, Raw Story and The Daily Caller
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Kevin Johnson / USA Today:
Special counsel Robert Mueller using multiple grand juries in Russia inquiry
Special counsel Robert Mueller using multiple grand juries in Russia inquiry
Discussion:
RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller and Boing Boing
Joe Concha / The Hill:
Fox's Jarrett calls grand juries ‘undemocratic farce’ one day after calling for one for Clinton
Fox's Jarrett calls grand juries ‘undemocratic farce’ one day after calling for one for Clinton
Discussion:
Media Matters for America
Joe Concha / The Hill:
Gingrich says Mueller represents ‘deep state’ at worst
Gingrich says Mueller represents ‘deep state’ at worst
Discussion:
RedState, The Gateway Pundit and USA Politics Today
Wall Street Journal:
Kelly's Rules for Trump's West Wing: Stop Bickering, Get in Early, Make an Appointment — New Chief of Staff John Kelly moves quickly to bring order and discipline to a West Wing riven by conflict — White House Chief of Staff John Kelly with Donald Trump's son-in-law and Senior Advisor Jared Kushner at the White House on Thursday.
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Josh Dawsey / Politico:
John Kelly's big challenge: Controlling the tweeter in chief
John Kelly's big challenge: Controlling the tweeter in chief
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Joe Scarborough / Washington Post:
Ivanka and Jared, move back to New York
Ivanka and Jared, move back to New York
Discussion:
The Washington Journal, Mediaite and Althouse
New York Times:
Mueller Seeks White House Documents on Flynn — Investigators working for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, recently asked the White House for documents related to former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, and have questioned witnesses about whether he was secretly paid …
Discussion:
Axios, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Mediaite
New York Times:
Martin Shkreli Is Found Guilty of Fraud — Martin Shkreli, accused of defrauding his hedge fund investors and a pharmaceutical company, was convicted on three of eight counts on Friday, after a five-week trial in the Federal District Court in Brooklyn. — He faces as much as 20 years in prison.
Discussion:
Gothamist, Gizmodo, New York Magazine and Mother Jones
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Dan Mangan / CNBC:
‘Pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli found guilty of 3 of 8 charges, including securities fraud — A federal jury found notorious “Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli guilty of multiple criminal charges Friday. — Shkreli, 34, was convicted of some of the eight criminal counts that he had faced …
Yashar Ali / HuffPost:
Fox News Host Sent Unsolicited Lewd Text Messages To Colleagues, Sources Say — Eric Bolling, a co-host of “The Specialists,” said through an attorney that he “does not believe he sent any such communications.” — Eric Bolling, a longtime Fox News host, sent an unsolicited photo …
Discussion:
The Washington Journal, Raw Story, TheBlaze and Joe.My.God.
Joe Concha / The Hill:
Paul Ryan: Intel leaks ‘the problem of the leaker, not the journalist’ — (R-Wis.) defended journalists Friday, saying that while intelligence leaks compromise national security, it's “the problem of the leaker, not the journalist.” — “Leaks are concerning because leaks …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, RedState, The Washington Journal, Liberty Blitzkrieg and The Gateway Pundit
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Mike Vilensky / Wall Street Journal:
Cuomo May Face a Primary Hurdle in 2018 — An actress, an upstate mayor and a former state senator are three potential democratic contenders — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a rally in support of the Affordable Care Act and against the Senate replacement bill in July.
Discussion:
AOL and Washington Free Beacon
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John Bowden / The Hill:
‘Sex and the City’ star considers primary challenge to NY Gov. Cuomo: report
‘Sex and the City’ star considers primary challenge to NY Gov. Cuomo: report
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Joe.My.God.
Virginian-Pilot:
Republican donor from Virginia Beach sues GOP, accusing the party of fraud over failed Obamacare repeal — A retired attorney in Virginia Beach is so incensed that Republicans couldn't repeal the Affordable Care Act he's suing to get political donations back, accusing the GOP of fraud and racketeering.
Discussion:
RedState, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Monthly and Axios
Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:
Murder conviction in Blackwater case thrown out, other sentences overturned — A U.S. appeals court on Friday threw out the first-degree murder conviction of a former Blackwater Worldwide security guard sentenced to life in prison in the killings of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007.
