Top News:
Washington Post:
How National Enquirer essentially became a research arm of the Trump campaign and bought the silence of women, based on Cohen case documents — In August 2015, David Pecker and Michael Cohen hatched a plan to help a mutual friend in need. — Donald Trump had launched his improbable presidential campaign just two months earlier.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, @juddlegum, @rickhasen, electionlawblog.org, @rstockmanlaw, @rebeccaballhaus, The Week, @bethreinhard and @juddlegum
RELATED:

In a divided, disbelieving nation, Trump's years-long campaign to undermine the media and truth itself could pay off now amid the Manafort and Cohen cases — Don't believe your eyes and ears. Believe only me. — That has been President Trump's message to the public for the past two years …
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, WBUR, Slate, Media Matters for America, @kevinjtidmarsh, @kellyaucoin77, @marklittlenews, @wolfe321, @sulliview, @jbenton and Blog Network

Floyd Abrams on American Media: “If Mr. Pecker and his company acted as is alleged, there should and very likely would be no viable First Amendment defense” — WSJ: National Enquirer subpoenaed in Cohen probe — The National Enquirer's partnership with the Trump campaign was even more extensive than previously reported.
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, @tummler10, @newsweek, @rebeccaballhaus, @juddlegum, @knownforms, @maddowblog, Talking Points Memo, @allegrakirkland and The Daily Beast

Readers object after The New York Times drops bylines from stories on its homepage as part of a redesign — They're still on the stories' own URLs, but are gone from the homepage. Eric Lipton, an investigative reporter at the Times, points out: “But names of OP-ED writers still there.”
Discussion:
@ericliptonnyt, @mlcalderone, @craigmod, @indira_l, @campbellronaldw, @kairyssdal, @morningmoneyben, @jim_brunner, @pamelacolloff, @edlavacnn, @umnewsie, @jdawsey1, @exumam, @harrymccracken, @drewharwell, @jonahnro, @bethanyshondark, @michaelroston, @mhanham, @asher_elbein, @laurabrounstein, @jricole, @politico, Politico, @dangillmor, @dropoutnation, @donaldrwinslow, @tonynormanpg, @aritbenie, @joelengel, @lizarnold, @rossgarber, Dezeen, @nisalahe, @vivian, @lisawaananen, @ericliptonnyt and The Wrap

CNN suspends contributor Paris Dennard following a WaPo story that said he was fired from Arizona State University after sexual harassment allegations — “We are suspending Paris, effective immediately, while we look into the allegations," a CNN spokesperson said.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @brianstelter, TVNewser, Mediaite, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Contemptor, @byaaroncdavis, @yashar, @yamiche, @talkingnewmedia, @bluechoochoo and @jeremymbarr

Dan Rose, Facebook's VP of partnerships who led deals such as its Instagram buy, leaving in Feb.; sources: Facebook has likely identified replacement internally — It's the second big-deal Facebook departure this summer. — Dan Rose, a top Facebook executive who oversaw …
Discussion:
Dan Rose, TechCrunch, CNBC, Silicon Valley Business …, @dseetharaman, Variety and Axios

John Lithgow will play Roger Ailes in movie about the ex-Fox News chief while Russell Crowe takes on same role in Showtime's adaptation of Gabe Sherman's book — John Lithgow will play Roger Ailes, the Fox News chief who masterfully exploited the country's political divisions to rise …
Discussion:
Business Insider, The A.V. Club, The Wrap, CinemaBlend, TVNewser and Consequence of Sound

Survey: 76% in US trust local TV news, 73% trust local newspapers vs. 59% for national newspapers, 55% trust national networks, 47% trust online-only outlets — This is a summary of the study with commentary from other experts on media trust issues and background on other similar studies.
Discussion:
@brendannyhan, @kellymcb, @indira_l, University of Michigan, @indira_l, @poynter and @mike_hixenbaugh

From 2010 to 2018, The Seattle Times raised $4M+ through a mix of funding and donations from foundations, corporations, and non-profits — This piece originally appeared in Local Edition, our newsletter following the digital transformation of local news. Want to be part of the conversation?

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith tells Trump to stop playing his songs at rallies, citing the Lanham Act affecting trademarks; he first told Trump to stop in 2015 — Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler is demanding President Donald Trump stop using the band's songs at rallies, like the one held …
Discussion:
USA Today, Fox News, Fortune, Consequence of Sound, @acosta, Mediaite, Rolling Stone, San Francisco Chronicle and KTLA

Warner Bros. TV has poached Jessica Jones creator and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg from Netflix with an eight-figure deal — Melissa Rosenberg will depart the Netflix Marvel drama after season three to create and develop new projects for the indie studio. — Melissa Rosenberg is on the move.
Discussion:
/Film, CinemaBlend, ScreenRant and The Wrap

Memo: Business Insider's politics, news, and military/defense teams being moved to Insider team, as Business Insider refocuses on business beat — Business Insider has over the past three years expanded outside of its core business coverage to general interest news, and now it's reorganizing to reflect that shift.
Discussion:
@bmorrissey, @ajs and @lmoses