Ahead of Putin meeting, Trump blames U.S. for Moscow’s election meddling

Says Russia relationship has “never been worse” due to U.S. “stupidity” and the Mueller probe No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Monday, July 16  TRUMP BLAMES U.S. FOR MOSCOW ELECTION ATTACK Ahead of the meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, President Donald Trump posted a tweet blaming the U.S. for Moscow’s attack on the 2016 presidential election. The tweet was quickly liked by the Russian foreign ministry. Awaiting both leaders in Helsinki are 300 billboards calling them out for offenses against a free press. [Reuters] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] HELSINKI MEETING A BIG WIN FOR PUTIN The first ever one-on-one between Trump and Putin presents a political minefield at home for the U.S. president, but a huge geopolitical win for his Russian counterpart. As our columnist points out, Putin wants the world’s respect. And Trump is going to give it to him. The meeting comes against the backdrop of the indictment of 12 Russia intelligence officers last week for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election — a development national security adviser John Bolton says actually strengthens Trump’s hand in Finland. [Reuters] TRUMP CALLS EU ‘FOE’ OF AMERICA After a tumultuous NATO summit last week and massive protests against him in the U.K., Trump used an interview with “Face The Nation” to declare the European Union a “foe.” Germany reacted to the claim by warning Europe it can no longer fully rely on the U.S. as an ally. [HuffPost] TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN IS FLUSH WITH $$$ Trump’s 2020 re-election bid started the day after his inauguration — and already has more than $53.5 million in the bank. [HuffPost] ALLEZ LES BLEUS France defeated Croatia 4-2 in Sunday’s final match, winning the country’s second World Cup title after a stunningly good tournament in Russia. Here’s how French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the win. [HuffPost] CHINA TAKES U.S. TARIFFS TO THE WTO Beijing has filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization over Washington’s proposed tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. [Reuters]         TRUMP THE ‘INCOMPETENT DEMAGOGUE’ Our columnist Robert Kuttner looks at Trump as “the most incompetent demagogue in history.” [HuffPost] MUSK CALLS CAVE RESCUER ‘PEDO’ Elon Musk has accused a British diver involved in last week’s Thai cave rescue of being a pedophile after the rescuer mocked the entrepreneur’s proposed plan to help with the mission as a “PR stunt.” [HuffPost] TRUMP CLAIMS U.K. PROTESTERS WERE PRO-TRUMP More than 250,000 people demonstrated across the U.K. Friday in protest of Trump and his policies. Yet the president told a baffled Piers Morgan that “many, many” of the demonstrations were actually pro-Trump. [HuffPost] FATAL BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE RELEASED Chicago police have released body camera footage showing an officer fatally shooting a man they say was armed on Saturday. [HuffPost] RAND PAUL UNSURE OF TRUMP SCOTUS PICK Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is threatening to withhold support for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, saying he’s worried about the U.S. Circuit Court judge’s views on privacy. [HuffPost] HEAT WAVE FOLLOWS FLOODING IN JAPAN Japan is suffering a heat wave that has killed at least eight people, dealing another blow to a country still recovering from the worst flooding in decades. [CNN]       Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian paid an emotional tribute to his wife after her loss in the Wimbledon final to Germany’s Angelique Kerber. The Trump Baby blimp, which hovered over protests in London during the president’s visit, is coming to America. The anti-Kremlin punk activist group Pussy Riot has claimed responsibility for several people who ran across the field during the World Cup final on Sunday. “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” topped the domestic box office charts over the weekend, taking $44 million. Here’s a first look at Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth in Season 3 of “The Crown” on Netflix. Eight critically endangered black rhinos recently died of salt poisoning after they were relocated to a new territory in Kenya, officials said. Kensington Palace has released four portraits from the christening of the British royal family’s newest prince. Kate Upton is expecting her first child with Justin Verlander. The Atlantic has a fascinating piece looking at the downsides of America’s hyper-competitive youth soccer industry, which is not geared toward kids’ well-being. The trailer for the 13th season of “Dr Who” just dropped, featuring Jodie Whittaker as the regenerated Time Lord. Here are the 10 best burns from the Bruce Willis roast — including a surprise appearance from the actor’s ex-wife, Demi Moore.   Here are 11 boatneck dresses to help you channel Meghan Markle. The reviews are in for Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America?’ — and it’s not good reading for the gun lobby. A judge has ordered the Los Angeles Times to change a story after publication. And Kathy Griffin’s tweets mourning for her dog will break your heart. And love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. 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