memeorandum: Winning the Obamacare Suit Would Be a Disaster for Republicans (Ramesh Ponnuru/Bloomberg)

1:15 PM ET, July 10, 2019

Top Items:

New Jeffrey Epstein accuser: He raped me when I was 15 — Jennifer Araoz says she was recruited outside her New York City high school to provide sexual massages to the wealthy financier. — Jennifer Araoz says she was 14 years old when a young woman approached her outside her New York City high school in the fall of 2001.

Discussion: Fox News, VICE, The Federalist, Florida Politics, The Week, TODAY.com, Washington Press and Fatherly

New York Times:

Jeffrey Epstein Was a ‘Terrific Guy,’ Donald Trump Once Said. Now He's ‘Not a Fan.’ — WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be an exclusive party at Mar-a-Lago, Donald J. Trump's members-only club in Palm Beach, Fla. But other than the two dozen or so women flown in to provide the entertainment …

Discussion: Hot Air, AOL.com, The Resurgent, Talking Points Memo, Vanity Fair, The Daily Beast, The Week, VICE, Slate, Washington Press, Business Insider and Washington Post

Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:

Trump labor secretary who cut Epstein deal plans to slash funds for sex trafficking victims — Democrats condemn as ‘amoral’ Alex Acosta's proposed 80% funding cut for US agency that combats child sex trafficking — Alexander Acosta, the US labor secretary under fire for having granted …

Discussion: Splinter, Reason, GovExec.com, CNN, BuzzFeed News, New York Post, Financial Times, twitchy.com, The Daily Signal, Breitbart and Conservative News Today

Ed Mazza / HuffPost:

Peter Wehner Has Chilling Theory For GOP Silence On Alex Acosta's Deal With Jeffrey Epstein — “We have a president who is a sexual predator,” the longtime Republican insider said. — A longtime Republican insider is calling out GOP lawmakers for “hypocrisy” for not demanding the resignation …

Hollywood Reporter:
Jeffrey Epstein Moved Freely in Hollywood Circles Even After 2008 Conviction

Discussion: Common Dreams, New York Times and Slate

New York Magazine:
Jeffrey Epstein's Rolodex: A Guide to His Famous Friends and Acquaintances

Discussion: Axios and Vanity Fair

Howard Kurtz / Fox News:
The Jeffrey Epstein charges are revolting, but let's be careful about implicating others

Discussion: New York Times, Breitbart, VICE and The American Conservative

Ryan Grim / The Intercept:
Jeffrey Epstein Shipped Himself a 53-Pound Shredder and a Carpet and Tile Extractor, Maritime Records Show

Discussion: Politico, Splinter, Contemptor, Daily Wire and The Daily Beast

Tiffany Hsu / New York Times:
The Jeffrey Epstein Case Was Cold, Until a Miami Herald Reporter Got Accusers to Talk

Discussion: New York Post, The Nation, WBUR, Daily Kos, Press Herald, The Atlantic, American Thinker, Big League Politics, The Week, CNN, The Daily Beast, Media Matters for America and Geller Report News

Kyle Smith / National Review: Jeffrey Epstein Should Cancel the Culture's Humbert Humberts

Washington Post:

Appeals court dismisses ‘emoluments’ lawsuit involving President Trump's D.C. hotel — A federal appeals court Wednesday sided with President Trump, dismissing a lawsuit claiming the president is illegally profiting from foreign and state government visitors at his luxury hotel in downtown Washington.

