memeorandum: Attorney General Jeff Sessions rails on ‘fuzzy-headed left’ and immigration policies in Gatlinburg speech (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

11:05 AM ET, May 9, 2018

Top Items:

Firm Tied to Russian Oligarch Made Payments to Michael Cohen — A shell company that Michael D. Cohen used to pay hush money to a pornographic film actress received payments totaling more than $1 million from an American company linked to a Russian oligarch and several corporations with business …

CNN:

Exclusive: Mueller's team questions Russian oligarch about payments to Cohen — (CNN)Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators have questioned a Russian oligarch about hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments his company's US affiliate made to President Donald Trump's personal attorney …

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:

The Porn Star's Lawyer Maps the Trump Money Trail — Michael Cohen's clients included a firm linked to a Russian oligarch and a South Korean aerospace company. — There may be any number of reasons why a management firm linked to a powerful Russian oligarch favored by the Kremlin paid …

Discussion: CNN, FOX2now.com, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and Mediaite

Noah Shachtman / The Daily Beast:

Michael Cohen Took Cash From Russian Oligarch After Election — The Daily Beast can confirm that Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a company controlled by Putin-aligned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

Discussion: Politico, ThinkProgress, Contemptor, Splinter, VICE News, AOL, One America News Network, The Week, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Awful Announcing, Axios, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bustle, Little Green Footballs, CNN and The Hill

Natasha Bertrand / The Atlantic:

Trump's Two Biggest Scandals Converge in a Single Tweet — The attorney for adult-film performer Stormy Daniels made an explosive claim on Tuesday, merging the two biggest scandals of Donald Trump's presidency in a single tweet—and setting off a frenzy of fresh speculation about the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Axios, Washington Press, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., HuffPost and Vox

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Is This How Avenatti Found Out? — TPM Reader TH thinks he knows where Michael Avenatti got his amazingly specific details. And it sounds right to me ... I have no idea who leaked this or whether it was a leak per se. But this is extraordinarily detailed information. It all seems accurate.

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Tonight's Staggering Revelations

Discussion: Bloomberg, Mediaite and The Mahablog

Drew FitzGerald / Wall Street Journal:
AT&T Paid Trump Lawyer for ‘Insights’ on Administration

Discussion: Just Security, Patterico's Pontifications and The Week

Dan Mangan / CNBC:
AT&T confirms it paid Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for ‘insights’ on administration

Discussion: Washington Press and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
How money flowed through Michael Cohen's multi-purpose shell company

Discussion: Common Dreams, MSNBC, ThinkProgress, Shareblue Media, Politico, Mother Jones and VICE News

NBC News:
Daniels' lawyer: Cohen got $500K from Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg

Discussion: Bustle, Daily Wire, Shakesville, Conservative News Today, Washington Press, IJR, Raw Story, Washington Times and The Week

Scott Bland / Politico:

Top takeaways from the first big primary of 2018 — Republicans can exhale now. — Convicted coal magnate Don Blankenship's surprise third-place finish in Tuesday's West Virginia GOP Senate primary sidestepped yet another debacle for the party after consecutive meltdowns in special elections in Alabama and Pennsylvania.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Magazine and STAT

G. Elliott Morris / The Crosstab:

Democrats Scored a Big, Unexpected Win in the May 8 Primaries — For the first time in 2018, an incumbent U.S. House Representative has been ousted by a primary challenger. Republican U.S. House Rep. from North Carolina's 9th Congressional District Robert Pittenger lost his primary bid …

Discussion: Axios, Splinter and Washington Post

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

Playbook: Oh, to be a House Republican — IT WAS A BAD NIGHT for House Republicans. As Steve Shepard, Elena Schneider and Scott Bland point out below, Rep. Evan Jenkins got his clock cleaned in the West Virginia Senate primary. Indiana Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita spent months whacking …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jim Morrill / The Charlotte Observer:
Challenger Mark Harris on verge of upsetting U.S. Rep. Pittenger of NC

Discussion: ABC News, NPR, The Week and Washington Post

New York Times:
6 Takeaways From Tuesday's Primary Elections

Discussion: Vox, Indianapolis Star, Hullabaloo, ABC News and News and Tribune

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Primary results confirm 2018 is a terrible year to be a House Republican

Discussion: MSNBC

Halimah Abdullah / ABC News:
Big stakes in West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio bellwether primaries

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo, NBC News, Vox, Washington Post, New York Times, MarketWatch, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Breitbart, Outside the Beltway, Washington Times, Politico and Daily Kos

Rick Noack / Washington Post:

Hours into his new job, Trump's ambassador to Germany offends his hosts … BERLIN — For the past year, German officials have been urging their U.S. counterparts to send a new ambassador to Berlin. But after finally receiving one, many may be having second thoughts.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Breitbart and Washington Press

Washington Post:

Why Trump torpedoed Obama's Iran deal … The lobbying campaign to save the Iran nuclear agreement was intense and took months. British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the deal with President Trump in more than a dozen phone calls. French President Emmanuel Macron pressed him on it during an elaborate state visit.

