Top Items:
Washington Post:
How Trump's anger and impatience prompted him to fire the FBI director — Every time FBI Director James B. Comey appeared in public, an ever-watchful President Trump grew increasingly agitated that the topic was the one that he was most desperate to avoid: Russia.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, ABC News, Politico, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, CNN, CNBC, Hot Air, New York Times, Joe.My.God., New York Magazine, AOL, Public Pool, Axios, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Boing Boing, Big League Politics, Mashable, Washington Free Beacon and McClatchy Washington Bureau
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New York Times:
‘Enough Was Enough’: How Festering Anger at Comey Ended in His Firing — WASHINGTON — The countdown to President Trump's dismissal of James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, began last weekend, which the president spent stewing over Mr. Comey's testimony to Congress last week in which he provided …
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Mail, Politico, Axios, Power Line, Washington Free Beacon, Business Insider, Gizmodo, Mediaite, Boing Boing, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine and Vox
Wall Street Journal:
As the FBI Reels, Candidates Emerge to Run Agency — The Justice Department moved on Wednesday to find a temporary successor for fired FBI Director James Comey, as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his top deputy interviewed five candidates amid continuing fallout over the controversial dismissal.
New York Times:
An Open Letter to the Deputy Attorney General — Dear Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein: — It's rare that any single person has to bear as much responsibility for safeguarding American democracy as you find yourself carrying now. Even before President Trump's shocking decision …
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, Media Matters for America, AOL, Washington Times, National Review, IJR and Politicaldog101.Com
Jake Tapper / CNN:
Source close to Comey says there were 2 reasons the FBI director was fired — Washington (CNN)There are two reasons why President Donald Trump fired James Comey, according to a source close to the now-former FBI director: — Comey never provided the President with any assurance of personal loyalty.
David Choi / Business Insider:
Trump's deputy attorney general reportedly threatened to resign after being painted as the mastermind behind Comey's firing — While President Donald Trump's decision to fire FBI director James Comey came as a shock for many, one of the alleged architects of the dismissal was also reported …
Discussion:
New York Times, Just Security and The Week
Mike Allen / Axios:
Trump puts agenda, presidency at risk — The answers to why Trump canned Comey are becoming clear: The president was filled with grievance about the FBI probe and acted on impulse without clearly thinking through the fallout, numerous sources tell me. — The consequences are also becoming clear …
Discussion:
Politico, CNN and Politicus USA
The Daily Beast:
White House Lawyers Warned Trump: Stay Away From Michael Flynn … White House lawyers have had to warn President Donald Trump repeatedly against reaching out to his fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, two people familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast.
Discussion:
portal.liberalamerica.org, New York Times, Raw Story, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Politico, New York Magazine, Gizmodo, ABC News, IJR and Common Dreams
National Review:
The Comey Ouster — A combination photo of James Comey and Donald Trump (Reuters:Jonathan Ernst/Kevin Lamarque) — President Trump has fired FBI director James Comey, who had made himself eminently fireable. — Last July, Comey took it upon himself to become not only the nation's top policeman …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Fox News, Mediaite, Business Insider and Washington Post
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Associated Press Goes Around the Bend on Comey — Associated Press news stories on controversial topics are generally adapted from Democratic National Committee press releases, but when the AP really wants to cut loose it labels its stories “AP Analysis.”
Discussion:
LifeZette and The Daily Caller
Wall Street Journal:
Rod Rosenstein's Justice — The Deputy AG had good reasons for Trump to fire James Comey.
Bret Stephens / New York Times:
The Easy Tells of Comey's Canning
The Easy Tells of Comey's Canning
Discussion:
USA Today, The Atlantic, Vox and Mother Jones
The Daily Beast:
New FBI Boss Could Be More Controversial Than Comey
New FBI Boss Could Be More Controversial Than Comey
Discussion:
Washington Post and Breitbart
United States House Committee on Oversight …:
Chaffetz Statement on Comey Firing
Chaffetz Statement on Comey Firing
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze and Washington Post
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
The White House Story On Comey Just Gets Worse and Worse
The White House Story On Comey Just Gets Worse and Worse
Discussion:
USA Today, Discourse.net and New York Times
Marc Fisher / Washington Post:
Why Trump expected only applause when he told Comey, 'You're fired.'
Why Trump expected only applause when he told Comey, 'You're fired.'
