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Russian Hackers Reach U.S. Utility Control Rooms, Homeland Security Officials Say — Blackouts could have been caused after the networks of trusted vendors were easily penetrated — Hackers working for Russia claimed “hundreds of victims” last year in a giant and long-running campaign …
Discussion:
Townhall, AOL, The Daily Caller and Mashable, more at Techmeme »


The Untold Story of Otto Warmbier, American Hostage — President Trump hailed him as a catalyst of the summit with Kim Jong-Un. But what happened to Warmbier—the American college student who was sent home brain-damaged from North Korea—is even more shocking than anyone knew. — 1. Homecoming
Discussion:
Politico
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Memo to Trump: Iran Isn't North Korea
Discussion:
CBS News, One America News Network, Washington Post and Outside the Beltway

Trump's Twitter Threat vs. Iran: Loud but Hardly Clear
Discussion:
Just Security


The city that never sleeps finds that it's running out of reporters to report — New York City and its environs are home to 20 million people, Wall Street, Broadway, the fashion and media industries, and a mix of cultures unlike few cities on the planet. — And yet news organizations operating …
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‘The Briefing’ Review: Speaking for Himself — Donald Trump's rst White House spokesman compares the president to a rock star, the Energizer Bunny and a unicorn. Jonathan Karl reviews “The Briefing” by Sean Spicer. — Early on a Saturday morning in January 2017, the day after the inauguration …
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Trump advisers quietly begin thinking about ‘life after Sarah’ — The press secretary says she has no plans to step down, but a shortlist of potential replacements is starting to take shape. — White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says publicly that she has no plans to leave …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, The Resurgent, Breitbart, Shareblue Media, ThinkProgress and Lawyers, Guns & Money


Haley tells high schoolers to avoid 'own the libs'-style online behavior — U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley — kicked off a conservative conference of high school students on Monday by urging attendees to avoid inflammatory language in favor of demonstrating real leadership.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., One America News Network, RedState, Axios, Splinter, The Week and Mediaite
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'We Don't Trust Russia': Nikki Haley Lowers the Boom on Putin, Puts Iran on Notice
Discussion:
HuffPost and News Agency UNIAN

Sorry, Trump. Your misdirection won't work this time.
Discussion:
The Week, CNN, Weekly Standard, Conservative Review, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA


“Did They Think I Was Just Going to Roll Over and Die?”: The Cohen vs. Trump Battle Ratchets Up — What might Cohen know about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower between Don Jr., Kushner, Manafort, and a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin who promised to provide them with “dirt” on Hillary Clinton?
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HuffPost
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Why Trump's lawyers allowed the government to get ahold of the bombshell Michael Cohen tapes
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Washington Post, CNN, Hot Air and New York Times

12 tapes seized in Michael Cohen raid handed over to prosecutors
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The Week, ABC News, Reuters and National Review


NBC/WSJ poll: Support for Roe v. Wade hits new high — A majority of Republicans — 52 percent — say the Supreme Court decision should not be overturned. — As President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick readies for his eventual confirmation hearing, support for the court's landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade has hit an all-time high.
Discussion:
MSNBC, The Week, TIME, HuffPost, Splinter, ThinkProgress and Talking Points Memo
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Uncover the Truth About Brett Kavanaugh
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Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Roll Call and SCOTUSblog


Donald Trump's Legal Team Submits Counteroffer for Possible Interview in Mueller Probe — Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani says president open to questions on possible collusion, less willing to discuss possible obstruction of justice — WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump's legal team has submitted …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, MSNBC, Daily Kos and HuffPost
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Trump Proposes Mueller Interview With No Obstruction Questions — Only questions on collusion with Russia would be allowed — Mueller hasn't yet responded to proposal, Giuliani says — President Donald Trump would agree to an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators …
Discussion:
infowars.com, Axios, Political Wire and The Week


Can the President Revoke Former Officials' Security Clearances? — White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders's announcement that President Trump is reviewing potential mechanisms by which to revoke the security clearances of several former senior government officials has …
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Washington Post
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A Sociologist Examines the “White Fragility” That Prevents White Americans from Confronting Racism — In more than twenty years of running diversity-training and cultural-competency workshops for American companies, the academic and educator Robin DiAngelo has noticed that white people are sensationally …


Can Nevada elect the first-ever female-majority statehouse? Our analysis, experts say yes — Women have a real chance to win historic majority, but it won't be easy — Nevadans could soon make history by electing the nation's first female-majority state legislature.
Discussion:
Bustle
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Nevada Could Soon Elect First-Ever Female-Majority Statehouse
Discussion:
Political Wire


How Is This Shit Legal — This past spring, Michael Ferro resigned as chairman of publicly traded media-looting hell-company Tronc, Inc., just ahead of the publication of sexual harassment allegations against him. As a parting gift, Tronc paid him $15 million, voluntarily bundling …
Discussion:
New Republic


Government signals 463 parents of migrant children may have been deported — The Trump administration said in a court filing Monday that 463 parents of migrant children are no longer present in the United States, indicating that the number of mothers and fathers potentially deported without …
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The House Tilts Toward the Democrats — Big-picture factors help minority party, but battle far from over; 17 ratings changes in favor of Democrats — Editor's Note: This is a special Tuesday edition of the Crystal Ball. We'll be back to our regular Thursday schedule next week.
Discussion:
Axios


Donations to Nunes improperly used to charter a private jet, says complaint to FEC — WASHINGTON — Political donations to Rep. Devin Nunes were improperly used to fund $5,518 in private jet travel, says a complaint filed by a nonpartisan watchdog group with the Federal Election Commission on Monday.


IDF shoots down Syrian fighter jet that entered Israeli airspace — Two Patriot missiles fired at Sukhoi aircraft that penetrated two kilometers into Israeli territory, military says — The Israeli Air Force shot down a Syrian fighter jet that traveled two kilometers into Israeli airspace on Tuesday afternoon, the military said.


Over four days, false claims dominated Trump's Twitter feed — President Trump tweeted a series of false or misleading claims over four days, ranging from the Russia investigation to NATO funding to North Korea to the price of soybeans. — From July 20 to July 23, accurate statements …
Discussion:
Wired, Associated Press, Fox News and CNN


How U.S. intelligence agencies can find out what Trump told Putin — A top-secret Special Collection Service has extraordinary capabilities to hoover up intel from foreign adversaries. — President Donald Trump's insistence on holding a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir …
Discussion:
Axios


Eric Holder tells Stephen Colbert 'I'm thinking about' running for president — Eric Holder is considering a 2020 presidential run. — The former attorney general on Monday night told Stephen Colbert, “I'm thinking about it.” — “What I've said,” he added, “is that I'd make a determination sometime early next year.
Discussion:
Politico, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire


Is Erdogan's Turkey on the edge of a crash? — The Turkish lira is falling, prices are rising. Experts warn that the Turkish economy is close to collapse, but President Erdogan wants growth at any price — and even more power. Julia Hahn reports from Istanbul.
Discussion:
Breitbart


Abolish the FISA Court — The introduction of judges shields the executive branch from accountability. — On the gentle summer evening that was last Saturday night, the Justice Department finally made public the October 2016 application for a warrant to spy on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign official.


This Shooting Should Sicken America's Armed Citizens — If a person shoves you, you can shove back. You don't have the right to kill him. — In a world awash with disturbing videos and images, some stand out. Over the weekend, I saw a video that's bothered me ever since.
Discussion:
Instapundit, Vox and leg.state.fl.us