The Slatest

Slatest PM: Egypt Takes One Dark Turn After Another

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An injured supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is carried into the Fateh Mosque at Ramses Square on August 16, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.

Photo by Ed Giles/Getty Images

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Bloodshed Continues: New York Times: “Dozens of people were reportedly killed in renewed clashes on Friday as thousands of followers of the embattled Muslim Brotherhood took to the streets of Cairo and other cities, facing police officers authorized to use lethal force if threatened. As the Islamist Brotherhood sought to regain momentum after a crushing crackdown by security forces on Wednesday in which almost 640 people were killed, witnesses spoke of gunfire whistling over a main overpass in Cairo and at a downtown square as clashes erupted and police officers lobbed tear gas canisters. Reports of a rising death toll continued throughout the day, with up to 50 dead…. About 30 bodies were laid out in a mosque in Ramses Square, which was being used as a makeshift field hospital as the injured were brought in from clashes that included gunfire nearby.”

A Dark Turn: Associated Press: “Unlike in past clashes between protesters and police, Friday’s clashes took an even darker turn when residents and possibly police in civilian clothing engaged in the violence. There were few police in uniform to be seen as residents fired at one another on a bridge that crosses over Cairo’s Zamalek district, an upscale island neighborhood where many foreigners and ambassadors reside. The Brotherhood-led marches in Cairo headed toward Ramses Square, near the country’s main train station. The area is also near Tahrir Square, where the army put up barbed wire and tanks as a buffer between the protesters and a small anti-Brotherhood encampment in the square.”

Darker Still: Washington Post: “Adding to growing alarm that Egypt is spiraling into chaos was the absence of any calls for restraint or calm from any of the parties to the conflict. Rather, both the Brotherhood and the military-backed interim government seemed to be digging in for a long fight, with little sign that either was willing to give way. The Muslim Brotherhood called for the protests to continue for another week, hailing what it called the ‘glorious heroic scenes’ witnessed on Friday. The government, appointed by the military in the wake of a coup last month, labeled the Muslim Brotherhood ‘terrorists’ and lauded the actions of the armed forces.”

War Stories: President Obama Must Cut Off Aid to Egypt’s Military—Now.

It’s Friday, welcome to the Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @Slatest.

Future Tense: Latest Documents From Snowden Provide Direct Proof of Unlawful Spying on Americans

The Slatest: The White House Tried to Rewrite an Entire Interview the NSA Gave to the Washington Post

“Wanton and Reckless”: Reuters: “The military judge who will determine how long U.S. soldier Bradley Manning will spend in prison for the biggest breach of classified data in the nation’s history on Friday said she found that his acts were ‘wanton and reckless.’ Judge Colonel Denise Lind last month found Manning, 25, guilty of 20 criminal counts, including espionage and theft, for handing over some 700,000 secret U.S. documents to the WikiLeaks pro-transparency website. On Monday, she will begin deliberations on Manning’s sentence. He could face up to 90 years in prison for his role in a case that catapulted WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, into the world spotlight.”

The Slatest: Did A-Rod Rat Out Ryan Braun and a Fellow Yankee to Help Himself?

Ferry Crash: CBS News: “Philippines A ferry with nearly 700 people aboard sank near the central Philippine port of Cebu on Friday night after colliding with a cargo vessel, killing at least five people. Hundreds of others were rescued. The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing and then sank after hitting the cargo vessel, coast guard officer Joy Villegas said. She said at least five people were confirmed dead, more than 250 rescued and authorities were still checking the number of others who had been taken to hospitals. Two coast guard vessels and other nearby ships were involved in the rescue operation not far from the port of Cebu, Villegas said.”

The Slatest: Republicans Just Made Their Debate-Boycott Threat Over Those Hillary Films Official

Letters From Hanna: NBC News: “Police who searched the torched home of kidnapping and murder suspect James Lee DiMaggio found firebombs, ammunition, used condoms, and ‘letters from Hanna,’ court documents show. The new details emerged as Hannah Anderson, the teenager DiMaggio took to the Idaho wilderness after killing her mother and brother, arrived at a fundraiser Thursday — her first public appearance since her abduction. Flanked by protective friends and family, the 16-year-old did not speak as she entered the Boll Weevil restaurant near San Diego. ‘Right now, she’s with her family and, of course, with some friends, and she’s just happy to be here,’ Hannah’s father, Brett, told reporters outside the restaurant. ‘Hannah sends her love. She’s doing good day by day. We’ll just keep moving forward from here.’”

The Slatest: The Romanian Princess Who Allegedly Hosted Illegal Cock Fights at Her Oregon Home

Back to School: ABC News: “Nearly three months after a massive tornado wound through Moore, Okla., destroying two elementary schools on the last day of school, parents and students headed back to class Friday for the first day of the new school year. Two elementary schools, Briarwood and Plaza Towers Elementary, were destroyed in the EF-5 tornado that hit the Oklahoma City suburb. Twenty-four people were killed in the storm, including seven students from Plaza Towers Elementary. On Friday morning, Plaza Towers Elementary students started a new school year with therapy dogs and a large banner that read ‘Plaza Towers Elementary School. Welcome.’  The approximate 300 students are using a facility formerly used by the Central Junior High School, now nicknamed ‘Plaza 800,’ a combination of the elementary school’s name and the building’s former nickname.”

A Few More Quick Hits From Slate—

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