Top Items:
Amy Brittain / Washington Post:
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh piled up credit card debt by purchasing Nationals tickets, White House says — Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh incurred tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt buying baseball tickets over the past decade and at times reported liabilities …
Discussion:
AOL, Political Wire and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Katie Benner / New York Times:
Rosenstein Asks Prosecutors to Help With Kavanaugh Papers in Unusual Request — WASHINGTON — Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, has asked federal prosecutors to help review the government documents of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, CNN, Axios, Breitbart, Vox, Political Wire, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, Media Matters for America, Common Dreams, Mashable and Weekly Standard
Axios:
Joe Manchin: Brett Kavanaugh “has all the right qualities” — Red state Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who will cast a key vote during Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process, said on Talkline Communications radio Wednesday that Kavanaugh “has all the right qualities” …
Discussion:
Breitbart, YouTube, Political Wire and Power Line
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
Brett Kavanaugh Was a Mistake — Donald Trump picked the judge who's most inclined to say the president can't be indicted. Pro tip: That makes him look guilty. — To be perfectly clear on the obvious point: Brett Kavanaugh is a lovely man and presumably a good father with a lovely family.
Discussion:
National Review, NewsBusters, SCOTUSblog, Washington Post, Latest - Truthout and Daily Kos
Washington Post:
The elite world of Brett Kavanaugh — The Chevy Chase Lounge is a neighborhood joint where bartender Tim Higgins is accustomed to bantering with long-standing patrons, including a middle-aged guy named Brett who likes to pop in for a Budweiser and a burger after coaching his daughters' basketball games.
Discussion:
CityLab
Monica Hesse / Washington Post:
What men are trying to say when they show off their Female Relationship Résumé
David French / National Review:
An Open Letter from Yale Law Students Illustrates the Decline of the Radical Legal Mind
An Open Letter from Yale Law Students Illustrates the Decline of the Radical Legal Mind
Discussion:
BostonGlobe.com, Breitbart and The College Fix
Rebecca Tan / Washington Post:
When Trump attacked Germany in Brussels, his aides pursed their lips and glanced away — President Trump kicked off his trip to Europe with a biting critique of the United States' longtime allies, declaring at a breakfast meeting that Germany “is captive to Russia.”
Discussion:
CNN, Mother Jones, The Resurgent, NewsWars, CNBC, WGN-TV, Bustle and Mediaite
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Bloomberg:
Trump Urges Doubling Target for Arms Budgets to 4%: NATO Update — U.S. president accuses Germany of being ‘captive of Russia’ — Back in the U.S., his comments drew criticism from lawmakers — Donald Trump is on the offensive as leaders gathered at a two-day North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit.
Discussion:
Associated Press, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams, IJR, Reuters, Task & Purpose and The Daily Caller
Washington Post:
Trump says Germany ‘is captive to Russia’ in fiery opening salvo against NATO — BRUSSELS — President Trump unleashed a blistering attack Wednesday on Germany and other NATO allies, wasting no time to take the offensive before a week of high-stakes diplomacy on both sides of the former Cold War divide.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, New York Times, Politico, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, CNN, Bustle, CNBC, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, IJR, Shareblue Media, The Guardian, thenewcivilrightsmovement.com, Roll Call, Washington Free Beacon, Fox News, Joe.My.God., Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Shakesville, HuffPost and The Mahablog
John Haltiwanger / Business Insider:
White House claims John Kelly looked ‘displeased’ …
White House claims John Kelly looked ‘displeased’ …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., AOL and Bustle
Washington Post:
‘Rubbing salt in the wounds’: Trump won't take yes for an answer at NATO
‘Rubbing salt in the wounds’: Trump won't take yes for an answer at NATO
Discussion:
Politico
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
This remarkable exchange at NATO perfectly captures Trump's ugly bad faith
This remarkable exchange at NATO perfectly captures Trump's ugly bad faith
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico and New York Times
Washington Post:
Trump is poisoning NATO. Why?
