memeorandum: Babies From Skin Cells? Prospect Is Unsettling to Some Experts (Tamar Lewin/New York Times)

2:10 PM ET, May 17, 2017

Top Items:

Cristina Marcos / The Hill:

First Republican raises impeachment for Trump — (R-Mich.) on Wednesday said reports that President Trump pressed ousted FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation would merit impeachment if true, becoming the first Republican lawmaker to broach the idea.

Discussion: ABC News, Mediaite, Political Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Week and The Atlantic

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:

White House on edge: ‘We are kind of helpless’ — It was, in the words of one senior White House official, the worst day of Trump's presidency. — White House officials spent early Tuesday wondering who was leaking details of President Donald Trump's classified conversations with Russian officials …

Discussion: Axios, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation — WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump's former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February …

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Townhall.com, Business Insider, Shareblue, The Atlantic, Washington Monthly, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, HuffPost, CNN, ABC News, The Hill, CBS News, Salon, The Guardian, New York Post, Bloomberg, Media Matters for America, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, The Federalist, Mediaite, Raw Story, Refinery29, Hullabaloo, New York Magazine, Just Security, IJR, Common Dreams, Fox News Insider, TheStreet, AOL, NBC News, CNNMoney, USA Today, RT, Weekly Standard, NPR, The Daily Caller, Hit & Run, Washington Examiner, CNBC, Washington Times, TheBlaze, Axios, National Review, SiliconBeat, Fox News, Indy Week, The Week, CBS New York, No More Mister Nice Blog, The National Interest, Feeds, Politicus USA, CBS Boston, BuzzFeed, Washington Free Beacon, Take Care Blog, DCReport.org, Real Clear Politics, Right Wing Watch, Informed Comment, The Daily Beast, Snopes.com and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Beutler / New Republic:

Trump Has Really Screwed Himself This Time — He suggested he taped conversations with James Comey. Now, a memo by the former FBI director reveals damaging details about those conversations. — Last Friday, several days after firing FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump tweeted something …

Discussion: The Guardian, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, AOL, The Hill, Fox News Insider and Axios

USA Today:

Pretend Clinton did what Trump has done — Republicans in Congress and conservative media would be clamoring for investigations, if not impeachment: Our view — Imagine what would have happened had a President Hillary Clinton abruptly fired the man overseeing an investigation of her campaign's ties to a hostile foreign government.

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, The Guardian, Hullabaloo, Indy Week, CNBC, Fox News Insider and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Senate Intelligence Committee leaders demand Comey memos — The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday asked the FBI to turn over memos prepared by former Director James Comey detailing conversations he had with the White House and Justice Department about the FBI's Russia investigations.

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, Vox, ABC News, New York Times, The Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, IJR and AOL

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:

The Trump Presidency Falls Apart — After an astonishing week of revelations, Donald Trump's presidency appears to be on the verge of collapse. — Consider what has happened just in the last 10 days: a string of damaging stories about a president unprecedented since at least the Nixon administration.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

The Daily Beast:

Trump Officials on Comey Memo: 'Don't See How Trump Isn't Completely F*cked' … If you come at James Comey, you best not miss. — The former FBI director—who President Donald Trump fired and then later threatened on Twitter last week—reportedly kept notes of their conversations …

New York Times:
The Criminal President? — After the revelations of the past 24 hours …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Washington Post

Washington Examiner:
GOP fears Trump will take the Republican Party down with him

Discussion: Washington Post and Raw Story

Mike Allen / Axios:
“Comey's revenge” may be far from over

Discussion: Fox News Insider, The National Interest, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Week and Just Security

Reuters:
Embroiled in controversies, Trump seeks boost on foreign trip

Discussion: CNN, Shareblue, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, The Week and twitchy.com

Jordain Carney / The Hill: Senate Intel panel asks Comey to testify publicly

Fox News:
Gregg Jarrett: Comey's revenge is a gun without powder

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

Matthew J. Belvedere / CNBC:
Jack Welch: Impeachment of Trump would ‘blow the market away’

Discussion: Washington Post

Evan Perez / CNN: Comey and the art of the well-timed leak

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:
Republican Darrell Issa gives reporter the silent treatment — and the finger — for asking about Comey memos

Discussion: Daily Kos, ABC News, RedState, Political Wire and Politicus USA

David Remnick / New Yorker:
Is the Comey Memo the Beginning of the End for Trump?

