Politics

Russian Trolls Plead Not Guilty Of Pro-Trump Trolling

Politico reports: A Russian company tied to a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin entered a not-guilty plea Wednesday in a U.S. criminal case charging that it funded internet trolls and polarizing social media advertisements in a bid to boost Donald Trump’s chances of winning the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors from special counsel Robert Mueller’s office allege that the …

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Joe Manchin Becomes First Dem To Back Gina Haspel

Axios reports: Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Wednesday that he will vote to confirm President Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel. Why it matters: Several Republicans and outside groups were hoping they could get Manchin, a red-state Democrat, to fold on Haspel because, with his support, Haspel will go to the floor as a bipartisan nominee. They also hope …

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Saudi Arabia: If Iran Builds A Nuclear Bomb, So Will We

Agence France-Presse reports: Saudi Arabia will seek to develop its own nuclear weapons if Iran does, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told CNN on Wednesday, amid spiraling tension between the regional rivals. Asked whether Riyadh would “build a bomb itself” if Tehran seizes on Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 Iran deal to resume a nuclear weapons program, Jubeir said: “If Iran …

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MSNBC And Washington Post Reprimand Hugh Hewitt For Brokering Meeting With EPA Chief Scott Pruitt

From the Hollywood Reporter: MSNBC said on Wednesday that it gave Saturday morning show host Hugh Hewitt a “verbal warning” after learning a day earlier that he helped broker a meeting between EPA administrator Scott Pruitt and lawyers representing a California water district, which the network said is a “violation” of the company’s standards. The revelation came from a batch …

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Trump: Everybody Thinks I Deserve The Nobel [VIDEO]

The Hill reports: President Trump said Thursday that “everyone thinks” he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, after weeks of suggestions from some that he should be honored for his diplomatic efforts on the Korean Peninsula. “Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it,” Trump said when asked by a reporter in the White House if he thinks he should …

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Cynthia Nixon Goes After Cuomo With Reversal Of 1977 Anti-Gay Slogan: “Vote For The Homo, Not For Cuomo”

The New York Daily News reports: “Vote for the homo, not for the Cuomo.” Democratic gubernatorial challenger Cynthia Nixon, a self-proclaimed lesbian, turned the tables on the governor at the 118th annual Legislative Correspondents Association show Tuesday. She switched up a campaign slogan he’s rumored to have coined during his father’s failed run against Mayor Ed Koch in 1977. “Andrew …

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First Mueller Convict Reports To Federal Prison

Politico reports: A Dutch attorney now has the dubious distinction of being the first person imprisoned in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Alex van der Zwaan, 33, reported to a low-security Federal Bureau of Prisons facility near Allenwood, Pennsylvania, on Monday to serve the 30-day sentence he received for …

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LIVE VIDEO: Confirmation Hearing For Trump’s CIA Pick

The Hill reports: President Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA Gina Haspel will be grilled by senators Wednesday at a hearing expected to center on her role in the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation techniques during the George W. Bush administration. Haspel, a 33-year career veteran of the agency, faces a difficult confirmation battle given the GOP’s narrow 51-49 majority. …

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Trump: North Korea Has Released Three US Prisoners

The New York Times reports: President Trump declared a diplomatic victory on Wednesday by announcing that North Korea had freed three American prisoners, removing a bitter and emotional obstacle ahead of a planned meeting between him and the young leader of the nuclear-armed nation. The release of the three prisoners, all American citizens of Korean descent, was in some ways …

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Iranian Supreme Leader: Donald Trump’s Corpse Will Be Worm Food While Our Country Still Stands Strong

The Associated Press reports: Iran’s supreme leader denounced President Donald Trump on Wednesday over his decision to pull America out of the 2015 nuclear deal, while lawmakers lit a paper U.S. flag on fire inside parliament, shouting, “Death to America!” In comments before school teachers, Khamenei told Trump: “You cannot do a damn thing!” The exhortation from Khamenei, who has …

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Kink Community Denounces Eric Schneiderman

The New York Post reports: Many members of what’s widely known as the kink community are outraged that Eric Schneiderman, in resigning as New York’s attorney general, depicted his alleged violence toward several women as “role-playing and other consensual sexual activity.” Aficionados of kinky sex noted that Schneiderman’s accusers insisted they had given no consent — which is considered obligatory …

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Cuomo Orders Special Prosecutor For Schneiderman

The New York Daily News reports: The public dismantling of ex-state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman took less than 24 hours, a fast and freaky plunge from powerful prosecutor to potential perp walk. Schneiderman’s dramatic fall from grace was capped off by Gov. Cuomo’s appointment late Tuesday of a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that the state’s former top lawman physically …

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“Cocaine Mitch” McConnell Trolls Don Blankenship

Slate reports: It’s been pretty hard to predict which way the Republican Party would go of late, what with the whole Donald Trump situation, but anyone who bet big on “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrates a political enemy’s defeat by gleefully comparing himself to Pablo Escobar” is cleaning up in the office pool tonight. After Don Blankenship lost the …

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Gina Haspel: I Won’t Restart CIA’s Torture Program

The Washington Post reports: Gina Haspel is expected to tell the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that she “will not restart” the CIA’s brutal interrogation program if confirmed to lead the agency, according to excerpts of her remarks released by the agency in advance of what is expected to be a contentious confirmation hearing. Haspel’s hearing comes just days after …

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WEST VIRGINIA: Blankenship Finishes In Last Place

CNN reports: Ex-convict and coal baron Don Blankenship has lost his bid for the Republican Senate nomination in West Virginia, CNN projects. CNN projects he will place third, behind Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Rep. Evan Jenkins, in the race to take on Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the fall. The political world was watching to see how Blankenship would …

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INDIANA: Mike Pence’s Brother Wins House Primary

The Associated Press reports: Greg Pence has won the Republican primary for an Indiana congressional seat his younger brother, Vice President Mike Pence, once held for a dozen years. He defeated four others Tuesday in the 6th District race, including Muncie businessman Jonathan Lamb. He’d argued that Greg Pence merely relied on his prominent name and dodged debates. Pence raised …

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Stormy Daniels Describes Trump’s Junk For Penthouse

Penthouse Magazine today published an extensive interview with Stormy Daniels, much of which is as amusing we’ve come to expect. But let’s just jump to the part that is getting all the attention, shall we? “What was your impression of Trump before you met him?” I ask. “Before I met him, I thought that he was on TV and had …

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Obama On Iran Deal Withdrawal: It’s A Serious Mistake

Just in from the office of former President Obama: There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons, or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. That’s why the United States negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the first place. The reality …

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Iranian President Vows To Enrich Uranium “More Than Before” If Other Nations Follow Trump’s Lead [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: Despite lobbying from European allies, President Trump moved forward Tuesday with his campaign promise to pull out of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. He made the announcement from the White House, where he denounced the deal as “defective at its core.” Mr. Trump said the 2015 agreement that included Germany, France and Britain was a “horrible …

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Hatch Apologizes To McCain For Funeral Comments

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has apologized to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for saying it was “ridiculous” for McCain to request that President Trump not attend his funeral, a remark that drew a swift rebuke from McCain’s daughter Meghan McCain. “I agree with the daughter,” a remorseful Hatch told The Washington Post on Tuesday. “I shouldn’t have …

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