Discussion: Politico, Axios, Daily Kos, Raw Story, The Week and Political Wire

Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Democrats subpoena Trump businesses in Emoluments Clause lawsuit

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Tim Alberta / Politico:

‘Mother Is Not Going to Like This’: The 48 Hours That Almost Brought Down Trump — One by one, they had trickled out of the conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. It was Friday, October 7, 2016, two days before the second presidential debate, and the Republican nominee's brain trust …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Post, The Week and Althouse

Peter Jamison / Washington Post:

Trump's July Fourth event and weekend protests bankrupted D.C. security fund, mayor says — President Trump's overhauled July Fourth celebration cost the D.C. government $1.7 million, an amount that — combined with police expenses for demonstrations through the weekend …

Discussion: Axios, The Week, Political Wire and Splinter

BBC:

Sir Kim Darroch resigns as UK ambassador to US — Sir Kim Darroch has resigned as UK ambassador to the US, amid a row over leaked emails critical of President Trump's administration. — The ambassador was branded “a very stupid guy” by Mr Trump, after emails emerged calling the Trump administration “clumsy and inept”.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, The Poke and TheBlaze

Thomas Wright / The Atlantic:
The UK Ambassador's Crime Was Stating the Obvious

Discussion: New York Post, Washington Post and Daily Wire

Sarah Ferris / Politico:

‘Do not tweet’: Pelosi scolds progressives in closed-door meeting — Speaker Nancy Pelosi chided progressives in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, calling on them to address their intra-party grievances privately rather than blasting their centrist colleagues on Twitter.

Discussion: Mediaite

Daily Mail:

I have NO relationship with Nancy Pelosi: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses Speaker of trying to sideline her with loaded-up work schedule after top Democrat dismissed her ‘squad’ as just having Twitter following — She also claimed Democratic leadership gave her prominent committee assignments in an attempt to keep her busy

Discussion: RedState, Rolling Stone and New York Times

Danielle Muoio / Politico:
In wake of Trump Twitter ruling, former New York assemblyman sues Ocasio-Cortez

Discussion: Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit and Breitbart

NBC News:

Migrant kids in overcrowded Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from U.S. agents — Migrant children held in Yuma, Arizona, report sex assault and retaliation for protests in addition to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding. — WASHINGTON — The poor treatment …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Breitbart, The Root, Shakesville, Just Security, Splinter, POLITICUSUSA, New York Post, Axios and The Week

MSNBC: Two ‘significant incident reports’ obtained exclusively by NBC News

Alberto Nardelli / BuzzFeed News:

An Explosive Secret Recording Reveals How Russia Tried To Funnel Millions To The “European Trump” — A close aide to Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini held covert talks to pump Russian oil money to his far-right party. BuzzFeed News has the tape.

Discussion: Washington Post

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Fifteen minutes on cable television that illustrated one of America's deepest political divides — Much of Anderson Cooper's hourly show on CNN on Tuesday night was spent in an interview with Megan Rapinoe, the biggest star on the World-Cup-winning U.S. women's soccer team.

Discussion: Breitbart, Common Dreams and Splinter

Brian Stelter / CNN:
Tucker Carlson blasts Rep. Ilhan Omar, and she calls him a ‘racist fool’

Discussion: Vox, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Human Events, The Daily Caller, NB Blog, Roll Call and The Week

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic:
Tucker Carlson Has Failed to Assimilate

Discussion: Washington Post, Geller Report News, WCCO | CBS Minnesota and Conservative News Today

Kasie Hunt / NBC News:

McGrath raises a record $2.5 million on first day of Senate campaign — WASHINGTON — Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Amy McGrath raised more than $2.5 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign against Mitch McConnell — over $1 million of it coming in just the first five and a half hours …

Discussion: Politico, Mother Jones, Insider Louisville, Axios, Fox News, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, Breitbart, IJR, Mediaite, VICE, Hot Air, Courier-Journal, Vox, CNN, Common Dreams and Washington Post

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Kentucky Senate hopeful Amy McGrath says she raised $2.5 million in 24 hours for race against Mitch McConnell

Discussion: Politico and TheBlaze

Heather Long / Washington Post:

S&P 500 soars above 3,000 for first time as Fed Chair Jerome Powell hints interest rate cut likely in July — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell had two messages for Congress Wednesday: Central bank independence is critical and an interest-rate cut is likely at the end of July.

