memeorandum: Three Times Barack Obama Attempted to Obstruct Justice (Keith Koffler/White House Dossier)

12:00 PM ET, May 18, 2017

Top Items:

Exclusive: Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians: sources — Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump's campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, MichelleMalkin.com, The Guardian, Axios, BillMoyers.com, The Times of Israel, The Atlantic, Hullabaloo, Mediaite, AOL, The Week, The Daily Caller, Gizmodo and twitchy.com

New York Times:

Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House — WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn told President Trump's transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign …

Adam Entous / Washington Post:

House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump — KIEV, Ukraine — A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation …

Vera Bergengruen / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Flynn stopped military plan Turkey opposed - after being paid as its agent — WASHINGTON — One of the Trump administration's first decisions about the fight against the Islamic State was made by Michael Flynn weeks before he was fired - and it conformed to the wishes of Turkey …

Discussion: Washington Post, RedState, Shakesville, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, Just Security, Hot Air, IJR, The Week, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Axios, Mediaite and Politico

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:

As investigators circled Flynn, he got a message from Trump: Stay strong — Late last month, fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn—under investigation by federal prosecutors, with his lawyer seeking immunity for him to testify to Congress-met with a small group of loyalists at a restaurant in the northern Virginia suburbs.

Discussion: The Week and Politicus USA

Shane Harris / Wall Street Journal:
Israeli Source Seen as Key to Countering Islamic State Threat

Discussion: The Daily Caller and ThinkProgress

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
The worst job in Washington right now: Working for Trump

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, Take Care Blog, New York Times, Politico, McClatchy Washington Bureau, The Week, BuzzFeed, Liberal Values, TheStreet, Sunlight Foundation, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo and CNBC

Rosie Gray / The Atlantic:
The Ghost of Mike Flynn

Discussion: The Week, TheBlaze, Politicus USA, Raw Story and Axios

Wall Street Journal:

The Special Counsel Mistake — Rosenstein bends to political pressure, and here we go again.

Discussion: Infowars and The Last Tradition

Glenn Thrush / New York Times:

Deputy Attorney General to Appear in Rare All-Senate Hearing — The Justice Department appointed Robert S. Mueller III, a former F.B.I. director, as a special counsel to oversee its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, announced on Wednesday.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Raw Story, Take Care Blog, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Politico and Hit & Run

Philip Shenon / Politico:

Trump's Worst Nightmare Comes True — The most daunting assignment in Robert Mueller's career in law-enforcement and public service might have arrived on Wednesday night, with his appointment as the special prosecutor in the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 president campaign …

Discussion: ABC News, New York Times, Washington Post, Scared Monkeys, The Week, Washington Free Beacon, Axios and Outside the Beltway

Jchong / Lawfare:

Initial Reactions on the Appointment of Robert Mueller As Special Counsel — FBI Director Robert Mueller leads a briefing for President Obama on the Boston Marathon bombings, April 2013 / Official White House Photo by Pete Souza — There's a lot of reason to be cheered this evening …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Daily Kos, CNN, AOL, Vox and Axios

Annie Karni / Politico:
How Trump learned about the special prosecutor

Discussion: The Atlantic, Vox, New York Magazine, ABC News, Betsy's Page and USA Today

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Kellyanne Conway cancels Fox appearance after special prosecutor announcement

Discussion: RedState, TheBlaze and The Week

CNN:
Inside an embattled Trump's most consequential evening of turmoil yet

Discussion: The Hill, The Week, Balloon Juice, Above the Law, TheBlaze and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
The Special Counsel Who Just Might Save Trump's Presidency

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, NBC News, New York Times, Mother Jones and The Week

NBC News:
Flynn, Manafort Are Key Figures In Russia Probe Mueller Will Lead

Discussion: Geller Report, New York Times, CNBC, Mediaite, ABC News, NBC News, Raw Story, Mother Jones, The Week, Shareblue, Daily Kos, Little Green Footballs, Hot Air and Althouse

Erin McClam / CNNMoney:

Roger Ailes, who built Fox News into a powerhouse, dies at 77 — Roger Ailes dead at 77 — Roger Ailes, who transformed cable news and then American politics by building Fox News into a ratings powerhouse, died Thursday. He was 77. — The death was announced by his family and reported on Fox News Channel.

