Top Items:


Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Used the Same Delaware Company for Payment Deals to Two Women — Federal probe looks closely at money flowing in and out of Essential Consultants — Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, used the same Delaware limited-liability company …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »


Scoop: Trump tried to block Pence national security appointment — The White House kept it quiet until now, but on Friday the President nearly blocked the Vice President from getting his chosen national security adviser. — Why this matters: It's a highly unusual event …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Washington Press, Mediaite, The Guardian, AOL and emptywheel


Trump hits highest approval in a year, but 68 percent of women dislike him personally — The thriving economy looks to be bolstering Donald Trump's approval rating — but his personal unpopularity, especially among women, may be putting a ceiling on it. — The president remains poorly rated overall …
Discussion:
CNN, Hullabaloo, Axios, Bloomberg and BloombergQuint
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Poll shows Democrats have midterm intensity advantage, but no ‘knockout’ yet — WASHINGTON — An advantage in intensity — against President Donald Trump and for voting in November — is fueling Democrats ahead of the midterm elections that take place more than six months from now …
Discussion:
AOL, Axios, Political Wire and CNN


Democrats Maintaining Advantage Over GOP in Voter Sentiment Poll
Discussion:
BostonGlobe.com and Politico

Trump's approval rating is back near first-100-day levels
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway


Trump was right to pardon ‘Scooter’ Libby — Justice deferred may be justice denied. But for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby - former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in 2007 - President Trump's pardon on Friday, however belated, was welcome.
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James Comey gives first interview since President Trump fired him
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, Hot Air, Splinter, Bustle, HuffPost, Mother Jones, Washington Times, Conservative News Today, abc7ny.com, Bloomberg, BloombergQuint, CNBC, Daily Wire, TheBlaze and IJR

‘This Week’ Transcript 4-15-18: James Comey interview clips, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Townhall, Breitbart, The Daily Caller and Axios

Trump doubles down on his attacks against “Slimeball” Comey's book
Discussion:
RedState, Fox News, New York Times and Breitbart


Syria's Assad in a ‘good mood,’ scorns U.S. weaponry after airstrikes … BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad praised Russian weaponry on Sunday as his government celebrated victory over rebels in the town where an alleged chemical attack took place, triggering U.S. airstrikes over the weekend.
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:


U.S. plans to impose sanctions on Russia over alleged chemical weapons use in Syria



Trump tries to appear strong in Syria even as he plans to withdraw
Discussion:
naked capitalism, Washington Free Beacon and New York Times


The President Is Not Above The Law — “This great nation can tolerate a president who makes mistakes,” declared Senator Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican. “But it cannot tolerate one who makes a mistake and then breaks the law to cover it up.” — No, Mr. Hatch wasn't talking about Donald Trump.

Starbucks ceo: Reprehensible outcome in Philadelphia incident — Dear Starbucks Partners and Customers: — By now, you may be aware of a disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome. — I'm writing this evening to convey three things:
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Washington Post, New York Times, Refinery29, TheBlaze, WHYY, HeraldScotland, Bustle, The Root, BuzzFeed, abc7ny.com, CBS Philly, Philly.com, Splinter, NPR and Vox
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Philadelphia police chief defends officers in Starbucks arrests
Discussion:
WGNO, WNEP-TV, CBS Dallas, KTLA, Conservative News Today, Raw Story, Breitbart, FOX 61, NBC News, CBS Philly, ABC News, WHYY, fox8.com, Bustle and The Root

Starbucks Witness: Implicit Bias Exists and White People Need to Speak Up When They See It
Discussion:
ThinkProgress


Barbara Bush in failing health — (CNN)Former first lady Barbara Bush is in failing health, a source close to the Bush family tells CNN. — At 92 years old, Bush has been suffering for some time and has been in and out of the hospital multiple times in the last year while battling …
Discussion:
Bustle, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Vox, TheBlaze, HuffPost, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire and New York Magazine
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Without mentioning Mueller, Trump lawyers urge high court to bolster his power to fire executive officials … The Supreme Court is set to hear a seemingly minor case later this month on the status of administrative judges at the Securities and Exchange Commission, an issue that normally might …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and Political Wire
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Will This Man Save the Justice Department?
Discussion:
Raw Story


Trump's reelection committee has spent more than $1 out of every $5 on legal fees this year … President Trump's reelection campaign spent more than $1 out of every $5 on attorney fees this year as the president contended with the ongoing special counsel investigation and a new legal challenge from an adult-film star.
Discussion:
Political Wire
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More Than One-Fifth Of The Trump Campaign's Spending This Year Has Been On Legal Fees — The campaign also spent about $125,000 at Trump businesses. — President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign has spent about $835,000 in legal fees so far this year, or about 22 percent of its total spending …


Fealty to Trump has become the coin of the realm for GOP Senate candidates — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Among his qualifications for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Evan Jenkins wants West Virginia voters to know that he once attended a Christmas party with Donald Trump, flew with him on Air Force …
RELATED:

GOP launches secret group to attack West Virginia coal baron
Discussion:
Political Wire


Trump, Twitter Fingers Flying, Exclaims. Pence, Note Cards in Hand, Explains. — LIMA, Peru — As President Trump was tweeting “Mission Accomplished!” on Saturday morning after the strikes on Syrian chemical weapons facilities, Vice President Mike Pence was tackling what has become a familiar task …


Trump might survive firing Rosenstein or even Mueller. The reason: Fox News. — For Richard Nixon, the “Saturday Night Massacre” was the beginning of the end. — The nation finally turned against the embattled president after he forced out — on Oct. 20, 1973 — the attorney general …
Discussion:
Raw Story


Magazine editors turn blind eye to Melania — Magazines are showing no love for Melania Trump. — The internet was in a tizzy last week when actor James Woods pointed out via Twitter that the first lady hasn't been a muse for the magazine industry since her husband, President Trump, took office.


One tiny corner of the U.S. government pushes back against Russian disinformation — WASHINGTON — When reports began to emerge last month that Russian mercenaries had attacked a U.S. base in Syria, Russia issued a flat denial, and the U.S. was silent. — Then, leaked recordings surfaced on the internet.


Feminists don't care about the gender gap in ballet. Why should we care about the one in tech? — What, if anything, do ballet and tech have in common? The obvious answer is that both fields show highly disproportionate gender distributions. — Less acknowledged but no less relevant …
Discussion:
Power Line


Joe Biden confirms he may run for president in 2020 — Former Vice President Joe Biden tells Rev. Al Sharpton he is considering running in 2020 adding, ‘I know I have to make the decision by the end of the year.’ Biden also discusses the strikes against Syria, and voting rights.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bustle, AOL and Deadline