The Commentariat -- June 3, 2018

The Absolute Power of King Donald

... Richard Nixon, speaking for the Trump defense ...

** Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's lawyers have for months quietly waged a campaign to keep the special counsel from trying to force him to answer questions in the investigation into whether he obstructed justice, asserting that he cannot be compelled to testify and arguing in a confidential letter that he could not possibly have committed obstruction because he has unfettered authority over all federal investigations. In a brash assertion of presidential power, the 20-page letter -- sent to the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III [in January 2018], and obtained by The New York Times -- contends that the president cannot illegally obstruct any aspect of the investigation into Russia's election meddling because the Constitution empowers him to, 'if he wished, terminate the inquiry, or even exercise his power to pardon.'... Mr. Trump's broad interpretation of executive authority is novel and is likely to be tested if a court battle ensues over whether he could be ordered to answer questions. The letter also lays out a series of claims that foreshadow a potential subpoena fight that could unfold in the months leading into November's midterm elections.... Mr. Trump's defense is a wide-ranging interpretation of presidential power.... But the lawyers based those arguments on an outdated statute, without mentioning that Congress passed a broader law in 2002 that makes it a crime to obstruct proceedings that have not yet started.... In making their arguments, Mr. Trump's lawyers also revealed new details about the investigation." ...

     ... Here are the letters from Trump's lawyers, dated Jan. 29, 2018 & June 23, 2017, with annotations by NYT reporters. ...

... Larry Tribe, appearing on MSNBC, called the January letter "all really nonsense." ...

... David Nather of Axios: "The lawyers added a significant admission -- that Trump dictated the statement to the New York Times that said the 2016 Trump Tower meeting, in which Donald Trump Jr. and other advisers met with a Russian who was said to have dirt on Hillary Clinton, was 'primarily' about adoption issues. Trump's lawyers said the statement was 'short but accurate.'" ...

... Junior Lied to Congress. David Corn of Mother Jones: "This is the first time Trump and his lawyers have conceded that he is responsible for the statement [about Junior's infamous meeting to get dirt on Clinton].... The sentence is also striking in that it undercuts the veracity of Trump Jr.'s testimony to Congress.... Trump Jr. certainly did not inform the [Senate] committee that his father had dictated the statement. In fact, he made it seem as if Trump was marginally involved, if at all.... Trump Jr.'s remarks to the committee conveyed an inaccurate impression and can be seen as an attempt to provide cover for his pop. They might even be considered false statements.... On Saturday afternoon, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), a member of the House intelligence committee, tweeted, 'Donald Trump is lying or Donald Trump, Jr. lied during the House Intel investigation.'... Castro was referring to Trump Jr.'s testimony before his committee, not the Senate Judiciary Committee. This testimony has not been made public, but the tweet suggests that Trump Jr. took a similar line when he spoke to the House committee...." ...

... Sekulow & Sanders Lied to the Public. Marshall Cohen of CNN: "In their public responses to the news reports ... [of the Trump Tower meeting, Donald Trump's attorney Jay] Sekulow and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denied Trump [Sr.]'s role. The letter revealed on Saturday puts to bed the question of Trump's involvement, but it doesn't erase the previous denials from the record. Here are those examples.... Sekulow, CNN interview, 7/12/17: 'That was written, no that was written by Donald Trump Jr. and I'm sure with consultation with his lawyer. That wasn't written by the president.'... [Plus 3 more lies.] White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, daily press briefing, 8/1/17: He certainly didn't dictate, but he -- like I said, he weighed in, offered suggestion like any father would do.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Mueller's team of course has been aware of these lies to the Congressional committees & to public since at least January 29, 2018, when it received the letter from Sekulow & former Trump attorney John Dowd. Trump Sr. certainly directed Sekulow's & Sanders' misstatements, thus again betraying a "consciousness of guilt." Had there been nothing to hide, Trump Sr. would not have written a false cover story -- the meeting was about adoptions! -- in response to questions by NYT reporters. ...

... Noah Lanard of Mother Jones: "Just before the New York Times published the letter [yesterday], Trump attacked the ongoing Russia investigation by accusing Justice Department officials of leaking:... 'There was No Collusion with Russia (except by the Democrats). When will this very expensive Witch Hunt Hoax ever end? So bad for our Country. Is the Special Counsel/Justice Department leaking my lawyers letters to the Fake News Media? Should be looking at Dems corruption instead?'" Mrs. McC: Since the Mueller team doesn't leak, and since the letters are naturally written in service of Trump, it's most likely that Trump's own team leaked them. ...

... Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "... Rudy Giuliani threatened a legal battle with special counsel Robert Mueller if he attempts to subpoena Donald Trump. 'If Mueller tries to subpoena us, we're going to court,' Giuliani told ABC News. His latest comments come on the heels of the publication of a 20-page confidential letter sent by Trump's lawyers to Mueller arguing that the president cannot legally obstruct justice in the Russia investigation due to his position as 'chief law enforcement officer.'" ...

... Jonathan Chait: "For most of Donald Trump's presidency, the specter of a coming constitutional crisis has loomed over the Russia investigation. The newly leaked memo by Trump's lawyers ... suggests that such a crisis is not merely a likelihood, but that it has already begun. The memo proposes several tendentious interpretations of the publicly available facts of Trump's behavior, along with some legally questionable and amateurish citations of precedent. But the most important passage is its sweeping assertion of presidential authority.... 'Put simply, the Constitution leaves no question that the President has exclusive authority over the ultimate conduct and disposition of all criminal investigations and over those executive branch officials responsible for conducting those investigations.'... This is l'état, c'est moi rendered as a formal legal case.... Before this is over, either Trump's sweeping claim will survive, or the rule of law will, but not both."

Tom McCarthy of the Guardian consults experts on whether or not Trump's attacks on the DOJ & FBI "represent a threat to democracy.... Shortly after Trump's election, Amy Siskind, a former Wall Street executive, started a website called The Weekly List, seeking to catalogue news stories documenting 'eroding norms under the current regime'. The site, which Siskind said gets up to a million visitors a week and which this year produced a book blurbed by current Trump target Samantha Bee, bears this tagline: 'Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things subtly changing around you, so you'll remember.'"

Russia Urges You to Wish Trump a Happy Birthday & Hate People of Other Races. Tim Johnson of McClatchy News: "A new Russian influence operation has surfaced that mirrors some of the activity of an internet firm that the FBI says was deeply involved in efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. elections, a cybersecurity firm says. A website called usareally.com appeared on the internet May 17 and called on Americans to rally in front of the White House June 14 to celebrate ... Donald Trump's birthday, which is also Flag Day. FireEye, a Milpitas, Calif., cybersecurity company, said Thursday that USA Really is a Russian-operated website that carries content designed to foment racial division, harden feelings over immigration, gun control and police brutality, and undermine social cohesion. The website's operators once worked out of the same office building in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency had its headquarters, said Lee Foster, manager of information operations analysis for FireEye iSIGHT Intelligence." (Also linked yesterday.)

Trey-Trey Finds out the GOP Can't Handle the Truth. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Rep. Trey Gowdy has been a pitbull investigator for Republicans for years. Now, he's is in ... Donald Trump's doghouse for daring to challenge the president's unsupported claim that Democrats and their sympathizers in the FBI embedded a spy in his 2016 campaign. Trump allies have been pummeling Gowdy in recent days, branding him a gullible or clueless backer of the intelligence community. Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, labeled him 'uninformed.' Another Trump-tied attorney, Victoria Toensing, said Gowdy 'doesn't know diddly-squat' about the particulars of federal investigations. And Fox News host Lou Dobbs tagged him a 'RINO' -- a term for a fake Republican.... Now, after years shouldering the House GOP's weightiest and most politically explosive investigations, he's again drawn the ire of Trump-world. And this time, he's virtually alone, getting little support from his House colleagues." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mark Landler & David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Trump never tires of pointing out that his predecessors left him the 'mess' of a nuclear-armed North Korea -- a legacy of errors he vows not to repeat. But as Mr. Trump announced Friday that his summit meeting with Kim Jong-un was back on, there were moments when he echoed Bill Clinton in his failed effort to settle another North Korea crisis nearly a quarter century ago. Rather than sticking with the demand that North Korea disarm immediately, Mr. Trump opened the door to a prolonged freeze on the North's existing nuclear capability, with vague declarations that disarmament will follow. That is essentially the deal Mr. Clinton embarked on with Mr. Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, in 1994. Rather than warning that he would keep the younger Mr. Kim's feet to the fire with sanctions until he complies, Mr. Trump said after meeting in the Oval Office with North Korea's spy chief that he no longer wanted to use the term 'maximum pressure,' a phrase drilled into the vocabulary of his aides for the past year. And rather than keeping a single-minded focus on nuclear weapons, Mr. Trump suggested that the most tangible outcome of his meeting in Singapore might be some kind of peace agreement to formally end the Korean War -- a lofty idea that featured in a 2005 joint statement that inaugurated George W. Bush's failed effort with Kim Jong-il, the current leader's father, to halt the North's nuclear progress."

