memeorandum: GOP establishment goes after Alabama congressman running for Senate for criticizing Trump (David Weigel/Washington Post)

1:05 PM ET, July 12, 2017

Top Items:

Trump-Russia investigators probe Jared Kushner-run digital operation — WASHINGTON — Investigators at the House and Senate Intelligence committees and the Justice Department are examining whether the Trump campaign's digital operation - overseen by Jared Kushner - helped guide Russia's …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, AOL, Daily Kos, The Atlantic, Political Wire and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Rancor at White House as Russia Story Refuses to Let the Page Turn — WASHINGTON — If President Trump emerged from his meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last week hoping he had begun to “move forward” from the controversy over the Kremlin's election meddling, as advisers put it …

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

‘Category 5 hurricane’: White House under siege by Trump Jr.'s Russia revelations — The White House has been thrust into chaos after days of ever-worsening revelations about a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a lawyer characterized as representing the Russian government …

Discussion: Vox, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, JustOneMinute, Axios, Reuters, ABC News, Raw Story, New York Times, Mediaite, New York Magazine, The American Conservative and Politicus USA, more at Mediagazer »

New York Post:

Donald Trump Jr. is an idiot — We see one truly solid takeaway from the story of the day: Donald Trump Jr. is an idiot. — SEE ALSO — In the heat of your father's presidential campaign, a bozo British publicist e-mails you to set up a sitdown with a “Russian government attorney” …

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Post, Breitbart, IJR, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Business Insider and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:

Natalia Veselnitskaya, Lawyer Who Met Trump Jr., Seen as Fearsome Moscow Insider — MOSCOW — When American prosecutors accused a senior Russian official's son of laundering $14 million by investing in Manhattan property and other assets, she was called to defend him.

Kevin G. Hall / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Lawyer that met Don Jr. had ties to Russian government, spy agency — WASHINGTON — The Russian lawyer at the center of Donald Trump Jr.'s scandal over possible collusion with Kremlin election meddlers has denied she has ties to the Russian government. — But she threatened action …

Aaron Rupar / ThinkProgress:

House Republican threatens new Clinton investigations unless Democrats stop talking about Russia — “That means go back all the way to the 650,000 emails of Anthony Weiner.” — During a CNN interview Wednesday morning, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) issued a threat—if Democrats don't move …

Discussion: Raw Story

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

White House aides feeling ‘helpless’ as Trump Jr. scandal explodes — White House aides feel blindsided by the bombshell revelations around Donald Trump Jr.'s campaign meeting with a Russian lawyer, while the president is using his relatively light schedule to watch TV and fume about the latest scandal …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, CNNMoney, Business Insider, Media Matters for America, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Vox, Axios and ABC News

Elizabeth Preza / Raw Story:
President Trump personally signed off on false statement claiming Don Jr.'s meeting was about adoption: report

Discussion: IJR, New York Times, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Business Insider

Jake Lahut / Politico:
Trump: ‘I have very little time for watching T.V.’

Discussion: Political Wire

Bloomberg:
Russian Lawyer Who Met Trump Jr. Saw a Clinton Scandal in Tax Inquiry

Discussion: The Atlantic, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, NBC News, Washington Post, Mother Jones and Business Insider

Wall Street Journal:
Keystone Kops Collusion

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Guardian

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Trump-Russia investigation takes sharp turn toward the dumb

Discussion: Daily Wire, Power Line, CNN, New York Magazine, Media Matters for America, The Atlantic, Washington Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Scared Monkeys and Politico

Samuel Chamberlain / Fox News:
Donald Trump Jr. tells Sean Hannity: ‘In retrospect I probably would have done things a little differently’

Discussion: Vox, IJR, Politico, AOL, Daily Wire, The Guardian, Raw Story, Business Insider, NPR.org, CNBC, Axios and Real Clear Politics

New York Times: Did Donald Jr. Break the Law?

Diamond Naga Siu / Politico:
Obama and Bush ethics lawyers call Trump Jr.'s defense of Russia meeting ‘nonsense’

Discussion: RedState

New York Times:
Donald Trump Jr. Makes the Russian Connection

National Review: Don Jr.'s Disgraceful Meeting

Nancy LeTourneau / Washington Monthly:
Who Dished the Dirt on Donald Trump Jr?

