If you’re trying to make sense of just what Vladimir Putin has on Donald Trump, do not miss this interview with retired CIA Clandestine Service Officer John Sipher.

Tonight, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp won a primary run-off to become GOP nominee to be the next Governor of Georgia. Kemp enjoyed the staunch backing of President Trump.

But there’s another part of Kemp’s story. In August 2016, as Obama administration officials were trying to enlist the support of state election officials to counter unfolding Russian election interference and efforts to hack into state election systems, Kemp was an outspoken hold out, attacking the initiative an assault on state’s rights. Read More

As the news of “the tape” was breaking last night, I tuned in to Laura Ingraham’s show on Fox (don’t mention it) to see what Alan Dershowitz and the President’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani were saying about the new information. Below is a selection of clips that show the comical mix of nonsense and special pleading from these friends of the President. Read More

Technically, Alan Dershowitz isn’t Donald Trump’s lawyer. So his arguments don’t have any legal implications. But it is striking this his argument in this video clip – bananas on several other fronts – is directly incriminating on the campaign finance front. Specifically, he is saying that payments would need to be made to effect the outcome of the election.

Dershowitz: They knew a lot of people were going to come forward at the end of the campaign demanding money. So it made sense to set up a corporation to handle all the payments. “That happens all the time.” pic.twitter.com/j9EkT8sGJ4

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 25, 2018

Freedom Caucus Founders and nine other House Republicans introduce articles of impeachment against Rod Rosenstein.

Surprised about Facebook stock falling almost 20% on disappointing earnings outlook? Investors seemed to be. But they shouldn’t. I hope I’ve been clear that I think Facebook is a bad acting company with a predatory organizational culture. Google exercises monopoly power that needs to be reined in. But it’s fundamentally different from Facebook, both in its actions, organizational culture and its effect on the larger civic and Internet ecosystems. I say all this just to put my cards on the table. But I think I’m on firm ground and cognizant of my biases when I say that Facebook’s business troubles are just beginning.

Here’s why. Read More

I hope I don’t abuse the privilege of telling you when something is a must read. But this article is an absolute must-read. Just go read it right now. Or let me share my take on it and read it afterwards. Read More

Here’s a write-up of the Facebook’s market sell-off. The value of the company dropped by roughly $120 billion today, about 20%. In the write-up, Bloomberg’s Shira Ovide asks what happened and specifically how this all caught investors and apparently Facebook itself so off-guard. Read More

According to CNN, Michael Cohen says President Trump knew in advance about the Trump Tower meeting from Don Jr., approved the meeting in advance, was looking forward to getting the dirt.

So here's the news. Cohen says Trump knew in advance about Trump Tower meeting, was informed by Don Jr., signed off and looked forward to getting the dirt. pic.twitter.com/XI6gcd02Er

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 27, 2018

Read More

Let me briefly try to place the significance of tonight’s news in a fuller context. We seem to have the first positive evidence that President Trump knew in advance about the Trump Tower meeting. That’s hardly shocking. But having some proof is quite different from making a logical inference.

Let’s remember these key points. Read More