Top Items:
New York Times:
Michael Cohen Secretly Taped Trump Discussing Payment to Playboy Model — WASHINGTON — President Trump's longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, secretly recorded a conversation with Mr. Trump two months before the presidential election in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Vox, CNN, CNBC, HuffPost, Political Wire, Los Angeles Times, Bustle, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News Insider, Outside the Beltway, Politico, Hullabaloo, Conservative News Today, Law & Crime, VICE News, Mediaite, MSNBC, Boing Boing, Taylor Marsh, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, RT, Talking Points Memo, Contemptor, What The Fuck …, The Mahablog, The Daily Caller, The Week, Splinter, Above the Law, ABC News, The Daily Beast, The Root, Hot Air, Mother Jones, Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice, Common Dreams, WPIX 11 New York, KTLA, AOL, TheJournal.ie, The Hill, Axios, The Guardian, PJ Media Home and WGN-TV
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Washington Post:
In secret recording seized by FBI, Trump and Cohen discuss making payments for story of model who alleged affair with Trump — Federal investigators have an audio recording in which then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his personal attorney Michael Cohen discussed in the fall …
Wall Street Journal:
Michael Cohen Taped Conversation With Trump About Buying Rights to Playmate's Story — Conversation took place in September 2016, according to people familiar with the matter — Michael Cohen taped a conversation in person with Donald Trump in which the two men discussed buying the rights …
Discussion:
Breitbart, NBC News, Mediaite, Law & Crime and MSNBC
TMZ.com:
Manhattan Madam Kristin Davis — Subpoenaed by Robert Mueller — EXCLUSIVE — Kristin Davis, the Manhattan Madam who went to prison and was connected to former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, is being subpoenaed in the Robert Mueller investigation ... TMZ has learned.
Discussion:
New York Daily News, The Gateway Pundit, Law & Crime, Raw Story, Political Wire, CANNONFIRE, NY State of Politics, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
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Manuel Roig-Franzia / Washington Post:
Mueller seeking to question ‘Manhattan madam,’ a friend of Roger Stone, in Russia probe, she says
Mueller seeking to question ‘Manhattan madam,’ a friend of Roger Stone, in Russia probe, she says
Discussion:
CNBC
Michael Sykes / Axios:
Trump floats season suspension for NFL players protesting anthem — President Trump took to Twitter Friday to call out the NFL on their national anthem policy. — The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again - can't believe it! Isn't it in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart?
Discussion:
ProFootballTalk, One America News Network, Joe.My.God. and CBS Philly
Olivia Nuzzi / New York Magazine:
'I Couldn't Stop Laughing. It's So Ridiculous.' A Surreal Week of Excuse-Making at the White House. — It's the end of the week in Washington, and there are some things that we know to be true: It's 83 degrees and partly cloudy, with 47 percent humidity. At 11:30 a.m., Donald Trump's …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate GOP attempts to wave Trump off second Putin summit — Senate Republicans are attempting to dissuade President Trump — from holding another summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin anytime soon. — Many GOP senators regard Trump's meeting with the Russian leader in Helsinki earlier this week as a political disaster.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Hit & Run, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Sarah Palin, IJR, Shareblue Media and USA Today
CNN:
How Mark Sanford met Maria Butina — (CNN)Rep. Mark Sanford, the South Carolina Republican and frequent critic of President Donald Trump, had his own run-in with accused Russian spy Maria Butina at his family farm last year. — Butina and her boyfriend, Paul Erickson …
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Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
The entire Republican Party is becoming a Russian asset
The entire Republican Party is becoming a Russian asset
Discussion:
RedState, Hullabaloo and Shareblue Media
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
Are Republicans Covering for Trump, or for Themselves?
Are Republicans Covering for Trump, or for Themselves?
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Nation, CNN and Mother Jones
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Four reasons we've reached a tipping point on Trump — As a preliminary matter, I'm delighted to be back from vacation and back in the United States. Easily forgotten during the coverage of the incompetent and intellectually corrupted officials who populate this administration are the honorable men …
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Blake Hounshell / Politico:
Why I'm No Longer a Russiagate Skeptic — Facts are piling up, and it's getting harder to deny what's staring us in the face. — When I wrote, back in February, that I was skeptical that President Donald Trump would ever be proved to have secretly colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election in his favor, I mistyped.
