memeorandum: Kentucky's Paul shares Trump's skepticism of US intervention (Lisa Mascaro/Associated Press)

2:30 PM ET, July 19, 2018

Top Items:

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.

CBS News:

CBS News poll: Most Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Putin summit — Only a third of Americans (32 percent) approve of the way Donald Trump handled his summit in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a CBS News poll shows. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans approve.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Examiner, CNN, New Republic, Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight and CNBC

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: Just Security, Defense One, The Guardian, Task & Purpose, MSNBC, Joe.My.God., National Review, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, IJR, Shareblue Media, ABC News and Political Wire

Axios:

Poll: Huge GOP majority backs Trump's Putin performance — Republicans overwhelmingly approve of President Trump's handling of his press conference in Helsinki when he seemed not to side with U.S. intelligence agencies instead of Russian President Vladimir Putin over election meddling, according to a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Washington Post, Politico, Sputnik International, Washington Times, IJR, The Daily Caller, The Week, Daily Wire, AOL and Mediaite

Martin Matishak / Politico:

House Republicans defeat attempt to subpoena Trump interpreter — Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday defeated an attempt by panel Democrats to subpoena the interpreter who worked for President Donald Trump during his summit Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Discussion: National Review, Political Wire, One America News Network and Breitbart

Brian Bennett / TIME:

Trump Wanted a Summit With Putin. He Got Way More Than He Bargained For — ‘Who do you believe?’ — It was a simple question, asked of President Trump by a seasoned reporter, but it sent a jolt through the assembled media at the July 16 press conference held at an ornate palace in Helsinki.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, TheJournal.ie, Bustle, WGN-TV, abc11.com, The Daily Caller, HuffPost, Mediaite and Mashable

Daniel W. Drezner / Washington Post:

We should have a debate over whether treason is being committed by the White House. Yes, I just typed those words. — Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor to PostEverything.

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress, Fox News Insider and MSNBC

John Parkinson / ABC News:

Republicans block Democrat attempt to subpoena Trump interpreter — Republicans blocked an attempt Thursday morning to subpoena the interpreter who sat in on President Donald Trump's one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland on Monday.

Discussion: Townhall, Washington Times, American Greatness, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon and Mediaite

Joe DePaolo / Mediaite:
Trump Calls Media ‘Real Enemy of the People’ While Revealing ‘Second Meeting’ With Putin

Discussion: The Atlantic, ThinkProgress and Al Jazeera English

Samantha Schmidt / Washington Post:
Outrage erupts over Trump-Putin ‘conversation’ about letting Russia interrogate ex-U.S. diplomat Michael McFaul

Discussion: RedState, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times and Shareblue Media

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Trump says he'll have another meeting with Putin, again calls media ‘enemy of the people’

Discussion: The Atlantic, Townhall, Washington Post and Political Wire

Alexander Mallin / ABC News:
Lawmakers condemn White House suggestion that Kremlin could interrogate former US ambassador

Discussion: Townhall, CNN, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Free Beacon

Aaron Rupar / ThinkProgress:
Republicans block effort to subpoena only U.S. witness of secret Trump-Putin meeting

Discussion: Jamie Dupree - AJC, Shareblue Media, The Week and Breitbart

Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press: Kentucky's Paul shares Trump's skepticism of US intervention

Kate Irby / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Nunes used political dollars for $15K in Celtics tickets, winery tours and Vegas trips — WASHINGTON — Rep. Devin Nunes used political donations to pay for nearly $15,000 in tickets to Boston Celtics basketball games as well as winery tours and lavish trips to Las Vegas …

Discussion: AOL and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Jeff Cox / CNBC:

Trump lays into the Federal Reserve, says he's ‘not thrilled’ about interest rate hikes — President Donald Trump, in a rare statement for Oval Office holders, criticized the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates. — He said he's “not thrilled” with rate hikes and worries …

Discussion: Politico, Vox, CNNMoney, Axios and The Week

Erica Werner / Washington Post:

House GOP refuses to renew election security funding as Democrats fume over Russian interference — House Republicans plan to vote Thursday on a spending bill that excludes new money for election security grants to states, provoking a furious reaction from Democrats amid a national controversy over Russian election interference.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Chicago Tribune, Hot Air, Fox News, Joe.My.God., Hullabaloo, Politico, Shareblue Media, Salon, POLITICUSUSA, Splinter, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Lawyers, Guns & Money

New York Times: Why Joe Crowley's Loss Could Be Good News for Hakeem Jeffries

David Wasserman / The Cook Political Report: New FEC Data Points to Severe Risk for House GOP

New York Times:

A Democratic Blue Wave? Don't Forget the Republicans' Big Hill — One seems like an unstoppable force, but a G.O.P. structural advantage may represent an immovable object. — Democrats are optimistic about riding a so-called blue wave to control of the House this November, and it's easy to see why.

Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:

Steve King Is A White Supremacist, And The GOP Doesn't Care — Among other white supremacist views, the congressman refused to apologize for promoting a neo-Nazi on Twitter. Republicans continue to look the other way. — On June 12, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) tweeted: “Europe is waking up …

CBS News:

Trump on a 2020 Joe Biden run: “Obama took him out of the garbage heap” — For the first time as president, Donald Trump is holding his Russian counterpart responsible for interfering in the 2016 election. In an exclusive interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Jeff Glor …

Discussion: CNN, Bustle, IJR, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, AOL, HuffPost, Daily Wire, Washington Post, The Week, TheBlaze, Axios and USA Today

Jamelle Bouie / Slate:

Trump's Ties — For the better part of two years now, reporters have been trying to find the issue or offense that could fracture Donald Trump's base of support. They have traveled to “Trump country” for regular updates from working-class whites and other key Trump constituents …

ITV:

‘Russian suspects identified’ from CCTV in Skripal poison attack — Police are believed to have identified the suspected perpetrators of the Novichok attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal. — Officers think several Russians were involved in the attempted murder of the former double agent …

Discussion: Sputnik International and Politico

Guy Faulconbridge / Reuters:
Britain has identified Russians suspected of Skripal nerve attack: PA

Discussion: The Guardian and The Daily Caller

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

Matt Drudge Weighs in on Latest New Yorker Cover: The Left Has a ‘Fetish’ For Trump's Death — Matt Drudge posted a rare tweet from his personal account Thursday morning, accusing the Left of wishing physical harm - even death — on President Trump. — Drudge's tweets never last very long, so here's a screenshot.

Françoise Mouly / New Yorker:
Barry Blitt's “Thumbs-Up”

Discussion: Washington Post, twitchy.com, Politico and The Daily Caller

Vivian Wang / New York Times:

New York Is Said to Open Tax Inquiry Into Trump Foundation — The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has opened an investigation into whether the Donald J. Trump Foundation violated state tax laws, a move that could lead to a criminal referral for possible prosecution …

Discussion: Law & Crime and Reuters

Dartunorro Clark / NBC News:

Sean Spicer: Mueller's investigation is not a witch hunt — “I think it's very important to be clear that Russia meddled in our election and there's no evidence of collusion,” Spicer said. — Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that he does not believe special counsel …

Discussion: Vox, IJR, Bustle, HuffPost, Contemptor and Joe.My.God.

Adam Rawnsley / The Daily Beast:

Accused Russian Spy's Boy Toy Is a Serial Fraud: Lawsuits … This isn't the first time Paul Erickson, the Republican political consultant at the center of a Russian espionage probe, has found himself in middle of some drama. — Erickson—who served as a media advisor to a famously-emasculated porn actor …

Discussion: Argus Leader, Boing Boing, CNBC and HuffPost

Nick Timiraos / Wall Street Journal:

Deficit Projected to Top $1 Trillion Starting Next Year — Most recent administration estimates show challenge of reducing red ink — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration expects annual budget deficits to rise nearly $100 billion more than previously forecast in each of the next three years …

Discussion: MSNBC

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
White House: U.S. Can't Afford Veterans' Health Care Without Cuts

Discussion: IJR

Monica Hesse / Washington Post:

He thought white men were vanishing from TV. I disagreed. So we conducted an experiment. — I have this friend I'll call Tom, and when we each watch TV, we notice different things. Recently, Tom had been noticing white men like him — or rather, noticing a lack of them.

Kristine Phillips / Washington Post:

Duterte's drug war killed thousands, and Filipinos still loved him. Then he called God ‘stupid.’ — President Rodrigo Duterte slams his hand lightly on the podium, as if to show exasperation. Speaking in his usual casual tone, he unloads an expletive-laden tirade over what he sees as a bizarre story rife with stupidity.

Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:

Special counsel has nearly 500 pieces of evidence for Paul Manafort trial — Pictures of Paul Manafort's homes, cars, $21,000 watch and high-end clothing may be displayed for jurors at his trial beginning in Alexandria federal court next week, according to a list of nearly 500 potential exhibits published …

Discussion: Raw Story

Stephanie Murray / Politico:

Ryan says conservatives must ‘fight back’ against the alt-right — Conservatives should “fight back” against the alt-right and white nationalists, and do a better job reclaiming classic terms to stamp out identity politics, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Thursday.

Noam Scheiber / New York Times:

Trump Nominee Is Behind Anti-Union Legal Campaign — Even before the Supreme Court struck down mandatory union fees for government workers last month, the next phase of the conservative legal campaign against public-sector unions was underway. — In March, with the decision looming …

Bill Mahoney / Politico:

Cuomo leads Nixon by 36 points in latest Quinnipiac poll — ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads Democratic primary challenger Cynthia Nixon 59-23 in a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday morning, expanding the streak of polls that bode well for the governor as he seeks a third term.

Discussion: Daily Wire, Rochester Democrat … and Bloomberg

Coleman Hughes / Quillette:

Black American Culture and the Racial Wealth Gap — There is arguably no racial disparity more striking than the wealth gap. While the median white household earns just 65 percent more income than its black counterpart, its net worth is fully ten times as high.

Charlotte Graham-McLay / New York Times:

A 4-Day Workweek? A Test Run Shows a Surprising Result — WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A New Zealand firm that let its employees work four days a week while being paid for five says the experiment was so successful that it hoped to make the change permanent.

USA Today:

In bid to impeach Rod Rosenstein, House Republicans are abusing power to protect Trump — Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan are trying to impeach Rod Rosenstein in an effort to protect Donald Trump. That is an abuse of power and trust. — CONNECT — Even as President Donald Trump …

Senator Bernie Sanders / Senator Sanders's Feed:

Sanders Introduces Resolution to Protect American Democracy from Russian Meddling — Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a resolution Thursday to force members of the Senate to go on the record in accepting the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia interfered …

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Reporters, Facing a Hostile White House, Try a New Tactic: Solidarity — Reporters, Facing a Hostile White House, Try Solidarity — The Town at the Heart of — Nicaragua's Opposition Movement — Masaya is one of the few places in Nicaragua where President Daniel Ortega's crackdown on protesters has faltered.

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