Discussion: One America News Network and Politico

Peter Baker / New York Times:

No Longer Held Back by His Advisers, Trump Puts His Imprint on Foreign Policy — WASHINGTON — The relative caution that constrained President Trump for much of his first year in office has been cast aside, and an emboldened commander in chief is finally reshaping foreign policy to reflect the …

Discussion: Contemptor, Washington Times and Hit & Run

Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:

‘She Should Have Fought Back. Other People Did’: Inside Gina Haspel's Black Site … Ahead of her Senate reckoning, Gina Haspel's defenders in U.S. intelligence circles have adopted the fallback position that she'll be a check on Donald Trump as his CIA director.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Post, CNN, Feeds, Splinter and Just Security

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
9/11 Planner, Tortured by C.I.A., Asks to Tell Senators About Gina Haspel

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Free Beacon, Media Matters for America, HuffPost, National Review, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com, Washington Times, Axios and Mediaite

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
The Daily Beast refuses to budge on its Gina Haspel story

Discussion: The Atlantic, Hit & Run and New York Times

Benjamin Wittes / Lawfare:
Why I Support Gina Haspel for CIA Director—Despite a Big Reservation

Discussion: Townhall, RT, Washington Post, Sputnik International and Just Security

Fatima Boudchar / New York Times:
I Have a Few Questions for Gina Haspel

Discussion: Reuters and Common Dreams

Politico:

Trump ‘unleashes general rage’ in scrapping Iran deal — One story dominated front pages across the Continent Wednesday morning: U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement and reimpose sanctions on Tehran. Britain's Daily Telegraph led with a quote …

Discussion: Axios, One America News Network and Associated Press

Associated Press:
Iran's top leader, lawmakers lash out at US on nuclear deal

Discussion: RedState, Fox News, Political Wire and Daily Wire

Bret Stephens / New York Times:
A Courageous Trump Call on a Lousy Iran Deal

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Viking Pundit

Kim Hjelmgaard / USA Today:
Iran lawmakers shout ‘death to America,’ burn U.S. flag after Trump nixes nuclear deal

Discussion: IJR, Task & Purpose, Splinter and CNN

Barack Obama:
There are few issues more important to the security of the United States …

Yonhap News Agency:

N. Korea to release 3 U.S. captives: Cheong Wa Dae official … North Korea is expected to release three U.S. citizens held in the communist state on Wednesday, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said, in an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of a historic meeting between …

Discussion: Breitbart, Raw Story, The Right Scoop and Axios

Washington Post:
North Korea releases 3 American prisoners in apparent goodwill gesture ahead of a planned summit between Trump and Kim

Discussion: CNBC, Fox News, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, CNN, National Review, Townhall, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Fox News Insider, The Guardian and RT

Louis Nelson / Politico:
North Korea frees 3 Americans ahead of Trump's summit with Kim Jong Un

Discussion: The Daily Beast, ABC News and One America News Network

Washington Post:

Risk to intelligence source who aided Russia investigation at center of latest showdown between Nunes and Justice Dept. — Last Wednesday, senior FBI and national intelligence officials relayed an urgent message to the White House: Information being sought by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, The Week, Raw Story, Axios, Mediaite and Democracy21

Katie Jane Fernelius / News, Indy Week:

A Duke University VP Walked Into the Campus Joe Van Gogh, Heard a Rap Song, Demanded That the Employees Be Fired — On Monday, two employees of Duke University's Joe Van Gogh location had their contracts terminated after vice president for student affairs Larry Moneta and executive director …

Discussion: Splinter and Raw Story

Kate Sheehy / New York Post:

Woman details nightmare date with ‘repulsive’ Schneiderman — She says their blind date started off like a dream, with him bearing flowers as he picked her up in a luxury car to take her to dinner at Bette Midler's trendy New Leaf restaurant in Fort Tryon Park.

Discussion: Politico, Fox News Insider, WPIX 11 New York, The Real Deal New York and The Week

Megan McArdle / Washington Post:
I went back to the man who hit me. Why?

Discussion: New York Times, Althouse, New Republic, New York Post and The Guardian

Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:

MSNBC Under Fire After Host Hugh Hewitt Helped Broker Meeting With EPA Leader — “We'll get back to you,” an MSNBC spokesman told THR when asked about the host's role in brokering a meeting between EPA head Scott Pruitt and lawyers at his firm representing a California water district.

Discussion: Media Matters for America and The Daily Beast

Andrew Perez / MapLight:
Ethics Experts Say Scott Pruitt Reimbursements Raise Questions About Double-Dipping

Discussion: Grist

Marwa Eltagouri / Washington Post:

Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her, wins uncontested Ohio House primary … Rachel Crooks, one of at least 19 women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual assault, won an uncontested primary Tuesday for a seat in the Ohio state House of Representatives, her campaign manager confirmed.

Discussion: HuffPost, CNN, Talking Points Memo, KTLA, Bustle and Raw Story

US Department of State:

Background Briefing on President Trump's Decision To Withdraw From the JCPOA — Special Briefing — Senior State Department Officials — Washington, DC — MODERATOR: All right, thanks everybody. So we are glad to have with us today two folks to talk about the President's decision today to withdraw from the JCPOA.

Discussion: Defense One and Mondoweiss

Ladders:

Ronan Farrow to Loyola Marymount's Class of 2018: ‘Trust that inner voice’ — “I wish I could tell you I was confident. That I was sure of myself. That I didn't care,” Farrow said of reporting the hardest story of his life. “But the real version was that I was heartbroken and scared …

Chris Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

On the Road With Rose McGowan: An Actress Turned Activist Leaves the “Hollywood Bubble” Behind — Six months since going public with rape accusations about Harvey Weinstein and helping to ignite the #MeToo movement, McGowan has been portrayed as both a fearless hero and flame-throwing narcissist.

Charles J. Sykes / Weekly Standard:

When Everything Is Possible and Nothing Is True — Hannah Arendt proves indispensable in understanding the Trump era. — One of my favorite stories about Winston Churchill goes like this. … Unfortunately, the story is what we would now call fake news.