Once again Trump Jr. changes the story on his recently disclosed meeting with a Russian lawyer. He met her along with Jared Kushner and Paul Manfort because the Russian was apparently offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. says they got no such information, but they were clearly in the market. Via The New York Times.
David Remnick: It’s time for an honest reckoning on Donald Trump, the Trump family, the Trump campaign and Russia. When you have a headline in The New York Times saying “Trump Jr. Met Russian for Dirt on Clinton,” you know that, whatever the president says, this is hardly a settled matter. Via The New Yorker.
Maybe the most shocking thing to come out of the G-20 was Trump’s promise of a cyber-security pact with Russia. Trump said that Putin denied any Russian meddling, and Trump is prepared, he says, to “move forward.” Meanwhile Republican lawmakers are divided. Most say nothing (see: Gardner, Cory). The ones who do (see: Graham, Lindsey) say they are “dumbfounded.”
It’s not just weird that Trump would discuss creating an “impenetrable” cyber security unit with the Russians. The idea of “impenetrable” cybersecuity is pure fantasy. Via The Atlantic.
Trump tweeted victory for his brief European tour, but that’s not exactly how everyone (other than Mike Pence) saw it. In Politico, the story is about the stunning victory that Trump gave to Vladimir Putin and his illiberal vision of Western democracy.
Some thought Trump did well. Look to Larry Kudlow in The National Review, who says that Trump called Putin’s bluff and won.
Robert Samuelson offers a lesson for Trump, should he choose to learn it: You can’t expect to forfeit your role as leader of the free world and still expect anyone to follow your views on world trade. Via The Washington Post.
Trump’s much-praised defense-of-the-West speech in Poland is getting a much more critical second look. Sarah Wildman writes in Vox that the speech — “for family, for freedom, for country, and for God” — sounded very much like any other alt-right speech you might have heard.
Der Spiegel is asking the question that many Germans are asking following the riots in Hamburg that accompanied the G-20 summit: Was any of it worth the while?
The healthcare bill seems to be in trouble as the Senate comes back into session following the July 4th recess. But things could be worse. The carve-out in the latest GOP bill that was meant to protect the disabled on Medicaid may leave many of the most in need the most vulnerable. Via The Washington Post.
The conservative Republican response to the Scalise shooting: Looser gun laws. There are at least three bills being promoted now. Via The New York Times.
Photo by Max Goldberg, via Flickr: Creative Commons
The mainstream media constantly bombards its readers with polls suggesting how unpopular President Trump is but they rarely mention that Democrats are even less popular. Mike Konczai doesn’t shy way from that fact in a tutorial designed to show Democrats what the stock market rise under President Trump should teach them. Via Vox
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/7/7/15930996/stock-market-democrats-wilderness-strategy-economics
And here’s something else the mainstream media doesn’t report, according to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll the media are even less trustworthy (that’s right, less trustworthy) than President Trump’s administration. Who’da thunk it?
http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/usapolls/us170621_PBS_NPR/NPR_PBS%20NewsHour_Marist%20Poll_Written%20Summary%20of%20Findings_Democracy_Trust_July%202007.pdf
Is it creepy censorship, corporate bullying or jounalism? And how can you tell the difference? Read how CNN has handled uncovering the identity of the anonymous Reddit user who created the video of President Donald Trump punching a CNN logo. Via The Intercept
https://theintercept.com/2017/07/05/cnn-anonymous-critic-trump-wrestling-gif-reddit-user/
Portland, Oregon: progressive paradise! Today, not so much as political violence has increased since President Trump’s election. Via politico.com.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/30/how-liberal-portland-became-americas-most-politically-violent-city-215322
Kate’s Law passed 257-167, largely along party lines, in the GOP-controlled House. Trump, who made immigration a key focus during the campaign and in his administration, celebrated its passage.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/house-passes-kates-law-votes-defund-sanctuary-cities-n778141