Top Items:
Shane Savitsky / Axios:
Trump: I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un — President Trump confirmed in a tweet this morning that his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is still on. The president expressed hope that Kim, who just visited Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, “will do what is right for his people and for humanity.”
Discussion:
Politico, Roll Call, CBS New York, The Daily Caller, Sputnik International, Raw Story, Washington Times, NBC News and Mediaite
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Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Playbook scoop: Republicans to push balanced-budget amendment — BRING 'EM TO THE BALLOT BOX! — THE PRESIDENT at 5:52 a.m.: “THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY.
Discussion:
Political Wire
New York Times:
Kim Jong-un Met Xi Jinping in Secret Beijing Visit, China Says
Kim Jong-un Met Xi Jinping in Secret Beijing Visit, China Says
Discussion:
CNN, New York Magazine, Boing Boing, Vox, Politico, Union of Concerned Scientists, The New Arab, Gizmodo, Financial Times, TheBlaze, Associated Press, Infowars, Reuters and VICE News
xinhuanet.com:
Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un hold talks in Beijing
Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un hold talks in Beijing
Discussion:
CNN, Financial Times, The Week, Washington Post, The Guardian, NPR, Bustle, NBC News and Axios
Doug Palmer / Politico:
Trump gets South Korean concessions in first trade deal
Trump gets South Korean concessions in first trade deal
Discussion:
National Review, New York Times and One America News Network
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The sliming of Parkland students shows the spreading stain of media polarization … Six months ago, the conservative radio host and blogger Erick Erickson wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times, inspiringly titled “How to Find Common Ground.” — “We owe it to one another to disagree agreeably …
Discussion:
@politifact, The Week, Townhall.com, Media Matters for America, Mediaite, alicublog, New York Times and RedState, more at Mediagazer »
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Isabelle Robinson / New York Times:
I Was Kind to Nikolas Cruz. He Still Killed My Friends. — My first interaction with Nikolas Cruz happened when I was in seventh grade. I was eating lunch with my friends, most likely discussing One Direction or Ed Sheeran, when a sudden pain consumed my lower back.
Mike Mullen / City Pages:
Rep. Mary Franson compares ‘March for Our Lives’ kids to Hitler Youth
Rep. Mary Franson compares ‘March for Our Lives’ kids to Hitler Youth
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, Bustle, The Hill, ThinkProgress, AOL, VICE News and Raw Story
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
For John Bolton, Russia is part of a new ‘axis of evil’ … The Trump administration seems to be hardening on Russia, but not fast enough for its incoming national security adviser. John Bolton wants President Trump to go on the offensive against Moscow — and not just when it comes …
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press and Bangor Daily News
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New York Times:
Trump Secures Trade Deal With South Korea Ahead of Nuclear Talks — WASHINGTON — President Trump scored his first significant trade deal this week, securing a pact with South Korea that represents the type of one-on-one agreement that Mr. Trump says makes the best sense for American companies and workers.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, Breitbart and Axios
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Trump's war cabinet is now complete
Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
New Gates tie alleged in special counsel filing on van der Zwaan sentencing — (CNN)The special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election revealed Tuesday night that prosecutors say they have connected former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates to a person …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and The Week
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Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed:
Robert Mueller's Office Wants A Judge To Consider Jail Time For A Lawyer Who Pleaded Guilty To Lying — Alex van der Zwaan, who pleaded guilty to lying to special counsel prosecutors and the FBI, is asking for no jail time. — Reporting From Washington, DC
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire
Andy Court / CBS News:
Stormy Daniels' lawyer seeks to depose President Trump, Michael Cohen — Stormy Daniels' attorney asked a federal judge this morning for permission to depose President Donald J. Trump about his knowledge of an agreement to pay the porn star $130,000 a week and a half before the 2016 election.
Discussion:
Politico, Political Wire, AOL and Globe and Mail
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Richard L. Hasen / Slate:
Scalia's Legacy Is Stronger Than Ever — Over the next few months, the Supreme Court seems poised to deliver a crushing blow to public sector unions, allow more purges that remove eligible voters from the rolls, limit anti-discrimination laws protecting the LBGT community in the name …
Discussion:
NBC News
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Khorri Atkinson / Axios:
This time, SCOTUS gerrymandering case focuses on Democrats
This time, SCOTUS gerrymandering case focuses on Democrats
Discussion:
Politico and New York Times
USA Today:
Don't mess with the Census — By including a question on citizenship, the Trump administration is driving down compliance and driving up costs: Our view — The Trump administration has decided to ask people, on the 2020 Census form, whether they are U.S. citizens. — Of course it has.
