VLADIMIR PUTIN: North Korea crisis could be ‘impossible’ to solve.

Putin made the comments after meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia.

Putin repeated his assertion that sanctions won’t be enough to rein in North Korea, and cautioned against getting “emotional” over the issue and pushing the regime “into a corner.”

“We should be cold-blooded and we should avoid steps to escalate tension,” Putin said. “Without political and diplomatic levels, this situation will be very difficult to resolve and I think even impossible to do.”

The real problem is that China continues to spoil and overprotect its rotten child.

ROLL CALL: Democratic Soul-Searching in One Pennsylvania House Race.

Democrats across the country are doing some soul-searching as Congress returns to the nation’s capital. The crowded Democratic primaries taking shape raise questions about whether more liberal candidates can win in Republican districts.

For a sense of how that battle for the party is playing out on the ground, look no further than Pennsylvania’s 7th District.

Democrats are targeting the bizarrely shaped district that includes suburbs and rural areas outside Philadelphia. Hillary Clinton carried the district by 2 points last fall, while GOP Rep. Patrick Meehan was winning re-election by 19 points.

Democrats see an opening here, especially with voters who are unhappy with President Donald Trump. But they’re battling over which candidate can best speak to those voters.

The Democratic primary field includes a liberal state senator, a former Capitol Hill staffer and community leader, a biomedical engineer, a real estate agent, an IT consultant, and a political outsider who has worked in education.

The important question is, do they support sanctuary cities, a $15 minimum wage, trans rights and reparations?

LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: Hurricane DACA, the Iran Deal and Much, Much More.

MARC THIESSEN: Antifa are domestic terrorists. Meet their academic apologist.

There is no better example of an opponent of open-minded inquiry and robust debate than Mark Bray, a Dartmouth lecturer who has become the country’s leading academic apologist for antifa — a neo-Marxist movement that attacks peaceful protesters and uses violence to shut down free speech. Bray recently published a pro-antifa book, “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook” (and to make his allegiance clear, he’s donating part of the proceeds to antifa groups). He openly defends antifa’s violent tactics, which he calls “both ethically justifiable and strategically effective.”

When Bray recently appeared on Meet the Press, moderator Chuck Todd told him “You seem to be a very small minority here who is defending the idea of violence,” Bray did not deny it.

Read the whole thing.

19TH CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Yes, in North Carolina you can sue someone for having sex with your spouse.

OUCH: Utah Will Fork Over $10 Million to Cover Obamacare Insurer’s Debt.

THE TECH INDUSTRY’S CULTURE OF FEAR: Some Silicon Valley conservatives report being too afraid to use the industry’s products for political expression.

BRENDAN O’NEILL: This Isn’t Anti-Racism, It’s Middle-Class Misanthropy: “When is it okay for someone from a ‘solidly middle-class’ background, who was brought up by a mother who was ‘super successful’ at a ‘financial company’, to scoff at the homeless? To imply that it is they who are privileged? To remove the silver spoon from her mouth for five seconds and in her cut-glass tones declare: ‘You can be homeless and still have white privilege’? When that person is Munroe Bergdorf, the queer, trans model who was given the heave-ho by L’Oréal last week for saying all white people are racist.”

Plus: “And, more importantly, the worldview of so many who describe themselves as ‘progressive’ and ‘anti-racist’ these days. Something has gone horribly wrong with the once noble, optimistic, humanist goal of anti-racism. When I got involved in anti-racist activism in the early 1990s, it was about defending the ideals of universalism against the divisive logic of the state and establishment; against those who would have us believe that blacks and whites were fundamentally different and should therefore distrust each other. It was also about defending the equality of autonomy. It was an argument for the ability and right of ethnic minorities to navigate public life and work life, built on a conviction that they were as capable as any white person of doing so. Now, perversely, and depressingly, ‘anti-racism’ – those scare quotes really are necessary – means almost entirely the opposite.”

TONI AIRAKSINEN: Don’t View Obesity as a ‘Health Issue,’ Professors Say.

GOOGLE, ET AL.: Let’s Bust Some 21st Century Trusts.

HMM: Cornyn says Senate will add debt hike to Harvey aid.

DIVERSITY PROBLEM: The Lonely Lives of Silicon Valley Conservatives: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re more isolated than ever before.

“Before it was, ‘I don’t agree with you,’ but now it has evolved into this new thing that is much more aggressive, ‘don’t even say something that is counter to what I believe,’” says Aaron Ginn, co-founder of Lincoln Network, which looks to connect conservative techies with government and political work.

Some fear losing their jobs while others worry they’ll be ostracized by colleagues. (That’s in a sector where 76 percent of technical jobs are held by men, and blacks and Latinos make up only 5 percent of the workforce.) Adding to the stress is Silicon Valley’s penchant for open floor plans, which make it hard to tune out an officemate on a rant, and the way companies encourage workers to socialize and bring their whole selves to their job. Several tech workers said they don’t post about politics on Facebook, where they’re friends with many coworkers. “My wife is very paranoid about me sharing my opinion, even on private WhatsApp groups with my friends,” said a former Amazon engineer who now works at Oracle. Most employees who spoke asked not to be identified because they worried about their job security.

Not only will this hurt recruitment and creativity, it will also — more significantly — add to the growing distrust that many Americans feel toward Silicon Valley.

APPARENTLY BEING YELLED AT LEAVES MEN LESS INCLINED TO INTIMACY.  THIS IS MY SHOCKED FACE:  The less I yell, the more sex I have.

WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK IT?   Proof that investigating Trump is starting to backfire for Democrats.

IT ALWAYS WAS KABUKI THEATER.  ILLEGAL ALIENS HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, NOT OUR TAX DOLLARS:  Obama’s #DACA: Hey, remember when it was temporary? [VIDEO]

HOPEFULLY THE MEDIA DOESN’T HAVE THE POWER TO SELL THIS POISON PILL:  A New Obama? The Media Starts Selling Abdul El-Sayed.

DON’T LET WEAPONIZED COMPASSION FOOL YOU:  Trump Rescinds Obama’s #DACA: Constitutionally It is Right Thing To Do [VIDEO].

YOU KNOW, IT’S TIME AND PAST TIME WE MADE UP LOLSJW MEMES:  You know all those cute pictures of cats with “invisible cheeseburger”?  Yeah.  Well, now:  Microaggressions, Invisibility and Reality.

 

THEY LIE.  THEY DON’T EVEN DO IT WELL:  Hurricanes, Nightclubs, and Logic Traps.