memeorandum: Justice Department drops insider trading investigations of three senators (NBC News)

8:00 AM ET, May 27, 2020

Top Items:

Elizabeth Dwoskin / Washington Post:

Twitter labels Trump's tweets with a fact-check for the first time — The action comes after years of criticism that social media companies have allowed the president to push misinformation unchecked — Twitter on Tuesday slapped a fact-check label on President Trump's tweets for the first time …

Peter Wehner / The Atlantic:

The Malignant Cruelty of Donald Trump — “I'm asking you to intervene in this instance because the President of the United States has taken something that does not belong to him—the memory of my dead wife—and perverted it for perceived political gain.” — There may be a more damning thing that's …

Discussion: Variety, New York Times, Patterico's Pontifications, The Guardian, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Jezebel and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »

Makena Kelly / The Verge:

Twitter labels Trump tweets as ‘potentially misleading’ for the first time — Only two tweets about California have received the label — On Tuesday, Twitter labeled two tweets from President Donald Trump making false statements about mail-in voting as “potentially misleading.”

Discussion: Conservative News Today, Donald J. Trump for President, Fox News and The Hill

New York Post:

The hidden risk in Donald Trump's tweets — Again Tuesday, the president of the United States decided to suggest that a TV morning-show host committed murder. — That is a depressing sentence to type. — But backlash across the spectrum about Donald Trump tweeting baseless conspiracy theories …

Washington Post:
Trump doubles down on conspiracy theory about woman's death, ignoring grieving widower's plea for peace

Discussion: The Hill, NPR, CNN, Vox, New York Post, Breitbart and Sputnik News

New York Times:
Twitter Refutes Inaccuracies in Trump's Tweets About Mail-In Voting

Discussion: Discourse Blog, Wall Street Journal, Townhall, Mother Jones and Raw Story

Will Steakin / ABC News:
Despite widower's plea, Trump doubles down on murder conspiracy theory targeting cable news host

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo and Breitbart

Bob Brigham / Raw Story: JusticeForCarolyn trends on Twitter as pressure mounts on Jack Dorsey to rein in Trump

Sewell Chan / Los Angeles Times:
Twitter's refusal to delete Trump's tweets about Lori Klausutis is disgraceful

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post and The Guardian

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump's 2016 campaign brass warns he's in trouble in 2020 — David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski, two key allies and former political advisers to Donald Trump, went to the White House last week to issue him a warning: The president was slipping badly in swing states, and he needed to do something to fix it.

Discussion: KDFX-TV

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:

“This Is So Unfair to Me”: Trump Whines About His COVID-19 Victimhood as Campaign Flails — Raging at campaign manager Brad Parscale and Joe Scarborough, Trump attempts a campaign reset. But “Trump can't pivot to a different strategy,” says an adviser. Because he's the problem.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Raw Story and New York Times

Nancy Cook / Politico: ‘Why are you not burying him?’: Trump allies fret over rising Biden threat

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News: Richard Grenell accuses Politico of ‘fake news’ over report that he's joining Trump campaign

Wall Street Journal:

A Presidential Smear — Trump imitates the Steele dossier in attacks on Joe Scarborough. — By The Editorial Board — Donald Trump sometimes traffics in conspiracy theories—recall his innuendo in 2016 about Ted Cruz's father and the JFK assassination—but his latest accusation …

Discussion: Mediaite and Raw Story

Robert A. George / New York Daily News:

Cooped up: A shameful Central Park encounter demands all New Yorkers be better people — In the latest episode of the everyday-fresh-hell that is New York City under quarantine, one white female, Amy Cooper, was caught on video calling the cops on one black male, Christian Cooper.

Discussion: Audubon, New York Post, Breitbart, Spectator USA and CityLab

Sarah Maslin Nir / New York Times:

White Woman Is Fired After Calling Police on Black Man in Central Park — Video of the incident touched off intense discussions about the history of black people being falsely reported to the police. — The incident appears to have begun as one of those banal and brusque dust-ups between two New Yorkers.

Discussion: Wealth Management, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, KDFX-TV, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, New York Post, Mediaite, NBC New York and Jezebel

Nylah Burton / The Independent:
It looks like Amy Cooper, the white woman in the viral Central Park video, is a liberal. That's important

Discussion: The Bulwark, TheBlaze and The Sun

Hayley Miller / HuffPost:

4 Minneapolis Police Officers Fired Over George Floyd Death — The move comes after a video showed an officer kneeling on the neck of Floyd, an unarmed Black man, on Monday. — Four Minneapolis police officers were fired Tuesday following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died …

Discussion: Washington Post, Common Dreams, KSTP-TV, PBS NewsHour, The Week and Daily Kos

Jared Goyette / The Guardian:
Hundreds demand justice in Minneapolis after police killing of George Floyd

Discussion: MPR News, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, Fox News and Axios

Libor Jany / Star Tribune: Minneapolis police, protesters clash almost 24 hours after George Floyd's death in custody

Aruna Viswanatha / Wall Street Journal:

Justice Department Closing Insider-Trading Investigations Into Three U.S. Senators — Probe into trading earlier this year by Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina continues — The Justice Department is closing investigations into three U.S. senators for stocks trades made shortly …

