Top Items:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
White House Asked McGahn to Declare Trump Never Obstructed Justice — WASHINGTON — White House officials asked at least twice in the past month for the key witness against President Trump in the Mueller report, Donald F. McGahn II, to say publicly that he never believed the president obstructed justice …
Discussion:
Axios, HillReporter.com, Common Dreams, Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Vanity Fair, Daily Kos and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Rebecca Ballhaus / Wall Street Journal:
Don McGahn Rebuffed White House Request to Say Trump Didn't Obstruct Justice — After release of the Mueller report, the president sought to have the former White House counsel say that he didn't believe the president's push to dismiss the special counsel constituted a crime
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, KTLA, Law & Crime, The Daily Beast, CNN, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Raw Story
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Trump: Discussing a Biden probe with Barr would be ‘appropriate’ — President Donald Trump told POLITICO on Friday that it would be “appropriate” for him to speak to Attorney General Bill Barr about launching an investigation into his potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden, or his son, Hunter.
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Daily Beast and Raw Story
RELATED:
Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:
Rudy Giuliani Cancels His Trip to Ukraine, Blaming Democrats' ‘Spin’ — WASHINGTON — Facing withering attacks accusing him of seeking foreign assistance for President Trump's re-election campaign, Rudolph W. Giuliani announced on Friday night that he had canceled a trip to Kiev in which he planned …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, Mediaite, NBC News, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, The Root and KTLA
Andrew McCarthy / Fox News:
Politics is front and center for Russiagate probe — and the farce has reached new heights — Politics is front and center for the Russiagate probe, which has reached previously unknown heights of farce - and that's saying something. — This week saw the spectacle of the House Judiciary Committee holding …
Discussion:
Power Line
John Bowden / The Hill:
Dem senator calls for Senate to investigate Giuliani's planned Ukraine trip
Dem senator calls for Senate to investigate Giuliani's planned Ukraine trip
Discussion:
Mediaite
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Trump's new nickname for Pete Buttigieg: ‘Alfred E. Neuman’ — President Donald Trump dismissed Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Friday in a single sentence. — “Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States,” the president told POLITICO …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., Althouse, Axios and USA Today
RELATED:
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Trump: Biden 2020 reminds me of Trump 2016 — President Donald Trump sees parallels between Joe Biden's early surge to the front of the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field and his own runaway success in the 2016 Republican primaries. — In an interview with POLITICO on Friday afternoon …
Discussion:
CNN, RedState, Bloomberg, Political Wire, Breitbart, Washington Post, Contemptor, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Balloon Juice, ABC News, Althouse, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo and Shakesville
Associated Press:
Beto O'Rourke plans ‘reintroduction’ as 2020 buzz fizzles — NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Beto O'Rourke barreled into the 2020 presidential race with breakneck energy and a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants campaign style that saw him leap atop tables to address overflow crowds with the organic …
Washington Post:
Trump takes over Fourth of July celebration, changing its location and inserting himself into the program — President Trump has effectively taken charge of the nation's premier Fourth of July celebration in Washington, moving the gargantuan fireworks display from its usual spot on the Mall …
Discussion:
Fox News, CNN, Raw Story, New York Post and Axios
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
House Ways and Means Chairman Subpoenas Trump Tax Returns — WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee subpoenaed the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service on Friday, disregarding the Treasury secretary's refusal this week to hand over six years …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, CNN, The New Civil Rights Movement and Mediaite
RELATED:
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Why would Trump be embarrassed by his tax returns?
Why would Trump be embarrassed by his tax returns?
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Political Wire
Benjamin Siegel / ABC News:
House Ways and Means Committee subpoenas Trump's tax returns
House Ways and Means Committee subpoenas Trump's tax returns
Discussion:
Breitbart
New York Times:
Trump's Tariffs Are a New Tax on Americans — President Trump is undermining the credibility of his trade policies by falsely claiming that China is paying the bill. — The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.
