Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Tells Pentagon Chief He Does Not Want War With Iran — WASHINGTON — President Trump has told his acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he does not want to go to war with Iran, according to several administration officials, in a message to his hawkish aides …
Discussion:
Townhall, Axios, Political Wire, The American Conservative and Defense One
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Chris Sommerfeldt / New York Daily News:
Company owned by Brazilian crooks received $62 million in Trump bailout cash meant for struggling U.S. farmers — The Trump administration has forked over more than $62 million — taxpayer cash that was supposed to be earmarked for struggling American farmers — to a massive meatpacking company owned …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Raw Story and Mediaite
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
‘Get Scavino in here’: Trump's Twitter guru is the ultimate insider — Shortly after President Donald Trump announced plans to yank U.S. troops out of Syria last December, a group of lawmakers came to the White House to talk him out of the idea, which critics called a threat to national security.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Observer, The Week, Raw Story and Axios, more at Mediagazer »
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Katie Galioto / Politico:
Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort took a financial hit last year
Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort took a financial hit last year
Discussion:
Raw Story
CNN:
Trump to meet with President of Swiss Confederation as Iran tensions heighten
Trump to meet with President of Swiss Confederation as Iran tensions heighten
Discussion:
The Guardian and Big League Politics
Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Trump lawyers adopt Jim Jordan's playbook to fight Dem oversight
Trump lawyers adopt Jim Jordan's playbook to fight Dem oversight
Discussion:
Raw Story
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Democrats are badly blowing it against Trump. A brutal new TV ad shows how. — Nancy Pelosi has succeeded in stifling impeachment talk. The Post reports that the House Speaker privately told Democrats to stick to policy and forget about an impeachment inquiry, and not a single Democrat uttered a word in protest.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, The Week, Washington Free Beacon, Althouse and Raw Story
Bill de Blasio / YouTube:
Working People First | Bill de Blasio 2020 — When we put working families first in New York City, the city got stronger. That can happen for our country, too. Learn about my candidacy for president of the United States of America to put working families first.
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Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:
A 17-year-old politics junkie scooped Bill de Blasio on news of his own presidential launch — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had it all planned out — a stunt inside Trump Tower on Monday, an announcement on ABC's “Good Morning America” on Thursday and, from there, outings in Iowa …
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Post, Power Line and Politico
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
The Alabama Abortion Law Is the Best Thing to Ever Happen to Planned Parenthood — 1. Alabama — I know: Who would have thought that the state party organization that gave us this guy would come up with an abortion bill designed to piss off everyone in America. — Thanks, Alabama.
Discussion:
The Resurgent, Talking Points Memo and CNN
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Just Security:
What Congress Should Ask Robert Mueller When He Testifies — Robert Mueller's time as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and links to the Trump campaign was notable for many things, among those his silence.
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Washington Post:
EPA watchdog suggests agency recover $124,000 in Pruitt's ‘excessive’ travel expenses — The Environmental Protection Agency should consider recovering nearly $124,000 in improper travel expenses by former EPA chief Scott Pruitt, the agency's inspector general recommended Thursday.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Political Wire
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Gigi Sukin / Axios:
EPA watchdog recommends agency recoup $124K for Pruitt's “excessive” travel costs
EPA watchdog recommends agency recoup $124K for Pruitt's “excessive” travel costs
Discussion:
Politico
Associated Press:
Facebook busts Israel-based campaign to disrupt elections — JERUSALEM (AP) — Facebook said Thursday it banned an Israeli company that ran an influence campaign aimed at disrupting elections in various countries and has canceled dozens of accounts engaged in spreading disinformation.
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Douglas Belkin / Wall Street Journal:
SAT to Give Students ‘Adversity Score’ to Capture Social and Economic Background — New score comes as college admissions decisions are under scrutiny — The College Board plans to assign an adversity score to every student who takes the SAT to try to capture their social and economic background …
Discussion:
US News, CNN, New York Times, National Review, New York Post, Rolling Stone, PJ Media Home, Daily Wire, IJR, Fox News, The Daily Caller, The College Fix, FOX31 Denver and TheBlaze
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The very political pattern of Trump's pardons — Trump pardons his own hagiographer and a family ‘friend’ who criticized Mueller. — President Trump's pardons were self-serving before, and they became even more so Wednesday night, after he pardoned two prominent conservatives who had already completed their sentences.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Raw Story, Mediaite and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
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Aaron Rupar / Vox:
Trump pardons billionaire fraudster who wrote glowing book about him
Trump pardons billionaire fraudster who wrote glowing book about him
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Post and Shareblue Media
Russ Choma / Mother Jones:
Donald Trump's Latest Financial Disclosure Was Just Released — President Donald Trump's latest personal financial disclosure was just released, showing that Trump, who already owed more money than any other president in history, borrowed millions more in 2018.
