memeorandum: 2020 Democrats ramp up calls for Trump impeachment (Rachel Frazin/The Hill)

7:15 AM ET, May 30, 2019

Top Items:

White House Wanted USS John McCain ‘Out of Sight’ During Trump Japan Visit — The White House wanted the Navy to move a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain, a war hero who became a frequent target of President Trump's ire, ahead of the president's visit to Japan last week.

Washington Post:

White House wanted USS John S. McCain obscured during Trump's Japan visit — The White House asked Navy officials to obscure the USS John S. McCain while President Trump was visiting Japan, Pentagon and White House officials said Wednesday night. — A senior Navy official confirmed …

Discussion: Townhall, Fox News, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Guardian

New York Times:

White House Asked Navy to Hide McCain Warship — The White House asked the Navy to hide a destroyer named after Senator John McCain in order to avoid having the ship appear in photographs taken while President Trump was visiting Japan this week, White House and military officials said Wednesday.

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Raw Story and Fox News

Rich Lowry / Politico:

The Wayward Special Counsel — In the end, the by-the-book Robert Mueller wildly departed from the book. — He invented an extraconstitutional legal standard for his obstruction investigation and acted, at the very least, in violation of the spirit of the special counsel regulations.

Discussion: Washington Post, POLITICUSUSA, Breitbart and Progress Pond

David Frum / The Atlantic:

What the Mueller Report Actually Said — Robert Mueller has advised Americans to go back and actually read his report if we want to understand what happened in 2016. “We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself,” he said on Wednesday morning, speaking publicly for the first time since his appointment.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Raw Story and Quartz

Sean Davis / The Federalist:
Mueller Just Proved His Entire Operation Was A Political Hit Job That Trampled The Rule Of Law

Discussion: Big League Politics, Vox and The Guardian

Robert De Niro / New York Times:
Robert Mueller, We Need to Hear More

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Financial Times, The American Spectator, Informed Comment, IndieWire, Fox News, The Wrap, Breitbart, Deadline, Mediaite, Splinter and Vanity Fair

Alan Dershowitz / The Hill:
Shame on Robert Mueller for exceeding his role

Discussion: The Lid, PJ Media Home, Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
2020 Democrats ramp up calls for Trump impeachment

Discussion: The Atlantic, Observer, NPR, Fortune and Townhall

Ryan Goodman / Just Security: Mueller's Message: The Obstruction That Nearly Halted Criminal Case Against Russians

Andy Borowitz / New Yorker: Mueller Stirs Controversy by Urging Americans to Read

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Mueller: Trump Is Not Not a Criminal

Discussion: Washington Post and The Week

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Mueller Delivered a Message. Washington Couldn't Agree on What It Was. — WASHINGTON — At long last, the sphinx of Washington spoke on Wednesday, and here is what President Trump heard: “Case closed.” Here is what the president's adversaries heard: “Time to impeach.”

Discussion: Reason, Media Matters for America, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Post

William S. Cohen / Washington Post:

When will the Republican silence on Trump end? — William S. Cohen is a former Republican congressman, senator and defense secretary who served on the House Judiciary Committee in 1974 during the Watergate impeachment inquiry. — Now that Robert S. Mueller III has broken months of silence …

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story and Politico

Washington Post:
Mueller should have said this weeks ago

Discussion: Raw Story, Politico, Mother Jones and Fox News

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review: Mueller's Press Conference Makes the Impeachment Tightrope Tougher to Walk for Democrats

Kurt Bardella / NBC News:
Robert Mueller's statement made the Democrats look like cowards

Discussion: Bloomberg, Conservative Review and Politico

Miami Herald:

Federal prosecutors demand Cindy Yang records from Mar-a-Lago, Trump campaign — Federal prosecutors in Washington D.C. this week sent subpoenas to Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach, and Trump Victory, a political fundraising committee, demanding they turn …

Discussion: Politico, Vanity Fair, New York Post and Washington Post

Washington Post:

Israel will hold unprecedented second election after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to form a governing coalition — JERUSALEM — In an unprecedented move, Israel will head to elections for a second time in less than six months after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before a midnight deadline.

Discussion: Haaretz and Informed Comment

Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
Israel Moves to Hold New Election as Netanyahu Fails to Form a Coalition

Discussion: Townhall, The Week and Slate

Jacob Kornbluh / Jewish Insider: Here's why Israel is heading back to elections

Associated Press:
Netanyahu fails to form coalition; MKs vote for new elections on September 17

Discussion: middleeastmonitor.com, Breitbart and Jerusalem Post

John Solomon / The Hill:

Did Brits warn about Steele's credibility, before Mueller's probe? Congress has evidence — One of the deepest, darkest secrets of Russiagate soon may be unmasked. Even President Trump may be surprised. — Multiple witnesses have told Congress that, a week before Trump's inauguration in January 2017 …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Retrospective: Mueller and the fatal flaw of the Trump-Russia affair — It's not unusual to hear House Democrats vow to “get to the bottom” of the Trump-Russia matter — as if the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, with 500 witnesses, 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search-and-seizure warrants …

Discussion: The Guardian, Power Line, Instapundit, USA Today, Quartz and Financial Times

David Corn / Mother Jones: Mueller Reminds the Nation That Trump Betrayed the USA

Luke O'Neil / The Guardian:

US energy department rebrands fossil fuels as ‘molecules of freedom’ — Press release from department said increasing export capacity is ‘critical to spreading freedom gas throughout the world’ — America is the land of freedom, as any politician will be happy to tell you.

Discussion: Oil Change International and Power Line

Emily S. Rueb / New York Times:
The Next American Export: ‘Freedom Gas’

Discussion: ABC News, Grist, Slate, Common Dreams and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Lisa Richwine / Reuters:

Exclusive: Disney CEO says it will be ‘difficult’ to film in Georgia if abortion law takes effect — ANAHEIM, Calif. (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Bob Iger told Reuters on Wednesday it would be “very difficult” for the media company to keep filming in Georgia if a new abortion law takes effect …

Discussion: Variety, Fortune, New York Times, Splinter, The Verge, Deadline, The Week and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »

Abid Rahman / Hollywood Reporter: Bob Iger: “Very Difficult” For Disney to Work in Georgia If New Abortion Law Enacted

Elliot Hannon / Slate:

Louisiana's GOP-Controlled State Legislature Passes Restrictive Abortion Ban. Its Democratic Governor Says He'll Sign It. — The Louisiana state legislature, on Wednesday, joined the procession of conservative state legislatures challenging abortion rights, voting to pass …

Discussion: Washington Post, 89.3 KPCC and New York Times

Gregg Re / Fox News:
Louisiana governor, a Democrat, poised to sign ‘heartbeat’ abortion ban into law

Discussion: NBC News, FOX59 and Washington Post

Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times: Why the Fight Over Abortion Is Unrelenting

Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:

Worry About Facebook. Rip Your Hair Out in Screaming Terror About Fox News. — Novel forms of digital misinformation still pale in comparison with Fox News' full-time hall of mirrors. — At the risk of losing street cred as a tough-as-nails tech pundit, I'll confess that I couldn't muster …

Discussion: Techdirt, Lawfare, Opinion Today, VICE and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

James Arkin / Politico:

Roy Moore hits back at Trump in defiant interview — A defiant Roy Moore brushed aside Donald Trump's warning not to run for Senate again, telling POLITICO on Wednesday that Alabama voters are capable of deciding for themselves whether he's fit for office. — “The president doesn't control …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, FOX59 and New York Post

Sohrab Ahmari / Web Exclusives:

Against David French-ism — In March, First Things published a manifesto of sorts signed by several mostly youngish, mostly Roman Catholic writers, who argued that “there is no returning to the pre-Trump conservative consensus that collapsed in 2016,” that “any attempt to revive …

Discussion: The Bulwark

Amanda Mull / The Atlantic:

There Are Two Types of Airport People — It's not hard to spot people about to miss a flight. They're weaving between on-time travelers at a speed somewhere between a power walk and a sprint, or they're elbow-dancing their way to the front of the TSA line to plead their case for immediate screening.