Top Items:
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
See a Design of the Harriet Tubman $20 Bill That Mnuchin Delayed — WASHINGTON — Extensive work was well underway on a new $20 bill bearing the image of Harriet Tubman when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that the design of the note would be delayed for technical reasons …
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire
Ben Dooley / New York Times:
‘Flying Object’ Struck Tanker in Gulf of Oman, Operator Says, Not a Mine — TOKYO — One of the tankers that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman was struck by a flying object, the ship's Japanese operator said on Friday, disputing at least part of the account of United States officials who had blamed Iran for the attack.
Discussion:
Washington Post, USNI News, Splinter, Newser and Outside the Beltway
RELATED:
Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:
US says Iran took mine off tanker; Iran denies involvement — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz …
Discussion:
Defense One, Roll Call, Slate, The Week and Washington Post
CBS News:
Tanker owner seems to dispute U.S. account of Gulf of Oman attack — The Japanese owner of the Kokuka Courageous, one of two oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, said Friday that sailors on board saw “flying objects” just before it was hit, suggesting the vessel wasn't damaged by mines.
Discussion:
Fox News and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Robin Wright / New Yorker:
A Tanker War in the Middle East—Again?
A Tanker War in the Middle East—Again?
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Times, Task & Purpose and CNSNews
Edward Wong / New York Times:
Pompeo Says Intelligence Points to Iran in Tanker Attack in Gulf of Oman
Pompeo Says Intelligence Points to Iran in Tanker Attack in Gulf of Oman
Discussion:
Politico, CBS News, JustOneMinute, Defense One, McSweeney's, KTVQ-TV, Daily Wire, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Sarah Sanders was the disdainful Queen of Gaslighting — When Sarah Sanders said Thursday that she hopes to be remembered for her transparency and honesty, the first impulse was to laugh. — But lying to citizens while being paid by them really isn't all that funny.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
RELATED:
New York Times:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Leaving White House at the End of the Month — WASHINGTON — Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary who fiercely defended President Trump through one of the most tumultuous periods in American politics while presiding over the end of the iconic daily news briefing …
Orion Rummler / Axios:
The highlights from Trump's 50-minute birthday “Fox & Friends” call
The highlights from Trump's 50-minute birthday “Fox & Friends” call
Discussion:
Washington Post, Axios and Politico
Megan Garber / The Atlantic:
Sarah Sanders Broke the News
Sarah Sanders Broke the News
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Washingtonian, The Guardian, CNN, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Daily Beast
Gwynedd Stuart / Los Angeles Magazine:
Louise Linton, aka Mrs. Steven Mnuchin, Is Sorry — America's most controversial cabinet wife sounds off on the perils of D.C., her feelings about the Trumps, and her starring role as a sociopathic bisexual serial killer — Swaddled in a white terry cloth robe and perched on a director's chair …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, New York Post, Politico, Splinter and The Week
Maureen Groppe / Indianapolis Star:
Exclusive: Indiana Republican Susan Brooks will not seek re-election to Congress — WASHINGTON — Indiana Rep. Susan Brooks, one of only 13 Republican women in the House as well as the head of GOP recruitment for 2020, found someone she could not convince to run: herself.
Discussion:
Politico and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Maureen Groppe / USA Today:
Exclusive: GOP lawmaker who sought to recruit more women to run in 2020 is herself retiring
Exclusive: GOP lawmaker who sought to recruit more women to run in 2020 is herself retiring
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Shareblue Media and Roll Call
Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:
Trump campaign says it will handle foreign info on rivals on “case by case basis” — President Trump's 2020 reelection campaign will handle damaging information on political opponents provided by foreign governments and entities on a “case by case basis,” according to the campaign's top spokesperson.
Discussion:
CNN, KTVQ-TV, Splinter, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Media Matters for America, Vox, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Breitbart, The Root, USA Today, Washington Post and Washington Free Beacon
RELATED:
Matthew Choi / Politico:
‘Let me make something 100% clear’: FEC chair lays down the law on foreign help
‘Let me make something 100% clear’: FEC chair lays down the law on foreign help
Discussion:
CNN, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and Daily Kos
Justin Fishel / ABC News:
EXCLUSIVE: Trump disputes account of White House counsel's testimony to Mueller — President Donald Trump is directly disputing the account of a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible obstruction of justice during the course of the Russia probe saying that it …
Discussion:
Politico, Mediaite, The Hill, Bloomberg, Fox News, Daily Kos, Slate, Joe.My.God., VICE News, New York Post, Political Wire, Wonkette, Hullabaloo, Splinter and Breitbart
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
The Illiberal Right Throws a Tantrum — By the tail end of the Obama administration, the culture war seemed lost. The religious right sued for détente, having been swept up in one of the most rapid cultural shifts in generations. Gone were the decades of being able to count …
Discussion:
Reason, Eschaton, Acton Institute PowerBlog and New York Magazine
Washington Post:
Trump says he won't fire Kellyanne Conway over Hatch Act violations — President Trump said Friday that he will not fire White House counselor Kellyanne Conway for repeated violations of the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity in the course of their work.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Political Wire, Axios, Slate, Newser, East Bay Times and Vox
RELATED:
Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:
Trump won't promise to endorse Pence for president in 2024 — President Trump said Friday morning that if Vice President Pence runs for president in 2024, he wouldn't automatically have his endorsement. — The president was asked the hypothetical during a wide-ranging interview on “Fox & Friends.”