Thomas Gibbons-Neff of the New York Times: "Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis harshly criticized the Chinese government on Saturday for its continuing militarization of a string of islands in the South China Sea, calling the new presence of advanced military equipment and missiles there a flagrant show of military power. 'Despite China's claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion,' Mr. Mattis said during a speech on Saturday at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security conference. Mr. Mattis recently disinvited the Chinese military from a large, multinational naval exercise this summer due in part to China's positioning of those weapons, including antiship and surface-to-air missiles, on the Spratly Islands."

Crooked Trumpery. Paul Krugman: "Even if you believe in the sanctity of free markets -- which you shouldn't -- you should recognize that markets are now driving a great transition to clean energy. So is the Trump administration accepting this market verdict? Of course not: as with trade, it's abusing powers granted to defend national security on behalf of destructive policies that have nothing to do with security. In this case, it's planning to force clean energy to subsidize dirty energy. Why? Probably the main reason is sheer corruption: coal moguls are key Trump backers, and he's trying to reward them. But there's also, I suspect, the sheer meanspiritedness that characterizes modern conservatism: 'Liberals want clean energy? Hah! We'll show them!'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Eric Levitz: "As with so many other myths about American conservatism, the Trump era has turned the GOP's supposed reverence for 'small government' into dark comedy.... Now, the Trump administration is preparing to unilaterally bestow massive subsidies on unprofitable coal companies by invoking extraordinary executive powers that can only be legally exercised in the context of a national-security emergency.... More fundamentally, propping up the coal industry on 'national security' grounds is patently absurd, given that the Pentagon has named climate change as a leading threat to national security.... The Trump administration is ... trying to bail out failing coal plants for ... its corporate donors' financial benefit.... The Trump administration is proposing measures that would hurt voters economically and damage the environment simultaneously."

Medlar's Sports Report. Lindsay Gibbs of ThinkProgress: "... a Wall Street Journal report confirmed what most have long suspected: That ... Donald Trump's public outrage about NFL players protesting police brutality and systemic racism during the national anthem at football games heavily influenced NFL owners to change the rule, and discouraged them from signing players who would protest.... Mark Geragos, the lawyer representing [Colin] Kaepernick in his collusion lawsuit against the NFL..., believes that both the anthem rule change and the information about Trump's influence on NFL owners will go a long way towards helping him prove that the NFL and NFL owners colluded to keep Kaepernick out of the NFL, despite the fact that he had the talent to be a starting quarterback in the league. Geragos also believes that Trump's direct influence over NFL owners on this issue violates federal law. U.S. Code 227 says that members of Congress or the executive branch cannot 'wrongfully influence a private entity's employment decision ... solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation.'"

Stephanie Nebehay of Reuters: "Poverty in the United States is extensive and deepening under the Trump administration whose policies seem aimed at removing the safety net from millions of poor people, while rewarding the rich, a U.N. human rights investigator has found. Philip Alston, U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty, called on U.S. authorities to provide solid social protection and address underlying problems, rather than 'punishing and imprisoning the poor'. While welfare benefits and access to health insurance are being slashed..., Donald Trump's tax reform has awarded 'financial windfalls' to the mega-rich and large companies, further increasing inequality, he said in a report. U.S. policies since President Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty in the 1960s have been 'neglectful at best,' he said. 'But the policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those who are not in employment and make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned rather than a right of citizenship.'..."

Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The lobbyist whose wife rented a $50-a-night condo to Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has revised his disclosure reports after his firm concluded he had not properly disclosed additional efforts to influence Mr. Pruitt and the agency -- including appeals when Mr. Pruitt was living in the condo. The lobbying firm, Williams & Jensen, has refiled lobbying disclosure reports from 2017 to acknowledge that Steve Hart, the firm's former chairman, lobbied the E.P.A. on behalf of Coca-Cola and a government board from Puerto Rico helping the island address its fiscal debts. Lobbyists are legally required to disclose which agencies they target and the topic of their lobbying work. The revisions come after an outside review of the activities of Mr. Hart, whose wife, Vicki Hart, rented the condo to Mr. Pruitt. The E.P.A. chief lived in the unit from shortly after his confirmation in February 2017 until August 2017. Previously, both Mr. Hart and Mr. Pruitt -- in defending the condo lease as not representing a conflict of interest -- had said that Mr. Hart never lobbied Mr. Pruitt." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Congressional Race. Fever Swamp Edition. Steve M. As the HuffPost reported, 'Nathan Larson, a 37-year-old accountant from Charlottesville, Virginia, is running for Congress as an independent candidate in his native state. He is also a pedophile, as he admitted to HuffPost on Thursday, who has bragged in website posts about raping his late ex-wife. In a phone call, Larson confirmed that he created the now-defunct websites suiped.org and incelocalypse.today ― chat rooms that served as gathering places for pedophiles and violence-minded misogynists like himself....' Larson is eligible to run for office because he lives in Virginia, where former governor Terry McAuliffe restored voting privileges to released felons, and also restored their eligibility to run for office. (Headline at the Daily Caller: 'PEDOPHILE WHO THREATENED TO KILL PRESIDENT NOW RUNNING FOR CONGRESS THANKS TO TERRY MCAULIFFE.' The photo accompanying the article is one of McAuliffe, not Larson. The president Larson threatened to kill was, by the way, Barack Obama. Larson's felony conviction was in that case.)"

Beyond the Beltway

Kris Kobach Is Still an Idiot. Hunter Woodall & Mike Hendricks of the Kansas City Star: "Kris Kobach [-- Kansas AG & candidate for governor] made his way through a parade in Johnson County Saturday morning, waving from an American flag colored jeep with a large gun mounted in back. The city of Shawnee later issued an apology for Kobach's display.... [Parade-goers & social media commenters] found the display inappropriate in a crowd filled with kids at a time when many of them ... are scared that they might be victims of a school shooting.... Kobach's campaign was quick to defend the candidate's decision to wave at the crowd standing next to what appeared to be a .50 caliber machine gun. 'The gun is a replica,' Kobach spokeswoman Danedri Herbert said in a text message. 'The Secretary says those who use the excuse of school violence to restrict the right to bear arms are deeply misguided. We need to stand up for ou Second Amendment rights and recognize the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.'"

Way Beyond

David Herszenhorn of Politico: "Spanish socialist leader Pedro Sánchez was sworn in as prime minister Saturday morning by King Felipe VI. The new premier took the oath of office at a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace on the outskirts of Madrid. According to El Pais, it is the first time the ceremony was conducted without Bible or crucifix. Sánchez used the word 'promise' rather than 'swear' in taking the oath of office, in accordance with legal language adopted to allow separation between church and state.... Sánchez won enough backing in parliament Friday for a motion of no confidence in his predecessor Mariano Rajoy, shortly after a court ruling in a graft scandal involving former officials from the prime minister’s Popular Party. Rajoy is the first Spanish leader ever to be ousted in a no-confidence vote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

AND It Turns out Sherlock Holmes Is a Man of Action. Shannon van Sant of NPR: "Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays detective Sherlock Holmes in the television series Sherlock, foiled an attempted robbery by fighting off a gang of muggers in London. The attack occurred near his fictional character's home on Baker Street. Cumberbatch and his wife, Sophie Hunter, were riding in an Uber when the 41-year-old actor spotted the attempted mugging on Marylebone High Street and jumped out of the vehicle. Four muggers were attacking a Deliveroo cyclist and attempting to steal his bicycle. According to witnesses, Cumberbatch screamed at the attackers and then dragged them off of the victim."

News Lede

New York Times: "Rescuers said on Sunday that dozens of migrants had drowned off the coasts of Tunisia and Turkey, while hundreds had been rescued off Spain, as the flow of people seeking to get to Europe continued despite tightened controls. At least 46 migrants died when their boat sank off Tunisia's coast, the country's Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The Coast Guard rescued 67 others, and the operation was continuing, the ministry said in a statement."

The Commentariat -- June 2, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Trey-Trey Finds out the GOP Can't Handle the Truth. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Rep. Trey Gowdy has been a pitbull investigator for Republicans for years. Now, he's is in ... Donald Trump's doghouse for daring to challenge the president's unsupported claim that Democrats and their sympathizers in the FBI embedded a spy in his 2016 campaign. Trump allies have been pummeling Gowdy in recent days, branding him a gullible or clueless backer of the intelligence community. Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, labeled him 'uninformed.' Another Trump-tied attorney, Victoria Toensing, said Gowdy 'doesn't know diddly-squat' about the particulars of federal investigations. And Fox News host Lou Dobbs tagged him a 'RINO' -- a term for a fake Republican.... Now, after years shouldering the House GOP's weightiest and most politically explosive investigations, he's again drawn the ire of Trump-world. And this time, he's virtually alone, getting little support from his House colleagues."

