memeorandum: Emmanuel Macron Challenges Putin on Syria and Gay Rights (New York Times)

9:25 AM ET, May 30, 2017

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.

Discussion: RedState, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Common Dreams, Hot Air, CNBC, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Week and The Resurgent, more at Mediagazer »

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: Joe.My.God.

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:

Six things to watch as Trump faces his new reality — President Donald Trump hoped to score a reset with his first foreign trip but is instead returning to a barrage of controversy at home. — The Russia probe, already put under the supervision of special counsel Robert Mueller before Trump left …

Discussion: War in Context, Mediaite and ABC

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Snubs and slights are part of the job in Trump's White House

Discussion: Slate and Raw Story

CNN:
WH communications director stepping down

Discussion: NY1 News

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: The White House staff shakeup begins

Discussion: Political Wire and Politico

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump's communications director is out as larger shakeup looms

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

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: Political Wire, Business Insider, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week, War in Context and twitchy.com

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 …

Discussion: Daily Wire, Mediaite, The Resurgent, Joe.My.God., The Gateway Pundit, The Right Scoop, Washington Post, The Last Tradition, Doug Ross and AOL

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: Talking Points Memo, The Week, New York Magazine, Raw Story and Mother Jones

Jim Geraghty / National Review:
God Save America From Naive Princelings

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, Politico and Fox News Insider

New York Times:
Investigation Turns to Kushner's Motives in Meeting With a Putin Ally

Discussion: Financial Times, Raw Story, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Business Insider and Mediaite

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: Jammie Wearing Fools, The Daily Caller and The Last Tradition

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.

Discussion: New York Times, Conservative News Today, Lawyers, Guns & Money, IJR and Political Wire

Brandi Grissom / Dallas Morning News:
'I'll put a bullet in your head': Fistfight nearly erupts on final day of contentious legislative session

Discussion: KVUE-TV, ABC News, Common Dreams, The Right Scoop, Joe.My.God. and The Gateway Pundit

Today …:
Today, Representative Poncho Nevarez threatened my life …

Discussion: Raw Story, FOX31 Denver, IJR, The Guardian and The Daily Caller

The Texas Tribune:
Republican lawmaker: I called immigration authorities on Capitol protesters

Discussion: The Resurgent, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Off the Kuff, Business Insider, The Week, ThinkProgress, RedState, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NPR, Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo and TheBlaze

Maxine Bernstein / Oregonian:

Portland MAX hero's last words: ‘Tell everyone on this train I love them’ — Gallery: Vigil for Portland MAX attack victims — Even with headphones on, Rachel Macy said, she heard a man shouting and spewing foul language as soon as he boarded the eastbound MAX Green Line train Friday night at Lloyd Center.

Discussion: Althouse, The Week and Little Green Footballs

Madison Park / CNN:
Teen on Portland train: ‘They lost their lives because of me and my friend’

Discussion: AOL, IJR, CBS Dallas, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, The Times of Israel, New York Magazine, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York's PIX11, KTLA, Oregonian, The Week, Slate, Politico and The Guardian

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: New York Times and Political Wire

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: Political Wire, Raw Story and The Week

Wall Street Journal:

The Fourth Circuit Joins the ‘Resistance’ — Taking a stand against Trump, the judges are also defying Supreme Court precedent.

Discussion: Instapundit

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 …

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

While other controversies rage, work on border wall moves forward — New revelations come almost by the minute in the Trump-Russia affair. The White House moves into full-defense mode. The Trump agenda stalls on Capitol Hill. — A reasonable observer might conclude that is all that is happening in the Trump administration.

Ryan Cooper / The Week:

Let's take stock of all the horrible stuff Trump and the GOP have done this month — Are you tired of all the winning yet? — No? You're not? Oh. Maybe it's because the last month of Republican rule has brought a parade of scandal, incompetence, cruelty, and violence coming so fast …

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 …

Wall Street Journal:

Trump, Huddling With Aides, Looks to Get Past ‘Side Issues’ — President Trump met privately with top advisers as he considered changes aimed at resetting the direction of an administration beset by expanding probes into his associates' ties to Russia.

Discussion: Raw Story

Jason Wilson / The Guardian:

Portland Republican says party should use militia groups after racial attack — County GOP chair James Buchal says security forces may be appropriate as tensions rise after two people died in a racial attack on public transport — As tensions continue in Portland following the racially charged murder …

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story and Althouse