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 — Mike Dubke, President Donald Trump's communications director, has resigned as Trump considers a larger personnel shakeup to confront the growing scandals weighing down his administration. — The veteran GOP strategist …
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
Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: The White House staff shakeup begins
The Note: The White House staff shakeup begins
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, The Week and TheBlaze
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
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Michael Dubke Resigns as White House Communications Director
Michael Dubke Resigns as White House Communications Director
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, RedState, Outside the Beltway, CBS Miami, Washington Times, Mediaite and Fox News
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:
Talking Points Memo, RedState, Financial Times, BillMoyers.com, Daily Kos, IJR, theGrio, Business Insider, Raw Story, Mediaite, AOL, Politicus USA, War in Context, Political Wire 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:
Washington Post, Joe.My.God., Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and The Last Tradition
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
How President Trump consumes — or does not consume — top-secret intelligence
Discussion:
theGrio, New York Magazine, The Week, Talking Points Memo, 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:
ThinkProgress, Raw Story, New York Times, Washington Post and Daily Kos
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 …
Derek Hawkins / Washington Post:
Portland mayor asks feds to bar free-speech and anti-sharia rallies after stabbings — The mayor of Portland, Ore., is calling on federal authorities to cancel a pair of upcoming rallies organized by conservative groups, saying the city was still “in shock” after two men were fatally stabbed …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Stranger …, Patterico's Pontifications, TheBlaze, twitchy.com, Althouse and Conservative News Today
RELATED:
Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
Portland Republican says party should use militia groups after racial attack
Portland Republican says party should use militia groups after racial attack
Maxine Bernstein / Oregonian:
Portland MAX hero's last words: ‘Tell everyone on this train I love them’
Portland MAX hero's last words: ‘Tell everyone on this train I love them’
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Week, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, Little Green Footballs and Al Jazeera English
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, Business Insider, New York Times, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller and Political Wire
Brian Ross / ABC News:
Russia investigation expands to include Donald Trump's personal attorney — One of President Donald Trump's closest confidants, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, has now become a focus of the expanding Congressional investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 campaign.
Discussion:
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 …
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
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
Joe Uchill / The Hill:
NSA leakers begin sign-ups for monthly leak subscription service — A group of suspected National Security Agency (NSA) leakers known as the ShadowBrokers on Tuesday announced more details of their monthly subscription service to provide remaining documents from their NSA cache.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Wall Street Journal:
The Fourth Circuit Joins the ‘Resistance’ — Taking a stand against Trump, the judges are also defying Supreme Court precedent.
Discussion:
Power Line, Fox News and Instapundit
Kevin D. Williamson / National Review:
Schmucks Like Us — Before you laugh at Tiger Woods . . . Before you get too distracted mocking Tiger Woods and his problems, ask yourself: Would you pass the Iverson test? — I don't think I would. — I was for some years professionally obliged to follow the career and life of Allen Iverson …
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
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 …
Business Insider:
Democrats are pushing an unlikely source — Jerry Springer — to run for governor in Ohio — Influential Ohio Democrats are pushing former Cincinnati mayor and daytime-TV host Jerry Springer to run for Ohio governor in 2018, more than half a dozen Democrats familiar with the race told Business Insider.
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze