Top Items:
Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Justice Dept dropping Flynn's criminal case — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for Trump …
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The Daily Beast:
Team Trump Wants Flynn Back for 2020, Sees Him as Their ‘Nelson Mandela’ — Can a disgraced former national security adviser become a campaign MAGA hero? We may soon find out. — With the Justice Department announcing Thursday that it would drop the case against Michael Flynn …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Raw Story
Lawfare:
An Ugly Day for the Justice Department — It is exceptionally rare for the United States Department of Justice to move in court to dismiss a case in which a defendant has—ably assisted by first-class lawyers—entered into a plea agreement to spare himself prosecution on more serious felony charges.
Discussion:
New York Times and The Mahablog
Allison Quinn / The Daily Beast:
Kushner Details His Wild Idea to Use Russia's Secret Comms — According to newly released transcripts, Kushner admitted to floating a back-channel of sorts, but said the then-Russian ambassador nixed the idea. — The president's son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner …
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
If Michael Flynn did nothing wrong, why didn't he tell the truth? — With the Justice Department's move Thursday to drop its case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, it's useful to go back to a basic question: If Flynn did nothing wrong when he called the Russian ambassador on Dec. 29 …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Catherine Herridge / CBS News:
Attorney General William Barr on Michael Flynn, Obamacare and coronavirus restrictions - Transcript
Attorney General William Barr on Michael Flynn, Obamacare and coronavirus restrictions - Transcript
Discussion:
The Week, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart and The Hill
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Drops Case Against Michael Flynn
Justice Dept. Drops Case Against Michael Flynn
Discussion:
The Atlantic, emptywheel, The Root, Common Dreams, Law & Crime and Discourse.net
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Experts Question Dropping of Flynn Prosecution
‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Experts Question Dropping of Flynn Prosecution
Discussion:
IJR
Gregg Re / Fox News:
Obama knew details of wiretapped Flynn phone calls, surprising top DOJ official, new docs show
Obama knew details of wiretapped Flynn phone calls, surprising top DOJ official, new docs show
Discussion:
NB Blog, New York Post and Politico
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
DOJ drops case against Michael Flynn, in wake of internal memo release
DOJ drops case against Michael Flynn, in wake of internal memo release
Discussion:
Spectator USA, CNN, Washington Post, Politico, Breitbart, Sean Hannity, The Daily Signal, The Hill, Patterico's Pontifications, Power Line, NBC News, Redstate and americandigest.org
Zachary Basu / Axios:
McCabe slams decision to drop Flynn charges as “pure politics”
McCabe slams decision to drop Flynn charges as “pure politics”
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Breitbart, Mediaite, Slate, Rolling Stone and Deadline
Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:
Trump cheers DOJ move to drop Flynn case
Trump cheers DOJ move to drop Flynn case
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Matt Fountain / San Luis Obispo Tribune:
Exclusive: 1996 court document confirms Tara Reade shared Biden harassment allegation — The San Luis Obispo County court filing is the first official public record confirming she made allegations at that time. — A court document from 1996 shows former Senate staffer Tara Reade told …
Discussion:
Power Line, Redstate, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Townhall, The Hill, HuffPost, New York Post, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, Twitchy, Variety, Talking Points Memo, Viking Pundit and New York Times
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Alexandra Jaffe / Associated Press:
Prominent lawyer, Trump donor representing Biden accuser — WASHINGTON (AP) — Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who alleged Joe Biden sexually assaulted her 27 years ago, is being represented by a prominent lawyer and political donor to President Donald Trump's 2016 Republican campaign.
Laura McGann / Vox:
The agonizing story of Tara Reade — Tara Reade, a former staff assistant in Joe Biden's Senate office, on April 11. Max Whittaker/New York Times/Redux — I started reporting on Tara Reade's story a year ago. Here's what I found, and where I'm stuck.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Balloon Juice, The Hill, The Week, HuffPost and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Tara Reade calls for Biden to drop out of presidential race
Tara Reade calls for Biden to drop out of presidential race
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Redstate, IJR, Washington Post, New York Times, NBC News and Breitbart
Alana Wise / NPR:
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Says Biden Sexual Assault Allegation ‘Not Clear-Cut’
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Says Biden Sexual Assault Allegation ‘Not Clear-Cut’
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, IJR, Breitbart, The Hill and VICE
Associated Press:
Arrests made in shooting death of black man after outcry — SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia authorities arrested a white father and son Thursday and charged them with murder in the February shooting death of a black man they had pursued in a truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood.
