Top Items:
New York Times:
A Secret Mission, a Code Name and Anxiety: Inside the Early Days of the F.B.I.'s Trump Investigation — WASHINGTON — Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the F.B.I. dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission …
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New York Times:
Tantalizing Testimony From a Top Trump Aide Sets Off a Search for Proof — WASHINGTON — The White House official had a startling assertion: He thought he had received an email in the first half of 2016 alerting the Trump campaign that Russia had damaging information about Hillary Clinton.
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Politico
The Daily Beast:
‘Kremlin Used’ NRA to Help Trump in 2016, Says Senate Judiciary Committee — The Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that the Russian government apparently used the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. “The Committee has obtained a number …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Boing Boing and Raw Story
Washington Post:
Thousands of pages of Congressional testimony shed light on 2016 Trump Tower meeting — A music promoter who promised Donald Trump Jr. over email that a Russian lawyer would provide dirt about Hillary Clinton in June 2016 made the offer because he had been assured the Moscow attorney was …
Discussion:
ABC News, Associated Press, Daily Kos, The Daily Beast, twitchy.com, Axios, AOL and Balloon Juice
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Russia favored Trump in 2016, Senate panel says, breaking with House GOP … The Senate Intelligence Committee has determined that the intelligence community was correct in assessing that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election with the aim of helping then-candidate Donald Trump …
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary:
Materials from Inquiry into Circumstances Surrounding Trump Tower Meeting — As a part of its oversight of the Justice Department's enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and federal investigations into potential improper influence during the 2016 presidential election …
Discussion:
New York Times, NPR, Vox, Bloomberg, Fox News, BuzzFeed, CBS New York, Townhall, Fox News Insider, IJR, Washington Post, CNBC, Joe.My.God., CNN and The Week
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
7 big things we just learned from the Trump Tower meeting testimony … The Senate Judiciary Committee released 2,500 pages of congressional testimony on Wednesday. The trove of information provides a new window into that ill-fated June 2016 Trump Tower meeting before which Donald Trump Jr …
Discussion:
Axios, Talking Points Memo and Splinter
Jon Swaine / The Guardian:
Trump attorney fed statement to publicist for Russians about Trump Tower meeting — The Trump Organization fed a prepared statement to a representative of Russians involved in the notorious 2016 meeting at Trump Tower on what to tell the press about what was discussed, it emerged on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Washington Press
Associated Press:
Trump Jr: Can't recall discussing Russia probe with father — WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he couldn't remember whether he had discussed the Russia investigation with his father, according to transcripts released Wednesday of his interview with the panel.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Bloomberg, Bustle, Mediaite and Shakesville
Eli Okun / Politico:
Trump Jr.'s team wanted stories straight on Russian lawyer meeting
Trump Jr.'s team wanted stories straight on Russian lawyer meeting
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, CNN, Daily Kos, Power Line, CNBC and The Daily Beast
Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Anthony Scaramucci, days after Trump hired him at the White House, reached out to promoter …
Anthony Scaramucci, days after Trump hired him at the White House, reached out to promoter …
Discussion:
The Week
Washington Post:
Russia favored Trump in 2016 election, Senate Intelligence Committee says, breaking with House GOP
Russia favored Trump in 2016 election, Senate Intelligence Committee says, breaking with House GOP
Discussion:
Political Wire
U.S. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina:
Senate Intel Completes Review of Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian Activities in the 2016 U.S. Elections
Senate Intel Completes Review of Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian Activities in the 2016 U.S. Elections
Politico:
Senate intelligence leaders: Russians schemed to help Trump
Senate intelligence leaders: Russians schemed to help Trump
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and Daily Kos
Nathaniel Rakich / FiveThirtyEight:
The #Resistance Had A Very Good Night — The Democratic Party woke up this morning with a clear signal from Tuesday's primary elections: The #Resistance means business. The more progressive candidate won in Democratic primaries around the country. The question, however …
Discussion:
National Review, Mother Jones, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bustle, Vox, Breitbart, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos
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James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: The far left is winning the Democratic civil war … THE BIG IDEA: Tuesday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Democratic moderates. — The success of very liberal candidates in primaries across four states is causing a new bout of heartburn among party strategists …
Discussion:
The Nation and New York Magazine
Ryan Grim / The Intercept:
Qatari Investor: Michael Cohen Asked Me For a Million Dollars
Qatari Investor: Michael Cohen Asked Me For a Million Dollars
Discussion:
ABC News, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and Washington Press
Josh Boswell / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen ‘asked Qatari investor for millions of dollars’ …
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen ‘asked Qatari investor for millions of dollars’ …
Discussion:
Slate, New York Magazine, The Week and Washington Press
Avery Anapol / The Hill:
Four socialist-backed candidates win Pennsylvania legislative primaries
Four socialist-backed candidates win Pennsylvania legislative primaries
Discussion:
The Root, LGBTQ Nation, Washington Press and ThinkProgress
New York Times:
Trump Discloses Payment to Cohen in Financial Report — President Trump's financial disclosure, released on Wednesday, revealed for the first time that he paid more than $100,000 to his personal attorney, Michael D. Cohen, as reimbursement for payments to a “third-party.”