Trump is poisoning NATO. Why?
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Monthly, Bloomberg and CNN
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Worried about Russia? Then Keep an Eye on Germany's Former Chancellor
Worried about Russia? Then Keep an Eye on Germany's Former Chancellor
Discussion:
Atlantic Council, Daily Wire and Axios
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
House passes resolution in support of NATO by unanimous voice vote
House passes resolution in support of NATO by unanimous voice vote
Discussion:
IJR
Meridith McGraw / ABC News:
Trump issues blistering attacks on Germany at NATO breakfast: ‘Germany is controlled by Russia’
Trump issues blistering attacks on Germany at NATO breakfast: ‘Germany is controlled by Russia’
Discussion:
Axios, One America News Network, Politico, twitchy.com, Washington Press, IJR and The Daily Caller
Rick Noack / Washington Post:
The Russian pipeline to Germany that Trump is so mad about, explained
The Russian pipeline to Germany that Trump is so mad about, explained
Discussion:
New York Times, ThinkProgress, Bloomberg, Forbes, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite
Matt Naham / Law & Crime:
Judge to Manafort: Don't Worry, the Jail You're Going to Knows How to Handle Terrorists, Traitors and Spies — The legal saga of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort took another turn Wednesday as Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) Judge T.S. Ellis has denied his bid to stay put at the jail he is currently residing at.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
RELATED:
Kelly Cohen / Washington Examiner:
Robert Mueller files request for another 100 blank subpoenas in Paul Manafort case — Special counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday filed a request for 100 blank subpoenas in the Eastern District of Virginia, where former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is facing trial for bank and fraud charges.
Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
Paul Manafort to be moved from jail where prosecutors say he has ‘VIP’ treatment
Paul Manafort to be moved from jail where prosecutors say he has ‘VIP’ treatment
Discussion:
Washingtonian
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Mueller team listening to Manafort's jail phone calls
Mueller team listening to Manafort's jail phone calls
Discussion:
ABC News and The Daily Beast
Pew Research Center:
Obama Tops Public's List of Best President in Their Lifetime, Followed by Clinton, Reagan — Reagan is top choice among Boomers, Silents — When asked which president has done the best job in their lifetimes, more Americans name Barack Obama than any other president.
Discussion:
Politico, The Hill, New York Magazine, Vox, Bustle, IJR, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite and Axios
CNN:
Wife of top Trump aide had radio show where she said women in military should expect sexual harassment — (CNN)Darla Shine, the wife of new White House deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, hosted a radio show in the late 2000s where she once mocked victims of sexual harassment …
New York Times:
Battling Fake Accounts, Twitter to Slash Millions of Followers — Twitter will begin removing tens of millions of suspicious accounts from users' followers on Thursday, signaling a major new effort to restore trust on the popular but embattled platform. — The reform takes aim at a pervasive form of social media fraud.
