memeorandum: Trump Interview With Lester Holt: President Asked Comey If He Was Under Investigation (Corky Siemaszko/NBC News)

9:05 PM ET, May 11, 2017

Top Items:

Corky Siemaszko / NBC News:

Trump Interview With Lester Holt: President Asked Comey If He Was Under Investigation — President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview Thursday with NBC News' Lester Holt, called ousted FBI chief James Comey a “showboat” and revealed he asked Comey whether he was under investigation for alleged ties to Russia.

CNN:

White House: Removing Comey will help bring Russia investigation to end — (CNN)The White House said Thursday that removing FBI Director James Comey from his post may hasten the agency's investigation into Russian meddling. — “We want this to come to its conclusion …

Discussion: TheBlaze

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

In a Private Dinner, Trump Demanded Loyalty. Comey Demurred. — WASHINGTON — Only seven days after Donald J. Trump was sworn in as president, James B. Comey has told associates, the F.B.I. director was summoned to the White House for a one-on-one dinner with the new commander in chief.

Discussion: Axios

WJLA-TV:

Deputy AG Rosenstein: 'I'm not quitting,' didn't threaten to quit over Comey firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Thursday, May 11, 2017 that he's not quitting, nor did he threaten to quit over his role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey. (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — AA

NBC News:

Trump No Longer Expecting to Visit FBI Headquarters After Comey Firing: Officials — The White House has abandoned the idea of President Trump visiting FBI headquarters after being told he would not be greeted warmly, administration officials tell NBC News.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Joe.My.God. and Politicus USA

Jim Acosta / CNN:

White House furious after being trolled with Russia Oval Office photos — Washington (CNN)The White House did not anticipate that the Russian government would allow its state news agency to post photographs of an Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, Mashable, The Mahablog, Mediaite, Business Insider, Hot Air, IJR, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon, Conservative News Today and Gizmodo

Wall Street Journal:

Rosenstein Pressed White House to Correct the Record on Comey Firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein pressed White House counsel Don McGahn to correct what he felt was an inaccurate White House depiction of the events surrounding FBI Director James Comey's firing.

Discussion: Power Line, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Politico, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Ali Watkins / Politico:

Rosenstein meets with Senate Intel leaders after Comey firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was seen arriving at the Senate Intelligence Committee's secure office spaces Thursday afternoon. Sources told POLITICO Rosenstein had requested to meet with the Intelligence Committee leaders …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, portal.liberalamerica.org, The Nation, The Gateway Pundit, Vox, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Axios, ABC News, RedState, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, CBS News, IJR, Salon and Hullabaloo

Adrian Carrasquillo / BuzzFeed:

White House: “Oh My God, For The Billionth Time” Spicer Is Not Being Fired — Sources tell BuzzFeed News that press secretary Sean Spicer has drawn Trump's ire, and is sounding out aides and friends about replacing him. The White House pushed back hard on reports that Spicer's job is in danger.

Discussion: RedState

CBS News:

Source: There is “whole lot of interfering” in Russia investigation — Although President Trump has now stated and written that fired FBI Director James Comey told him on three separate occasions that he was not the subject of an investigation, sources cast doubt on that claim.

Discussion: HuffPost and Politicus USA

Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Trump Considering Ex-Congressman Mike Rogers for FBI Director, Official Says

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, New York Magazine, Axios, ThinkProgress and Political Wire

New York Times:
Acting F.B.I. director contradicts White House.

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, CBS News, Mashable, Politicaldog101.Com, New York Magazine, Joe.My.God., The Week and Washington Free Beacon

NBC Nightly News:
Watch Lester Holt's Extended Interview With President Trump

Discussion: Vox and Shareblue

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
President Trump just decimated the White House's entire Comey narrative

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, MSNBC, IJR, Mashable, Gizmodo and Raw Story

Edward Morrissey / The Fiscal Times:
The Comey Firing Proves We Need Two Special Counsels, Not One

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air, Above the Law and Washington Post

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
For Trump Supporters, the Real Outrage Is the Left's Uproar Over Comey

Discussion: National Review

Tara Palmeri / Politico:
In interview, Trump contradicts Pence on Comey

Discussion: ABC News, Shareblue, Washington Post, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, The Root, Mediaite, Daily Kos, The Atlantic, Axios and Washington Free Beacon

Brian Beutler / New Republic: Our Rendezvous With Authoritarianism Has Arrived

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Sources: Comey sought to expand Trump-Russia probe of former campaign officials

