memeorandum: Trump's ugly new spin on Russia bounties actually incriminates him (Greg Sargent/Washington Post)

2:45 PM ET, July 1, 2020

Top Items:

Trump's ugly new spin on Russia bounties actually incriminates him — With President Trump, it's often difficult to locate the point where his utter lack of self awareness blends into sheer shamelessness. This poses an urgent problem with the spin he is now offering amid revelations …

Discussion: Fox News, IJR, Raw Story, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Just The News

Mitch Prothero / Business Insider:

Russia did pay extremists to attack US soldiers in Afghanistan, according to 3 separate Taliban sources — Sources in the Taliban — two current commanders and one former — have confirmed to Insider that Russia pays extremists in Afghanistan to attack US soldiers.

Discussion: News + Opinion, Seven Days, Inside Elections, Washington Post, The American Conservative and Raw Story

Susan E. Rice / New York Times:

Why Does Trump Put Russia First? — It's exceedingly difficult to believe that no one told the president about the intelligence on Russian efforts to harm Americans in Afghanistan. — Ms. Rice is a former national security adviser. — Since at least February, and possibly as early as March 2019 …

Discussion: Axios, Townhall, Fox News, GovExec.com, Task & Purpose, NBC News, The Week, Alternet.org, ABC News, Business Insider, IJR and The Sun

Business Insider:
Ex-spies say Trump's claim that no one told him Russia may have been paying militants to kill US troops is ‘horses—’

Discussion: New York Times, Task & Purpose and The Week

CNN:
White House says Trump reads amid questions about his handling of intelligence briefing

Discussion: Raw Story

Associated Press:
Russian bounties further strain Trump's bond with veterans

Discussion: Fox News and Breitbart

Barbara Sprunt / NPR:
Trump Calls Bounty Report A ‘Hoax’ Despite Administration's Briefing Of Congress

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News and The Hill

USA Today: President Trump's weak support of troops amid Russian bounty to Taliban shows lack of leadership

John Wagner / Washington Post: Trump decries Russian bounty reports as ‘fake news’ as his national security adviser says response options were prepared

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Republicans defend Trump's response on Russian bounties

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:

Biden expands lead in swing states as voters hammer Trump over coronavirus, CNBC/Change poll says — Voters in six 2020 swing states largely disapprove of how President Trump is handling the coronavirus as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country, a CNBC/Change Research poll found.

Discussion: Breitbart and Washington Times

Richard Lim / Washington Examiner:

Are we being set up for another stunning Trump win? — With five months until the election, things couldn't look any worse for the president of the United States. His approval rating is down to 40%. People are getting tired of his antics and the insults he hurls at his opponents.

Harry Enten / CNN:

2020's biggest difference with 2016: Trump loses the honesty debate — (CNN)President Donald Trump was able to win in 2016 because he was seen as the lesser of two evils. His victory came from the voters who didn't like either candidate. A large part of that came from the belief that voters saw neither one as honest.

Jed Graham / Investor's Business Daily: Joe Biden Extends Lead As Coronavirus, Protests Sink President Trump Job Approval: IBD/TIPP Poll

Frank Bruni / New York Times: Is Trump Toast? — There's a persuasive argument that the 2020 election is already over.

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Trump said ‘experience’ was his edge over Biden. A new poll shows voters disagree by a remarkable margin.

Discussion: The Hill

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: Trump regrets Kushner advice — President Trump has told people in recent days that he regrets following some of son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner's political advice — including supporting criminal justice reform — and will stick closer to his own instincts …

Discussion: NPR, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week, The Hill and New York Post

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: Kushner changes top Trump campaign staff — Michael Glassner, the man who organizes President Trump's rallies, has been “reassigned,” and Trump's 2016 Arizona chair Jeff DeWit will join the campaign as chief operating officer to oversee the final stretch to election day, three sources familiar with the situation tell Axios.

Discussion: New York Post, Just The News, Raw Story, Bloomberg, The Hill, New York Times and The Gateway Pundit

Roxanne Roberts / Washington Post:

The virus didn't stop a Washington socialite from throwing a backyard soiree. Then the tests came back positive. — This is A Cautionary Tale featuring well-intentioned people making poor choices. It is also the tale of a socialite with an Instagram habit who recently held a fabulous backyard soiree during a pandemic.

Discussion: Eschaton

Doug Palmer / Politico:

U.S. urges companies to avoid entanglement with Uighur human rights abuses — The Trump administration has cautioned U.S. companies about doing business with Chinese suppliers that rely on the forced labor of Uighurs, an ethnic group that lives mostly in China's Xinjiang province.

Discussion: United States Department … and One America News Network

Axios:
Scoop: U.S. seizes $800,000 shipment of Xinjiang products made with human hair

Discussion: National Review, cbp.gov and The Daily Caller

Martha Mendoza / Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Hair weaves from Chinese prison camps seized

Discussion: Fox News and The Week

Axios:

Trump calls proposed Black Lives Matter sign in NYC a “symbol of hate” — President Trump attacked New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday for reallocating $1 billion from the NYPD's budget and ordering a large Black Lives Matter mural to be painted on Fifth Avenue, condemning it in a tweet as a “symbol of hate.”

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Associated Press, The Hill, The official website …, Mediaite and POLITICUSUSA

Madeline Charbonneau / The Daily Beast:
Trump Freaks Out Over Black Lives Matter Mural to Be Painted Outside Trump Tower

Discussion: Washington Post and Politico

Des Moines Register:
Governor's vehicle struck Black Lives Matter protester who blocked the road

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and New York Post

Mohamed Younis / Gallup:

Americans Want More, Not Less, Immigration for First Time — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thirty-four percent of Americans, up from 27% a year ago, would prefer to see immigration to the U.S. increased. This is the highest support for expanding immigration Gallup has found in its trend since 1965.

