Top Items:
Rebecca Berg / CNN:
Amid renewed scrutiny, Erik Prince to host fundraiser for Russia-friendly congressman — (CNN)Blackwater founder Erik Prince will host a fundraiser this month for Russia-friendly Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, as Prince faces new questions over a 2017 meeting currently being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Discussion:
The Hill, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Shareblue Media and The Gateway Pundit
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Washington Post:
Mueller gathers evidence that 2017 Seychelles meeting was effort to establish back channel to Kremlin … Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has gathered evidence that a secret meeting in the Seychelles just before the inauguration of Donald Trump was an effort to establish a back channel between …
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Monthly, NPR, Liberal Values, New Republic, New York Magazine, Towleroad, The Hill, VICE News, Daily Kos, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, AOL, Politico, Vox, Outside the Beltway, Politicus USA, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Washington Press, Mediaite, Political Wire, Balloon Juice and The Mahablog
New York Times:
Trump Spoke to Witnesses About Matters They Discussed With Special Counsel — WASHINGTON — The special counsel in the Russia investigation has learned of two conversations in recent months in which President Trump asked key witnesses about matters they discussed with investigators …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, Salon, CNN, JONATHAN TURLEY, Media Matters for America, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Politicus USA, Splinter, New York Magazine, NBC News, ABC News, Weekly Standard, Talking Points Memo, Media Matters for America, The Hill, CNBC, Politico, Washington Times, RedState, The Root, Shareblue Media, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News Insider, Daily Kos, Washington Press, Axios, Mediaite, KTLA and Shakesville
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
If Trump isn't hiding anything, why all the covering up?
If Trump isn't hiding anything, why all the covering up?
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Politicus USA and Raw Story
Alex Pareene / Splinter:
If You Truly Care About Speech, You Will Invite Me to Your Office to Personally Call You a Dipshit — Civil society requires the toleration of the expression of opposing viewpoints, no matter how personally discomforting you may find them. Therefore, it would be profoundly hypocritical …
Axios:
Exclusive polls: Big warning signs for Senate Democrats — Five Senate Democrats would lose to a Republican candidate if the election were held today and three have approval ratings under 50%, according to new Axios/SurveyMonkey polls. — Keep reading — 352 WORDS
Yahoo:
Miss Universe in Moscow: How Trump's beauty contest spawned a business deal with Russians and a bond with Putin — This is the first of two excerpts adapted from — Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump (Twelve Books), by Michael Isikoff …
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Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Trump partied with Russian oligarchs at Vegas nightclub shut down over ‘lewd’ acts involving women and urine: report — A bombshell new report suggests Donald Trump consummated a deal to hold his Miss Universe pageant in Moscow while hobnobbing with Russian oligarchs at a Las Vegas nightclub later shut …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Political Wire
CNN:
Trump upset with Sanders over Stormy Daniels response — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is upset with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders over her responses Wednesday regarding his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, a source close to the White House tells CNN.
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, CBS Los Angeles, Jamie Dupree - AJC, KTLA, JONATHAN TURLEY and Bustle
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Sarah Fitzpatrick / NBC News:
Trump lawyer Michael Cohen tries to silence adult-film star Stormy Daniels
Trump lawyer Michael Cohen tries to silence adult-film star Stormy Daniels
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Washington Post, Raw Story, The Guardian, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Mediaite, Bustle, Towleroad, ABC News, The Daily Beast, Politico, NBC News, Vox and Shareblue Media
HuffPost:
This Anti-Semitic Term Was Casually Used During A White House Briefing — Its use came a day after it was used to describe a Jewish White House official, sparking concern on social media. — There's perhaps never a bad time to stretch or rethink one's vocabulary.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Salon, The Gateway Pundit, AOL and Shakesville
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Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Peter Navarro wants Gary Cohn's job, terrifying D.C.
