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Biden and Democratic Rivals Exchange Attacks Over His Remarks on Segregationists — Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday lashed out at his Democratic rivals who had assailed his fond recollections of working relationships with segregationists in the Senate, refusing to apologize and defending his record on civil rights.
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Top South Carolina Democrat Weighs Endorsing in 2020 Primary — James Clyburn still plays the role of presidential kingmaker back home, though he sometimes feels unappreciated on Capitol Hill — CHARLESTON, S.C.—For all the debate in Washington about Rep. James Clyburn's place in the Democratic Party …
Discussion:
Politico and Political Wire

Biden faces backlash over comments about the ‘civility’ of his past work with racist senators
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, NPR, BBC and CBS News

The Note: Biden's good old days less good for his campaign
Discussion:
Politico and Daily Wire

Biden defiant as Democrats unleash barrage of criticism
Discussion:
CNN, Newser, Breitbart, Fox News and One America News Network

Iran says Revolutionary Guard shoots down US drone — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it shot down a U.S. drone amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal. The U.S. military declined to immediately comment.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Post, Townhall, VICE and Common Dreams
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Iran says it's ‘completely ready for war’ after US military confirms it shot down American drone — In a major provocation, Iran shot down an unarmed and unmanned U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk drone while it was flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement.
Discussion:
Fox News, Political Wire, twitchy.com, The Daily Beast, PJ Media Home, WREG-TV and Mediaite


Iran Says It Shot Down a U.S. Drone, Escalating Tensions — Iran said Thursday that it had shot down a United States drone, days after American officials blamed Iran for attacks on international shipping, in the latest escalation in tensions that have raised fears of war between the two countries.
Discussion:
Power Line

Bolton Keeps Trying to Goad Iran Into War
Discussion:
Slate, Washington Post and The Guardian


Accusing the New York Times of ‘Treason,’ Trump Crosses a Line — The Founders considered it the gravest of crimes. Tossing the charge around is irresponsible and wrong. — First it was the “the failing New York Times.” Then “fake news.” Then “enemy of the people.”
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, CNN, Deadline and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »


‘My Whole Life Is a Bet.’ Inside President Trump's Gamble on an Untested Re-Election Strategy — ‘My whole life is a bet,’ the President of the United States says, resting his forearms on the edge of the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. — It's a steamy evening in mid-June …
Discussion:
Althouse


Horns are growing on young people's skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests. — Mobile technology has transformed the way we live — how we read, work, communicate, shop and date. — But we already know this. — What we have not yet grasped is the way the tiny machines …


Feds arrest Syrian refugee accused of plotting terrorist attack on Pittsburgh church — The Department of Justice announced the arrest of a Syrian refugee on Wednesday in connection with an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on a Christian church in Pittsburgh.
Discussion:
WPXI-TV, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire and TheBlaze
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Syrian Refugee Arrested On Allegations Of Planning Attack On Pittsburgh Church
Discussion:
U.S. Department of Justice, Jihad Watch, Power Line, UPI and The Daily Beast


A path has been laid out for holding Khashoggi's murderers accountable — THIRTEEN MINUTES before Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, the head of a hit team who was dispatched to intercept him asked the team's forensic doctor about dismembering the journalist's body.
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch, Brookings and Common Dreams
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'These People Aren't Coming From Norway': Refugees in a Minnesota City Face a Backlash — As more Somali refugees arrive in St. Cloud, white anti-immigration activists have pressed an increasingly explicit anti-Muslim agenda. — ST. CLOUD, Minn. — John Palmer, a former university professor, has always had a cause.


Trump Believes He Has the Authority to Replace Powell at Fed — President is not planning to demote Fed chairman, for now — Powell says he will serve his full term despite criticism — President Donald Trump has told confidants as recently as Wednesday that he believes …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico and Political Wire


State Department official didn't disclose ties to the boyfriend of Russian agent Maria Butina — The State Department official in charge of U.S. arms control negotiations with Moscow and her husband had a years-long friendship with GOP operative Paul Erickson, the former boyfriend …


Senators get classified briefing on UFO sightings — Three more U.S. senators received a classified Pentagon briefing on Wednesday about a series of reported encounters by the Navy with unidentified aircraft, according to congressional and government officials — part of a growing number …
Discussion:
Splinter, The Sun, Axios and New York Post


