Top Items:


Attorney General William Barr on caring about his reputation: “Everyone dies” — Looking back on his lengthy career as a top Department of Justice official, Attorney General William Barr doesn't seem fazed by critics questioning his relationship with President Trump and alleging he's …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, VICE News, Law & Crime, Sean Hannity, Washington Free Beacon, Axios, Splinter and Balloon Juice
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No President Is Above the Law — When Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report was released on April 18, I sat down and read it. All 448 pages of it. I started reading it that afternoon, and I read all through the night and into the next morning. And when I got to page 448, three things were clear to me.
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, Vox, National Review, Bipartisan Report, Joe.My.God., ThinkProgress, Law & Crime, The Week, Axios, Mother Jones, Observer, Daily Kos, C-SPAN.org and Splinter

In Terrifying Interview, William Barr Goes Full MAGA — After the legal Establishment had granted him the benefit of the doubt, Attorney General William Barr has shocked his erstwhile supporters with his aggressive and frequently dishonest interventions on behalf of President Trump.
Discussion:
The Last Refuge, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller and CBS News

William Barr interview: Read the full transcript — In an exclusive interview with “CBS This Morning,” Attorney General William Barr said he believes special counsel Robert Mueller could have reached a decision on whether President Trump committed obstruction of justice …
Discussion:
RedState, The Daily Caller, Don Surber, The New Civil Rights Movement, National Review, Townhall, The Federalist, New York Times, The New Neo, Salon, The Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo, PJ Media Home, emptywheel, Alternet.org, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Power Line, The Guardian, TheBlaze, Sara A. Carter, Washington Examiner, POLITICUSUSA and Axios


Mueller Played by the Rules. Trump Made New Ones. — The special counsel led an investigation that was disciplined, quiet, and by the book — and the president seized the opportunity. — WASHINGTON — The president of the United States appears to believe that you don't matter unless you are on television.
Discussion:
twitchy.com


Barr says Justice Department and Mueller sparred over “legal analysis” in Russia report — In an exclusive interview with “CBS This Morning,” Attorney General William Barr said Robert Mueller and the Justice Department disagreed over the “legal analysis” in the special counsel's report …


Mnuchin and Lighthizer were opposed to Trump tariffs on Mexico, source says — KEY POINTS — Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer opposed President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexico, according to a source close to the White House.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair and Contemptor
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Trump pushes ahead with plan to slap Mexico with tariffs even as lawmakers and businesses angrily protest
Discussion:
Slate, Reuters, Shareblue Media, Daily Kos, IJR, Politico and The White House

Business groups are considering legal action against the White House over Mexico tariffs
Discussion:
Axios, Breitbart and POLITICUSUSA

Stocks Close Lower as Trump's Mexico Tariff Threat Rattles Markets
Discussion:
CNBC, Radio Iowa, Washington Post, Mother Jones, Defense One and CNN

A trade war with Mexico is more serious — and more political — than you might think
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News, Reason, Townhall and One America News Network


Maggie Haberman: Trump Was Unsettled by Mueller on TV Because He Hasn't Read the Report — Was President Donald Trump particularly vexed as he addressed a press gaggle assembled on the White House lawn on his way to address the Air Force Academy graduation?
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One paragraph in the Mueller report refutes Trump's claim that Mueller asked him to be FBI director
Discussion:
Bipartisan Report, Power Line, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Nadler: ‘There certainly is’ justification for impeaching Trump
Discussion:
Fox News


Italy is evicting Steve Bannon from the medieval monastery he planned to turn into a far-right training academy — The Italian government has delivered a potentially fatal blow to Steve Bannon's plans to transform a medieval monastery near Rome into a training academy for the far-right.
Discussion:
Splinter


Team Obama Tells Iran: Don't Escalate, Don't Take Trump's Bait — As tensions with Iran heat up, former Obama administration officials have quietly urged government officials there to keep their cool. — As the Trump administration sent warplanes and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf …
Discussion:
TheBlaze, Algemeiner.com, Daily Wire, Breitbart and Conservative Review


Leaked Navy emails show top officers struggling with how to handle a former governor ensnared in scandal — The year was just beginning when a Trump administration official contacted the Navy with a question about former Missouri governor Eric Greitens, a veteran of the wars in Iraq …
Discussion:
Task & Purpose


Fox News Host Laura Ingraham Defends White Supremacist and Anti-Semite — Laura Ingraham defended a famed white supremacist known for brazen racism and anti-Semitism as a “prominent voice censored by social media” — Ingraham kicked off her segment Thursday night with a defense of literal fake news …
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch, Media Matters for America, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, twitchy.com, Splinter and Alternet.org
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Grand jury still interested in Roger Stone and the 2016 GOP convention — Roger Stone receives November trial date — Washington (CNN)The Mueller investigation witness longest known to have refused testifying finally spoke to a secret federal grand jury Friday about conservative political …
Discussion:
Law & Crime and emptywheel
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Ex-aide questioned before grand jury about Roger Stone's 2016 campaign work
Discussion:
Breitbart


