memeorandum: Trump Defenders Tie Themselves in Knots Over Bolton Book (Jim Swift/The Bulwark)

9:40 AM ET, June 18, 2020

Top Items:

The Scandal of Trump's China Policy — The president pleaded with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for domestic political help, subordinated national-security issues to his own reelection prospects and ignored Beijing's human-rights abuses — U.S. strategy toward the People's Republic of China …

Conor Finnegan / ABC News:

Bolton: Trump's not ‘fit for office,’ doesn't have ‘competence to carry out the job’ — In an ABC interview, Bolton says Trump was singularly focused on reelection. — President Donald Trump is not “fit for office” and doesn't have “the competence to carry out the job,” …

Discussion: Fox News, Bloomberg, The Hill, IJR, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Raw Story, The Daily Beast, New York Post and Mediaite

Jessica Taylor / The Cook Political Report:

Montana Senate Moves to Toss Up — Montana skyrocketed to competitive status earlier this year when Democrats finally convinced term-limited Gov. Steve Bullock to jump into the race and challenge first-term GOP Sen. Steve Daines. That decision at the beginning of March came …

Jennifer Szalai / New York Times:

John Bolton's Tone in ‘The Room Where It Happened’ Swings Between Tedious and Slightly Unhinged — Pity, for just an infinitesimal moment, John Bolton. — There he was last January, commanding an enormous share of the public's attention with news of a forthcoming book that reportedly included an …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Althouse, Washington Post, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News, The Hill, IJR, Patterico's Pontifications and Daily Kos

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

John Bolton's Epic Score-Settling — Trump's former national-security adviser writes a scathing account of the President's “stunning ignorance,” incompetence, and corruption. — John Bolton was not looking to make friends in the Trump White House when he served as the national-security adviser, nor did he do so.

Discussion: New York Times and The Hill

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

John Bolton's book is full of startling revelations he should have told us sooner — “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord,” reads a famous passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans. John Bolton has provided a secular version of that cosmic payback in his account of Donald Trump's presidency …

Discussion: The Guardian

Jim Swift / The Bulwark:
Trump Defenders Tie Themselves in Knots Over Bolton Book

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill and The Guardian

Nicole Gaouette / CNN:
What we learned from John Bolton's eye-popping tale of working with Trump

Discussion: KEYT-TV

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Bolton Says Trump Impeachment Inquiry Missed Other Troubling Actions

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:
Trump asked China's Xi to help him win reelection, according to Bolton book

William Kristol / The Bulwark:
John Bolton Tells the Truth

Discussion: Raw Story

Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:
‘He Is a Liar’: Trump Pushes Back on Bolton Book

Discussion: Axios, Breitbart, The Hill, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Raw Story, Mediaite and Fox News

Business Insider:
Trump said it would be ‘cool’ to invade Venezuela because the country is 'really part …

Discussion: IJR

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast: Trump Thought Elton John Would Love His Rocket Man Gift to Kim

Del Quentin Wilber / Los Angeles Times:
Federal prosecutors are mulling criminal charges against John Bolton

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, New York Times, The Guardian, The Hill, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Publishers Weekly, Twitchy, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Raw Story, Axios, The Mahablog, Reason, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, NPR and Vanity Fair

Washington Post:
Justice Department seeks emergency order to block publication of Bolton's book

Discussion: New York Times, NBC News, The Wrap, The Hill, Mediaite, Just Security, The Daily Caller, Lawfare, The Guardian and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

Timothy Bella / Washington Post:

A GOP sheriff vowed not to enforce Arizona's coronavirus restrictions. Now he's tested positive. — As the rest of Arizona followed a stay-at-home order imposed by the governor in May, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb proclaimed that the state's attempt to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus was unconstitutional.

Discussion: Phoenix New Times and Daily Kos

Tracy Connor / The Daily Beast:

Arizona Sheriff Who Refused to Enforce Lockdown Now Has COVID-19 — INFECTED — A month ago, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said he would not enforce Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order because he thought the lockdown had gone on long enough. Now, Lamb is revealing …

Discussion: The Hill

Arizona Republic:

Pinal County sheriff says he tested positive for COVID-19 before planned Trump meeting — Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb announced on Wednesday afternoon that he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. — Lamb posted on the Pinal County Sheriff Office's Facebook page …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Lois Beckett / The Guardian:
Arizona governor backtracks on mask rules as Covid-19 cases surge

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Washington Post:

Impeachment casts shadow over Army officer's promotion — An Army officer's promotion is in jeopardy over what some officials fear could be White House retaliation for his role in last year's impeachment inquiry, raising the possibility that President Trump might again intervene in military affairs …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Raw Story

CNN:

‘Wednesday night massacre’ as Trump appointee takes over at global media agency — New York (CNN Business)The heads of four organizations overseen by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) were all dismissed Wednesday night — a move likely to heighten concerns that new Trump-appointed CEO Michael Pack means …

Discussion: Slate, CNBC, The Guardian, The Hill and Columbia Journalism Review, more at Mediagazer »

Edward Wong / New York Times:
New Conservative Media Chief Dismisses Heads of U.S.-Funded News Outlets