Peter Navarro wants Gary Cohn's job, terrifying D.C.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, Political Wire and Dealbreaker
Howard Kurtz / Fox News:
Tiff over tariffs: Gary Cohn gets a hero's sendoff from the media
Tiff over tariffs: Gary Cohn gets a hero's sendoff from the media
Discussion:
Vox, New York Times, Washington Post, DownWithTyranny! and The Atlantic
Wall Street Journal:
Russian Trolls Tried to Torpedo Mitt Romney's Shot at Secretary of State — Online campaign targeted the ex-GOP nominee as Donald Trump considered him in late 2016 — Weeks after Donald Trump was elected president, Russia-backed online “trolls” flooded social media to try to block Mitt Romney …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politicus USA, Power Line and Front Page Magazine, more at Mediagazer »
Mike Florio / ProFootballTalk:
A team asked Derrius Guice if he likes men — The calendar says 2018. Some NFL locker rooms remain trapped in 1960. — Running back Derrius Guice said in a Wednesday night appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that a team asked him at the Scouting Combine if he likes men.
Discussion:
USA Today, The Daily Caller, The Root, Towleroad, The Guardian, LGBTQ Nation, Bleacher Report, Daily Wire, TheBlaze and CBS Detroit
John Santucci / ABC News:
Several White House staffers terminated or reassigned for security clearance issues: Sources — Several White House staffers have been terminated or reassigned for issues related to their security clearances — with at least one individual employed in the Office of the First Lady relieved of duty …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, AOL, Raw Story, Shareblue Media, Little Green Footballs, Daily Kos and Political Wire
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Kyle Kondik / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
House 2018: 26 Ratings Changes, All in Favor of Democrats — PA-18 special now a Toss-up; Democratic incumbents in strong position; and what about Paul Ryan? — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — With less than a week to go, the PA-18 special election moves from Leans Republican to Toss-up.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politico, Shareblue Media and Daily Kos
New York Times:
Women We Overlooked in 167 Years of New York Times Obituaries — The poet Sylvia Plath and the novelist Charlotte Brontë. Ida B. Wells, the anti-lynching activist. These extraordinary women — and so many others — did not have obituaries in The New York Times. Until now.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Bustle, Althouse, Mashable and Digiday, more at Mediagazer »
CNNMoney:
Russians released anti-Clinton video game weeks before election — Russians created an anti-Hillary Clinton video game called “Hilltendo” and tried to make it go viral in the weeks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, CNN has determined through a review of internet records and computer code.
New York Times:
Kushner Meets With Mexican President, Underscoring Shift in U.S. Diplomacy — MEXICO CITY — Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, met with Mexico's president on Wednesday, arriving just weeks after a planned meeting between the nations' leaders fell apart …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, twitchy.com and Political Wire
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Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Kushner leaves US ambassador to Mexico out of meeting with Mexico president: report
Kushner leaves US ambassador to Mexico out of meeting with Mexico president: report
Discussion:
RedState
Cheddar:
Exclusive: Snap Plans Biggest Round of Layoffs Yet Totaling 120 Engineers — Snap Inc. is preparing its largest round of layoffs to date, Cheddar has learned. — The Snapchat-maker plans to announce the cuts internally in the next couple days, according to people familiar with the matter …
Discussion:
The Verge, TechCrunch, GeekWire, Breitbart, CBS Los Angeles and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »
Carol Rosenberg / miamiherald:
Now we know why defense attorneys quit the USS Cole case. They found a microphone. — Lawyers for the alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind quit the capital case after discovering a microphone in their special client meeting room and were denied the opportunity to either talk about or investigate it, the Miami Herald has learned.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Shakesville and VICE News
Carol Robinson / al.com:
Huffman High School shooting: Courtlin Arrington killed; Birmingham police question injured teen — A Huffman High School senior was killed and another injured when gunfire erupted inside a classroom at the east Birmingham school Wednesday afternoon. — Killed was a 17-year-old girl …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Washington Press and Bustle
Tennessean.com:
House Republicans effectively kill anti-child marriage bill, cite possible case against gay marriage — Donna Pollard describes getting married at 16 to a 29-year-old man who was her counselor. She is behind Senate Bill 48 to raise the legal age of marriage in Kentucky to 18 years old.
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos
Dave Sherwood / Reuters:
Eleven nations - but not U.S. - to sign Trans-Pacific trade deal — SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Eleven countries are expected to sign a landmark Asia-Pacific trade agreement in Santiago on Thursday as an antidote to the increasingly protectionist bent of the United States, which pulled out of the pact last year.