Discussion: Washington Post, Mother Jones and Bloomberg

Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Donald Trump Jr.'s Russian Connection Has Ties to Former Kremlin Spies

Discussion: The Hill, Business Insider, Just Security, AOL, Raw Story, IJR, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo and Vox

Rachael Bade / Politico:
Gowdy fumes at Trump administration over latest Russia controversy

Discussion: Shareblue, Weekly Standard, Business Insider and Political Wire

Michael Crowley / Politico:
Trump Jr.'s love affair with Moscow

Discussion: Yahoo, The Hill and Forbes

Fox News:
Dershowitz: Did Donald Trump Jr. commit a crime or merely political sin? It depends

Discussion: New York Magazine, CNN and Althouse

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

Republicans Reluctantly Acknowledge a Failure of Governing — WASHINGTON — Republicans are failing at governance. And they know it. — Their senatorially painful decision announced on Tuesday to sacrifice some of lawmakers' usually sacrosanct August recess was a public confession …

Discussion: ABC News, Vox, Mediaite, Political Insider blog, Talking Points Memo and CNN

Bloomberg:

Senators Explore Bipartisan ‘Plan B’ to Troubled GOP Health Bill — McConnell to push for vote on his Obamacare repeal next week — Some senators seek instead to shore up Obamacare markets — More than half a dozen Republican and Democratic senators have discussed alternatives …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Balloon Juice

Steven Shepard / Politico:
Republican voters to GOP: Keep working on Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Washington Times and Axios

Axios:
Public wants GOP to work with Dems on health care

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Daily Caller and Business Insider

Project MIDAS:

Larsen C calves trillion ton iceberg — A one trillion tonne iceberg - one of the biggest ever recorded - has calved away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The calving occurred sometime between Monday 10th July and Wednesday 12th July 2017, when a 5,800 square km section of Larsen C finally broke away.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Guardian, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Mashable, Grist, AOL, New York Times, NBC News, The Verge and Gizmodo

Lauren Said-Moorhouse / CNN:
Massive iceberg breaks away from Antarctica

Discussion: Refinery29 and IJR

Eric Boehlert / Shareblue:

Trump goes AWOL, hasn't shown up to work all week — Donald Trump's public schedule has gone blank once again, as the amorphous Republican retreats behind the walls of the White House. — His strange disappearing act comes as Trump's family becomes deeply embroiled in the Russia collusion story …

Discussion: NBC News, Rewire, The Guardian and RedState

ProPublica:

Trump's Russia Lawyer Isn't Seeking Security Clearance, And May Have Trouble Getting One — The ongoing investigations into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia involve reams of classified material. Yet Marc Kasowitz, the New York lawyer whom President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Associated Press:

The Latest: Wray says Russia inquiry is not a witch hunt — The Latest on the Senate hearing on Christopher Wray's nomination as FBI director (all times local): — President Donald Trump's pick for FBI director says he does not consider special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation a “witch hunt.”

Discussion: Politico

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
The 6 toughest questions for the next FBI director

Discussion: ABC News, Axios and Associated Press

Nick Corasaniti / New York Times:

David Wildstein, a Christie Ally, Is Sentenced to Probation in Bridge Scandal — NEWARK — David Wildstein, the professed mastermind of the so-called Bridgegate scandal, was spared a prison term during his sentencing on Wednesday for his role in the closing of lanes near the George Washington Bridge …

Discussion: Political Wire

New York Post:

Teen blasted ‘F-k Tha Police’ during slain officer's funeral — A Bronx teen defiantly blasted the NWA song “F— Tha Police” out his third-floor apartment window Tuesday as thousands of cops were gathered below to mourn slain cop Miosotis Familia — prompting a house call from about 20 officers.

Discussion: Breitbart, AOL, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and The Root

Anna Giaritelli / Washington Examiner:

Steve Scalise released from intensive care unit — House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was released from the ICU at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on Wednesday nearly a month after he was shot during a congressional baseball practice session in Alexandria, Va., according to multiple reports.

Discussion: RedState