Today in 5 Lines
Donald Trump finally acknowledged that “President Barack Obama was born in the United States,” backing away from his long-espoused conspiracy theory that he was not a natural-born U.S. citizen. The Commission on Presidential Debates said that Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein failed to qualify for the first presidential debate. Obama met with several political leaders, including Ohio Governor John Kasich, in the Oval Office to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Michelle Obama made her first campaign appearance for Hillary Clinton at George Mason University in Virginia. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen’s lawyers told the House Judiciary Committee in a letter that they want to be able to call on witnesses and present evidence if the committee moves to impeach Koskinen.
Today on The Atlantic
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Fighting the ‘War on Truth’: Matt Lauer’s performance as moderator of NBC’s Commander in Chief forum is an example of political journalists’ failure throughout the election to call out candidates on their lies. Here is one way major television outlets broadcasting the presidential debates could turn this around. (Dan Gillmor)
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Ann Coulter Is Back in Business: As recently as last summer, media-watchers noticed that the conservative political commentator’s influence seemed to be waning, Michelle Cottle writes, as she struggled to garner her usual amount of liberal outrage. But after wholeheartedly backing Donald Trump for president, Coulter has once again found her spotlight.
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The ‘Bible’ of White Nationalism: Forty years ago, the infamous Turner Diaries, a novel that depicts a fictional white nationalist revolution, was published. The book, created by a leader of a neo-Nazi group, continues to shape racial fears in the United States decades later. (J.M. Berger)