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Week, Axios, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill and ImmigrationProf Blog

Paul LeBlanc / CNN:

Trump-backed five-term Republican lawmaker loses primary to far-right challenger — (CNN)A five-term Republican congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump conceded his primary reelection bid in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday evening, a stunning upset that will vault …

Discussion: Denver Post, CBS Denver, The Colorado Sun, Daily Kos, UPI and TheBlaze

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Lauren Boebert, Gun-Rights Activist, Upsets House G.O.P. Incumbent in Colorado

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Daily Dot, NPR, Associated Press and Raw Story

Tim Reid / Reuters:

Exclusive: Hundreds of George W. Bush administration officials to back Biden, group says — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of officials who worked for former Republican President George W. Bush are set to endorse Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden, people involved in the effort said …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNBC, The Hill, Washington Times, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and Washington Post

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Fox News Fires Ed Henry Over Sexual Misconduct Claim — The veteran Washington correspondent and anchor was one of the most prominent reporters at the cable news channel. — Fox News has fired Ed Henry, one of the network's most prominent Washington-based journalists …

David Bauder / Associated Press:
For third time this month, Fox News leads all networks

Discussion: Axios

New York Times:

Meet the Supporters Trump Has Lost — A significant majority of people who voted for him in 2016 are planning to do so again. What is different about those who've had a change of heart? — For some, the disenchantment started almost as soon as Donald J. Trump took office.

Caitlin Oprysko / Politico:

Poll: Trump job approval dips as coronavirus fears rise — Disapproval of the job Donald Trump is doing as president is continuing to rise, with nearly 6 in 10 voters giving the president negative marks amid a new coronavirus surge throughout parts of the country, according to a new poll.

Discussion: The Hill

Politico:
Why Trump's attempt to tag Biden as a tool of the radical left isn't working

Discussion: National Review

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook PM: Trump revs up for another culture war — over the military — WELL, HERE WE ARE AGAIN. THE QUESTION hanging over Washington is whether President DONALD TRUMP will veto the National Defense Authorization Act — the Pentagon policy bill that has been signed into law for 59 consecutive years.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Variety and Wall Street Journal

David W. Blight / New Yorker:

Europe in 1989, America in 2020, and the Death of the Lost Cause — In November, 1989, when the Berlin Wall suddenly began to crumble and then fall, much of the world watched in awe. Could it be true that Communism was about to collapse? For seventy years, it had been a system, an ideology, that ordered large swaths of the globe.

Catesby Leigh / The Federalist: Why We Should Keep Confederate Statues Standing

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:

Hugh Hewitt: Rumor has it Samuel Alito will retire from Supreme Court — Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito may be eyeing retirement. — The “stronger rumor” is that Alito is “going to quit,” conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt told Washington Post reporter Robert Costa on his show Wednesday.

Discussion: Washington Post, National Review, Breitbart, Raw Story, Alternet.org and Law & Crime

Chris Isidore / CNN:

The Trump administration just lent $700 million to a trucking company sued for ripping off taxpayers — New York (CNN Business)The US Treasury is giving a $700 million loan to YRC Worldwide, a troubled trucking company that warned in May it was in danger of going out of business.

Sally Goldenberg / Politico:

Civil rights activist and former de Blasio official considering run for mayor — A civil rights attorney who worked in the de Blasio administration and offers legal analysis on MSNBC is considering a run for mayor — an entrance that would upend the unpredictable race.

Tony Romm / Washington Post:

Myrtle Beach reopened to survive the summer. Now, it's a coronavirus ‘petri dish.’ — The shores of South Carolina have become a concerning coronavirus hot spot — and a startling example of the difficult, and perhaps deadly, calculation that some cities and states face about reopening.

Discussion: Gothamist

Jacob Silverman / Columbia Journalism Review:

Spies, Lies, and Stonewalling: What It's Like to Report on Facebook — One day in July 2016, Casey Newton, a tech reporter for The Verge, sat down at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park for the biggest interview of his career. Across from him was Mark Zuckerberg.

more at Mediagazer »

Public Affairs / SPD Blotter:

Mayor Durkan Issues Executive Order Regarding Capitol Hill Protest Zone — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an Executive Order (PDF) regarding the East Precinct and Cal Anderson Park area today. The order declared the gathering in this area as an “unlawful assembly” requiring immediate action …

Discussion: KING-TV, Redstate, Fox News, Rolling Stone, Breitbart, Townhall, CHS Capitol Hill Seattle, The Daily Caller, National Review, NPR, The Hill, KUOW Newsroom, Louder With Crowder, The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy, KSLTV.com, 77 WABC Radio and New York Post

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

The $600 federal unemployment benefit ends this month. GOP senators say enough already. — WASHINGTON — Federal coronavirus unemployment insurance is scheduled to expire at the end of this month as the coronavirus pandemic makes a resurgence in parts of the U.S. and some some 25 million out-of-work Americans are collecting benefits.

Discussion: Axios, Politico and The Hill

ProPublica:

Internal Messages Reveal Crisis at Houston Hospitals as Coronavirus Cases Surge — Texas was one of the first states in the nation to ease social distancing mandates. In Houston, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has quadrupled since Memorial Day. “It's time to be alarmed,” one expert said.

Washington Post:

We can reopen schools in the fall — if we close bars and gyms now — Keeping community transmission of coronavirus low will get education closer to normal sooner. — Schools are not a luxury item — they are part of the bedrock of society. They not only educate children, they also feed many of them.

Discussion: MIT Technology Review