Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Why Michael Cohen Agreed to Plead Guilty—And Implicate the President — Prosecutors had reams of evidence and a long list of counts, which also could have included the lawyer's wife — Michael Cohen had many reasons to play ball last weekend when his legal team sat down to talk to federal prosecutors.
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Salena Zito / New York Post:
Why Trump's supporters won't care about Cohen and Manafort's convictions — ZANESVILLE, OH — Last week, a woman in her mid-40s who lives in a tidy suburban enclave just outside of Columbus, Ohio, summed up her continued support for President Donald Trump despite his morals …
Discussion:
Don Surber
New York Times:
‘How Did We End Up Here?’ Trump Wonders as the White House Soldiers On — In the hours after two of President Trump's former advisers delivered his administration potentially grave legal setbacks, the mood inside the White House was grim, a return to a trench-warfare mentality borne out of muscle memory.
Discussion:
Business Insider, VICE News, Washington Post, AOL, Raw Story, KTLA, CNN, The Week and Mediaite
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Exclusive: Michael Cohen told Congress he doesn't know if Trump knew about Russia meeting — Michael Cohen told lawmakers last year, in sworn testimony, that he didn't know whether then-candidate Donald Trump had foreknowledge of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians, three sources with knowledge of Cohen's testimony tell Axios.
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Week, The Right Scoop, Political Wire and Raw Story
Christina Wilkie / CNBC:
Michael Cohen paid a mysterious tech company $50,000 ‘in connection with’ Trump's campaign — President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made a previously unreported payment of $50,000 to a tech company in connection with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Discussion:
USA Today, New York Post, Raw Story, Law & Crime, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Not just misleading. Not merely false. A lie. — The first denial that Donald Trump knew about hush-money payments to silence women came four days before he was elected president, when his spokeswoman Hope Hicks said, without hedging, “we have no knowledge of any of this.”
Discussion:
CNNMoney, IJR, TheBlaze, The Ringer, The Democrats, The Western Journal, The Week, Deadline, HuffPost, The Daily Banter, CNN, Daily Kos, CNBC, Roll Call and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Kruse / Politico:
'He's Unraveling': Why Cohen's Betrayal Terrifies Trump — Perhaps for the first time, an insider has bitten back—hard. — For 16 or so hours after Tuesday's double-barreled bombshell news, President Trump couldn't even publicly say Michael Cohen's name.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Daily Wire, CNN and NPR
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Trump declares ‘market would crash’ if Democrats impeached him — President Trump, in an exclusive interview with Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt, warned that the “market would crash” if he's ever impeached while questioning why Democrats would even consider that course in the future.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog and AOL
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Trump says longstanding legal practice of flipping should almost ‘be outlawed’ — (CNN)President Donald Trump continued working to fortify himself against accusations of legal misdeeds on Thursday, defending himself on Twitter in the dark morning hours and telling an interviewer he'd done nothing wrong.
Discussion:
The Daily Banter
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trump Tries to Deny His Crime With Cohen, Confesses by Mistake
Trump Tries to Deny His Crime With Cohen, Confesses by Mistake
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Mother Jones, Fox News Insider and Daily Wire
Associated Press:
The Latest: Trump says impeachment would cause economic dive
The Latest: Trump says impeachment would cause economic dive
Discussion:
Washington Post
Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Lanny Davis: Michael Cohen Never Went To Prague As Steele Dossier Claims
Lanny Davis: Michael Cohen Never Went To Prague As Steele Dossier Claims
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, ABC News and Vox
Rick Klein / ABC News:
The Note: Words matter, even in the age of Trump
The Note: Words matter, even in the age of Trump
Discussion:
Politico, Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo and The Hill
Gabriel Malor / Washington Examiner:
Here's are the actual campaign finance crimes Cohen admitted to, and just what it means for Trump legally
Here's are the actual campaign finance crimes Cohen admitted to, and just what it means for Trump legally
Discussion:
CNN
Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Lanny Davis Obliterated CNN's ‘Bombshell’ Report About Michael Cohen And Trump Tower
Lanny Davis Obliterated CNN's ‘Bombshell’ Report About Michael Cohen And Trump Tower
Discussion:
The Last Refuge and VICE News
Politico:
‘It is what it is’: Republicans shrug off Trump's legal meltdown
‘It is what it is’: Republicans shrug off Trump's legal meltdown
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, Toronto Star, USA Today, Washington Free Beacon, ThinkProgress and Outside the Beltway
Michael Burke / The Hill:
Cohen's lawyer on Trump Tower meeting: Cohen was ‘present at a discussion with’ Trump and Trump Jr.
Cohen's lawyer on Trump Tower meeting: Cohen was ‘present at a discussion with’ Trump and Trump Jr.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and Washington Post
Fox News:
Manafort juror reveals lone holdout prevented Mueller team from convicting on all counts — NORTHERN VIRGINIA - Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team was one holdout juror away from convicting Paul Manafort on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud, juror Paula Duncan told Fox News in an exclusive interview Wednesday.
Discussion:
Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Shareblue Media, The Daily Caller, VICE News, Joe.My.God., NewsWars, Breitbart and The Week
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Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Manafort juror: One juror prevented jury from convicting Manafort on all 18 counts — A juror who sat on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort — 's case said on Fox News Wednesday night that only one juror prevented a ruling on all 18 counts against Manafort
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politico, New York Times, Shareblue Media, CANNONFIRE, JONATHAN TURLEY, BloombergQuint and Vox
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Democrats maintain lead in race for House — Democrats are in a strong position for the midterms, according to the latest Fox News poll. — Several findings point to the potential for a blue map in November: — President Trump's job rating remains underwater.