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New York Times:
At Least Twelve States to Sue Trump Administration Over Census Citizenship Question
At Least Twelve States to Sue Trump Administration Over Census Citizenship Question
Discussion:
NPR, FiveThirtyEight, FOX2now.com, The Hill, ag.ny.gov, CNN, Splinter, Public Policy Institute …, The Daily Beast, Outside the Beltway and emptywheel
Emily Goodin / ABC News:
Citizenship question on census form could cost states like California a House seat
Citizenship question on census form could cost states like California a House seat
Discussion:
The Atlantic, New York Times, CityLab, Washington Post, WTOP and Breitbart
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump hates Amazon, not Facebook — Capitol Hill wants Facebook's blood, but President Trump isn't interested. Instead, the tech behemoth Trump wants to go after is Amazon, according to five sources who've discussed it with him. “He's obsessed with Amazon,” a source said. “Obsessed.”
Discussion:
Raw Story, CNBC and The Week, more at Techmeme »
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
Minnesota Woman Blamed For Al Franken's Fall Had Nothing To Do With It — Lindsey Port accused another man of harassment. But fellow Democrats say she “softened the ground” for Franken's resignation. — Lindsey Port, 35, doesn't really know Al Franken.
Discussion:
Shot in the Dark
Betsy Klein / CNN:
Former Disney star joins White House press team — Washington (CNN)The White House press office is getting a bit more Sunshine these days — former Disney Channel star Caroline Sunshine, that is. She's joining the team as a press assistant. — Sunshine, 22, is known for her role alongside Zendaya …
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Trump attack unleashes oppo against Mueller — When President Donald Trump lashed out against Robert Mueller by name earlier this month, the president's supporters sprang into action—treating the chief Russia investigator to political campaign-style opposition research.
Discussion:
CNN, Raw Story, CNBC and LewRockwell
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New York Times:
Peter Thiel Employee Helped Cambridge Analytica Before It Harvested Data — As a start-up called Cambridge Analytica sought to harvest the Facebook data of tens of millions of Americans in summer 2014, the company received help from at least one employee at Palantir Technologies …
Discussion:
Daily Mail and FiveThirtyEight, more at Techmeme »
Zachary Mider / Bloomberg:
Robert Mercer's Secret Adventure as a New Mexico Cop — Why was the fabulously wealthy Trump donor wearing a badge and a gun in a tiny desert town? To obtain something that's impossible to buy. — Robert Mercer probably would have flown into Roswell. From there—1,800 miles from home …
New York Times:
A Cyberattack Hobbles Atlanta, and Security Experts Shudder — ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta's 8,000 employees got the word on Tuesday that they had been waiting for: It was O.K. to turn their computers on. — But as the city government's desktops, hard drives and printers flickered …
Washington Post:
‘He knows he is done’: Veterans Affairs chief lies low amid rumors he'll be ousted … Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has lived in presidential purgatory for weeks. — The president has told a number of advisers that he wants to oust Shulkin, once a favorite in his Cabinet.
Discussion:
Task & Purpose, Mediaite and New York Magazine
Ben Beaumont-Thomas / The Guardian:
R Kelly accused of grooming 14-year-old girl as ‘sex pet’ — In a BBC3 documentary, former girlfriend Kitti Jones alleges the R&B star groomed an underage girl as well as her and other young women; Kelly has refused to comment … The R&B singer R Kelly has been accused of sexually abusing a girl since she was 14 years old.
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
House subpoena rattles Justice Department; Sessions ‘angry’ at slow response; FBI ‘called on the carpet’ — The FBI is promising swift action on a House subpoena covering three politically charged investigations after word that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has grown angry with the bureau's slow-walking …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Karen Freifeld / Reuters:
Exclusive: Spurned by top lawyers, Trump's defense elevates Washington outsider — (Reuters) - A little-known former prosecutor with a doctorate in medieval history will play a central role on U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team, as many top-tier lawyers shy away from representing …
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Don't Blow Up The Iran Deal. Trump's Strategy Is Working. — The U.S. can play hardball on renegotiating the agreement without alienating European allies. — It looks like the Iran nuclear deal will not survive past May 12. That is the next occasion President Donald Trump will have to certify Iranian compliance with the bargain.
Discussion:
DailySabah
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Congresswoman To Paul Ryan: Make Blake Farenthold Repay $84,000 Sex Harassment Settlement — Hold the Texas Republican accountable to “the high standards our office demands,” says Rep. Jackie Speier. — WASHINGTON Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) may be hoping that you forgot that he owes …
Discussion:
Roll Call
John Bowden / The Hill:
Arpaio says he will resume challenging Obama's birth certificate if elected — Former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says he will resume his controversial campaign challenging the legality of former President Obama's birth certificate if he is elected to the Senate.
Discussion:
RedState, Right Wing Watch, The Week and Talking Points Memo