memeorandum: Trump fires FBI director James Comey (CNN)

8:05 PM ET, May 9, 2017

Top Items:

F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump — WASHINGTON — President Trump has dismissed the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, said Tuesday. — “While I greatly appreciate you informing me …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, Washington Post, CANNONFIRE, Politicus USA, emptywheel, Business Insider, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Take Care Blog, Boing Boing, Mediaite, Mashable, The Last Tradition, Viking Pundit, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Patterico's Pontifications

Hunter Walker / Yahoo:

Trump team marks 6-month election anniversary by vowing to air video of Clinton campaign's concession call — WASHINGTON — President Trump's upset November victory never seems to be far from the White House's mind. — On Tuesday, Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Shakesville, Vox, Mediaite, BizPac Review, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, Political Wire and The Week

Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:

Comey misstated key Clinton email evidence at hearing, say people close to investigation — FBI Director James B. Comey overstated key findings involving the Hillary Clinton email investigation during testimony to Congress last week, according to people close to the inquiry.

New York Times:

Live Updates and Reactions to F.B.I. Director Comey's Firing — President Trump has fired James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, the White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday. — Mr. Comey was delivering a speech in Los Angeles when he learned he had been fired.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Lawfare, The National Interest, Politicus USA, The Week and Mediaite

CNN:

Trump fires FBI director James Comey — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired FBI Director James Comey after his attorney general and deputy attorney general recommended his removal. — In a signed letter, Trump informed Comey that he was “hereby terminated and removed from office …

Discussion: Business Insider and The FADER

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

The Daily Spicer: Let's not ‘smear a good man.’ Let's smear a good woman! — An interesting standard emerged Tuesday from the lectern at the White House briefing room. — White House press secretary Sean Spicer fielded a question as to why President Trump continues defending former national …

Discussion: CNN, Business Insider and The Week

ProPublica:

Comey's Testimony on Huma Abedin Forwarding Emails Was Inaccurate — FBI director James Comey generated national headlines last week with his dramatic testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, explaining his “incredibly painful” decision to go public about the Hillary Clinton emails found on Anthony Weiner's laptop.

Dave Lawler / Axios:
Trump fires Comey (live updates)

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and CNBC

Brian Beutler / New Republic:
Chris Murphy: We'll hit Republican “liars” with Medicare-for-all if Trumpcare passes.

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, Politico, Betsy's Page, NBC News, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Vox and Just Security

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:
FBI Director James Comey has been fired

Discussion: MichelleMalkin.com and Common Dreams

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Trump fires Comey

Discussion: ABC News

ABC News:
Comey overstated number of emails forwarded by Huma Abedin

Discussion: Politico

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:
Sean Spicer defends lag in Michael Flynn's dismissal, takes aim at Sally Yates

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

Esme Cribb / Talking Points Memo:
Spicer: WH Slow To Act On Yates' Warning Because She Was ‘Political Opponent’

Discussion: Salon, Hullabaloo and The Week

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Spicer questions whether Yates had partisan motives in Flynn warning

Discussion: ABC News

Ted Barrett / CNN:

Sen. Hatch: ‘The public wants every dime they can be given’ — Washington (CNN)Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch warned Tuesday that efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in the Senate might be complicated because once the public “is on the dole, they'll take every dime they can.”

Discussion: Politico, Vox, Axios, IJR, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Daily Kos, Shakesville and The Week

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Left adopts shock tactics in Obamacare repeal fight

Discussion: twitchy.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, Hit & Run, Fox News Insider, Hot Air, Need To Know Network, Snopes.com, Balloon Juice and CNN

Talking Points Memo:
GOP Senators Signal They're On Board With Big Medicaid Cuts

Discussion: CNN and Daily Kos

Dylan Scott / Vox:
The Senate really, really doesn't want to repeat the House's health care mistakes

Discussion: Politico

Burgess Everett / Politico: Senate GOP on defensive over all-male health care group

Tom LoBianco / CNN:

First on CNN: Senate Russia investigators ask Treasury for Trump team financial information — Clapper: Putin sought to advantage Trump — (CNN)Senate Russia investigators have sent a request to the Treasury Department's criminal investigation division for any information related …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Senate Intel panel asks Treasury for Trump financial info: report

Discussion: RedState

CNN:
Graham: 'I want to know more about Trump's business dealings'

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, Morning Consult, New York Magazine, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Joe.My.God.

