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The Week In The News: Trump Pardons, NFL White House Visit, Anthony Bourdain Dead At 61

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President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

With Robert Siegel

Trump’s “absolute right" to self-pardon. Super Bowl champs disinvited. Former President Bill Clinton on #MeToo. Anthony Bourdain dead at 61. The weekly news roundtable dives in.

Guests:

John Harwood, editor-at-large for CNBC covering Washington. (@JohnJHarwood)

Janet Hook, national political reporter for the Wall Street Journal. (@hookjan)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

From The Reading List:

CNBC: "Trump: 'I have the absolute right to PARDON myself'" — "President Donald Trump said Monday he has 'the absolute right' to pardon himself — but added that he has 'done nothing wrong.'

The tweet followed The New York Times' publication of a confidential letter over the weekend, in which Trump's lawyers argued to special counsel Robert Mueller that the president's broad powers mean he could not have obstructed justice.

The 20-page letter also suggested that the president even wields the constitutional ability to exercise the pardon power in matters related to the special counsel's probe of the links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The assertion that a U.S. president holds an 'absolute' power to pardon himself was endorsed on Sunday by Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and a current member of Trump's legal team."

CBS News: "Trump disinvites Philadelphia Eagles from White House over anthem dispute" — "President Trump has disinvited the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles from their planned visit Tuesday to the White House. The invitation was canceled over what Trump says is a disagreement on standing during the national anthem. In response, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Mr. Trump's decision 'only proves that our president is not a true patriot, but a fragile egomaniac.'

Mr. Trump issued a statement Monday evening saying the full NFL team would not be coming after several players indicated they wouldn't participate.

'They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,' the statement said.

The Eagles posted a statement in response saying they are 'grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season.'"

The New York Times: "In Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple" — "The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who had refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. The court’s decision was narrow, and it left open the larger question of whether a business can discriminate against gay men and lesbians based on rights protected by the First Amendment.

The court passed on an opportunity to either bolster the right to same-sex marriage or explain how far the government can go in regulating businesses run on religious principles. Instead, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s majority opinion turned on the argument that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which originally ruled against the baker, had been shown to be hostile to religion because of the remarks of one of its members."

CNN: "CNN's Anthony Bourdain dead at 61" — "Bourdain was a master of his crafts — first in the kitchen and then in the media. Through his TV shows and books, he explored the human condition and helped audiences think differently about food, travel and themselves. He advocated for marginalized populations and campaigned for safer working conditions for restaurant staffs.

Along the way, he received practically every award the industry has to offer.
In 2013, Peabody Award judges honored Bourdain and 'Parts Unknown' for 'expanding our palates and horizons in equal measure.'

'He's irreverent, honest, curious, never condescending, never obsequious,' the judges said. 'People open up to him and, in doing so, often reveal more about their hometowns or homelands than a traditional reporter could hope to document.'

The Smithsonian once called him 'the original rock star' of the culinary world, 'the Elvis of bad boy chefs.'

In 1999, he wrote a New Yorker article, 'Don't Eat Before Reading This,' that became a best-selling book in 2000, 'Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.'

The book set him on a path to international stardom."

The President claimed the broadest pardon power yet, the right to pardon himself. The Group of 7 braced for a summit with the U.S. strikingly at odds with the other six. The Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles – dis-invited from the White House. Former President Bill Clinton on #MeToo. Anthony Bourdain dead at 61.

This hour, On Point: the news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

- Robert Siegel

This program aired on June 8, 2018.

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