memeorandum: White House furious after being trolled with Russia Oval Office photos (Jim Acosta/CNN)

8:30 PM ET, May 11, 2017

Top Items:

Corky Siemaszko / NBC News:

Trump Interview With Lester Holt: President Asked Comey If He Was Under Investigation — President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview Thursday with NBC News' Lester Holt, called ousted FBI chief James Comey a “showboat” and revealed he asked Comey whether he was under investigation for alleged ties to Russia.

CNN:

White House: Removing Comey will help bring Russia investigation to end — (CNN)The White House said Thursday that removing FBI Director James Comey from his post may hasten the agency's investigation into Russian meddling. — “We want this to come to its conclusion …

Discussion: TheBlaze and Washington Post

WJLA-TV:

Deputy AG Rosenstein: 'I'm not quitting,' didn't threaten to quit over Comey firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Thursday, May 11, 2017 that he's not quitting, nor did he threaten to quit over his role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey. (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — AA

Jim Acosta / CNN:

White House furious after being trolled with Russia Oval Office photos — Washington (CNN)The White House did not anticipate that the Russian government would allow its state news agency to post photographs of an Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, Mashable, The Mahablog, Mediaite, Business Insider, Hot Air, New York Times, IJR, Conservative News Today and Gizmodo

NBC News:

Trump No Longer Expecting to Visit FBI Headquarters After Comey Firing: Officials — The White House has abandoned the idea of President Trump visiting FBI headquarters after being told he would not be greeted warmly, administration officials tell NBC News.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNBC, Joe.My.God. and Politicus USA

Wall Street Journal:

Rosenstein Pressed White House to Correct the Record on Comey Firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein pressed White House counsel Don McGahn to correct what he felt was an inaccurate White House depiction of the events surrounding FBI Director James Comey's firing.

Discussion: Power Line, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Politico, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Adrian Carrasquillo / BuzzFeed:

White House: “Oh My God, For The Billionth Time” Spicer Is Not Being Fired — Sources tell BuzzFeed News that press secretary Sean Spicer has drawn Trump's ire, and is sounding out aides and friends about replacing him. The White House pushed back hard on reports that Spicer's job is in danger.

Discussion: RedState

Ali Watkins / Politico:

Rosenstein meets with Senate Intel leaders after Comey firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was seen arriving at the Senate Intelligence Committee's secure office spaces Thursday afternoon. Sources told POLITICO Rosenstein had requested to meet with the Intelligence Committee leaders …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Vox, The Nation, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Axios, The Hill, RedState, Outside the Beltway, Salon, Hullabaloo, IJR and Politicaldog101.Com

Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:

Trump Considering Ex-Congressman Mike Rogers for FBI Director, Official Says — President Donald Trump is considering Mike Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent from Michigan, to replace James Comey as FBI director, a White House official said. — Rogers, 53, a former chairman …

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, New York Magazine, Axios, ThinkProgress and Political Wire

CBS News:

Source: There is “whole lot of interfering” in Russia investigation — Although President Trump has now stated and written that fired FBI Director James Comey told him on three separate occasions that he was not the subject of an investigation, sources cast doubt on that claim.

Discussion: HuffPost and Politicus USA

New York Times:

Acting F.B.I. director contradicts White House. — The unfolding story over Mr. Trump's abrupt firing of Mr. Comey hung over the hearing, infusing political theater into annual testimony by the nation's top security officials about the biggest threats facing the United States.

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, CBS News, Mashable, Politicaldog101.Com, New York Magazine, Joe.My.God., The Week, Washington Free Beacon and Politico

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
President Trump just decimated the White House's entire Comey narrative

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, MSNBC, IJR, Mashable, Gizmodo and Raw Story

NBC Nightly News:
Watch Lester Holt's Extended Interview With President Trump

Discussion: Vox and Shareblue

Tara Palmeri / Politico:
In interview, Trump contradicts Pence on Comey

Discussion: ABC News, Shareblue, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, The Root, Mediaite, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Atlantic, Axios and Washington Free Beacon

Edward Morrissey / The Fiscal Times:
The Comey Firing Proves We Need Two Special Counsels, Not One

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air, Above the Law and Washington Post

Dara Lind / Vox:
Trump himself just confirmed his White House's story about Comey's firing was a lie

Discussion: US News, Media Matters for America, New York Post, CNBC, New York Magazine, Take Care Blog and Washington Post

