Politics

The Associated Press reports: The Michigan Court of Appeals ordered Thursday that an anti-political gerrymandering measure be placed on the November ballot, rejecting opponents’ contention that the proposed constitutional amendment is too expansive and does not list all sections that would be abrogated. The conservative group that sued vowed to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court, which will have the …

The New York Times reports: President Trump called on the world’s leading economies on Friday to reinstate Russia to the Group of 7 nations four years after it was cast out for annexing Crimea, once again putting him at odds with America’s leading allies in Europe and Asia. The president made the suggestion to reporters as he headed to Canada …

The Associated Press reports: He once called Donald Trump “a con man,” but Mitt Romney now predicts that Trump would “easily” win his party’s presidential nomination in 2020 and “solidly” win a second term. Romney, the GOP’s failed 2012 presidential nominee from Massachusetts, now a Republican Senate candidate in Utah, made the prediction Thursday as he welcomed dozens of high-profile …

The Hill reports: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat is asking the State Department’s inspector general to investigate President Trump’s envoy to Germany amid accusations he is inappropriately wading into European politics. In a letter, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) raised questions about Ambassador Richard Grenell’s comments to the right-leaning Bretibart News, in which Grenell said that he hoped to …

First, a sweet dig from CNN: When Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that Stormy Daniels has no credibility because she is is a porn star, he neglected to mention that his client, President Donald Trump, has appeared in three Playboy videos that feature nudity and softcore pornographic content. “So yes, I respect all human beings,” Giuliani said at a conference in …

Elle Magazine reports: It’s not very often that a participant in a major law suit against the President of America decides to expand their merchandise offering (and strengthen their case?) with a perfume launch. But then again, in times where Donald Trump is president and the person pressing charges is award-winning porn actress Stormy Daniels, anything can happen. Yup, she’s …

CBS News reports: President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are meeting at the White House and holding a joint press conference Thursday, as the date of the U.S.-North Korea summit fast approaches. Speaking to reporters alongside Abe on Thursday, Trump said that the Tuesday summit is still subject to change. “I think I’m very well prepared,” Trump said …

CBS News reports: Outspoken Trump critic Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, is lashing out against the administration’s latest tariff policy leveled against U.S. allies, calling the move “not grown-up leadership” in excerpts of remarks he delivered on the Senate floor on Thursday. The administration announced the move to impose tariffs last week after President Trump initially proposed them back in March, …

Via Mediaite: MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski said a source told her that President Donald Trump is “upset” because he can’t wait porn while in the White House. The Morning Joe co-host made the comments while discussing Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s attack against Stormy Daniels with Stephanie Ruhle this morning. “I know someone who spoke to Donald Trump recently about life in …

The Associated Press reports: Before President Donald Trump sits down with a third-generation North Korean autocrat, he will face what may well turn out to be a tougher crowd — some of America’s oldest allies. With his new tariffs increasing U.S. isolation, Trump heads to Canada on Friday for a meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations. The White …

NBC News reports: By a whopping 25-point margin, voters say they’re more likely to back a congressional candidate who promises to serve as a check on President Donald Trump, according to a new national poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal. At the same time, six-in-10 are satisfied with the U.S. economy, and a plurality of voters give …

Politico reports: Rep. Tom Rooney, a top Republican lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee, is ripping President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that the FBI inserted a spy inside his campaign. “What is the point of saying that there was a spy in the campaign when there was none?” Rooney said in an interview on Wednesday. “You know what I’m saying? …

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would give Congress new authority to check the president’s trade moves, going forward with the legislation after rebuffing a personal appeal from President Trump to back off. Corker’s bill would require congressional approval when the president enacts tariffs under the auspices of national security, as Trump …

Via Mediaite: On MSNBC Wednesday, host Katy Tur had her hands full when guests Democratic Strategist Bob Shrum and RNC Committeeman Shawn Steel [JMG: in the beret]  jumped right into a fight just after being introduced on the segment. The conversation went off the rails just after the first question, when Republican Steele began answering Tur’s question about ‘the Trump …

The New York Daily News reports: A Brooklyn city lawmaker is sponsoring sex-segregated beach days to give his Jewish and Muslim constituents an opportunity to enjoy the seaside. City Councilman Chaim Deutsch announced the first ever “Southern Brooklyn Beach Day,” with separate dates for men and women by the sandy spot behind Kingsborough Community College. Deutsch, who is an observant …

The Huffington Post reports: As a 19-year-old University of Iowa engineering student, Zach Wahls stood before the Iowa House of Representatives and gave an impassioned speech defending his two lesbian mothers. A video of the speech went viral, amassing millions of views. Seven years later, Wahls is hoping to occupy a seat in the very chamber where he made his …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a testy phone call on May 25 over new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration targeting steel and aluminum imports coming from Canada, including one moment during the conversation in which Trump made an erroneous historical reference, sources familiar with the discussion told CNN. According to the sources, …

Axios reports: President Trump has signed a commutation for Alice Johnson, currently serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, according to a source with direct knowledge. The Washington Post first reported last night that he had been considering pardoning Johnson. Johnson’s cause was championed last week at the White House by Kim Kardashian West. White House senior adviser …

CNN reports: The White House has assembled the paperwork to pardon dozens of people, two sources with knowledge of the developments tell CNN, signaling that President Donald Trump is poised to exert his constitutional power and intervene, in some instances, where he believes the Justice Department has overstepped. The administration has prepared the pardoning paperwork for at least 30 people, …

Politico reports: Joe Manchin wants you to know he really likes Donald Trump. The West Virginia senator doesn’t put it quite that way. But more than any other Democrat in Congress, he’s positioned himself as a vocal Trump ally. In fact, the senator, up for reelection in a state Trump won by more than 40 points, told POLITICO he isn’t …