memeorandum: Trump Goes His Own Way as G-7 Cobbles Together an Awkward Truce (Bloomberg)

2:10 PM ET, May 27, 2017

Top Items:

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin — Jared Kushner and Russia's ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump's transition team and the Kremlin …

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:

Ex-CIA Director: CIA would consider Kushner actions ‘espionage’ — Former acting CIA director John McLaughlan on Friday responded to reports that President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner discussed setting up a secret communications line between Trump's transition team and the Kremlin …

Discussion: Political Wire, Washington Post, Booman Tribune, TheBlaze and RedState

Mike Allen / Axios:

Jared's Jam has White House on edge — The hottest topic among top White House officials is the FBI's interest in Jared Kushner, the closest adviser and son-in-law of the President. The Washington Post report that Kushner discussed “a secret and secure communications channel between Trump's transition team …

Discussion: Political Wire and ABC News

Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump son-in-law had undisclosed contacts with Russian envoy - sources — U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States during and after the 2016 presidential campaign …

Discussion: Business Insider, Raw Story, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Political Wire, The Guardian and Axios

NBC News:

Kushner Met With Russian Banker Who Is Putin Crony, Spy School Grad — The Russian banker Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner met with in December is viewed by U.S. intelligence as a “Putin crony” and a graduate of a “finishing school” for spies who was often tasked with sensitive financial operations by Putin …

Discussion: RedState, Politicus USA, Mediaite and Raw Story

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Trump adviser: ‘I would not be concerned’ about a Russia back channel, irrespective of Kushner — TAORMINA, Italy — President Trump's National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Saturday he “would not be concerned” about having a back-channel communications system with Russia …

Discussion: Business Insider, The Right Scoop, Hullabaloo and The Week

Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:
‘This is off the map’: Former intelligence officials say the reported Kushner-Russia plan …

Discussion: RedState

New York Times:
Russian Once Tied to Trump Aide Seeks Immunity to Testify Before Congress

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

CNN:
Two top Trump advisers dodge Kushner questions

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, emptywheel and The Guardian

New York Times:
Kushner Is Said to Have Discussed a Secret Channel to Talk to Russia

Discussion: twitchy.com and Hot Air

Bob Brigham / Raw Story: ‘Game-changer’: MSNBC panelists explain magnitude of ‘devastating’ Kushner revelations

Tara Palmeri / Politico:
McMaster ‘not concerned’ following Kushner reports

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:
How Worried Should Jared Kushner Be?

Discussion: Fusion and Washington Post

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
The dueling scoops about Jared Kushner's plan for secret communications with Russia, explained

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, CANNONFIRE, Axios, Daily Kos, Liberal Values, Politicus USA, Talking Points Memo and The Atlantic

Jim Ryan / Oregonian:

2 killed in stabbing on MAX train in Northeast Portland as man directs slurs at Muslim women, police say — Gallery: Deadly MAX stabbing, May 26, 2017 — Update, 3:30 a.m., May 27: Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on suspicion of aggravated murder …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, NPR, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Business Insider, Portland Mercury, The Right Scoop, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Mail and FOX6Now.com

Doug Brown / Portland Mercury:

Suspect in Portland Hate Crime Murders is a Known White Supremacist — Jeremy Christian, now accused of hate crime murders, at the right-wing “March for Free Speech” on April 29 — The man accused of the brutal hate crime slayings of two people at the Hollywood Transit Center on Friday afternoon is a known local white supremacist.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Guardian

Aaron Mesh / Willamette Week:

The attack occurred in the Hollywood District. “He said, 'Get off the bus, and get out of the country because you don't pay taxes here.'” — A man riding the MAX in Northeast Portland fatally stabbed two passengers who tried to stop him from hurling racial and anti-Muslim insults at women on the train …

Discussion: ABC News, The Last Tradition and Balloon Juice

Matthew Haag / New York Times:
Two Killed in Portland After Trying to Stop Anti-Muslim Rant, Police Say

Discussion: Fusion

Corey Pein / Willamette Week: I know because I interviewed him last month.

CNN:
Man shouting ‘anti-everything slurs’ kills 2 in Portland, police say

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Refinery29, CBS Pittsburgh, RT and The Week

KATU-TV: PPB: Suspect hurled insults at Muslim women, slashed throats of men who tried to stop him

Tina Nguyen / Vanity Fair:

As Trump's Problems Mount, Breitbart's Numbers Are Cratering — A media business based on attack has been much less successful when forced to defend. — With its former chairman Steve Bannon as White House chief strategist and plans for an ambitious international expansion …

Discussion: Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Tyler Durden / zerohedge.com/fullrss2.xml …:

Merkel Furious With Trump After “Unprecedented” G-7 Failure To Reach Consensus On Climate Change — In the end it was not mean to be. As discussed on Friday, during Trump's first G-7 summit, world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron …

Discussion: Hot Air, NPR, Common Dreams, Politicus USA, The Guardian, Florida Politics, New York Times and Axios

Tara Palmeri / Politico:
Leaders issue G7 declaration with U.S. a holdout on climate change

Discussion: The Week

Bloomberg: Trump Goes His Own Way as G-7 Cobbles Together an Awkward Truce

Rebecca Morin / Politico:

Trump cancels Iowa rally — President Donald Trump has canceled a rally in Iowa next week, citing “an unforeseen change” in the president's schedule. — “Due to an unforeseen change in President Trump's schedule, we will need to unfortunately postpone the previously scheduled rally …

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:

When Al Franken body-slammed a demonstrator — When I wrote about Fightin' Greg Gianforte's assault (as it seems to me) on a reporter, I believed that Al Franken had a history of physical aggression against folks who annoyed him. However, the only incident I recalled (and only vaguely) …

Discussion: CBS News and Washington Post

The Intercept:

LEAKED DOCUMENTS REVEAL COUNTERTERRORISM TACTICS USED AT STANDING ROCK TO “DEFEAT PIPELINE INSURGENCIES” — A shadowy international mercenary and security firm known as TigerSwan targeted the movement opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline with military-style counterterrorism measures …

Discussion: Common Dreams and Raw Story

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Trump aides facing perilous stage of Russia probe — Robert Mueller's special investigation may just be starting, but for President Donald Trump and his aides, it's already entered one of the most legally treacherous phases. — Now that Trump's current and former aides and allies officially …

Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Senate Intelligence Committee requests Trump campaign documents

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Reuters, The Week, Politicus USA, Axios, Political Wire and Balloon Juice

Paul Sperry / New York Post:

How Team Obama tried to hack the election — MORE FROM: … New revelations have surfaced that the Obama administration abused intelligence during the election by launching a massive domestic-spy campaign that included snooping on Trump officials. — The irony is mind-boggling …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Instapundit and Conservative News Today

Eli Rosenberg / New York Times:

A Muslim-American Activist's Speech Raises Ire Even Before It's Delivered — Linda Sarsour, one of the most prominent Muslim-American activists in New York, says the messages have been arriving by the hour recently. — “Your time is coming.” — “A good Arab is a dead Arab.”

Discussion: Geller Report and New York Daily News