Top Items:
CNN:
Trump campaign demands CNN apologize for poll that shows Biden leading — CNN poll: Trump sees big drop in approval rating — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's campaign is demanding CNN retract and apologize for a recent poll that showed him well behind presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA, Fox News, The American Independent, Deadline, Raw Story and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
‘Everything about this is irregular’: Ex-judge tapped to review Flynn case blasts Trump DOJ — A former judge selected to advise on a path forward in the criminal case against Michael Flynn is accusing the Justice Department of exercising a “gross abuse of prosecutorial power” …
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New York Times:
Outsider Tapped in Flynn Case Calls Justice Dept. Reversal a ‘Gross Abuse’ of Power — A former federal judge said that the attorney general gave special treatment to a presidential ally, undermining public confidence in the rule of law. — WASHINGTON — Accusing the Justice Department of a …
Spencer Hsu / Washington Post:
Flynn committed perjury and his guilty plea of lying to FBI should not be dismissed as DOJ requests, court-appointed expert finds — Michael Flynn committed perjury and his guilty plea of lying to the FBI should not be dismissed, a court-appointed counsel told a federal judge Wednesday.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo:
READ: Judge Told He Should Sentence Flynn, Deny Request To Dismiss Case
READ: Judge Told He Should Sentence Flynn, Deny Request To Dismiss Case
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Timothy Bella / Washington Post:
White men mocked George Floyd's death at a protest. Now a corrections officer in the group has been suspended. — As a peaceful Black Lives Matter march made its way through Franklin Township, N.J., the group protesting against police brutality and systemic racism walked past a white man kneeling …
Discussion:
The American Independent, New Jersey Online, TheGrio, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, NBC10 Philadelphia, The Root, The Mahablog and WCDC-TV
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New York Times:
How Public Opinion Has Moved on Black Lives Matter — In the last two weeks, American voters' support for the Black Lives Matter movement increased almost as much as it had in the preceding two years. — Net support is a measure showing the percent of respondents who supported a policy minus …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Nation, Daily Kos and Washington Post
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Trump Job Approval Slides to 39% — WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump's job approval rating has fallen to 39% amid nationwide protests about racial injustice. His ratings this year had been the best of his presidency but are now back near his term average of 40%.
Chuck Cooper / Wall Street Journal:
The White House vs. John Bolton — Officials are attempting to use national security as a pretext to prevent the publication of his memoir. — President Trump doesn't want John Bolton to publish his book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.”
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New York Times:
White House Tells Bolton His Book Still Contains Classified Information — A White House official said Mr. Bolton would be given a redacted version of his manuscript by June 19, four days before the book's current publication date. — The White House has told John R. Bolton …
Discussion:
New York Post, The Hill and Political Wire
Washington Post:
Coronavirus hospitalizations rise sharply in several states following Memorial Day — As the number of new coronavirus cases continues to increase worldwide, and more than a dozen states and Puerto Rico are recording their highest averages of new cases since the pandemic began …
Discussion:
Vox, The Daily Caller, Fox News, The Hill, Gizmodo, Reason, Raw Story, National Review, Outside the Beltway, Deadline and Balloon Juice
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Dan Diamond / Politico:
White House goes quiet on coronavirus as outbreak spikes again across the U.S. — The coronavirus is still killing as many as 1,000 Americans per day — but the Trump administration isn't saying much about it. — It's been more than a month since the White House halted its daily coronavirus task force briefings.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair and Daily Kos
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The coming campaign to rescue Trump could get a lot uglier — President Trump has two monumental political problems on his hands. The first is that sizable majorities continue to disapprove of his handling of the novel coronavirus, which is still claiming American lives at a fast clip …
CBS Boston:
Beheaded Christopher Columbus Statue In Boston Will Be Removed From North End Park — BOSTON (CBS) - The Christopher Columbus statue in Boston's North End will be removed Wednesday, hours after it was beheaded overnight. Mayor Marty Walsh said it will be put in storage and there will now be conversations …
Discussion:
WRIC-TV, The Hill, The Daily Dot, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Disrn, Townhall and New York Post
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Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:
More than 1,250 former Justice Dept. workers call for internal watchdog to probe Barr role in clearing demonstrators from Lafayette Square — More than 1,250 former Justice Department workers on Wednesday called on the agency's internal watchdog to investigate Attorney General William P. Barr's involvement …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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DOJ Alumni Statement / Medium:
DOJ Alumni Letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz
DOJ Alumni Letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz
Discussion:
Fox News, Axios, The Hill, The Guardian and UPI
Jeff Pegues / CBS News:
George Floyd and Derek Chauvin “bumped heads” while working at nightclub, former coworker says — As mourners in Houston honor the life of George Floyd in Minneapolis, CBS News is learning new details from a nightclub coworker about alleged history between Floyd and Derek Chauvin, the former officer who is charged in Floyd's death.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New York Post, TheGrio, Bring Me The News, CNN, Slate, The Daily Caller, One America News Network, Redstate and Disrn
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: White House crafting police overhaul executive order — NEW: POLICE REFORM EXECUTIVE ORDER ... PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and the White House are in the process of discussing and drafting an executive order to begin the process of overhauling police laws, according to multiple sources involved in the effort.
Discussion:
New York Times
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J.K. Rowling:
J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues — This isn't an easy piece to write, for reasons that will shortly become clear, but I know it's time to explain myself on an issue surrounded by toxicity. I write this without any desire to add to that toxicity.
