May 2017

Paris Agreement

• Donald Trump to withdraw US from Paris Agreement on climate change, sources claim by Ian Johnston, Mythili Sampathkumar (Independent)
• BREAKING: Trump is reportedly withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement by Natasha Geiling (ThinkProgress)
• Trump ‘poised to quit Paris climate deal’ (BBC)
• Donald Trump will withdraw from Paris climate deal: report by Matthew Rozsa (Salon)
• Paris climate deal: exasperated world leaders prepare to move on without US by Oliver Milman (The Guardian)
• President Trump Is Expected to Withdraw From the Paris Climate Agreement by Zeke J Miller, Justin Worland (TIME)
• Trump expected to withdraw from Paris climate deal by Andrew Restuccia, Josh Dawsey (Politico)
• European leader blasts Trump on climate withdrawal (Al Jazeera)
• Elon Musk threatens to leave White House councils over Paris deal by Nancy Scola (Politico)
• Trump under fire over expected global climate deal withdrawal by Valerie Volcovici, Jeff Mason (Reuters)

Covfefe ?

• What is covfefe? Donald Trump challenges the world to figure out the meaning of bizarre tweet by Andrew Griffin (Indendent)
• Trump typo: ‘Covfefe’ tweet mocked on internet (BBC)
• ‘Covfefe’ Kerfuffle: Trump’s Typo Sparks A Search For Meaning, And Humor by Bill Chappell (NPR)
• Covfefe is a word now. Deal with it by David Shariatmadari (The Guardian)
• Merriam-Webster Couldn’t Even Deal With President Trump’s ‘Covfefe’ Tweet by Katie Reilly (TIME)
• ‘Covfefe’ Is Trending on Twitter After Trump’s Confounding Midnight Tweet by Feliz Solomon (TIME)
• Sean Spicer’s Explanation Of Donald Trump’s ‘Covfefe’ Tweet Is Really Something by Paige Lavender (Huffington Post)
• White House Insists “Covfefe” Is Real—and Trump Insiders Know What It Means by Abigail Tracy (Vanity Fair)

Impeachment

• Poll: Voters split on Trump impeachment by John Bowden (The Hill)
• To Impeach or Not to Impeach? And Is That Even the Question? by Doug Henwood, Steve Phillips, Christopher D. Cook and Medea Benjamin (The Nation)
• Poll: Support for Trump impeachment rises by Steven Shepard (Politico)
• Support for Trump and support for impeachment roughly the same now by Matthew Rozsa (Salon)

News

• Donald Trump Is Reportedly Lonely and Gaining Weight from This Whole Being President Thing by Jack Moore (GQ)
• More Americans want to impeach Donald Trump than approve of his job performance, new poll finds by Clark Mindock (Independent)
• Jared Kushner ‘admitted Donald Trump lies to his base because he thinks they’re stupid’ by Maya Oppenheim (Independent)
• Chinese activists probing Ivanka Trump’s factories have gone missing by Matthew Rozsa (Salon)
• Donald Trump Asks World Leaders To Call Him On His Cell Phone. That Can Only Mean 1 Thing. by Lee Moran (Huffington Post)
• Wary Of North Korea, U.S. Destroys Mock Warhead Over The Pacific by Doreen McCallister (NPR)
• Franken: ‘Everything points to’ collusion between Trump team and Russia by Olivia Beavers (The Hill)
• Leaked regulation: Trump plans to roll back Obamacare birth control mandate by Dylan Scott, Sarah Kliff (Vox)
• Seven subpoenas issued in House Russia probe by Katie Bo Williams (The Hill)
• House Dems to WH: Revoke Kushner’s security clearance by Mark Hensch (The Hill)
• Clinton says Trump campaign likely guided Russians before U.S. election by David Ingram (Reuters)

Opinion

• Should the President’s Words Matter in Court? by Kate Shaw (NY Times)
• While You Obsessed Over Trump’s Scandals, He’s Fundamentally Changed The Country by Sam Stein (Huffington Post)

Russia

• New Intercepted Intelligence Shows the Russians Have Damaging Information on Donald Trump by Jack Moore (GQ)
• Russia inquiry expands to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen (BBC)
• Trump’s Personal Attorney Michael Cohen Under Investigation In Russia Probe by Marina Fang (Huffington Post)
• President Trump’s Personal Lawyer Subpoenaed in Russia Investigation by Eileen Sullivan & Jake Pearson (TIME)
• Donald Trump’s personal lawyer becomes focus of Russia investigation by Andrew Buncombe (Independent)
• Donald Trump ‘may have ordered Jared Kushner to set up secret Russia communication channel’ by Gabriel Samuels (Independent)
• Former Trump adviser Flynn to turn over some documents subpoenaed by Senate panel: source (Reuters)

Healthcare

• Thanks to Trump’s new rule, employers will be able to deny women birth control coverage by Laura Clawson (Daily Kos)
• The Trump administration has started rolling back the birth control mandate by Laurel Raymond (ThinkProgress)
• This Is How The GOP Health Care Bill Will Affect Insurance Premiums Next Year by Jeffrey Young (Huffington Post)