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Matt Apuzzo / New York Times:
In Blackwater Case, Court Rejects a Murder Conviction and Voids 3 Sentences
In Blackwater Case, Court Rejects a Murder Conviction and Voids 3 Sentences
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Natalya Veselnitskaya / The Moscow Times:
Russian Lawyer Tells State TV She Met Trump Jr. to Ask for ‘Help’ — The Russian lawyer who reportedly met with Donald Trump Jr. to offer him compromising material on Hillary Clinton, told state television she wanted to “ask him for help.” — “It was a private meeting,” …
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Ruth May / Dallas Morning News:
Tangled web connects Russian oligarch money to GOP campaigns — Party loyalty is often cited as the reason that GOP leaders have not been more outspoken in their criticism of President Donald Trump and his refusal to condemn Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Discussion:
The Washington Journal
Abigail Tracy / Vanity Fair:
As Mueller Closes In, Republicans Turn Away from Trump — Even G.O.P. senators are moving to prevent the president from impeding the F.B.I. investigation. — Hours after news broke that special counsel Robert Mueller had impaneled a grand jury in the Justice Department's investigation …
Discussion:
Slate, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Vox, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post
David Herzig / Washington Post:
This Trump real estate deal looks awfully like criminal tax fraud — Two tax lawyers break down the president's sale of two condos to his son. … President Trump clearly doesn't want to release his income tax returns to the public. Members of the public and commentators …
Discussion:
Mediaite
Bloomberg:
Apple Plans to Release a Cellular-Capable Watch to Break iPhone Ties — Intel is said to supply modem that works with cell networks — Apple plans to begin selling new smartwatch by end of year — Apple Inc. is planning to release a version of its smartwatch later this year …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, The Verge, Engadget, Mashable, BuzzFeed and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Allie Volpe / Rolling Stone:
Why Professional Cuddling Is Booming Under Trump — In the wake of Donald Trump's election, people struggled to figure out how to cope - and some found the answer was as simple as human touch — On a Saturday night in Venice, California, light spills from an open door on an otherwise dark street.
Discussion:
IJR
Chris Stirewalt / Fox News:
Would you even care if he was guilty? — **Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here. Continue Reading Below … WOULD YOU EVEN CARE IF HE WAS GUILTY? — The stock market is up, unemployment is down and the economy seems to be picking up some steam.
Discussion:
TheBlaze, The Daily Caller and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Zerlina Maxwell / Shareblue:
Kamala Harris is one of the most progressive (and attacked) leaders in America — Please let's not do this again. Do not preemptively attack a rising bonafide star in the Democratic Party who happens to be an imperfect human being who shares a gender with Hillary Rodham Clinton. — No politician is perfect.
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Mediaite and twitchy.com
Jordan Sekulow / American Center for Law and Justice:
DOJ Document Dump to ACLJ on Clinton Lynch Meeting: Comey FBI Lied, Media Collusion, Spin, and Illegality — We have just obtained hundreds of pages in our ongoing investigation and federal lawsuit on former Attorney General Loretta Lynch's tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton …
Discussion:
Power Line and John Hawkins' Right Wing News
John Harwood / CNBC:
Amid Washington dysfunction, lack of accomplishments, Trumps clings to his shrinking support — As political and legal troubles mount, President Donald Trump holds ever tighter onto a base of support that grows ever smaller. — Trump has placed cultivation of intensity within his base …
BostonGlobe.com:
Forget scenic traditions — Trump vacations in the land of spray tans — WASHINGTON — There's been an unspoken norm among presidents that their vacations are glamorous, or at the very least, scenic. — In election years, they tend to bow more to the masses. But most other years are set aside for mixing with elites.
Jeff Guo / Vox:
In the key 2018 battlegrounds, Trump's support is as high as ever — Why Democrats can't really crow about the president's declining approval numbers. — Ever since Inauguration Day, the public's faith in the president has been eroding. According to the latest Gallup surveys …
Discussion:
Mother Jones