Top Items:
Mike Allen / Axios:
White House communications director resigns — more moves expected — Mike Dubke, President Trump's communications director, is leaving the White House — the start of a wave of changes as the West Wing struggles to cope with burgeoning scandals and a stalled agenda.
RELATED:
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Dubke resigns as White House communications director — Mike Dubke has resigned as White House communications director in the first of what could be a series of changes to President Trump's senior staff amid the growing Russia scandal. — Dubke, who served in the post for three months, tendered his resignation May 18.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Mediaite and Joe.My.God.
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump's communications director is out as larger shakeup looms
Trump's communications director is out as larger shakeup looms
Discussion:
Vox and Washington Free Beacon
Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:
Six things to watch as Trump faces his new reality
Six things to watch as Trump faces his new reality
Discussion:
War in Context and ABC
Louis Nelson / Politico:
Kellyanne Conway calls Kushner's backchannels ‘regular course of business’
Kellyanne Conway calls Kushner's backchannels ‘regular course of business’
Discussion:
The Week
Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: The White House staff shakeup begins
The Note: The White House staff shakeup begins
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, Political Wire and TheBlaze
Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Snubs and slights are part of the job in Trump's White House
Snubs and slights are part of the job in Trump's White House
Discussion:
Slate, No More Mister Nice Blog and Raw Story
CNN:
Sources: Russians discussed potentially ‘derogatory’ information about Trump and associates during campaign — Sources: Russians talked potentially ‘derogatory’ info — (CNN)Russian government officials discussed having potentially “derogatory” information about then-presidential candidate Donald …
Discussion:
RedState, Talking Points Memo, BillMoyers.com, Daily Kos, IJR, theGrio, Business Insider, AOL, Politicus USA, Raw Story, Mediaite, Political Wire, War in Context and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
God Save America From Naive Princelings — Just a point to add to Andy McCarthy's raking Jared Kushner over the coals for the “galactically stupid” idea... I get why someone who voted for Donald Trump would defend the president. Trump descended that escalator and went about the process of winning over your vote.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Daily Caller, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Washington Examiner
RELATED:
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Trump retweets report based on anonymous source after blasting anonymous sources — President Trump on Tuesday retweeted a Fox News report citing an anonymous source that pushes back on another report that White House aide Jared Kushner tried to establish backchannel communications with Moscow.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit
Fox News:
Jared Kushner didn't suggest Russian communications channel in meeting, source says — A December meeting between Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of the senior advisers in the Trump administration, and Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak at Trump Tower focused on Syria …
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
How President Trump consumes — or does not consume — top-secret intelligence — President Trump consumes classified intelligence like he does most everything else in life: ravenously and impatiently, eager to ingest glinting nuggets but often indifferent to subtleties.
Discussion:
theGrio, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, The Week, Raw Story and Mother Jones
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Russians Think Trump Might Be a Russian Asset, and They Might Be Right
Russians Think Trump Might Be a Russian Asset, and They Might Be Right
Discussion:
CBS Miami, Washington Post, Washington Times, Raw Story and The Daily Caller
New York Post:
Pissed off artist adds statue of urinating dog next to ‘Fearless Girl’ — Artist Alex Gardega put his own Pissing Pug next to Wall Street's Fearless Girl. — Gabriella Bass — Gee whiz, artists are so sensitive! — City sculptor Alex Gardega — seething over the Fearless Girl statue …
Discussion:
broadly, Gothamist, Refinery29, NY1 News, twitchy.com, Washington Free Beacon, Jammie Wearing Fools, The Daily Caller and The Last Tradition
Isaac Chotiner / Slate:
Putin's Defender — An American Russia scholar on why he doesn't believe the New York Times, doesn't think the DNC was hacked, and just wants the U.S. and Russia to get along. — Stephen F. Cohen has long been one of the leading scholars of Russia and the Soviet Union.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Sarah D / Los Angeles Times:
Rep. Devin Nunes says Democrats are using Russia investigation to justify Clinton's loss — House Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes speaks at the Tulare County Lincoln Dinner. — Embattled House Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told hundreds of local Republicans …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller and Political Wire
Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
GOP rep avoids saying whether every American is entitled to eat — Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) on Saturday avoiding directly answering a question on whether all Americans are entitled to eat. — During an interview with NPR's “Weekend Edition Saturday,” Smith discussed farm subsidies and cutting food stamps with host Scott Simon.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, The Week and Raw Story
Rachael Bade / Politico:
Debt fight blindsides Congress — President Donald Trump's top economic aides are urging Capitol Hill leaders to raise the debt ceiling by the end of July. And Congress is totally unprepared to do so. — Lawmakers in both parties thought they'd have until the fall to act …
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Pence to make campaign push amid GOP concerns over Trump — Vice President Mike Pence is embarking on a cross-country summer campaign tour amid rising fears that the GOP, reeling from a barrage of Trump-fueled controversies, is headed for a midterm election disaster.