Discussion:
Des Moines Register, Fox News, Washington Post, Politico and Slate
RELATED:
Mitch Smith / New York Times:
Frustration Mounts Among Farmers as China Trade Talks Break Down — CHICAGO — The year was already shaping up to be difficult for Midwestern farmers. Incomes have slipped, farm bankruptcies have increased and widespread flooding has inundated the region, killing cattle and turning some fields into unplowable pits.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
New York Times:
Pentagon Builds Deterrent Force Against Possible Iranian Attack — WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will deploy a Patriot antimissile battery to the Middle East to shore up defenses against Iranian threats, part of a series of carefully calibrated deployments intended to deter attacks by Iranian forces …
Charles Creitz / Fox News:
Varney: China trade talks, tariffs ‘the most important financial story of the year’
Varney: China trade talks, tariffs ‘the most important financial story of the year’
Discussion:
One America News Network and Politico
Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Joe Biden once said a fence was needed to stop ‘tons’ of drugs from Mexico — Biden bolts to the top of Democratic rankings — (CNN)Joe Biden once spoke about jailing employers who hire “illegals,” said sanctuary cities shouldn't be allowed to violate federal law, and argued a fence was needed stop …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Vanity Fair, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, twitchy.com and Political Wire
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Florida takes shape as Joe Biden's firewall
Avery G. Wilks / The Charlotte Observer:
GOP lawmaker shared story of her rape. Now she says she's under attack in abortion debate — A GOP state lawmaker who recently gave an impassioned speech about being raped as a 16 year old says she feels attacked after a Republican colleague passed out literature describing rape as a …
RELATED:
Julie K. Brown / Miami Herald:
Prosecutors finally want to hear from Jeffrey Epstein's victims — More than a decade after federal prosecutors gave a secret plea deal to a suspected child sex trafficker, the government finally wants to hear from his victims, indicating on Friday that prosecutors wish to interview …
Daily Mail:
Dorenko died after falling from his Triumph motorbike on Thursday evening shortly before 7pm — He was pronounced dead at the spot with reports in the official media rapidly stating he had suffered ‘major heart failure’ and died of ‘natural causes’ - even before any autopsy was conducted.
Bryant Harris / Al-Monitor:
Congress tries to defund US nuclear transfers to Saudi Arabia — ARTICLE SUMMARY — House Democrats want to use the power of the purse to halt the transfer of US civil nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. — Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (R) presents US President Donald Trump …
Anne Barnard / New York Times:
Inside Syria's Secret Torture Prisons: How Assad Crushed Dissent — GAZIANTEP, Turkey — Syrian security officers hung Muhannad Ghabbash from his wrists for hours, beat him bloody, shocked him with electricity and stuck a gun in his mouth. — Mr. Ghabbash, a law student from Aleppo …
Julian E. Zelizer / Washington Post:
Democrats are complicit if they don't impeach Trump — Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. — As President Trump moves in aggressive fashion to block and obstruct congressional investigations, House Democrats seem unsure what to do.
Discussion:
American Greatness
Bret Stephens / New York Times:
How Trump Helps MS-13 — The U.S. doesn't need a big, beautiful border wall. It needs a real foreign policy. — Years ago, when Donald Trump's presidential bid was taking off, I asked him whether his attitudes toward free trade and border security might make matters worse for Mexico — and hence for the U.S., too.
Laura Waxmann / The San Francisco Examiner:
San Francisco police raid home of journalist to find who leaked Adachi report — Police raided the home and office of a freelance journalist Friday morning. — Police raided the home and office of a freelance journalist Friday morning as part of an ongoing investigation …
Bloomberg:
Pompeo to Meet Putin as Trump Seeks Better Russia Ties Again — Short trip leaves little time for major policy breakthroughs — Trump returns to saying he sees ‘tremendous potential’ ahead — U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo leaves for Moscow on Sunday …
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Pentagon Shifts $1.5 Billion to Border Wall From Afghan War Budget and Other Military Projects — WASHINGTON — The acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, notified Congress on Friday that he intended to shift $1.5 billion that had been designated for the war in Afghanistan and other projects …
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Politico, Joe.My.God. and Townhall
Sasha Sutcliffe / Bold:
Lynne Patton, Trump Advisor on Urban Issues, Rejects ‘Cocaine Mitch’ Campaign by Mitch McConnell — Lynne Patton, a member of the Trump administration who has spoken openly of her battle with cocaine addiction, disagreed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on his endorsement of the “Cocaine Mitch” campaign.
Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost:
New Complaint Hits ‘Repeat Offender’ Kellyanne Conway For Hatch Act Violations — The recidivist White House aide has ignored reprimands and is again politicking on taxpayers' dime, an ethics group says. — The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed …
Justin Fishel / ABC News:
Trump off on Puerto Rico funding by $50 billion: Weekly Fact Check — President Donald Trump held an impromptu news conference with a small number of reporters at the White House on Thursday during an event calling for new laws to protect patients from unexpectedness medical bills.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Shareblue Media and Outside the Beltway