Bloomberg:
Ukraine Prosecutor Says No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Bidens — Hunter Biden, Burisma not targets, despite Giuliani's pleas — Long-running investigation said to focus on another Ukrainian — Ukraine's prosecutor general said in an interview that he had no evidence of wrongdoing …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Raw Story and News Agency UNIAN
Lori Jhons / Kay Ivey:
Governor Ivey Issues Statement After Signing the Alabama Human Life Protection Act — MONTGOMERY - Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, after both houses of the Alabama Legislature passed HB314. — Upon signing the bill, Governor Ivey released the following statement:
Discussion:
CBS News, Daily Wire, Friendly Atheist, Conservative Review, TheBlaze, Breitbart, lc.org, The Resurgent, Mother Jones, Washington Post, checkyourfact.com, Talking Points Memo, Faithwire, UPI, The Daily Caller, New York Times, PJ Media Home, Raw Story, USA Today, Mad Dog PAC, VICE News, Mercury News, Townhall, Slate, Students For Life and The Guardian
Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:
Nellie Ohr deleted emails sent from husband's DOJ account — Nellie Ohr, the wife of Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, told her husband she was deleting emails sent from his government account. — The revelation comes as both Ohrs remain under intense scrutiny for their ties to Fusion GPS …
Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:
De Blasio, Etc.: Why Are So Many Implausible Democrats Running? — The party has created incentives for hopeless candidates to prolong their campaigns. You can't blame them for trying. — Okay, I was wrong. Earlier this year, I guessed repeatedly that the Democratic presidential field …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Summer Ballentine / Associated Press:
Missouri Senate passes bill to ban abortions at 8 weeks — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led Senate has now passed a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. — Senators approved the legislation 24-10 early Thursday with just hours left before a Friday deadline to pass bills.
Discussion:
ABC News, Fox News, Susan B. Anthony List, Axios, Washington Post, Raw Story and The Week
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Merrit Kennedy / NPR:
Missouri Senate Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 8 Weeks
Missouri Senate Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 8 Weeks
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, Boston Magazine and News Blog, Riverfront Times
John Parkinson / ABC News:
Pelosi condemns merit-based immigration reform as Trump unveils proposal — As President Donald Trump prepared to unveil his roadmap for immigration reform Thursday in the Rose Garden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the White House's focus on a “merit” system while stressing …
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:
Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
What could change Pelosi's mind on impeachment?
What could change Pelosi's mind on impeachment?
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Daily Kos
Richard Morgan / Washington Post:
We asked ambassadors where they eat when they're homesick. We did not expect Taco Bell and Ikea. — In our stateless capital, everyone handles the hunger of homesickness differently. Most of us have our take-me-home go-tos, whether we're transplants from Texas or Thailand, Ohio or Oman.
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Trump won't stop coining nasty nicknames for his foes — but the media must stop amplifying them. — I was talking to an acquaintance recently about Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign. — He liked the Massachusetts Democrat's detailed policies and was impressed with her recent CNN town hall presentation.
Popular Information:
The corporations backing Alabama's war on women — On Wednesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a draconian bill that would effectively ban all abortions in the state. The radical legislation would be a dramatic step backward for women's rights and gender equality — banning abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
Elizabeth Nolan Brown / Reason:
White House Seeks Social Media Sob Stories from Conservative Snowflakes — Was someone mean to you on Twitter? The White House wants to know about it. As of Wednesday, a new tool on the White House website allows visitors to report suspected “political bias” from social media companies.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Gothamist, The Daily Beast, TheBlaze and Raw Story
Charles M. Blow / New York Times:
White Supremacy Beyond a White Majority — President Trump is trying to maintain white dominance as the nation's demographics change. — The white male racist patriarchy will not be denied. It is having a moment. It has its own president. — According to a Pew Research Center analysis …
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Extended term for Trump? No way, most Americans say — Large majority of Americans support respecting the peaceful transfer of power, according to new UVA Center for Politics-Ipsos poll — The lion's share of Americans believes that respecting the results of elections and the peaceful transfer …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and Political Wire