Former special counsel Robert Mueller responded to claims from President Trump and his allies that Roger Stone was a "victim" in the Justice Department's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, writing in a Washington Post op-ed published Saturday: "He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so."
Why it matters: The rare public comments by Mueller come on the heels of President Trump's move to commute the sentence of his longtime associate, who was sentenced in February to 40 months in prison for crimes stemming from the Russia investigation. The controversial decision brought an abrupt end to the possibility of Stone spending time behind bars.
President Trump wore a face mask during his Saturday visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to AP.
Why it matters: This is the first known occasion the president has appeared publicly with a facial covering as recommended by health officials since the coronavirus pandemic began, AP writes.
The Supreme Court ended its term with a series of rulings on religion's role in schools, the workplace and access to health care.
Why it matters: The decisions elevated protections for people and employers of faith, while curtailing those of religion teachers, the nonreligious taxpayer and women who rely on their workplaces' health care plans for contraception.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced on Friday plans to expedite the release of as many as 8,000 inmates as the coronavirus pandemic rages on.
Why it matters: The state's government is facing increased pressure from lawmakers and activists to limit the spread of the virus among California's prisoners and prison staff, Politico reports.
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, posed in masks in a photo shared by the Carter Center on Saturday, pleading with Americans to "please wear a mask to save lives."
Why it matters: Face masks have morphed into a political issue, in part due to President Trump's reluctance to wear the coverings in public. Carter's announcement comes as dozens of states and municipalities are issuing face-mask mandates and rolling back their reopenings amid a spike in coronavirus cases.
Donald Trump Jr.,in quarantine since girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle tested positive for the coronavirus, says he's used the time to finish a book that he'll self-publish the week of the Republican convention, at the end of August.
What he's saying: Don Jr.,whose controversial blasts connect with President Trump's base, told me in a phone interview that "Liberal Privilege" will be his effort to paint a picture of Joe Biden and his record that the press ignores.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Financial Times on Friday that he last saw President Trump in person at the White House on June 2 — and hasn't briefed the president on the coronavirus pandemic for at least two months.
Why it matters: His comments indicate that a rift may be growing between Trump and his top infection disease expert as the worst pandemic in a century surges in multiple states around the U.S.
Public and private polling shows President Trump "not only trailing badly in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, but running closely with [Joe] Biden in traditionally conservative bastions like Kansas and Montana," the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Trump won each of those states in 2016 by 20 points. If he's in dogfights there, his map is on fire.
A collection of business executives including those of Apple, Facebook, Google and General Motors urged President Trump in a letter on Saturday to keep DACA in place following a recent Supreme Court ruling that deemed the administration's original attempt to shutter the program unconstitutional, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Approximately 800,000 young immigrants rely on DACA as their means to remain in the U.S. Business leaders argued in the letter that deporting DACA recipients would negatively impact the economy and the fight against the coronavirus.
The U.S. Trade Representative on Friday announced plans for a 25% tariff to be slapped on $1.3 billion worth of French goods, but the Trump administration intends to defer the tax collection for up to six months.
The state of play: U.S. trade officials acknowledge the move is retaliatory, serving as a response to the 3% French digital service tax that targets major U.S. internet companies, like Facebook and Amazon. The U.S. argues the French tax is an unfair way to collect revenue from companies that earn billions in foreign markets.
The duties will affect French handbags, cosmetics and soaps, per Politico.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Saturday tweeted a scathing response to President Trump's Friday night commutation of former associate Roger Stone's prison sentence, calling the move "[u]nprecedented, historic corruption."
Why it matters: Romney has emerged as the party's most prominent Trump critic. He sent shockwaves through Washington after announcing he would vote to convict Trump in the impeachment trial — becoming the only Senate Republican to break ranks and vote for the president's removal from office. Now he is the first major GOP lawmaker to condemn Trump's Friday night call regarding Stone.
The U.S. Army ordered an independent review of Fort Hood following the murder of 20-year-old Spc. Vanessa Guillen, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced Friday.
The big picture: An alleged lack of urgency from Fort Hood staff in response to Guillen's disappearance has called the command's leadership and culture into question. Guillen's family says she faced sexual harassment while on the Texas base that she did not report for fear of retaliation.
By any standard, no matter how you look at it, the U.S. is losing its war against the coronavirus.
Why it matters: The pandemic is not an abstraction, and it is not something that’s simmering in the background. It is an ongoing emergency ravaging nearly the entire country, with a loss of life equivalent to a Sept. 11 every three days — for four months and counting.
President Trump commuted the 40-month prison sentence of his longtime associate and confidante Roger Stone on Friday.
Why it matters: Stone, the seventh person to be convicted and sentenced for crimes unearthed by former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, will spend no time behind bars for obstructing justice, tampering with witnesses and making false statements to Congress.
