memeorandum: U.S. Deploys Forces to Mideast to Deter Iran (Wall Street Journal)

12:25 AM ET, May 6, 2019

Top Items:

Michael Tackett / New York Times:

Trump Objects to Mueller Testifying Before Congress — WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Sunday that the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, should not testify before Congress, setting up another confrontation with Democrats over presidential authority and the separation of powers.

Discussion: Jezebel, RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Bloomberg, Little Green Footballs and The Daily Caller

Hugh Hewitt / Washington Post:

Democrats have done Republicans a huge favor — After the release of the report written by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, Democrats had two options: They could either attempt to inflate the narrative of obstruction of justice that the special counsel hinted at but did not act upon …

Zachary Basu / Axios:

House Democrat walks back Mueller's “tentative” agreement to testify on May 15 — After claiming on Fox News Sunday that the House Judiciary Committee and a representative for special counsel Robert Mueller have agreed to a “tentative date” of May 15 for Mueller to testify, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said that was not the case.

Discussion: Raw Story

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
Trump furiously demands Mueller not appear before House Judiciary Committee in Twitter meltdown

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, RedState and Rolling Stone

Quint Forgey / Politico:
Trump: ‘Mueller should not testify’

Discussion: The Hill, twitchy.com, New York Post, The Guardian and Daily Wire

CNN:
Trump reverses course, says Mueller ‘should not testify’ before Congress

Discussion: Washington Press, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Week and New York Post

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
In reversal, Trump says Mueller ‘should not testify’ before Congress

Discussion: Slate and Daily Kos

Axios:

Scoop: Inside a top Trump adviser's fundraising mirage — A political organization run by David Bossie, President Trump's former deputy campaign manager, has raised millions of dollars by saying it's supporting Trump-aligned conservative candidates — but has spent only a tiny fraction of that money supporting candidates.

Discussion: Campaign Legal Center, Splinter and Raw Story

Axios:
Elderly Bossie donors say they thought they were helping Trump

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

Asked if a Woman Can Win, 2020 Candidates Offer an Easy Answer: ‘I Have’ — CRESTON, Iowa — Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York had a request: Before anyone mocked her claim that she was the Democratic presidential candidate best positioned to take on President Trump, at least listen to the evidence.

Discussion: CNN

Marisa Fernandez / Axios:

Bernie Sanders rolls out “Roosevelt style trust-busting” agriculture plan — 2020 Democrat Bernie Sanders unveiled a multi-faceted, comprehensive plan to help revitalize rural farming communities and break up big agriculture corporations like Bayer-Monsanto and John Deere by enacting “Roosevelt style trust-busting laws.”

Discussion: One America News Network and Politico

David Weigel / Washington Post:
The Trailer: Why the world is missing from the Democratic primary

Discussion: CNN, Informed Comment and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Adam Kelsey / ABC News:
Sanders pushes back against Biden's claim he's the ‘most progressive’ candidate in the Democratic field

Discussion: The Week, Political Wire and New York Post

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Deploys Forces to Mideast to Deter Iran — The U.S. is deploying a carrier strike group and a number of bombers to the Middle East to serve as a deterrent to Iran based on new intelligence that suggests allied interests and American forces could be imperiled.

Discussion: The Guardian, Splinter and Political Wire

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Navy strike group deployed to send ‘message’ to Iran — The U.S. military is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Central Command region in the Middle East to send a “clear and unmistakable message” to Iran, national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement Sunday.

Discussion: Axios, Breitbart, The Last Refuge, One America News Network and New York Times

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress: The forgotten history of how Abraham Lincoln helped rig the Senate for Republicans

New York Times:

Trump Names Mark Morgan, Former Head of Border Patrol, to Lead ICE — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Sunday named Mark Morgan, a former Obama administration official who has aligned himself with some of Mr. Trump's hard-line positions on border security, as the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Molly O'Toole / Los Angeles Times:
Trump taps Mark Morgan, former Obama Border Patrol chief, to head ICE

Discussion: Vox, The Guardian, The Daily Caller and Deadline

Washington Post:
Trump taps Mark Morgan, former Obama official who supports border wall, to head ICE

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Slate, CNN, ABC News, NPR, Rolling Stone and Splinter

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump names ex-Obama Border Patrol chief new head of ICE

Discussion: Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, Breitbart and Politico

Washington Post:

Trump says he will increase tariffs on Chinese goods on Friday as he complains about pace of trade talks — President Trump said Sunday that he will increase tariffs on Chinese imports on Friday, unexpectedly setting what appears to be a new deadline to produce a comprehensive deal or trigger …

Discussion: Townhall

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump says tariffs on China will be increased to 25% as trade talks stall

Discussion: The Guardian, One America News Network, Politico and New York Post

Anna Fifield / Washington Post:
Beijing's one-child policy is gone. But many Chinese are still reluctant to have more.

Discussion: Althouse

Will Bunch / Philly.com:

Trump's diabolical plan to blow up democracy, get reelected and avoid jail just might work — How did Donald Trump's most recent week go? — Let's see ... his recently handpicked attorney general William Barr was accused of committing a crime by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and seems on the brink of a contempt of Congress citation.

Discussion: Fox News, HuffPost, New York Post, Washington Free Beacon and New York Times

New York Times:

In Tiger Woods, Trump Finds a Hero and a Business Opportunity — WASHINGTON — Ever since Tiger Woods arrived on the public stage as a golf phenom at the age of 21, Donald J. Trump has been cultivating him as a celebrity who could add a sheen to his properties around the globe.

Shonda Rhimes / TIME:

Most Influential People — Loving Michelle Obama wasn't much of a choice. It was something that came naturally, because of how she carried herself. Because she resembled us and was moving in spaces where, as black Americans, we weren't exactly meant to be, she seemed so powerful.

CNN:

Anatomy of a smear: How far-right websites spread a fake story about Pete Buttigieg — (CNN)This is a story about how political operatives tried to take down a presidential candidate, and ended up just humiliating themselves. — It's also a story about how a smear was spread by right-wing websites …

Andrew Carey / CNN:

600 rockets fired from Gaza, Israel responds with airstrikes — Israel defense forces strike dozens of targets in Gaza — Jerusalem (CNN)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “massive attacks against terrorist elements” in Gaza will continue after militants in the coastal enclave …

Discussion: Daily Wire, Mediaite and Jerusalem Post

Zack Budryk / The Hill:

Red Sox manager to skip White House visit — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will not visit the White House this week to celebrate the team's 2018 World Series win, citing the Trump administration's handling of hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, according to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día.

Discussion: One America News Network, Rolling Stone, Breitbart and Mediaite

Bradley D. Hays / Washington Post:

What William Barr misses about presidential accountability — Presidents can't be allowed to break the law. — Last week, Attorney General William P. Barr testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on his apparent attempt to whitewash special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's findings …

Human Events:

WATCH: Actor Tom Arnold in Bizarre ‘Pro-Nazi’ Tirade. — Watch as the Hollywood wash up declares fealty to murderous anti-Semites over President Trump — Leftist actor Tom Arnold told a group of young conservatives outside Craig's restaurant in Los Angeles that he would prefer to vote …