Top Items:
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
'It's a hard problem': Inside Trump's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan — President Trump was frustrated and fuming. Again and again, in the windowless Situation Room at the White House, he lashed out at his national security team over the Afghanistan war, and the paucity of appealing options gnawed at him.
Discussion:
Politico, Mother Jones, CANNONFIRE, The Week and Business Insider
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New York Times:
Angry Trump Grilled His Generals About Troop Increase, Then Gave In — WASHINGTON — President Trump's skepticism about America's involvement in Afghanistan was no secret to his staff. But his top national security officials were still taken aback at a meeting in the Situation Room on July 19 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, Breitbart, The American Conservative, The Atlantic, Politico, Business Insider and CNBC
New York Times:
Trump Sets U.S. Strategy but No ‘Blank Check’ for Afghan War — WASHINGTON — President Trump put forward on Monday a long-awaited strategy for resolving the nearly 16-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, but he declined to specify either the number of troops that would be committed …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, CNN, Breitbart, The Guardian, Just Security, Al Jazeera English, The Week, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, FiveThirtyEight and Splinter
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Trump's Afghanistan flip-flop
Trump's Afghanistan flip-flop
Discussion:
HuffPost, The Atlantic, NPR, Breitbart, Townhall.com, ABC News, VICE News, New York Magazine, Axios, Politicus USA, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Vox, Mediaite and IJR
Kristina Wong / Breitbart:
Trump Debuts Afghanistan Strategy: ‘We Are Not Nation-Building Again, We Are Killing Terrorists’
Trump Debuts Afghanistan Strategy: ‘We Are Not Nation-Building Again, We Are Killing Terrorists’
Discussion:
The Hill
Damian Paletta / Washington Post:
Treasury secretary's wife boasts of travel on government plane, touts Hermes and Valentino fashion — U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's wife, Louise Linton, boasted of flying on a government plane with her husband to Kentucky on Monday and then named the numerous fashion brands she wore …
Discussion:
Mashable, Mediaite, Splinter, Business Insider and The Week
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New York Times:
Louise Linton's Couture Draws Ire on Instagram, and She Lashes Back — WASHINGTON — The wife of the Treasury secretary on Monday night took a page from President Trump's social media playbook for punching down. — Louise Linton, the labels-loving wife of Steven Mnuchin …
Discussion:
Politico, Conservative News Today and Towleroad
Chris Perez / New York Post:
Mnuchin's wife unleashes Instagram fit after backlash
Mnuchin's wife unleashes Instagram fit after backlash
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and The Daily Caller
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
GOP on eggshells as Trump storms into Phoenix — PHOENIX — President Donald Trump faces a decision on Tuesday evening with profound implications for his already strained relationship with the GOP: whether to attack a vulnerable Republican senator on his home turf.
Discussion:
The Week
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Ayesha Rascoe / Reuters:
Big protests expected as Trump plans Phoenix rally
Big protests expected as Trump plans Phoenix rally
Discussion:
ImmigrationProf Blog
Ford Springer / The Daily Caller:
It's High Time Barron Trump Starts Dressing Like He's In the White House — I've been on the Barron Trump train from the start, but it's about time the president's son starts dressing the part. — Barron is the youngest son of Donald Trump and the only child the president shares with Melania Trump.
