memeorandum: Suspect in cockpit threat on Honolulu flight had been detained at LAX (Hawaii News Now)

9:40 AM ET, May 20, 2017

Top Items:

Trump Told Russians That Firing ‘Nut Job’ Comey Eased Pressure From Investigation — WASHINGTON — President Trump told Russian officials in the Oval Office this month that firing the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, had relieved “great pressure” on him, according to a document summarizing the meeting.

Julia Edwards Ainsley / Reuters:

White House looking at ethics rule to weaken special investigation: sources — The Trump administration is exploring whether it can use an obscure ethics rule to undermine the special counsel investigation into ties between President Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia, two people familiar with White House thinking said on Friday.

Discussion: Politicus USA, Vox, Mother Jones, Balloon Juice and New York Times

CNN:

First on CNN: Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump, sources say — Washington (CNN)Russian officials bragged in conversations during the presidential campaign that they had cultivated a strong relationship with former Trump adviser retired Gen. Michael Flynn …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Mediaite, Mother Jones, Balloon Juice, twitchy.com and Glenn Beck

Washington Post:

Russia probe reaches current White House official, people familiar with the case say — The law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest, showing that the probe …

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Comey agrees to testify in public as Trump-Russia probe heats up — WASHINGTON — Investigators into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential elections are now authorized to probe whether White House officials have engaged in a cover-up, according to members of Congress who were briefed Friday …

Discussion: New York Times, Shareblue, The Guardian, Hot Air, CNBC, AOL, Mediaite, Mashable, The Daily Caller, The Atlantic, Fox News Insider, Political Wire, Washington Post, twitchy.com, The Week, Politico, IJR, Talking Points Memo and TheBlaze

The Daily Beast:

Trump Officials: ‘He Looks More and More Like a Complete Moron’ … Donald Trump and his senior staffers were headed across the Atlantic when news broke that the president had trash-talked former FBI director James Comey in a meeting with Russian government officials—a meeting …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Times, Balloon Juice, Fox News Insider, The Atlantic and Washington Post

Evan Perez / CNN:

Sources: White House lawyers research impeachment — Washington (CNN)White House lawyers have begun researching impeachment procedures in an effort to prepare for what officials still believe is a distant possibility that President Donald Trump could have to fend off attempts to remove him from office …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Raw Story, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, The Root, Vox, twitchy.com, Mediaite and TheBlaze

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:
Trump's Berating of Comey for the Consumption of Our Enemies

Discussion: New York Times, Infowars, Mediaite, The Atlantic, twitchy.com and Raw Story

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Trump told aides firing Flynn was a mistake

Discussion: Mediaite

Andrew Buncombe / The Independent:
Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner ‘person of interest in Russia investigation’

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

Matt Egan / CNN:
Jeb Bush on Trump: I predicted a chaos president

Discussion: The Guardian, The Hill, AOL, Washington Post, Mediaite, Washington Times, Axios and Political Wire

Chris Kahn / Reuters:
Approval of President Trump drops to lowest since inauguration: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Daily Caller and The Week

Jessica Taylor / NPR:
Comey Agrees To Testify Before The Senate Intelligence Committee

Discussion: The Root

Hawaii News Now:

Suspect in cockpit threat on Honolulu flight had been detained at LAX — A Turkish man on board a Honolulu-bound flight tried to break into the cockpit Friday before being subdued by passengers and flight crew, who used duct tape, pillows and blankets to make sure he couldn't get out of his seat.

Discussion: Daily Mail, The Gateway Pundit, CBS New York, WTVR-TV and RT

Jeff Daniels / CNBC: Military jets scramble to escort Honolulu-bound American Airlines flight after cockpit incident

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Democracy Is Not Your Plaything — When the circus comes to Washington, it consumes everything, absorbs all energy.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Instapundit

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Trump gets elaborate welcome in Saudi Arabia as he embarks on first foreign trip — RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump arrived here Saturday for his debut on the world stage, hoping to turn a page on the scandal encircling his presidency back home as he embarks upon an ambitious …

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Hot Air and The Week

Daily Mail:
Donald Trump lands in Saudi Arabia for ‘big foreign trip’

Discussion: Infowars

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Opening First Foreign Trip, Donald Trump Tries to Leave Crisis Behind

Discussion: Sputnik International

Jake Tapper / CNN:

Between Trump and his national security adviser lie ‘ferocious’ internal politics — Washington (CNN)As President Donald Trump heads overseas for his first international trip as President, many in the international community will be watching his national security adviser, Gen. H.R. McMaster …

Discussion: CNNMoney, Just Security, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly and TheBlaze

Julia Marsh / New York Post:

Huma Abedin finally files for divorce from Anthony Weiner — The long suffering wife of Human Abedin has finally filed for divorce against Anthony Weiner, just as her estranged husband pleaded guilty to sexting with a minor. — She brought an anonymous versus anonymous action in Manhattan Supreme Court Friday.

Discussion: Gothamist, IJR, The Atlantic, FOX40, RT, Heat Street, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, RedState, TMZ.com, The Daily Caller, AOL, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News and New York Times

CBS New York:
Huma Abedin's Attorneys File Her Divorce Papers After Anthony Weiner Guilty Plea

Discussion: Washington Times and Associated Press

Mike Cernovich / Medium:
Trump's Media Strategy is Failing — Here's How to Fix It

Discussion: Vox Popoli

Julia Manchester / The Hill:

Israeli intel officials shouted at US counterparts after Trump disclosure: report — Israeli intelligence officials have expressed anger that President Trump revealed sensitive information during a meeting with Russian officials last week, saying it could have compromised a source, Foreign Policy reported Friday.

Discussion: RedState

Foreign Policy:
Israeli Intelligence Furious Over Trump's Loose Lips

Discussion: USA Today, American Greatness and Hot Air

Kyle Olson / The American Mirror:

GREAT AGAIN: Unlike Obama, Trump doesn't bow to Saudi king — What a difference an election can make for the respect American leaders have for our country. — There were two very different outcomes when two American presidents greeted the king of Saudi Arabia.

Discussion: RT, New York Times, ABC News and twitchy.com

James Downton / The Federalist:

We Are Watching A Slow-Motion Coup D'etat — It's nearly incontrovertible that a slow-motion coup d'etat is now taking place. Since November 9, 2016, forces within the U.S. government, media, and partisan opposition have aligned to overthrow the Electoral College winner, Donald Trump.

Mike Allen / Axios:

Exasperated Trump WH staff admit his special resilience — As the the bombshell headlines flew with Air Force One en route Saudi Arabia yesterday, a top outsider adviser to the West Wing emailed me: “The drips are filling the bucket.” — And a top official in another Republican White House told …

Paul Demko / Politico:

Trump tells advisers he wants to end key Obamacare subsidies — President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants to end payments of key Obamacare subsidies, a move that could send the health law's insurance markets into a tailspin, according to several sources familiar with the conversations.

Discussion: Slate, New York Magazine, ACASignups.net, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Washington Post, Political Wire, Balloon Juice, Axios and ABC News

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Comey agrees to testify in a public session at the Senate Intelligence Committee — Former FBI Director James Comey will get to tell his side of the story behind his abrupt firing last week, agreeing to testify in a public session at the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Discussion: Associated Press and Axios