memeorandum: Ken Starr: Kavanaugh would rule ‘that no one is above the law’ (Quint Forgey/Politico)

2:50 PM ET, July 14, 2018

Top Items:

Alicia Cohn / The Hill:

Trump on Russia indictment: Why didn't Obama do something? — on Saturday reacted to the indictment of 12 Russian military officers “for conspiring to interfere with the 2016 presidential election” by blaming former President Obama and the “deep state.” — “The stories you heard …

Discussion: Vox, New York Times, POLITICUSUSA and NewsWars

Lawfare:

Russia Indictment 2.0: What to Make of Mueller's Hacking Indictment — The indictment Friday morning of 12 Russian military intelligence officials in connection with the 2016 election hacks and the resulting distribution of purloined emails was not a total surprise.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, New York Times, NBC News, Sputnik International and Radio Free Europe

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Trump blames Obama for Russian election meddling — The president asked why the Obama administration didn't ‘do something about’ Russia's cyberattacks. — President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed the Obama administration for the actions of 12 Russian military officials indicted …

Discussion: Axios, One America News Network, Breitbart, twitchy.com and Mediaite

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:

Ignore the spin — still no evidence of Trump collusion — “They caught the witches.” Those were the celebratory words of John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton — 's 2016 presidential campaign, in response to the indictment Friday of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for hacking efforts linked to the 2016 election.

CNN:

Roger Stone's messages suggest he is unnamed person in new Russia indictment — Washington (CNN)Roger Stone appears to be the unnamed individual in a new Russia probe indictment made public Friday who is described as having communicated with Guccifer 2.0 in 2016.

Discussion: Politico, USA Today, Gizmodo, ThinkProgress, emptywheel, Splinter, Fox News, POLITICUSUSA, Boing Boing, Raw Story, Mediaite and HuffPost

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
After being told of Russia indictments, Trump still aspired to be friends with Putin

Discussion: Breitbart and ABC News

The Daily Beast:
Will Trump Keep Pushing Putin's Lies About Attacking America?

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Mother Jones and Talking Points Memo

Julian E. Barnes / New York Times:
‘Warning Lights Are Blinking Red,’ Top Intelligence Officer Says of Russian Attacks

Discussion: The Mahablog, Chicago Tribune, The Hill, CNN, Vox, Mediaite, New Republic, 1A and U.S. Department of Justice, more at Techmeme »

Kevin Poulsen / The Daily Beast:
Russian Hackers Kept DNC Backdoor Longer Than Anyone Knew

Discussion: Conservative News Today and The Atlantic

David Von Drehle / Washington Post: Mueller stood up to Putin. Now it's Trump's turn.

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker: Thanks to Robert Mueller, Trump and Putin Now Have a Summit Agenda

Raphael Satter / Associated Press:
Long-hidden hackers unmasked by US special counsel

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Guardian and Politico

James Risen / The Intercept:
Indictment of Russian Intelligence Operatives Should Quell Harebrained Conspiracy Theories on DNC Hack

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico and Towleroad Gay News

Katie Rogers / New York Times:

In Trump's U.K. Visit, Some See ‘Infomercial’ for Money-Losing Golf Resort — GLASGOW — On Monday, President Trump will have a closely watched meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, just days after the announcement that 12 Russian military intelligence officers had been indicted …

Discussion: CBS News, The Guardian, American Greatness, Splinter, The Week, Associated Press, CNN, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Paul Kelbie / Associated Press:
10,000 protest Trump in Edinburgh; UK police seek paraglider

Discussion: Politico, TheBlaze and Washington Times

Libby Brooks / The Guardian:
Thousands protest across Scotland as Trump plays golf

Discussion: BBC, ThinkProgress, NPR and Common Dreams

Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost:
Greenpeace Paragliding Protester Buzzes Trump At Turnberry

Discussion: IJR, Sky News, Sputnik International, Raw Story and AOL

Jack Aitchison / dailyrecord:
Greenpeace buzz Donald Trump with paraglider at Turnberry resort with President inside

Discussion: Scotsman and Daily Mail

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Ken Starr: Kavanaugh would rule ‘that no one is above the law’ — Former Clinton independent counsel Ken Starr said Saturday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, if confirmed, would not bend to President Donald Trump's will if a potential showdown with special counsel Robert Mueller sparked a constitutional crisis.

