Top Items:
Gardiner Harris / New York Times:
State Dept. Was Granted $120 Million to Fight Russian Meddling. It Has Spent $0. — WASHINGTON — As Russia's virtual war against the United States continues unabated with the midterm elections approaching, the State Department has yet to spend any of the $120 million it has been allocated since late 2016 …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Washington Press, Balloon Juice, Politicus USA and Axios
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Khorri Atkinson / Axios:
Report: State Dept. has spent $0 of $120M granted to fight election meddling — A $120 grant had been allocated to the State Department since late 2016 to combat foreign efforts to sway elections, but the agency has yet to use any of the funds and none of the 23 employees tasked to combat efforts …
Nicholas Gill / Munchies:
Why Is Brooklyn Barbecue Taking Over the World? — Brooklyn BBQ is spreading to every corner of the world—Colombia, Spain, Panama, Sweden, England, and Japan—looking like it came straight out of Williamsburg. But why aren't these countries taking cues from Texas or Kansas City?
Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
Donald Trump's bubble presidency — When President Barack Obama felt he needed to show off his common touch, he'd go for cheeseburgers at Ray's Hell Burger — where he treated the Russian president to an onion-jalapeño-and-mushroom- topped patty — or to Five Guys …
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New York Times:
Defying the Odds, Kellyanne Conway Steps Back and Hangs On — WASHINGTON — A year ago, few “on the outside” — a phrase perhaps tellingly favored in the Trump White House — would have guessed that Kellyanne Conway would be the one hanging on as other high-profile aides pull their rip cords.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Mueller's hit list — Axios has reviewed a Grand Jury subpoena that Robert Mueller's team sent to a witness last month. — What Mueller is asking for: — Mueller is subpoenaing all communications — meaning emails, texts, handwritten notes, etc. — that this witness sent and received regarding the following people:
Discussion:
Political Wire, emptywheel, Washington Press, CANNONFIRE and The Gateway Pundit
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Rudy Giuliani's tasteless Hillary joke — On Friday night, President Trump entertained around 250 Republican donors in his Mar-a-Lago ballroom. Spotted in the audience: Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, who recently admitted to paying $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Discussion:
Washington Press and Mediaite
Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
READ: Trump Says Rep. Maxine Waters Needs ‘An IQ Test’ At Gridiron Dinner — President Donald Trump on Saturday night addressed the annual Gridiron Club Dinner, an event he skipped last year and one known for presidential humor. — Though he poked fun at his own administration's dysfunction …
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Brooke Seipel / The Hill:
The most memorable jokes from Trump's Gridiron dinner speech
The most memorable jokes from Trump's Gridiron dinner speech
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Ryan Seacrest Faces Potential Oscar Red Carpet Delay From E! Over Allegations — EXCLUSIVE: Concerns that sexual harassment allegations against Ryan Seacrest could see things become very uncomfortable or even become confrontational today on E!'s pre-Oscars Live From the Red Carpet show …
Discussion:
Bustle, thecut, AOL, Page Six, East Bay Times and Mother Jones
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Emily Mills / Mansfield News Journal:
Mother arrested after boy shoots 4-year-old sister in Ashland County — HAYESVILLE - A mother was arrested Saturday evening after an 8-year-old boy shot his 4-year-old sister Saturday afternoon, the Ashland County Sheriff's Office reported. — The sheriff's office was notified around 2:30 p.m. Saturday …
Discussion:
Washington Press, Raw Story, FOX6Now.com and Associated Press
Maryam Saleh / The Intercept:
ICE Shackled 92 Somalis for 40 Hours On a Failed Deportation Flight. That Was Just the Start of the Abuse. — For a brief moment in December 2017, the international spotlight shined on the case of 92 deportees who were on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-chartered flight to Somalia.
Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
Watch: Frantic Florida lawmaker has a complete meltdown in bonkers AM Joy interview about arming teachers — In a interview that occasionally spiraled into chaos, MSNBC host Joy Reid peppered a Florida congressman about his knowledge of gun laws and the history of restrictions on weapons …
Discussion:
Washington Press
Washington Post:
‘Like a pinball machine’: Lawmakers struggle to negotiate with an erratic Trump … President Trump began last week trumpeting his idea to arm teachers. A couple of days later, he alarmed fellow Republicans by embracing broader background checks and suggesting police should seize guns …
Discussion:
Power Line, Politicus USA and Daily Kos
New York Times:
Wounds From Military-Style Rifles? ‘A Ghastly Thing to See’ — Trauma surgeons tell what it is really like to try to repair such devastating injuries. “Bones are exploded, soft tissue is absolutely destroyed,” one said. — Perhaps no one knows the devastating wounds inflicted …
Discussion:
Gizmodo
miamiherald:
Florida Senate rejects ban on assault weapons as it advances school safety proposals — TALLAHASSEE — The emotional fault lines that have divided the state since the school shooting in Parkland were on display in the Florida Senate on Saturday as lawmakers passionately rejected …
Discussion:
RedState, Tampa Bay Times, Naked Politics, TheBlaze and Florida Politics
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Andrea Ruth / RedState:
There Was No Overturned Assault Weapons Ban in Florida on Saturday
There Was No Overturned Assault Weapons Ban in Florida on Saturday
Discussion:
Bustle, Florida Politics and Tampa Bay Times
Kristina Davis / sandiegouniontribune.com:
Mexican man assumes American's identity for 37 years, steals $361,000 in government benefits — It started as a rather straightforward Social Security fraud investigation — a man receiving disability benefits pretending to live in the United States when in fact he lived in Tijuana.
Discussion:
Fox News, Front Page Magazine, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit
National Journal:
GOP Panic Spreads to Pennsylvania — Republicans have spent over $9 million in a blue-collar district Trump carried by 20 points. If the GOP can't win there, they're in deep trouble. — Republicans are learning an uncomfortable reality about the political environment for 2018: Tax cuts …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Shareblue Media
Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:
Jimmy Kimmel Opens Oscars with Killer Jabs at Weinstein, Trump and Pence … Last year, the elephant in the room at the Academy Awards was the newly-elected President Donald Trump. This time, there were many more elephants for host Jimmy Kimmel to address, starting with the biggest, most disgusting one of them all: Harvey Weinstein.
Discussion:
Breitbart
John Woodrow Cox / Washington Post:
Inside an accused school shooter's mind: A plot to kill ‘50 or 60. If I get lucky maybe 150.’ … Six days before he allegedly opened fire on an elementary school playground, the eighth-grader returned to his Instagram group chat to fixate, yet again, on his most intense interests: guns and bombs and the mass murder of children.
Discussion:
Diane Ravitch's blog and The Daily Caller
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
Your Location Data Is Being Sold—Often Without Your Knowledge — Location-based ads are growing, which means the industry has more ways than ever to track you — As location-aware advertising goes mainstream—like that Jack in the Box ad that appears whenever you get near one …
Discussion:
TheBlaze
New York Times:
As Primaries Begin, Divided Voters Weigh What It Means to Be a Democrat — PALOS HILLS, Ill. — When Representative Daniel Lipinski, a conservative-leaning Democrat and scion of Chicago's political machine, agreed to one joint appearance last month with his liberal primary challenger …
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Rory Appleton / Fresno Bee:
Emilio Huerta drops out of congressional race against David Valadao
Emilio Huerta drops out of congressional race against David Valadao
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times
Beth B. / twitchy.com:
MUST READ THREAD: Sarah Rumpf criticizes ‘Trumplicans’ and explains why she's #NeverTrump — RedState Contributor Sarah Rumpf decided to explain why she's part of the #NeverTrump movement. During her explanation, she criticized those who are “Trumplicans,” or hardcore Trump supporters.
Kailani Koenig / NBC News:
Denis McDonough: McConnell ‘watered down’ Russia warning in 2016 — WASHINGTON — Former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Sunday said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “watered down” a warning about Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 election and defended …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, The Guardian, KTLA, AOL, fox13now.com and Mediaite