Trump Phone Calls Leak: “Don’t Not Worry About Canada,” He Tells Mexico: Here’s What We’re Reading
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Here’s what we’re reading today.
1. Leaked Trump phone call: ‘Don’t worry about Canada,’ says he’s happy with trade
“A leaked transcript of a Donald Trump phone call shows the president’s private comments about trade with Canada, and suggests he had an overwhelmingly positive attitude about the northern neighbour as he took office.
“The purported remarks made in a private phone call from late January are every bit as flattering as the president’s public comments just days later when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House.”
– CBC News
+1: Read the story as first reported by the Washington Post
+1: Leaked transcripts show how foreign leaders manipulate Trump – The Atlantic
2. Mueller impanels a grand jury in Russia probe
“Special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly impaneled a grand jury in Washington as part of the ongoing investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
“Such a move would signal that the investigation is growing and entering a new phase. The special counsel is looking into Russia’s efforts to influence the election and any ties between President Trump’s campaign and Moscow.”
– The Hill
+1: One year into the FBI’s Russia investigation, Mueller is on the Trump money trail – CNN
3. For the far right, YouTube has become the new talk radio
“YouTube’s political context is similar in some notable ways: the value it places on personalities; its reliance on monologue and repetition; its isolation and immunity from direct challenge; its promise to let listeners in on the real, secret story. Both are obsessed with persuasion and conversion, combined with a giddy disbelief at the sheer stupidity of liberals, who — and this is part of the fun — aren’t listening.”
+1: A controversial ex-banker is the person who really runs Twitter — and he’s gambling the company’s future on one risky bet – Business Insider
4. Ontario to start covering costs of abortion pill
“The abortion pill Mifegymiso will be dispensed for free to patients across the province starting Aug. 10, Ontario’s Minister of the Status of Women said Thursday.
“The drug, known internationally as RU-486, currently costs $300.”
5. “I’m a woman, shake my hand, damn it”
“While these moments are brief and subtle, their insidious nature is exactly what makes them worth unpacking. As our culture has become increasingly casual (both in the workplace and socially), formal greetings between men and women have found themselves in a grey area.”
– Deadspin
