Top Items:
New York Times:
From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered — WASHINGTON — Two weeks before his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was shown highly classified intelligence indicating that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally ordered complex cyberattacks to sway the 2016 American election.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story and Townhall
RELATED:
Washington Post:
As Russians describe ‘verbal agreements’ at summit, U.S. officials scramble for clarity — Two days after President Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian officials offered a string of assertions about what the two leaders had achieved.
Discussion:
Political Wire, ABC News and The Mahablog
Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:
U.S. Officials ‘at a Fucking Loss’ Over Latest Russia Sell Out … Current and former American diplomats are expressing disgust and horror over the White House's willingness to entertain permitting Russian officials to question a prominent former U.S. ambassador.
Discussion:
Crime Russia, Mediaite, New York Times, Raw Story and Vox
CBS News:
Trump on whether he holds Putin responsible: “I would, because he's in charge of the country” — President Trump told “CBS Evening News” anchor Jeff Glor Wednesday it's “true” Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, and he “would” hold Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for interference.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, VICE News, CBS New York and Axios
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Trump's Russia spin falls flat with GOP — The more President Donald Trump talks about Russia, the more Republicans cringe. — The president's effort to clean up his disastrous Monday news conference is falling flat on Capitol Hill — and White House aides are doing little to assuage an increasingly frustrated GOP.
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
How Trump Turned the Right's Biggest Russia Hawk Into a Dove — Not long ago, it was harder to find a more devoted Russia hawk than Wall Street Journal columnist Holman W. Jenkins. The overriding theme of Jenkins's prodigious commentary on the subject was that Vladimir Putin posed a dire threat …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Sputnik International
John T. Bennett / Roll Call:
Trump Again Skips Intel Briefing After Siding With Putin
Trump Again Skips Intel Briefing After Siding With Putin
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Fox News and Raw Story
Eleanor Mueller / Politico:
White House: Trump will consider letting Russia question investor, former ambassador
White House: Trump will consider letting Russia question investor, former ambassador
Discussion:
ABC News, The Daily Beast, Breitbart and Axios
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Reporters, Facing a Hostile White House, Try a New Tactic: Solidarity
Vivian Salama / Wall Street Journal:
White House Weighs Allowing Russia to Question Ex-U.S. Envoy
White House Weighs Allowing Russia to Question Ex-U.S. Envoy
Discussion:
RedState and POLITICUSUSA
Toluse Olorunnipa / Bloomberg:
Putin Asked Trump to Let Russia Question McFaul, White House Says
Putin Asked Trump to Let Russia Question McFaul, White House Says
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Meduza.io, Raw Story, The Week and Mediaite
Kara Swisher / Recode:
Mark Zuckerberg clarifies: 'I personally find Holocaust denial deeply offensive, and I absolutely didn't intend to defend the intent of people who deny that.' — The Facebook founder has attracted controversy for how the social network deals with content that is offensive to many, such as Holocaust deniers
Discussion:
Axios, more at Mediagazer »
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Kara Swisher / Recode:
Zuckerberg: The Recode interview — Everything was on the table — and after Facebook's wildest year yet, that's a really big table. — I had not done a formal interview with Zuckerberg since he appeared at our D: All Things Digital conference in 2010, when the company was in its early days.
Kara Swisher / Recode:
Full transcript: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Recode Decode
Full transcript: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Recode Decode
Discussion:
CNNMoney, The Guardian, CNBC, The Verge, Raw Story, Mashable, Politico, Instapundit and The Gateway Pundit
Sheera Frenkel / New York Times:
Facebook to Remove Misinformation That Leads to Violence
Facebook to Remove Misinformation That Leads to Violence
Discussion:
Recode and Gizmodo, more at Mediagazer »
Max Read / New York Magazine:
Does Facebook Need a Constitution?
Does Facebook Need a Constitution?
Discussion:
The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
Katherine Stewart / New York Times:
What Was Maria Butina Doing at the National Prayer Breakfast? — America's Christian nationalists have been finding common cause with the Russian government for a while now. — Ms. Stewart writes regularly about the political activities of evangelicals and other religious groups.
Discussion:
Vox, The Daily Beast, Power Line, Daily Kos, Religion News Service, The Trace, Gizmodo, Booman Tribune and The Daily Banter
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BBC:
Maria Butina: Alleged Russia agent ‘offered sex for job’
Maria Butina: Alleged Russia agent ‘offered sex for job’
Discussion:
CBS News, HuffPost, ThinkProgress, IJR and Balloon Juice
Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News:
Prosecutors Say Accused Russian Agent Maria Butina Appeared To Have Ties To Russian Intelligence
Prosecutors Say Accused Russian Agent Maria Butina Appeared To Have Ties To Russian Intelligence
Discussion:
Boing Boing
Carrie Johnson / NPR:
Judge Orders Maria Butina, Linked To Russian Spy Agency, Jailed Ahead Of Trial
Judge Orders Maria Butina, Linked To Russian Spy Agency, Jailed Ahead Of Trial
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and What The Fuck …
Michael Anton / Washington Post:
Citizenship shouldn't be a birthright — Michael Anton is a lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale College and a former national security official in the Trump administration. — A Supreme Court confirmation fight always raises constitutional hopes and stokes constitutional fears.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Balkinization, Splinter and American Greatness
Maura Dolan / Los Angeles Times:
State Supreme Court removes measure to split California into three states from November ballot — The California Supreme Court decided Wednesday to remove from the November ballot a measure aimed at dividing California into three states. — In a brief order, the court said it acted …
Discussion:
Axios, Mother Jones, HuffPost, Political Wire, Joe.My.God., Curbed LA, BuzzFeed, The Week and KTLA
RELATED:
Jeremy B. White / Politico:
Court blocks ballot initiative to divide California into three states
Heather Caygle / Politico:
House Dems unveil new midterm campaign slogan — House Democrats have finalized their campaign slogan heading into the last months before the midterm election: “For the People.” — The new motto, which Democratic leaders unveiled in a private meeting with members Wednesday morning …
Discussion:
RedState, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, Townhall, New Republic, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire and twitchy.com
CNN:
A GOP congressman once lamented not being able to call women ‘sluts’ anymore — (CNN)A Republican congressman from Minnesota has a long history of making deeply misogynistic comments on the radio, including lamenting that women can no longer be called “sluts.”