Crooked Trumpery. Paul Krugman: "Even if you believe in the sanctity of free markets -- which you shouldn't -- you should recognize that markets are now driving a great transition to clean energy. So is the Trump administration accepting this market verdict? Of course not: as with trade, it's abusing powers granted to defend national security on behalf of destructive policies that have nothing to do with security. In this case, it's planning to force clean energy to subsidize dirty energy. Why? Probably the main reason is sheer corruption: coal moguls are key Trump backers, and he's trying to reward them. But there's also, I suspect, the sheer meanspiritedness that characterizes modern conservatism: 'Liberals want clean energy? Hah! We'll show them!'"

Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The lobbyist whose wife rented a $50-a-night condo to Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has revised his disclosure reports after his firm concluded he had not properly disclosed additional efforts to influence Mr. Pruitt and the agency -- including appeals when Mr. Pruitt was living in the condo. The lobbying firm, Williams & Jensen, has refiled lobbying disclosure reports from 2017 to acknowledge that Steve Hart, the firm's former chairman, lobbied the E.P.A. on behalf of Coca-Cola and a government board from Puerto Rico helping the island address its fiscal debts. Lobbyists are legally required to disclose which agencies they target and the topic of their lobbying work. The revisions come after an outside review of the activities of Mr. Hart, whose wife, Vicki Hart, rented the condo to Mr. Pruitt. The E.P.A. chief lived in the unit from shortly after his confirmation in February 2017 until August 2017. Previously, both Mr. Hart and Mr. Pruitt -- in defending the condo lease as not representing a conflict of interest -- had said that Mr. Hart never lobbied Mr. Pruitt."

Russia Urges You to Wish Trump a Happy Birthday & Hate People of Other Races. Tim Johnson of McClatchy News: "A new Russian influence operation has surfaced that mirrors some of the activity of an internet firm that the FBI says was deeply involved in efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. elections, a cybersecurity firm says. A website called usareally.com appeared on the internet May 17 and called on Americans to rally in front of the White House June 14 to celebrate ... Donald Trump's birthday, which is also Flag Day. FireEye, a Milpitas, Calif., cybersecurity company, said Thursday that USA Really is a Russian-operated website that carries content designed to foment racial division, harden feelings over immigration, gun control and police brutality, and undermine social cohesion. The website's operators once worked out of the same office building in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency had its headquarters, said Lee Foster, manager of information operations analysis for FireEye iSIGHT Intelligence."

David Herszenhorn of Politico: "Spanish socialist leader Pedro Sánchez was sworn in as prime minister Saturday morning by King Felipe VI. The new premier took the oath of office at a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace on the outskirts of Madrid. According to El Pais, it is the first time the ceremony was conducted without a Bible or crucifix. Sánchez used the word 'promise' rather than 'swear' in taking the oath of office, in accordance with legal language adopted to allow separation between church and state.... Sánchez won enough backing in parliament Friday for a motion of no confidence in his predecessor Mariano Rajoy, shortly after a court ruling in a graft scandal involving former officials from the prime minister's Popular Party. Rajoy is the first Spanish leader ever to be ousted in a no-confidence vote."

*****

Max Greenwood of the Hill: "The White House is preparing for a potential summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, is helping to set up the meeting, though the planning is still in its early stages, the Journal reported." Mrs. McC: Great. Bob Mueller can burst in with a gang of G-men & arrest them both. Perfect season finale.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump announced on Friday that the summit meeting he had canceled with North Korea's leader would be held after all, the latest twist in a nuclear-edged diplomatic drama that has captivated and confused much of the world.... The reversal followed an Oval Office meeting on Friday afternoon with a high-ranking North Korean envoy who delivered a personal letter from Mr. Kim to Mr. Trump. The envoy, Kim Yong-chol, the former North Korean intelligence chief and top nuclear arms negotiator, became the first North Korean official to set foot in the White House since 2000 and only the second ever to meet with a sitting American president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Julian Borger of the Guardian: "In a lavish show of hospitality, Trump escorted his visitor, a former spy chief and general who is under US sanctions, outside the White House for more informal talks and to pose for photographs with the North Korean delegation. Trump also appeared to accept the North Korean position that its denuclearisation would be a drawn-out process, and not an all-in-one surrender of the regime's nuclear arsenal, Trump officials had previously demanded.... In a dramatic downgrading of expectations from the summit, Trump said Singapore meeting would be a 'getting-to-know-you meeting, plus'.... The president said that North Korea's human rights record was not discussed in the meeting.... Kim was welcomed at the south lawn entrance in front of massed ranks of cameras and escorted to the Oval Office, where the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, was waiting with Trump. The ceremonial arrival represented a propaganda coup for a regime that has endured decades of isolation."; ...

... Trump Touts a "Nice," "Interesting" Letter He Hasn't Read. Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "President Trump figuratively dangled a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in front of reporters on Friday, as he confirmed that a June 12 summit is back on. 'That letter was a very nice letter,' Trump said at a White House news conference. 'Oh, would you like to see what was in that letter. Wouldn't you like? How much? How much? How much?' When a journalist asked whether the president could 'just give us the flavor of what the letter said,' Trump said, 'It was a very interesting letter. At some point, it may be appropriate and maybe I'll be able to give it to you, maybe.' A few minutes later, however, Trump said he hadn't even opened the letter, which was delivered by Kim Yong Chol, a high-ranking North Korean official who previously directed that country's spy agency." ...

... Some people thought Little Kim's Big Letter was ever so funny.

Damian Paletta of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday broke with decades of protocol and commented publicly about the highly anticipated jobs report data 69 minutes before they were released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Treasury yields moved sharply higher within seconds of a tweet from Trump that said he was 'looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning.' He had never issued such a tweet before. Bloomberg News data also showed that the value of the U.S. dollar moved sharply higher after the Twitter post compared with previous trades the mornings jobs data are released. That means traders were probably making investment decisions based on signals they took from Trump's post." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Now, as Donald signals he'll pardon Martha for a crime associated with insider trading, would be a good time for the feds to see whether or not any of Donald's phone friends made surprisingly excellent market moves in the hours between the time Trump got federal BLS reports & when those reports were made public. If they can't get him on "collusion" with Russia, maybe they can get Trump on insider trading. ...

... In her usual long-winded manner, Rachel Maddow introduces us to Trump's new BFF, Kim Yong Chol. He is, unlike Trump, a very talented guy. But not, for most of the world, in a good way:

... Russell Berman of the Atlantic: "To say the jobs report is closely held is an understatement. It is treated as a state secret until the moment the data is released to the public, so that no stock trader -- whether in the U.S. or abroad -- can get even the slightest advantage over anyone else.... There's even a federal rule barring employees of the executive branch from commenting on leading economic indicators, including the monthly jobs report, until an hour after they are released. Trump has broken this rule before, tweeting about a positive jobs report at 8:45 a.m. ET last August.... 'There is a big question about who he privately leaks data to and that should be investigated, tweeted Betsey Stevenson, formerly the chief economist at the Labor Department during the Obama administration."

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday lashed out at Samantha Bee.... 'Why aren't they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but that's O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!'... Bee apologized Thursday for describing Ivanka Trump with a vulgarity on her show 'Full Frontal,' saying it was 'inappropriate and inexcusable' and that she had 'crossed a line.'... TBS later apologized in a separate statement.... Ivanka Trump ... sparked online outrage Sunday when she tweeted a photo of herself with her younger son around the same time as reports circulated that the U.S. government had lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children last year." Mrs. McC: Obviously, the "double standard" begins at 1600 Pa. Ave., with a president who condoned Roseanne Barr's racist remark but is infuriated by Bee's sexist language. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Bill Maher explains jokes to idiots:

John Harwood of CNBC: "... Donald Trump has embarked on an unorthodox follow-up to cutting the taxes American families pay: raising the prices of goods they buy. Higher prices will result directly from tariffs the White House plans to impose on steel and aluminum imports from allies such as Canada, Mexico and the European Union as well as other countries. The White House acknowledges that effect, while arguing the price increases will be tiny. But combined with additional tariffs against other imports from China and retaliatory steps by our trading partners, the measures Trump announced promise to make an impact. And mainstream economists across the political spectrum agree it will be negative.... Mark Zandi, an independent economist at Moody's Analytics..., estimated the net effects of trade conflicts Trump has initiated at 0.2 percent in reduced economic growth, 250,000 in lost jobs, and $210 in higher costs for an average family. Such a reduction in growth would wipe out half the projected boost in growth from the tax cuts Trump and the GOP Congress enacted last December.... The arithmetic could get worse. Also in the name of national security, the Trump administration is investigating whether to slap 25 percent tariffs on imported cars." ...