Discussion:
Political Wire
RELATED:
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
Federal employees turn their backs on Agriculture secretary after relocation plans announced — Members of the American Federation of Government Employees turned their backs on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday, apparently over plans to relocate them from Washington to the Kansas City area.
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, RedState, USDA, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts and Politico
New York Times:
The Youngest Known Child Separated From His Family by the Trump Administration — Caitlin Dickerson is a Peabody award-winning national immigration reporter, who profiles the lives of immigrants, including those without legal status. Last year, Caitlin reported that the Trump administration …
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
Forget “No Collusion,” Trump Is Now Pro-Collusion — There is no such thing as an outrage-free week anymore. On Wednesday, President Trump offered us a particularly stunning example of this new political reality, telling the ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos that he would welcome foreign interference …
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Fox's Judge Napolitano: Seems Trump ‘Is Prepared to Commit a Felony to Get Re-Elected’ — 'There's no wiggle room with respect to dirt,' the judge noted. — Reacting to President Trump saying he would accept foreign intel on a political opponent if offered, and that he doesn't feel it's necessary …
Anne Flaherty / ABC News:
EXCLUSIVE: Trump says of Fed Reserve chairman 'I've waited long enough' — President Donald Trump slammed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell again this week, insisting that Powell's actions have prevented the economy from soaring even higher and declaring he's out of patience with the man …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Corky Siemaszko / NBC News:
Former Democractic rising star and Afghanistan War veteran speaks out for first time about PTSD treatment — “After 11 years of trying to outrun depression and PTSD symptoms, I have finally concluded that it's faster than me. That I have to stop running, turn around, and confront it,” Jason Kander said.
Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
Power Up: Pete Buttigieg wants to lead on foreign policy. These are his advisers — It's Friday. Hope you're all loving Linsanity 2.0 as much as I am. Also, the president turns 73 today. Have a great weekend, a happy Father's Day, and see you on Monday 😎 — The People
Stef W. Kight / Axios:
Trump says he'll name Thomas Homan as “border czar” — Thomas Homan, a Fox News contributor who served as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director at the start of President Trump's tenure, will work as an administration “border czar,” the president announced on “Fox & Friends” Friday.
Discussion:
Breitbart and Joe.My.God.
Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
Michael Avenatti is sued for allegedly siphoning paraplegic's $4 million settlement — (Reuters) - Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump, has been sued by a paraplegic former client who accused him of siphoning away a $4 million settlement he had won.
Discussion:
Splinter
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Liberal Wonks, or at Least Elizabeth Warren, Have a Plan for That — The surprising power of evidence-based progressivism. — Not long ago, political pundits were writing off Elizabeth Warren's political chances, but recent polling makes her an increasingly plausible contender …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
Associated Press:
Emails: Trump official consulting climate change rejecters — WASHINGTON (AP) — A Trump administration national security official has sought help from advisers to a think tank that disavows climate change to challenge widely accepted scientific findings on global warming, according to his emails.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Michael Kruse / Politico:
The Escalator Ride That Changed America — Four years ago, Donald Trump stepped onto an escalator in the atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York and began descending into a lobby packed with cameras. It's safe to say the 10 or so seconds that followed are the most consequential escalator ride in American history.
Ezra Klein / Vox:
Elizabeth Warren isn't Hillary Clinton — How Warren is using many policies to reinforce one message, and a few other notes from our conversation. — My old American Prospect editor Mark Schmitt had a maxim I always liked: “It's not what you say about the issues; it's what the issues say about you.”
Angelo Codevilla / American Greatness:
A Conservative Resistance? — Leftists in America treat conservative voters, elected officials, and policies as illegitimate. Should conservative Americans return the favor? Could they? — Few outside the corporate leftist media took seriously Hillary Clinton's accusation …
Thomas Gibbons-Neff / New York Times:
U.S. Special Forces Battle Against ISIS Turns to Containment, and Concern — DEH BALA, Afghanistan — Two years ago, Pentagon officials said that American forces in the remote reaches of Afghanistan could defeat the Islamic State's offshoot here by the end of 2017.
Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
Does Amazon Really Pay No Taxes? Here's the Complicated Answer — Yes, Amazon has paid income taxes, albeit at a low rate—and likely has been helped by deductions and incentives related to investment, research and employee compensation — Democratic presidential candidates have seized …
Natasha Bertrand / Politico:
Trump smashed months of FBI work to thwart election interference — Nearly two years ago, FBI Director Chris Wray set up an office tasked solely with stopping the type of Russian interference efforts that infected the 2016 campaign. — On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump undercut the whole operation in a matter of seconds.
Discussion:
The Week, PJ Media Home and Vanity Fair