Top Items:
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.
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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:
Common Dreams, Reuters, Task & Purpose and The Daily Caller
Associated Press:
No shove, but Trump body language speaks to frosty relations — BRUSSELS (AP) — He didn't shove anyone this time, but President Donald Trump's body language during NATO events Wednesday suggested his relationships with key U.S. allies aren't exactly buddy-buddy.
Rick Noack / Washington Post:
The Russian pipeline to Germany that Trump is so mad about, explained — BERLIN — When German officials headed to the NATO summit in Brussels this week, they were already prepared for what they considered to be an inevitable attack by President Trump over their low defense spending.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Associated Press:
The Latest: Trump to watch military parade at Windsor Castle — BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's trip to Europe (all times local): — Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II will welcome President Donald Trump and his wife Melania at Windsor Castle where they will watch …
Discussion:
The Hill and Taylor Marsh
Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
NATO summit: Trump accuses Germany of being a ‘captive of Russia’
NATO summit: Trump accuses Germany of being a ‘captive of Russia’
Discussion:
The Guardian, New Republic, ThinkProgress, Politico, Towleroad, Just Security, KTLA, The Daily Caller, Al Jazeera English and Washington Post
New York Times:
NATO Summit Live Updates: Trump Pushes Allies to Increase Spending
NATO Summit Live Updates: Trump Pushes Allies to Increase Spending
Discussion:
NBC News, Sky News, Daily Express, Breitbart, MSNBC, Home Page Rotator, Althouse and Vox
Nicholas Burns / New York Times:
What America Gets Out of NATO
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:
Politico, twitchy.com, IJR and The Daily Caller
Bloomberg:
Trump and Merkel Exchange Barbs in Showdown Over Russia Pipeline
Trump and Merkel Exchange Barbs in Showdown Over Russia Pipeline
Discussion:
BloombergQuint, HuffPost, CNN and CNBC
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:
Axios and Atlantic Council
Elizabeth Williamson / New York Times:
Judge Kavanaugh's Former Clerks: Diverse, and Deployed to Vouch for Him — WASHINGTON — Part of the White House public relations campaign to win confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court began only seconds after President Trump nominated him, when Judge Kavanaugh gave …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Media Matters for America and MSNBC
RELATED:
Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker:
Brett Kavanaugh's Journey to Becoming a Supreme Court Nominee
Brett Kavanaugh's Journey to Becoming a Supreme Court Nominee
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Associated Press:
Analysis: Dems meet Supreme Court pick with mixed message
Analysis: Dems meet Supreme Court pick with mixed message
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, The Hill, Vox and Politico
Michelle Hackman / Wall Street Journal:
The All-Boys High School Producing GOP Bigwigs
Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:
America's Top Justices Are Less Like The Rest of The Country Than Ever Before
America's Top Justices Are Less Like The Rest of The Country Than Ever Before
Discussion:
Washington Post and Breitbart
Jen Kirby / Vox:
7 legal experts on how Kavanaugh views executive power — and what it could mean for Mueller
7 legal experts on how Kavanaugh views executive power — and what it could mean for Mueller
Discussion:
Politico, Rewire.News and Newsweek
Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
Does Brett Kavanaugh think the president is immune from criminal charges?
Does Brett Kavanaugh think the president is immune from criminal charges?
Discussion:
Townhall, Lawfare, Hot Air, Axios and SCOTUSblog
Kenneth Lovett / New York Daily News:
EXCLUSIVE: Ocasio-Cortez with another surprise election win - in a district she wasn't even running in … Things are going so well for insurgent Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that she's winning primaries she didn't even enter. — In addition to recently …
Discussion:
Townhall, Vox, Fox News, The Guardian, Washington Post, VICE News, Splinter, Bustle, ABC News, Washington Times, Politico and The Daily Caller
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Steven Shepard / Politico:
Poll: Voters oppose abolishing ICE — A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows that most voters oppose eliminating Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the homeland security agency some liberal Democrats have called for abolishing. — Only 1 in 4 voters in the poll, 25 percent …
Discussion:
Vox, The Daily Caller, National Review, Outside the Beltway, Daily Wire and Washington Post
Frank Bruni / New York Times:
The Center Is Sexier Than You Think — Enough about the Freedom Caucus.