Discussion:
New York Times, Political Insider blog, Raw Story, The Week and Political Wire
Gus Bova / The Texas Observer:
Texas Republican Called ICE on SB 4 Protesters, Threatened to Shoot Colleague — A Texas Republican threatened to “put a bullet in one of his colleague's heads” during a scuffle on the House floor over the state's new anti-'sanctuary cities' law on Monday, the final day of the regular legislative session.
RELATED:
Brandi Grissom / Dallas Morning News:
'I'll put a bullet in your head': Fistfight nearly erupts on final day of contentious legislative session
'I'll put a bullet in your head': Fistfight nearly erupts on final day of contentious legislative session
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Hot Air, The Resurgent, ABC News, Business Insider, Common Dreams, The Right Scoop, ThinkProgress, The Week, NPR and The Gateway Pundit
William D. Cohan / Vanity Fair:
How Stephen Miller Rode White Rage from Duke's Campus to Trump's West Wing — At the young age of 31, Stephen Miller has his own office in the West Wing and the President's ear. He also has held a shocking worldview since he was a teenager. From his writings on the 2006 Duke lacrosse-team rape scandal …
Discussion:
The Week
Lily Batchelder / New York Times:
Trump's Giant Loophole — One of the major goals of tax reform is to reduce the opportunities for savvy taxpayers to game the system. But if President Trump and House Republicans have their way, we will have a new contender for the tax code's largest loophole: a new special cap on the tax rate …
Sheri Linden / Hollywood Reporter:
‘Wonder Woman’: Film Review — YOUTUBE — The first standalone feature for the ageless princess of the Amazons places her in the midst of World War I, with Gal Gadot in the title role and Chris Pine as American spy Steve Trevor. — As the world's most well-adjusted superhero, Wonder Woman breaks the genre mold.
Discussion:
USA Today, The Guardian and The Times of Israel
Wall Street Journal:
The Fourth Circuit Joins the ‘Resistance’ — Taking a stand against Trump, the judges are also defying Supreme Court precedent.
Discussion:
Instapundit
Lexington Herald-Leader:
Windows shattered at Herald-Leader building; suspected bullet damage found — Several windows were shattered at the main office of the Lexington Herald-Leader in downtown Lexington, amid suspected signs of small-caliber bullet damage to the building. — The Herald-Leader filed a report …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, The Daily Caller and Mediaite
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Speaker of the House of Trump — A few weeks after the 2016 election, Newt Gingrich appeared at the Heritage Foundation to deliver what had been billed as a speech on the “Principles of Trumpism.” Tellingly, he spent most of his time instead talking about the brilliance of Trump the Man …
Bloomberg:
Rich People Don't Want Ivanka Trump's Fashion — The first daughter aimed her label at wealthy sophisticated women, but it didn't take. So she moved downmarket. — At a T.J. Maxx discount shop in the shadow of New York's Queensboro bridge, there's little sign of Ivanka Trump's fashion label.
Discussion:
Raw Story