Top Items:
The Daily Beast:
Trump Allies and House Republicans to Paul Ryan: Get Out Now … House Speaker Paul Ryan's retirement announcement Wednesday morning set off a round of heartburn within the White House and among its allies over the damage that may be done in what's left of his term.
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Axios, HuffPost and Washington Examiner
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Jeff Zeleny / CNN:
Exclusive: Inside the GOP plan to discredit Comey — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's allies are preparing an extensive campaign to fight back against James Comey's publicity tour, trying to undermine the credibility of the former FBI director by reviving the blistering Democratic criticism …
Discussion:
Political Wire
New York Times:
Ryan Found Himself on the Margins as the G.O.P. Moved Right — WASHINGTON — Paul D. Ryan took the helm of the House two and a half years ago, not because he wanted it, but because he was seen as the only lawmaker who could keep Republicans from devouring themselves.
Jamelle Bouie / Slate:
What Ryan Wrought — No one person bears singular blame for the current state of American politics. It took many different choices, from many different people, to produce President Donald Trump. And it took even more choices, from an even greater range of people, to produce the present …
Discussion:
New Republic, CNN, Politico, The Atlantic, Vox, Hit & Run, Weekly Standard, The Nation, Daily Kos, Daily Wire, IJR and Mashable
Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Paul Ryan implodes his party — ahead of schedule
Discussion:
Salon and Balloon Juice
Paul Ryan / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
‘I feel content that I have done my part; I am ready to move on’
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
House Speaker Paul Ryan was the biggest fraud in American politics
Discussion:
Crooked Media, The Week and Splinter
Kaitlyn Burton / Politico:
Trump's push to redo $1.3T spending bill he signed sparks GOP revolt
Discussion:
Political Wire
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Fanatic, Fraud, Factotum: The Rise and Fall of Paul Ryan
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Federalist and Lawyers, Guns & Money
John Podhoretz / Commentary Magazine:
The Ryan Retirement in Seven Points
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Instapundit, New York Times, Townhall, Viking Pundit and ThinkProgress
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
1 in 8 House seats will have no incumbent on Election Day
Discussion:
Fortune, Politico, Power Line and Daily Kos
Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:
Paul Ryan Personifies the Devil's Bargain the GOP Struck With Trump
Discussion:
America's Voice, Breitbart, The Hill, Hot Air, MSNBC, Washington Examiner, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Mediaite, Politico, The Week, New York Magazine and Vox
Associated Press:
$30,000 rumor? Tabloid paid for, spiked, salacious Trump tip — NEW YORK (AP) — Eight months before the company that owns the National Enquirer paid $150,000 to a former Playboy Playmate who claimed she'd had an affair with Donald Trump, the tabloid's parent made a $30,000 payment …
Discussion:
Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
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Ronan Farrow / New Yorker:
The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence — Late in 2015, a former Trump Tower doorman named Dino Sajudin met with a reporter from American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.
Discussion:
RADAR
Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Bannon pitches White House on plan to cripple Mueller probe and protect Trump … Stephen K. Bannon, who was ousted as White House chief strategist last summer but has remained in touch with some members of President Trump's circle, is pitching a plan to West Wing aides and congressional allies …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Week, Mediaite, Washington Press, CNBC, emptywheel, Raw Story and Political Wire
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Washington Post:
Trump chooses impulse over strategy as crises mount … In a White House known for chaos, the process of developing the U.S. response to the Syrian government's alleged latest gas attack was proceeding with uncharacteristic deliberation, including several national security briefings for President Trump.