Discussion:
Raw Story
Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
DOJ official who recommended Comey's firing threatened to resign: report
DOJ official who recommended Comey's firing threatened to resign: report
Bbauer / Lawfare:
How It Was Done: The Problem is Not Only That Trump Fired Comey, but How He Did It
How It Was Done: The Problem is Not Only That Trump Fired Comey, but How He Did It
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
For Trump Supporters, the Real Outrage Is the Left's Uproar Over Comey
Reuters:
Comey infuriated Trump with refusal to preview Senate testimony: aides
Comey infuriated Trump with refusal to preview Senate testimony: aides
Discussion:
Political Wire, Mediaite and Axios
Wall Street Journal:
Comey's Firing Came As Investigators Stepped Up Russia Probe
Comey's Firing Came As Investigators Stepped Up Russia Probe
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, NPR, Daily Kos, Boing Boing, Hot Air, Business Insider, Political Wire, Politico and FOX6Now.com
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Sessions emerges as Trump's most valuable ally
Lucian K. Truscott IV / Salon:
Americans are witnessing a slow-motion coup
Joshua Keating / Slate:
If It Happened There: Political Chaos as Regime Purges Powerful Security Chief
Josh Dawsey / Politico:
‘He got tired of him’ — Telling Congress that he was …
‘He got tired of him’ — Telling Congress that he was …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, ABC News, Mediaite and Just Security
Brett T. / twitchy.com:
WaPo story on Trump and Comey cites more than 30 officials but can't beat this one editor's note
WaPo story on Trump and Comey cites more than 30 officials but can't beat this one editor's note
Discussion:
Hot Air and McClatchy Washington Bureau
Shimon Prokupecz / CNN:
First on CNN: Comey sends farewell letter to friends and agents
First on CNN: Comey sends farewell letter to friends and agents
Discussion:
The Guardian, AOL, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, The Week, Washington Times and Washington Free Beacon
New York Times:
How Every Lawmaker Has Reacted to Comey's Firing So Far
How Every Lawmaker Has Reacted to Comey's Firing So Far
Discussion:
Politicaldog101.Com, Take Care Blog, ThinkProgress, Washington Free Beacon, The Gateway Pundit, Vox, Politico, The Daily Caller, The Week and Refinery29
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
More very bad news for Trump: His poll numbers just hit a bunch of new lows
More very bad news for Trump: His poll numbers just hit a bunch of new lows
Rosie Gray / The Atlantic:
‘There Is a Real Risk Here Things Will Spin Out of Control’
‘There Is a Real Risk Here Things Will Spin Out of Control’
Discussion:
Mediaite and Media Matters for America
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.
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, Political Wire, CNBC, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Week
Carol Morello / Washington Post:
Presence of Russian photographer in Oval Office raises alarms — A photographer for a Russian state-owned news agency was allowed into the Oval Office on Wednesday during President Trump's meeting with Russian diplomats, a level of access that was criticized by former U.S. intelligence officials as a potential security breach.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, New York Times, New York Magazine and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
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Susan B. Glasser / Politico:
Russia's Oval Office Victory Dance
Russia's Oval Office Victory Dance
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Raw Story and Mother Jones
Clive Irving / The Daily Beast:
U.S. to Ban Laptops in All Cabins of Flights From Europe … The Department of Homeland Security will ban laptops in the cabins of all flights from Europe to the United States, European security officials told The Daily Beast. The announcement is expected Thursday.
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight, Mediaite, Lawfare, View from the Wing, New York Magazine, TheBlaze, CBS San Francisco, Engadget, Mashable, Daily Mail and Axios
StarTribune.com:
St. Olaf: Report of racist note on black student's windshield was ‘fabricated’ — NORTHFIELD, MINN. - A racist threat against a St. Olaf student that touched off campuswide protests and forced the college to cancel classes earlier this month was a hoax, the school revealed Wednesday.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Shot in the Dark
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Nathan Rubbelke / The College Fix:
CONFIRMED: Racist note that prompted St. Olaf College shut down is hate-crime hoax
CONFIRMED: Racist note that prompted St. Olaf College shut down is hate-crime hoax
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Star Tribune, Power Line, The Daily Caller and twitchy.com
Hadas Gold / Politico:
Trump holds auditions while Spicer's away — Press secretary Sean Spicer's absence from the briefing room on Wednesday comes at a tenuous time, as President Donald Trump has asked senior advisers for weeks if he needs to change the face of his administration, several White House officials and outside advisers to the president said.
Discussion:
Political Wire, Axios, Raw Story, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
President Trump expected to launch commission on ‘election integrity’ — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today establishing a commission to review alleged voter fraud and voter suppression in the American election system, multiple senior administration officials tell ABC News.
Discussion:
Political Wire and electionlawblog.org
Dustin Volz / Reuters:
Commentator who amplified Macron hacks given White House press access — A U.S. far-right online activist credited with initially sharing on Twitter hacked emails from the French presidential campaign of centrist Emmanuel Macron is the latest conservative media figure to receive White House access from the Trump administration.
Michael Brendan Dougherty / National Review:
Experts Now Agree: The Deplorables Really Are Deplorable — New social-science surveys help Democrats explain away Trump's win: Yes, his voters are racist. — Scene: The lab-coated man comes in from the room. “It was a troubling case,” he admits. “This question of why you voted for Trump.”
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight and TheBlaze