memeorandum: Trump's Expected Pick for Top USDA Scientist Is Not a Scientist (Jessica Huseman/ProPublica)

11:05 AM ET, May 13, 2017

Top Items:

White House Staff React in Real-Time as Trump Tweets: ‘Jesus’ … It was 7:51 a.m. eastern time on a Friday, and the president was angrily tweetstorming again. — This time, it was about “Fake News,” “the Russians,” China and beef, James Comey and “tapes,” and his sometimes hapless White House staff.

Discussion: Politicus USA, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

President Trump Craves Loyalty, but Offers None — It is often at moments of crisis that Americans get the clearest glimpses of a president's character, and this week they had the chance to learn a good deal about the true Donald Trump after his abrupt decision to fire James Comey, the F.B.I. director.

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, emptywheel, Politicus USA, The Guardian, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Real Clear Politics, Mediaite, The Atlantic, Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, The Daily Caller and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:
A Look at the Candidates Trump Is Considering to Head the F.B.I.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., The Guardian, Above the Law and The Atlantic

Chris Smith / Vanity Fair:
Inside Trump's Coming War with the F.B.I.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Justin Miller / The Daily Beast:
Did Donald Trump's Dinner With FBI Boss James Comey Break the Law?

Discussion: Business Insider, MSNBC, Shareblue, Washington Post, HuffPost, USA Today, The Mahablog, Mediaite, Daily Mail, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Political Insider blog, Talking Points Memo and Common Dreams

Joe DePaolo / Mediaite:
‘It Took My Breath Away’: Chris Wallace Offers Stunning, Must-Watch Critique of Trump White House

Discussion: The Week

Wall Street Journal:
Trump Weighs Shake-Up of Press Team

Discussion: Political Wire

Alan Dershowitz / Washington Examiner:
Trump did not obstruct justice in firing James Comey

Discussion: Politico and Conservative News Today

Wall Street Journal:

Former Trump Adviser Paul Manafort's Bank Records Sought in Probe — Federal investigators looking into Russian election interference requested information; New York investigators also examining his real-estate transactions — The Justice Department last month requested banking records …

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, Politicaldog101.Com and Political Wire

Adam Davidson / New Yorker:

The Senate Starts to Look at Trump's Businesses — I spoke recently to a longtime business associate of Donald Trump's, and asked his thoughts about the various investigations into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. He laughed and said that there is no way Trump could have been part of such a conspiracy.

Discussion: Vox and Talking Points Memo

Wall Street Journal:

Financial-Crimes Monitor to Share Records in Trump-Russia Probe — Senate committee requested the data from Treasury's FinCEN — WASHINGTON—A Treasury Department unit that specializes in combating money-laundering will share financial records with an expanding Senate probe …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Business Insider and Reuters

New York Times:

‘Looking Like a Liar or a Fool’: What It Means to Work for Trump — WASHINGTON — President Trump has never shown any reluctance to sacrifice a surrogate to serve a short-term political need, so he apparently did not think twice this week about exposing a series of staff members to ridicule …

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post, Mediaite, Daily Kos, CNN, Gizmodo and CBS Miami

Sydney Ember / New York Times:

Sinclair Requires TV Stations to Air Segments That Tilt to the Right — They are called “must-runs,” and they arrive every day at television stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group — short video segments that are centrally produced by the company. Station managers around the country …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump meltdown sets off GOP alarms over 2018 midterm — CORONADO, Calif. — With the White House in meltdown mode, top Republican Party officials and operatives gathered at a posh oceanside resort here and contemplated a 2018 midterm election that will test them in unimaginable ways.

Discussion: Political Wire

Steven Rosenfeld / Alternet:

Donald Trump's Financial Ties to Russian Oligarchs and Mobsters Detailed In Explosive New Documentary from the Netherlands — Dutch TV did what no American TV network dares, suggesting Trump's past includes illegal racketeering. — Donald Trump's business partners have included Russian oligarchs …

Discussion: Raw Story

Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:

This is not a crisis, Republicans say as a large spider slowly devours them — I would recognize a crisis if it were happening. — When the president seized me, stunned me with his venom and covered me with digestive fluid from his chelicerae, I was initially taken aback …

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:

Hannity: Trump Should End Press Briefings and ‘Tweet Out All of His Accomplishments’ Instead — Sean Hannity opened his show with a monologue attacking the mainstream media, but this time he used the opportunity to voice his support for President Donald Trump ending those daily press briefings.

Discussion: Salon, Raw Story, Shareblue, CNBC and Geller Report, more at Mediagazer »

Brad Reed / Raw Story:
‘No one can talk sense into him’: CNN guest says even Ivanka seems to have lost control of President Trump

Discussion: AOL

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Trump threatens to cancel White House briefings because it is ‘not possible’ …

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Trump suggests WH ‘not have press conferences’ unless he does them himself

Discussion: Conservative News Today, New York Times, Fox News Insider, Daily Mail, Politico, Axios, twitchy.com, Hot Air, Washington Post, Associated Press, Mediaite and The Week

Jessica Huseman / ProPublica:

Trump's Expected Pick for Top USDA Scientist Is Not a Scientist — The USDA's research section studies everything from climate change to nutrition. Under the 2008 Farm Bill, its leader is supposed to serve as the agency's “chief scientist” and be chosen “from among distinguished scientists …

Kenneth Chang / New York Times:

NASA Denies Trump's Request to Send Astronauts Past the Moon on New Rocket — When NASA launches its new big rocket for the first time — more than a year and a half from now, at the earliest — there will be no astronauts along for the ride. — In February, at the request of the Trump administration …

Discussion: The FADER

Austin Wright / Politico:

Comey declines to testify before Senate committee — Ousted FBI Director James Comey will not appear in a closed session before the Senate Intelligence Committee next Tuesday. — Comey had been invited by Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and top Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia.

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, CNN, Power Line, The Talking Dog, IJR, Liberal Values and Washington Free Beacon

Ramesh Ponnuru / National Review:
Trump vs. the Russia Investigations

Discussion: Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications and Bloomberg

Shannon Vavra / Axios:
Comey turns down Senate invite, won't testify next week

Discussion: Hot Air, ABC News, Politico, Political Wire and National Newswatch

Avi Selk / Washington Post:

The New Yorker drew Comey being dragged off a plane. The United passenger's lawyer critiqued it. — Thomas Demetrio is no art critic; he's the attorney for David Dao — whom you and probably the rest of the world saw dragged off a United Airlines flight last month.

Discussion: CNN, Althouse and TheBlaze

Marc Fisher / Washington Post:

Trump has a long history of secretly recording calls, according to former associates — Throughout Donald Trump's business career, some executives who came to work for him were taken aside by colleagues and warned to assume that their discussions with the boss were being recorded.