Top Items:
Washington Post:
Giuliani: Trump repaid attorney Cohen for Stormy Daniels settlement … Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a recent addition to President Trump's legal team, said Wednesday night that Trump made a series of payments reimbursing his attorney Michael Cohen for a $130,000 settlement …
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New York Times:
Giuliani Says Trump Repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels Hush Money — WASHINGTON — President Trump reimbursed Michael D. Cohen, his longtime personal lawyer, for a $130,000 payment that Mr. Cohen has said he made to keep a pornographic film actress from going public before the 2016 election …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Media Matters for America, NBC News, Mother Jones, AOL, New York Magazine, ThinkProgress, Politico, Common Dreams, Patterico's Pontifications, HuffPost, Daily Kos, IJR, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, twitchy.com, TheBlaze, Washington Times, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Althouse and Political Wire
Fox News Insider:
Judge Nap: Giuliani's Claim That Trump Didn't Know About Stormy Daniels Payment Is ‘Unworthy of Belief’ — Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday said that President Trump reimbursed his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, the $130,000 that Cohen paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange …
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Fox & Friends Grills Giuliani on Stormy Daniels Payment: ‘Sounds Like the Story is Changing’ — Rudy Giuliani made huge waves last night with the bombshells he dropped over the President Trump-Stormy Daniels saga, and today, he joined Fox & Friends for an encore performance.
Discussion:
Vox, NBC News, Political Wire, Boing Boing, twitchy.com and Splinter
Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:
Giuliani follows up disastrous Hannity appearance with equally damaging Fox & Friends spot — A day after contradicting Donald Trump's and longtime Trump general counsel Michael Cohen's claims that the president knew nothing about Cohen's payments to Stormy Daniels, Rudy Giuliani contradicted himself in a Fox & Friends interview.
Discussion:
Vox, USA Today, Mediaite, IJR and twitchy.com
Richard L. Hasen / Slate:
Rudy Giuliani May Have Just Implicated President Trump In Serious Campaign Finance Violations — Donald Trump's new lawyer Rudy Giuliani took to Sean Hannity's Fox News program Wednesday night to defend the president from the ongoing Mueller investigation and to calm the waters for the Trump faithful.
Discussion:
Hot Air, New York Times, ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed, Shakesville, Daily Kos, VICE News and NBC News
Associated Press:
Giuliani comments on Stormy payment raise legal questions — WASHINGTON (AP) — Rudy Giuliani's revelation that President Donald Trump reimbursed his personal attorney for a $130,000 payment to a porn star to keep her quiet about an alleged affair is raising new legal questions …
Eileen Sullivan / New York Times:
Trump Says Payment to Stormy Daniels Did Not Violate Campaign Laws — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday directly contradicted his earlier statements that he knew of no payment to Stormy Daniels, the pornographic film actress who says she had an affair with Mr. Trump.
Discussion:
Vox, Wall Street Journal, Axios, New York Magazine and CBS Los Angeles
Wall Street Journal:
Giuliani Says Trump Repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels Payment
Giuliani Says Trump Repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels Payment
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Beast, KTLA and The Week
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The blatant coverup of Trump's Stormy Daniels payment
The blatant coverup of Trump's Stormy Daniels payment
Discussion:
National Review, Talking Points Memo, RedState and Sputnik International
Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Giuliani Appears to Veer Off Script. A Furor Follows.
Giuliani Appears to Veer Off Script. A Furor Follows.