... AP: "French President Emmanuel Macron has told ... Donald Trump that the new U.S. tariffs on European, Mexican and Canadian goods are illegal and a 'mistake.'... The European Union is planning retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and food goods in the coming weeks, once it calculates the exact cost to EU companies of the U.S. tariffs. Macron pledged the riposte would be 'firm' and 'proportionate' and in line with World Trade Organization rules.... As its first step to challenge the U.S. tariffs, the EU on Friday formally filed a request for consultations at the WTO. The two sides will discuss the matter and try to reach a deal. If that fails to solve the matter, after 60 days the EU can ask a WTO panel to rule on the case. The EU's trade chief, Cecilia Malmstrom, said that the U.S. decision to impose tariffs 'is further weakening the Trans-Atlantic relations.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Lachlan Markay of the Daily Beast: "ZTE Corporation struck a contract with D.C. lobbying and public relations powerhouse Mercury Public Affairs on May 14, a day after Trump tweeted that he would consider lifting the penalties that had been imposed on the company as punishment for its violation of sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Mercury consultant working on the account is Bryan Lanza, a veteran of the Trump 2016 presidential campaign. Less than two weeks after Lanza's work began, the Trump administration announced that it had reached a tentative deal to ease those penalties, a move criticized by lawmakers of both parties.... The swiftness of the Trump administration's efforts to reach an agreement with the company -- and the equally swift decision of that company to bring on a prominent Trumpworld figure -- underscores the new world of influence peddling in Washington D.C."

Katie Benner of the New York Times: "... by choosing to pardon political supporters whose cases largely failed to meet the basic guidelines for pardons, Mr. Trump could turn a slow and imperfect system into an unequal and unjust one, both liberal and conservative advocates warn, in which those with fame, money or access to the president's ear are first in line to receive clemency." ...

... Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Dinesh D'Souza, the conservative author and filmmaker pardoned by President Trump, claimed victory on Friday over what he characterized as a political prosecution by the administration of President Barack Obama.... Carrie H. Cohen, then an assistant United States attorney who prosecuted Mr. D'Souza, noted on Friday that a judge considered the claim and rejected it. 'The court found no evidence to support D'Souza's claim that he was selectively prosecuted,' she said in an interview."

Jennifer Dlouhy of Bloomberg: "Trump administration officials are making plans to order grid operators to buy electricity from struggling coal and nuclear plants in an effort to extend their life, a move that could represent an unprecedented intervention into U.S. energy markets. Although the memo describes a planned Energy Department directive, there was no indication ... Donald Trump had signed off on the action nor when any order might be issued." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Update. Oh, Here's the "Indication." Steve Mufson of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to halt the shutdown of ailing coal and nuclear power plants that he said were needed to maintain the nation's energy mix, grid resilience and national security.... The Trump administration has been preparing to invoke emergency powers granted under Cold War-era legislation to order regional grid operators to buy electricity from ailing coal and nuclear power plants.... The idea of declaring an emergency under the Defense Production Act of 1950 ... and Section 202 of the Federal Power Act has been promoted by the chief executives of the coal-mining firm Murray Energy and the Ohio utility FirstEnergy, both of whom have contributed heavily to Trump's political activities.... The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent agency, unanimously rejected an earlier proposal by the Energy Department that would have favored coal and nuclear plants.... Environmental groups, natural-gas producers, and Republicans and Democrats who have pushed for greater competition in electricity markets all condemned the latest signal that the administration might be moving closer to imposing the Energy Department's plan." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: If you're thinking of using the Trump/Perry "energy" model to teach the kids how corruption works, be sure to throw in the Scott Pruitt/Joseph Craft example, which Steve Eder, et al., of the NYT outline in the story linked below. ...

... Steve Mufson & David Lynch of the Washington Post: "President Trump is increasingly intervening in the economy, making decisions about corporate winners and losers in ways that Republicans for decades have insisted should be left to free markets -- not the government. The shift amounts to a major change in the GOP's approach to the management of the economy, and it promises to shape the success of everything from American agriculture and manufacturing to the companies that produce the nation's electricity. On Friday, citing national security, Trump ordered the Energy Department to compel power-grid operators to buy from ailing coal and nuclear plants that otherwise would be forced to shut down because of competition from cheaper sources. The order came one day after the president imposed historic metals tariffs on some of the country's strongest allies and trading partners. Now the Commerce Department is further picking winners and losers as it weighs thousands of requests from companies for waivers from the import taxes. 'It replaces the invisible hand with the government hand,' said Mary Lovely, a Syracuse University economist. 'You're replacing the market with government fiat.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The reporters, exercising their best both-sides-do-it journalistic skills, write, "Of course, Trump isn't the only one to tinker with market forces. President Barack Obama backed subsidies for wind and solar power. And about 30 states have adopted laws mandating minimum purchases of renewable energy. Obama also won passage of a health-care reform package that created winners and losers." But improving the world's climate & Americans' health is in no shape or form the same as rewarding big donors for worsening the world's climate & Americans' health. There was never any suggestion that the Obama administration chose "winners & losers" based upon who was contributing the most to Obama and his Cabinet members. One of these things is not like the other. Trump & crew are intervening in the economy for corrupt purposes, & they comprise a fine example of how authoritarian governments disregard the best interests of the nation for their own gain.

John Brennan, in a Washington Post op-ed: "The esteem with which I held the presidency was dealt a serious blow when Donald Trump took office. Almost immediately, I began to see a startling aberration from the remarkable, though human, presidents I had served[: Bush I, Bill Clinton, Bush II & Barack Obama].... Mr. Trump ... has shown highly abnormal behavior by lying routinely to the American people without compunction, intentionally fueling divisions in our country and actively working to degrade the imperfect but critical institutions that serve us.... On the international front, Mr. Trump pursues policies that are rooted in uninformed campaign promises, a determination to upend actions of his predecessors and an aversion to multilateral engagements. His ad hoc and frequently impulsive approach to national security is short-sighted and dangerous.... As someone who had the rare privilege of directly serving four presidents, I will continue to speak out loudly and critically until integrity, decency, wisdom — and maybe even some humility -- return to the White House."

This Russia Thing, Etc., Ctd.

Dominique Jackson of the Raw Story: "Berkeley, California attorney Alexander Stern, released a bombshell report on Friday that suggests ... Donald Trump may be under a sealed indictment without even knowing. The report gathered eight leading criminal law professors across the country. The Department of Justice has argued that indicting President Trump could distract him from his presidential duties, but Stern said a sealed indictment could take away that concern.... A sealed indictment would remove the statute of limitation concern." Stern's analysis is here. Mrs. McC: I've been suggesting this for a long time. However, it's only a theory. There's no evidence Mueller has actually requested an indictment Trump, & I doubt he would do so until his team was wrapping up its investigation.

Carol Lee & Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "A close friend of Jared Kushner has come under scrutiny by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for his proximity to some key meetings between Trump associates and foreign officials, according to five people familiar with the matter. Richard Gerson, a hedge-fund manager in New York, was in the Seychelles in January 2017, less than two weeks before ... Donald Trump's inauguration and around the time Trump associate Erik Prince secretly met with Russian and United Arab Emirates officials, including Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, four of the people said. While in the remote Indian Ocean island nation, Gerson met with Prince Mohammed -- also known by his initials as MBZ -- and communicated with a Lebanese-American businessman with close ties to the UAE, George Nader, who had organized the Erik Prince meeting, according to text messages Gerson sent at the time and a person familiar with the meeting.... Gerson had met Nader just weeks earlier when Trump officials, including Kushner, gathered for a secret meeting with MBZ at a Four Seasons hotel in New York.... Counterintelligence investigators have been scrutinizing UAE influence in the Trump campaign since before Mueller was appointed as special counsel, and the probe has continued in coordination with Mueller's team, according to two people briefed on the investigation." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stephanie Clifford..., has sought help for his legal battle against Mr. Trump from leading Democratic operatives. Mr. Avenatti contacted an official in the network of liberal groups led by David Brock, while someone associated with Mr. Avenatti's law firm was in touch with two people connected to major Democratic donors, according to people familiar with the conversations. But the discussions do not appear to have led to any financial help for the high-profile legal and public relations fight being waged by Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Rick Gladstone of the New York Times: "A bitter divide over who is to blame for scores of Palestinian deaths from Israeli fire at protests near Gaza’s border shifted Friday to the United Nations, where the United States vetoed a measure backed by Arab countries to protect Palestinians and condemn Israel. Nikki R. Haley, the American ambassador to the United Nations, described the measure, a United Nations Security Council resolution drafted by Kuwait, as one-sided. She accused the measure's authors of inexplicably absolving Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza and organized the protests. The United States, a permanent Security Council member with veto power, was the sole no vote on the measure, which was enough to defeat it. Ten members voted in favor and four abstained. A separate American resolution proposed by Ms. Haley, which would have condemned Hamas for the Gaza violence, failed to gain any support from fellow Council members."