News

• White House communications director resigns (Al Jazeera)
• Amid Rumors Of Staff Shake-Up, White House Communications Director Resigns by Brian Naylor (NPR)
• North Korea warns of ‘bigger gift package’ for U.S. after latest test by Ju-min Park & Jack Kim (Reuters)
• Jared Kushner Once Allegedly Admitted That Donald Trump Lies to His Base Because He Thinks They’re Stupid by Jack Moore (GQ)
• Merkel, minister stress U.S. ties after critical Trump tweet by Thomas Escritt & Matthias Sobolewski (Reuters)
• Trump calls for end to filibuster by Max Greenwood (The Hill)
• Donald Trump Is Picking a Fight with Germany—and It Will Not End Well by John Nichols (The Nation)
• Senators criticize Trump’s proposed cuts to rural programs by Mary Clare Jalonick (AP)
• Watch Live: White House Briefing Amid Reports Of Staff Changes, Russia Developments by Dana Farrington (NPR)
• U.S. says expanding laptop ban ‘still on the table’ by David Shepardson (Reuters)
• Trump: Our relationship with Germany is ‘very bad for U.S.’ by Louis Nelson (Politico)
• Tenth US city calls for Donald Trump’s impeachment by Mythili Sampathkumar (Independent)
• North Korea releases first pictures of latest nuclear missile test by Rachael Revesz (Independent)
• War of words between Trump and Merkel continues (Al Jazeera)

Analysis

• Black Voters Aren’t Turning Out For The Post-Obama Democratic Party by Patrick Ruffini (FiveThirtyEight)
• The High Price of Presidential Impeachment by Jon Grinspan (The Atlantic)
• Hollywood Still Has No Idea How to Resist Trump by Eve Peyser (VICE)
• Rebecca Solnit: The Loneliness of Donald Trump by Rebecca Solnit (Literary Hub)

News

• Japan to take action with US after N Korea missile test (Al Jazeera)
• Report: Donald Trump Has Privately Said He Will Leave The Paris Climate Agreement by Jack Moore (GQ)
• Trump Honors Fallen Warriors At Arlington National Cemetery by Jim Kane (NPR)
• Cities join call for impeachment by Natasha Korecki (Politico)
• Trump’s budget plan lands with a thud in Middle America by Lorraie Woellert (Politico)
• After Trump’s disastrous vacation, Angela Merkel warns: The world has no leader by Heather Digby Parton (Salon)
• Vladimir Putin is a bigger threat than Isis, John McCain says by Paul Karp (The Guardian)
• Donald Trump acted like ‘a drunk tourist’ on Europe trip that led Angela Merkel to proclaim end of US alliance by Rachael Revesz (Independent)
• Report: Trump to reverse Obama’s Cuba policy by Niv Elis (The Hill)
• White House Acts to Roll Back Birth-Control Mandate for Religious Employers by Robert Pear (NY Times)
• Investigation Turns to Kushner’s Motives in Meeting With a Putin Ally by Matthew Rosenberg, Mark Mazzetti, and Maggie Haberman (NY Times)
• Trump administration plans to minimize civil rights efforts in agencies by Juliet Eilperin, Emma Brown and Darryl Fears (Washington Post)

Analysis

• A Constitutional Puzzle: Can the President Be Indicted? by Adam Liptak (NY Times)
• How President Trump consumes — or does not consume — top-secret intelligence by Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker (Washington Post)

News

• Climate change: Trump keeps world waiting on Paris deal (BBC)
• Trump’s Travel Ban Is Headed for a Supreme Court Showdown by Garrett Epps (The Atlantic)
• Reported Talks by Jared Kushner With Russia Would Be ‘Good Thing,’ Trump Official Says by Matt Flegenheimer, Peter Baker (NY Times)
• As Trump Lifestyle Takes Toll On Secret Service, Lawmakers Try To Give Extra Support by Brian Naylor (NPR)
• Trump accuses ‘fake news’ media of making up sources by Rebecca Morin (Politico)
• Macron says long Trump handshake ‘not innocent’ by Kait Bolongaro (Politico)
• Trump attacks ‘fake news’ following Kushner reports by Doina Chiacu & Toni Clarke (Reuters)
• Angela Merkel says Germany can no longer rely on Donald Trump’s America: ‘We Europeans must take our destiny into our own hands’ by Samuel Osborne (Independent)
• Emmanuel Macron speaks out about ‘moment of truth’ handshake with Donald Trump by Rachael Pells (Independent)
• Trump says privately he will leave Paris climate agreement: report by Brandon Carter (The Hill)
• Trump, Republicans push back on Kushner reports by Austin Wright (Politico)

Analysis

• What Did Trump Accomplish on His First Foreign Trip? by Eliot A. Cohen (The Atlantic)
• Thanks to Trump, Germany says it can’t rely on the United States. What does that mean? by Henry Farrell (Washington Post)
• Russia scandal ices government lawyer hiring by Josh Gerstein (Politico)
• Trump’s Trip Was a Catastrophe for U.S.-Europe Relations by David Frum (The Atlantic)
• Court says essentially that Trump is not to be believed. Will Supreme Court conclude the same? by Robert Burns (Washington Post)