Emma Green / The Atlantic:

It Was Cultural Anxiety That Drove White, Working-Class Voters to Trump — White Americans carried Donald Trump to the White House. He won college-educated white voters by a four-point margin over Hillary Clinton, according to exit polls. But his real victory was among members of the white working class …

Discussion: IJR, Washington Post and Axios

PRRI:
Beyond Economics: Fears of Cultural Displacement Pushed the White Working Class to Trump |

Discussion: Vox, Hit & Run and Booman Tribune

Ari Berman / The Nation:

Wisconsin's Voter-ID Law Suppressed 200,000 Votes in 2016 (Trump Won by 22,748) — A new study shows how voter-ID laws decreased turnout among African-American and Democratic voters. — Donald Trump holds a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, November 1, 2016. (Reuters / Carlo Allegri)

Discussion: electionlawblog.org, RedState and Common Dreams

WTTG-TV:

Woman seen in Trader Joe's video incident with Muslim shopper: It was taken out of context — RESTON, Va. - A video showing an unidentified white woman telling a Muslim shopper, “I wish they didn't let you in the country,” has gone viral, but the woman seen in the video tells FOX 5 there's more to the story.

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Root, Mediaite, IJR, theGrio and Boing Boing

Tegna / KING-TV:

Tunnel at plutonium finishing plant collapses in Hanford … Hundreds of workers were in “take cover” position after a tunnel in a plutonium finishing plant collapsed at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation early Tuesday morning. — The AP reports no workers were in the tunnel at the time of collapse.

Discussion: Hanford Site, NBC News, fox13now.com, Talking Points Memo and twitchy.com

Annette Cary / tri-cityherald:
Hanford tunnel breach confirmed in emergency at nuclear reservation

Discussion: KING-TV, Associated Press, LewRockwell, Daily Kos, Common Dreams and Balloon Juice

New Republic:

Sarah Jones — The New York Times allowed an anti-choice group to write a press release on the op-ed page. — Mad about Bret Stephens? The Times sees that and respects your rage, choosing to double down on its decision to publish right-wing propaganda.

Discussion: Washington Post, Eschaton and New York Times

Lori Szala / New York Times:
The Problem With Linking Abortion and Economics

Discussion: Hot Air, RedState and twitchy.com

Gizmodo:

Here's How Easy It Is to Get Trump Officials to Click on a Fake Link in Email — Even technology experts can be insecure on the internet, as last week's “Google Docs” phishing attack demonstrated. An array of Gmail users, including BuzzFeed tech reporter Joe Bernstein, readily handed over access to their email to a bogus app.

Discussion: The Week

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:

Jimmy Carter on Sanders: 'Can y'all see why I voted for him?' — Former President Jimmy Carter on Monday revealed he supported Sen. Bernie Sanders — (I-Vt.) in the Democratic presidential primaries. — During an event Monday at a Carter Center discussion about politics and human rights …

Discussion: Townhall.com and IJR

Sari Horwitz / Washington Post:

Sessions weighs return to harsher punishments for low-level drug crimes — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reviewing policy changes set in place by the Obama administration that eliminated harsh punishments for low-level drug crimes and could direct federal prosecutors to again charge drug offenders …

Discussion: Common Dreams

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:

Iowa congressman walks out of a TV interview and into an angry town hall meeting — DUBUQUE, Iowa — An Iowa congressman walked out of a television interview on Monday, declining to explain why his staff is pre-screening constituents who plan to attend his town hall meetings this week.

Discussion: Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier, Politico, AOL, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, NPR, Joe.My.God., Common Dreams, The Week, New York Magazine and KCRG-TV

Harry Walker / Daily Express:

Bit rich? Barack Obama ‘to pocket £2.5million for sold-out speech in Milan today’ — BARACK Obama will reportedly pocket a staggering £2.5million (€3million) today for delivering a speech to a sold-out audience in Milan as part of his lucrative post-presidential speaking tour.

Discussion: twitchy.com, ABC News, The Rush Limbaugh Show, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and MichelleMalkin.com

CNN:

Spirit Airlines cancels flight, passenger brawl breaks out — (CNN)Screams and commotion took over Fort Lauderdale's airport Monday as travelers clashed with Spirit Airlines employees and police. — About 300 Spirit flights have been canceled over the past seven days, leaving thousands of passengers angry.

Discussion: Daily Mail, CBS News, USA Today, WSVN-TV, Sun-Sentinel, Fox News, TMZ.com, RedState, NPR, BizPac Review, Hot Air, Consumerist, Gothamist, AOL, IJR, Mediaite, CBS Los Angeles and CBS Dallas

Reuters:

Commerce Secretary Ross says 3 percent GDP growth not achievable this year — The U.S. economy won't achieve the Trump administration's 3 percent growth goal this year and not until all of its tax, regulatory, trade and energy policies are fully in place, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Tuesday.

Discussion: TheStreet, Political Wire and Live: U.S. Politics

Sean Cockerham / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

President Kamala Harris? She's making the first moves. — LOS ANGELES — Now's the time prospective presidential candidates start taking the subtle but crucial behind-the-scenes steps that get them noticed by the political intelligentsia, and Sen. Kamala Harris is quietly following the script.

Discussion: Breitbart, Politicaldog101.Com and Washington Post

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

A French Lesson for the American Media — The hacked emails from Emmanuel Macron's French campaign appear to be spectacularly mundane, according to people who have read them. They include briefings on issues, personal exchanges and discussions of the weather.

Discussion: Hullabaloo and AOL, more at Mediagazer »