Idiocracy

Mediaite reports: Showtime issued a statement on Monday denying that comedian Sacha Baron Cohen pretended to be a disabled veteran to dupe Sarah Palin, despite her claims. Palin revealed last week she was one of Cohen’s victims, and claimed he impersonated a disabled veteran to dupe her — causing some outrage over the stunt. “There has been widespread misinformation over …

Almost every Republican is running for the hills on this: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday said that Russia is not a friend of the U.S. and that he supports the intelligence community’s finding that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election. “I have said a number of times, I’ll say it again: The Russians are not our friends. …

“There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, …

Buzzfeed News reports: Following a one-on-one meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday, Putin did not explicitly deny that his government had collected compromising material on the US president. “I did heard these rumors that these allegedly collected compromising material on Mr. Trump when he was visiting Moscow,” Putin said, when asked. “Distinguished colleague, let me …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Sunday asserted that the “much” of the media is the “enemy of the people” and blamed Democrats for division in the country as he prepared to head to Finland for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a series of tweets sent while he was aboard Air Force One, Trump vented that he …

CNN reports: Sarah Palin, Alabama politician Roy Moore and former congressman Joe Walsh are among those who have lashed out at Cohen in advance, essentially turning themselves into ambassadors for Showtime’s marketing department. The piece de resistance, though, comes during the closing third, as Cohen masquerades as an Israeli gun enthusiast, convincing gun-rights advocates and Republican politicians to endorse his …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump said in a new interview airing Sunday that he hadn’t thought of pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin on extraditing the dozen Russian officials charged with hacking Democratic emails, while continuing to blame Democrats for the stolen emails that upended the 2016 presidential campaign. “Well, I might,” Trump said when asked during an interview with …

CNN, of course, did report on Trump’s latest attack: Even when he’s thousands of miles from home, President Trump defaults back to his “fake news” insult whenever it’s convenient or politically expedient. He called on NBC’s Kristen Welker, who asked, “Are you giving Russian president Vladimir Putin the upper hand heading into your talks, given that you are challenging these …

Politico reports: A top National Security Council official was forced out this week, the latest staffing change at the White House-based group since President Donald Trump named John Bolton his national security adviser in March. Jennifer Arangio, a senior director in the NSC division that deals with international organizations, was let go Thursday, according to a former White House official …

Axios reports: President Trump wants to update the paint job on the next version of Air Force One, ditching the iconic robin’s-egg blue (which he calls a “Jackie Kennedy color”) for a bolder, “more American” look. “He can do it,” said a source, when asked about whether Trump can make the change. But the change could cause friction with the …

Mediaite reports: Donald Trump is reminding people he’s a “very stable genius.” No, seriously. The president held a surprise press conference in NATO today, during which he said Vladimir Putin is not an enemy again, shrugged off the upcoming protests against him in the United Kingdom, and claimed the summit “all came together at the end” now that America’s allies …

Politico reports: U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to break with NATO and conduct American security unilaterally — if allies do not immediately meet higher military spending targets, NATO officials and diplomats said. Trump warned of “grave consequences” if allies do not immediately meet higher spending targets, derailing a morning meeting of NATO leaders with the leaders of Georgia and Ukraine …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump kicked off his trip to Europe with a biting critique of the United States’ longtime allies, declaring at a breakfast meeting that Germany “is captive to Russia.” Next to him, three of his senior officials seemed uncomfortable at times, pursing their lips and glancing away from the table. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remains …

Quartz reports: At today’s NATO summit in Brussels, the west’s gathered leaders turned their head in unison to watch a military flyover. But for a brief moment, US president Donald Trump’s attention drifted elsewhere. The resulting photo is an almost too perfect symbol for the tenor of the meeting. Ahead of his arrival, Trump had attacked the other members of …

The Associated Press reports: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his security detail violated both Mexican and U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border on foot during a visit near El Paso, Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection alleges in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. The mayor’s office flatly denied the allegation. De Blasio, a fierce …

USA Today reports: President Donald Trump unleashed his most remarkable broadside yet against a European ally on Wednesday, accusing Germany of being “totally controlled by Russia” and of not meeting its obligations to the NATO alliance. “Germany, as far I’m concerned, is captive to Russia,” Trump said. That extraordinary rhetoric represents Trump’s strongest attack to date on NATO allies – …

We haven’t had a Florida Man story in awhile. Click Orlando reports: Cellphone video and 911 calls leading to the arrest of a Florida man who deputies said chased his neighbor on a tractor were released by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, News 6 partner WJXT-TV reported. The video, recorded by the neighbor’s wife, who also called 911, ultimately …

Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump is preparing to release a list of an additional $200 billion in Chinese products to be hit with tariffs, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Trump administration on July 6 imposed 25 percent duties on $34 billion in Chinese imports, the first time the president has implemented tariffs directly on Beijing after …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club has asked permission to hire 78 foreign workers to serve as cooks, waiters and housekeepers during this winter’s social season in Palm Beach, Fla., according to Labor Department data. The club — a for-profit business, which also serves as Trump’s weekend home and “Winter White House” — submitted applications to hire 21 …

Oregon Live reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday commuted the sentences of two eastern Oregon ranchers serving time in federal prison for setting fire to public land in a case that inflamed their supporters and gave rise to the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The decision will free Dwight Hammond Jr., 76, and son Steven Hammond, 49, …