Discussion:
MSNBC, Political Wire and Daily Kos
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
The nightmare is just beginning for Paul Manafort
The nightmare is just beginning for Paul Manafort
Discussion:
CNN, Observer, The National Memo, MSNBC and Raw Story
Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:
Lone holdout on Manafort jury blocked conviction on all counts, juror says
Lone holdout on Manafort jury blocked conviction on all counts, juror says
Discussion:
Vox, The Atlantic, The Week and Political Wire
Eric Beech / Reuters:
Trump says he's considering pardon for Manafort: Fox News reporter
Trump says he's considering pardon for Manafort: Fox News reporter
Discussion:
Political Wire
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
DNC says suspected hack attempt turned out to be a security test — Whoops. — What the Democratic National Committee this week thought was an attempted hack of its valuable voter file turned out to be a security test organized by a state party, unbeknownst to the national organization.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Washington Free Beacon
RELATED:
New York Times:
Attempted Hacking of Voter Database Was a False Alarm, Democratic Party Says
Attempted Hacking of Voter Database Was a False Alarm, Democratic Party Says
Discussion:
Daily Wire, WGNO and Vox
Derek Hawkins / Washington Post:
The Cybersecurity 202: DNC says hack attempt on its voter database was a false alarm
The Cybersecurity 202: DNC says hack attempt on its voter database was a false alarm
Joe Uchill / Axios:
Feared DNC hack was actually a security test
Feared DNC hack was actually a security test
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, twitchy.com and Boing Boing
Erica L. Green / New York Times:
Betsy DeVos Is Said to Weigh Letting School Districts Use Federal Funds to Buy Guns — WASHINGTON — Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, is considering whether to allow states to use federal funding intended to increase academic and enrichment opportunities in the country's poorest schools …
Discussion:
CNN, CNBC, KTLA, Law & Crime, Guns.com, Splinter, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., The Week, New Republic, Jezebel and Chalkbeat
Aaron C. Davis / Washington Post:
Trump called this White House defender ‘wonderful.’ He was fired from his previous job for alleged sexual harassment. — A conservative commentator who was lauded by President Trump this week as “wonderful” and who has argued that past sexual indiscretions should have no bearing on Trump's presidency …
Discussion:
CNNMoney, The Right Scoop, Joe.My.God., The Daily Beast, TVNewser, Raw Story, Daily Wire, Contemptor and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
RealClearInvestigations:
Despite Comey Assurances, Vast Bulk of Weiner Laptop Emails Were Never Examined — When then-FBI Director James Comey announced he was closing the Hillary Clinton email investigation for a second time just days before the 2016 election, he certified to Congress that his agency had …
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics and Instapundit
John Sides / Washington Post:
A new poll shows 5 big challenges facing the Republicans in November — With the midterm election less than a month away, there is considerable agreement among forecasters on the Democrats' chances of regaining a House majority: 73 percent (538), 70 percent (The Economist), 67 percent …
Discussion:
Political Wire and FiveThirtyEight
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Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:
Trump tweets the word ‘Africa’ for first time as president — in defense of whites in South Africa — President Trump on Wednesday night said he was directing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures,” as well as the “killing of farmers.”
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, New York Times, CNN, Vox, ABC News, The Daily Banter and Althouse
Ron Charles / Washington Post:
How Donald Trump turned Omarosa's ‘Unhinged’ tell-all into a bestseller — The Tweeter-in-chief has done it again. — “Unhinged,” the tell-all memoir by former White House senior adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman is officially a bestseller. The book sold more than 33,000 hardback copies during its first week.
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Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Omarosa's Trump tell-all ‘Unhinged’ tops NYT best seller list
Omarosa's Trump tell-all ‘Unhinged’ tops NYT best seller list
Discussion:
Political Wire
The Hill:
Impeachment debate moves to center of midterm fight — Impeachment has moved to the center of the midterm debate following the remarkable assertion from Michael Cohen that President Trump — orchestrated illegal hush-money payments through his former personal attorney to silence two women ahead of the 2016 elections.
Discussion:
Breitbart, National Review and Associated Press
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Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:
Tucker Carlson Cuts Off Immigration Analyst's Mic After Getting Bested in Debate — Tucker Carlson's ability to embarrass his guests in bitter debates on his Fox News show has been well documented. But there is one recurring guest who manages to trounce Carlson at his own game: Alex Nowrasteh …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Alex Amend / Southern Poverty Law Center:
Suspect who fatally stabbed black man in Pennsylvania ‘liked’ nearly 50 racist alt-right Facebook pages — A 24-year-old man is charged with homicide in the early Sunday morning stabbing death of Dulane Cameron Jr. of Monaca, Pennsylvania. The suspect, Joden C. Rocco …
Adam Smith / Tampa Bay Times:
Florida Insider Poll: Here are the final primary predictions — Adam Putnam no longer viewed as a favorite by the Insiders, but Gwen Graham is. — Florida's political establishment has lost its longstanding optimism that Adam Putnam will be the 2018 Republican nominee for governor.
Jenny Staletovich / miamiherald:
Could a super snake emerge from Everglades pythons? New DNA study raises possibility — What started out as a straightforward genetic study of Florida's invasive python population has turned up a surprising plot twist: a small number of crossbred Burmese and Indian pythons with the potential …