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Nelly Miles / Georgia Bureau of Investigation:
Ahmaud Arbery Death Investigation — Glynn County, GA (May 7, 2020) - On May 7th, 2020, the GBI arrested Gregory McMichael, age 64, and Travis McMichael, age 34, for the death of Ahmaud Arbery. They were both charged with murder and aggravated assault. The McMichaels were taken into custody …
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian, Informed Comment, Just The News, Mother Jones, Forbes, The Hill, The Root, Slate, Daily Kos, The Daily Beast, KTLA, Law & Crime, wabe.org, Senator Kelly Loeffler, fox8.com, KRQE-TV, Denver Post, The Nation and BBC
New York Times:
2 Suspects Charged With Murder in Ahmaud Arbery Shooting — Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael were arrested in connection with the killing of Mr. Arbery, which had led to protests in Georgia. — ATLANTA — Georgia police on Thursday arrested a white father and son and charged …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Daily Kos, The Federalist, Mother Jones, HuffPost and Hotair
CNN:
One of Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus — (CNN)A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Donald Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN has learned Thursday, raising concerns about the President's possible exposure to the virus.
Discussion:
NBC News, Vox, The Daily Caller, CNBC, The Hill, Mediaite, Washington Post, HuffPost, Associated Press, Political Flare, Raw Story, The Sun, Talking Points Memo, The Intellectualist, Daily Kos, Forbes, JustOneMinute, The Week, ABC News, Breitbart, WBRZ, FOX40, WGN-TV, Just The News, The American Independent, The Root, Deadline, Axios, New York Post and IJR
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NBC News:
Trump's personal valet tests positive for coronavirus
Trump's personal valet tests positive for coronavirus
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Palmer Report, Forbes, MSNBC, Associated Press and The Week
Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
Trump valet tests positive for coronavirus, sparking fear of West Wing spread
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Trump officials' dysfunction harms delivery of coronavirus drug — A complete breakdown in communication and coordination within the Trump administration has undermined the distribution of a promising treatment, according to senior officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
ABC News:
Pompeo changes tune on Chinese lab's role in virus outbreak, as intel officials cast doubt — After telling ABC News there was “enormous evidence,” he now says maybe not. — Secretary of State Pompeo is leaning even harder into his attacks on the Chinese government over the novel coronavirus pandemic …
Discussion:
Politico
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Natasha Bertrand / Politico:
Top GOP lawmaker disclosed holdings in Chinese company he criticized
Top GOP lawmaker disclosed holdings in Chinese company he criticized
Discussion:
The Citizen Lab, Washington Post, Raw Story and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump intensifies war with Democrats over voting laws — The GOP has doubled its budget to fight Democratic lawsuits to $20 million. — President Donald Trump. President Donald Trump's political operation is expanding its legal effort to stop Democrats from overhauling voting laws in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump campaign to unload on Biden with negative ad onslaught
Trump campaign to unload on Biden with negative ad onslaught
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, One America News Network and CNN
Ed Mazza / HuffPost:
James Carville Warns Trump: Your ‘Grifter’ Campaign Aides Are Lying To You
James Carville Warns Trump: Your ‘Grifter’ Campaign Aides Are Lying To You
Discussion:
Political Flare, Palmer Report and Balloon Juice
Nancy Rommelmann / Reason:
She Said Anthony Fauci Sexually Assaulted Her. Now She Says Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman Paid Her to Lie. — I'd just finished Saturday morning's second cup of coffee when an email popped through, subject line: “Exposing Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman.” — “Hi Nancy, I hope you are having a nice weekend.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Mediaite, The Intellectualist, Digby's Hullabaloo and Political Flare
Washington Post:
Where Americans are still staying at home the most — If you're still at home, you're not alone. — After a peak week of sheltering in place in early April, U.S. residents began to inch out of their homes, according to new cellphone data. But even as states begin to “open up,” …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
CNN:
Kayleigh McEnany called Trump comment ‘racist,’ ‘hateful’ and ‘not the American way’ in 2015 — White House Press Secretary didn't support candidate Trump — (CNN)New White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was a harsh critic of then-candidate Donald Trump before she became a fierce advocate for him …
Discussion:
Palmer Report, Raw Story, Mediaite and Second Nexus, more at Mediagazer »
Myah Ward / Politico:
Melinda Gates gives Trump administration ‘D-minus’ for coronavirus response — Melinda Gates on Thursday gave the Trump administration low marks for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that more money is needed for testing and vaccine development in the United States and across the world.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Theodore Schleifer / Vox:
Tech billionaires are already mounting a pressure campaign to prevent the next pandemic
Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:
Wisconsin chief justice sparks backlash by saying covid-19 outbreak is among meatpacking workers, not ‘the regular folks’ — The offhand comment by Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack was about to take on a life of its own. — In the middle of oral arguments Tuesday …
Discussion:
The American Independent, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Intellectualist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Balloon Juice
Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
Discredited Doctor and Sham ‘Science’ Are the Stars of Viral Coronavirus Documentary ‘Plandemic’ — Dr. Judy Mikovits is portrayed as a science genius in a conspiracy film about the coronavirus—but her own research history is dubious and the video is full of bizarre claims.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »
Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Trump Says He Discussed Russia ‘Hoax’ With Putin in Phone Call — President Donald Trump said he discussed the U.S. investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, calling the probe a “hoax.” — During a meeting …
Discussion:
The Week
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