Trump was briefed on Russian election meddling before his inauguration

He’s spent 2 years muddying the water out of self-interest No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Thursday, July 19 TRUMP BRIEFED 2 YEARS AGO ABOUT RUSSIAN MEDDLING  President Donald Trump tried again to walk back his disastrous Helsinki performance in a CBS interview Wednesday, claiming he was “very strong” on Russian election interference in his meeting with Vladimir Putin. This follows a week of fudging from the White House in which Trump has been unable to unequivocally accept the assessment of American intelligence agencies that Russia attacked the 2016 vote, or, as FBI Director Chris Wray noted Wednesday, continues attacks to this day. Remarkably, The New York Times reports that Trump was thoroughly briefed on the Russian efforts two weeks before his inauguration — yet he has continued to muddy the water over the Kremlin’s culpability since. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] WHITE HOUSE OPEN TO LETTING RUSSIA QUESTIONS AMERICANS The White House Wednesday would not rule out accepting a Russian proposal to allow Moscow to question Americans — including the former ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul – over what Russia is calling “illegal activities.” [The Guardian] ACCUSED RUSSIAN SPY ORDERED TO REMAIN IN JAIL A judge has ordered alleged Russian agent Maria Butina to remain in jail until her trial after U.S. prosecutors argued she could flee the United States. [Reuters] NOVICHOK SUSPECTS ‘IDENTIFIED’ British police have reportedly identified the suspected perpetrators of the Novichok poison attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal. [The Guardian] DEADLY OUTBREAKS COULD TURN INTO DEVASTATING EPIDEMIC There are currently dangerous outbreaks of Ebola, MERS, Zika, Nipah virus, Lassa fever and Rift Valley fever. If just one turned into an epidemic, it could kill thousands, devastate the world’s economy and wreak untold havoc. [HuffPost] BORIS JOHNSON EYES LEADERSHIP BID Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gave his resignation speech in the Commons Wednesday, blasting the government’s Brexit plans and potentially setting up a leadership challenge to Tory Prime Minister Theresa May. [HuffPost]         TRUMP IS MAKING THE GOP’S LIFE HELL Trump keeps undercutting members of the GOP who are trying to cover for him on the Russia debacle. Here’s Anderson Cooper’s take on White House attempts to contain Trump’s latest public flub. [Huffpost] COURT BLOCKS PROPOSAL TO SPLIT CALIFORNIA The California Supreme Court has blocked a ballot initiative to split the state into three parts after the measure had gathered enough signatures to put it before voters in November. [HuffPost] REPUBLICANS PRETENDING NOT TO CARE ABOUT ROE Some Republicans are trying to sound moderate in an attempt to get Trump Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh seated, denying that they want to overturn Roe v. Wade — despite a long record of saying the opposite. [HuffPost] MARKLE’S SISTER: ROYAL FAMILY AN ‘EMBARRASSMENT’ Meghan Markle’s half-sister, Samantha Grant, posted a series of angry tweets slamming the former actress, and calling the royal family “an embarrassment for being so cold.” She added: “If our father dies I’m holding you responsible, Meg!” [HuffPost] CHINA: WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS ‘SHOCKING’ China has responded to comments made by a senior White House official blaming Chinese President Xi Jinping for blocking a deal to avert a trade war as “shocking” and “bogus.” [Reuters] ZUCKERBERG DEFENDS HOLOCAUST DENIERS Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing a backlash after saying that Holocaust deniers are not “intentionally getting it wrong.” [HuffPost]       These are the five most underrated Netflix originals of 2018 so far. The stand-alone Joker film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, will land in cinemas in October 2019, with its official title being “Joker.” These remarkable drawings by J.R.R. Tolkien reveal the author’s vision for Middle-Earth. The White House wants to kick people off food stamps because the economy is doing so well. The New York Times explains that if global greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current pace in places like India, summer heat may soon be literally unbearable. An Alabama sheriff who once endorsed Roy Moore for Senate has been accused of having sex with underage girls. Photos taken by the Kennel Club’s “Dog Photographer Of The Year” award winners are in — and they're very good. David Spade gave an emotional interview in which he talked about his late sister-in-law, Kate Spade. Here’s Barack Obama joyfully dancing some 7,000 miles away from Trump. And a British inventor has created a working Iron Man-style suit, which has now gone on sale for around $440,000. Singer Katy Perry say she is a “big fan” of Pope Francis, calling the pontiff a “rebel for Jesus.” This small group of New York moms has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help reunite separated migrant families. American-style cheese is no longer the most popular cheese in America. Colby, Monterey Jack and Cheddar have been overtaken by Italian cheeses, such as mozzarella, ricotta, provolone and parmesan. More than 100 athletes who spoke out about sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University team doctor, were awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at Wednesday’s ESPYs. And San Francisco will become the first city in California to allow noncitizens to vote for certain positions in an upcoming school board election. 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. 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