Discussion:
National Review, CANNONFIRE, Raw Story and New Yorker
Hollywood Reporter:
James Gunn Fired as Director of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ — The move comes after controversial tweets from the filmmaker were resurfaced. — James Gunn is exiting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. — The move comes after conservative personalities resurfaced old tweets Thursday …
Discussion:
USA Today, Hot Air, Polygon, IndieWire, The Ringer, Fox News, Vox, The Guardian, TheBlaze, Meduza.io, NBC News, Breitbart, Observer, Deadline, The Verge, The Daily Caller, Bustle, Gizmodo, Mashable, news.avclub.com and Daily Wire
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Trey Williams / The Wrap:
Disney Drops James Gunn From ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Franchise After Offensive Tweets
Disney Drops James Gunn From ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Franchise After Offensive Tweets
Discussion:
Louder With Crowder and twitchy.com
Brent Lang / Variety:
James Gunn Fired From ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
James Gunn Fired From ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
Discussion:
Bounding Into Comics, Full Feed and The Daily Caller
Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Why I Needed to Pull Back From Twitter — The viciousness, toxic partisan anger and intellectual dishonesty are at all-time highs. — WASHINGTON — I woke up last Sunday morning feeling anxiety in my chest as I checked the Twitter app on my phone, scrolling down to refresh, refresh, refresh.
Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:
Fox News' Kimberly Guilfoyle leaving the network to hit campaign trail with Donald Trump Jr. — Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Fox News host and longtime network personality, plans to leave her role at the cable news channel, two people familiar with the matter said.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Conservative News Today, TVNewser, Splinter, IJR, AOL, Daily Wire, Washington Times, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and twitchy.com
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Yashar Ali / HuffPost:
Kimberly Guilfoyle Did Not Leave Fox News Voluntarily, Sources Say: Scoop
Kimberly Guilfoyle Did Not Leave Fox News Voluntarily, Sources Say: Scoop
Discussion:
Hot Air, Contemptor and twitchy.com
Marina Fang / HuffPost:
Fox News Host Kimberly Guilfoyle Leaving The Network
Fox News Host Kimberly Guilfoyle Leaving The Network
Discussion:
New York Times, RedState, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
Washington Post:
Senate candidate Corey Stewart says New York Times reporter broke into aide's apartment — Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Corey Stewart has accused a New York Times reporter of breaking into the apartment of a campaign aide, saying the “far left media” was trying to undermine his campaign against Sen. Tim Kaine in Virginia.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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Caleb Ecarma / Mediaite:
NY Times Denies Reporter Broke Into Corey Stewart Staffer's Home: His Claim ‘Is Entirely False’
NY Times Denies Reporter Broke Into Corey Stewart Staffer's Home: His Claim ‘Is Entirely False’
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
NBC News:
Iran has laid groundwork for extensive cyberattacks on U.S., say officials — Iran has positioned cyber weapons to hit private firms and infrastructure, but there is no suggestion an attack is imminent, say U.S. officials. — ASPEN, Colo. — Iranian hackers have laid the groundwork to carry …
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Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Inside the Putin-Netanyahu-Trump deal on Syria
Inside the Putin-Netanyahu-Trump deal on Syria
Discussion:
Home Page Rotator
CNN:
GOP congressman said blacks have ‘entitlement mentality’ and view themselves as victims — GOP rep. defends prior comments on ‘slut’ women — (CNN)Republican Rep. Jason Lewis has a long history of racist rhetoric about African-Americans, pushing claims of a “racial war” …
Discussion:
Axios, Political Wire and Raw Story
Bethany Mandel / Ricochet:
How to Handle the Outrage Mob — Bethany Mandel — Yesterday actor Mark Duplass tweeted a nice across the aisle ovature to the Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro: — He was, as the kids say, ratioed. To be “ratioed” on Twitter means the replies to your tweet outnumber the folks who click …
Discussion:
The Federalist, RedState and The Resurgent
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David French / National Review:
