memeorandum: Syrian Observatory says it has ‘confirmed information’ that Islamic State chief is dead (Reuters)

4:40 PM ET, July 11, 2017

Top Items:

Russian Dirt on Clinton? ‘I Love It,’ Donald Trump Jr. Said — The June 3, 2016, email sent to Donald Trump Jr. could hardly have been more explicit: One of his father's former Russian business partners had been contacted by a senior Russian government official and was offering to provide …

The Daily Beast:

Trump Aides Freaking Out Over Don Jr.'s Russia Email: The ‘Sum Of All Fears’ … President Donald Trump's son, his former campaign chairman, and his son-in-law were all told that the opposition research they were soliciting on campaign rival Hillary Clinton was coming from the Russian government …

Discussion: Vox, Raw Story, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, The Guardian and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Russian Government Sought to Aid Trump's Candidacy, According to Email — WASHINGTON — Before arranging a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material …

NBC News:

Russian Lawyer Who Met With Trump Jr.: I Didn't Have Clinton Info They Wanted — MOSCOW — The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign denied in an exclusive interview with NBC News that she had any connection to the Kremlin and insists she met …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Mother Jones, CNBC, Business Insider, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, NBC News, The Root, Daily Wire, Raw Story, IJR, New York Magazine, Shakesville, National Review, AOL and CNN

Ezra Klein / Vox:

We are past the point of innocent explanations on Trump and Russia — Imagine if the Clintons had done what the Trumps did on Russia. — Imagine the names were different. — Imagine Chelsea Clinton had taken Bill Clinton and campaign chair John Podesta to a meeting set …

Discussion: Politico, Axios, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, The Guardian, Business Insider and Talking Points Memo

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Trump Jr. Releases Emails; They Support His Account — Earlier this morning, Donald Trump, Jr. released the email threads relating to his meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016. The emails support his account of the meeting. Here they are, with the earlier ones first.

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:

Trust Nothing, Defend Nothing — I don't write or even tweet about the Russia investigation much. I think the most I've written is that I think it probably won't pan out and if it does, it'll be Paul Manafort or Roger Stone or some other expendable type who'll end up getting to know the underside of a bus.

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Trump Jr. delivers ‘smoking gun’ to Mueller — Donald Trump Jr. may have just given Robert Mueller “smoking gun” evidence signaling his father's presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government to win the 2016 election, according to veteran prosecutors and white-collar defense attorneys experienced in Washington scandals.

Discussion: Political Wire

Fox News:

Donald Trump Jr. releases ‘entire email chain’ regarding Russian meeting — Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday released what he said was the “entire email chain” of his conversations setting up a disputed meeting with a Russian attorney, showing what appeared to be an offer to provide information that would …

Shane Savitsky / Axios:

Whatever Trump Jr. did, it's not treason — The issue: — Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting last year with a Kremlin-linked lawyer — and the release of the emails leading up to that meeting — have led some in Washington to start uttering the word “treason,” chief among them Sen. Tim Kaine.

Discussion: Vox, Daily Wire and The Week

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

The White House knows the Trump Jr. story is bad news — In private, sources inside the White House aren't even pretending it's ok. — They know the Donald Trump Jr. emails that led to his Russia meeting are a terrible story, and mostly they're scrambling to find ways to deflect …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Kelsey Tamborrino / Politico:

Buzzword emerges as Trump Jr. Russia scandal deepens: Treason — New revelations about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton has critics flirting with a new attack line — treason. — Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's vice presidential pick …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, NPR and The Week

Ezra Klein / Vox:
GOP senator on Russia emails: “I don't think this is relevant to the Trump administration”

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Post and The Atlantic

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Look At The Timeline

Discussion: The Smoking Gun

Rick Hasen / electionlawblog.org:
Donald Trump Jr. Emails Paint Serious Case of Campaign Finance Violations

Discussion: Vox, New York Times, Washington Post, Business Insider, Media Matters for America, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, RedState, CNBC, Jamie Dupree - AJC, Raw Story, Mashable, Mediaite and IJR

