memeorandum: If Trump tips into full blown authoritarianism, will Republicans step up? Don't count on it. (Greg Sargent/Washington Post)

12:10 PM ET, June 13, 2017

Top Items:

If Trump tips into full blown authoritarianism, will Republicans step up? Don't count on it. — THE MORNING PLUM: — If President Trump took the drastic step of trying to remove special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, would congressional Republicans step up and act to constrain him?

JGoldsmith / Lawfare:

If Trump Fires Mueller (Or Orders His Firing) — Then-FBI Director Robert Mueller leads a briefing for the President on the Boston Marathon bombings (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) — There are growing indications that President Trump may be thinking about getting rid of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, Power Line and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Brian Beutler / New Republic:

If Trump Fires Robert Mueller, He Should Be Impeached — Democrats must lay down a marker right now, to force Republicans' hands. — Looking backwards after more than a month, the firing of James Comey has blended into the larger pattern of scandal engulfing Donald Trump's presidency.

Discussion: CNN, BostonGlobe.com, Axios, The Hill, Mediaite, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, ThinkProgress and Politicus USA

New York Times:
Friend Says Trump Is Considering Firing Mueller as Special Counsel

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Trump surrogates go after Mueller

Associated Press:
Trump Cheerleaders Turn on Special Counsel Mueller

Discussion: Politico and emptywheel

Associated Press:
The Latest: Schiff says firing Mueller would echo Watergate

Discussion: Politico

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Republicans to Trump: Hands off Mueller

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Business Insider, The Week, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

Rosie Gray / The Atlantic:
A Friend of Trump's Reports That He Is Considering Firing Robert Mueller

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and CNBC

Erica R. Hendry / PBS NewsHour:
Trump confidant: 'I think he's considering perhaps terminating the special counsel'

Discussion: CNBC, AOL, Washington Post, ERIC POSNER, NBC News, Just Security, Common Dreams, The Hill, theGrio and Media Matters for America

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:
Should Trump fire Mueller, Part Two [UPDATED]

Discussion: The Hill, TheBlaze and The Last Tradition

Julia Ioffe / The Atlantic:

Why Did Jeff Sessions Really Meet With Sergey Kislyak? — It can be hard to get a straight answer out of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. — When Senator Al Franken asked then-Senator Sessions at his Senate confirmation hearing on January 10 whether he “communicated with the Russian government …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Vox, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Longreads, Raw Story, Washington Post and New York Times

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

What Jeff Sessions will say in his Senate hearing — On Tuesday afternoon Jeff Sessions will face the Senate Intelligence Committee in an open hearing, where senators will grill the Attorney General about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. — Here's how Sessions will address …

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, AOL, Politico, Washington Times and Business Insider

Christopher Ingraham / Washington Post:

Jeff Sessions personally asked Congress to let him prosecute medical marijuana providers — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is asking congressional leaders to undo federal medical marijuana protections that have been in place since 2014, according to a May letter that became public Monday.

Discussion: Death and Taxes and The Week

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

TRUMP'S lunch companions today — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Sergey Kislyak plays host for Russia Day — the DAWSEY DOWNLOAD — GOP and DEM talking points on Sessions — GOP to Trump: Don't dump Mueller — B'DAY: Eli Stokols — Listen to the Playbook Audio Briefing http://bit.ly/2snuwdR …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Conservative News Today and The Week

Tom Angell / MassRoots:
Exclusive: Sessions Asks Congress To Undo Medical Marijuana Protections

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Hit & Run

Eli Watkins / CNN:
Judge orders DOJ to produce Sessions' clearance form

Discussion: Vox, RedState, New York Post, BillMoyers.com, The Guardian, Raw Story, Mediaite, Shareblue and Politico

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Sessions' loyalty to Trump will be put to the test

Discussion: ABC News

ProPublica:

Trump's Personal Lawyer Boasted That He Got Preet Bharara Fired — Marc Kasowitz, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer in the Russia investigation, has boasted to friends and colleagues that he played a central role in the firing of Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNN, Axios, Talking Points Memo, Politicus USA, IJR, New York Times, The Week and Lawfare

Bloomberg:

Russian Breach of 39 States Threatens Future U.S. Elections — Hackers said to take measure of voting systems, databases — A ‘red phone’ warning to the Kremlin from Obama White House — Russia's cyberattack on the U.S. electoral system before Donald Trump's election was far more widespread …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Decider, The Verge, Shareblue, Death and Taxes, The Daily Caller, CNBC, Raw Story, Engadget, The Week and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »

Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal:

J.P. Morgan Removes NBC News Ads Over Megyn Kelly Interview with Alex Jones — So far, advertisers—with one notable exception—have remained quiet as Sandy Hook families criticize the NBC host for her sit-down with the Infowars founder — NBC anchor Megyn Kelly's plan to air an interview …

Travis M. Andrews / Washington Post:

Megyn Kelly dropped as host for Sandy Hook group's gala over Alex Jones interview — Megyn Kelly's NBC interview with Infowars's Alex Jones is not scheduled to air until Sunday, but it's already caused intense controversy. — Jones, whom The Washington Post has described as a …

Discussion: Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Sandy Hook Promise, Heat Street, Washington Free Beacon, Vox, The Week, Death and Taxes, Fast Company, TheBlaze, Mediaite, Deadline, The Daily Caller, IJR, Raw Story and Conservative News Today, more at Mediagazer »

Karen Mizoguchi / People.com:

Sandy Hook Benefit Drops Megyn Kelly as Host After She Interviews Hoaxer Alex Jones — Megyn Kelly is facing repercussions following her interview with Sandy Hook hoaxer Alex Jones. — Sandy Hook Promise, a leading gun violence prevention organization, released a statement on Monday …

Discussion: Hartford Courant, YouTube, Washington Post, Mediaite, Decider, Raw Story, The Week, Deadline, The Hill, TheBlaze, Death and Taxes, Conservative News Today, AOL and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »

Daniel Nussbaum / Breitbart:
Megyn Kelly Faces Boycott over Alex Jones Interview

Discussion: National Review, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Death and Taxes, Business Insider and Daily Kos

Anna Fifield / Washington Post:

University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, said to be in a coma, released from North Korea — In this Feb. 29, 2016 photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. Secretary of State Tillerson said Tuesday that North Korea has released the jailed U.S. university student.

Discussion: Politico, Axios, The Guardian, Washington Free Beacon, CBS Miami and New York Times

CNN:
Exclusive: Dennis Rodman heading to North Korea

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon, Associated Press, Business Insider, rubber hose, Detroit Free Press, AOL, The Daily Caller, Death and Taxes, New York Magazine, RedState and Mediaite

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:

Majority in Georgia 6th have unfavorable view of GOP healthcare bill: poll — A majority of likely voters in Georgia's sixth congressional district hold an unfavorable impression of the Republican plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, according to a new poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Discussion: Vox, Politico and Political Insider blog

Tegna / WXIA-TV:
Exclusive new 11Alive poll: Handel and Ossoff tied with one week to go

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Political Insider blog, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg:

Cook Says Apple Is Focusing on Making an Autonomous Car System — For the first time, CEO elaborates on Apple's car plans — The company's automotive program has experienced turmoil — After years toiling away in secret on its car project, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook …

Discussion: Washington Post, BuzzFeed, The Daily Caller, Mashable, WIRED UK, The Verge, Engadget and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »

Mike Allen / Axios:

This isn't normal: Inside Trump's daily disruptions — We try very hard here to simply explain the Trump White House, and not join the pile-on. To us, the Trump world doesn't need more noise — it needs more explanation and illumination. But there are moments when it's important to remind …

Discussion: The Root, RedState, Washington Free Beacon, New York Times and Hullabaloo

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:

Senators Reach Bipartisan Deal On New Russia Sanctions — Senators on Monday evening reached a bipartisan deal to impose new sanctions on Russia over its attempts to meddle in the 2016 election, its involvement in the conflict in Syria and its invasion of Crimea.

Discussion: Washington Post and Common Dreams

Elana Schor / Politico:
Senate strikes bipartisan deal to boost Russia sanctions

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, Death and Taxes, Shakesville, New York Magazine, The Week, The Washington Journal, IJR and Politicus USA

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

What stops Republicans from behaving rationally — President Trump's delusional outburst Monday claiming to have accomplished more than any president other than FDR at this stage in his presidency and the fawning praise recited by Cabinet members (in their best imitation of the Politburo) …

Discussion: CNN

New York Times:

How Outrage Built Over a Shakespearean Depiction of Trump — Shortly after the presidential election, Oskar Eustis, one of New York's most successful theater executives, knew what he wanted to do. He would direct a production of Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar,” with the title character …