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 and The Resurgent
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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, Business Insider and Breitbart
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.
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:
Mediaite, The Washington Journal, Raw Story, TheBlaze and Joe.My.God.
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, twitchy.com and Mediaite
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:
The Daily Caller, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, IJR, Talking Points Memo 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:
The Daily Caller, Raw Story and CANNONFIRE
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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, Boing Boing and The Daily Caller
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.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Raw Story and The Week
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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.
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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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.
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
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.
John Sexton / Hot Air:
NY Times Reporter Claims NRA Wants To Sexually Assault The NY Times (Not Kidding) — There's really no family-friendly way to talk about this so consider yourself warned. A reporter for the NY Times thinks the NRA, in the form of spokesperson Dana Loesch, wants to sexually assault the NY Times.
RELATED:
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.
RELATED:
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
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, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Vox, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post
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,” …
Discussion:
Washington Times, RedState, AOL, IJR, Washington Post, Fox News Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Vox, Sputnik International, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller and The Week
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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:
Front Page Magazine and IJR
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, The Washington Journal, Liberty Blitzkrieg, The Gateway Pundit and RedState
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 »
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
Matt Ferner / HuffPost:
Legal-Weed States Tell Jeff Sessions Their Programs Are Working. He Might Crack Down Anyway. — The attorney general personally opposes marijuana, and seems willing to ignore evidence. Bummer. — Marijuana legalization is going smoothly in Colorado and Oregon, state officials recently told …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Washington Post and The Cannabist
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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
Fox News:
American Airlines ‘unable to substantiate’ Lena Dunham's allegations of transphobic employees at NYC airport — Lena Dunham took to Twitter on Thursday to complain about two American Airlines employees she claimed to have overheard engaging in “transphobic talk” — but the airline has since stated …
Discussion:
The Federalist, twitchy.com, Instapundit, RedState, The Wrap, The Resurgent, IJR, Mediaite and The Daily Caller
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 …
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
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic:
The Lost Cause Rides Again — HBO's prospective series Confederate will offer an alternative history of post-Civil War America. It will ask the question, according to co-creator David Benioff, “What would the world have looked like ... if the South had won?”