Discussion:
Twitter, BuzzFeed, VentureBeat, Breitbart, Vox, The Verge, New Republic, CBS Los Angeles and The FADER, more at Techmeme »
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Colleen Long / Associated Press:
Border Protection says NYC mayor crossed border illegally — WASHINGTON (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his security detail violated both Mexican and U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border on foot during a visit near El Paso, Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection alleges …
Discussion:
Daily Wire, National Review, Bustle, TheBlaze, Splinter, The Daily Caller and Townhall
Los Angeles Times:
Papa John's founder reportedly used racial slur in conference call — A media agency working with Papa John's International Inc. decided to cut ties after the pizza maker's founder and chairman, John Schnatter, allegedly used a racial slur and graphic descriptions of violence against minorities …
RELATED:
Noah Kirsch / Forbes:
Papa John's Founder Allegedly Used N-Word On Conference Call
Papa John's Founder Allegedly Used N-Word On Conference Call
Discussion:
Vox, NBC News, Contemptor, Courier-Journal, AOL, Insider Louisville, TheBlaze, WIS-TV, CNBC, ThinkProgress, fox8.com, ProFootballTalk, BloombergQuint, Boing Boing, CBS Boston, San Bernardino Sun, Towleroad, Eater, Mashable, KFOR-TV, Mediaite and theGrio
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Once partners, ‘Game Change’ authors feuding over their shattered franchise — Until their split last year, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann were the golden boys of American political journalism. Their collaboration led to a best-selling book about the 2008 presidential campaign, “Game Change …
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Drew Wilson / Florida Politics:
Vern Buchanan bought yacht after voting for House version of GOP tax bill — A recently filed financial disclosure shows U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan celebrated passing the House version of the Republican tax bill in quite the lavish way. — According to the disclosure, Buchanan spent between $1 million …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
HuffPost:
Former Obama Officials Are Riding Out The Trump Years By Cashing In — The revolving door takes a spin. — The last 18 months have been difficult for former members of the Obama administration. They've been replaced by a regime, which, in the words of former Domestic Policy Council …
Discussion:
Common Dreams
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
‘Ranting and raving’: The time Kavanaugh knocked Chris Ruddy — Records from Kenneth Starr's office suggest Kavanaugh didn't think much of Ruddy, who has become one of Trump's top surrogates. — Two decades ago, as Brett Kavanaugh labored on independent counsel Ken Starr's team …
Caroline O'Donovan / BuzzFeed:
Walmart Just Patented Audio Surveillance Technology For Listening In On Employees — “The sound sensors can capture audio data based on interactions between the employee and the guests, interactions between the guests, and sounds resulting from movement and/or actions of the employees and/or guests.”
David Corn / Mother Jones:
While America Sleeps: Trump's Treachery and the Russia Scandal — With a summit ahead, Trump works with Putin to cover up Moscow's attack on the US. … Listen to David discuss the president's cover-up of the Russia scandal on the Mother Jones Podcast. — In 1938, Winston Churchill published …
Discussion:
The Nation, Hullabaloo, TheStreet and Defense News
Daniella Greenbaum / Weekly Standard:
Here Is the Column That Business Insider Spiked — Defending an actress for being hired to do a job is apparently beyond the pale these days. … Scarlett Johansson is the latest target of the social-justice warrior mob. The actress is being chastised for, well, acting.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Hot Air and Washington Free Beacon
Mary Ellen Klas / miamiherald:
Rick Scott and family made $550M in one transaction. How ‘blind’ is his blind trust? — TALLAHASSEE — The reason Gov. Rick Scott's net income rose 55 percent in 2017 has to do with electric cars, China partnerships, a company turnaround, and a single transaction that resulted …
Bryan Lowry / Kansas City Star:
VP Pence tears into McCaskill, shrugs off disruptions at KC event — Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly tore into U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill at a raucous event Wednesday in Kansas City that highlighted both the stark political division in the country and the role the region will have in deciding …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Al Weaver / Washington Examiner:
Senate sends Trump a warning shot on tariffs — The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution that warns President Trump against abusing his authority to impose tariffs on imports for national security reasons. — The vast majority of Republicans …
Discussion:
National Review
Tunku Varadarajan / Politico:
Croatia one step away from making history — The image of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford sprawled on the turf after the game against Croatia will find a permanent place in England's picture-book of heartbreak. As will the images of his gutted team-mates who slumped to their knees wherever the final whistle found them.
Discussion:
One America News Network
Carrie Johnson / NPR:
Senate Confirms New Boss For Justice Department Criminal Division — The Senate voted 51-48 on Wednesday to confirm Brian Benczkowski as an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, ending an 18-month delay in which its Criminal Division operated without a permanent leader.
Alan Blinder / New York Times:
Alabama Moves to Limit Sheriffs From Pocketing Jail Food Money — Alabama's governor has begun to cut off a gravy train for the state's sheriffs: the unspent money for prisoners' meals that the sheriffs have long been allowed to keep for themselves. — The practice, born of a bickered …
Discussion:
NPR and Political Wire