Trump Lashes Out at Justice Dept. Officials Over Obstruction Investigation: Here’s What We’re Reading

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Here’s what we’re reading today.

1. Trump acknowledges he’s under investigation

“President Trump acknowledged publicly for the first time on Friday that he was under investigation in the expanding inquiry into Russian influence in the election, and he appeared to attack the integrity of the Justice Department official in charge of leading it.

“In an early-morning tweet, the president declared that he was ‘being investigated’ for his decision to fire James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director. And he seemed to accuse Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, of leading a “witch hunt.””

– New York Times

2. Russia may have killed ISIS leader in Syrian airstrike

“Moscow said on Friday its forces may have killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an air strike in Syria last month, but Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials were skeptical.

“The secretive Islamic State leader has frequently been reported killed or wounded since he declared a caliphate to rule over all Muslims from a mosque in Mosul in 2014, after leading his fighters on a sweep through northern Iraq.”

The Globe and Mail

3. Amazon set to buy out Whole Foods in $13.7 billion deal

“Whole Foods has been under pressure from activist investor Jana Partners and money manager Neuberger Berman, which have called on Whole Foods to sell itself. The investors have criticized Whole Foods for its poor performance, and have suggested the chain could be merged with another grocer.”

NBC News

+1: The grocery store of the future is mobile, self-driving, and run by AI – FastCo

4. How sex is orchestrated on reality shows like ‘Bachelor in Paradise’

“In my opinion, the Bachelor in Paradise producers didn’t just screw up when they allowed the alleged nonconsensual hook up to happen, they also broke the cardinal rule of reality-TV production afterward: When disaster strikes, you shoot the disaster.”

Vulture

 

5. Being told to feel happy is making us miserable

“Social pressure to feel happy can actually have the opposite effect–and might contribute to the prevalence of depression–according to recent research.”

Quartz