Discussion:
Axios, Towleroad, Joe.My.God., Bustle, Law & Crime and CNBC
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Annie Linskey / BostonGlobe.com:
Putting ‘White House’ on the resume is less of a boost — WASHINGTON — Listing a White House gig on your resume used to be considered a sparkling credential, reflecting a stint at the apex of the country's political power. — But as with so many other things about Donald Trump's …
Discussion:
Political Wire and IJR
RELATED:
Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN:
White House downplays Bolton comments after North Korea outcry
White House downplays Bolton comments after North Korea outcry
Discussion:
The Atlantic, ThinkProgress, Balloon Juice, Common Dreams and New York Times
New York Times:
White House Brushes Aside North Korea's Threats to Cancel Summit With Trump
White House Brushes Aside North Korea's Threats to Cancel Summit With Trump
Discussion:
New Republic, Daily Kos, USA Today, New York Magazine, Bustle, Outside the Beltway, JustOneMinute, Splinter and Patterico's Pontifications
Josh Smith / Reuters:
North Korea is dismantling its nuclear site, but is it abandoning its arsenal or hiding evidence?
North Korea is dismantling its nuclear site, but is it abandoning its arsenal or hiding evidence?
Discussion:
CNN, Instapundit and TheBlaze
Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
WH Says NK Threatening To Withdraw From Talks Was ‘Fully Expected’
WH Says NK Threatening To Withdraw From Talks Was ‘Fully Expected’
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN and Just Security
Joshua Davidovich / Associated Press:
Sderot homes hit with heavy machine gun fire from Gaza, army says — No injuries after gunmen in Strip target military aircraft and hit homes in city with errant rounds; IDF shells Hamas post in Gaza — The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday's events as they unfold.
Discussion:
National Review, NewsBusters and twitchy.com
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Kathleen A. Schultz / SaukValley.com:
Dixon High School shooting: Former student shot, wounded after bringing gun — DIXON - A 19-year-old former Dixon High student is in custody with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder after bringing a gun to the school this morning. — The man shot at school resource officer Mark Dallas …
Discussion:
RedState, The Daily Caller, National Review, WQAD-TV, Breitbart, Associated Press, WGN-TV, Washington Free Beacon, Daily Wire, IJR and twitchy.com
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Quint Forgey / Politico:
Tillerson warns of ethical crisis among U.S. leaders in speech — Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday appeared to offer an implicit rebuke of his old boss, as he warned of a “growing crisis in ethics and integrity” during a commencement address at the Virginia Military Institute.
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NewsBusters:
Porn Star Lawyer Interviewed 147 Times in 10 Weeks — In the past ten weeks, lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against President Trump, has been interviewed a staggering 147 times on broadcast and cable news shows.
Discussion:
Daily Wire, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller
Matthew Stewart / The Atlantic:
The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy — 1. — The Aristocracy Is Dead ... For about a week every year in my childhood, I was a member of one of America's fading aristocracies. Sometimes around Christmas, more often on the Fourth of July, my family would take up residence …
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
The Democratic Party Has an ‘MSNBC Problem’ — “The Democrats need to stop obsessing about Trump and Russia, and start talking about the bread-and-butter issues that matter to ordinary people.” Since Donald Trump took office, that sentiment has been a refrain for the party's leading critics on both the left and right.
Paul Gattis / al.com:
Gov. Kay Ivey on gay accusations: 'It's false. It's wrong' — A little more than 12 hours after a state legislator suggested she was gay, Gov. Kay Ivey again issued a strong denial on Wednesday morning. — “There's absolutely no truth to it,” Ivey said. “It's false. It's wrong.”
Discussion:
Raw Story, LGBTQ Nation, PinkNews and Joe.My.God.
David M. Drucker / Vanity Fair:
“Pence Is Not Stupid”: As Trump Sinks, G.O.P. Insiders See a Shadow Campaign Taking Shape — Could Pence's ambition make him the president's next mortal enemy? Or will his well-oiled political operation allay Trump's concerns—at least for now? — “There is no shadow campaign,” …
Discussion:
Shakesville, LGBTQ Nation, Daily Kos and Jezebel
Gideon Resnick / The Daily Beast:
Democrats Flip a Pennsylvania Seat, Making 41 Since Trump's Inauguration … Democrats flipped another seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday night, bringing the total number of state legislative flips to 41 since Donald Trump's inauguration.
Discussion:
The Week
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
Shady Marketplaces Selling Fake Facebook Profiles Operate In Plain Sight — Thirty minutes and a little bitcoin can buy you an army of believable Facebook users. — Audrey Mitchell is a 23-year-old New York City transplant from London. She's an aspiring model working at KFC.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Facebook and Mother Jones, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan O'Connell / Washington Post:
It's not just Amazon: Apple quietly explores Northern Virginia campus for 20,000 jobs — Apple has quietly explored the idea of opening a campus for 20,000 employees in Northern Virginia, further advancing the possibility that the Washington area could evolve into an East Coast outpost for Silicon Valley.