memeorandum: Federal Inquiry of Trump Friend Focused on Foreign Lobbying (New York Times)

7:30 PM ET, July 28, 2019

Top Items:

Dan Coats Expected to Step Down as Intelligence Chief — WASHINGTON — Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, is expected to step down in the coming days after spending his tenure at odds with President Trump over issues including Russia and Mr. Trump's own attacks on the intelligence community …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Politico, Rolling Stone, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Trump to nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as DNI — President Trump announced on Twitter Sunday that he will nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence, confirming Axios' earlier reporting that Ratcliffe was favored for the job.

Discussion: CNBC, NPR, Washington Post, Vox, KTLA, CNN, Slate, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter, Hullabaloo, Mediaite and The Guardian

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:

John Ratcliffe: AG William Barr will deliver justice to any Obama officials who committed crimes — A top Republican investigator said accountability is coming for any of those individuals who may have committed crimes during the Trump-Russia investigation.

Discussion: RedState

Gregg Re / Fox News:
Dan Coats to leave post as director of national intelligence as Trump selects Rep. John Ratcliffe as replacement

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

Kendall Karson / ABC News:

Partisan differences on impeachment remain after Mueller testimony, as nearly half of Americans show little movement: POLL — Following more than six hours of questioning of former special counsel Robert Mueller before two different congressional committees, Democrats and Republicans remain largely splintered …

Discussion: twitchy.com, Politico, Washington Times, IJR, New York Post and Political Wire

Congressman Denny Heck:

STATEMENT: Rep. Denny Heck Supports an Impeachment Inquiry — Congressman Denny Heck (WA-10) released the following statement, announcing his support for a formal impeachment inquiry: — “For many months multiple committees of the House have been engaged in investigations …

U.S. Congresswoman Suzan Delbene:

DelBene Supports Impeachment Inquiry — f t # e — Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) called for an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. — “It gives me no pleasure to announce that I am calling for the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment inquiry into the President of the United States.

Discussion: Rolling Stone

Laurence H. Tribe / USA Today:
We are finally on the path to Trump impeachment and saving what our Founders gave us

Discussion: Washington Post

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
With Sunday surge, nearly half of House Democrats back impeachment inquiry

Discussion: Mediaite

Paola Chavez / CNN:
Nadler says Trump should be impeached because 'he's violated the laws six ways from Sunday'

Discussion: Law & Crime and twitchy.com

ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript 7-28-19: Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Will Hurd, Mayor Bill de Blasio

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Adia Robinson / ABC News:
‘Important’ that Mueller investigation info get to Americans: Rep. Jerry Nadler

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Washington Press, Daily Wire, The Week, Politico and PJ Media Home

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Nadler: “We have impeachment resolutions before the committee”

Discussion: Politico

Gabriela Resto-Montero / Vox:
New polling finds Mueller's testimony didn't change Americans' minds on impeachment

Discussion: twitchy.com, Politico and Washington Times

Dan Rodricks / Baltimore Sun:

People who refuse to see or hear Trump's racism in attack on Baltimore are beyond reach, but here goes — People who support President Donald Trump, no matter what he says or does, are beyond reach with reason and facts. To continue to support this president, you have to either agree …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Dom Calicchio / Fox News:
Bernie Sanders blasted Baltimore as ‘Third World country’ and ‘disgrace’ in past comments

Discussion: Axios, Townhall, Washington Times, NB Blog, Politico, The Daily Caller, PJ Media Home and The Week

CNN: Hoping for a Warren-Sanders clash? Their campaigns say don't hold your breath

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Fox's Chris Wallace Calls Out Mulvaney for Saying Trump's Baltimore Tweets Have ‘Zero to Do With Race’

Discussion: Washington Post, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and CNN

Justin Wise / The Hill:
Trump doubles down on attacks against Cummings and Baltimore district

Discussion: Breitbart, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner and Axios

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
‘Everything that Donald Trump says is offensive to some people,’ Mulvaney says

Discussion: Breitbart, CNN and Slate

Kate Sullivan / CNN:
Bernie Sanders: 'It's unbelievable' Trump ‘attacks American cities’

Discussion: Breitbart, fox8.com and Front Page Magazine

Baltimore Sun:
Better to have a few rats than to be one

Discussion: Washington Post, Townhall, New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Vanity Fair, The Root, Washington Press and Balloon Juice

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Why Trump Spent His Summer Vacation Sending Racist Tweets

Discussion: Daily Kos

David Zurawik / Baltimore Sun:
Trump's Twitter attack on Cummings and Baltimore: undiluted racism and hate

Discussion: Power Line, The Wrap, Althouse and Daily Wire

New York Times:

Federal Inquiry of Trump Friend Focused on Foreign Lobbying — WASHINGTON — As Donald J. Trump was preparing to deliver an address on energy policy in May 2016, Paul Manafort, his campaign chairman, had a question about the speech's contents for Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a top campaign fund-raiser and close friend of Mr. Trump.

Discussion: Political Wire

Rebecca Tan / Washington Post:

Kushner owns lots of Baltimore-area apartments. Some are infested with mice. — In a now-viral tweetstorm on Saturday, President Trump characterized Rep. Elijah E. Cummings's Baltimore-based congressional district as a “rodent infested mess” where “no human” would want to live.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Nataliya Vasilyeva / Associated Press:

Nearly 1,400 detained in Moscow protest; largest in decade — MOSCOW (AP) — Nearly 1,400 people were detained in a violent police crackdown on an opposition protest in Moscow, a Russian monitoring group said Sunday, adding that was the largest number of detentions at a rally in the Russian capital this decade.

Discussion: New York Times, Splinter, BBC, The Week and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

Kate Briquelet / The Daily Beast:

When Epstein Was Cosmo's Bachelor of the Month — In July 1980, the predatory financier was featured as the magazine's “Bachelor of the Month” seeking a “cute Texas girl.” — Long before Jeffrey Epstein boasted of his billionaires-only client list—and long before his arrests …

Discussion: Law & Crime and Instapundit

Seema Mehta / Los Angeles Times:

Beers, nostalgia and worry in Michigan as historic GM plant closes — A GM factory in Warren, Mich., is closing as Democrats come to Detroit to debate. Some workers, in a county and a state key to the 2020 presidential race, wonder whether elected officials can or will help. — 4 AM

Hot Air:

Tapper To Rashida Tlaib: Why Do You Only Want To Boycott Israel And Not, Say, Egypt Or Pakistan Or Saudi Arabia? — I would happily boycott Egypt or Saudi Arabia for human rights violations, Tlaib insists, responding to Tapper's question. — Okay, he says. Then why don't you?

Steve Contorno / Tampa Bay Times:

Rick Scott on ‘Meet the Press’ admits he hasn't read new Senate report on Russian election hacking — Maybe ask Marco Rubio for a copy? — A new report from the Senate Intelligence committee on Russian hacking has raised more serious questions about Florida election security in 2016.