memeorandum: AXIOS On HBO: Jared Kushner (Season 2 Episode 1 Promo)

8:45 PM ET, May 31, 2019

Top Items:

Emily Tillett / CBS News:

Attorney General William Barr on caring about his reputation: “Everyone dies” — Looking back on his lengthy career as a top Department of Justice official, Attorney General William Barr doesn't seem fazed by critics questioning his relationship with President Trump and alleging he's …

Discussion: Big League Politics, VICE News, Talking Points Memo, Boing Boing, Law & Crime, Washington Free Beacon, Axios, Splinter and Balloon Juice

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

In Terrifying Interview, William Barr Goes Full MAGA — After the legal Establishment had granted him the benefit of the doubt, Attorney General William Barr has shocked his erstwhile supporters with his aggressive and frequently dishonest interventions on behalf of President Trump.

Discussion: RedState, The Last Refuge, The Gateway Pundit and The New Civil Rights Movement

CBS News:

William Barr interview: Read the full transcript — In an exclusive interview with “CBS This Morning,” Attorney General William Barr said he believes special counsel Robert Mueller could have reached a decision on whether President Trump committed obstruction of justice …

Elizabeth Warren / Medium:

No President Is Above the Law — When Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report was released on April 18, I sat down and read it. All 448 pages of it. I started reading it that afternoon, and I read all through the night and into the next morning. And when I got to page 448, three things were clear to me.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Beast, New York Times, Vox, Axios, TheBlaze, Breitbart, Bipartisan Report, ThinkProgress, Law & Crime, Joe.My.God., Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Observer, National Review, The Week, Daily Kos, Splinter and C-SPAN.org

New York Times:
Mueller Played by the Rules. Trump Made New Ones.

Discussion: twitchy.com

CBS News:
Barr says Justice Department and Mueller sparred over “legal analysis” in Russia report

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Bipartisan Report, Sean Hannity, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos and New York Post

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
William Barr Blasts Media For Ignoring Surveillance Against Trump Campaign

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Christopher Mele / New York Times:

11 Killed in Shooting at Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Officials Say — At least 11 people were killed and six others injured in a shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach on Friday afternoon, the police said. — Chief James Cervera said the gunman, who was a current city employee …

Discussion: Virginian-Pilot, BuzzFeed News, ABC News, WAVY-TV, Breitbart, Sputnik International, The Week, Mother Jones and Daily Wire

Julia Arciga / The Daily Beast:

11 Dead After Virginia Beach Employee Opens Fire at Work, Police Say — Firing ‘indiscriminately’ on several floors, a gunman shot more than a dozen people before exchanging fire with police who stopped him, authorities say. — Eleven people are dead after a city employee “indiscriminately fired” …

Discussion: Washington Post, Slate and VICE News

CNBC:

Mnuchin and Lighthizer were opposed to Trump tariffs on Mexico, source says — KEY POINTS — Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer opposed President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexico, according to a source close to the White House.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Slate and Contemptor

Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:

Just a few of the reasons that Trump's Mexico tariffs are deeply stupid — Amid calls for impeachment, a persistently underwater approval rating, subpoenas for financial records and an ever-growing list of scandals, the strong economy is pretty much the only thing President Trump has going for him right now.

Discussion: Axios, CNN and Fox News

NBC News:
GOP lawmakers, business groups slam Trump's Mexico tariff threat

Discussion: CNBC, Detroit Free Press, Shareblue Media, Bloomberg, Mediaite and ABC News

Washington Post:
Trump pushes ahead with plan to slap Mexico with tariffs even as lawmakers and businesses angrily protest

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Axios, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Daily Kos, Shareblue Media, Reuters, Politico and IJR

Washington Post:
Trump administration to send DHS agents, investigators to Guatemala-Mexico border

Discussion: Political Wire and CNN

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
A trade war with Mexico is more serious — and more political — than you might think

Discussion: Fox News, Dallas Morning News, Politico, Reason, New York Times and One America News Network

Washington Post:

Justice Department does not comply with court order to release transcripts of Michael Flynn's conversations with Russian ambassador — Federal prosecutors on Friday declined to make public transcripts of recorded conversations between Michael Flynn and Russia's ambassador to the United States in December 2016, despite a judge's order.

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:

Transcript released of Flynn voicemail from Trump lawyer showing possible attempt to obstruct — Washington (CNN)The Justice Department on Friday released a transcript of a call from Donald Trump's attorney John Dowd to Rob Kelner, Michael Flynn's lawyer, where he sought information about Flynn's discussions with the special counsel.

Discussion: Daily Kos and New York Post

Bloomberg:
Trump Lawyer Sought ‘Heads Up’ From Flynn, Transcript Shows

Discussion: Axios

Alan Dershowitz / The Hill:

Supreme Court could overrule an unconstitutional impeachment — President Trump has said that if the House were to impeach him despite his not having committed “high crimes and misdemeanors,” he might seek review of such an unconstitutional action in the Supreme Court.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Hullabaloo and Vox

Luiz Romero / Quartz:

Italy is evicting Steve Bannon from the medieval monastery he planned to turn into a far-right training academy — The Italian government has delivered a potentially fatal blow to Steve Bannon's plans to transform a medieval monastery near Rome into a training academy for the far-right.