Discussion:
The Week
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Justice Dept. turns over document that launched Russia probe — A day after Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, threatened the impeachment of FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department on Wednesday turned …
Discussion:
The Hill, Townhall, Daily Kos and The Atlantic
New York Times:
Raid on Trump's Lawyer Sought Records on ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape — The F.B.I. agents who raided the office and hotel of President Trump's lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, were seeking details on his relationship with the Trump campaign and his efforts to suppress negative information about Mr. Trump …
Discussion:
Politico, The Atlantic, CNN, Mediaite, LAW.com, New York Daily News, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, National Review, The Gateway Pundit, Bustle, Townhall, Raw Story, The Root, Law & Crime, NBC News, CNBC, The Daily Beast, KTLA, Daily Kos, RedState, Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, BostonGlobe.com, AOL, Axios, Power Line, Front Page Magazine, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Associated Press, Syracuse Post-Standard, Salon, Hullabaloo, Conservative News Today and MSNBC, more at Mediagazer »
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Chris Cillizza / CNN:
3 things we want to know about Michael Cohen and the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon, CNBC, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Bustle and The Gateway Pundit
Kansas City Star:
Woman: Sexual encounter with Greitens was not consensual. Lawmakers find her credible — When she tried to leave, sobbing after a non-consensual sexual encounter, she says the man who would be governor physically stopped her. — What happened next, she testified under oath …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, RRH Elections, CNBC, Hot Air and ThinkProgress
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Rebecca Berg / CNN:
Report: Woman says Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens coerced her into sexual encounter
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Law & Crime and CBS News
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Pompeo failed to disclose Chinese business connection — WASHINGTON — CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose last year that he owned a Kansas business that imported oilfield equipment from a company owned by the Chinese government. — That omission, on the questionnaire Pompeo …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, The Week, AOL, The American Conservative, New York Times, Washington Press and VICE News
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Ryan Grim / The Intercept:
Mike Pompeo Could Go Down If Senate Democrats Decide to Fight
Discussion:
Common Dreams, CNN and Axios
Henry C. Jackson / Politico:
Pompeo to downplay hawkish rep in face-off with senators
Discussion:
Axios
New York Times:
Scott Pruitt's Idea to Update an E.P.A. Keepsake: Less E.P.A., More Pruitt — When Scott Pruitt wanted to refashion the Environmental Protection Agency's “challenge coin” — a type of souvenir medallion with military origins that has become a status symbol among civilians …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, CNN, Mashable, The Daily Caller, Earther, Splinter, Axios and Mediaite
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Jacqueline Alemany / CBS News:
Here are some of the threats made against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt — CBS News has obtained an August 2017 report prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency's office of inspector general that contains a list of 13 threats made against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his family.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and New York Magazine
Cristina Maza / Newsweek:
RUSSIA PREPARES FOR WAR WITH U.S., INSTRUCTING CITIZENS TO BUY WATER AND GAS MASKS — Claiming that some Americans are preparing for a coming war with Moscow, Russian state-owned television explained to the country's residents how to stock their bunkers with water and basic foodstuffs in case a war breaks out.
Discussion:
Task & Purpose, CNN, CBS New York, Politico, Spectator USA and ABC News
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Mark Hodge / The Sun:
DON BACKS DOWN Donald Trump back-pedals on Syria saying he ‘never said WHEN an attack would take place’ — The US President backed away from his claim that Assad's major ally Russia should ‘get ready’ for American ‘smart missiles’ — DONALD Trump has performed an extraordinary climb …
CNN:
Firing Rosenstein would cross a red line for the rule of law — Source: Trump considering firing Rosenstein — Fred Wertheimer is the founder and president of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to promote government accountability and integrity.
Discussion:
CBS Los Angeles, KTLA, Fox News Insider and Common Dreams
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Bloomberg:
Trump Discussed Firing Rosenstein But Denies Bid to Oust Mueller
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Political Wire and Roll Call
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Senate panel moves to take up bill protecting Mueller
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Washington Monthly and Political Wire
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.:
California Responds to Federal Request for National Guard Personnel — SACRAMENTO - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today responded to the federal government's request for additional California National Guard personnel with the following letter. The accompanying agreement …
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, The Daily Caller, Louder With Crowder, Breitbart, CNBC, Politico, Sean Hannity and Axios
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Brian X. Chen / New York Times:
I Downloaded the Information That Facebook Has on Me. Yikes. — When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn't expect to see much. My profile is sparse, I rarely post anything on the site, and I seldom click on ads. (I'm what some call a Facebook “lurker.")
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Cindy Adams / Page Six:
Women are lining up to date Rudy Giuliani — The about-to-be-consciously uncoupled Rudy Giuliani is coming off to Upper East Side sex kittens like catnip. They're purring at him. Sidling — if not actually front-ling — in his direction. — It seems power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Christina Capatides / CBS News:
Single mom of five goes viral with inspiring law school graduation photo — Ieshia Champs has wanted to be a lawyer since she was 7 years old. In her teenage years, however, the odds began stacking up against her and it appeared that her dream might be permanently out of reach.
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Members of Congress can't possibly regulate Facebook. They don't understand it. … The senators and the Facebook founder spoke different languages, and there was no simultaneous translation. — Born long before the digital era took hold, the mostly gray-haired members of the Senate Judiciary …
Discussion:
twitchy.com and Instapundit
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Brian Barrett / Wired:
A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF EVERYTHING MARK ZUCKERBERG WILL FOLLOW UP ON
Discussion:
Recode, 9to5Mac, CNBC, Fox News Insider, CBS San Francisco and VICE News, more at Techmeme »
Erick Erickson / TheResurgent.com:
A Congressman's Profanity Laced Tirade in a Safeway Grocery Store — One of the President's congressional defenders has privately decided he hates Trump and wants to unload. — “If we're going to lose because of him, we might as well impeach the motherf**ker,” said the congressman …
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