Scaramucci ousting prompts pundits to ponder whether new White House Chief of Staff may be able to impose some message discipline. The tweets will tell. Chinese state media decries Trump’s “emotional venting” over North Korea via Twitter. Trump lawyer cries “fake news” over Washington Post reports that the President personally scripted his son, Donald Jr’s misleading statements about his meeting with Russian interlocutor during the campaign. Social media campaign against HBO’s Confederate escalates. -Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director

U.S.

New White House Chief of Staff Kelly flexes muscle on first day; Scaramucci fired
Trump’s willingness to dismiss Scaramucci was seen as an indication that he is eager to impose order and is giving Kelly the tools to do so. Left unclear is whether Kelly will be able to curb the president’s insistence on managing his own message through social media in ways that have often undermined his aides’ strategic planning.
WASHINGTON POST

China’s state media slams Trump’s ’emotional venting’ on Twitter
After President Trump pilloried China in 48 tweeted words, accusing it of failing to tame its neighbor and longtime ally North Korea, Beijing issued its own rebuke: “Trump is quite a personality, and he likes to tweet. But emotional venting cannot become a guiding policy for solving the nuclear issue on the peninsula.”
NEW YORK TIMES

Trump dictated son’s misleading statement on meeting with Russian lawyer
Trump personally dictated a statement in which Trump Jr. said that he and the Russian lawyer had “primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children” when they met in June 2016. The claims were later shown to be misleading.
WASHINGTON POST

#NoConfederate campaign prompts response from HBO
HBO says it has “respect” for the “dialogue and concern” being voiced following the announcement of their upcoming drama “Confederate,” but stands by the vision of the show’s creators. The network’s statement came after a campaign from the creator of #OscarsSoWhite, April Reign, gained traction on Sunday night.
CNN

Behind Fox News’ Baseless Seth Rich Story: The Untold Tale
The Fox News Channel and a wealthy supporter of President Trump worked in concert under the watchful eye of the White House to concoct a story about the murder of a young Democratic National Committee aide, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by Rod Wheeler, a longtime paid commentator for the news network.
NPR

 
Global

China to Punish Communist Party Members Who Visit ‘Illegal Websites’
The new rules come amid a surge in restrictions on free expression ahead of the 19th Party Congress, a meeting of top leaders that will mark the halfway point for President Xi Jinping’s presumed term in office.
BLOOMBERG

Another journalist has been gunned down in Mexico—the eighth killed this year
Luciano Rivera Salgado, who covered crime for a Baja California television channel and published a news website called El Dictamen, is at least the eighth journalist to be killed this year in a country that ranks among the most dangerous for members of the media.
LOS ANGELES TIMES

Bangladesh detains journalist over Facebook post on dead goat
Bangladesh police arrested a journalist for allegedly defaming a minister in a Facebook post about a dead goat. Rights groups have accused the Bangladesh government of using Section 57 of the Information and Communications Technology law to crack down on dissent and harass journalists.
HINDUSTAN TIMES

Cambodian government’s ‘chilling effect’ on free speech
Cambodian Center for Human Rights Director Chak Sopheap said that the “chilling effect” on freedom of expression from surveillance and prosecution was “unsurprising”, given a recent string of prosecutions against people for “legitimately expressing their political views online” as the July 2018 national election approaches.
PHNOM PENH POST

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