Brian Beutler / New Republic: Our Rendezvous With Authoritarianism Has Arrived

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Sources: Comey sought to expand Trump-Russia probe of former campaign officials

Discussion: Washington Post and Hot Air

Shane Savitsky / Axios:
Acting FBI Director: Trump-Russia probe “highly significant”

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, Washington Post, New York Times, Just Security, Mother Jones and Vox

Wall Street Journal:
As the FBI Reels, Candidates Emerge to Run Agency

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Mediaite, CBS News and Politicaldog101.Com

TIME.com:

From where the 45th President works, eats and sleeps, everything is going just great. Now if only everyone else would see it that way. A TIME exclusive — PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN FOR TIME — In a few minutes, President Donald Trump will release a new set of tweets …

Discussion: Eater, The Hill, Mashable, The Federalist, Washington Post, Mediaite, Gizmodo, Politicus USA, RedState, No More Mister Nice Blog, theGrio, AOL, The Week, The Daily Caller and Talking Points Memo

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:

Trump Official: We ‘Let the Biggest Perpetrator of Fake News into the Oval Office’ … Senior members of the Trump administration are livid that the White House allowed the Russian government to steer the narrative of the president's Wednesday meeting with top Russian diplomats …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Economist:

What is Trumponomics and how does it differ from standard Republican economics? — Well it's an interesting question. I don't think it's ever been asked quite that way. But it really has to do with self-respect as a nation. It has to do with trade deals that have to be fair, and somewhat reciprocal, if not fully reciprocal.

Sarah Kliff / Vox:
Donald Trump has no idea what health insurance costs

Discussion: Political Wire, Business Insider, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, AOL, bradford-delong.com, Washington Post, CNBC and The Week

Martin Longman / Washington Monthly:

Trump Names Racist to Co-Chair Voter Fraud Commission — On paper, Kris Kobach is the kind of guy you'd like to marry your daughter. An Eagle Scout who graduated summa cum laude and first in his department at Harvard, went on to get M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from Oxford and a law degree from Yale …

Discussion: New York Times and Hullabaloo

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
President Trump launches commission on ‘election integrity’

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Trump creates voter-fraud panel that critics label a ‘sham’

Discussion: ABC News and Talking Points Memo

Ari Berman / The Nation:
Trump's Commission on ‘Election Integrity’ Will Lead to Massive Voter Suppression

Discussion: Kansas City Star, Media Matters for America, Shakesville and ThinkProgress

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Trump signs order launching voter fraud investigation

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and ABC News

Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:

Trump Wants ‘Goddamned Steam,’ Not Digital Catapults on Aircraft Carriers — Navy officials were “blindsided” on Thursday, a spokesman told me, by President Donald Trump's suggestion that he has convinced the Navy to abandon a long-planned digital launching system in favor of steam on its newest aircraft carrier.

Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Trump wants ‘goddamned steam’ catapults on new aircraft carriers

Discussion: Political Wire, The National Interest, Gizmodo, bradford-delong.com, Mother Jones and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
‘You have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out.’ Trump targets the Navy's new aircraft catapult

Discussion: New York Magazine

capitalgazette.com:

FBI raids office of Republican campaign consultant in Annapolis — The Baltimore Sun — The FBI raided the office of a Republican campaign consultant in Annapolis on Thursday, part of an investigation the firm's president said was tied to the 2013 Virginia governor's race.

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Magazine and IJR

Jayne Miller / WBAL:
FBI searching Annapolis GOP fundraising firm

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, Medium and twitchy.com

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Conway links Anderson Cooper's eye roll to sexism … White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Thursday appeared to accuse CNN's Anderson Cooper of sexism for rolling his eyes during an on-air interview with her. — “I face sexism a lot of times when I show up for interviews like that,” Conway said on “Fox & Friends.”

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Gateway Pundit, Conservative News Today, Mediaite, New York Magazine and TheBlaze

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Trump Jr. shares tweet linking Clinton's firing of FBI director to death of Vince Foster

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Snopes.com

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

The GOP health-care bill is a complete political dud — the likes of which we've rarely seen — Republicans failed to pass an Obamacare replacement bill in March. So they made some changes and cobbled together enough votes to squeeze it through the House. Then they celebrated.

Discussion: Politico, CNN, Vox, Hot Air, Business Insider and Outside the Beltway