Discussion: CNBC, Wall Street Journal, The Week and Political Wire

Victoria Guida / Politico:
Fed's Powell hints at possible rate cut later this month

Discussion: One America News Network

Howard Schneider / Reuters: Fed's Powell says trade, global growth concerns continue to weigh on U.S. economy

Larrison Campbell / Mississippi Today:

Robert Foster, GOP governor candidate, denies woman reporter access because of her gender — In recent weeks, in an attempt to better inform readers about candidates in the upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary, Mississippi Today has asked to shadow each contender seeking the GOP nomination.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Slate, Splinter, The Guardian, Friendly Atheist and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:

Winning the Obamacare Suit Would Be a Disaster for Republicans — Conservatives would rather rail at judges than come up with a viable health-care alternative. — There's an important bit of contingency planning that Republicans have neglected to do. Neither in the White House nor …

New York Times:

Justice Dept. Tells Mueller Deputies Not to Testify, Scrambling an Agreement — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is seeking to discourage Robert S. Mueller III's deputies from testifying before Congress, potentially jeopardizing an agreement for two of the former prosecutors …

Discussion: Politico, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Shareblue Media, Daily Kos, The Week, Lawfare, Wall Street Journal, POLITICUSUSA, The Federalist and ThinkProgress

Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:

How to Give Away $420 Million: Cheryl and Haim Saban on Hollywood Philanthropy, Israel and 2020 Politics — The outspoken media moguls, who have pledged much of their $3.2  billion fortune to charity, reveal how they select causes like women's empowerment, healthcare and a $50 million gift …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Jewish Insider

Washington Post:

In the aftermath of Khashoggi's murder, Saudi influence machine whirs on in Washington — After the killing in October of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, a handful of lobbying firms and think tanks made a move rare in Washington: They publicly severed ties with Saudi Arabia …

Sam Dorman / Fox News:

Sen. Collins rejected Republican senator's offer to ditch Kavanaugh after Ford testimony, new book claims — Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, refused to take part in a Senate Judiciary Committee Republican's proposal for the White House to abandon Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's nomination …

Dan Desai Martin / Shareblue Media:
Susan Collins: I ‘hope’ my votes to destroy health care don't actually destroy health care

Discussion: Michigan Advance, Vox and Daily Kos

Mike Barnes / Hollywood Reporter:

Rip Torn, Artie the Producer on ‘The Larry Sanders Show,’ Dies at 88 — The respected Emmy winner and Oscar and Tony nominee always aimed for authenticity but had a reputation as a trouble-maker. — Rip Torn, the tenacious, temperamental Texan whose much-admired career was highlighted …

Discussion: Consequence of Sound, Slate, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, alicublog and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:

CNN Tells Digital Staff: Take Some Cues From Fox News — CNN fears being eclipsed on the web by Fox News, and the network apparently wants digital staffers to occasionally emulate their rival's coverage decisions. — Fox News is already beating CNN on TV.

Discussion: Mediaite

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Embattled Biden ditches Rose Garden strategy — Joe Biden intended to stay above the fray. He wasn't going to punch down at opponents, or embark on any apology tours for past votes or statements. Creating a sense of inevitability was the goal. — That strategy is now out the window.

Discussion: The Hill, The Resurgent, CNN and Eschaton

Richard Bernstein / RealClearInvestigations:

Anti-Christian Attacks in France Quietly Quadrupled. Why? — LAVAUR, France - Late one night a few months ago, two teenage boys crept into the massive 13th century Cathedral of Saint-Alain in Lavaur, a postcard town in southwest France. There, they set fire to an altar …

Discussion: Real Clear Politics

Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:

Trump attacks ‘Radical Left’ for boycotting, a tactic he has repeatedly advocated — President Trump on Tuesday night came to the defense of Home Depot, calling those who choose not to shop at the home improvement retailer because of financial ties between its billionaire co-founder …

Natasha Bertrand / Politico:

Trump dossier author Steele gets 16-hour DOJ grilling — The interview was contentious at first, according to two people familiar with the matter, but investigators ultimately found his testimony credible and even surprising. — Christopher Steele, the former British spy behind the infamous …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, POLITICUSUSA, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Last Refuge, The Week and Washington Post