In wedding cake case from Colorado, top court rules 7-2 that baker could decline order from gay couple because God says……--SCOTUS also dismisses case of pregnant immigrant teen whose abortion request was blocked by evangelicals
--former US ambassador to Russia Jack Matlock slams Russiagate hysteria, in pointed article at The Nation
--McClatchy reporters expose new effort by Russia to influence American voters, but there’s not much behind the headline
--Trump repeats Giuliani claim that he can pardon himself, an assertion of dictatorial dimensions
--in another claim of absolute powers, Trump lawyers release opinion that he can attack Syria without notifying Congress
--Rep. Keith Ellison included language in NDAA that says “use of the Armed Forces against Iran is not authorized”
--21-year-old Palestinian paramedic Razan Najjar is second female killed in recent weeks by Israeli snipers
--US vetoes UN resolution on Gaza, going solo in defending Israel
--Trump is ready to give his bankruptcy lawyer and ambassador to Israel expanded power over Palestinians
--Trump’s ambassador to Germany violates protocol, advocates for conservatives to take out European leaders
--at The Guardian, Medea Benjamin and Col. Ann Wright offer 3 ways US can show goodwill to North Korea
--Democratic senators, led by Bob Menendez, list demands for Trump-Kim summit that are just about unachievable
--Glenn Greenwald notes that Democratic leaders in New Jersey and DC have cleared the way for corrupt Menendez to win another term
--5 years after Snowden confirmed dragnet surveillance, little has changed
--2 stories at The Intercept make a strong case for supporting Reality Winner, but don’t acknowledge how The Intercept enabled her arrest and prosecution
--Facebook forced to admit that Zuckerberg spun the truth in hearings, didn’t admit that phone manufacturers were given user data even after 2014
--Bill Clinton spins at high velocity when asked if he owes Monica an apology
--MSNBC’s Joy Reid apologizes again for old blog posts, but doesn’t blame mystery hackers
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