The Center Is Sexier Than You Think — Enough about the Freedom Caucus.
Discussion:
Splinter and CANNONFIRE
Melanie Zanona / The Hill:
New Dem star to rattle DC establishment
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:
National Review, Daily Wire, Splinter, Townhall, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, HuffPost, Axios, The Daily Caller and Bustle
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 »
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:
Washington Post and Twitter, more at Techmeme »
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 …
Lisa Fain / Washington Post:
A taste of Chipotle's new menu items proves: It's no Taco Bell — Americans' love for Taco Bell, the nation's large Tex-Mex fast-food chain, must be vexing for Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has long prided itself on its whole and responsibly sourced ingredients.
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
Pence launches Midwest damage control mission — With anxiety rising over Trump's trade policies, the vice president is stumping for endangered incumbents and reassuring big GOP donors. — CHICAGO — Vice President Mike Pence begins a campaign swing through the Midwest on Wednesday designed …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and CNN
Noah Kirsch / Forbes:
Papa John's Founder Allegedly Used N-Word On Conference Call — Papa John's founder and CEO John Schnatter at the Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana in May 2015. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) — John Schnatter—the founder, chairman and public face of pizza chain Papa John's …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Bloomberg, WIS-TV, Boing Boing, Insider Louisville, BloombergQuint and Mediaite
Brooke Medina / Civitas Institute:
CIVITAS POLL: McCready Leads in NC-09 Congressional Race — RALEIGH, N.C. - In the latest Civitas Poll, Democrat congressional candidate Dan McCready leads Republican Mark Harris by 7 points. — The poll, conducted July 5-8, 2018, surveyed 543 likely voters in North Carolina's 9thcongressional district …
Jamie Tarabay / CNN:
Pompeo's North Korea meeting went ‘as badly as it could have gone’ — Kim Jong Un snubbed Mike Pompeo, source says — (CNN)It began with great expectations, an eagerly-anticipated meeting with a reclusive leader, and a gift bag that included an Elton John CD.
Discussion:
Shakesville, Foreign Policy, Latest - Truthout and Mother Jones
Sean T. Collins / The Outline:
The only good online fandom left is Dune — As corporations take control of nerd culture, science fiction's most esoteric epic remains gloriously untamed. — Escapism in the year 2018 is a strange thing. If you want to refresh a brain beshitted by weeks and months of workaday corruption and brutality …
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.
Nicole Hensley / New York Daily News:
Woman calls cops on black 12-year-old boy delivering newspapers in Ohio neighborhood — A fledgling paperboy working alongside his mother in suburban Columbus, Ohio, came face-to-face with a cop after a neighbor thought he was up to no good. — The nosy neighbor spied the 12-year-old boy …
Rachel Chason / Washington Post:
Nancy Floreen to run for Montgomery County executive as an independent — Democrat Nancy Floreen said Wednesday she will run for Montgomery County executive as an independent, challenging her left-leaning county council colleague Marc Elrich, the Democratic nominee, and triggering …
YouTube:
President Obama on Gerrymandering, Redistricting, & the 2018 Midterm Elections — Former President Barack Obama highlights the damaging effects of partisan and racial gerrymandering on our democracy and calls on Americans to get engaged in the 2018 mid-term elections as it is a critical year …
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 …
New York Times:
Trump Administration Returns to ‘Catch and Release’ of Migrants — WASHINGTON — The government said on Tuesday that it would release hundreds of migrant families wearing ankle bracelet monitors into the United States, effectively returning to the “catch and release” policy that President Trump promised to eliminate.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Vox, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, Politico, Bustle, Los Angeles Times and Axios
Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Michael Cohen has made ‘a declaration of independence’ from President Trump, lawyer says — Michael Cohen's new attorney says his client has made a “declaration of independence” from Donald Trump — and no longer would take a bullet for the president in any investigation.
Discussion:
TheBlaze, Susan Wright on the Right and Joe.My.God.