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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
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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, Axios, The Daily Beast, twitchy.com, AOL and Balloon Juice

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:
Bloomberg, New York Times, BuzzFeed, Fox News, Townhall, Washington Post, CBS New York, CNBC, Fox News Insider, IJR, The Week, CNN and Joe.My.God.


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, Mediaite, Bustle and Shakesville


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


EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen ‘asked Qatari investor for millions of dollars’ which he said he would ‘pass to Trump family members’ at Trump Tower meeting - and Qatar's foreign minister was there too … - Donald Trump's personal attorney is facing new claims that he asked for millions in cash …
Discussion:
Slate, The Week and Washington Press


Trump Jr.'s team wanted stories straight on Russian lawyer meeting
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Wall Street Journal, Power Line, The Daily Beast and CNBC

Anthony Scaramucci, days after Trump hired him at the White House, reached out to promoter …
Discussion:
The Week

Russia favored Trump in 2016 election, Senate Intelligence Committee says, breaking with House GOP
Discussion:
Political Wire

Materials from Inquiry into Circumstances Surrounding Trump Tower Meeting
Discussion:
Vox, The Seattle Times, CNN, Splinter and Raw Story


Did Democrats Just Have Their First Tea Party Moment Of The 2018 Primaries? — 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.
Discussion:
National Review, New York Times, Mother Jones, Vox, Breitbart, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and CNN
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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:
New York Magazine

Four socialist-backed candidates win Pennsylvania legislative primaries
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Common Dreams and HuffPost

Pennsylvania Primary Election Results
Discussion:
Morning Call, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, Vox, HuffPost, Billy Penn, Daily Caller News Foundation, Axios and ThinkProgress

Why Is a Qatari Diplomat Refusing to Confirm Video Footage of Him Attending His Trump Tower Meeting?
Discussion:
CNN, New York Magazine, The Intercept and Washington Press


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
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White House downplays Bolton comments after North Korea outcry — Trump team dramatically changes tone on North Korea — Washington (CNN)The White House on Wednesday downplayed comments by national security adviser John Bolton, who recently invoked Libya's decision to denuclearize during …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice and Common Dreams


WH Says NK Threatening To Withdraw From Talks Was ‘Fully Expected’
Discussion:
CNN, Shakesville and Washington Post

White House Brushes Aside North Korea's Threats to Cancel Summit With Trump
Discussion:
New Republic, USA Today, Outside the Beltway, New York Magazine, JustOneMinute, Bustle, Patterico's Pontifications and Splinter


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 and twitchy.com
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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 and The Daily Caller


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:
National Review, WQAD-TV, WGN-TV, Daily Wire, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon and IJR


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.


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 …


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


Trump team ready to ‘pressure’ Mueller at probe's one-year mark — In an interview, Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, even cited James Comey's mid-2016 exoneration of Hillary Clinton as a model for the Russia special counsel. — President Donald Trump's attorney has an unlikely new role model …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media and Bloomberg
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“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:
LGBTQ Nation, Daily Kos, Jezebel and Outside the Beltway


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.


Michigan State settles with Larry Nassar victims for $500 million … Michigan State has agreed to pay $500 million to 332 alleged victims of disgraced former sports physician Larry Nassar, settling lawsuits filed by the victims, both sides announced Wednesday.


Kremlin Critics Could Face Prosecution For ‘Enabling’ Western Sanctions — Kremlin opponents could face criminal prosecution under new Russian legislation proposing possible prison sentences for Russians who adhere to or promote international sanctions targeting Moscow, one of the bill's authors said on May 16.


Justice Department and F.B.I. Are Investigating Cambridge Analytica — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and the F.B.I. are investigating Cambridge Analytica, the now-defunct political data firm, and have sought to question former employees and banks that handled its business …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Gizmodo, Washington Times, Engadget, Vox, HuffPost, The Verge, CNN, Washington Press, Mediaite and Political Wire, more at Techmeme »


Democrats are about to have to pay up — Before the ink was dry on our new tax bill, outraged blue states were screaming about the cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes. Their governments were also frantically seeking ways around it, and small wonder.
Discussion:
The Mahablog and CNBC


Baby Bust: Fertility is Declining the Most Among Minority Women … Any serious pro-natal policy in America worth its salt would primarily result in birth gains among minority mothers, not white ones. — The decline in fertility has been far greater among minorities than among non-Hispanic whites.


The Newest Star Of The Trump Movement Ran A Trump-Bashing Publication — Less Than Two Years Ago — A rising star on the right, Owens was CEO of a site that compared Trump to Hitler and speculated that he has a small penis. — Even by the whiplash-inducing standards of Trumpworld, Candace Owens' rise has been fast.
Discussion:
The Resurgent, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and The Root