Steve Eder & others at the New York Times detail Scott Pruitt's deep, corrupt ties to "Joseph W. Craft III, a billionaire coal executive who has engaged in an aggressive campaign to reverse the Obama administration's environmental crackdown on the coal industry. Mr. Craft and his wife donated more than $2 million to support President Trump's candidacy and inauguration."

Brady Dennis & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: EPA Administrator Scott "Pruitt spent $1,560 on 12 customized fountain pens from [a] Washington jewelry store..., each emblazoned with the seal of the Environmental Protection Agency and the signature of its leader, Scott Pruitt." The staffer who authorized the rush order was Millan Hupp, Pruitt's head of scheduling and advance and a trusted confidante dating to his Oklahoma days. "In recent weeks, Pruitt has blamed some of those questionable expenditures on the agency's rank and file, arguing that he often played no role in the decision to spend large sums of money.... But ... the order of fountain pens -- each of which cost taxpayers $130 -- shows that ... top aides rather than career staffers often were the ones signing off on them."

Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "A federal study found signs that surveillance devices for intercepting cellphone calls and texts were operating near the White House and other sensitive locations in the Washington area last year. A Department of Homeland Security program discovered evidence of the surveillance devices, called IMSI catchers, as part of federal testing last year, according to a letter from DHS to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on May 22.... 'This is a huge concern from a national security perspective,' said Laura Moy, deputy director of Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy and Technology. 'People have been warning for years ... that these devices were used by foreign agents operating on American soil.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Timberg doesn't mention it, but I bet you'll recall this Politico story, published May 21: "... Donald Trump uses a White House cellphone that isn't equipped with sophisticated security features designed to shield his communications, according to two senior administration officials -- a departure from the practice of his predecessors that potentially exposes him to hacking or surveillance." Trump said secure phones were "too inconvenient." In other words, assuming the DHS findings are correct. it's a safe bet that somebody who should not be privy to Trump's calls is listening in on the POTUS*.

Senate Race. Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will be going into the congressional midterm elections knowing she's received support for at least one piece of legislation by the unlikeliest of groups: the Koch political network. Americans for Prosperity, an arm of the influential network supported by conservative billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, is unleashing a digital advertising campaign on Friday thanking Heitkamp for co-sponsoring the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protect Act, a bill that rolls back Dodd-Frank regulations mainly on community banks, or those with less than $100 billion in assets. It recently passed in Congress with bipartisan support.... The move to support Heitkamp comes only two months after the Koch network launched a six-figure ad buy attacking her for voting against the Republican tax reform bill in December." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Andrew Kirell, et al., of the Daily Beast: "MSNBC and Joy Reid on Friday both finally commented on the latest round of hateful old blog posts unearthed by various outlets. They did not, however, address Reid's initial and unsubstantiated claim that the posts were fake. And more than a month after the controversy began, many of Reid's MSNBC colleagues are embarrassed by the network's handling of it.... Jonathan Capehart will fill in for Reid on this week's AM Joy at least one day this weekend...."

Beyond the Beltway

Jason Hancock of the Kansas City Star: "With moving trucks parked outside his official residence, Gov. Eric Greitens on Friday signed more than half of the bills approved by lawmakers during the 2018 legislative session (for a total of 77). Among the most high-profile bills Greitens signed: legislation making it a felony to threaten to disseminate or distribute a sexually explicit image taken without consent. Greitens faces possible criminal charges stemming from allegations that he took a nude photo without consent of a woman with whom he had an affair in 2015 and threatened to release it if she ever discussed the relationship. A judge assigned Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker to review the allegations to consider filling charges. The new law can't be applied retroactively to Greitens." Mrs McC BTW: If you're over your KC Star limit for the month, as I am, you can open the story in a private windows.

Gov. Greitens also signed a number of pardons & sentence commutations on his last day in office. Looking down the list provided by KMOT-TV, St. Louis, they all appear to be cases with merit, unlike your typical Trump pardon.

The Commentariat -- June 1, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump announced on Friday that the summit meeting he had canceled with North Korea's leader would be held after all, the latest twist in a nuclear-edged diplomatic drama that has captivated and confused much of the world.... The reversal followed an Oval Office meeting on Friday afternoon with a high-ranking North Korean envoy who delivered a personal letter from Mr. Kim to Mr. Trump. The envoy, Kim Yong-chol, the former North Korean intelligence chief and top nuclear arms negotiator, became the first North Korean official to set foot in the White House since 2000 and only the second ever to meet with a sitting American president."

Damian Paletta of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday broke with decades of protocol and commented publicly about the highly anticipated jobs report data 69 minutes before they were released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Treasury yields moved sharply higher within seconds of a tweet from Trump that said he was 'looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning.' He had never issued such a tweet before. Bloomberg News data also showed that the value of the U.S. dollar moved sharply higher after the Twitter post compared with previous trades the mornings jobs data are released. That means traders were probably making investment decisions based on signals they took from Trump's post." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Now, as Donald signals he'll pardon Martha for a crime associated with insider trading, would be a good time for the feds to look into whether or not any of Donald's phone friends made surprisingly excellent market moves in the minutes & hours between the time Trump got federal BLS reports & when those reports were made public. If they can't get him on "collusion" with Russia, maybe they can get Trump on insider trading.

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday lashed out at Samantha Bee.... 'Why aren't they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but that's O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!'... Bee apologized Thursday for describing Ivanka Trump with a vulgarity on her show 'Full Frontal,' saying it was 'inappropriate and inexcusable' and that she had 'crossed a line.'... TBS later apologized in a separate statement.... Ivanka Trump ... sparked online outrage Sunday when she tweeted a photo of herself with her younger son around the same time as reports circulated that the U.S. government had lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children last year." Mrs. McC: Obviously, the "double standard" begins at 1600 Pa. Ave., with a president who condoned Roseanne Barr's racist remark but is infuriated by Bee's sexist language.

AP: "French President Emmanuel Macron has told ... Donald Trump that the new U.S. tariffs on European, Mexican and Canadian goods are illegal and a 'mistake.'... The European Union is planning retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and food goods in the coming weeks, once it calculates the exact cost to EU companies of the U.S. tariffs. Macron pledged the riposte would be 'firm' and 'proportionate' and in line with World Trade Organization rules.... As its first step to challenge the U.S. tariffs, the EU on Friday formally filed a request for consultations at the WTO. The two sides will discuss the matter and try to reach a deal. If that fails to solve the matter, after 60 days the EU can ask a WTO panel to rule on the case. The EU's trade chief, Cecilia Malmstrom, said that the U.S. decision to impose tariffs 'is further weakening the Trans-Atlantic relations.'"

Jennifer Dlouhy of Bloomberg: "Trump administration officials are making plans to order grid operators to buy electricity from struggling coal and nuclear plants in an effort to extend their life, a move that could represent an unprecedented intervention into U.S. energy markets. Although the memo describes a planned Energy Department directive, there was no indication ... Donald Trump had signed off on the action nor when any order might be issued."

Carol Lee & Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "A close friend of Jared Kushner has come under scrutiny by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for his proximity to some key meetings between Trump associates and foreign officials, according to five people familiar with the matter. Richard Gerson, a hedge-fund manager in New York, was in the Seychelles in January 2017, less than two weeks before ... Donald Trump's inauguration and around the time Trump associate Erik Prince secretly met with Russian and United Arab Emirates officials, including Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, four of the people said. While in the remote Indian Ocean island nation, Gerson met with Prince Mohammed -- also known by his initials as MBZ -- and communicated with a Lebanese-American businessman with close ties to the UAE, George Nader, who had organized the Erik Prince meeting, according to text messages Gerson sent at the time and a person familiar with the meeting.... Gerson had met Nader just weeks earlier when Trump officials, including Kushner, gathered for a secret meeting with MBZ at a Four Seasons hotel in New York.... Counterintelligence investigators have been scrutinizing UAE influence in the Trump campaign since before Mueller was appointed as special counsel, and the probe has continued in coordination with Mueller's team, according to two people briefed on the investigation."

Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stephanie Clifford..., has sought help for his legal battle against Mr. Trump from leading Democratic operatives. Mr. Avenatti contacted an official in the network of liberal groups led by David Brock, while someone associated with Mr. Avenatti's law firm was in touch with two people connected to major Democratic donors, according to people familiar with the conversations. But the discussions do not appear to have led to any financial help for the high-profile legal and public relations fight being waged by Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels."