Supreme Court could overrule an unconstitutional impeachment — President Trump has said that if the House were to impeach him despite his not having committed “high crimes and misdemeanors,” he might seek review of such an unconstitutional action in the Supreme Court.
Discussion:
Vox


Schiff to intel community: Share info on Barr's attempts to declassify docs — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff demanded on Friday that the nation's intelligence community report to Congress any effort by Attorney General William Barr to declassify national security secrets over its objections.
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Trump's approval rating hits highest point in two years — President Trump's job approval rating is the highest it's been in two years, boosted by voter optimism about the economy, according to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey. — The survey found that 48 percent approve …
Discussion:
The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Daily Caller


In musing about executing gay Floridians, Mike Hill proves himself unfit for office — Florida State Rep. Mike Hill was asked about legislation that would sentence gay men to death. This was his response. — CONNECT — In less than 30 seconds of audio from his recent meeting …
Discussion:
The New Civil Rights Movement, Joe.My.God. and Splinter


Kentucky Lt. Gov. Hampton asks for prayers against ‘dark forces’ in Bevin administration — Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton asked Kentuckians for prayers against “dark forces” inside Gov. Matt Bevin's administration on Friday, after she said another member of her staff was fired.
Discussion:
WPSD Local 6WPSD Local 6


Exclusive: Watchdog finds detainees ‘standing on toilets’ for breathing room at border facility holding 900 people in space meant for 125 — Washington (CNN)The Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General has found “dangerous overcrowding” and unsanitary conditions at an El Paso …
Discussion:
Splinter, American Greatness, KTLA, Law & Crime, The Week and New York Post


Trump and Bibi's Bad Week — They're both at war with those who would investigate them. But are they winning or losing? — We knew that this particular Presidential meltdown was coming. By the time President Trump ranted to the media on Thursday morning, shouting over the noise …
Discussion:
The National Interest and Foreign Policy

Analysis on the State-by-State Impact of New Tariffs on Mexico — WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new analysis by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlines the state-by-state impact of the administration's plan to impose a 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico starting on June 10.


Making Sense of the New American Right — Column: Keeping track of the Jacksonians, Reformicons, Paleos, and Post-liberals — I like to start my classes on conservative intellectual history by distinguishing between three groups. There is the Republican Party, with its millions of adherents …


Illinois House approves marijuana legalization bill backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker — The last scheduled day of the Illinois General Assembly's spring session, May 31, 2019, is decision day for a host of still unresolved items from new Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's ambitious agenda. — Privacy Policy
Discussion:
Capitol Fax.com


Trump warned of ‘wolf packs’ of adolescent criminals, undercutting his recent criticism of Biden — How Donald Trump is doing Joe Biden a great favor — (CNN)President Donald Trump this week criticized Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for his role in passing “tough on crime” …
Discussion:
Breitbart, New York Times and Axios


RAFIEKIAN + FLYNN + EDVA = May 31st Update — Apologies, it occurred to me that I have neglected to update the RAFIEKIAN et al EDVA Case, in my customary timely fashion. In order to bring you up to speed in this criminal matter, listed below are the various write ups. The list is in chronological order:


Elton John: ‘I am a European - not a stupid, imperialist English idiot’ — The singer says Brexit has made him ashamed to be British, while performing in Verona during his final world tour — Play Video — Elton John has said he is ashamed of the UK over its voting for and handling of Brexit.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., NB Blog, Daily Wire, Breitbart and Fox News


Fed candidate slams bank's ‘Soviet’ power over markets — Judy Shelton, a senior US official who is being vetted for a job on the board of the Federal Reserve, has attacked the central bank for wielding undemocratic, Soviet-style powers over markets and suggested it should not even be in the business of setting interest rates.


5 Ways Trump Has Remade the Democratic Party — For years, a growing stripe of Democrats has argued that what their party needs is a leader willing to shatter old assumptions, a radical disrupter. — Well, Democrats already have found their transformational figure for the 2020 campaign.
Discussion:
Diamond & Silk


Inside Romney's Trump strategy — When asked about Republicans' criticism of his occasional anti-Trump stances, Mitt Romney doesn't miss a beat: “I have to show you something.” — He grabs his iPad and pulls up an article: “Romney: why the Republican pros distrust him.”


Stop Trump on Trade — Congress should rein in the president's trade-policy powers before it's too late. — President Donald Trump's approach to trade policy had set new benchmarks of incoherence and irresponsibility even before his threat to impose escalating tariffs on imports from Mexico …
Discussion:
Axios and Washington Monthly