Discussion: Politico, The Week, CNN and Political Wire

Tim Mak / The Daily Beast:
McCain: Trump Scandal Has Hit ‘Watergate Size’

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, The Hill and The Week

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Comey Memo Fallout: Senate Committee Invites Comey to Testify

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story and Gizmodo

Wall Street Journal:

Russian State-Run Bank Financed Deal Involving Trump Hotel Partner — A Russian-Canadian developer put money into a Donald Trump hotel project in Toronto after receiving hundreds of millions from a deal involving Russian state-run bank VEB.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, The Week and The Guardian

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The 25th Amendment Solution for Removing Trump — It was just three days and a lifetime ago that I wrote a column about Donald Trump's unfitness for the presidency that affected a world-weary tone. Nothing about this White House's chaos was surprising given the style of Trump's campaign, I argued.

Discussion: The Federalist, Mother Jones and THE WARREN (HENRY) REPORT

Jonathan Swan / Axios: Behind closed doors, House GOP “shellshocked” by Comey

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
On Ross Douthat and the 25th Amendment

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION

NBC News:

Trump Gave Russians Secrets News Orgs Are Being Asked To Withhold — Some of the intelligence President Trump provided to Russian officials is so secret that American news organizations are still being asked not to report it, two U.S. officials told NBC News.

Discussion: NBC News

Brian Ross / ABC News:
Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say

Discussion: Vox, Sputnik International, The Hill, The Independent, Shakesville, Just Security, Media Matters for America, Associated Press, New York Times and IJR

Andrew Roth / Washington Post:
Putin offers to provide Congress with details of Trump disclosures to Russian envoys

Discussion: Washington Times, CNN, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, The Nation, Just Security, The Root, WGN-TV and Political Wire

Dave Itzkoff / New York Times:

Jimmy Fallon Was on Top of the World. Then Came Trump. — Ambling onto the Art Deco set of “The Tonight Show” for his monologue rehearsal one Monday afternoon, Jimmy Fallon gave the crowd here at Studio 6B a warm, practiced welcome before trying out a new batch of jokes about the French election …

Discussion: IndieWire, AOL, Shakesville, Refinery29, Mashable and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:

What Does Barack Obama Really Think of Donald Trump? 'He's Nothing But a Bullsh-ter' — She packs her own lunch, and he still isn't allowed to drive. Subscribe now for all about Michelle and Barack Obama's lives after moving out of the White House - only in PEOPLE

Discussion: IJR, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, AOL, Raw Story, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Refinery29, Infowars and Washington Free Beacon

Austin American-Statesman:

‘THIS IS CRAZY’: Austin man sues date for texting during movie — A man is suing a Round Rock woman for texting during a movie date at the Barton Creek Square theater, according to a petition filed in small claims court in Travis County. — Brandon Vezmar, 37, of Austin filed the claim Thursday against his date.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, IndieWire, Refinery29 and AOL

Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:

Story on DNC staffer's murder dominated conservative media — hours later it fell apart — It took only hours for one of the biggest stories in conservative media this week, which some outlets had chosen to focus on over news that President Trump disclosed classified information to senior Russian officials, to fall apart.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, DCist, Right Wing Watch, Raw Story, Washingtonian, The Week and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, more at Mediagazer »

Stephen Ohlemacher / AP News:

NC senator collapses during race, taken away in ambulance — WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina collapsed during a Washington, D.C., race Wednesday morning and was taken away by ambulance. — Tillis, 57, was seen on the ground being administered CPR by bystanders …

Discussion: Hot Air, TheBlaze and Political Wire

Fox News:
Sen. Thom Tillis collapses during DC race

Discussion: New York Times, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, twitchy.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Indy Week, RedState, NPR and Washington Free Beacon

The Guardian:

'Erdoan's bodyguards' in violent clash with protesters in Washington DC — Nine people hurt and two arrests made during the altercation at the Turkish ambassador's residence in the US capital … Nine people were hurt and two arrests were made during an altercation at the Turkish ambassador's residence …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNN, Washington Free Beacon, BillMoyers.com, CNBC, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, The Week and Mediaite

New York Times:
Fight Outside Turkish Ambassador's Residence in Washington Injures 9

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, CNN, RT, Balloon Juice, ABC News, TheBlaze, DCist, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Caller and Facebook

CNN:

Once hoped for as a reset, Trump's foreign trip now bogged in White House crises — Washington (CNN)A White House reeling from parallel crises won't find respite anytime soon: President Donald Trump, joined by first lady Melania Trump, will embark Friday on his first foreign trip …

Discussion: Mediaite

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump to unveil plans for an ‘Arab NATO’ in Saudi Arabia

Discussion: RedState

Judah Ari Gross / The Times of Israel:

Former Israeli spymasters rip into Trump, say Israel must reassess intel sharing — Shabtai Shavit says the US president is like a ‘bull in a china shop’; notes, ‘If tomorrow I were asked to pass information to the CIA, I would do everything I could to not pass it to them’

Discussion: The Week