Discussion: NPR and The Wrap

New York Times:

Does Trump Want to Fight for a Second Term? His Self-Sabotage Worries Aides — Advisers and allies say the president's repeated acts of self-destruction have significantly damaged his re-election prospects, and yet he appears mostly unable, or unwilling, to curtail them.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Patterico's Pontifications

Madeline Charbonneau / The Daily Beast:
Trump Wants to Find, Prosecute Person Who Leaked His Trip to the Bunker: NYT

Discussion: Raw Story

Washington Post:

Blackface incident at Post cartoonist's 2018 Halloween party resurfaces amid protests — Every year, Tom Toles's Halloween party draws an eclectic mix — journalists and political types from Washington's power elite, but also artists and musicians, everyone from retirees to college kids …

Discussion: Reason, Newsbusters and Twitchy

Los Angeles Times:

Half brother of Palmdale hanging victim Robert Fuller is fatally shot by deputies — The half brother of Robert Fuller, a young Black man who was found hanging from a tree in Palmdale last week, was shot dead by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies during a shootout Wednesday afternoon in Kern County …

Discussion: Raw Story

NBC News: Half-brother of man found hanged involved in deputy shootout

Jean Kennedy Smith / Associated Press:

Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving sibling of JFK, dies — NEW YORK — Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving sibling of President John F. Kennedy and a former ambassador to Ireland, died Wednesday, her daughter confirmed to The New York Times. She was 92. — Smith died at her home in Manhattan, her daughter Kym told the Times.

Discussion: NBC News

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:
Jean Kennedy Smith Dies at 92; Sister of Famed Clan Helped Forge Peace in Northern Ireland

Discussion: The Guardian

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Our New Polling Averages Show Biden Leads Trump By 9 Points Nationally — Today we launched our general election polling averages, nationally and for all states with a sufficient number of polls. Recent polls show former Vice President Joe Biden with a solid lead over President Trump nationally, and in most swing states.

Discussion: ABC News

Carl Anthony / The Daily Boulder:

Black Teenage Boy Found Hanged Outside Houston Elementary School: Report — Houston Police said a black teenage boy was found hanged outside an elementary school, reported the Houston Chronicle. — The boy was found in a remote corner on Ehrhardt Elementary School property in Spring …

Discussion: Raw Story

Daniel Henninger / Wall Street Journal:

The Coming Urban Exodus — Failing progressive governance is making daily life too chaotic and stressful in many U.S. cities. — In his speech last weekend to the graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, President Trump said something with which, in normal times, few would disagree …

Ella Nilsen / Vox:

The Kentucky Senate primary showcases the 2 theories of how to beat Mitch McConnell — Amy McGrath is facing a competitive challenger in Charles Booker. Both Democrats have an uphill battle to topple McConnell. — Two years ago, retired Marine Corps fighter pilot Amy McGrath …

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org

Tim Gray / Variety:

10 Problematic Films That Could Use Warning Labels — It's now widely accepted that despite being a beloved classic, “Gone With the Wind” needs an explanation of its context when it's screened on TV or in theaters. HBO Max says it will eventually restore the Oscar-winning film to the service, but with “context and framing.”

Nicole Narea / Vox:

LGBTQ immigrants are waiting on another possibly life-changing decision from the Supreme Court — Three immigrants on identifying as LGBTQ, living with DACA status, and the change they're seeking. — For José Alonso Muñoz, the prospect of coming out as queer to his friends …

Adam Wren / Politico:

The Unhappy Liberals Inside Trump's Favorite Network — As protests and riots roiled the nation in early June, a missive from the news director at President Donald Trump's favorite network arrived in the inboxes of anchors, delivering marching orders. — “I want to get everyone …

Axios:

Trump to use Tulsa as test run for mass crowds ahead of convention — President Trump's campaign plans to turn this weekend's Tulsa rally into a massive pro-Trump festival complete with musical acts, and it's flying in high-profile backers and camera crews to show the world the fervency of his supporters.

Discussion: One America News Network, Washington Post and Mediaite

detroitnews:

COVID-19 modeling site: Michigan one of three states ‘on track to contain’ virus — Lansing — A national nonprofit that's been monitoring the spread of COVID-19 says Michigan is one of three states “on track to contain” the novel coronavirus, but officials still warn the fight here is far from over.

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Joe Biden Begins First General Election TV Ad Blitz — The $15 million advertising effort will target six fall battlegrounds, all states that President Trump carried in 2016. — Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is making his first television ad buy of the general election …

Discussion: KEYT-TV and The Hill

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Pennsylvania's primary election results are finally in. Here's what they mean for November. — Pennsylvania Democrats showed up. — Despite a sleepy presidential race, the coronavirus pandemic and historic protests against systemic racism, more than 1.57 million Democrats voted for president …

Mona Charen / The Bulwark:

George Floyd Changed My Mind — I had already been rethinking my conclusions on race and policing. His death convinced me I'd been wrong. — A PORTRAIT OF GEORGE FLOYD IS SEEN DURING A BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST ON JUNE 17, 2020 IN THE MANHATTAN BOROUGH OF NEW YORK CITY.