Bill Melugin / KTTV:
EXCLUSIVE: Riverside gun store confronts Sacha Baron Cohen after he comes to business in disguise — RIVERSIDE, CA (FOX 11) - A Riverside gun store owner has harsh words for Sacha Baron Cohen after he says he caught the actor showing up to his business in disguise and under false pretense, and it was all caught on surveillance video.
Discussion:
Conservative Review, HuffPost, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, TheBlaze, Daily Wire, AOL, Grabien News, The Federalist, Louder With Crowder, Clayton Cramer and Law & Crime
Emily Davies / People.com:
Michelle Obama Launches Voter Registration Campaign with Tom Hanks and Lin-Manuel Miranda — Lin-Manuel Miranda is not throwing away his opportunity to vote this November — and he doesn't want you to either. — Miranda has joined forces with former First Lady Michelle Obama …
Discussion:
Breitbart
RELATED:
Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
Michelle Obama wades into the midterms
Ryan Browne / CNN:
Trump's military parade expected to cost nearly as much as ‘tremendously expensive’ canceled war games — Here's how other countries do military parades — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's military parade in DC is likely to cost nearly as much as the now canceled military exercise …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and Axios
Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Special counsel still investigating Roger Stone — Stone: Think I'm probably person in indictment — Washington (CNN)Robert Mueller's special counsel's office appears to still be investigating Trump adviser Roger Stone and working on a case in court involving one of his former associates.
Foreign Policy:
State Department Silent on MH17 Anniversary Following Trump-Putin Firestorm — The department prepared to criticize Russia's role in the 2014 downing of a civilian airliner over Ukraine, but the statement was never released. — Every year since a Russian missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Washington Post and Axios
Ben Lefebvre / Politico:
Interior watchdog opens probe of land deal linking Zinke, Halliburton chairman — The Interior Department's internal watchdog has launched a full investigation into a real estate deal involving a foundation established by Ryan Zinke and developers including Halliburton Chairman David Lesar …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Axios, The Gateway Pundit and The Week
Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed News:
American Conservatives Played A Secret Role In The Macedonian Fake News Boom Ahead Of 2016 — A joint investigation by BuzzFeed News and partners has uncovered new information that rewrites the story of the fake news boom in the Macedonian town of Veles. — A week before Election Day in 2016 …
Caroline Orr / Shareblue Media:
Queen of England wore brooch from Obama to mark Trump's UK visit — Queen Elizabeth may have thrown some royal shade at Trump during his visit to the U.K. last week. — Queen Elizabeth may have marked Trump's visit to the U.K. last Thursday by throwing some royal shade in his direction …
Discussion:
VICE News, Mother Jones and AOL
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CBS Philly:
Bacon Is Bad For Your Mental Health, Say Researchers — According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, people who eat meats cured with nitrates are three times more likely to experience a manic episode.
Joseph Bernstein / BuzzFeed:
A Stabbing On Samish Island: The Radicalization Of Lane Davis — Lane Davis was a far-right, pro-Trump media figure looking for his big break. Then he stabbed his father to death. — Nearly everyone on Samish Island knew Chuck Davis, a bighearted retiree who lived in the handsome gray shingle house …
Washington Post:
Trump's tariffs on Mexico are causing layoffs in the United States — POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — When a Mexican company bought Mid Continent Nail Corp. in 2012, workers at the factory here feared it was the beginning of the end. Their jobs, they suspected, would be given to lower-paid workers in Mexico …
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Now the party of Trump, GOP's midterm pitch is protecting him — Subscribe to McClatchy's Beyond the Bubble show on iTunes here or Stitcher. — WASHINGTON — Headed into a election that's expected to favor Democrats, a top GOP Senate strategist says Republicans are counting …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and Hullabaloo
Manu Raju / CNN:
Trump Supreme Court pick: I would ‘put the nail’ in ruling upholding independent counsel — (CNN)Judge Brett Kavanaugh two years ago expressed his desire to overturn a three-decade-old Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of an independent counsel, a comment bound …
Discussion:
Latest from Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, AOL, IJR, CNBC, twitchy.com, Shareblue Media and Above the Law
Sarah N. Lynch / Reuters:
Judge denies Manafort's request to suppress evidence — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort to suppress evidence seized by the FBI from his home as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe …