memeorandum: When Is a “Literally True” Statement False and a Crime (Stephen Gillers/Just Security)

8:45 AM ET, May 23, 2019

Top Items:

Katie Rogers / New York Times:

How ‘Infrastructure Week’ Became a Long-Running Joke — WASHINGTON — At this point in the Trump presidency, “Infrastructure Week” is less a date on the calendar than it is a “Groundhog Day"-style fever dream doomed to be repeated. — Roughly two years after the White House first came …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Washington Post and The Mahablog

Grant Stern / Washington Press:

Trump appears to have just accidentally revealed he lied to Mueller in Rose Garden rant — It would appear that President Trump admitted that he lied in written answers given to Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his appearance at the White House this morning.

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Alex Shephard / New Republic:

Trump v. The “I” Word — As legal decisions go against the administration, the president appears caught in his own impeachment trap. — Add to Pocket — There is a theory—one bordering, in some circles, on conventional wisdom—that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump are in complete agreement about impeachment.

Discussion: New York Times, The Week, NBC News and Washington Post

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Why Pelosi is so good at infuriating Trump — Something about Nancy Pelosi just gets under Donald Trump's skin. — On Wednesday, for the third time in barely six months, a meeting between the president, the speaker and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blew up in spectacular fashion.

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story, Breitbart and Washington Post

Associated Press:

Trump's campaign centered on fighting Democrats, not policy — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump dropped the pretense of working with congressional Democrats on Wednesday and sent a clear message that his re-election campaign will be centered on condemning overzealous investigations rather …

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Poll: 60 percent say Trump should not be reelected — A new poll finds that a strong majority of voters believes that President Trump does not deserve a second term in office. — A Monmouth University survey released Wednesday found that only 37 percent of voters believe Trump should be reelected …

Colby Hall / Mediaite: Maria Bartiromo: ‘Is There Any Reason Why We Should Not Be Trusting President Trump?’

Associated Press:
3 minutes: Trump meeting with Democrats goes bust in a flash

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post and Political Wire

New York Times:
Trump, Angered by ‘Phony’ Inquiries, Blows Up Meeting With Pelosi and Schumer

Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
A Trump Twitter-style diatribe — live from the Rose Garden

Discussion: Mediaite, Conservative News Today, ABC News, Politico, UPI, Conservative Review, Mother Jones, The Root and The Week

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Trump seems to be transparently mad

Discussion: Axios, Daily Kos, Contemptor, Florida Politics and RealClearPolitics

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Pelosi goads Trump into another temper tantrum

Discussion: Power Line, The Hill and CNBC

Trish Turner / ABC News:
The story behind Pelosi's claim, that White House meeting and Trump's angry comments

Discussion: Politico, Media Matters for America, Breitbart, IJR and ThinkProgress

Cristina Marcos / The Hill:
Pelosi: Trump ‘cover-up’ could be ‘impeachable offense’

Discussion: Washington Post, Mashable, Mediaite and Associated Press

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Trump tells Dems to choose between oversight and legislating

Discussion: NBC News, Shareblue Media and The Week

Washington Post:

Putin out-prepared Trump in long, freewheeling meeting, Rex Tillerson told House panel — Former secretary of state Rex Tillerson told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Russian President Vladimir Putin out-prepared President Trump during a key meeting in Germany …

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN and The Week

NBC News:

Wells Fargo, TD Bank have already given Trump-related financial documents to Congress — The disclosures come as a federal judge ruled Wednesday that two other banks — Deutsche Bank and Capitol One — can give financial documents to Congress. — WASHINGTON — A key congressional committee …

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, CNN and The Guardian

CNBC:

Judge says Deutsche Bank, Capital One can give Trump financial records to House Democrats — KEY POINTS — A federal judge in New York City on Wednesday said Deutsche Bank and Capitol One can turn over financial documents related to President Donald Trump and his businesses in response to subpoenas from House Democrats.

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Gateway Pundit, Slate, VICE News and Mediaite

Brendan Pierson / HuffPost: Judge Rules Against Trump, Paves Way For Banks To Hand Over His Business Records To Congress

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:

Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Is Delayed Until Trump Leaves Office, Mnuchin Says — WASHINGTON — Harriet Tubman — former slave, abolitionist, “conductor” on the Underground Railroad — will not become the face of the $20 bill until after President Trump leaves office, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

Discussion: Washington Post, Slate, Mother Jones and Axios

Brian Naylor / NPR: Harriet Tubman On The $20 Bill? Not During The Trump Administration

Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:

America's Cities Are Unlivable. Blame Wealthy Liberals. — The demise of a California housing measure shows how progressives abandon progressive values in their own backyards. — To live in California at this time is to experience every day the cryptic phrase that George W. Bush once used …

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION

Jonathan Oosting / Detroit News:

