Top Items:
NBC News:
Feds tapped Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's phones — Federal investigators have wiretapped the phone lines of Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation for a payment he made to an adult film star who alleged she had an affair with Trump …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Talking Points Memo and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
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 …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, CNN, The Atlantic, NBC News, Shareblue Media, The Daily Beast, Politico, Mediaite, Axios, Taylor Marsh, Splinter, Washington Press, The American Conservative, The Week, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Balloon Juice, Vox, Daily Wire, Breitbart, Washington Times and The Daily Caller
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:
NBC News, JustOneMinute, Media Matters for America, MSNBC, CNBC, Mother Jones, AOL, New York Magazine, Common Cause, ThinkProgress, Politico, HuffPost, Patterico's Pontifications, IJR, Daily Kos, Common Dreams, Outside the Beltway, Washington Press, Hullabaloo, twitchy.com, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze, Washington Times, Althouse, The Week 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 …
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:
USA Today, Vox, Mediaite, Booman Tribune, Outside the Beltway, IJR and twitchy.com
CNN:
Trump, Giuliani strategizing leaves White House in the dark — (CNN)Rudy Giuliani's cable rollout as a member of President Donald Trump's legal team, and the torrent of statements he made Wednesday night, caught many in the White House offguard and flat-footed, highlighting the continued chaotic nature …
Discussion:
Political Wire and KTLA
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:
Bloomberg, Washington Post, Hot Air, New York Times, ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed, Shakesville, VICE News and NBC News
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, The Week, Political Wire, Boing Boing, twitchy.com and Splinter
Eileen Sullivan / New York Times:
Trump Says Payment to Stormy Daniels Did Not Violate Campaign Laws
Trump Says Payment to Stormy Daniels Did Not Violate Campaign Laws
Discussion:
Vox, Shareblue Media, Sputnik International, Axios and New York Magazine
Wall Street Journal:
Giuliani Says Trump Repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels Payment
Giuliani Says Trump Repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels Payment
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, 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:
ABC News, National Review, Talking Points Memo and RedState
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 and HuffPost
Karen Yourish / New York Times:
Conflicting Statements About the Payment to Stormy Daniels
Conflicting Statements About the Payment to Stormy Daniels
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Mother Jones
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:
Vox, The Federalist, twitchy.com, Washington Post, The Week, POLITICUSUSA and Joe.My.God.
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, CNN, Associated Press, Raw Story, MSNBC, Media Matters for America and Daily Wire
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Rudes in Twilight — I've heard from a lot of people …
Rudes in Twilight — I've heard from a lot of people …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
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:
Wall Street Journal, New Republic and The Daily Beast
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
RELATED:
New York Times:
Pruitt's Coziness With Lobbyists Includes Secretly Buying a House With One — Since moving to Washington, Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has attracted the attention of federal investigators because of his unusual association with lobbyists …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Root and Daily Kos
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.
RELATED:
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:
Mediaite and Joe.My.God.
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
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 Daily Caller, TVNewser, The Week, Mediaite, Eschaton and AOL, 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 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.
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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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.
Vali Nasr / Axios:
Trump's North Korea strategy won't go far with Iran — As much as President Trump would like credit for solving the Iran nuclear problem, he will not get far trying to replicate the approach his administration has taken toward North Korea. The facts on the ground in each country are simply too different.
Discussion:
One America News Network, Associated Press and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
RELATED:
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump's new quest: A Nobel may prove irresistible
Trump's new quest: A Nobel may prove irresistible
Discussion:
Associated Press
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 …
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
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 …
Rosemary Sobol / Chicago Tribune:
Man accused of threatening gay clubs in Lakeview accidentally released from Cook County Jail — Shane Sleeper, who was in the custody of Cook County Jail, was accidentally released from custody on Wednesday, Chicago police say. (Chicago police) — A man charged with threatening violence …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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, Splinter and Daily Mail
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
Martin Vassolo / miamiherald:
James Comey rails on NRA, says he'd be a ‘crappy candidate’ in Miami book tour appearance — James Comey never wanted to write a book. The thought of signing onto that kind of “ego deal” seemed unbearable. — “And then I got fired,” Comey told nearly 2,000 supporters in Miami on Wednesday …
Discussion:
National Review and The Daily Caller
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.
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, CBS Boston, Axios and Deadspin
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
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 …