Listened to The Daily: Why Russia Is Rooting for Both Trump and Sanders from New York Times

The Russian government is again trying to meddle in the presidential election. In doing so, they’re working to aid two very different candidates.

Watched May 29, 2019 - PBS NewsHour from PBS NewsHour
Wednesday on the NewsHour, special counsel Robert Mueller speaks publicly for the first time about the Russia investigation. Plus: Political and legal analysis of Mueller’s statement, severe storms continue to lay waste to parts of the central U.S., what political issues voters are most concerned with and the convergence of art and technology in Miami murals.

👓 Deutsche Bank Staff Saw Suspicious Activity in Trump and Kushner Accounts | New York Times

Read Deutsche Bank Staff Saw Suspicious Activity in Trump and Kushner Accounts (New York Times)
Anti-money laundering specialists proposed filing “suspicious activity reports” about transactions connected to President Trump and his son-in-law. Bank managers said no.

🎧 The Daily: The Mueller Report Is Released | New York Times

Listened to The Daily: The Mueller Report Is Released from New York Times

We dig into the highly anticipated findings of the special counsel’s two-year investigation.

🎧 Look Back in Anger | On the Media | WNYC Studios

Listened to Look Back in Anger from On the Media | WNYC Studios

The Cohen testimony, a new Breaking News Consumer's Handbook, the risks of laundering our hot takes through history, and the story of an infamous Nazi rally.

When President Trump’s former personal lawyer testified in front of Congress this week, it was both captivating and oddly familiar. This week, On the Media looks at the tropes that ran through the hearings, and offers a guide to news consumers trying to understand the tangled threads of the Mueller investigation. Plus, a sideways glance at historical hot takes and a second look at an infamous Nazi rally in the heart of New York City. 

1. Bob and Brooke on Michael Cohen's enthralling testimony this week. Listen.

2. Eric Umansky [@ericuman], co-host of Trump, Inc. from WNYC Studios and ProPublica, on how news consumers can best understand Mueller-related news. Listen.

3. Corey Robin [@CoreyRobin], political theorist, on the tendency for journalists to launder their hot takes through history. Listen.

4. Marshall Curry [@marshallcurry], documentary filmmaker, on his Oscar-nominated short, A Night At The GardenListen.

CORRECTION: In the opening segment, we describe U.S. Representative Jim Cooper, of Tennessee, as belonging to the wrong political party. Rep. Cooper is a Democrat.

📺 ‘This Week’ 4-21-19: Kellyanne Conway and Rep. Adam Schiff | ABC

Watched 'This Week' 4-21-19: Kellyanne Conway and Rep. Adam Schiff by Martha Raddatz from ABC News
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and House Intel Committee Chairman Adam Schiff are on "This Week" Sunday, April 21.
I really just can’t stand to watch Kellyanne Conway lie and mischaracterize so blatantly. How she does this with a straight face is just so beyond me.

👓 How Barr’s Excerpts Compare to the Mueller Report’s Findings | New York Times

Read How Barr’s Excerpts Compare to the Mueller Report’s Findings (New York Times)
Attorney General William P. Barr sent a letter to Congress last month citing brief fragments from the Mueller report. Now that the document is public, his selections are coming under scrutiny.

👓 See Which Witnesses the Mueller Report Relied on Most | New York Times

Read See Which Witnesses the Mueller Report Relied on Most by Larry Buchanan (New York Times)
A partially redacted report of the special counsel’s findings released on April 18 cited interviews with 43 individuals at least 10 times.

👓 A Reader’s Guide to the Journalism Behind the Mueller Report | New York Times

Read A Reader’s Guide to the Journalism Behind the Mueller Report (New York Times)
If some of the revelations in Robert S. Mueller III’s redacted report sound familiar, it’s because many of them were previously published by The New York Times and other news outlets.

