memeorandum: How Robert Mueller shielded Trump's budget deal (Jonathan Swan/Axios)

8:00 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, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post 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, KTLA, Vox, 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

Laurence H. Tribe / USA Today:

We are finally on the path to Trump impeachment and saving what our Founders gave us — Nancy Pelosi spared moderate Democrats a floor vote on impeachment, but she has unleashed her committee chairs to do exactly what needs to be done. — CONNECT — Don't let anybody fool you …

Discussion: Washington Post

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, PJ Media Home, Washington Times, Politico, IJR, New York Post and Political Wire

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

With Sunday surge, nearly half of House Democrats back impeachment inquiry — Four more rank-and-file Democrats called for opening an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump on Sunday, inching lawmakers closer to a significant symbolic milestone: a majority of all House Democrats.

Discussion: Mediaite

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

Congressman Denny Heck: STATEMENT: Rep. Denny Heck Supports an Impeachment Inquiry

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

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

Discussion: Politico

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, The Wrap and 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 …

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

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

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

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, CNN, Townhall, New York Times, The Root, Lawyers, Guns & Money, 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: Althouse, Daily Wire, Power Line, Breitbart and Hullabaloo

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

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?

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, Instapundit and Front Page Magazine

CNN:

Hoping for a Warren-Sanders clash? Their campaigns say don't hold your breath — Sanders and Warren prepare for debate face off — (CNN)Progressives are determined to lift either Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren to the Democratic presidential nomination next year.

New York Times: Why Democrats Are So Far From Consensus on 2020

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 …

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.

Discussion: Florida Politics and Miami Herald

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

How Robert Mueller shielded Trump's budget deal — Before President Trump agreed to support a 2-year budget deal that would inflate the national debt and allow $320 billion in new spending, he monitored Fox News for signs of rebellion. But instead of bringing up fiscal responsibility and the national debt …