Discussion:
Variety, New York Post, Mediaite, 6abc, Vanity Fair, Deadline and Human Rights Campaign
Travis Yates / Law Officer:
America, We Are Leaving — This is the hardest thing I have written. — I grew up in a law enforcement family. My father worked his way up to the rank to Captain at the Ft. Smith (AR) Police Department. As I kid I remember going with him on Friday to pick up his check and I was in awe of these super heroes he worked around.
Discussion:
Townhall
FreeCapitolHill:
THE DEMANDS OF THE COLLECTIVE BLACK VOICES AT FREE CAPITOL HILL TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — In credit to the people who freed Capitol Hill, this list of demands is neither brief nor simplistic. This is no simple request to end police brutality.
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Washington Post:
Republicans fear Trump's weakened standing jeopardizes the party in November — President Trump's incendiary responses to racial injustice protests and the coronavirus pandemic have left him politically isolated and profoundly weakened less than five months from the election …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Raw Story, Daily Kos and CNN
Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart / Task & Purpose:
Former DIA Director: Please, take your knee off our necks so we can breathe — “It's hard to explain what it was like for me on the first day of elementary school, or the pain I felt in high school when I was stopped and searched nearly every time I left my apartment.”
USA Today:
Biden: We must urgently root out systemic racism, from policing to housing to opportunity — From the moment I launched my campaign, I have said that we are in the battle for the soul of this nation. And after two weeks of daily protests, with thousands of people coming out to march …
Discussion:
Sputnik News, The Daily Dot, The Hill and Twitchy
John Ismay / New York Times:
The Army Was Open to Replacing Confederate Base Names. Then Trump Said No. — “My Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations,” President Trump tweeted Wednesday. — Monuments and memorials bearing the names of men who fought …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, FOX Carolina and Bloomberg
Keach Hagey / Wall Street Journal:
Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Leaves the Daily Caller — Co-founder Neil Patel now owns controlling stake in conservative news website — Tucker Carlson is leaving the Daily Caller, the conservative digital publication he co-founded a decade ago, a move that he said would help him focus on his prime-time opinion show on Fox News.
Discussion:
The Hill, Mediaite and Disrn, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Fed Expects Unemployment Rate to Stay High: Live Updates — Here's what you need to know: — Tesla shares hit $1,000 weeks after Elon Musk said they were ‘too high’. — The Federal Reserve offered a grim outlook for the economy in 2020. — The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged …
Discussion:
Sputnik News
Kate Kelland / Reuters:
Widespread mask-wearing could prevent COVID-19 second waves: study — LONDON (Reuters) - Population-wide face mask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics, and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a British study on Wednesday.
New York Times:
How the Coronavirus Compares With 100 Years of Deadly Events — Only the worst disasters completely upend normal patterns of death, overshadowing, if only briefly, everyday causes like cancer, heart disease and car accidents. Here's how the devastation brought by the pandemic in 25 cities and regions compares with historical events.
Courier-Journal:
Louisville police release the Breonna Taylor incident report. It's virtually blank — LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nearly three months after Louisville Metro Police officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor in her South End apartment, the department has released the incident report from that night.
Discussion:
The Hill
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
What George P. Bush's endorsement of Donald Trump tells us about Republican politics — (CNN)President Donald Trump will have the vote of at least one member of the Bush clan this fall. — “President Trump is the only thing standing between America and socialism,” Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill and The Texas Tribune
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Wall Street Journal Staff Faults Column on Race by Former Top Editor — After a letter of protest from the newspaper's union, Gerard Baker, now an editor at large, was reassigned to the opinion department. — Staff members of The Wall Street Journal sent a letter to newsroom leaders …
Jessica Bennett / New York Times:
Silver Lining to the Mask? Not Having to Smile — Like everything else, seasonal catcalling will be different this year. — For most of my life, I have had a minor but chronic condition: My face, when it is at ease, looks not just serious but mean. — There are women who will recognize …
Discussion:
Althouse
Gabby Orr / Politico:
Only 1 in 4 Americans see Donald Trump as a man of faith — A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll sheds light on perceptions of Trump and religion after his widely criticized photo op outside a church. — As President Donald Trump leans on religion to reconnect with his political base ahead …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Disrn and The Hill
Frank Pallotta / CNN:
‘Gone with the Wind’ pulled from HBO Max until it can return with ‘historical context’ — New York (CNN Business)HBO Max has pulled “Gone with the Wind” from its library of films. — The removal of the film comes as mass protests sweep across the United States following the death of George Floyd …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, Breitbart, Reason, Wall Street Journal, Variety and The Daily Dot, more at Mediagazer »
Courtney McBride / Wall Street Journal:
Ousted State Department Watchdog Says Official Pressed Him Not to Probe Saudi Arms Sales — WASHINGTON—The former State Department internal watchdog fired by President Trump told lawmakers that a senior department official discouraged him from probing U.S. arms sales to Gulf states before his ouster last month.
Mehdi Hasan / The Intercept:
How the Far-Right Boogaloo Movement Is Trying to Hijack Anti-Racist Protests for a Race War — Photo: Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP — Donald Trump is right. The anti-racism protests that have convulsed cities across the United States are also being used as cover, to quote the president, for “acts of domestic terror.”
Discussion:
Vox
Chris Polansky / Public Radio Tulsa:
TPD Major: Police Shoot Black Americans ‘Less Than We Probably Ought To’ … Discussing nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, a white Tulsa Police Department major said Monday systemic racism in policing “just doesn't exist.”
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Hill, Mayor GT Bynum, New York Post and KTUL-TV