Senate Race. Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will be going into the congressional midterm elections knowing she's received support for at least one piece of legislation by the unlikeliest of groups: the Koch political network. Americans for Prosperity, an arm of the influential network supported by conservative billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, is unleashing a digital advertising campaign on Friday thanking Heitkamp for co-sponsoring the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protect Act, a bill that rolls back Dodd-Frank regulations mainly on community banks, or those with less than $100 billion in assets. It recently passed in Congress with bipartisan support.... The move to support Heitkamp comes only two months after the Koch network launched a six-figure ad buy attacking her for voting against the Republican tax reform bill in December."

*****

NEW. Donald Trump Cannot Be Trusted with Sensitive Information, Ctd. Politico: "President Barack Obama's former economic adviser [Jason Furman] on Friday floated the idea that ... Donald Trump should be barred from getting the monthly jobs report in advance, after Trump tweeted out what appeared to be a tease of the strong numbers. 'Looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning,' Trump tweeted at 7:21 a.m. on Friday.... The report ... showed that the U.S. added 223,000 jobs in May, beating expectations and driving the unemployment level down to 3.8 percent, the lowest since April 2000." Austan Goolsbee, once Obama's chief economic advisor, tweeted, 'If the president just tipped that the numbers are good, he broke the law.'" ...

... NEW. Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Trump broke years of presidential protocol on Friday morning by posting a tweet that signaled a strong jobs report was on its way from the Labor Department an hour before the report was released.... Mr. Trump, who was briefed on the numbers Thursday evening, appeared to foreshadow the strength of the latest report on Friday morning on Twitter[.]... Mr. Trump's tweet may have violated a federal rule, issued in 1985 governing the release of embargoed federal data like the jobs report.... Even before the numbers were released on Friday, economists said they were stunned at the prospect that Mr. Trump was giving hints about the report's content, which fast-acting traders in financial markets could seize on to place bets on an optimism-fueled market surge. Other economists went further, raising the possibility that if Mr. Trump was willing to give Twitter users a premature hint at the strength of report, he could also have shared the numbers with a more select group even earlier.... Jason Furman ... [said,] 'Sharing [the report results] with the public is destabilizing and inappropriate. A bigger concern is if he was bragging about them privately to his friends last night -- friends who could make millions on the information.'"

NEW. The Over-the-Hill, Incomptent POTUS*. Michael Kruse in Politico Magazine: Donald Trump's "self-burnished image as a tip-top deal-maker long has obscured an actual record that is far more mixed, pocked with moves and acquisitions that scratched a passing itch but created massive financial problems later. His best work, too, was his earliest work. Trump was at his most patient, his most diligent, his most attentive and his most creative -- his most effective -- some 35 to 45 years ago.... These past 16 months of Trump's presidency have shown that whatever skills Trump thinks he acquired over the course of his business career haven't necessarily translated to his work in the White House.... Trump has proven to be more adept at breaking deals than making deals. And the sudden and bizarre scuttling of his meeting with murderous North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ... and now might be back on again -- is only the latest data point that suggests he's either not as good at negotiating as he promised he was, or that negotiating with disparate factions of Congress or in geopolitically fraught international arenas is harder than he thought it would be and harder than anything he's ever done." Mrs. McC: The opening grafs of this report are, well, amazing.

This Russia Thing, Etc., Ctd.

** Jonathan Swan of Axios: "President Trump pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reclaim control of the Russia investigation on at least four separate occasions, three times in person and once over the phone, according to sources familiar with the conversations.... A source with knowledge of the conversations said they occurred throughout last year, until fairly late in the year -- not just in the short period after Sessions recused himself last March.... Four sources with direct knowledge told me Trump has been obsessed by the Mueller investigation over the past year.... Trump takes out much of his anger on the White House Counsel Don McGahn, according to sources who've watched them interact." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Jonathan Chait: "Two days ago, the New York Times reported that President Trump berated Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. (The recusal was a slam dunk, as Sessions had a clear and glaring conflict of interest in an investigation of a campaign he was part of on a subject he misled Congress about.) Now Jonathan Swan reports that Trump did not give up when the recusal was explained to him. He urged Sessions to take back control of the Russia investigation at least four separate times.... This falls into the category of 'shocking, but not surprising,' the kinds of Watergate-level abuses of power we learn about every week. Trump believes he is entitled to run the federal law-enforcement apparatus for his personal and political benefit, sparing his friends and subjecting his allies to merciless harassment. Trump is incorrigibly authoritarian.... The Constitution is not going to be safe as long as Trump occupies the Oval Office."

Trump Tries to Lie His Way out of an Obstruction Charge. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump again insisted Thursday that he did not fire former FBI director James B. Comey because of the Russia investigation, blaming the 'Corrupt Mainstream Media' for pushing a false storyline.... Trump made a similar assertion last month, writing that Comey 'was not fired because of the phony Russia investigation.'... The president's assertion, in a morning tweet, is at odds with comments he made in a television interview last year in which he said Comey's stewardship of the Russia inquiry was on his mind when he decided to dismiss him.... In a separate tweet Thursday, Trump continued to insist that the FBI had spied on his 2016 campaign and claimed that the media 'is working overtime' to avoid reporting about it." Mrs. McC: How do you "work overtime" by doing nothing? Of course none of this makes sense, which is what we have come to expect from the Worst President* Ever. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Louis Nelson of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Thursday peppered his Twitter feed with falsehoods, claiming the media is ignoring a controversy he's dubbed 'spygate' and is maliciously pushing the idea that he fired FBI director James Comey because of the Russia probe -- an explanation the president himself offered in the days after the ousting. It was another example of Trump hammering the media as he tries to beat back damaging stories about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, the Trump campaign and whether the president tried to obstruct justice." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Kevin Johnson of USA Today writes a more damning take than does the NYT article linked below on Andrew McCabe's memo regarding his conversation with Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein concerning Trump's firing of Jim Comey: "Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe authored a memo claiming that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said President Trump asked him to refer to the Russia investigation as a reason for recommending the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday." Mrs. McC: Congratulations, Kevin. You are now a card-carrying member of the "Corrupt Mainstream Media." And thank you. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Frank Rich: "If Trump is innocent of all potential charges in the Russia probe, why would he want a loyal puppet in charge of the Mueller investigation except to obstruct it? His continued wail about Sessions, not just on Twitter but to anyone in earshot, is so patently self-incriminating that it's laughable. Not to mention over-the-top. Look at our president's priorities: He is now spending more time vilifying Sessions (and Rod Rosenstein and Robert Mueller )than he is on his putative summit with Kim Jong-un, in which America's national security is at stake. He now professes a far lower opinion of Sessions, his own choice for our country's chief law-enforcement officer, than he does of North Korea's murderous dictator.... Trump is so anxious about his legal exposure as Mueller closes in that he just can't help betraying his guilt in public like a bargain-basement Macbeth. Or he's batshit crazy. Or both." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Jonathan Chait: "President Trump has been making the novel argument that the real flaw in the Russia scandal lies with the FBI, which allegedly failed to warn Trump that his campaign was being targeted by Russian intelligence. 'Why didn't the crooked highest levels of the FBI or "Justice" contact me to tell me of the phony Russia problem?,' he complained last weekend. Today, Trump approvingly quotes Rush Limbaugh repeating his argument[.]... In fact, the FBI did tell Trump. As NBC reported last December, in 'a high-level counterintelligence briefing by senior FBI officials' the candidate 'was warned that foreign adversaries, including Russia, would probably try to spy on and infiltrate his campaign.' At the time, of course, Trump was publicly dismissing the FBI;s warnings that Russia had stolen Democratic emails, insisting it might be China or a 400-pound man, while also publicly asking Russia to expand its email theft. His campaign was also swarming with secret Russia contacts, most prominently a meeting in Trump Tower with Russian spies promising dirt on his opponent." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Eileen Sullivan & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump said on Thursday that he planned to issue a pardon to Dinesh D'Souza, a conservative author, commentator and filmmaker, and was strongly considering commuting the sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, a Democrat. Flexing his clemency power as he and his team face multiple criminal investigations of their own, Mr. Trump also said that he was looking at the case of Martha Stewart, the lifestyle mogul who spent five months in prison for lying to investigators about the timing of a stock sale. The pardon for Mr. D'Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to making illegal campaign contributions, represents a victory for one of the president's most vocal bases of support, the conservative media. Mr. D'Souza has argued that he was singled out for prosecution because of his conservative politics." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

** The president was focusing on cases where he argued that the justice system had unfairly treated celebrity figures, all of whom were convicted of crimes that in some ways mirrored charges that have been made or mentioned in connection with allies of Mr. Trump in recent weeks, including campaign finance violations and lying to investigators. All three have connections, if sometimes distant, to Mr. Trump, either through political allies or his time in the private sector.... Mr. Blagojevich appeared on 'Celebrity Apprentice,' Mr. Trump's reality show, and Ms. Stewart hosted an 'Apprentice' spinoff show. Moreover, all three of the cases were tied to prosecutors who have become nemeses of the president. Mr. D'Souza was prosecuted by Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in New York who was fired by Mr. Trump last year and has been one of his fiercest critics. Ms. Stewart was prosecuted by James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director who was fired by Mr. Trump last year and has engaged in a running war of words ever since. As for Mr. Blagojevich, he was prosecuted by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, a close friend and colleague of Mr. Comey. Mr. Trump previously pardoned I. Lewis Libby Jr., a top aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was also prosecuted by Mr. Fitzgerald. (Mrs. McC: Fitzgerald currently is representing Comey.)

... ** Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump granted a full pardon Thursday to conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza and said he was strongly considering clemency for other celebrity felons, signaling his willingness to exercise his unilateral power to reward friends an allies while undercutting the work of his nemeses in law enforcement.... With Thursday's announcements, Trump also delivered an indirect but unmistakable message to personal attorney Michael Cohen, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and others ensnared in Trump-related investigations that they, too, could be spared punishment in the future. D'Souza, Blagojevich and Stewart had been convicted of such crimes as campaign-finance violations or lying to investigators -- charges similar to those brought against Flynn..., Paul Manafort and other Trump associates indicted in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's Russia investigation. Cohen, meanwhile, is under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York for possible campaign-finance violations and other possible crimes." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Congratulations to NYT & WashPo reporters & editors for barely mincing words in analyzing Trump's ulterior motives. See also yesterday's Comments for opinions on the D'Souza pardon. As for my opinion -- what they said. ...

... Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "When President Trump pardoned Dinesh D'Souza on Thursday, he was pardoning one of the most inflammatory voices on the right.... D'Souza, who has written books and directed films attacking former president Barack Obama, claims he was targeted for his conservativ views." Scott lists some of D'Souza's commentary, much of it stunningly racist, right down to using the word "nigger." Mrs. McC: D'Souza is an Indian-American. ...

... They Were "Treated Unfairly"! Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The most popular read on President Trump's pardon of conservative provocateur Dinesh D'Souza is that he may be sending a signal to other allies -- hello, Michael Cohen! -- that he will pardon them if they stay loyal. The more fundamental and clearer takeaway is that presidential pardon powers are being perhaps irrevocably politicized for Trump's own legal purposes.... In his tweet about D'Souza on Thursday morning, Trump said D'Souza 'was treated very unfairly by our government!'... Of Arpaio, he said, 'I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly when they came down with their big decision to go get him, right before the election voting started. ... I thought that was very, very unfair thing to do.'... As for Libby? You guessed it: He was 'treated unfairly.'... 'I think to a certain extent Martha Stewart was harshly and unfairly treated,' Trump said, as on-message as ever.'... The president who routinely complained about the 'witch hunt' that is special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation is using his pardon power in perhaps unprecedented ways to assert that myriad other witch hunts have taken place in recent years." ...

... David Graham of the Atlantic: "It's Trump's fifth pardon of his short presidency, and the third to go to a conservative cause célèbre, after former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Dick Cheney aide Scooter Libby.... As with so many of Trump's maneuvers, this is entirely within the legal bounds of his power but still largely outside the realm of propriety and precedent.... [Trump] has granted mercy to prominent conservatives more or less off the cuff, circumventing the standard application process through the Justice Department, in some cases undermining the rule of law with these moves.... Some observers have seen [the pardons] as political messaging related to the probes into Russian interference in the election, a method of telegraphing to friends and aides who are ensnared that the president is willing to use his pardon power to help them escape legal issues. It is true that the offenses involved in the D'Souza, Libby, and Arpaio pardons parallel the troubles facing some of his former associates: Fixer Michael Cohen is suspected of campaign-finance violations; several former aides have already pleaded guilty to making false statements; Trump himself is being investigated for obstruction of justice. Last month, New York began considering changes to its laws to allow state prosecution for certain crimes even if Trump grants federal pardons." ...

... ** Michelle Goldberg uncovers the many motives of Trump in pardoning D'Souza: "... even if Trump was acting out of instinct rather than calculation, he has an intuitive ability to speak to his supporters' dark impulses, and an insatiable need to smash boundaries that constrained his predecessors. The fact that D'Souza is utterly undeserving of a pardon might be part of the point; it signals that fealty to the president transcends all other values."...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Here's one motive Goldberg suggests: "By pardoning D'Souza, who has said more disgusting things than [Roseanne] Barr, Trump sends a rejoinder: his supporters can cross any lines they please." While many wise people attribute Trump's cruelty to daddy & mommy issues, I often think the more potent factor was the New York elite's rejection of his crass materialism. Trump thought his minor real-estate successes earned him entree into that rarified society; he cannot fathom why somebody who slathers everything with gold-leaf & pink marble, rubs shoulders with the Mafia (and other underworld figures) & uses someone like Michael Cohen to fix his little problems is unacceptable to New York's haute société. Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence is still instructive. ...

... Anderson Cooper diagrams some of the connections among Trump's pardon or potential-pardon recipients & Trump's "enemies":

... Rachel Maddow is more long-winded than usual, but this opening segment is compelling in the way she puts Trump's pardons/obstruction of justice in historical perspective:

     ... Shorter Maddow: The president has the "absolute" power to pardon, but s/he can commit a crime -- such as obstruction of justice -- in exercising that power. Mrs. McC: BTW, several commentators have noted today that the president's pardon power is the one place the U.S. Constitution adopts English royal prerogatives: English kings, going back to Anglo-Saxon monarchs, established & retained their unfettered power to pardon.

Adam Raymond of New York: "... Trump has not stuck by [Michael] Cohen for this long because he's a master litigator; he's stuck by him because he's a 'fixer.' And now NPR has provided a taste of what Cohen's brand of fixing looks like. On Thursday, in a piece by reporter Tim Mak about Cohen's history of legal threats, NPR published the audio of a 2015 phone call between Cohen and Mak, who worked for the Daily Beast at the time. The call was recorded before the Daily Beast published a story on Ivana Trump's claim, later recanted, that Trump raped her. In addition to wrongly claiming that a husband cannot rape his wife, Cohen lit into Mak and made a series of threats, some of which were published by the Daily Beast at the time.... Cohen is like a character out of a bad mobster movie. He's also all bark. As Mak writes, despite Cohen's bluster, the story ran and he never filed a lawsuit."

Tim Mak of NPR: "... as part of reporting on Cohen's history of legal threats, so is a previously little-noticed claim regarding [Stormy] Daniels.... Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, now tells NPR that she was coerced into signing the agreement. 'In October of 2016, Michael Cohen made threats against my client Stormy Daniels, as it related to pressuring her to enter into the NDA and accept the $130,000 payment,' Avenatti told NPR, but he offered no additional details when pressed.... Avenatti alleged in a March court filing that as news stories about the NDA were beginning to emerge in January, Cohen 'through intimidation and coercive tactics, forced [Daniels] into signing a false statement' denying a previous sexual relationship with Trump.... Making legal threats on Trump's behalf has been typical for Cohen." Here's the audio:

One Price of a Corrupt President. Carrie Johnson of NPR: "The special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election has cost nearly $17 million dollars so far, according to a new report from the Justice Department.... The office has been operating for just over a year -- since May 17, 2017, when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed [Robert] Mueller.... His task is to get to the bottom of Russian manipulation surrounding the election and whether there were any links or coordination with the Trump campaign. Earlier this month, President Trump tweeted the probe was a 'soon to be $20,000,000 Witch Hunt, composed of 13 Angry and Heavily Conflicted Democrats and two people who have worked for Obama for 8 years, STOP!' Some of the attorneys working for Mueller have made campaign contributions to Democrats or have other such political connections. By law, Mueller is barred from considering political affiliation when hiring for career posts inside the Justice Department."

Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "The Trump administration said on Thursday that it would impose tariffs on metals imported from its closest allies, a measure certain to strain diplomatic relationships and provoke retaliation against businesses and consumers in the United States. Tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which together supply nearly half of America's imported metal, are to take effect at midnight Thursday, Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, said on a call with reporters. The move follows months of uncertainty during which the Trump administration dangled potential exemptions to the tariffs in return for concessions on other fronts, including voluntary limits on metal shipments to the United States and reduced tariffs on imports from America." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... David Lynch, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump Thursday imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico, triggering immediate retaliation from U.S. allies against American businesses and farmers. The tariffs -- 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum -- will take effect at midnight Thursday, marking a major escalation of the trade war between the U.S. and its top trading partners. In response, the E.U. said it would impose duties 'on a number of imports from the United States,' referring to a 10-page list of targets for retaliation it published in March, which included Kentucky bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. European leaders also vowed to proceed with a complaint to the World Trade Organization.... The Mexican government said it would levy import taxes on U.S. exports of pork bellies, blueberries, apples, grapes, certain cheeses, and various types of steel." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Damian Paletta of the Washington Post: "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said months of intense negotiations between his country, the United States and Mexico imploded Tuesday when Vice President Pence demanded that any deal expire automatically in five years. Trudeau said he was prepared to travel to Washington this week to try to finalize a rework of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Pence, in the phone call, said a meeting would occur only if the 'sunset' provision was agreed to in advance.... Trudeau's comments came after President Trump enacted the most severe economic penalties he has imposed to date against U.S. allies, establishing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union.... Thursday evening, Trump seemed to respond directly to Trudeau's criticism, saying in a statement issued by the White House that 'That United States has been taken advantage of for many decades on trade. Those days are over. Earlier today, this message was conveyed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada: The United States will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all.'"

