Top Items:
William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:
Manhattan D.A. Eyes Criminal Charges Against Trump Organization — The Manhattan district attorney's office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with Michael D. Cohen's hush money payment to an adult film actress …
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Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:
No collusion? We'll see. But what about tax fraud? — President Trump's touchstone mob boss, Al Capone, famously went down for tax evasion when the feds couldn't nail him on more serious crimes. Has Trump stopped to consider whether he could be headed for the same fate?
Neal K. Katyal / New York Times:
This Conspiracy Theory Should Worry Trump — When two or more people join together to break the law, as Michael Cohen says he and the president did, the penalties can be harsh. — Mr. Katyal was an acting solicitor general in the Obama administration. — President Trump needs a new defense.
Jeff Horwitz / Associated Press:
AP: National Enquirer's safe held damaging Trump stories — NEW YORK (AP) — The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to 2016 presidential election …
Discussion:
Mediaite and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »
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Jason Schwartz / Politico:
Second Fox News reporter leaves amid objections to network — In the Trump era, hard reporting is being crowded out by opinionated panels, current and former staffers say. — Another on-air reporter is leaving Fox News over frustrations with the direction and tone of the network …
Discussion:
TVNewser and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
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The Daily Beast:
Trump Has Found a Voice to Love in Tucker Carlson. That Love Isn't Always Returned. … There is a tiny universe of people with the power to trigger the president of the United States into upending international diplomacy and electrifying pockets of white nationalists at home and abroad.
Discussion:
The Guardian and Informed Comment
New Yorker:
The Conspiracy Memo Aimed at Obama Aides that Circulated in the Trump White House — The 2017 document, titled the “Echo Chamber,” accused former Obama officials of undermining the incoming Administration. — In early 2017, some of Donald Trump's advisers concluded that they faced …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New Republic, Politico, The Week, Contemptor, Raw Story, Mediaite and Balloon Juice
Martin London / TIME:
I Was a Lawyer for Spiro Agnew. President Trump Should Consider Resigning — London is a retired partner for the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and the author of The Client Decides; he was a principal lawyer for Vice President Spiro Agnew.
Discussion:
Just Security, Raw Story and Mediaite
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Chris Riotta / The Independent:
How Russian bots used Mollie Tibbetts' death to distract from Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort
How Russian bots used Mollie Tibbetts' death to distract from Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, The Western Journal, babe and The Daily Signal
Christine Pelisek / Yahoo:
Mollie Tibbetts' Suspected Murderer Is an ‘All-American Boy’ with No Prior Record, Defense Argues
Mollie Tibbetts' Suspected Murderer Is an ‘All-American Boy’ with No Prior Record, Defense Argues
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire, twitchy.com and Vox
Axios:
Trump's fantasy legal system — When President Trump told “Fox & Friends” that this “whole thing about flipping ... almost ought to be outlawed,” he was continuing a long habit of declaring what he thinks laws and the legal system should be, and ignoring what they are.
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Atlantic, The Week, Breitbart and Washington Post
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Burgess Everett / Politico:
Republicans: Sessions gone after midterms
Republicans: Sessions gone after midterms
Discussion:
PennLive, Political Wire, Raw Story, Breitbart, New Republic, ABC News and Washington Post
Calvin Lawrence Jr / ABC News:
Trump responds to Jeff Sessions push-back: Look at 'corruption on the 'other side"
Trump responds to Jeff Sessions push-back: Look at 'corruption on the 'other side"
Discussion:
Breitbart and Political Wire
Pete Kasperowicz / Washington Examiner:
Ben Sasse threatens to vote against any new AG if Trump fires Jeff Sessions
Ben Sasse threatens to vote against any new AG if Trump fires Jeff Sessions
Discussion:
Townhall
Kate Sullivan / CNN:
Indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter: My wife handled my finances — (CNN)Rep. Duncan D. Hunter seemed to shift any blame onto his wife, Margaret, on Thursday for alleged campaign fund abuses, saying she was the one handling his finances. — “She was also the campaign manager …
Discussion:
Raw Story, MSNBC, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Press Enterprise and KTLA
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Paulina Dedaj / Fox News:
Rep. Duncan Hunter calls indictment ‘pure politics,’ denies using campaign funds for personal expenses
Rep. Duncan Hunter calls indictment ‘pure politics,’ denies using campaign funds for personal expenses
Discussion:
USA Today, Splinter, CNN and Contemptor
Jed Shugerman / Slate:
A Lone Holdout Juror Actually Made It More Likely That Paul Manafort Will Go to Jail Even if Trump Pardons Him — On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump had recently discussed with his lawyers the prospect of issuing a pardon for Paul Manafort.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Fox News, Hot Air, HuffPost, The National Memo and Politico
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
Chuck Grassley's Moment — The chairman of the Judiciary Committee is no longer Senator Bipartisan. — Senator Chuck Grassley seems out of place in Washington. He loves to eat at Perkins, the Midwest restaurant chain. But the nearest one from Washington is 60 miles away in Winchester, Virginia—too far for dinner.