Discussion: New York Times, Common Dreams, Washington Free Beacon, The Root, New York Magazine, WPRI-TV and Outside the Beltway

Katie Little / CNBC:
Fox News' ex-CEO Roger Ailes dead

Discussion: New York Times, Forbes, Mediaite, IJR, TVNewser, The Times of Israel, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, AOL, Mashable, RT, Infowars, The Week, New York's PIX11, Deadline and Washington Free Beacon

Washington Post:
Roger Ailes, Fox News founder and former chairman, dies at 77, family says

Discussion: Gothamist, more at Mediagazer »

Marc Fisher / Washington Post:
Roger Ailes, architect of conservative TV juggernaut Fox News, is dead at 77

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Althouse

myfox8.com:
Former Fox News executive Roger Ailes dead at 77

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Vox, The Atlantic, The Gateway Pundit and Scared Monkeys

Annie Karni / Politico:

Trump weighs downsizing Spicer's public role — President Donald Trump is considering scaling back White House press secretary Sean Spicer's public role, according to several officials familiar with the president's thinking, as Trump also weighs a broader shakeup of his communications shop in the wake of several scandals.

Discussion: Axios, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Raw Story, Mediaite, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, The Week and ABC News, more at Mediagazer »

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

Trump ‘furious’ at Guilfoyle's bid for Spicer's job, 'She's using us' … President Trump is “furious” at reports that Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle is gunning for White House spokesman Sean's Spicer's job, telling aides that his press secretary is a vital part of his operation, according to insiders.

Discussion: Mercury News, White House Dossier, Mediaite and Media Matters for America

Bill Allison / Bloomberg:
Pence Takes Steps to Build War Chest as White House Stumbles

Discussion: The Last Tradition

Vaughn Hillyard / NBC News:

Pence Creates PAC ahead of 2018, 2020 Elections — Vice President Mike Pence is launching his own PAC — the “Great America Committee” — to aid his own future political interests, including helping Republican candidates ahead of the 2018 midterms. — The group, which filed paperwork …

Discussion: TheStreet and Raw Story

Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:
Neil Gorsuch will be the enduring symbol of a disastrous presidency.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Salon, Infowars, The Daily Caller, CNN, Newsmax and Common Dreams, more at Mediagazer »

Theodoric Meyer / Politico:
Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence

Discussion: Infowars, Breitbart, The Resurgent, The Last Tradition, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Bloomberg and The Gateway Pundit

Rachael Bade / Politico:

Chaffetz to announce early departure from Congress — Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is expected to announce Thursday that he is resigning before the end of this congressional term, according to three sources familiar with his plans. — Chaffetz did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Week, RedState, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Post

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Trump isn't a toddler — he's a product of America's culture of impunity for the rich — “When you're a star, they let you do it.” — Ross Douthat's column arguing for the superiority of “25th Amendment remedies” to impeachment for Donald Trump's various misdeeds is impressive in its ability …

Alvin Chang / Vox:

We tracked the Trump scandals on right-wing news sites. Here's how they covered it. — We're experiencing these historical events very differently. — The past week of Trump scandals for people reading mainstream news outlets has gone something like this: President Trump fired …

Discussion: CNBC

Alex Pfeiffer / The Daily Caller:

Pat Buchanan: It Isn't Watergate Yet, But How Long Can This Sustain? — Pat Buchanan says the nonstop uproar following Trump's firing of former FBI director James Comey is not comparable to Watergate, but he does wonder if the Trump presidency can function with this level of drama.

Discussion: Vox Popoli