memeorandum: Saudis Get $6 Billion Lockheed Deal for Littoral Ships (Bloomberg)

6:30 PM ET, May 19, 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: Washington Post, The Atlantic, Political Wire, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Week and twitchy.com

New York Times:

F.B.I. Once Warned G.O.P. Congressman That Russian Spies Were Recruiting Him — WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. warned a Republican congressman in 2012 that Russian spies were trying to recruit him, officials said, an example of how aggressively Russian agents have tried to influence Washington politics.

Discussion: The Hill, Talking Points Memo, IJR, The Resurgent, Politicus USA, Washington Post, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and ThinkProgress

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: Refinery29

Chris Kahn / Reuters:

Approval of President Trump drops to lowest since inauguration: Reuters/Ipsos poll — Public approval of President Donald Trump has dropped to its lowest level since his inauguration, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, after Trump was accused of mishandling classified information …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Week and The Daily Caller

Jim Geraghty / National Review:
When Does All That Evidence of Collusion Arrive?

Discussion: MichelleMalkin.com, Mother Jones, Washington Post, The Federalist, NPR, The Daily Caller and Instapundit

Dan Merica / CNN:
NYT: Trump brags to Russians about firing ‘nut job’ Comey

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, Mediaite, Mashable, Raw Story, The Guardian and twitchy.com

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Tips for Leaders Meeting Trump: Keep It Short and Give Him a Win — WASHINGTON — As Saudi Arabia's leaders prepared to make a pitch to the White House for a visit by President Trump, a PowerPoint presentation was put together complete with slides describing Saudi demographics …

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

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

Bloomberg:
Saudis Get $6 Billion Lockheed Deal for Littoral Ships

Discussion: Associated Press, Sputnik International, The Daily Caller and Instapundit

Annie Karni / Politico:
Ivanka and Jared get a rabbinical pass to fly Air Force One

Discussion: New York Times, Religion News Service, AOL and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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

New York Times:

Anthony Weiner to Plead Guilty to Resolve ‘Sexting’ Inquiry — Anthony D. Weiner, the former Democratic congressman whose “sexting” scandals ended his political career and embroiled him in a tumultuous F.B.I. investigation of Hillary Clinton before the election, is to appear in a federal courtroom …

Dan Merica / CNN:
Huma Abedin divorcing Anthony Weiner

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Refinery29

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, Washington Monthly, Just Security, TheBlaze, Washington Post and Salon

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 …

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

Discussion: Political Wire, Mediaite and Washington Times

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

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, The Daily Caller, TVNewser, Louder With Crowder, Althouse, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Washington Times, Washington Post, CNBC and Red Alert Politics

Heat Street:
Harvard Study Reveals Huge Extent of Anti-Trump Media Bias

Discussion: Infowars, Forbes, Washington Times and Scared Monkeys

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, The Week and AOL

Fox News:
Rosenstein on Comey memo: ‘I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it.’

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

New York Times:
Senate Inquiries Narrow as Rosenstein Suggests Plan to Fire Comey Predated Memo

Discussion: The Hill, PBS NewsHour, Lawfare and Washington Post

Paul Demko / Politico:

Trump said to favor move that could destabilize Obamacare — 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, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, CNBC, Axios, ABC News and Balloon Juice

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.

more at Mediagazer »

Isaac Chotiner / Slate:
We Live in the World Roger Ailes Broke

Discussion: Salon, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Political Insider blog

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

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Biden disses Clinton: ‘I never thought she was a great candidate. I thought I was a great candidate.’ — Former vice president Joe Biden stirred the Democratic pot a little bit on Thursday night. — Appearing at the SALT hedge fund conference in Las Vegas, the possible 2020 presidential candidate weighed …

Discussion: RT, Shakesville, Liberal Values, Hot Air and Political Wire

Matt Egan / CNN:
Biden isn't ruling out 2020 run for president

Discussion: The Hill, Refinery29, IJR, TheBlaze, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Foreign Policy:

Israeli Intelligence Furious Over Trump's Loose Lips — As the U.S. president heads to Israel for a show of unity, the country's spies are alarmed at his disclosures to the Russians. — Just days before President Donald Trump's arrival in Tel Aviv, Israeli intelligence officials were shouting …

Discussion: USA Today, American Greatness and Hot Air

Yamiche Alcindor / New York Times:

N.A.A.C.P. Votes to Dismiss Its President — WASHINGTON — The national board of the N.A.A.C.P. voted Friday to dismiss the organization's president, Cornell William Brooks, after only three years, pledging a “systemwide refresh” at the nation's largest and most storied civil rights group …

Discussion: NPR and Washington Free Beacon

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Trump Administration Talent Vacuum — After an eruption, volcanoes sometimes collapse at the center. The magma chamber empties out and the volcano falls in on itself, leaving a caldera and a fractured ring of stone around the void, covered by deadening ash.

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Outside the Beltway

Alex Pfeiffer / The Daily Caller:

EXCLUSIVE: Chuck Johnson And Mike Cernovich Prepare To Launch Sites To Go After Journalists — EXCLUSIVE: Chuck Johnson, Mike Cernovich Each Launching Sites To Go After Journalists — ‘The American press no longer behaves properly’ — Audio Analysis: Erdogan Goons Were Told To ‘Attack’ Protesters

Discussion: Media Matters for America, more at Mediagazer »

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: Vox, No More Mister Nice Blog and Politico

Ben White / Politico:

Donovan dropping out as Trump's nominee for deputy Treasury secretary — NEW YORK — Jim Donovan is dropping out as President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as deputy Treasury secretary. — The Goldman Sachs executive, nominated in March to serve as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's No. 2 …

Discussion: Mother Jones and TheStreet

Piers Morgan / Daily Mail:

Dear Donald, when did the ballsy winner who was going to Make America Great Again turn into President Paranoid Snowflake? Stop whining. Your friend, Piers — My favourite poem is only two lines long. — It's called ‘Self-pity’ and was written by my fellow Brit, DH Lawrence.

Discussion: TheBlaze and Raw Story