Discussion: Washington Post

Dara Lind / Vox:
Trump himself just confirmed his White House's story about Comey's firing was a lie

Discussion: Washington Post, Media Matters for America, US News, New York Post, CNBC, New York Magazine and Take Care Blog

Shane Savitsky / Axios:
Acting FBI Director: Trump-Russia probe “highly significant”

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Washington Post, New York Times, Just Security, Mother Jones and Vox

TIME.com:

From where the 45th President works, eats and sleeps, everything is going just great. Now if only everyone else would see it that way. A TIME exclusive — PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN FOR TIME — In a few minutes, President Donald Trump will release a new set of tweets …

Discussion: Eater, The Hill, Mashable, Washington Post, The Federalist, Gizmodo, Mediaite, RedState, Politicus USA, theGrio, No More Mister Nice Blog, AOL, Talking Points Memo, The Week, The Daily Caller and New York Magazine

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:

Trump Official: We ‘Let the Biggest Perpetrator of Fake News into the Oval Office’ … Senior members of the Trump administration are livid that the White House allowed the Russian government to steer the narrative of the president's Wednesday meeting with top Russian diplomats …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Economist:

What is Trumponomics and how does it differ from standard Republican economics? — Well it's an interesting question. I don't think it's ever been asked quite that way. But it really has to do with self-respect as a nation. It has to do with trade deals that have to be fair, and somewhat reciprocal, if not fully reciprocal.

Sarah Kliff / Vox:
Donald Trump has no idea what health insurance costs

Discussion: Political Wire, Business Insider, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, AOL, bradford-delong.com, Washington Post and CNBC

Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:

Trump wants ‘goddamned steam’ catapults on new aircraft carriers — President Trump said he has told the Navy to return to decades-old steam-powered catapult technology to launch aircraft from the new Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers, rather than use a new digital launch system.

Discussion: Political Wire, The National Interest, Gizmodo, Mother Jones, bradford-delong.com and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:

Trump Wants ‘Goddamned Steam,’ Not Digital Catapults on Aircraft Carriers — Navy officials were “blindsided” on Thursday, a spokesman told me, by President Donald Trump's suggestion that he has convinced the Navy to abandon a long-planned digital launching system in favor of steam on its newest aircraft carrier.

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
‘You have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out.’ Trump targets the Navy's new aircraft catapult

Discussion: New York Magazine

Martin Longman / Washington Monthly:

Trump Names Racist to Co-Chair Voter Fraud Commission — On paper, Kris Kobach is the kind of guy you'd like to marry your daughter. An Eagle Scout who graduated summa cum laude and first in his department at Harvard, went on to get M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from Oxford and a law degree from Yale …

Discussion: New York Times and Hullabaloo

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Trump creates voter-fraud panel that critics label a ‘sham’

Discussion: ABC News and Talking Points Memo

Ari Berman / The Nation:
Trump's Commission on ‘Election Integrity’ Will Lead to Massive Voter Suppression

Discussion: Kansas City Star, Media Matters for America, Shakesville and ThinkProgress

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
President Trump launches commission on ‘election integrity’

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Conway links Anderson Cooper's eye roll to sexism … White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Thursday appeared to accuse CNN's Anderson Cooper of sexism for rolling his eyes during an on-air interview with her. — “I face sexism a lot of times when I show up for interviews like that,” Conway said on “Fox & Friends.”

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, New York Magazine and TheBlaze

Dan Snierson / EW.com: Kellyanne Conway mocked in Family Guy Emmy campaign

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Trump Jr. shares tweet linking Clinton's firing of FBI director to death of Vince Foster

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Snopes.com and AOL

capitalgazette.com:

FBI raids office of Republican campaign consultant in Annapolis — The Baltimore Sun — The FBI raided the office of a Republican campaign consultant in Annapolis on Thursday, part of an investigation the firm's president said was tied to the 2013 Virginia governor's race.

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Magazine and IJR

Jayne Miller / WBAL:
FBI searching Annapolis GOP fundraising firm

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Medium, TheBlaze and twitchy.com

NBC News:
Trump Considering Former Rep. Mike Rogers for FBI Director

Discussion: Power Line, Politico and CNBC

Desiree Murphy / Entertainment Tonight:

EXCLUSIVE: Steve Harvey Speaks Out Following Leaked Email to Staff: 'I Don't Apologize About the Letter' — Steve Harvey is speaking out regarding the leaked memo he sent to staff, telling them not to “ambush” him in the hallways of his The Steve Harvey Show talk show.

Discussion: New York Times, Robert Feder and Raw Story