The Washington Post reports: Flying home from Germany on July 8 aboard Air Force One, Trump personally dictated a statement in which Trump Jr. said that he and the Russian lawyer had “primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children” when they met in June 2016, according to multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations. The statement, issued …

GOP Sen. Jeff Flake goes to TOWN against Trump in an op-ed published tonight by Politico. An excerpt: Who could blame the people who felt abandoned and ignored by the major parties for reaching in despair for a candidate who offered oversimplified answers to infinitely complex questions and managed to entertain them in the process? With hindsight, it is clear …

SURE JAN: Just hours after ousting his newly appointed communications director, President Trump tweeted that Monday was “a great day at the White House.” Trump expressed the sentiment in a single tweet, which came just hours after the ouster of White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who had took the job just 10 days ago. Earlier Monday, Trumo hosted his …

The Hill reports: CNN says it won’t try to hire ousted White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, a company spokesman told Buzzfeed on Monday afternoon. Scaramucci has experience in cable news, having hosted “Wall Street Week” on Fox Business and serving as a contributor on Fox News. CNN made a similar declaration when White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned …

Law Newz reports: President Donald Trump raised eyebrows Friday when he suggested cops get rough with suspects, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that he shouldn’t be taken literally. “I believe he was making a joke at the time,” she said at a press briefing, after a reporter asked if it was just a joke. Trump …

The Washington Post reports: The blink-and-you-missed-him former White House communications director is listed as deceased in the new Harvard Law School alumni directory, which arrived in alums’ mailboxes the very week that “The Mooch” became the most talked-about guy in politics. An asterisk by the 1989 graduate’s name indicates that he was reported dead since the last directory, which was …

The HuffPost reports: Ah, young love! Is there anything more exciting ― or potentially torturous? That’s the question a new animated short film asks while beautifully depicting the angst and trepidation that can blossom right alongside a budding infatuation ― especially for LGBTQ people. “In A Heartbeat,” by Beth David and Esteban Bravo, tells the story of Sherwin, an awkward, …

The New York Daily News reports: Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt Monday. Arpaio, who was booted out of office in November, was charged with misdemeanor contempt-of-court for disobeying a 2011 court order issued by U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow in a racial profiling case. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton issued the verdict …

UPI reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is scheduled to give the daily press briefing on camera Monday. She is set to answer questions on a variety of developments at 3:45 p.m. EDT. Since her last press briefing on Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Senate failed to replace the Affordable Care Act early Friday morning. President Donald Trump on …

The New York Times reports: President Trump has decided to remove Anthony Scaramucci from his position as communications director, three people close to the decision said Monday, relieving him just days after Mr. Scaramucci unloaded a crude verbal tirade against other senior members of the president’s senior staff. Mr. Scaramucci’s abrupt removal came just 10 days after the wealthy New …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Los Angeles has reached an agreement with Olympic leaders on terms that will pave the way for hosting the Summer Games in 2028 instead of 2024, according to a source close to the negotiation. The deal will bring the Olympics back to Southern California for a third time, after Los Angeles hosted the Games in …

The Independent reports: The world will almost certainly reach a tipping point and bring about unstoppable, destructive climate change, according to a new study. There is a 90 per cent chance that the world’s temperature will rise 2C, to 4.9C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, despite measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s at that point …

Mediaite reports: Rasmussen Reports’ poll Monday puts President Donald Trump‘s approval rating at 39 percent, the first time the right leaning polling agency has reported Trump at below 40. Rasmussen polls 500 U.S. voters every night by phone and publishes their “Daily Presidential Tracking Poll” every weekday morning. They are known to report more favorably to Republicans and have consistently …

Pat Robertson’s CBN News reports: A spiritual awakening is underway at the White House. Some of the most powerful people in America have been gathering weekly to learn more about God’s Word, and this Trump Cabinet Bible study is making history. They’ve been called the most evangelical Cabinet in history – men and women who don’t mince words when it …

Kyle Mantyla reports at Right Wing Watch: Former Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann was a guest on Jan Markell’s “Understanding The Times” radio program again last weekend, where she claimed that a hotline set up by the city of Minneapolis for reporting hate crimes was fascist and a violation of the separation of church and state. Last month, Minneapolis announced that …

Twitchy is thrilled: We still don’t know if Kid Rock is running for Senate in Michigan or not, but he’s doing all the right things to reach out to voters. Like this greeting to his fans over on Twitter. When will we see him campaign with President Trump? And notice the male-to-female ratio on the plane? That means Mr. Rock …

Broadway World reports: Broadway World has just learned that playwright, actor, author, screenwriter, and director Sam Shepard has passed away. Shepard, who had been ill with ALS for some time, died peacefully on July 30 at home in Kentucky, surrounded by his children and sisters. He was 73 years old. Shepard is the author of forty-four plays as well as …

ABC News reports: There’s a new chief of staff in town. Retired Gen. John Kelly was sworn in today as President Trump’s most senior staffer in the White House. Trump replaced Reince Priebus with Kelly last Friday. Kelly had left his post as secretary of homeland security to assume his new White House role. “He will do a spectacular job, …

USA Today reports: What did John Oliver do with all of that free time while on hiatus? In addition to appearing on The Late Show to chat about Don Jr. with Stephen Colbert, it appears he also went on a shopping spree at the InfoWars’ online store. In a NSFW segment Sunday, the Last Week Tonight host showed off his …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Discovery Communications and Scripps Networks Interactive have made it official, unveiling a $14.6 billion deal that will combine the two cable networks companies known mostly for non-scripted and lifestyle content. Discovery will acquire Scripps in the cash-and-stock deal, which the companies said would bring together two sets of strong brands, including networks popular with women, allow …