memeorandum: John McCain isn't the ideal messenger. He's the ideal message. (David Von Drehle/Washington Post)

5:35 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 Press, Breitbart, ThinkProgress, The Guardian, Hot Air, Joe.My.God., Politico, New York Magazine, The Week, AOL and Political Wire

Reuters:

Giuliani suggests it's possible Michael Cohen paid off other women to stay silent about alleged affairs with Trump — President Donald Trump's new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, didn't rule out the possibility that Michael Cohen paid other women during the 2016 campaign to stay quiet about alleged affairs with his client.

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

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

Mark Berman / Washington Post:
Giuliani: It is possible Michael Cohen paid off other women for Trump

Discussion: HuffPost and NBC News

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

Discussion: Washington Post and Mother Jones

YouTube:
Michael Cohen Wiretap Cold Open - SNL

Discussion: Vox, The Week and Politico

Travis M. Andrews / Washington Post:
SNL brings in Ben Stiller, Scarlett Johansson, Stormy Daniels and more for star-studded cold open

Discussion: Refinery29 and Balloon Juice

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

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

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

Discussion: ABC News, Daily Kos 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: CNN, Fox News, Breitbart and The Daily Beast

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 …

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: Raw Story and Mother Jones

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.

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

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Stunning Developments on Trump/Private Black Ops Oppo Targeting Obama Staffers — We have a pretty stunning development about aides to Donald Trump apparently (though they deny it) hiring the same Israeli dirty ops/private intel firm that Harvey Weinstein used to cover up his history to mount …

Discussion: Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Guardian

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

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.

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.

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

Leonard Pitts Jr / miamiherald:

I'm done trying to understand Trump supporters. Why don't they try to understand me? — This is for Rose. — She is a nice lady who wrote me a nice email in which she spoke about the need to try to understand Donald Trump's supporters. As Rose put it, “We need to not close ourselves off to how the other side thinks.”

Discussion: Hullabaloo

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 …

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 …

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: IJR, The Western Journal, The Daily Caller and Washington Monthly