Deutsche Bank Faces Criminal Investigation for Potential Money-Laundering Lapses — Federal authorities are investigating whether Deutsche Bank complied with laws meant to stop money laundering and other crimes, the latest government examination of potential misconduct at one of the world's largest …
Discussion:
Washington Press, New York Post, CNBC, Political Wire, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian and Bloomberg


18 Years Later, The House Finally Repeals The President's 9/11 War Authority — But how hard are Democrats willing to fight to actually prevent war? — WASHINGTON ― House Democrats passed a nearly $1 trillion appropriations bill on Wednesday, complete with funding for the military, health programs and the Energy Department.
Discussion:
Issues & Insights, courthousenews.com, Common Dreams and The American Conservative
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House Democrats vote to repeal 9/11-era law used to authorize perpetual war
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politico, New York Times, Axios and Hullabaloo


With Maduro entrenched in Venezuela, Trump loses patience and interest in issue, officials say — Last winter, the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seemed a sure bet to President Trump, a quick foreign policy win at a time when other initiatives in Asia …
Discussion:
Mother Jones


Trump: I wasn't going to live-tweet debates, but now I may — President Donald Trump said he hadn't thought about live-tweeting the first Democratic debates but now that the media has brought it up, he just might. — Several people close to the president told POLITICO and The Wall Street Journal …
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Post and Axios
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Trump's plan for the Dem debates: Make it about him
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog

CUOMO PRIME TIME — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — [21:00:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR, NEW DAY: All right, friends. Thank you very much for watching with - this with us and helping us understand it. — The news continues.
Discussion:
Townhall
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Pelosi blows off AOC ‘concentration camp’ remarks
Discussion:
Slate, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Splinter, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, Front Page Magazine, Jewish Journal, Daily Wire and twitchy.com


Illinois Democrats Reps. Sean Casten, Jan Schakowsky call for Trump impeachment inquiry — Freshman Casten, who flipped a suburban Chicago district in 2018, is among the 44 House Democrats facing the toughest GOP challenges in 2020, and only the third in this group to back an impeachment inquiry.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky


Feds Tell 9th Circuit: Detained Kids ‘Safe and Sanitary’ Without Soap — SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - The Trump administration argued in front of a Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday that the government is not required to give soap or toothbrushes to children apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and The New Civil Rights Movement


Biden sidesteps questions about his son's foreign business dealings but promises ethics pledge — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden declined to answer questions on the campaign trail this week about his son's overseas business dealings in countries where the then-vice president …
Discussion:
Political Wire


Cracker Barrel turns away Grayson Fritts, detective who called for LGBTQ executions in Tennessee — CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A Cracker Barrel in Cleveland, Tennessee, refused to host Knox County Sheriff's Office Detective Grayson Fritts and his church group, citing the restaurant chain's zero-tolerance policy …
Discussion:
The Tennessean


Now, word of a mysterious third ‘scope memo’ for Robert Mueller — The 448-page Mueller report has been public for two months, so it might seem strange that the Justice Department's original instructions to special counsel Robert Mueller, outlining what he was assigned to investigate, are still a secret.
Discussion:
Power Line and The Gateway Pundit


Patrick Shanahan Would Have Fit Right In at the Trump White House — Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is not the first Trump administration official to resign over domestic violence allegations, which he did on Tuesday amid reports from USA Today and the Washington Post …


Former Trump business partner Felix Sater set to testify Friday before House Intelligence Committee — Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate developer, is set to testify Friday before the House Intelligence Committee about his experience working on a proposed Trump tower project in Moscow during …


Republicans fear campaign arm is stumbling in fight for the House — The House GOP campaign arm is under fire from Republicans who are growing increasingly anxious about the party's plan to win back the chamber in 2020. — Republicans still don't have an answer to Democrats' online fundraising behemoth ActBlue.


Steel industry begins to idle plants, shows signs of weakness — despite Trump's support — U.S. Steel announced it will temporarily halt production at two domestic plants despite the boost from the Trump administration's tariffs, as a steel industry singled out for federal support shows signs of weakening.
Discussion:
Reason