Top Items:
New York Times:
U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia's Power Grid — WASHINGTON — The United States is stepping up digital incursions into Russia's electric power grid in a warning to President Vladimir V. Putin and a demonstration of how the Trump administration is using new authorities to deploy cybertools …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Task & Purpose and TASS, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
Hong Kong's Leader Is Set to Delay Extradition Bill Indefinitely — HONG KONG — On the defensive after days of huge street protests, Hong Kong's chief executive is preparing to indefinitely suspend her push to adopt a contentious extradition bill after consulting with her superiors in mainland China …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
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Politico:
Hong Kong extradition bill complicates an already tense US-China relationship
Hong Kong extradition bill complicates an already tense US-China relationship
Discussion:
South China Morning Post, One America News Network and Foreign Policy
Associated Press:
Hong Kong leader delays unpopular bill; activists want more
Hong Kong leader delays unpopular bill; activists want more
Discussion:
Politico and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:
Top Trump Census Official Communicated With GOP Operative About Citizenship Question — On May 30, the plaintiffs challenging the Trump administration's census citizenship question dropped a bombshell: A central portion of the Justice Department's rationale for the question was apparently written …
Discussion:
OpenSecrets.org
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Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo:
Even More Evidence Emerges Linking Deceased Consultant To Trump Census Push — Voting rights group say they have found even more evidence connecting a now-deceased GOP gerrymandering consultant to the Trump administration's push to add a citizenship question census.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
Cristina Maza / Newsweek:
Germany joins chorus casting doubt on Trump administration claim that Iran was behind attack on oil tankers — Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday cast doubt on evidence that the U.S. government claims is proof that Iran was behind an attack this week on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, CNBC and Reuters
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Bret Stephens / New York Times:
The Pirates of Tehran — If Iran won't change its behavior, we should sink its navy. — On April 14, 1988, the U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts, a frigate, hit an Iranian naval mine while sailing in the Persian Gulf. The explosion injured 10 of her crew and nearly sank the ship.
Discussion:
USA Today, Outside the Beltway, Chicago Boyz, Balloon Juice and LobeLog
Trita Parsi / NBC News:
Trump blames Iran for the tanker attacks. But let's be skeptical of his administration's pro-war bluster.
Trump blames Iran for the tanker attacks. But let's be skeptical of his administration's pro-war bluster.
Discussion:
Newser, Defense One, New York Times and NPR
Peter Baker / New York Times:
As Trump Accuses Iran, He Has One Problem: His Own Credibility — WASHINGTON — To President Trump, the question of culpability in the explosions that crippled two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman is no question at all. “It's probably got essentially Iran written all over it,” he declared on Friday.
Discussion:
Spectator USA, Reason and Newser
Jonathan Greenberg / Washington Post:
Saving face — How Donald Trump silenced the people who could expose his business failures — How did Donald Trump, a self-serving promoter who lost billions of dollars for his investors, convince the world that he is a financial genius? It wasn't just by fabricating tales of his success.
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump campaign zeroes in on a new threat: Elizabeth Warren — President Donald Trump's reelection machine is setting its sights on a new target, one it had left for dead just a few months ago: Elizabeth Warren. — With the Massachusetts senator rising in polls and driving a populist message …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Wonkette, The Week, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Daily Dot
Bloomberg:
Europe Should Join the U.S. in Confronting Iran — The recent attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman have endangered lives, disrupted traffic in some of the world's most important shipping lanes, and forced up global energy prices. And they aren't the first: Tankers off the port of Fujairah were attacked last month.
Discussion:
The American Conservative, USNI News and Pirate's Cove
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Thomas Burr / Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah Rep. Chris Stewart says it would be ‘foolish’ for a candidate not to look at foreign intel against an opponent — Washington • Rep. Chris Stewart, a Utah Republican who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, said Friday that it would be “foolish” not to take information …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Declan Walsh / New York Times:
Sudan Ousted a Brutal Dictator. His Successor Was His Enforcer. — KHARTOUM, Sudan — Once a camel trader who led a militia accused of genocidal violence in Darfur, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan now sits at the pinnacle of power in Sudan, overlooking the scorched streets from his wood-paneled office high …
Discussion:
Fox News
Paul Schwartzman / Washington Post:
F-bombs and insults: Norman Mailer's epic run for mayor of New York in 1969 — He and running mate Jimmy Breslin were entertaining but ineffective — A glass of whisky in his hand, Norman Mailer cursed the roaring crowd in Greenwich Village and told them to shut up when they interrupted his speech …
CNN:
Tom Homan caught by surprise by President's border czar announcement, source says — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's announcement on “Fox and Friends” Friday morning that Tom Homan would be his new “border czar” appears to have been premature. — Homan, a Fox News contributor …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Joe.My.God., Political Wire, Splinter, Mediaite, Politico, Mother Jones and Conservative News Today
Jeremy B. Merrill / Quartz:
Does Google not realize Beto O'Rourke is running for president? — It can be hard to keep track of all 23 Democrats running for US president, we know, but Google's advertising enforcement systems don't seem to realize that Beto O'Rourke is one of them. — Google has been treating Beto's campaign ads …