Top Items:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
In a Private Dinner, Trump Demanded Loyalty. Comey Demurred. — WASHINGTON — Only seven days after Donald J. Trump was sworn in as president, James B. Comey has told associates, the F.B.I. director was summoned to the White House for a one-on-one dinner with the new commander in chief.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Mother Jones, Business Insider, RedState, Politico, New York Magazine, Political Insider blog, Daily Kos, Joe.My.God., The Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, NBC News, Associated Press, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, The American Conservative, Talking Points Memo, Politicaldog101.Com, Axios, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Free Beacon, Politicus USA, The Week and Liberal Values, more at Mediagazer »
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NBC News:
My Dinner With Comey: Current and Former FBI Officials Dispute Trump Account of Meeting With FBI Director — Despite what President Donald Trump said earlier in the day, James Comey did not seek a dinner with the president to retain his job, one current and one former FBI official close to Comey told NBC News Thursday evening.
Bwittes / Lawfare:
Et Tu Rod? Why The Deputy Attorney General Must Resign — President Trump speaks with Lester Holt on Comey's firing / NBC News — “He made—he made a recommendation,” Donald Trump said yesterday of his Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein in an interview with NBC News.
Discussion:
The Hill, Mediaite, The Week, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, RedState, New York Times, TVNewser, Power Line, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Media Matters for America, The Gateway Pundit, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Raw Story, Hit & Run, WJLA-TV, New York Post, Politico, Vox and Political Wire
Tara Palmeri / Politico:
Trump's attempt to fix the Comey crisis made it worse — President Donald Trump spent many of the first 48 hours after he fired his FBI director grumbling to friends and associates about his lousy media coverage — and about the shortcomings of his senior aides.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Guardian, Mediaite, The Week, Raw Story, Associated Press, ABC News, Political Wire and Bloomberg
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Warns Comey and Says He May Cancel Press Briefings — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday warned James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director he fired this week, if Mr. Comey leaks anything negative about the president and warned the news media that he may cancel all future White House briefings.
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Trump's Comey firing sets off new round of leaks — President Trump is besieged by internal leaks as he tries to weather the fallout from his firing of FBI director James Comey. — Media reports about the run-up to Trump's decision paint him as isolated and consumed by anger and paranoia …
Discussion:
RedState
Mike Allen / Axios:
Building walls — around Trump — White House officials talk freely about putting “fences” around President Trump and his decision-making to protect him from his self-indulgent instincts. — The wall strategy has worked pretty well so far on national security.
Discussion:
Politico
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Why James Comey Had to Go — The FBI head's sense of perfect virtue led him to ignore his own enormous conflicts.
Discussion:
Instapundit
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:
Vox, Washington Post, MSNBC, JONATHAN TURLEY, The Week, Axios, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze, New York Times, Hot Air and McClatchy Washington Bureau
William Yeomans / The Hill:
Is Trump guilty of obstruction of justice? That depends ...
Discussion:
Just Security
NBC News:
Trump No Longer Expecting to Visit FBI Headquarters After Comey Firing: Officials
Discussion:
CNBC, The Root, Business Insider, ThinkProgress, Joe.My.God., Balloon Juice and Politicus USA
CBS News:
Source: There is “whole lot of interfering” in Russia investigation
Discussion:
Politicus USA
Andrew Prokop / Vox:
Trump has now admitted he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation
Discussion:
Gothamist, ABC News, Newsweek, Business Insider, New York Times, Shareblue, Mashable, Lawfare, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, TheBlaze and Outside the Beltway
New York Times:
The Trump-Russia Nexus — The acting director of the F.B.I. …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Washington Free Beacon, The Federalist and The Week
HuffPost:
Donald Trump Has Compromised Every Major Investigation Into Alleged Russian Interference
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Corky Siemaszko / NBC News:
Trump Interview With Lester Holt: President Asked Comey If He Was Under Investigation
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Vox, CNN, Politico, Washington Post, New York Times, Shakesville, CNBC, Hit & Run, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News Insider, AOL, Raw Story, New York Magazine, The Week, The Guardian, NY State of Politics, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Media Matters for America, Mother Jones, The Root, Daily Mail, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Business Insider, his vorpal sword and JONATHAN TURLEY
NBC Nightly News:
Watch Lester Holt's Extended Interview With President Trump
Discussion:
Shareblue and Business Insider
Adrian Carrasquillo / BuzzFeed:
White House: “Oh My God, For The Billionth Time” Spicer Is Not Being Fired
Steven Shepard / Politico:
Poll: Voters divided on Comey firing
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Daily Caller, ABC News, Hot Air, Morning Consult, Take Care Blog, portal.liberalamerica.org, Vox, The Root, IJR, Axios, Just Security, New York Times and Shareblue
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Huckabee Sanders stands by claim FBI ‘rank and file’ lost faith in Comey
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Hot Air, Mediaite and Daily Kos
Sari Horwitz / Washington Post:
Sessions issues sweeping new criminal charging policy — Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned the sweeping criminal charging policy of former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. and directed his federal prosecutors Thursday to charge defendants with the most serious, provable crimes carrying the most severe penalties.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and The Week
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Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Sessions moves to lengthen drug sentences — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reversing one of the central elements of the Obama administration's criminal justice reform agenda: a Justice Department policy that led to prosecutors in drug cases often filing charges in a way that avoided …
Discussion:
Axios and No More Mister Nice Blog
Pete Williams / NBC News:
Attorney General Sessions Orders Tougher Drug Crime Prosecutions — Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors this week to seek the maximum punishment for drug offenses, in one of the clearest breaks yet from the policies of the Justice Department under the Obama administration.
Discussion:
National Review
Laura Jarrett / CNN:
AG Sessions paves way for stricter sentencing in criminal cases
Discussion:
Political Wire
David Weigel / Washington Post:
Republicans misstate, again and again on TV and at town halls, what's in their health-care bill — The American Health Care Act that narrowly passed out of the House earlier this month cuts $880 billion from Medicaid — but that won't affect anyone's coverage.
Discussion:
Consumerist
Brent Budowsky / The Hill:
The Feds have ‘Trump tapes’ akin to Nixon's ‘Watergate tapes’ — With President Trump acting increasingly like former President Nixon during the Watergate scandal coverup, there is one similarity between the two scandals that is not receiving the media attention it deserves.
Françoise Mouly / New Yorker:
Barry Blitt's “Ejected” — “It's probably a bit of a leap,” Barry Blitt says, about his cover of the May 22, 2017, issue. “James Comey is six feet eight—he probably would have been happy to give up his seat in a cramped cabin.” — Françoise Mouly has been the art editor at The New Yorker since 1993.
Discussion:
CNBC, Mediaite, Mashable and Business Insider
Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Trump wants ‘goddamned steam’ catapults on new aircraft carriers — President Trump said he has told the Navy to return to decades-old steam-powered catapult technology to launch aircraft from the new Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers, rather than use a new digital launch system.
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Sarah Kliff / Vox:
Aetna CEO in private meeting: “Single-payer, I think we should have that debate” — A top insurance executive signals openness to government-financed health care. — The chief executive of one of the country's largest health insurance companies says he is open to having a single-payer debate.
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:
Daily Kos, The Daily Caller and Balloon Juice
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