memeorandum: How the Midterm Elections May Be Compromised (Myrna Pérez/New York Times)

1:35 PM ET, July 20, 2018

Top Items:

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 …

ABC News:

Cohen taped Trump discussing making hush payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal: Sources — Investigators discovered recordings made by Michael Cohen that include then-candidate Donald Trump talking about making a payment to a former Playboy model, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.

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 …

Discussion: Politico, CNBC, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

CNN:
Cohen recorded Trump discussing payment to ex-Playmate

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and Raw Story

Will Hurd / New York Times:

Trump Is Being Manipulated by Putin. What Should We Do? — Lawmakers must keep the American people informed of the current danger, writes a Republican congressman from Texas. — Mr. Hurd, a former C.I.A. officer, is a congressman from the 23rd District of Texas.

Discussion: New Republic, Shareblue Media, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Raw Story, IJR, BloombergQuint, NBC News, Axios, Roll Call, Political Wire, The Week, Bloomberg and Mediaite

Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:

Are Republicans Covering for Trump, or for Themselves? — If the N.R.A. was compromised by Russia, the whole party's in trouble. — Of all the interlocking mysteries of the Trump-Russia scandal, one that I've found particularly perplexing is the utter servility of congressional Republicans …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, USA Today, CNN and Mother Jones

Adam Davidson / New Yorker:

A Theory of Trump Kompromat — Why the President is so nice to Putin, even when Putin might not want him to be. — The former C.I.A. operative Jack Devine watched Donald Trump's performance standing next to Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday, and his first thought was, “There is no way Trump is a Russian agent.”

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

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: Raw Story and CNN

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: Washington Post, Political Wire and Althouse

Jeff Cox / CNBC:

Trump says he's ‘ready’ to put tariffs on all $505 billion of Chinese goods imported to the US — President Donald Trump has indicated he is willing to put tariffs on all $505 billion of Chinese goods the U.S. imports. — The rhetoric marks ramps up the U.S-China trade war another step …

Discussion: New Republic, Axios, Politico, TheBlaze, Sarah Palin, Washington Free Beacon, NPR, Washington Post, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, Political Wire and The Week

Caitlin Owens / Axios:
Trade war shakes up Senate races in Trump states

Discussion: CNBC

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

White House morale tanks amid Helsinki fallout — Staffers are considering accelerating their departures in the wake of the president's equivocations on Russian meddling in the 2016 election. — President Donald Trump's disastrous performance since his news conference alongside Russian …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, IJR, BloombergQuint, NewsBusters, Raw Story, Vox, Washington Post, Bloomberg and Contemptor

New York Times:

Bill Shine, Trump's Top Communicator, Was Questioned by Federal Prosecutors — WASHINGTON — Bill Shine, a former co-president of Fox News hired this month as President Trump's communications chief, brought conservative credentials and heavy baggage with him into the White House.

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, CNNMoney and Mediaite

NBC 6 South Florida:

Father of Parkland School Shooting Survivors Killed in North Lauderdale Armed Robbery — North Lauderdale Robbery Surveillance Video — The father of two Parkland school shooting survivors was fatally shot at his own North Lauderdale convenience store during a robbery, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bustle, VICE News, Townhall and TheBlaze

Jim Morrill / The Charlotte Observer:

GOP picks Charlotte for 2020 convention. Now, the fundraising and organizing begin. — Charlotte won its second national convention in a decade Friday, kicking off two years of planning, fundraising and anticipation. — The city joined a small group of cities that will have held …

Washington Post: Republicans will hold 2020 convention in Charlotte, putting city back in spotlight after hosting the Democrats in 2012

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, Talking Points Memo, IJR, Conservative News Today, AOL, Contemptor, Washington Times, Daily Wire and TheBlaze

Yashar Ali / HuffPost:
Kimberly Guilfoyle Did Not Leave Fox News Voluntarily, Sources Say: Scoop

Discussion: twitchy.com

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 …

Discussion: Axios

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 …

Discussion: Sarah Palin, Above the Law, The Week, SCOTUSblog and Talking Points Memo

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Russian firm indicted in special counsel probe cites Kavanaugh decision to argue that charge should be dismissed

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Scott Bixby / The Daily Beast:

Poll: Half of Americans Think Trump Acted ‘Treasonous’ in Helsinki … President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended his extraordinary performance at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in Helsinki, dismissing the “many haters” who wanted to see “a boxing match.”

Discussion: Hot Air, Daily Kos, Washington Post, NBC News, New York Times and Media Matters for America

Joe Scarborough / Washington Post:
Republicans should be repulsed

Discussion: CNN and Mediaite

Scott Johnson / Power Line:

The Brennan factor revisited — Following former Obama administration CIA Director John Brennan on Twitter, we see his animus nakedly on display. He is demented by hatred. Is this really the public role a former Director of the CIA is to be playing? Below is his most recent effusion on Twitter.

