Politics

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump will almost entirely avoid London during his four-day visit to the UK next week, Downing Street has said, unveiling an itinerary likely to prompt accusations the US president is trying to avoid planned protests against him. And while the president is conducting his meetings, the first lady, Melania, will have an agenda of her own, …

The Associated Press reports: Two more Republicans are calling on Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to resign amid claims he drunkenly groped four women, including a lawmaker. Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said in a statement late Thursday that she supports Gov. Eric Holcomb’s call for Hill to step down. She says “sexual harassment should never be tolerated.” Secretary of State …

Reuters reports: It is not often that the niche world of commodities trading enters the public conversation, but on Friday China’s social media was rooting for a ship carrying soybeans from the United States to beat the deadline before Chinese tariffs kicked in. Tracking the journey of the vessel, Peak Pegasus, as it motored toward the northern Chinese port of …

Talking Points Memo reports: As the President vets candidates who could become his next Supreme Court justice nominee, Trump’s level of comfort with each candidate is a key factor, according to Axios. Citing a White House official, Axios reported that the person that Trump ultimately picks will be “who he feels most comfortable with in a personal setting.” The candidate …

The Hill reports: Alan Dershowitz said Thursday night that a woman told him he should be “stabbed through the heart” for speaking out against special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. “At a party this week on Martha’s Vineyard, a woman said,’ if Dershowitz were here tonight, I’d stab him through the heart,” Dershowitz …

CNN reports: China on Friday accused the United States of starting “the biggest trade war in economic history” as the two sides imposed steep new tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of each other’s exports. The Trump administration’s 25% tariffs affect more than 800 Chinese products worth $34 billion such as industrial machinery, medical devices and auto parts. They …

The New York Daily News reports: New York City has nixed a $48,000 tax break President Trump was set to receive on his Trump Tower condo following inquiries from the Daily News about whether he is still eligible for the savings. On Tuesday, city records indicated that Trump was set to save $48,834.62 on his tax bill for the year …

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not believe allegations by several former wrestlers at Ohio State University coached by Republican Representative Jim Jordan that he was aware the team doctor was molesting them. “Jim Jordan is one of the most outstanding people I’ve met since I’ve been in Washington. I believe him 100 percent,” Trump …

The Hill reports: A woman who went viral earlier this week after publicly telling Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to resign targeted President Trump after the EPA head’s sudden resignation on Thursday. In a posting on Facebook of her encounter with Pruitt, Mink listed off multiple scandals Pruitt has been involved in since becoming EPA chief. “I would …

The Associated Press reports: Former state Rep. Oliver Robinson testified Tuesday that he accepted money to oppose federal environmental cleanup efforts in north Birmingham, telling jurors that in doing so that he felt like he sold out the people who had elected him. Robinson, a former basketball star and one-time rising star in the Alabama House of Representatives, took to …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) privately urged President Trump in a phone call earlier this week to nominate federal Judge Merrick B. Garland, then President Barack Obama’s third nominee to the Supreme Court who was summarily shunned by Senate Republicans in 2016, to replace retiring Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Trump had called Schumer on …

Axios reports: In a statement to Iranian news agency Shana on Thursday, Iran’s OPEC minister, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, addressed President Trump, who has been demanding on Twitter that OPEC lower oil prices, directly, hoping to set the record straight: “Mr. President … OPEC has not defined oil prices for the past 30 years. Your tweets have driven the prices up …

From this morning’s The Rising: Republicans could still repeal and replace ObamaCare if they are able to keep the House majority and gain seats in the Senate, Republican National Committee (RNC) spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told “Rising” on Thursday. McEnany specifically noted legislation proposed by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.), which was defeated last fall. “We were …

Fox News reports: James Woods has been dropped by his talent agent, and received the announcement in an email sent during the Fourth of July holiday. The Oscar-nominated actor shared a screenshot of the email with the subject line “Well…” on his personal Twitter account. The agent, Ken Kaplan, said that he’d come to the decision to no longer represent …

CNN reports: Rep. Jim Jordan’s office will contact Capitol Hill police after receiving emails from an alleged victim of sexual abuse at Ohio State University when the Ohio Republican was an assistant wrestling coach, a source within the office told CNN Wednesday. The source added that the messages were vaguely threatening in nature in part because of the amount of …

Courthouse News reports: The Republican chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee introduced a draft bill this week that has conservationists worried. The legislation proposed by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso will significantly revamp the Endangered Species Act, but critics of the move say it will essentially gut the law. Jason Rylander, a senior attorney with Defenders of Wildlife, …

More of the drip drip towards the flip flip: Michael Cohen has taken his divorce with Donald Trump to the next level. In the past, people who visited Cohen’s Twitter profile would notice his bio where he proudly declared his status as “Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.” However, if you visit @MichaelCohen212 as of today, you will notice …

Politico reports: Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, said Wednesday he will run against President Donald Trump if he seeks reelection, but only if he thinks there isn’t another candidate that could beat the president. The tweet came after Avenatti was asked on Twitter when he would announce his 2020 bid. Avenatti represents Daniels, who is suing …

The Associated Press reports: As a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was concluding, President Donald Trump turned to his top aides and asked an unsettling question: With a fast unraveling Venezuela threatening regional security, why can’t the U.S. just simply invade the troubled country? The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including …

The Hill reports: President Trump marked the Fourth of July on Wednesday by hailing the “noble sacrifice” of U.S. servicemembers. In a video posted online, Trump recounted the story of the Declaration of Independence and the war against Great Britain that ensued. “It was 242 years ago today in Philadelphia that 56 brave representatives of the American people adopted our …