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

12:20 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.

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:

Trump-Russia probe now includes possible cover-up, Congress is told — WASHINGTON — Investigators into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential elections are now also probing whether White House officials have engaged in a cover-up, according to members of Congress who were briefed Friday by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

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

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: Mother Jones, Vox, Politicus USA, Balloon Juice and CNBC

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: Mother Jones, Hot Air, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, twitchy.com and Glenn Beck

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: The Atlantic, Fox News Insider and New York Times

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

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Trump told aides firing Flynn was a mistake — Two days after firing Michael Flynn as his national security adviser in February, President Donald Trump told several aides and friends he should have kept him instead. — Trump, several people close to him say, sometimes appears to question decisions even after they've been made.

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 Hill, Mediaite, Washington Times 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

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: CNN, IJR, Gothamist, TheBlaze, Heat Street, The Atlantic, Washington Free Beacon, RedState, TMZ.com, The Daily Caller, AOL, The Gateway Pundit and ABC News

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

Discussion: Associated Press and Washington Times

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

Discussion: Vox Popoli

New York Times:
Anthony Weiner to Plead Guilty to Resolve ‘Sexting’ Inquiry

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, Washington Monthly, TheBlaze and Washington Post

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

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

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

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

Christine Wang / CNBC:
Comey agrees to testify in open hearing before Senate Intelligence Committee

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Magazine and Washington Free Beacon

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

Discussion: The Root

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Fox News Fires ‘The Five’ Co-Host Bob Beckel Over Racist Comment — Fox News Channel is parting ways - again - with Bob Beckel, the co-host of its primetime program, “The Five.” — “Bob Beckel was terminated today for making an insensitive remark to an African-American employee,” the network said in a statement.

Discussion: CNNMoney, The Wrap, AOL, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, IJR, Raw Story, Mediaite, New York Magazine, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and Washington Free Beacon, more at Mediagazer »

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: New York Magazine, CNBC, ABC News, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Talking Points Memo and Axios

Susan B. Glasser / Politico:

‘People Here Think Trump Is a Laughingstock’ — “Chaos.” — “Circus.” — “Laughingstock.” — Those were just a few of the comments I heard in Berlin this week from senior European officials trying to make sense of the meltdown in Washington at just the moment when a politically …

Discussion: Raw Story

Thomas E. Patterson / Shorenstein Center:

News Coverage of Donald Trump's First 100 Days — A new report from Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy analyzes news coverage of President Trump's first 100 days in office. — The report is based on an analysis of news reports in the print editions …

Discussion: Breitbart, Infowars, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Hot Air, Louder With Crowder, Althouse, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, TVNewser, Heat Street, Forbes, CNBC, Red Alert Politics and Scared Monkeys

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: CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, CBS New York, KTLA and KFOR-TV

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:

Will Melania Trump wear a headscarf in Saudi Arabia? Donald Trump circa 2015 seems to think she should. — In January 2015, President Barack Obama visited Saudi Arabia. It was a high-profile trip: Obama was there to attend the funeral of the late Saudi King Abdullah at a time when the …

Discussion: AOL, The Week, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and RT

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Tips for Leaders Meeting Trump: Keep It Short and Give Him a Win

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Hullabaloo, The Week, Politicus USA, Mother Jones, RedState, Shakesville, Daily Kos and Washington Monthly

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Watching the downfall of a generation of Washington Republicans — President Trump, we have noted, has not only disgraced himself but also besmirched the reputations of everyone from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to son-in-law Jared Kushner for their complicity in a dark comedy of deceit and self-created debacles.

Discussion: Grabien News RSS, No More Mister Nice Blog, Vox, Mediaite and Politico

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.

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:

Democrats are falling for fake news about Russia — Why liberal conspiracy theories are flourishing in the age of Trump. — President Donald Trump is about to resign as a result of the Russia scandal. Bernie Sanders and Sean Hannity are Russian agents.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and American Power

CNN:

US Navy moves second aircraft carrier near North Korea — North Korea claims missile can strike US — Washington (CNN)The US Navy is moving the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula where it will conduct dual-carrier training exercises with the USS Carl Vinson amid heightened tensions …

Discussion: The National Interest

Melanie Zanona / The Hill:

Court strikes down rule forcing toy drone users to register with govt — A D.C.-based appeals court struck down a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule on Friday requiring recreational drone users to register their model aircraft with the federal government, in a major win for drone hobbyists.

CNN:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defends Comey memo — Trump tells NBC he planned to fire Comey — (CNN)Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Friday defended the now-famous memo he wrote to President Donald Trump, which the President initially cited as a recommendation to fire FBI Director James Comey earlier this month.

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, AOL and The Week

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

Roger and Me — For the past six years, ever since I began researching a biography of Roger Ailes, there probably hasn't been a day when I haven't thought or talked about him. I considered Ailes to be the most consequential media and political figure of his generation — a modern-day Citizen Kane.

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