memeorandum: Ex-mob prosecutor says Trump's talk with Putin was a ‘get your stories straight call’ like she used to hear on wiretaps (Bob Brigham/Raw Story)

12:40 PM ET, May 4, 2019

Top Items:

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:

Ex-mob prosecutor says Trump's talk with Putin was a ‘get your stories straight call’ like she used to hear on wiretaps — The former chief of the organized crime and racketeering unit at the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of New York explained on MSNBC Friday …

Discussion: Althouse

John Sipher / The Atlantic:

The Russia Investigation Will Continue — Although Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe is over, and although President Trump on Friday again described the probe as a “Witch Hunt,” the FBI is almost certain to continue its counterintelligence investigation into Russian espionage efforts related to the 2016 election.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Axios and Vanity Fair

Fox News:
Nunes casts doubt on Mueller's findings about Papadopoulos tipster's Moscow links

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and The Last Refuge

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Trump Says He Discussed the ‘Russian Hoax’ in a Phone Call With Putin

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, Slate and CNN

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Sanders' dubious claim: Trump admin ‘takes election meddling seriously’

Discussion: Vox, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post and Washington Free Beacon

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Biden Thinks Trump Is the Problem, Not All Republicans. Other Democrats Disagree. — DUBUQUE, Iowa — As Joseph R. Biden Jr. made his way across Iowa on his first trip as a 2020 presidential candidate, the former vice president repeatedly returned to one term — aberration — when he referred to the Trump presidency.

Discussion: Contemptor, Washington Free Beacon, Fox News and The Daily Caller

Melanie Hamlett / Harper's BAZAAR:

Men Have No Friends and Women Bear the Burden — Toxic masculinity—and the persistent idea that feelings are a “female thing”—has left a generation of straight men stranded on emotionally-stunted island, unable to forge intimate relationships with other men. It's women who are paying the price.

Choe Sang-Hun / New York Times:

North Korea Launches Short-Range Projectiles, South Says — The move is likely to raise tensions as denuclearization talks with the United States remain stalled. — The South Korean military has used the term “projectile” when it was too soon to determine exactly what kind of missile had been deployed.

Discussion: Slate

Associated Press:
North Korea fires several short-range projectiles into sea

Discussion: Politico, CNN and Splinter, more at Mediagazer »

Graham Kates / CBS News:

John Kelly joins board of company operating largest shelter for unaccompanied migrant children — In April, protesters outside the nation's largest facility for unaccompanied migrant children noticed a familiar face enter the massive, fenced site in Homestead, Florida: former White House chief of staff John Kelly.

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, ImmigrationProf Blog, ABC News, The Week, New York Post, IJR, Daily Kos, Axios, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and Lawyers, Guns & Money

David Siders / Politico:

Democrats preview post-Trump plan: Executive orders — Presidential candidates once boasted about their ability to bridge Washington's partisan divide, and to accomplish great things by bringing together different factions. — But with Republicans favored to maintain control of the Senate in 2020 …

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

George K. Yin / Politico:

How to Get Trump's Tax Returns—Without a Subpoena — Congress' pursuit of President Donald Trump's tax returns is already hardening into a stalemate between the Democratic House and Trump's Treasury Department. In his April 23 letter to Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal …

Discussion: New York Times and POLITICUSUSA

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

The White House's latest attack on Mueller reveals an ugly truth about Trump — President Trump's latest position on the Mueller report is that it both totally exonerates him and is fatally flawed at its very core — because it doesn't totally exonerate him.

Discussion: Splinter, CNN and IJR

Max Boot / Washington Post:
This nation is at the mercy of a criminal administration

Discussion: Raw Story

Hunter Walker / Yahoo News:

A Facebook ‘army’ and freewheeling tweets: Inside the billion-dollar Trump 2020 campaign machine — ARLINGTON, Va. — Four years ago today, Donald Trump was poised to descend his golden escalator and begin a ride that would take him all the way to the Oval Office. As he prepared his campaign, Trump didn't have much of a team.