DeVos family ends longtime Amash support — Lansing — The powerful DeVos family of West Michigan is ending its longtime support of U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, the libertarian Republican who has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump. — The family has not made any political contributions …

Discussion: MLive.com, Daily Kos, PJ Media Home, Big League Politics, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Axios and Splinter

Haley Byrd / CNN:
Justin Amash calls Trump ‘irresponsible’ after threat to block legislation amid investigations

Discussion: Big League Politics, Michigan Advance, The Hill, Florida Politics, Hullabaloo, The Daily Beast and Reuters

Washington Post:

While teaching, Elizabeth Warren worked on more than 50 legal matters, charging as much as $675 an hour — Sen. Elizabeth Warren worked on more than 50 legal matters during her career as a professor at Ivy League law schools, charging as much as $675 an hour to advise a variety of clients …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Emily Stewart / Vox:
“Elizabeth Warren called me!” is turning into a meme

Discussion: Center for Public Integrity, Axios, The Week and Daily Kos

Dan Alexander / Forbes:

The Truth Behind Trump Tower Moscow: How Trump Risked Everything For A (Relatively) Tiny Deal — It's getting late, and Felix Sater—a onetime Trump partner, two-time convicted felon and longtime federal informant—sits in the back of a New York City restaurant, ready for a drink.

Washington Post:

Faced with relentless American pressure, Iran starts to hit back — Iran has made a dramatic shift in how it confronts the United States, abandoning a policy of restraint in recent weeks for a series of offensive actions aimed at pushing the White House to rethink its efforts at isolating Tehran, say diplomats and analysts.

Michelle Alexander / New York Times:

My Rapist Apologized — I still needed an abortion. — My 12-year-old daughter recently asked me what I think about abortion. She walked into the kitchen, poked around the refrigerator, then spun around and blurted it out: “I can't decide what I think about abortion. I want to know what you think.”

Daily Mail:

AOC says growing cauliflower is ‘colonial’ as she insists community gardens central to her Green New Deal should be used to grow ‘culturally significant’ plants like yucca — They also pointed out that the Yucca, the plant she said was ‘culturally significant’ would struggle to grow in New York's colder climate

CNN:

Juncker lashes out at ‘stupid nationalists’ on eve of European elections — Brussels (CNN)European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has lashed out at “stupid nationalists” on the eve of European elections in which euroskeptic politicians are expected to make gains in the European Parliament.

Discussion: Politico and The Gateway Pundit

Joe Tacopino / New York Post:

Man allegedly hiding drugs in butt accidentally shoots himself in testicles — A bungling felon from Washington state made a series of blunders when he shot himself in the testicles and tried to hide the weapon — all while storing drugs in his anus, a report said Thursday.

Discussion: 444

Kansas City Star:

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says he will deploy with Navy, sources say — Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has told friends and supporters in recent weeks that he plans to deploy with the Navy to the Middle East in the fall and hopes his fourth book will be published later this year.

Douglas Hanks / Miami Herald:

Documents detail how Jerry Falwell Jr. went into South Beach venture with ‘pool boy’ — New court documents offer a peek into how evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr. wound up in the South Beach hotel business with a former Fontainebleau Hotel pool attendant — The latest twist involves a top aide …

CBS News:

A 10-year-old migrant girl died last year in government care, officials acknowledge — The federal agency that oversees the care of unaccompanied migrant children acknowledged to CBS News on Wednesday that a 10-year-old girl from El Salvador died in its custody Sept. 29, 2018.

Discussion: Political Wire, The Daily Beast, Splinter, UPI, The Week, CBS Dallas, Slate, New York Post, VICE News and The Daily Caller

Wall Street Journal:

Facebook Backs Away From the Hard Sell on Political Ads — Company leaders considered dropping such ads, which are now viewed as a headache — Facebook Inc. said it stopped paying commissions to employees who sell political ads, as the tech giant overhauls how it engages with campaigns ahead of elections in 2020.

Discussion: Political Wire

Associated Press:

Michael Avenatti charged with defrauding Stormy Daniels — NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Avenatti, the attorney who rocketed to fame through his representation of porn star Stormy Daniels in her battles with President Donald Trump, was charged Wednesday with ripping her off.

Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice, RedState, KTLA, Big League Politics, The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, Daily Wire and Splinter

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Canceled Fund-Raiser Prompts Question: Can a Democrat Oppose Abortion? — CHICAGO — A top Democratic official on Wednesday canceled a planned fund-raiser for an anti-abortion congressman that had prompted an outcry among progressives, raising the question of whether there is room left …

Discussion: Common Dreams, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Splinter, Axios and Associated Press

Victor Davis Hanson / American Greatness:

Federal Rats Are Fleeing the Sinking Collusion Ship — The entire Trump-Russia collusion narrative was always implausible. — One, the Washington swamp of fixers such as Paul Manafort and John and Tony Podesta was mostly bipartisan and predated Trump. — Two, the Trump administration's …