memeorandum: Donald Trump: The Gateway Degenerate (Charles M. Blow/New York Times)

10:40 AM ET, May 29, 2017

Top Items:

Kushner's Relationship With Trump Tested as Russia Accusations Swirl — WASHINGTON — The most successful deal of Jared Kushner's short and consequential career in real estate and politics involves one highly leveraged acquisition: a pair of adjoining offices a few penny-loafer paces from his father-in-law's desk in the White House.

Discussion: The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, War in Context, The Times of Israel, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Joe.My.God.

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

Trump's obsession over Russia probe deepens — President Donald Trump has been aggressively working the phones since returning this weekend from his foreign trip, talking to friends and outside lawyers as he obsesses over the deepening investigations into his aides and Russia.

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

NBC News:

Kushner Asked to ‘Lay Low’ After Russia-Related Reports, Source Says — WASHINGTON — Back on his home turf after an eight-day foreign trip, President Donald Trump is once again facing down controversy — and now it's hitting close to home. — Trump was greeted on U.S. soil by new reports involving …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Forbes, Raw Story, Washington Post, Business Insider, Balloon Juice, CNBC, The Times of Israel, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Media Matters for America

Stef W. Kight / Axios:

The shadow secretary of State — While Rex Tillerson fills the official duties of America's top diplomat, Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, has a parallel foreign policy role that was on full display during Trump's first foreign trip last week. — A White House official told Axios …

Discussion: Political Wire, IJR and emptywheel

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
Kushner under pressure to take hiatus from White House: report

Discussion: The Right Scoop

Molly Ball / The Atlantic:

How Trump Is Torturing Capitol Hill — The speaker of the house strode to his lectern on a recent Thursday to confront another totally normal day on Capitol Hill: health care, tax reform, a president under investigation, rumblings of impeachment. — “Morning, everybody!” Paul Ryan chirped.

Discussion: Raw Story

Peter Jamison / Washington Post:
These 8th-graders from New Jersey refused to be photographed with Paul Ryan

Discussion: RedState, Politico and IJR

Scott Bixby / The Daily Beast:

President Trump Turned International Diplomacy Into A Fistfight—And Lost … During his inaugural international trip as the leader of the free world, President Donald Trump learned the problem with first impressions—you only get to make one. — After indulging the royals of Saudi Arabia …

Discussion: Raw Story, Daily Mail, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, New York Times and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Washington Post:
Following Trump's trip, Merkel says Europe can't rely on ‘others.’ She means the U.S.

Discussion: The Atlantic, France 24 and Hot Air

Nile Gardiner / CNN:
President Trump passes his first test on the world stage

Discussion: Axios and War in Context

ABC:

Vladimir Putin a bigger threat than Islamic State, John McCain says — Russian President Vladimir Putin is a bigger threat to world security than the Islamic State group, US senator John McCain has told the ABC. — The Republican also admitted in an exclusive interview with 7.30 …

Discussion: The Guardian, Political Wire and Raw Story

Brandon Carter / The Hill:

McCain: Putin a greater threat than ISIS … (R-Ariz.) said Monday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a greater threat to the world than ISIS. — In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's “7:30,” McCain said Putin is the “premier and most important threat, more so than ISIS.”

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

Donald Trump: The Gateway Degenerate — Last week, when voters in Montana elected Greg Gianforte to fill the state's lone seat in the House of Representatives, even after he was recorded in a physical altercation with a reporter, many Americans — like me — were left to look on in astonished bewilderment.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Graham Allison / Politico:

On Memorial Day, What Do the Living Owe the Dead? — What do Americans owe fellow citizens who gave their lives in war? Memorial Day exists to prompt each of us to pause and reflect on that question. My answer this year is that we should honor their sacrifice by applying lessons of wars past …

Arutz Sheva:

Trump furious with Abbas: You lied to me — President Trump reportedly outraged with Palestinian Authority leader. ‘The Israelis showed me that you are involved in incitement.’ — Abbas and Trump — President Donald Trump lambasted Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas …

Discussion: Israpundit and RedState

Danny Hakim / New York Times:

The Coat of Arms Said ‘Integrity.’ Now It Says ‘Trump.’ — LONDON — At the Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, which hosted the Senior P.G.A. Championship this weekend, the president's coat of arms is everywhere — the sign out front, the pro shop, even the exercise room.