Dan Scanlan / Florida Times Union:

Airliner skids into St. Johns River at NAS Jacksonville — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate a passenger airplane that slid off the end of a runway Friday night and into the St. Johns River at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. — Base officials say the incident occurred …

Discussion: Task & Purpose and Associated Press

Harry Siegel / The Daily Beast:

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Unites the Nation: No One Wants Him to Run for President — Blame it—and everything—on Anthony Weiner. — To become mayor, he defeated a Republican who vowed to kill kittens to keep the trains running. — After complaining that New Yorkers didn't appreciate …

Discussion: Mediaite, Hmm Daily and Politico

Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:

Florida's Republican Legislature Votes to Nullify Popular Ballot Initiative Enfranchising Former Felons — In 2018, a supermajority of Floridians voted for a ballot initiative to restore former felons' voting rights. Florida's Republican legislature has voted to effectively nullify that vote …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Guardian, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mother Jones

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
Floridians Gave Ex-Felons the Right to Vote. Lawmakers Just Put a Big Obstacle in Their Way.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNN, Orlando Sentinel, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Vox and Politico

CNN:

Trump urges caution as Bolton and Pompeo tease a military intervention in Venezuela — Washington (CNN)After US expectations were dashed this week for a transition of power in Venezuela, President Donald Trump is urging caution among senior advisers moving forward and expressing frustration …

Discussion: New York Times and Politico

Joshua Goodman / Associated Press: AP Exclusive: US missed chance to woo Venezuela generals

Justin Caruso / Breitbart:

James Woods Banned from Twitter Amid Silicon Valley's Conservative Blacklisting Campaign — James Woods, one of the few conservative stars in Hollywood, has been locked out of his Twitter account for over a week now for “abusive behavior,” once again demonstrating the double standard …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Spectator USA, Politico, Althouse, Washington Press, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, New York Post, Joe.My.God., twitchy.com, Daily Wire, The Guardian and Mediaite

Jessica Chen Weiss / Washington Post:

No, China and the U.S. aren't locked in an ideological battle. Not even close. — Here are 3 things wrong with imagining we're in a “clash of civilizations.” — At a foreign policy forum last week, the State Department's Director of Policy Planning Kiron Skinner made some controversial remarks about the …

Discussion: Breitbart

Washington Post:

Trump's bipartisan infrastructure plan already imperiled as Mulvaney, GOP lawmakers object to cost — A $2 trillion infrastructure deal outlined this week by President Trump and top Democrats is already losing momentum, as the president's own chief of staff is telling people inside and outside …

Discussion: Raw Story, Political Wire and New York Post

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

The Anxiety of the $2,300-a-Night Hotel Room — Spending the equivalent of a down payment on a car for one night at the Japanese-inspired Nobu Ryokan in Malibu, the writer worried: Could he live up to his room? — 9 PhotosView Slide Show — › — Carbon Beach is a beguiling …

Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:

Exclusive: Army Investigating Soldier's Alleged Leadership In Neo-Nazi Terror Group — The Army private is allegedly a recent leader of the Atomwaffen Division, a violent white supremacist group. — An active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army is under investigation for his alleged leadership role …

Charles Gasparino / New York Post:

Experts predicted economic Armageddon under Trump — where are they now? — The economy is strong, unemployment is low and wages are rising, according to the latest economic data released Friday, which is in stark contrast to what the vast majority of elite economic opinion predicted just a few years ago from a Trump presidency.

Discussion: Spectator USA, Instapundit and Associated Press

Peter S. Goodman / New York Times:

Giannis Antetokounmpo Is the Pride of a Greece That Shunned Him — As the son of African immigrants, Antetokounmpo was unwelcome in Athens. Then he showed promise as a basketball star. — He is known as the Greek Freak, a basketball player of such transcendent ability that he has become celebrated …

ACRONYM:

FWIW: Where are they now? 🕵️‍♀ ️ — Welcome to FWIW, ACRONYM's weekly newsletter breaking down digital strategy and investments across the political spectrum. Each week, we look at how campaigns are - or aren't - leveraging smart digital strategies to drive narratives and win elections.