Jonathan Swan / Axios: Inside the White House scramble on the Trump Jr. emails

Mike Allen / Axios:
3 days, 3 Don Jr. shocks to West Wing

Discussion: The Atlantic, New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, CNN, Vox, TheBlaze, ABC News, ThinkProgress, Politico, IJR, Daily Kos and New York Magazine

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:
Donald Trump Jr. Releases ‘Russia Email’ Chain

Discussion: Vox, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, The Atlantic, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Root, ABC News and Washington Times

Weekly Standard:
The Trump Administration Has Forfeited the Right to be Trusted on Russia

Discussion: Associated Press

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Clinton running mate: Russian probe moving into ‘potentially treason’

Discussion: Politico and Refinery29

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Donald Trump's fishy behavior on Russia is bigger than possible email collusion

Discussion: Politico

Derek Hawkins / Washington Post:
Donald Trump Jr.'s lawyer is a Juilliard-trained trombonist who plays in a symphony and defends mobsters

Discussion: Breaking News USA, Conservative News Today, Vox, Talking Points Memo and The Week

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Donald Trump Jr. replied ‘love it’ when told of Russian effort to help Trump

Discussion: Vox, ThinkProgress, CNBC, RedState, Washington Post, The Guardian, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Fox News Insider and Business Insider

Kaili Joy Gray / Shareblue: Panicked White House dismisses Don Jr. meeting: “He's not even a member of the administration”

Politico:

Senate GOP ‘very pessimistic’ on Obamacare repeal — A push by Ted Cruz and Mike Lee to pull the bill to the right is dividing the caucus and complicating Republicans' already-beleaguered effort. — Tensions are rising between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's leadership team …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ACASignups.net and Daily Kos

David Nather / Axios:
What's next if the Senate health bill fails

Discussion: CNN, cms.gov, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Shakesville, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post

Austin Wright / Politico:
Graham drafting alternative heath care plan

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Burgess Everett / Politico:
McConnell: Senate will work through first two weeks of August recess

Discussion: Axios

Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
Senate Delays August Recess as Health Bill's Fate Hangs in Balance

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Daily Caller and Daily Kos

Kelsey Snell / Washington Post:
McConnell delays August recess to complete work on health-care bill, other issues

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Balloon Juice

Caitlin Owens / Axios:
What we know about the Senate health care bill

Discussion: Vox

David Brooks / New York Times:

How We Are Ruining America — Over the past generation, members of the college-educated class have become amazingly good at making sure their children retain their privileged status. They have also become devastatingly good at making sure the children of other classes have limited chances to join their ranks.

Discussion: RedState, MichelleMalkin.com, Washington Post, NewsCut, Fusion, Vox, twitchy.com, alicublog, Daily Wire, The American Conservative, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

This Town Melts Down — A veteran political reporter takes stock of how Washington has — and hasn't — changed in the time of Trump. — Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, was running late and “tied up in the Oval,” an assistant explained. It was late on a Thursday afternoon in June …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine and AOL

Eryn Dion / Northwest Florida Daily News:

Amazing human chain formed to rescue drowning family in PCB — “I honestly thought I was going to lose my family that day,” Roberta Ursrey said. “It was like, 'Oh God, this is how I'm going.' ” — PANAMA CITY BEACH — It was supposed to just be a quick trip to the beach …

Discussion: The Guardian

Katie Mettler / Washington Post:
A riptide swept away a Florida family. Then beachgoers formed a human chain.

Discussion: USA Today, IJR and Alabama Today

Terry Jones / Investor's Business Daily:

Mystery Solved: Now We Know Why Comey Did Nothing About Hillary — Russia Scandal: No wonder former FBI Director James Comey refused to press charges last summer against Hillary Clinton for her egregious security breaches: It turns out, he may have been guilty of the same thing.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Power Line, Conservative News Today, Fox News Insider and Washington Monthly

Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Fox & Friends Addresses False Comey Memo Report: ‘We Were Mistaken’

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Week

CNN:

An avalanche of hate: How a Montana mom became the target of a neo-Nazi troll storm — Whitefish, Montana (CNN)Once the calls began, they did not stop. Swiping to decline a call just led to the phone ringing again. Blocked number after blocked number filled up the voice mail.

Discussion: Mediaite