Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the target of public attacks from the president. | John Locher/AP Photo null Trump continues to berate his own attorney general

THE PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO PUBLICLY BERATE HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL -- at 6:03 a.m.: "Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - 'quietly working to boost Clinton.' So where is the investigation A.G. @seanhannity" ... at 6:12 a.m.: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!" ... at 6:21 a.m.: "Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife!"

JONATHAN LEMIRE and JILL COLVIN: “AP sources: Trump speaks to advisers about firing Sessions”: “President Donald Trump has spoken with advisers about firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as he continues to rage against Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from all matters related to the Russia investigation. … Privately, Trump has speculated aloud to allies in recent days about the potential consequences of firing Sessions, according to three people who have recently spoken to the president. They demanded anonymity to discuss private conversations.” http://bit.ly/2vEHmTu


-- WHY AND HOW HE’D DO IT: “Trump leaves Sessions twisting in the wind while berating him publicly,” by WaPo’s Sari Horwitz, Matt Zapotosky and Bob Costa: “Replacing Sessions is seen by some Trump associates as potentially being part of a strategy to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and end his investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election ... Trump could order Rosenstein -- and then Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand -- to fire Mueller. If they quit instead of doing so, he could appoint an acting attorney general who would. Trump could also appoint an acting attorney general with them in place — effectively passing over Rosenstein and Brand — and order that person to remove the special counsel. ... Another scenario is that Trump could make a recess appointment, said University of Texas School of Law professor Steve Vladeck.

“Under that plan, Trump could choose an attorney general during the August recess who would serve until the end of the next Senate session, which could be early January. That person would have the same authority as someone who is confirmed by the Senate ... Among the names being floated as possible Sessions replacements are Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and former New York City mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to people familiar with the conversations. ... Trump, though, continues to let Sessions twist in the wind. One person close to Trump said the president asked him about how firing Sessions ‘would play in the conservative media.’ Trump also asked him whether it would help to replace Sessions ‘with a major conservative,’ the person said.” http://wapo.st/2tVibKk

-- TED CRUZ has signaled he is not interested, and RUDY GIULIANI defended Sessions, and "swatted away a report" that he is in the running to replace him, according to CNN.