Discussion: Boing Boing and Splinter

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:

Fox News Host Laura Ingraham Defends White Supremacist and Anti-Semite — Laura Ingraham defended a famed white supremacist known for brazen racism and anti-Semitism as a “prominent voice censored by social media” — Ingraham kicked off her segment Thursday night with a defense of literal fake news …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Right Wing Watch, Media Matters for America, twitchy.com, Talking Points Memo, Splinter and Alternet.org

Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Fox News stands by Laura Ingraham after she defends white supremacist, other extremists on her prime time show

Discussion: Media Matters for America, The Daily Beast, Deadline, Joe.My.God., Mediaite and The Week

Wall Street Journal:

Justice Department Is Preparing Antitrust Investigation of Google — The Justice Department is preparing an antitrust investigation into Google's practices related to search and other business, sources say.

more at Techmeme »

New York Post:

De Blasio blames his staff for missing 9/11 memorial event — Mayor de Blasio placed the blame on his staff Friday after the presidential hopeful failed to appear a memorial event held for those who died from toxic exposure to Ground Zero after 9/11. — A spokeswoman for de Blasio said Friday …

Discussion: twitchy.com and The Daily Caller

Gabe Cohn / New York Times:

The Mueller Report Will Be Read Live This Weekend — Taylor Mac, Oskar Eustis and Eisa Davis will be among those participating at the event in Queens. — Americans who wish to read the findings of the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III already have a wealth of options.

Discussion: Alternet.org

Colby Hall / Mediaite: Maggie Haberman: Trump Was Unsettled by Mueller on TV Because He Hasn't Read the Report

Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:

The New Trove of Secret Gerrymandering Files Will Be a Nightmare for the GOP — In February, attorneys challenging North Carolina's legislative gerrymander notified the defendants, a group of Republican leaders in the legislature, that they'd issued a subpoena.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Progressive Pulse, The Week and CANNONFIRE

Carla Herreria / HuffPost:

Here Are The Companies Threatening To Leave Georgia Over Its New Abortion Law — Film and TV giants are threatening to take business away from the state over its so-called “heartbeat bill.” — Georgia's newly minted abortion law may have a dire effect on the state's economy.

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:

Leaked Navy emails show top officers struggling with how to handle a former governor ensnared in scandal — The year was just beginning when a Trump administration official contacted the Navy with a question about former Missouri governor Eric Greitens, a veteran of the wars in Iraq …

Discussion: Task & Purpose

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Trump's approval rating hits highest point in two years — President Trump's job approval rating is the highest it's been in two years, boosted by voter optimism about the economy, according to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey. — The survey found that 48 percent approve …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Daily Caller

The Daily Beast:

Team Obama Tells Iran: Don't Escalate, Don't Take Trump's Bait — As tensions with Iran heat up, former Obama administration officials have quietly urged government officials there to keep their cool. — As the Trump administration sent warplanes and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf …

Discussion: Townhall, Breitbart, Algemeiner.com, TheBlaze, Daily Wire and Conservative Review

Andy Marlette / Pensacola News Journal:

In musing about executing gay Floridians, Mike Hill proves himself unfit for office — Florida State Rep. Mike Hill was asked about legislation that would sentence gay men to death. This was his response. — CONNECT — In less than 30 seconds of audio from his recent meeting …

Discussion: The Capitolist, The New Civil Rights Movement, Joe.My.God. and Splinter

The Sun:

I BACK BORIS Donald Trump wades into Tory leadership race saying Boris Johnson would do a ‘very good job’ — DONALD Trump today throws his weight behind Boris Johnson to be Britain's next PM — and reveals other Tory leadership hopefuls have also begged for his backing.

Discussion: CNN, CNBC, Joe.My.God., New York Post and The Guardian

Dan Petrella / Chicago Tribune:

Illinois House approves marijuana legalization bill backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker — The last scheduled day of the Illinois General Assembly's spring session, May 31, 2019, is decision day for a host of still unresolved items from new Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's ambitious agenda. — Privacy Policy

Discussion: National Review and Capitol Fax.com

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:

Grand jury still interested in Roger Stone and the 2016 GOP convention — Roger Stone receives November trial date — Washington (CNN)The Mueller investigation witness longest known to have refused testifying finally spoke to a secret federal grand jury Friday about conservative political …

Discussion: Law & Crime and emptywheel

CNN:

Trump warned of ‘wolf packs’ of adolescent criminals, undercutting his recent criticism of Biden — How Donald Trump is doing Joe Biden a great favor — (CNN)President Donald Trump this week criticized Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for his role in passing “tough on crime” …

Discussion: Washington Post, Breitbart and New York Times

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:

Doug Collins suspects ex-FBI leaker is Peter Strzok — A top Republican wants to know if a high-ranking FBI official who leaked “sensitive” information and improperly accepted a gift from the media was Peter Strzok, the former FBI agent who is well known for his text messages displaying a negative opinion of President Trump.

Discussion: Townhall, House Judiciary Committee, American Greatness, Breitbart, Diamond & Silk and The Hill

Courier-Journal:

Kentucky Lt. Gov. Hampton asks for prayers against ‘dark forces’ in Bevin administration — Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton asked Kentuckians for prayers against “dark forces” inside Gov. Matt Bevin's administration on Friday, after she said another member of her staff was fired.

Discussion: WPSD Local 6WPSD Local 6

Julia Jacobo / ABC News:

Golden retriever named Mueller is mayor of Southern California town — Mueller the golden retriever is almost as famous as special counsel Robert Mueller. Almost. — Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, or Max for short, has been the mayor of the Southern California town of Idyllwild since 2014.

Discussion: Boing Boing

Ursula Perano / Axios:

Trump announces date, location for official 2020 launch — Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Friday that he will be holding his official 2020 campaign launch at the 20,000 seat Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on June 18, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence.

Discussion: RedState, New York Times and CNN