Trump endorses Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) in his primary race against ex-con & ex-Rep. Michael Grimm (and a guy who threatened -- on camera -- to throw a reporter over a balcony to his death). In a tweet, Trump promoted Donovan because he "voted for Tax Cuts and is helping me to Make America Great Again." Anna Palmer of Politico:"THERE'S ONLY ONE PROBLEM. Donovan voted against the tax-cut bill. He voted against it three times. He voted against it in every incarnation. The only material reason Trump gave to support Donovan was incorrect. Not only did Donovan vote against it, he was vocally opposed to it. He called it a 'tax hike on the people I represent.'... What is going on in the White House? It's tough to think of a mistake easier to avoid than whether a lawmaker voted for the largest legislative achievement of the past two years." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

"Trump Turns to Victimhood Politics." Brian Stelter of CNN: "For a second straight day, President Trump has found a way to talk about the 'Roseanne' controversy without condemning Roseanne Barr's racist remark. He is targeting ABC and its parent company Disney, whose chief executive is Bob Iger. He is expressing resentment that ABC took swift action when Barr attacked former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, but didn't take equivalent action when other ABC stars assailed Trump.... But Trump is tapping into a potent strain of grievance politics. It's the same thing that drives countless segments on his favorite Fox News talk shows: the notion of a double standard that hurts conservatives.... 'Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have offended millions of people, and they demand a response,' Trump tweeted [Thursday]. Then he added: 'How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard!'... Brian Ross, the ABC News correspondent who made a serious reporting error on the day that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI. Ross was suspended and later reassigned.... ABC may not have apologized directly to Trump, but the network did issue a full apology for the faulty reporting." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Samantha Bee Called Ivanka Trump a Cunt. John Coblin of the New York Times: "The TBS late night host Samantha Bee has come under intense scrutiny after using a vulgar expletive to describe Ivanka Trump during her show on Wednesday night. Ms. Bee dedicated nearly seven minutes of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee' to the issue of migrant children before using a crude reference for the female anatomy to describe the first daughter and presidential adviser, modifying it with the word 'feckless.' On Thursday..., Ms. Bee issued an apology. 'I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night,' the host said in a statement. 'It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.' In a statement, TBS said Ms. Bee had taken the right action by apologizing for the 'vile and inappropriate language' she had used. 'Those words should not have been aired,' the network said. 'It was our mistake, too, and we regret it.'... The host's remarks, including the epithet, were scripted. When the segment was broadcast, the offending word was bleeped out, but was left uncensored on the clip that was posted online. TBS removed the video from its site on Thursday afternoon.... Hours before Ms. Bee and TBS offered their apologies, Sarah Huckabee Sanders ... condemned Ms. Bee's remarks."

Carol Morello & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a senior North Korean official abruptly ended two days of talks Thursday with no immediate announcement of progress toward reinstating a potential summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump. The State Department said Pompeo and Kim Yong Chol, the right-hand man to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, concluded their meetings before noon, roughly 90 minutes earlier than expected. Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert did not immediately explain why the schedule changed, and it was not clear whether the two men had hit an impasse in efforts to set the agenda for a leader summit in Singapore next month. Pompeo gave no indication of trouble with a short tweet after the talks broke up." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Trump administration took a major step toward dramatically weakening an Obama-era rule designed to cut pollution from vehicle tailpipes, setting the stage for a legal clash with California that could potentially split the nation's auto market in two. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday submitted its proposal to roll back climate change rules that required automakers to nearly double the fuel economy of passenger vehicles to an average of more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. The rules, which would have significantly lowered the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, were opposed by automakers who said they were overly burdensome.... The new proposal could end up leading to two separate sets of fuel economy regulations within the United States, creating what automakers say would be an even greater regulatory burden."

Jeet Heer of the New Republic: There are countless examples of the unnecessary suffering imposed on immigrants under the Trump administration. While past administrations also oversaw an immigration system that caused unnecessary suffering, Trump's approach is markedly different. Unfair and harmful treatment is no longer a side effect of these policies -- it's the policy itself. Cruelty is ... the thread that runs through ICE's strategy of instilling terror in immigrant communities, the Department of Homeland Security's restrictive approach to refugees and asylum-seekers, the White House's decision to rescind temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of settled immigrants, Sessions's decision to reopen 350,000 cases for potential deportation, and much more. Much of this cruelty springs from Trump himself, who rose to power with unabashedly racist rhetoric toward immigrants and non-whites.... In his tweet on Saturday, Trump suggested that he would stop separating families only if some of his other draconian immigration policies are enacted. Its the same playbook he used with DACA.... Trump is causing misery for political leverage: making decisions that harms thousands of people in the hopes of enacting policies that would harm thousands of others. But ... America's immigration system['s] ... problems run much deeper than just this presidency -- and a simple change in leadership can't fix it."

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Investigators from the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office recently interviewed former FBI director James B. Comey as part of a probe into whether his deputy, Andrew McCabe, broke the law by lying to federal agents -- an indication the office is seriously considering whether McCabe should be charged with a crime, a person familiar with the matter said. Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz accused McCabe in April of misleading investigators and Comey four times -- three of them under oath -- about authorizing a disclosure to the media. Horowitz referred the findings to the D.C. U.S. Attorney-s Office to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.... McCabe and Comey are at odds over the inspector general's findings. McCabe asserts that Comey knew he authorized the media disclosure, and Comey claims otherwise. Comey has said he 'could well be a witness' against McCabe if McCabe were ever charged and tried."

Washington Post: "The American Federation of Government Employees on Thursday took the Trump administration to court to block a new executive order that severely restricts the time employees can spend on union activity,claiming it violates the First Amendment guarantee of the right to freedom of association and oversteps the president's constitutional authority." This is a developing story. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Joseph Bernstein & Charlie Warzel of BuzzFeed: "MSNBC host Joy Reid's now-defunct blog published an image of Sen. John McCain's head photoshopped onto the body of Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho, according to a newly discovered post reviewed by BuzzFeed News. The October 2007 post, titled 'Baghdad John Strikes Again,' discusses the infamous claim from McCain, then the GOP presidential nominee, that he would 'follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell.' The image appears at the end of the post, which was apparently penned by Reid. The McCain post is the latest in a series of archived items from Reid's blog that have embarrassed the AM Joy host and her network."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: "After a seesaw week that spooked financial markets, Italy's president on Thursday gave a green light to a government of populist parties that would put Europe's fourth largest economy into the hands of leaders deeply antagonistic to the European Union, its currency and illegal migrants. Only days ago, President Sergio Mattarella of Italy rejected a populist government over concerns about a key minister who had suggested he wants to withdraw Italy from the group of countries that use the euro, Europe's single currency. The chaotic consequences of such a move -- even if remote -- alarmed many investors and resurrected fears about a possible fracturing of the European Union. On Thursday evening, the party leaders presented the president with a reshuffled cabinet that would make it difficult for Mr. Mattarella to reject them a second time. The new government still needs to win a confidence vote in Parliament, but at this stage that was a formality."

Sam Jones of the Guardian: "Mariano Rajoy, once viewed as the great survivor of Spanish politics, has been ousted as prime minister in a vote of no confidence called after several former members of his ruling party were convicted of corruption in a case that proved a scandal too far. He will be replaced by Pedro Sánchez, the leader of Spain's opposition socialist PSOE party, which tabled the motion to unseat him.... Rajoy, who served as premier for seven years, had managed to weather a string of corruption scandals within his People's party (PP) but was unable to withstand political anger after Spain's highest criminal court found the party had benefited from an enormous and illegal kickbacks-for-contracts scheme, known as the Gürtel case."

News Lede

New York Times: "The American economy roared into overdrive last month, delivering the strongest job gains since February. The report underscored other recent signs of strength, like robust personal income and spending data reported earlier this week. The unemployment rate for May was at lows not seen since the heady days of the dot-com bubble. Policymakers at the Federal Reserve are almost certain to raise interest rates when they meet this month, and have said they expect at least one more increase later this year, most likely in September or December." See also related Politico & NYT reports in today's Commentariat re: the Trump tease.