Today in 5 Lines
The New York Times reports that President Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey “to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn,” according to a memo written by Comey. The Times also reports that Israel is the source of the classified information Trump reportedly shared with Russian officials. Trump took to Twitter to defend his decision to disclose information, calling it his “absolute right” to share “facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety.” During a press briefing, National-Security Adviser H.R. McMaster called Trump’s actions “wholly appropriate.” During a joint news conference with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the White House, Trump touted the “great relationship” between the U.S. and Turkey.
Today on The Atlantic
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A Terrible Cost: The Washington Post reported Monday that President Trump divulged highly classified material to Russian officials. Eliot A. Cohen lays out the consequences of the president's decision.
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‘My Family’s Slave’: In our June cover story, the late Alex Tizon tells the story of Lola, “the woman who had spent 56 years as a slave in [his] family’s household.”
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Trump Got Duped: Russian President Vladimir Putin often uses the “pretext of counterterrorism cooperation” to form bonds and gain acceptance from Western countries. And Trump has fallen for it. (Julia Ioffe)