Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.29.18

* Trump's now claiming that Stormy Daniels is impinging on his right to free speech because weaponizing that right's worked so well so far, why not extend it to this? [NBC] * In the same breath, we're now talking about censoring Google to "own the libs." [Recorder] * And the First Amendment now protects sharing food with homeless people, because apparently we needed a rule to cover being a decent human being. * Don McGahn may be on the way out after spilling the beans to Mueller. Trump insists on Twitted that McGahn is not a "rat" like John Dean, but just as this whole administration is "Nixon, but dumber" McGahn probably didn't realize what he was doing while he did it. [Business Insider] * People are up in arms over Lanny Davis being an anonymous source for CNN, but really what was CNN supposed to do? They couldn't say, "Davis refused to comment on the record" because that would prove he was the anonymous source. It's where dumb journalism rules hang people up because the right answer would be to make no mention at all of Davis, but journos feel they have to indicate that they tried to talk to principal figures in any given story. Anyway, Glenn Greenwald has thoughts on this and he used to be a real journalist before he went batshit crazy. [GQ] * California ends money bail! California, man. They're ahead on everything. Getting rid of bail, legal weed, regretting Reagan.... [Washington Post] * One of the actions Trump is "most proud of" is one he never accomplished. Sounds about right. [Axios] * Vermont changes its laws in bid to become a blockchain hub because it's all about bad ideas. [VT Digger]

By Joe Patrice on August 29, 2018 9:05 am

Stormy Daniels (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

* Trump’s now claiming that Stormy Daniels is impinging on his right to free speech because weaponizing that right’s worked so well so far, why not extend it to this? [NBC]

* In the same breath, we’re now talking about censoring Google to “own the libs.” [Recorder]

* And the First Amendment now protects sharing food with homeless people, because apparently we needed a rule to cover being a decent human being. [Forbes]

* Don McGahn may be on the way out after spilling the beans to Mueller. Trump insists on Twitted that McGahn is not a “rat” like John Dean, but just as this whole administration is “Nixon, but dumber” McGahn probably didn’t realize what he was doing while he did it. [Business Insider]

* People are up in arms over Lanny Davis being an anonymous source for CNN, but really what was CNN supposed to do? They couldn’t say, “Davis refused to comment on the record” because that would prove he was the anonymous source. It’s where dumb journalism rules hang people up because the right answer would be to make no mention at all of Davis, but journos feel they have to indicate that they tried to talk to principal figures in any given story. Anyway, Glenn Greenwald has thoughts on this and he used to be a real journalist before he went batshit crazy. [GQ]

* California ends money bail! California, man. They’re ahead on everything. Getting rid of bail, legal weed, regretting Reagan…. [Washington Post]

* One of the actions Trump is “most proud of” is one he never accomplished. Sounds about right. [Axios]

* Vermont changes its laws in bid to become a blockchain hub because it’s all about bad ideas. [VT Digger]