Discussion: France 24, The Federalist, Front Page Magazine and Breitbart

Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal: Brennan and the 2016 Spy Scandal

Molly Hensley-Clancy / BuzzFeed News:

Centrist Democrats Want A Presidential Candidate To Take On Bernie. They Just Don't Know Who It Is. — At a centrist Democrats' conference in Columbus, Ohio, the burning question was how to create an economic message that could beat two people in 2020 who have crystal clear economic messages: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Gabriel Debenedetti / New York Magazine: The Progressive Hawaii Senator Reshaping the 2020 Race, Without Even Running

Scott Waldman / E&E News:

GOP candidate calls woman ‘naive’ for asking about climate — Body heat is making Earth warmer, and climate change is caused by the planet's movement toward the sun. — Those are the claims of Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial candidate, former state Sen. Scott Wagner.

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: Conservative News Today, Washington Times, Breitbart, twitchy.com and The Gateway Pundit

Jessica Sager / Page Six:

Roseanne Barr on Valerie Jarrett tweet: ‘I thought the b—h was white’ — Roseanne Barr spoke out relatively unapologetically about the vile Valerie Jarrett tweet that got her “Roseanne” reboot canceled: “I thought the b—h was white!” — In a video posted to Barr's YouTube page …

Discussion: The Root and Althouse

BuzzFeed News:

Congratulations, Mr. President: Zuckerberg Secretly Called Trump After The Election — In the days following Donald Trump's election victory over Hillary Clinton, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg placed a secret, previously unreported call to the president-elect during which, sources told BuzzFeed News …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Ringer, Bustle, Political Wire and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:

Where the Super-Rich Go to Buy Their Second Passport — Cheaper than a Gulfstream, nimbler than a superyacht, a second passport—or a third or fourth—has become another trophy for the ultra-wealthy. — Even self-styled citizens of the world, it seems, need a Plan B. Plus, that gold Maltese coat of arms looks classy.

Discussion: AOL

Joyce Cohen / New York Times:

Graduating to Their First Big City Rental — For two young newcomers, having “the full New York City experience” meant finding a happy medium between uptown gloss and downtown grit. — Two years ago, Alexi Stathakis and Lauren Witonsky met as summer interns at a public relations firm.

Jerry Gretzinger / WNYT-TV:

Home Depot employee says he was fired after responding to customer's racist rant — ALBANY - Is the customer always right? The Times Union reported Thursday morning that a Home Depot employee at the Central Avenue store in Albany was fired after what he considers pretty nasty verbal abuse from a customer.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Root

Megan Garber / The Atlantic:

The World Burns. Sarah Sanders Says This Is Fine. — On Wednesday, two representatives of the United States government held press briefings, both of them touching on one of the most astonishing news stories of the Trump presidency—a series of events that had begun two days earlier …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, IJR, NBC News, HeraldScotland, News Agency UNIAN and CNBC

Robin Pogrebin / New York Times:

She Gave Millions to Artists Without Credit. Until Now. — The artist Carrie Mae Weems recalls sitting at her desk in Syracuse in 2014 “feeling very anonymous and misunderstood and trying to figure out how to make some new work” when she got the call. — “I was offered this extraordinary gift,” she said.

Ben Kamisar / NBC News:

Young voters make up significant portion of new registrations in key states since Parkland shooting — Young voters are flocking to register to vote in key battleground states in the wake of the February school shooting at a Parkland, Fla. high school, according to a new analysis from Democratic data firm TargetSmart.

Discussion: New Republic, Naked Politics and Florida Politics

Hollywood Reporter:

Paramount TV President Amy Powell Fired Over Inappropriate Comments — She was tapped to oversee the division in 2013 and has delivered hits including ‘13 Reasons Why’ and ‘The Alienist.’ — Five years after being tapped to lead the newly relaunched Paramount Television banner, Amy Powell is out.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, AOL, The Daily Caller, New York Times, BloombergQuint, theGrio and KTLA, more at Mediagazer »

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Dems plan longshot gambit to force action on Mueller protection bill — House Democrats are moving Friday to force Republicans to hold a hearing on a measure that would prevent President Donald Trump from unilaterally removing special counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Libby Watson / Splinter:

Government Healthcare Is Saving My Mum's Life — My mother has lung cancer. At the end of last year, she began feeling breathless and tired, struggling with walks around the village I grew up in; in March, we found out a tumor was to blame. — When she was diagnosed …

Tim Ryan / CNN:

Rep. Tim Ryan: Marijuana should be legal in all 50 states — Tim Ryan, a Democrat, is the US Representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district. The views expressed are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN. — (CNN)The year Donald Trump was elected President …