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Free Beacon, Mother Jones and HuffPost
New York Times:
What Giuliani Said About Cohen's Payment to Stormy Daniels
What Giuliani Said About Cohen's Payment to Stormy Daniels
Discussion:
Washington Post, National Review, Power Line, Associated Press, CNN, Raw Story, Media Matters for America, MSNBC and Daily Wire
Fox News:
Giuliani calls for Comey to be prosecuted, end to Mueller probe ‘in the interest of justice’
Giuliani calls for Comey to be prosecuted, end to Mueller probe ‘in the interest of justice’
Discussion:
The Federalist, twitchy.com, Washington Post, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God. and TheBlaze
Harry Siegel / The Daily Beast:
Rudy Giuliani Says Trump Paid Back Stormy Daniels' Hush Money, Rips ‘Pervert’ Comey
Rudy Giuliani Says Trump Paid Back Stormy Daniels' Hush Money, Rips ‘Pervert’ Comey
Discussion:
New Republic and The Daily Beast
Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Giuliani: Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't tell Trump he wasn't target in Russia probe
Giuliani: Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't tell Trump he wasn't target in Russia probe
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politico and Outside the Beltway
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Trump repaying the Stormy Daniels money doesn't mean there were no campaign finance violations
Trump repaying the Stormy Daniels money doesn't mean there were no campaign finance violations
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Shareblue Media, Splinter, The Week and Balloon Juice
Annie Karni / Politico:
Trump's fixers revolt
Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Another Top EPA Official Is Leaving, Sources Say — Liz Bowman's exit follows two other departures just this week — At least 10 federal investigations target EPA Chief Pruitt — A third top EPA official is leaving the agency amid intensifying scrutiny of Administrator Scott Pruitt's travel, spending and condo rental.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Charles V. Bagli / New York Times:
Trump Place Does Not Have to be a Forever Name, Judge Says — Over the opposition of lawyers for a company owned by President Donald J. Trump, State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Bransten ruled Thursday that a condominium on the Upper West Side could remove the bronze letters spelling out his name from its 46-story building.
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David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
Judge rules New York condo board may remove ‘Trump’ name
Judge rules New York condo board may remove ‘Trump’ name
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Washington Post:
Charlie Rose's misconduct was widespread at CBS and three managers were warned, investigation finds … Incidents of sexual misconduct by Charlie Rose were far more numerous than previously known, according to a new investigation by The Washington Post, which also found three occasions …
Discussion:
Refinery29, Daily Wire, CBS New York, Hot Air, Gothamist, Shakesville, CBS Los Angeles, TheBlaze, The Week, TVNewser, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, AOL and Eschaton, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Army Green Berets Secretly Help Saudis Combat Threat From Yemen Rebels — WASHINGTON — For years, the American military has sought to distance itself from a brutal civil war in Yemen, where Saudi-led forces are battling rebels who pose no direct threat to the United States.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Defense One and The Week
Eric Swalwell / USA Today:
Ban assault weapons, buy them back, go after resisters: Ex-prosecutor in Congress — Ban assault weapons and buy them back. It might cost $15 billion, but we can afford it. Consider it an investment in our most important right, the right to live. — Gary Jackson never stood a chance.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and twitchy.com
Business Wire:
The New York Times Company Reports 2018 First-Quarter Results — NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)— The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) announced today first-quarter 2018 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations of $.13 compared with $.08 earnings per share in the same period of 2017.
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Vladimir Kara-Murza / Washington Post:
The UK makes history on human rights — It's said that the largest export from Vladimir Putin's Russia is not oil but corruption. There is much truth in that. But export is not a one-sided proposition. For someone to be able to export corruption, someone else must be willing to import it.
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Maxim Eristavi / Atlantic Council:
Russia Isn't Just Interfering in Elections Around the World. It's Doing Something Far Worse
Russia Isn't Just Interfering in Elections Around the World. It's Doing Something Far Worse
Discussion:
Instapundit
Kit Chellel / Bloomberg:
The Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code — Bill Benter did the impossible: He wrote an algorithm that couldn't lose at the track. Close to a billion dollars later, he tells his story for the first time. — Horse racing is something like a religion in Hong Kong, whose citizens bet more than anyone else on Earth.
Eric Lichtblau / TIME:
The FBI Is in Crisis and America Is Paying the Price — Former FBI Director James Comey leaves a Senate hearing on June 8, 2017, after testifying about Donald Trump Stephen Voss — In normal times, the televisions are humming at the FBI's 56 field offices nationwide, piping in the latest news as agents work their investigations.