👓 How Barr and Trump Use a Russian Disinformation Tactic | New York Times

Read Opinion | How Barr and Trump Use a Russian Disinformation Tactic (New York Times)
They were able to define “collusion” to benefit themselves. Don’t let them twist meanings again with their “spying” investigation.

👓 The Mueller report redactions, explained in 4 charts | Vox

Read The Mueller report redactions, explained in 4 charts by Alvin Chang (Vox)
We can’t see behind the bars. But we can see where they are — and why they’re there.

📺 The end of the special counsel’s investigation, but the start of a political war | Washington Week | PBS

Watched The end of the special counsel’s investigation, but the start of a political war from Washington Week | PBS
After the release of Mueller’s report this week, the panelists discussed what the report reveals, the questions it raises, and the impact it may have on the Trump presidency.

👓 See How Much Of The Mueller Report Is Redacted | NPR

Read See How Much Of The Mueller Report Is Redacted by Ryan Lucas, Alyson Hurt, Thomas Wilburn (NPR)
Attorney General William Barr explained before the release of the special counsel report that the law and regulations kept him from including everything that Robert Mueller uncovered, as well as how.
Replied to Hypothes.is and Remi Kalir on Twitter (Twitter)
Here’s a link to the report from CNN with searchable text, which means that you won’t get all the orphaned comments and annotations other versions of the Mueller Report will show using Hypothes.is.

https://via.hypothes.is/cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2019/images/04/18/mueller-report-searchable.pdf

Read What you need to know about the Mueller report (cnn.com)

The Department of Justice released special counsel Robert Mueller's long awaited report earlier this morning.

The report — which only included "limited" redactions, according to Attorney General William Barr — detailed his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

The bottom line: We learned a lot.

You can read the full report for yourself, or get caught up with these key takeaways:

  • Mueller was unable to conclude that “no criminal conduct occurred.” The investigation was also unable to clear President Trump on obstruction. The report states that the evidence obtained “about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred.”
  • Why obstruction by Trump failed: Efforts by Trump to obstruct justice failed because others refused to "carry out orders," the report said.
  • Trump tried to remove Mueller: Trump called former White House lawyer Don McGahn at home and directed him to call the acting attorney general and say Mueller "had conflicts of interest and must be removed." McGahn refused.
  • What the Trump campaign knew: The special counsel’s investigation into possible collusion found that members of the Trump campaign knew they would benefit from Russia’s illegal actions to influence the election, but didn’t take criminal steps to help, the report said.
  • Why Mueller didn’t subpoena Trump: The special counsel believed it had the authority to subpoena President Trump — but decided against doing so because it would delay the investigation, according to the report. Prosecutors also believed they already had a substantial amount of evidence.
  • Sarah Sanders misled the media about the firing of the FBI director: The White House press secretary conceded in an interview with Mueller she made statements to the media that were not based in fact.
  • Trump dropped F-bomb after Mueller got the job: In May 2017, shortly after Trump learned from his then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had appointed Mueller, Trump “slumped back in his chair and said, ‘Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm f***ed.’”
  • Mueller said Trump's public acts can be considered obstruction: The special counsel wrote about how the President’s public comments can be considered as obstruction efforts because of his power.
  • Congress has the right to investigate: Mueller’s report laid out the case for why Congress is able to investigate and take action against Trump on obstruction of justice.
  • Trump asked campaign aides to find Clinton’s emails: After Trump publicly asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails at a July 2016 press conference, he privately and repeatedly “asked individuals affiliated with his campaign to find the deleted Clinton emails,” the report said.
  • Mueller considered different possible collusion crimes: The special counsel looked at potential crimes outside of conspiracy as he investigated collusion —including crimes under campaign finance law and regarding individuals potentially acting as illegal foreign agents for the Russian government.
  • Mueller investigated rumored compromising tapes of Trump in Moscow: The special counsel examined whether Trump learned during the presidential campaign of the rumored existence of compromising tapes made of him years earlier when he visited Moscow.