memeorandum: Trump Cites ‘Happiness’ At Texas Shelter As Harvey Death Toll Climbs (Alice Ollstein/Talking Points Memo)

9:30 PM ET, September 2, 2017

Top Items:

AP EXCLUSIVE: Toxic waste sites flooded; EPA not on scene — https://apnews.com/27796dd13b9549b0ac76 aded58a15122 — Link copied! — HIGHLANDS, Texas (AP) — As Dwight Chandler sipped beer and swept out the thick muck caked inside his devastated home, he worried whether Harvey's floodwaters …

Discussion: Dallas Morning News, Washington Monthly, CBS Denver, Raw Story and Gizmodo

Alice Ollstein / Talking Points Memo:

Trump Cites ‘Happiness’ At Texas Shelter As Harvey Death Toll Climbs — President Donald Trump returned to the Houston area on Saturday to meet with survivors of Hurricane Harvey and participate in relief efforts—which he did not do during his first visit to the disaster-stricken region earlier this week.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, New York Times, ROMPER and Balloon Juice

CNN:

Trump returns to Gulf Coast for test as ‘comforter in chief’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Houston, Texas (CNN)President Donald Trump is getting a second chance at the post-natural disaster presidential visit. — Trump, joined by first lady Melania Trump, landed here at just after noon ET …

Discussion: CBS News, TheBlaze, ABC News, IJR, Mediaite, FOX2now.com, FOX6Now.com, Common Dreams, KTLA, Infowars, The Gateway Pundit, Shareblue, twitchy.com, ROMPER and NBC News

New York Times:
Trump Returns to Texas, With Words of Encouragement and Triumph

Discussion: Shareblue

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Trump jokes his hands are ‘too big’ while serving food to Harvey victims

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter and Politicus USA

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
President Trump returning to Texas to meet with ‘families’ affected by Harvey

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, Metro and The Gateway Pundit

Damian Paletta / Washington Post:

Trump preparing withdrawal from South Korea trade deal, a move opposed by top aides — President Trump has instructed advisers to prepare a withdrawal from the United States' free-trade agreement with South Korea, several people close to the process said, a move that would stoke economic tensions …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, RedState, CNN, Politico, The Daily Caller and Axios

Josh Delk / The Hill:

GOP senator blasts Trump's ‘18th-century views of trade’ — (R-Neb.) blasted the Trump administration on Saturday for having “18th-century views of trade” after it was reported that President Trump was preparing to withdraw the U.S. from its free trade agreement with South Korea.

Discussion: RedState and Jamie Dupree

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Trump considering ending South Korea trade pact — President Trump is considering withdrawing from the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), sources familiar with the matter tell Axios. We've not been able to establish how serious this threat is, or how far along in the process it is.

Discussion: InsideTrade Daily News

CNN:

Justice Department: No evidence Trump Tower was wiretapped — (CNN)The Justice Department said in a court filing Friday evening that it has no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion in March that his predecessor, Barack Obama, wiretapped the phones in Trump Tower before last year's election.

Discussion: Axios and Shareblue

Robert King / Washington Examiner:

Justice Department confirms no evidence Obama wiretapped Trump Tower — The Department of Justice has acknowledged in a court filing no evidence of any wiretaps on Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, directly contradicting a claim President Trump made in March.

Discussion: RedState

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Justice Dept: No evidence of Trump Tower wiretapping

Discussion: Politico, Little Green Footballs, Politicus USA, Mediaite and Joe.My.God.

Mkahn / Lawfare:
DOJ Filing Says No Evidence that President Obama Wiretapped Trump Tower

Discussion: New York Magazine and Raw Story

Julie Pace / Associated Press:

Trump's summer of discontent bleeds into high-stakes fall — https://apnews.com/09374b11b8494515b50d e5a5538014f6 — Link copied! — WASHINGTON (AP) — After a summer of staff shake-ups and self-made crises, President Donald Trump is emerging politically damaged, personally agitated …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

The Daily Beast:

John Kelly Pushing Out Omarosa for ‘Triggering’ Trump … Newly minted White House chief of staff John Kelly has sought to put a dent in the influence of one of President Donald Trump's most famous advisers: Omarosa Manigault. — The former Apprentice co-star—who currently serves …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine, RedState, theGrio, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Root and New York Times

The White House:

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts — President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: — James Thomas Abbott of Virginia to be a Member …

Discussion: The Verge and The Daily Caller

Ken Ward Jr / Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Trump nominates former coal exec to run MSHA — President Donald Trump on Saturday indicated he has chosen as the nation's top mine safety official the former chief executive of Rhino Resources, a coal company that repeatedly clashed with federal regulators when the Obama administration Labor Department tried …

Ruben Vives / Los Angeles Times:

Three homes burned as wildfire torches more than 5,000 acres — A fast-moving brush fire that began Sept. 1 and exploded overnight in the Verdugo Mountains was threatening homes and keeping the 210 Freeway closed. (Sept. 2, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Discussion: LAist and KTLA

CBS Los Angeles:
2 Homes Burned As Sun Valley Blaze Explodes To 5,000 Acres

Discussion: NBC News, LAist and KTLA

Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:

Minneapolis bar closes over owner's donation to David Duke campaign — A bar in Minneapolis, Minn., shut its doors Friday after it was revealed the owner had donated to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke's failed Senate campaign, The Star Tribune reported.

Discussion: Star Tribune and Raw Story

Luke Ramseth / Salt Lake Tribune:

SLC mayor, police chief apologize for officer who arrested nurse; criminal investigation to follow — Police department places two officers on leave as internal investigation continues. — Hours after Salt Lake City's mayor and police chief apologized for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, TheBlaze and NBC News

Melissa Gray / CNN:
'I've done nothing wrong': Utah nurse's arrest prompts police apology

Discussion: New York Times, ROMPER, NBC News, Vox, SOOPERMEXICAN, AOL, ThinkProgress, RedState, CBS Boston and WWLP-TV

Kaya Yurieff / CNNMoney:

Tech billionaire Michael Dell pledges $36 million to Harvey relief efforts — Harvey brings ‘hell’ to Texas residents — Tech billionaire and Houston native Michael Dell has committed $36 million to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. — The pledge from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is the largest contribution to date.

Discussion: IJR, FOX6Now.com and Washington Free Beacon