memeorandum: Gina Haspel, nominee to head CIA, sought to withdraw over questions about her role in agency interrogation program (Washington Post)

4:20 PM ET, May 6, 2018

Top Items:

Justin Fishel / ABC News:

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani won't rule out that president could take the Fifth Amendment in Russia probe — President Donald Trump's top personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said he can't rule out the possibility of the president taking the Fifth Amendment if he testifies in the Russia investigation.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Mediaite, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Politico, Breitbart, The Guardian, Joe.My.God., Hot Air, New York Magazine, The Week, AOL and Political Wire

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

The Naked Truth About Trump — WASHINGTON — Before I get to America's Mayor and America's Nightmare, I would like to say this: — Michelle Wolf was right when she turned a gimlet eye on the media. — “You guys are obsessed with Trump,” the comedian said at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

Discussion: Raw Story, Althouse, The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair and AOL

Brent D. Griffiths / Politico:

Stormy Daniels attorney: Giuliani interview an ‘unmitigated disaster’ — Adult film actress Stormy Daniels' attorney said on Sunday that Rudy Giuliani's appearance on ABC minutes before him was an “absolute unmitigated disaster” for President Donald Trump's legal counsel.

Discussion: Breitbart and The Week

Travis M. Andrews / Washington Post:

SNL brings in Ben Stiller, Scarlett Johansson, Stormy Daniels and more for star-studded cold open … Now, that was a cold open. — Ben Stiller, Martin Short, Jimmy Fallon, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin and Stormy Daniels herself all showed up for one of the more star-studded cold opens …

Discussion: Refinery29 and Balloon Juice

Emily Stewart / Vox:
Rudy Giuliani won't rule out Trump pleading the Fifth Amendment in another bewildering interview

Discussion: Washington Post and Mother Jones

Erica Pandey / Axios:
Rudy's return to the television circuit

Discussion: Breitbart, The Guardian, Politico, NY State of Politics and ABC News

Victoria Guida / Politico:
Giuliani: Trump doesn't have to comply with potential Mueller subpoena

Discussion: Daily Kos, ABC News and Breitbart

Associated Press: Trump attorney not ruling out his taking the 5th Amendment

ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript 5-6-18: President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Stormy …

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
How Trump Is Winning — As Donald Trump entered the second year …

Discussion: CNN

Washington Post:

Gina Haspel, nominee to head CIA, sought to withdraw over questions about her role in agency interrogation program — Gina Haspel, President Trump's nominee to become the next CIA director, sought to withdraw her nomination Friday after some White House officials worried that her role …

Discussion: CNN, Politico, Axios, The Hill, Washington Times, Splinter, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, New Century Times, Joe.My.God., CBS Los Angeles, Daily Kos, AOL, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Daily Beast

Wall Street Journal:

Mueller Probe Might Have to Go Dark for Midterm Election — Though there is no legal deadline, Justice Department guidelines say prosecutors should avoid the appearance of trying to sway elections — WASHINGTON—The clock is ticking for special counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: Mother Jones and Politico

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:

This Is The Toughest Gun Law In America — Reformers love what Massachusetts is doing. The NRA? Not so much. — NEWTON, Mass. A thirtysomething man sought to buy a rifle here last September, and if he had been living in almost any other part of the country, he could have done so easily.

Discussion: National Review and twitchy.com

Greg B. Smith / New York Daily News:

EXCLUSIVE: Former NYC media player finds himself living in homeless shelter after life took ‘unfathomable’ downward spiral — Once upon a time in New York City, Sherman Jackson lived at the glittering heights of public life in a privileged place of bold-faced names and media stars.

Garry Kasparov / New York Daily News:

Saving America from itself: Trump is a symptom, not the disease — American friends, you might not like to hear this coming from a Russian, but your Founding Fathers did not trust you at all. Don't feel bad, because that most remarkable constellation of 18th-century intellect and courage didn't trust anyone.

Eric Talmadge / Associated Press:

North Korea says US ruining mood of detente ahead of summit — PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — With just weeks to go before President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to hold their first-ever summit, Pyongyang on Sunday criticized what it called “misleading” …

Discussion: Political Wire, ThinkProgress and Chicago Tribune

Caroline Orr / Shareblue Media:
Trump callously plays games with families of hostages: ‘Stay tuned!’

Discussion: NBC News and Talking Points Memo

Tony Saavedra / Orange County Register:

Video shows off-duty officer pulling gun on man mistakenly suspected of stealing Mentos — One minute, Jose Arreola was buying a pack of Mentos at an Orange County service station. — The next minute, he was at the business end of a gun drawn by an off-duty Buena Park police officer …

Discussion: The Root and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Corey Kilgannon / New York Times:

96-Year-Old Secretary Quietly Amasses Fortune, Then Donates $8.2 Million — Even by the dizzying standards of New York City philanthropy, a recent $6.24 million donation to the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side was a whopper — the largest single gift from an individual to the social service group in its 125-year history.

Tara Siegel Bernard / New York Times:

Yes, It's Bad. Robocalls, and Their Scams, Are Surging. — It's not just you. — Those pesky robocalls — at best annoying disturbances and at worst costly financial scams — are getting worse. — In an age when cellphones have become extensions of our bodies, robocallers …

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:

Trump's coming war on Mueller: ANALYSIS — With the shakeup of the president's legal team, he is now all-in on a new strategy to deal with special counsel Robert Mueller: fight, delay, vilify. — The legal strategy dovetails with the Trump team's political strategy: rallying the base …

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:

WATCH: MSNBC segment explodes after Dershowitz calls lawyer Richard Painter ‘un-American and a liar’ — Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz was shut down on MSNBC Saturday after launching a bizarre tirade against former chief White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter.

Alex Swoyer / Washington Times:

Devin Nunes says he'll push to hold Jeff Sessions in contempt — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes said Sunday he will be pushing to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt this week for not complying with a subpoena. — The California Republican said his committee sent …

Joel Schectman / Reuters:

Republican House Armed Service chair warns Trump against leaving Iran deal — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican leader of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee said President Trump should not walk away from the Iran nuclear deal. — President Donald Trump is facing a May 12 deadline …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Blankenship surging on eve of West Virginia Senate primary — There is growing concern among Republicans that Don Blankenship, a bombastic coal baron who has spent time in prison, is surging ahead of Tuesday's West Virginia Senate primary — and a last-minute campaign is underway to stop him.

Discussion: Mother Jones, ABC News, The Root, Slate and Political Wire

Benjamin Hart / New York Magazine:

John McCain Regrets His Palin Pick for the Wrong Reasons — When historians — or, really any of us — look back at President Trump's ascent to the presidency, they will identify many moments over the years, big and small, that could be identified as warning signs of the catastrophe to come.

Discussion: The Western Journal, IJR, Outside the Beltway and Washington Monthly