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?
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
Wall Street Journal:
Allen Weisselberg, Longtime Trump Organization CFO, Is Granted Immunity in Cohen Probe — Weisselberg earlier this year was subpoenaed to testify before grand jury — Allen Weisselberg, President Trump's longtime financial gatekeeper, was granted immunity by federal prosecutors …
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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:
POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, Jezebel and Axios
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:
The Right Scoop, Conservative News Today, Hill Reporter, TVNewser, AOL, Raw Story and Mediaite, 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.
Trump Has Found a Voice to Love in Tucker Carlson. That Love Isn't Always Returned.
Discussion:
The Guardian and Informed Comment
Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
President Trump's false claim about murders on South African farms
President Trump's false claim about murders on South African farms
Discussion:
NPR, Daily Caller News Foundation and New York Times
New York Times:
Trump's South Africa Tweet Seems to Embrace Racist Narrative on Land Dispute
Trump's South Africa Tweet Seems to Embrace Racist Narrative on Land Dispute
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Guardian, The Atlantic and Political Wire
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 Week, The Atlantic, Washington Post and Breitbart
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Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
When Justice Is Partial — Mueller is determined to sniff …
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Republicans: Sessions gone after midterms
Republicans: Sessions gone after midterms
Discussion:
Washington Post, PennLive, Raw Story, Political Wire, Breitbart, New Republic and ABC News
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
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
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 / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Elections board votes down proposal to close Georgia voting precincts
Elections board votes down proposal to close Georgia voting precincts
Discussion:
Splinter and ThinkProgress
CNN:
Elections board takes less than a minute to reject proposal to close 7 of 9 polling places in majority-black county
Elections board takes less than a minute to reject proposal to close 7 of 9 polling places in majority-black county
Discussion:
Political Wire
Vanessa Williams / Washington Post:
Ill-fated plan to close polling places in Georgia county recalled lingering prejudice
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, CBS Chicago, HuffPost, The Daily Caller and electionlawblog.org
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, The Week, Contemptor, Mediaite, Raw Story and Balloon Juice
Lia Eustachewich / New York Post:
Cohen told Congress he doesn't know if Donald knew about Trump Tower meeting — Michael Cohen told Congress that he had no idea whether President Trump knew ahead of time about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting that included Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, a report said Thursday.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Axios, Conservative News Today, Mediaite, Daily Wire, The Stream and The Western Journal
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Associated Press:
A president who demands loyalty finds it fleeting in DC — WASHINGTON (AP) — Et tu, Michael Cohen? — Loyalty has long been a core value for President Donald Trump. But he's learning the hard way that in politics, it doesn't always last. — Cohen, the president's former personal attorney …
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:
ThinkProgress, Raw Story, MSNBC, Mediaite, Splinter, Joe.My.God., Press Enterprise and KTLA
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Carla Baranauckas / HuffPost:
Rep. Duncan Hunter Blames Wife For Campaign Spending Under Inquiry — Hunter and his wife are under indictment for the alleged misuse of $250,000 in campaign money. — Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who has been indicted on corruption charges related to the use of his campaign money …
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:
New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, The National Memo, HuffPost and Hot Air
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 …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Tax-Cut Con Goes On — Why Social Security and Medicare are on the ballot. — What will happen if the blue wave in the midterm elections falls short? Clearly, at this point it still might: Democrats will surely receive more votes than Republicans, but thanks to gerrymandering …
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Kavanaugh eases off call for presidential immunity in meetings with senators — Senate Democrats on Thursday pressed Judge Brett Kavanaugh on how he would view potential obstruction of justice or other possible criminal charges against President Trump — if he were confirmed to the Supreme Court.
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Françoise Mouly / New Yorker:
Barry Blitt's “Closing In” — The artist Barry Blitt, a contributor since 1994, has drawn more than a hundred covers for the magazine—and, since 2015, more than fifteen featuring President Trump. His latest ("Sending sketches because I couldn't help myself," the accompanying note said) takes inspiration from a “Sopranos” scene.
Discussion:
Washington Post
Chris Riotta / The Independent:
How Russian bots used Mollie Tibbetts' death to distract from Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort — A network of Russian-linked Twitter accounts are sharing thousands of divisive tweets about Mollie Tibbetts' death — A network of Russian-linked Twitter accounts have been disseminating divisive content …
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, The Western Journal, Washington Post and babe
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Jessica Glenza / The Guardian:
Russian trolls ‘spreading discord’ over vaccine safety online
Russian trolls ‘spreading discord’ over vaccine safety online
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, VICE News, Mashable and STAT, 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
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:
CNNMoney, The Week and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
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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Natasha Bertrand / The Atlantic:
Paul Manafort and Trump's Pardon Pattern