Top Items:


Some Trump Lawyers Wanted Kushner Out — Aides, worried about complications arising from Russia probe, drafted statement explaining departure — Some of President Donald Trump's lawyers earlier this summer concluded that Jared Kushner should step down as senior White House adviser …
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Steve Bannon Says He Talks to Donald Trump Every Two to Three Days — Former White House strategist discusses the president at events in Hong Kong — HONG KONG—Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon speaks with President Donald Trump every two to three days …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and CNBC


Russia probes pose loyalty test for Team Trump — Lawyers representing Donald Trump's current and former aides are giving their clients one simple piece of advice: Don't lie to protect the president. — As special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional investigators prepare …
Discussion:
Politicus USA and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Trump's legal team debated whether Kushner should leave White House — A small group of White House lawyers this summer urged that President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner step down from his White House role amid a broadening probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russians …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice

Stephen Bannon, Outspoken Critic of China, Has Subtler Message in Hong Kong Visit
Discussion:
Shareblue, Business Insider, CNN, Daily Wire and Talking Points Memo


Exclusive: Hillary Clinton says Trump associates helped Russia meddle in the 2016 election — In a candid, angry new book, Hillary Clinton relives her stunning defeat to Donald Trump. She admits personal mistakes, but also lays blame on Former FBI Director James Comey. (Sept. 8) AP — CONNECT
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, NBC News, KTLA, Mediaite, Axios, Politico and WTVR-TV
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Hillary Clinton Opens Up About ‘What Happened,’ With Candor, Defiance and Dark Humor — Hillary Clinton has written a book. Have you heard? — Choice quotes have been seeping out for weeks, and I'll admit that I reacted to one of them — “Now I'm letting down my guard” …
Discussion:
USA Today and FiveThirtyEight

Clinton's account of how she was ‘shivved’ in the 2016 presidential election
Discussion:
The Hill and Mother Jones


Trump: Some people who write about me ‘know nothing about me & have zero access’
Discussion:
Political Wire

Here's who Hillary Clinton blames for her defeat in campaign memoir ‘What Happened’
Discussion:
Townhall.com and The Daily Caller

Hillary Clinton Is ‘Done,’ But Not Going Away
Discussion:
The Federalist and Washington Free Beacon


Exclusive: Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil … Russian operatives hiding behind false identities used Facebook's event management tool to remotely organize and promote political protests in the U.S., including an August 2016 anti-immigrant …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller, Shareblue, Mashable, Engadget, Daily Mail, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Little Green Footballs and Political Wire, more at Techmeme »


McConnell Says Democrats' Glee on Debt Limit Deal Was Premature — WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell thinks Democrats were a tad premature in exuberantly celebrating the surprise spending deal they struck last week with President Trump. — “Let's put it this way,” Mr. McConnell …
Discussion:
Washington Post, RedState, Axios, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze


Ted Cruz blames staffer for ‘liking’ porn tweet — Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that a staff member of his was responsible for “liking” a pornographic Twitter post with the Texas lawmaker's account, chalking up the social media snafu to a “mistake.” — “There are a number of people on the team who have access on the account.
Discussion:
Washington Post, ThinkProgress, The Verge, Raw Story, RT, Mashable, Daily Wire, Business Insider and Mediaite
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For One Hot Second, Ted Cruz's Official Twitter Account Liked a Porn Video
Discussion:
Mother Jones and IJR


Trump Plans Aggressive Road Show to Sell Tax Overhaul — White House retools communications operation for tax battle — President may visit as many as 13 states in next seven weeks — Follow @bpolitics for all the latest news, and sign up for our daily Balance of Power newsletter.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, NBC News and Political Wire
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Hope Hicks to be named White House communications director
Discussion:
The Root

Hicks named permanent White House communications director
Discussion:
Hollywood Life, AOL and Washington Free Beacon


Court blocks penalties in new New Hampshire voting law — MANCHESTER, N.H. — New Hampshire's Supreme Court has blocked recent changes to the state's voting laws that would have exposed some first-time voters to a fine or jail time if they failed to submit residence paperwork within 10 days of registering.
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Laura Ingraham set to take over Fox News' 10 p.m. slot — Laura Ingraham, the radio host and Fox News commentator, is about to become a prime time host on the conservative cable network. — Ingraham is expected to take over the 10 p.m. hour on Fox News, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity.


No, ‘60 Minutes’ Didn't Purposely Make Steve Bannon Look Like A ‘Bleary-Eyed Drunk’ — News experts rejected the color-coordinated conspiracy theory. — After a Los Angeles-based photographer accused “60 Minutes” of purposely altering the color to make former White House chief strategist Steven Bannon …
Discussion:
Althouse, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Tradition and Daily Wire


His Life in Prison … ABOVE:Our photo of Rod Blagojevich is anything but traditional. Since Chicago wasn't allowed inside the ex-governor's prison, he rented a camera from the commissary and had it shot himself. — Rod Blagojevich's first summer in prison was, he recalls, “quite an awakening.”
Discussion:
Political Wire

Pelosi: Single-payer isn't a litmus test for Democrats … House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that single-payer health insurance is not a litmus test for Democrats and that she herself is focused on protecting health-care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon and STAT

Trump's voter fraud commission is hearing a proposal to make every voter pass a gun background check — A gun researcher who says the federal gun background check system doesn't work has a new idea for preventing voter fraud at polling places: Make every voter pass a federal gun background check.
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch
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Settlement Reached: ‘Monkey Selfie’ Case Broke New Ground for Animal Rights — After roughly two years of court battles, the groundbreaking lawsuit asking a U.S. federal court to declare Naruto—a free-living crested macaque—the copyright owner of the internationally famous “monkey selfie” photographs has been settled.
Discussion:
New York Times, Mashable and Engadget
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PETA, photographer reach settlement in ‘monkey selfie’ case
Discussion:
Boing Boing, The Daily Caller and Associated Press


After an earthquake and a hurricane — and Trump's failure to send condolences — Mexico rescinds offer of aid to U.S. — President Enrique Peña Nieto talks to survivors in the city of Juchitan after a magnitude 8.1 earthquake killed at least 95 people in Mexico.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, gob.mx, Shareblue and ThinkProgress


White House: Border wall funding doesn't have to be tied to DACA legislation — White House legislative affairs director Marc Short told reporters on Tuesday that President Trump would not demand that border wall funding is tied to a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Discussion:
RedState, TheBlaze, National Review, THE WARREN (HENRY) REPORT, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos and IJR


Anne Arundel judge orders investigation into three of Hillary Clinton's attorneys — Capital Gazette reporter Chase Cook provides an update on Hillary Clinton email scandal after an Anne Arundel County judge has ordered Maryland officials to investigate a complaint against three lawyers accused …
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Times, IJR, Daily Wire and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


Will Donald Trump Destroy the Presidency? — Donald Trump is testing the institution of the presidency unlike any of his 43 predecessors. We have never had a president so ill-informed about the nature of his office, so openly mendacious, so self-destructive, or so brazen in his abusive attacks …