memeorandum: Opinion on Trump Stable Despite Tumult Over Comey Firing, Poll Finds (Aaron Zitner/Wall Street Journal)

8:45 PM ET, May 14, 2017

Top Items:

Mark Murray / NBC News:

NBC/WSJ Poll: Just 29 Percent Approve of Trump's Firing of James Comey — Just 29 percent of Americans say they approve of President Donald Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, while 38 percent disapprove, according to results from a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, AOL, Hullabaloo, The Guardian, CNBC, New York Magazine, Common Dreams, Shareblue, TheBlaze, The Week, RedState, Washington Free Beacon, Politico and Political Wire

Aaron Zitner / Wall Street Journal:

Opinion on Trump Stable Despite Tumult Over Comey Firing, Poll Finds — More Americans disapprove than approve of president's decision to fire FBI director, Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey shows — WASHINGTON—More Americans disapprove than approve of President Donald Trump's decision …

Discussion: New York Times

Jonah Engel Bromwich / New York Times:

U.S. Checks and Balances ‘Under Assault’ by Trump, Clapper Says — James R. Clapper Jr., a former director of national intelligence, said on Sunday that he found the firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to be “very disturbing” and that the country's systems of checks and balances was “under assault” by the White House.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, WiredPen, ThinkProgress and AOL

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:

Republicans and Democrats agree: If Trump has tapes, he'll need to turn them over to Congress — Lawmakers in both parties said Sunday that President Trump will need to hand over any recordings of conversations in the White House if such a taping system does exist.

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

Eli Watkins / CNN:
Schumer: No new FBI director without a special counsel on Russia

Discussion: ABC News, twitchy.com and IJR

Fox News:
Sens. Mark Warner and Mike Lee on replacing James Comey at the FBI

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller

Ayesha Rascoe / Reuters:
U.S. lawmakers ask Trump to turn over any Comey tapes

Discussion: The Hill and The Week

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
Warner: I will ‘absolutely’ subpoena tapes between Comey and Trump if they exist

Discussion: ABC News and Hot Air

Chris Willman / Variety:

With a New Collaborations Album, Todd Rundgren Talks About Loving Reznor, Fagen and Robyn... and Loathing Trump — Todd Rundgren's new album, “White Knight,” is a grab-bag of collaborations with fellow artists — among them, Trent Reznor, Daryl Hall, Bettye LaVette, Robyn, Donald Fagen …

Discussion: Breitbart and Raw Story

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Songwriter: 'If you're a Trump supporter, don't come to my show' — Todd Rundgren, a singer and songwriter, warned fans not to attend his concerts if they are Donald Trump — supporters, saying “buyer beware.” — “If I had the power, I'd say: If you're a Trump supporter, don't come to my show …

Discussion: RedState

Lucian K. Truscott IV / Salon:

Dead man lying — Unyielding dishonesty and belligerence have landed Trump one investigation away from impeachment — We've reached a magical time in the great story unfolding before us, the time when everybody knows that Trump is guilty, but the verdict is not yet in.

Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker: Firing Comey Was a Grave Abuse of Power

CNN:

Callista Gingrich set to be named ambassador to the Vatican — Washington (CNN)Callista Gingrich, the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, is the preferred nominee to be the next ambassador to the Vatican. — The White House hopes to announce her nomination before President Donald Trump meets …

Discussion: Political Wire, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Colin Campbell / Raleigh News & Observer:

At 3 a.m., NC Senate GOP strips education funding from Democrats' districts — N.C. Senate Republicans were visibly upset with Democrats for prolonging the budget debate with amendments during an after-midnight session Friday morning. — As the clock approached 1 a.m. …

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress and Raw Story

Daily Progress:

Torch-wielding protesters gather at Lee Park — Several dozen torch-wielding protesters gathered in Charlottesville's Lee Park just after 9 p.m. Saturday, chanting “You will not replace us,” “Russia is our friend” and “Blood and soil.” — After about 10 minutes, Charlottesville police arrived …

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian, Washington Post, AOL, ABC News, Mediaite, NPR, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, The Root, Canada - The Huffington Post and The Week

Valerie Strauss / Washington Post:

Trump thinks that exercising too much uses up the body's ‘finite’ energy — President Trump reportedly eschews exercise because he believes it drains the body's “finite” energy resources, but experts say this argument is flawed because the human body actually becomes stronger with exercise.

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Political Wire

Mike Allen / Axios:

Scoop: Trump, irked at cabinet and staff, mulls sweeping shake-up — At the urging of longtime friends and outside advisers, most of whom he consults after dark, President Trump is considering a “huge reboot” that could take out everyone from Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon …

Discussion: The Hill, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, AOL, The Daily Caller, RedState, Vox Popoli, Booman Tribune, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Last Tradition, TheBlaze, Political Wire and Talking Points Memo

Preet Bharara / Washington Post:

Are there still public servants who will say no to the president? — Preet Bharara, a scholar in residence at New York University Law School, was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 until this March. — The most dramatic hearing I helped to arrange as chief counsel …

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Comey firing shows White House problems go far beyond communications strategy

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Politico and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

Senate Conservatives Look to Cut Medicaid — Conservative Senate Republicans are weighing faster and steeper cuts to Medicaid that could drop millions of people from coverage and mark the biggest changes to the program in its 52-year history.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Mother Jones

Sarah Ferris / Politico:
Republicans plan massive cuts to programs for the poor

Discussion: Political Wire

Michael Edison Hayden / ABC News:

Nikki Haley: Trump is ‘CEO of the country,’ can ‘fire anyone he wants’ — U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley defended President Trump's firing of former FBI director James Comey, saying that he can “fire anyone he wants.” — “The president is the CEO of the country,” …

Discussion: Politico