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Kavanaugh eases off call for presidential immunity in meetings with senators
Washington Post:
Trump sought his lawyers' advice weeks ago on possibility of pardoning Manafort but they counseled against it, Giuliani says — President Trump sought his lawyers' advice several weeks ago on the possibility of pardoning Manafort, Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani said Thursday.
Discussion:
New Republic, Raw Story and Axios
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Jessica Glenza / The Guardian:
Russian trolls ‘spreading discord’ over vaccine safety online — Study discovered several accounts, now known to belong to the same Russian trolls who interfered in the US election, tweeting about vaccines — Bots and Russian trolls spread misinformation about vaccines on Twitter …
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, VICE News, Mashable and STAT
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Donald G. McNeil Jr / New York Times:
Russian Trolls Used Vaccine Debate to Sow Discord, Study Finds
Russian Trolls Used Vaccine Debate to Sow Discord, Study Finds
Discussion:
Engadget
EndPlay / WSB-TV:
County votes down controversial proposal to close voting precincts — RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ga. - A local elections board in a south Georgia county has decided to keep seven of its nine polling locations open. — The Randolph County Elections Board voted against the controversial proposal to close the precincts Friday, 2-0.
Discussion:
ABC News and Rewire.News
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Mark Niesse / politics.myajc:
BREAKING: Elections consultant fired over proposal to close Georgia precincts
BREAKING: Elections consultant fired over proposal to close Georgia precincts
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, CNN, HuffPost, The Daily Caller and electionlawblog.org
Kevin Collier / BuzzFeed News:
Tech Companies Are Gathering For A Secret Meeting To Prepare A 2018 Election Strategy — Representatives from a host of the biggest US tech companies, including Facebook and Twitter, have scheduled a private meeting for Friday to share their tactics in preparation for the 2018 midterm elections.
Discussion:
Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Armin Rosen / Tablet Magazine:
Who Is Julia Salazar? Brooklyn State Senate Candidate's Complex Personal History and Views — It's impossible to walk around New York state Sen. Martin Dilan's north Brooklyn district without seeing his 27-year-old opponent peering out from the storefronts on Knickerbocker Avenue …
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Salena Zito / New York Post:
Facebook censored my column — and I still can't find out why — At 7:55 a.m. Thursday morning, I posted a story I had written for The New York Post on both Facebook and Twitter. It was a reported piece on how people who voted for President Trump were feeling after both former Trump campaign …
Discussion:
Townhall, Washington Times, Breitbart, Power Line, NRL News Today, alicublog, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog and twitchy.com
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Tyler O'Neil / PJ Media Home:
Facebook Censors Articles From Salena Zito, Jenna Lynn Ellis, Saying They ‘Look Like Spam’
Facebook Censors Articles From Salena Zito, Jenna Lynn Ellis, Saying They ‘Look Like Spam’
Discussion:
Tennessee Star and Instapundit
John Koblin / New York Times:
Conan O'Brien's Unrequited Fanboy Love for Robert Caro — WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Conan O'Brien, the longest tenured late-night TV host, has had them all in his 25 years on the air. Oscar winners. Hall of Famers. Bowie, Springsteen, McCartney. — But there's one person who keeps saying no …
NBC News:
Trump admin intentionally slowing FBI vetting of refugees, ex-officials say — Former officials, aid groups say the Trump admin has overloaded the FBI and other agencies with procedures that delay refugee admissions. — The FBI has dramatically slowed the pace of security reviews for refugees …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo:
White House blocks bill that would protect elections — WASHINGTON — A bill that would have significantly bolstered the nation's defenses against electoral interference has been held up in the — Senate at the behest of the White House, which opposed the proposed legislation, according to congressional sources.
Discussion:
The Week, Roll Call, ThinkProgress, Vox, Axios, Shareblue Media, Shakesville, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly and Reuters
Mark Landler / New York Times:
With a Vocabulary From ‘Goodfellas,’ Trump Evokes His Native New York — WASHINGTON — For much of the 1980s and 1990s, “the Dapper Don” and “the Donald” vied for supremacy on the front pages of New York's tabloids. The don, John J. Gotti, died in a federal prison in 2002 …