Discussion: Axios and Breitbart

Former U.S. Senator Al Franken:
When Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and twitchy.com

Kyle Olson / The American Mirror: Speech problems mar Pelosi appearance: Says tax cut will add ‘2 children dollars more’ to deficit

Foreign Policy:

White House Official Who Advocated for Refugees Sacked and Escorted From Office — Jennifer Arangio had clashed with Stephen Miller and other hard-line aides to Trump. — A senior White House official, Jennifer Arangio, was fired Thursday and escorted from her office …

Discussion: CNN, Politico and IJR

NBC News:
U.S. refuses European requests for exemptions from its new sanctions on Iran

Discussion: Daily Kos and Defense One

CBS News:

Maryland told its voter registration vendor financed by Russian oligarch — Top Maryland officials say the FBI told them this week that the state's voter registration platform was purchased by a Russian oligarch in 2015, without state officials knowing. The FBI did not indicate a breach occurred …

Discussion: The Intercept

Ovetta Wiggins / Washington Post:
Election system firm with Maryland contract has ties to Russian oligarch, FBI tells state

Discussion: Axios

Jayne Miller / WBAL: Maryland voter registration system runs on software owned by Russian-financed firm, I-Team learns

Amy Joi O'Donoghue / Deseret News:

‘Puppy pistol?’ Utah gun rights activist says she was duped by Sacha Baron Cohen — SOUTH JORDAN — Utah gun rights activist Janalee Tobias said she held a .22-caliber pistol cloaked in a stuffed toy puppy — the puppy pistol — and fed it bullets shaped like crayons to kill the bad guys.

Daniel Dale / Toronto Star:

Trump has said 1,340,330 words as president. They're getting more dishonest, a Star study shows — WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump's words are getting more dishonest over time, the Star has found in the first detailed statistical analysis of his inaccurate statements in office.

Michiko Kakutani / The Guardian:

The death of truth: how we gave up on facts and ended up with Trump — From post-modernism to filter bubbles, ‘truth decay’ has been spreading for decades. How can we stop alternative facts from bringing down democracy, asks Michiko Kakutani — Two of the most monstrous regimes …

New York Times:

Cleaning Toilets, Following Rules: A Migrant Child's Days in Detention — A portrait of life in the shelters for the children detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. — Do not misbehave. Do not sit on the floor. Do not share your food. Do not use nicknames. Also, it is best not to cry.

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

Should Democrats Have Saved Their Filibuster for the New Court Fight? — WASHINGTON — In the days leading up to the vote on Judge Neil M. Gorsuch's confirmation to the Supreme Court in the spring of 2017, Senator Susan Collins approached Senator Michael Bennet on the Senate floor with an urgent plea.

Wall Street Journal:

After the Strzok Stonewall — Here's what Trump should declassify if he wants the truth known. — FBI agent Peter Strzok's appearance before Congress Thursday was a predictable political circus, and here's what we learned: President Trump will have to declassify a host of documents …

Garrett M. Graff / New York Times: The Real F.B.I. Election Culprit

Jennifer Hassan / Washington Post:

‘Did Donald Trump just WALK IN FRONT OF THE QUEEN?’ — LONDON — It's generally quite difficult to upstage the queen of England, but President Trump might have managed to do so. — Trump and Queen Elizabeth II met Friday as part of his working visit to the United Kingdom.

Discussion: twitchy.com, RedState, Conservative News Today, Telegraph, Chicks On The Right, New York Times and Reuters

Avery Anapol / The Hill:

Trump falsely claims CNN did not cover him refusing question from Acosta at UK press conference — on Saturday falsely claimed that CNN did not report on his snub of the network's White House correspondent Jim Acosta at an international news conference the previous day.