Brookings:
Macroeconomic effects of the 2017 tax reform — DOWNLOAD — Editor's Note: — This paper is part of the Spring 2018 edition of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, the leading conference series and journal in economics for timely, cutting-edge research about real-world policy issues.
Discussion:
Vox, Wall Street Journal and Splinter
Mike Fleming / Deadline:
David Chase Revives ‘The Sopranos’ With New Line Prequel Movie ‘The Many Saints Of Newark’ — EXCLUSIVE: David Chase is finally ready to return to the New Jersey turf of his iconic creation The Sopranos. New Line has purchased the screenplay The Many Saints of Newark …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Mediaite and IndieWire
Robert Mendick / Telegraph:
Poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal was close to consultant who was linked to the Trump dossier — A security consultant who has worked for the company that compiled the controversial dossier on Donald Trump was close to the Russian double agent poisoned last weekend, it has been claimed.
Discussion:
Defense One and Raw Story
Danielle Paquette / Washington Post:
Why a white town paid for a class called ‘Hispanics 101’ … BRANSON, Mo. — In a ballroom with antlers on the wall and hoof prints on the carpet, diversity coach Miguel Joey Aviles asked whether anyone knew how to merengue. — “Lord have mercy,” he said, counting hands. “Only two?”
Discussion:
Splinter
Lingling Wei / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Tweet on China Trade Understates U.S. Demand — by $99 Billion — President asked Beijing to cut U.S. trade deficit with China by $1 billion—less than 0.3% of the countries' annual trade gap — BEIJING—President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that Washington had asked Beijing …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Forbes, CNBC, New York Times, Dealbreaker, Cafe Hayek, IJR, New York Magazine, Axios, Roll Call, Mother Jones, Vox, Politico and Eschaton
Ashley Edwards / PVA:
Criminal Investigation Sought into Sanders Campaign for Collusion During a Federal Election With a Foreign Entity — Charges Raised Against Sanders Campaign Are Similar to Charges in “Russian Collusion” Scandal — Former Speaker of the NH House of Representatives William O'Brien is Also Asking for an Investigation*
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit
Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:
Kamala Harris On Immigration: Sessions Wants To Roll Back The Clock, “California Represents The Future” — Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) appeared on MSNBC's All In with host Chris Hayes Wednesday night to discuss Attorney General Jeff Sessions' speech on California ignoring the nation's immigration laws and likening it to nullification.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Vox, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Caller
David Dayen / The Intercept:
Senate Claims to Fix Its Wall Street Bill, but a Look at the Text Says It's Still a Giveaway — Earlier this week, the Senate got 50 Republicans, 16 Democrats, and one Democratic-leaning independent to move forward on S.2155, the bipartisan bank deregulation bill.
Discussion:
Common Dreams and Media Matters for America
Linda Trischitta / Sun-Sentinel:
Two Miramar SWAT officers suspended for heading to Parkland massacre — Sun Sentinel — When a gunman started shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, two Miramar SWAT team members did what comes naturally: They went to help. — Now they've been suspended for it.
Discussion:
RedState, TheBlaze, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, twitchy.com and Tribunist
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Judge in Virginia schedules Manafort trial on bank, tax charges for July 10 — A judge in Virginia on Thursday set a July 10 trial date for former Donald Trump aide Paul Manafort on charges including bank and tax fraud. — A judge in Washington had previously set a trial date for Sept. 17 …
Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Power Briefing: Trump says he's sticking with tariffs ... Stay tuned — TRUMP ON TARIFFS, via WaPo's Phil Rucker: “I'm sticking with 10 and 25 initially. I'll have a right to go up or down depending on the country and I'll have a right to drop out countries or add countries.
Discussion:
CNBC
Nick Wadhams / Bloomberg:
Tillerson and Lavrov Book Same Ethiopian Hotel—and Can't Agree on a Meeting — Tillerson, Lavrov dispute whether a meeting was even sought — Both envoys are on tours of Africa with an evening's overlap — The top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. are spending their Thursday evening …