Discussion: NBC News, NPR, Axios, The Daily Beast, The Gateway Pundit, The Sun, ABC News, Raw Story, The Hill, Law & Crime, Fox News, CNBC, Breitbart, Politico, The Week, Townhall, KDFX-TV, Talking Points Memo, Roll Call, IJR, The Daily Caller and New York Post

NBC News:

Justice Department drops insider trading investigations of three senators — The Justice Department has closed insider trading investigations into three senators who sold off stocks following early briefings on the coronavirus, aides told NBC News. — A spokesman for Sen. Kelly Loeffler …

Discussion: Oklahoman.com and Raw Story

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Ex-Pompeo staffers asked to sign letter against ‘smear campaign’ — Former House staffers to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are being asked to sign a letter offering him support after a “smear campaign” that he and his wife asked staffers to carry out trivial tasks such as bringing him lunch or getting his dry cleaning.

Discussion: Politico

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Mike Pompeo Is the Worst Secretary of State Ever — Where's the Republican uproar over what's gone on under his watch? — If you thought the volume on the Trump-Twitter-Fox noise distraction machine was turned up extra loud in the past few weeks, it was not only to deflect attention …

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Pompeo's ‘Madison Dinners’ aren't scandalous. I went to one.

Discussion: Politico

Helen Branswell / STAT:

New research rewrites history of when Covid-19 took off in the U.S. — and points to missed chances to stop it — New research has poured cold water on the theory that the Covid-19 outbreak in Washington state — the country's first — was triggered by the very first confirmed case of the infection in the country.

Chip Brownlee / Alabama Political Reporter:

“We're surging:” Alabama reports largest COVID-19 increases to date — Alabama saw its largest single-day increase in new COVID-19 cases Monday, according to the state, as daily case counts continue an upward trend and hospitals across the state report increasing hospitalizations.

Jeremy Herb / CNN:

Trump tweet throws House vote on government surveillance powers into doubt — Hurd slams FISA court abuses: ‘Absolutely outrageous’ — (CNN)A House vote to reauthorize national security surveillance authorities that have been expired since March was thrown into doubt on Wednesday following …

Politico: Kevin McCarthy asks Dems to pull FISA bill

Associated Press:

AP-NORC poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine — Only about half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Seung Min Kim / Washington Post:

Grassley says White House response on IG firings insufficient — A senior Senate Republican criticized the White House late Tuesday for what he deemed an insufficient response to demands from senators to more fully explain President Trump's controversial recent ousters of two inspectors general.

Discussion: ABC News and Associated Press

Maggie Fox / CNN:

Antibody tests for Covid-19 wrong half the time, CDC says — (CNN)Antibody tests used to determine if people have been infected in the past with Covid-19 might be wrong up to half the time, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in new guidance posted on its website.

USA Today:

As pandemic bore down, Rep. Phil Roe snatched up Zoom shares, unloaded stock in cruise lines — NASHVILLE — With a global pandemic threatening to hit the United States earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Phil Roe made hundreds of financial transactions, buying stocks in companies now working …

Discussion: The Hill

Washington Post:

D.C. will likely reopen Friday after city changes key thresholds for reopening — D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is expected Wednesday to announce the gradual reopening of the capital, saying the city has been meeting key thresholds to contain new coronavirus infections.

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

California DA launches investigation into Tara Reade testimony — The Monterey County District Attorney's office has launched an investigation into whether Tara Reade lied on the witness stand while acting as an expert witness. — Reade, under the name Alexandra McCabe …

Andrew Desiderio / Politico:

Marco Rubio zeroes in on Russia — not Obama — Donald Trump's allies on Capitol Hill are pushing aggressive new investigations targeting the president's political opponents. Marco Rubio isn't joining the fray. — As Rubio assumes the acting chairmanship of the Senate Intelligence Committee …

Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:

Trump calls mask wearing ‘politically correct,’ Biden calls him a ‘fool’ — President Trump dismissed a mask-wearing reporter as being “politically correct” on Tuesday while the presumptive Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, called him a “fool” for mocking their use.

Discussion: Axios and Vox

Tim Burke / COURIER:

WATCH: 10 Local TV Stations Pushed the Same Amazon-Scripted Segment — The package was produced by Amazon spokesperson Todd Walker. — Amazon is taking proactive action ahead of Wednesday's annual shareholders meeting—at which investors plan on demanding the company address worker safety issues …

Discussion: The Verge, TVNewser, VICE and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

FiveThirtyEight:

Don't Expect A Quick Recovery. Our Survey Of Economists Says It Will Likely Take Years. — All across the country, the gears of the economy are grinding slowly and creakily into motion. Retail stores are newly open for in-person shopping in California. It's possible to get a much-needed haircut in Alabama.

Brian Mann / NPR:

Trump Team Killed Rule Designed To Protect Health Workers From Pandemic Like COVID-19 — When President Trump took office in 2017, his team stopped work on new federal regulations that would have forced the healthcare industry to prepare for an airborne infectious disease pandemic like COVID-19.