Politics

The Oregonian reports: Portland Police declared a riot Saturday after tensions between the right-wing Patriot Prayer group and local anti-fascist activists came to a head and broke out in violence. The afternoon began with a permitted rally at Terry Schrunk Federal Plaza organized by Joey Gibson, U.S. Senate candidate for Washington and leader of the right-wing, Vancouver-based group. A counter-demonstration …

The Hill reports: “I’m going to have an in depth discussion with the nominee and I believe very much that Roe v. Wade is settled law, as it has been described by Chief Justice Roberts,” Collins said. “It has been established as a constitutional right for 46 years — 45 years, and was reaffirmed 26 years ago.” Collins, who will …

The CBC reports: The manager of a popular Vancouver tourist restaurant has been fired after refusing service to a supporter of Donald Trump. A man wearing one of the U.S. president’s “Make America Great Again” hats was refused service at the Teahouse in Stanley Park on Tuesday by Darin Hodge. According to the restaurant’s general manager, the man was seated …

Buzzfeed News reports: California Democratic congresswoman Maxine Waters told would-be assassins to “shoot straight” Saturday in response to death threats she says she’s received since encouraging people unhappy with the president’s immigration policies to publicly confront members of the Trump administration. Waters, who has long been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, made the comments during a speech at …

The Washington Post reports: The Pentagon is analyzing the cost and impact of a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of American troops stationed in Germany, amid growing tensions between President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to people familiar with the work. The effort follows Trump’s expression of interest in removing the troops, made during a meeting earlier this year …

Mediaite reports: Prankster/Comedian John Melendez may have to make a run for it after pranking the White House staff into speaking with President Donald Trump. Melendez defied the odds this week by posing as Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and after nearly twenty minutes, he managed to get a hold of the Commander in Chief from Air Force One. However, the …

The New Jersey Advance reports: The Democrats who lead New Jersey agree: They want to raise somebody’s taxes. But the debate over exactly who pays could shut down state government at midnight. Again. So the stage is set Saturday for another dramatic day in Trenton, one that could hit people across New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders remained …

Foreign Policy reports: The U.S. ambassador to Estonia, James D. Melville Jr., a career diplomat and member of the senior foreign service ranks, announced to friends Friday that he was resigning amid a string of controversial comments President Donald Trump made about U.S. allies in Europe. Melville, who has served as a diplomat for 33 years and as ambassador to …

The New York Daily News reports: President Trump announced on Friday two women are among the jurists he’s considering appointing to the Supreme Court, adding he will finalize his decision early next month. Trump made the revelation onboard Air Force One while en route to his private New Jersey golf club, noting he will officially name his replacement for outgoing …

The New York Times reports: In the days after the F.B.I. director James B. Comey was fired last year, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, repeatedly expressed anger about how the White House used him to rationalize the firing, saying the experience damaged his reputation, according to four people familiar with his outbursts. In public, Mr. Rosenstein has shown …

Axios reports: The host of “The Stuttering John” podcast, John Melendez, got President Trump on the phone yesterday by pretending he was New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. “This is how easy it is to infiltrate the administration,” Melendez said in the episode. Why it matters: This calls into question White House security. White House staff members are freaking out today …

Just in from the Republican National Committee: Democrats are willing to fight for ANYONE illegally crossing our border. But they too often refuse to fight for their own fellow American citizens who voted to Make America Great Again! Too many on the Left push a message of anger, resistance, and violent rhetoric. Our movement is about prosperity, security, and love …

Sen. Marco Rubio this morning took to Twitter to lament the F-word’s appearance in news reports, likely spurred by last night’s unbleeped F-bomb on CNN, which was delivered by a Maryland shooting survivor in response the the usual “thoughts and prayers” that spill out after every mass shooting. Rubio apparently sees no link between coarsened language in the media and …

The New York Times reports that Trump greased the wheels of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement by stocking the lower courts with judges that had once clerked for him. Even the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court may have been part of that plan as Gorsuch himself is a former clerk for Kennedy. And then there’s this: One person …

Axios reports: President Trump has repeatedly told top White House officials he wants to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization, a move that would throw global trade into wild disarray, people involved in the talks tell Axios. What we’re hearing: “He’s [threatened to withdraw] 100 times. It would totally [screw] us as a country,” said a source …

Politico reports: Barack Obama’s message to Democrats: Stop dreaming of him. Speaking at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Thursday in the lush backyard of two Beverly Hills megadonors, Obama warned of a country and world on the brink — “you are right to be concerned,” he told the crowd — but said they’d flub their chance to change that if …

Mediaite reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was awful giddy Thursday night while discussion the future confirmation of President Donald Trump‘s next Supreme Court nominee. Appearing on Fox News, McConnell was asked to react to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) accused the Senate Majority Leader of “setting the rules” by not allowing “a Supreme Court justice during an election year.” …

The Daily Beast reports: When Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) leaves his current job at the beginning of 2019, he could already have a new one lined up: cable-news pundit. On Monday, he met with MSNBC president Phil Griffin; and on Tuesday, he met with rival network CNN’s chief Jeff Zucker. Flake was absent Monday for a series of Senate votes …

The Charlotte Observer reports: A website tied to a candidate for the North Carolina General Assembly says God is a racist white supremacist and that Jews are descended from Satan. Russell Walker is a Republican candidate running for state House District 48 which includes Scotland and Hoke counties. On Tuesday, the North Carolina Republican Party withdrew its support for Walker. …

Haaretz reports: A Knesset committee on Wednesday approved a draft law sponsored by the government itself, allowing single women who cannot conceive to obtain surrogacy services in order to build a family. With the approval of the Knesset’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee, The bill can now proceed to its second and third readings into law. The committee rejected propositions …