massincpolling:
Virginia voters divided on blame for Charlottesville violence — About half see at least equal blame for violence at the Charlottesville white nationalist rally. Many Virginia voters (47 percent) believe the counter protesters in Charlottesville deserve at least equal blame for the violence at last week's white nationalist rally.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Business Insider
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Gary Langer / ABC News:
Only 28% approve of Trump's response to Charlottesville (POLL)
Only 28% approve of Trump's response to Charlottesville (POLL)
Discussion:
Business Insider, Axios, The Week and Mediaite
Associated Press:
The Latest: Ryan defends tax breaks for Taiwan company — The Latest on House Speaker Paul Ryan town hall (all times local): — House Speaker Paul Ryan says Foxconn Technology Group's plan to construct a factory in his southeastern Wisconsin congressional district that could employ thousands is a …
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Lauren Fox / CNN:
Paul Ryan: Trump ‘messed up’ Charlottesville response
Paul Ryan: Trump ‘messed up’ Charlottesville response
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, The Week and The Daily Caller
Dave Lawler / Axios:
Paul Ryan: tax reform “far easier” than health care
Paul Ryan: tax reform “far easier” than health care
Discussion:
Washington Post, Political Wire and The Week
Amy B Wang / Washington Post:
‘20 seconds of burning’: Friends partly blinded after watching solar eclipse warn of dangers — It was a clear day when Louis Tomososki's science teacher mentioned that a partial solar eclipse would be visible from their hometown of Portland, Ore., that afternoon.
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Jason Silverstein / New York Daily News:
President Trump stares straight into solar eclipse without glasses
President Trump stares straight into solar eclipse without glasses
Discussion:
The Hill, The Week, Washington Post, GeekWire, Q13 FOX News, Washington Monthly, Mashable and VICE News
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Yes, Donald Trump really did look into the sky during the solar eclipse
Yes, Donald Trump really did look into the sky during the solar eclipse
Discussion:
New York Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Guardian
Anita Kumar / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Trump aides plot a big immigration deal — that breaks a campaign promise — Donald Trump's top aides are pushing him to protect young people brought into the country illegally as children — and then use the issue as a bargaining chip for a larger immigration deal — despite the president's campaign vow to deport so-called Dreamers.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Joseph Flaherty / Phoenix New Times:
Antifas, Bikers for Trump, and Other Groups Planning to Protest Trump's Phoenix Rally … Fresh off his defense of the white supremacists and violent racists who gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Trump is returning to Phoenix tomorrow. — Trump's opponents, however, are ready for him.
Discussion:
New York Times, Joe.My.God. and Latino Rebels
RELATED:
Greg Stanton / Washington Post:
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton: Now is not the time for Trump to visit my city
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton: Now is not the time for Trump to visit my city
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Real Clear Politics and Politico
Arizona Republic:
Phoenix Trump rally
Phoenix Trump rally
Discussion:
ABC News, The Hill, Weekly Standard, Shareblue and Talking Points Memo
Jim DeRogatis / BuzzFeed:
A Woman Who Says She Had Underage Sex With R. Kelly Is Finally Telling Her Story — Jerhonda Pace was just 15 when she met her musical idol, R. Kelly, outside his child pornography trial. The alleged underage sexual relationship with him that followed and subsequent payouts mirror decades of allegations against the star.
Alec MacGillis / New York Magazine:
Is Anybody Home at HUD? — A long-harbored conservative dream — the “dismantling of the administrative state” — is taking place under Secretary Ben Carson. — In mid-May, Steve Preston, who served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the final two years …
Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Dems prep for Trump primary challengers in 2020 — The Democratic National Committee is conducting full-scale opposition research on multiple Republicans it believes could challenge President Donald Trump for reelection — or are likely to run if he does not.
Discussion:
The Week, Raw Story, New York Magazine and Shareblue
Jim Salter / Associated Press:
Attorneys for condemned Missouri man seek halt to execution — https://apnews.com/a699de56c6b74590b905 50f96b4aaf06 — Link copied! — ST. LOUIS (AP) — Attorneys for a condemned Missouri inmate warn that the state is preparing to execute a potentially innocent man.
Discussion:
The Root
Sarah Kliff / Vox:
Exclusive: Sen. Schatz's new health care idea could be the Democratic Party's future — Democrats are ready to go on the health care offensive. And Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) may have a new plan for them to do it. — In an interview with Vox, Schatz revealed that he's preparing a new bill …
Annie Karni / Politico:
Kushner in Middle East for peace talks — While everyone was busy gazing into the solar eclipse on Monday, White House adviser Jared Kushner quietly snuck away to the Middle East for a trip that will take him to the Persian Gulf and Israel. — Accompanying Kushner on Monday in the Gulf states …