Top Items:
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Judge partially blocks Trump border wall plan — A federal judge has partially blocked President Donald Trump's plan to fund construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. — The preliminary injunction issued Friday immediately halts a $1 billion transfer of Pentagon counterdrug funding …
Discussion:
Slate, One America News Network, TheBlaze and The New Civil Rights Movement
RELATED:
Jose A. Del Real / New York Times:
Judge Blocks Part of Trump's Plan to Build Border Wall — President Trump's efforts to build a wall along the southwest border hit a roadblock Friday evening when a federal judge in California granted a preliminary injunction against the administration that prevents it from redirecting funds from other agencies toward the barrier.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Outside the Beltway
The Hill:
Federal judge partially blocks Trump's $1 billion border wall plan — A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, partially blocking President Trump's plan to fund a border wall with Mexico using money from the Defense Department. — California U.S. District Court Judge Haywood Gilliam …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Wall Street Journal:
Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Border-Wall Plans — In first ruling on the issue, judge writes executive branch's plans to divert funds for wall exceeded its authority — A federal judge late Friday blocked the Trump administration from moving forward on construction projects for a wall along …
Discussion:
Daily Wire
Washington Post:
Federal judge issues temporary injunction blocking part of Trump's plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border — The order, by Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. in the Northern District of California, halts part of President Trump's effort to construct new barriers along …
Discussion:
Axios
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Facebook acknowledges Pelosi video is faked but declines to delete it — No requirement that posts be true, the social media company says — When an edited video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) began spreading across the Web this week, researchers quickly identified it as a distortion …
RELATED:
John Harwood / CNBC:
Nancy Pelosi frustrates Democratic activists on impeachment but party strategists like what she's doing — KEY POINTS — In the rising congressional impeachment debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi occupies the hottest seat. Some think she's burning herself, writes CNBC's John Harwood.
Devan Cole / CNN:
Ex-GOP congressman calls for impeachment, says Trump an ‘illegitimate president’
Ex-GOP congressman calls for impeachment, says Trump an ‘illegitimate president’
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Raw Story and Mediaite
Rebecca Morin / USA Today:
‘It is sexist trash’: Hillary Clinton slams Trump after he tweets edited Pelosi video
‘It is sexist trash’: Hillary Clinton slams Trump after he tweets edited Pelosi video
Discussion:
Althouse, Conservative News Today, Washington Post and Washington Press
Shane Harris / Washington Post:
Barr could expose secrets, politicize intelligence with review of Russia probe, current and former officials fear — President Trump's new executive order giving the attorney general broad authority to declassify government secrets threatens to expose U.S. intelligence sources and could distort …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, Breitbart, Hot Air and Lawyers, Guns & Money
RELATED:
Natasha Bertrand / Politico:
Trump puts DOJ on crash course with intelligence agencies
Trump puts DOJ on crash course with intelligence agencies
Discussion:
RedState
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Barr's Newfound Power Could Prompt Clash Between Justice Dept. and C.I.A.
Barr's Newfound Power Could Prompt Clash Between Justice Dept. and C.I.A.
Discussion:
Crooked Media, Raw Story, Hullabaloo and Washington Post
New York Times:
In Shift, Trump Will Pick Kenneth Cuccinelli to Oversee Legal Immigration — Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, the immigration hard-liner who was expected to be President Trump's pick to coordinate immigration policy, will instead be chosen to take over for the embattled official who has overseen …
RELATED:
Trent England / USA Today:
Rural Americans would be serfs if we abolished the Electoral College — Elections are confusing. Learn what the Electoral College is in under a minute. — If the National Popular Vote drive kills the Electoral College, rural and small town Americans who supply our food and energy will lose their voice.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Breitbart and Lawyers, Guns & Money
CNN:
Inside Trump's Air Force One: 'It's like being held captive' — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's departure for Tokyo on Friday kicks off a summer of global jet-setting that takes him to five separate countries — and confines him to the presidential aircraft for more than 80 hours flying overseas.
Discussion:
Bipartisan Report, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Trump Staffers Tell CNN They Dread International Flights on Air Force One: ‘Like Being Held Captive’
Trump Staffers Tell CNN They Dread International Flights on Air Force One: ‘Like Being Held Captive’
Discussion:
CNN
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
DNC boss says candidates to be involved in debate lottery — Democratic candidates for president or their representatives will be involved when the Democratic National Committee (DNC) does a lottery to determine who stands on stage during the party's initial two-day debate …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Dan De Luce / NBC News:
Trump bypasses Congress to push through arms sales to Saudis, UAE — Lawmakers from both parties criticized the move, with Democrats calling it an abuse of presidential power. — The Trump administration on Friday cited a national security “emergency” allegedly caused by Iran to bypass Congress …
RELATED:
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Trump to sidestep Congress to clear arms deals benefiting Saudi Arabia, UAE
Trump to sidestep Congress to clear arms deals benefiting Saudi Arabia, UAE
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Bipartisan Report, United States Senate Committee …, The Week, UPI, Axios, LobeLog and OpenSecrets.org
Lisa Rein / Washington Post:
Trump administration to pull out of rural Job Corps program, laying off 1,100 federal workers — The Trump administration announced Friday that it will kill a Forest Service program that trains disadvantaged young people for wildland fire fighting and other jobs in rural communities …
Discussion:
Axios
RFE / Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
UN Maritime Tribunal Rules Russia Must ‘Immediately’ Release Ukrainian Sailors, Ships — A UN maritime tribunal has ruled that Russia must “immediately” release 24 Ukrainian sailors and three Ukrainian naval vessels captured by Russia in November. — The Hamburg-based International Tribunal …
Washington Post:
On Julian Assange, the administration throws smart and careful out the window — FOR ONCE, the Trump administration seemed to be taking the smart, careful route. Instead of indicting WikiLeaks provocateur Julian Assange for journalistic activities, such as publishing government secrets …
Discussion:
Power Line, Politico and Reason, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Benjamin Siegel / ABC News:
Robert Mueller wants to avoid ‘political spectacle’ before Congress: Nadler — Special counsel Robert Mueller is eager to avoid the politics swirling around his investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia's 2016 influence efforts and doesn't want to testify publicly on Capitol Hill about his findings …
Discussion:
Breitbart
David R. Lurie / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Public Enemies List Is an Impeachable Offense — What he and William Barr are doing is potentially worse than anything in the Mueller Report. — Long before becoming president, Donald Trump called for the jailing of his adversaries. Aided by Attorney General William Barr …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Associated Press
Jamil Smith / Rolling Stone:
President Trump Wants a Promotion — A flurry of power moves shows that being the “leader of the free world” isn't enough for him. So, for Democrats, when does patience turn into submission? — During a recent trip north to Santa Barbara, I escaped the rain in a used bookstore and struck …