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:
Daily Wire, CNN, RedState, Business Insider, CNBC, Common Dreams, The Atlantic, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Taylor Marsh, The Right Scoop, Mediaite, IJR, Talking Points Memo, The Week and The Resurgent, more at Mediagazer »
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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:
Little Green Footballs, Media Matters for America, New York Magazine and Joe.My.God.
Callum Borchers / Washington Post:
This White House statement on Trump's ‘positive energy’ reads like a parody
This White House statement on Trump's ‘positive energy’ reads like a parody
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
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:
Washington Post, Financial Times, Talking Points Memo, RedState, IJR, BillMoyers.com, theGrio, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Business Insider, Raw Story, Politicus USA, AOL, War in Context, Political Wire and twitchy.com
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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:
Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, The Root, Raw Story and CBS Miami
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.
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, New York Times and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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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:
RedState, Washington Post, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., The Last Tradition and The Gateway Pundit
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:
Business Insider, theGrio, The Week, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Mother Jones
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 …
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 …
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
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, USA Today, Hit & Run, KOIN-TV, The Stranger …, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, twitchy.com and Althouse
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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
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch, Hullabaloo, The Hill, Raw Story and Althouse
Kara Fox / CNN:
Gay son of Indian immigrant likely to be Ireland's next leader — (CNN)He was 22 when he entered Irish politics. At 27, he was elected to parliament. At 36, he publicly came out as gay. And now, at 38, Leo Varadkar, the son of an Indian immigrant father and an Irish mother …
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, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, New York Times 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, Raw Story and The Week
Cathy Buyck / Politico:
U.S. tells EU: No laptop ban — The U.S. on Tuesday opted not to ban laptops from the cabins of planes flying to the U.S. from Europe, European sources told POLITICO, despite worries about terrorists plotting to hide explosives inside electronic devices. — “No ban,” a European Commission official said.
USA Today:
Trump to interview John Pistole for FBI director job — WASHINGTON - President Trump is expected to interview John Pistole, former No. 2 at the FBI and previous head of the Transportation Security Administration, to take over as FBI director, USA TODAY has learned.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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
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
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:
The Guardian, USA Today and The Times of Israel
Associated Press:
Nighttime, early morning bombings in Baghdad kill 31 — A massive bombing by the Islamic State group outside a popular ice cream shop in central Baghdad and a rush hour car bomb in another downtown area killed at least 31 people on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said.
Discussion:
CNN, Fox News, IJR, FDD's Long War Journal and Al Jazeera English
New York Times:
Cleveland Police Officer Who Shot Tamir Rice Is Fired — Cleveland officials said the police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014, setting off national protests, was fired on Tuesday. — At a news conference, officials said that Timothy Loehmann, who fired the fatal shot …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Refinery29 and The Root
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
Richard Johnson / Page Six:
Melania Trump's ‘revenge’ on designers who won't dress her — MORE FROM: … Melania Trump is proving to the fashion designers who said they wouldn't help her that dressing well is the best revenge. — The first lady's trip to Saudi Arabia, the Vatican, Belgium and Sicily …
Discussion:
AOL and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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