Manu Raju / CNN:
Michael Caputo says 'it's clear' Mueller investigators focused on Russia collusion — (CNN)After being interviewed by special counsel investigators on Wednesday, former aide to Donald Trump's presidential campaign Michael Caputo told CNN that Robert Mueller's team is “focused on Russia collusion.”
Discussion:
Salon, IJR, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Power Line, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Mail and Splinter
Gordon Lubold / Wall Street Journal:
Laser from Chinese Base Aimed at U.S. Military Pilots In Africa's Skies, Pentagon Charges — Incidents in recent weeks increase tensions, threaten Flight safety, U.S. says — WASHINGTON—Chinese military personnel are targeting American flight crews in the skies over the east African nation …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and globaltimes.cn
New York Times:
Kelly Finds Himself in a Familiar Place in the Trump White House: Eyeing the Exits — WASHINGTON — When President Trump learned this week that his chief of staff, John F. Kelly, reportedly called him “an idiot” on several occasions, he expressed little in the way of frustration or anger …
Discussion:
IJR, New York Magazine, Axios, CBS Boston and Deadspin
Monmouth University Polling Institute:
Dems +8 On House Ballot — McConnell, Schumer, Ryan, Pelosi viewed negatively — West Long Branch, NJ - Democrats hold an 8 point lead over Republicans in the generic House ballot as public opinion on the new tax reform law continues to be divided. The Monmouth University Poll also finds …
Politico:
Corker-Blackburn drama risks must-win Senate seat for GOP — The GOP incumbent's kind words for former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen have given centrist Republicans tacit permission to break ranks. — Republicans are increasingly unnerved by the rift between retiring Sen. Bob Corker and Marsha Blackburn …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Gareth Davies / Telegraph:
Mother, 19, stabbed boyfriend during sex after telling him men should only be used for ‘human sacrifice’ — A young mother has been jailed for 11 years for stabbing her occasional boyfriend as they has sexual intercourse after texting him to say men should only be used as “human sacrifice”.
Discussion:
Daily Wire
Perry Stein / Washington Post:
Three black teens are finalists in a NASA competition. Hackers spewing racism tried to ruin their odds. … The three D.C. students couldn't believe the news. They'd developed a method to purify lead-contaminated water in school drinking fountains, and NASA announced last month …
Avery G. Wilks / The State:
SC Senate votes to outlaw virtually all abortions in South Carolina — COLUMBIA, SC — The S.C. Senate voted Wednesday night to outlaw virtually all abortions in South Carolina. — The Legislature's upper chamber voted 28-10 to allow exceptions only in cases of rape …
Discussion:
Daily Wire and LifeNews.com
Zach Everson / Condé Nast Traveler:
Inside the World's Most Controversial Hotel — The hotel that was expected to take its place among the crown jewels of D.C.'s travel scene has become a magnet for protestors, a West Wing Annex, and—possibly—the center of a constitutional crisis. — Just inside the main entrance …
Adelle M. Banks / Religion News Service:
Trump to sign executive order creating new White House faith-based initiative — WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Trump plans to unveil a new initiative that aims to give faith groups a stronger voice within the federal government and serve as a watchdog for government overreach on religious liberty issues.
Discussion:
Vox, Shareblue Media, Washington Post and Friendly Atheist
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
After Garland Defeat, New Group Hopes to Draw Democrats to Judicial Battlefield — WASHINGTON — Democrats learned the hard way in 2016 that the right is much more animated by judicial fights after Republicans' refusal to consider the Supreme Court nomination of Merrick B. Garland helped …
Karen Heller / Washington Post:
Jordan Peterson is on a crusade to toughen up young men. It's landed him on our cultural divide. … NEW YORK — The world is wretched with weak men. Slouchers, slackers, chumps, low-status dudes who have amassed a crumpled pile of inferior habits and made the world a messier place.
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Althouse
Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
Tired of Gang Violence, Students Walked Out of Class. Even That Was Dangerous. — MIAMI — The first time that students at Miami Northwestern Senior High School walked out of classes to protest the shooting death of a sophomore named Kimson Lee Green, administrators urged them to stay on campus.