The Insider reports: President Donald Trump definitely picked it up somewhere: the saying, tweeted out earlier this month, that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” But in an interview today, the US president falsely attributed that quote to a “very tough mayor,” Frank Rizzo of 1970s Philadelphia, to whom he has often been compared. Trump also contended that he …

The New Jersey Advance reports: Plans to demolish the former Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City have been submitted, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. Icahn Enterprises, which now owns the building, submitted plans to demolish the entire plaza by implosion, Small said. The company had previously planned on keeping the section of the …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Thursday said that he didn’t believe it was significant that the top U.S. general apologized for his role in the president’s photo opportunity outside St John’s Church last week. Trump, who defended the controversial appearance as a “beautiful picture” during an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, did not criticize Joint Chiefs of Staff …

Axios reports: John Bolton taunts President Trump, his former boss, on the back cover of his forthcoming book: “Game on.” In a memoir coming June 23 that the White House has tried to delay, former national security adviser Bolton will offer multiple revelations about Trump’s conduct in office, with direct quotes by the president and senior officials, according to a …

“A civilized society has to have rules and someone to enforce them. I don’t believe that the 18,000 police forces that we have in this country are endemically racist,” Kennedy said. “I think there are some racist cops and we need to weed them out. “And finally, to the governor and the mayor of Seattle, who I think are holding …

NBC News reports: The Pentagon’s top general discussed resigning amid criticism over his participation in President Donald Trump’s controversial photo opportunity at a Washington church, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley spent hours looking at social media and reading news articles and saw dozens of people criticizing …

The New York Times reports: China has stepped up its effort to spread misinformation on Twitter, creating tens of thousands of fake accounts that discussed protests in Hong Kong and the Communist Party’s response to the coronavirus, Twitter said on Thursday. The company said it had discovered and removed 23,750 accounts that were “highly engaged” in a coordinated effort to …

The Associated Press reports: A leading white nationalist told a judge on Thursday that his notoriety has made it difficult for him to raise money for his defense against a “financially crippling” lawsuit that names him as an organizer of a rally in Virginia that erupted into violence in 2017. Richard Spencer’s attorney has asked for the court’s permission to …

Fox News reports: New cases of the novel coronavirus broke single-day records in Florida and South Carolina on Thursday, according to health officials.  The Florida Department of Health confirmed 1,698 additional cases of COVID-19 within the preceding 24 hours, nearly a 20 percent increase from the state’s previous high of 1,419 reported last Thursday. South Carolina also recorded a record …

Reuters reports: Most Americans, including a majority of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, support sweeping law enforcement reforms such as a ban on chokeholds and racial profiling after the latest death of an African American while in police custody, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released today. For example, 82% of Americans want to ban police from using chokeholds, 83% …

Yahoo News reports: Jacksonville, Florida, has been selected to host the celebration marking President Donald Trump’s acceptance of his party’s nomination for reelection, the Republican National Committee chairwoman said Thursday night. Ronna McDaniel made the announcement a day after saying that Jacksonville was a front-runner to hold the event. The governor of North Carolina, the official host of this summer’s …

The Washington Post reports: When Melania Trump stayed behind in New York after her husband’s presidential inauguration, she said it was because she didn’t want to interrupt their then-10-year-old son Barron’s school year. News stories at the time concentrated on an apparent frostiness between the first couple and the exorbitant taxpayer costs to protect Melania and Barron away from Washington. …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Apple Thursday committed $100 miilion to what CEO Tim Cook called “the unfinished work of racial justice and equality.” YouTube announced a $100 investment today as well to amplify black voices, and Sony Pictures unveiled the Sony Pictures Action initiative They are the latest media, entertainment and tech companies shocked into action by the police killing of …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump praised the use of tear gas and other force to disperse Minneapolis protesters, calling it a “beautiful scene” and describing the National Guard’s actions “like a knife cutting butter.” “I’ll never forget. You saw the scene on that road … they were lined up. Man, they just walked straight. And yes, there was some …

Politico reports: A vote by the Republican National Committee to leave the party’s 2016 party platform unchanged ahead of the November election has infuriated grass-roots activists — including moderates who wanted to streamline its message and social conservatives who sought added language on emerging hot-button topics. The decision by the party’s executive panel Wednesday means the GOP will maintain positions …

Just in from the Democratic National Committee: While the RNC preposterously claims Trump has taken “unprecedented steps to protect the LGBTQ community,” they just re-endorsed an unpopular platform that advocates overturning hard-fought LGBTQ+ rights. The GOP’s 2020 platform “condemns” marriage equality, which has been legal across the United States for five years and is supported by two in three Americans. …

From the ticket request page for Trump’s Tulsa rally: By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, …

Mediaite reports: As many as 70 percent — or 56.3 million — of President Donald Trump’s Twitter followers are fake or inactive, according to an expert interviewed by Mediaite. “Our tool defines ‘fake followers’ as accounts that are unreachable and will not see the account’s tweets either because they are spam, bots, propaganda, or no longer active on Twitter,” said …

The Military Times reports: Hours after the president announced he would block all efforts to remove the names of Confederate leaders from prominent U.S. military bases, lawmakers in the House and Senate both pushed to force defense leaders to make the changes anyway, calling it an issue of respect and inclusivity. On Thursday morning, Reps. Anthony Brown, D-Md., and Don …

The New York Times reports: The single most Democratic congressional district in America could next be held by a Democrat who opposes abortion rights, has a history of endorsing Republicans and making homophobic remarks and ­is still considering voting for President Trump in November. Welcome to the South Bronx, the domain for decades of the Rev. Rubén Díaz Sr. Just …