The Sliming of Ben Shapiro
The Sliming of Ben Shapiro
Discussion:
alicublog, Vox, Fox News and The Daily Beast
Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire:
So, Here's A Giant List Of All The Dumb Stuff I've Ever Done (Don't Worry, I'll Keep Updating It) — This week, in the space of 24 hours, I went from a nice person with good intentions who differs politically from liberals but doesn't bend the truth to a racist, sexist, bigot homophobe …
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Yaniv Kubovich / Haaretz:
Major Escalation in Gaza: Israel Launches Massive Attack After Hamas Snipers Fire at Troops
Major Escalation in Gaza: Israel Launches Massive Attack After Hamas Snipers Fire at Troops
Discussion:
Townhall, New York Times, Common Dreams, CNN and NBC News
Edward Luce / Financial Times:
Henry Kissinger: ‘We are in a very, very grave period’ — It was not hard to entice Henry Kissinger to meet for lunch. Though he is 95, and moves very slowly, the grand consigliere of American diplomacy is keen to talk. He hops on and off planes to see the likes of Russia's Vladimir Putin …
Discussion:
The American Conservative, Washington Post, Althouse and Political Wire
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Ta-Nehisi Coates is leaving the Atlantic — Ta-Nehisi Coates is leaving his position as a national correspondent for the Atlantic, a publication where he has emerged as one of the country's top reporters and thinkers. He has not signed on with a competing publication.
Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:
Whoopi Goldberg: Jeanine Pirro ‘Cursed’ Us Out in Front of ‘The View’ Audience … “Unless you were under a rock yesterday, you know all about Jeanine Pirro's appearance here on the show,” Whoopi Goldberg said Friday morning on The View, putting an extra bit of snark on the Fox News host's name.
Discussion:
Hot Air, IJR, Contemptor, Breitbart, Mediaite, The Daily Beast and Page Six
CNBC:
CNBC TRANSCRIPT: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SITS DOWN WITH CNBC'S JOE KERNEN — Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with President Donald Trump and CNBC's Joe Kernen that aired on CNBC's “Squawk Box” (6-9AM) today, July 20. Following is a link to the full video on CNBC.com …
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Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Trump says he's ‘ready’ to put tariffs on all $505 billion of Chinese goods imported to the US
Trump says he's ‘ready’ to put tariffs on all $505 billion of Chinese goods imported to the US
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, Observer, Hit & Run, TheBlaze, Washington Post, New Republic, Sarah Palin, Wall Street Journal, 1A, NPR, Washington Free Beacon, The Week, The Guardian, Raw Story and Political Wire
John Hendel / Politico:
Republicans soften ZTE ban in concession to Trump — Republicans have agreed to water down legislation designed to punish Chinese telecom company ZTE, delivering a victory to President Donald Trump, according to a person close to negotiations in Congress. — Lawmakers reconciling House …
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Erica Werner / Washington Post:
Senate Republicans drop bid to block Trump from helping Chinese telecom giant ZTE
Senate Republicans drop bid to block Trump from helping Chinese telecom giant ZTE
Discussion:
Engadget and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Politico:
McConnell issues Supreme Court ultimatum — The Senate GOP leader is vowing to squeeze Democrats with a vote on Brett Kavanaugh right before the midterms if they don't back down on their demand for documents. — Mitch McConnell has a warning for Democrats demanding copious documents …
Kirsten Grind / Wall Street Journal:
Facebook Suspends Analytics Firm on Concerns About Sharing of Public User-Data — Facebook says it was probing whether data-analytics firm Crimson Hexagon's government contracts comply with Facebook policies — Facebook Inc. said Friday it was suspending an analytics firm while it investigates whether …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, Engadget and BloombergQuint, more at Techmeme »
Jon Levine / The Wrap:
USA Today Drops Columnist Cheri Jacobus After Tweet About Convicted Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein (Exclusive) — “Our editors let Jacobus know that she would no longer be writing for USA TODAY,” a spokesperson for the paper tells TheWrap — USA has dropped columnist Cheri Jacobus …
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Conservative News Today, Washington Times, twitchy.com and The Gateway Pundit