News

• US-led strikes kill 35 civilians in east Syria: monitor (Al Jazeera)
• Clinton launches new campaign against Trump by Edward-Isaac Dovere, Nolan D. McCaskill (Politico)
• Here’s What Hillary Clinton Thought About James Comey’s Firing by Mollie Reilly (Huffington Post)
• Hillary Clinton Shades Trump with Nixon Comparison by Inae Oh (Mother Jones)
• How the Trump White House Has Tried to Interfere With the Russia Investigations by Bill Buzenberg (Mother Jones)
• FBI Russia investigation is ‘now at the door of the Oval office’, says former Obama administration staffer by Andrew Buncombe (Independent)
• Boehner: Trump has been ‘complete disaster’ by Pete Schroeder (Reuters)
• Trump travel ban fight heads toward Supreme Court showdown by Lawrence Hurley (Reuters)
• Trump to set up ‘war room’ to repel attacks over Russia probe, officials by Jeff Mason, Richard Cowahttp://trumpwatch.entropymag.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=5173&action=editn and James Oliphant (Reuters)
• FBI probe of attempted hack on Trump Organization could pose problems for Trump by Kerry Eleveld (Daily Kos)
• Ramadan 2017: Donald Trump issues statement mentioning terrorism in almost every sentence by Cark Mindock (Independent)
• G7 summit: Donald Trump calls Germans ‘bad, very bad’ and vows to curb foreign car imports by Ben Chapman (Independent)
• Donald Trump’s Awkward Moments at the NATO Summit, Analyzed by a Body Language Expert by Kate Samuelson (TIME)
• Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret channel with Kremlin by  Ellen Nakashima, Adam Entous, and Greg Miller (Washington Post)
• Russian Once Tied to Trump Aide Seeks Immunity to Cooperate With Congress by Barry Meier and Jesse Drucker (NY Times)
• F.B.I. Investigates Attempt to Hack the Trump Organization by William K. Rashbaum (NY Times)
• Kushner is said to have discussed a secret channel to talk Russia by Maggie Haberman, Mark Mazzetti, and Matt Apuzzo (The NY Times)
• Exclusive: Trump son-in-law had undisclosed contacts with Russian envoy – sources by Ned Parker & Jonathan Landay (Reuters)
• White House backs down on keeping ethics waivers secret by Eric Lipton (The NY Times)
• Trump’s statement on Ramadan is almost entirely about terrorism by Sarah Pullman Bailey (The Washington Post)
• Report: Jared Kushner Asked Kislyak for Use of Russian Communications Facilities by Matt Ford, Adam Serwer (The Atlantic)

Analysis

• How the American Health Care Act Would Affect Mental-Health Coverage by Vann R. Newkirk II (The Atlantic)
• The Republicans are the party of Nazis and thugs by Ben Mathis-Lily (Slate)
• Hillary Clinton’s commencement speech made it sound like America was graduating by Christina Cauterruci (Slate)
• Donald Trump’s moral holiday by David Frum (The Atlantic)
• With a Presidential boost, the P.G.A. comes to Trump National by Eric Lipton, Steve Eder, and Ben Protess (The NY Times)
• McConnell may have been right: It may be too hard to replace Obamacare by Jennifer Steinhauer and Robert Pear (The NY Times)
• Top White House officials unveiled series of contradictory messages on top priorities as Trump traveled abroad by Damian Paletta (The Washington Post)
• The GOP inherits what Trump has wrought by Karen Tumulty and Robert Costa (The Washington Post)
• Don’t call it ‘climate change’: How the government is rebranding in the age of Trump by Chris Mooney and Lisa Rein (The Washington Post)
• Trump’s latest tantrum will hurt hundreds of thousands of people. Here’s how. by Greg Sargent (The Washington Post)

Trump Trip / NATO

• In Brussels, Leaders Wait Defiantly And Nervously For Trump (Huffington Post)
• Trump’s Hands Are No Match For Emmanuel Macron’s Shake by Cavan Sieczkowsky (Huffington Post)
• Trump v Macron: French president appears to win latest handshake battle by Elena Cresci (The Guardian)
• Trump congratulates Macron on ‘tremendous victory’ by Rebecca Savransky (The Hill)
• After leaking intelligence to Russia, Trump insults allies in a speech to NATO by Ned Resnikoff (ThinkProgress)
• Watch Live: President Trump and Angela Merkel Speak at NATO Ceremony by Jennifer Calfas (TIME)
• President Trump Pushes NATO Members to Pay ‘Their Fair Share’ by Lorne Cook, Angela Charlton (TIME)
• Trump scolds NATO allies on defense spending by Jordan Fabian (The Hill)
• Trump and Obama are having very different trips to Europe by Adam Taylor (The Washington Post)
• In NATO speech, Trump is vague about mutual defense pledge by Michael D. Shear, Mark Landler, and James Kanter (The NY Times)
• Leading from the side: At NATO event, Trump waffles again on U.S. commitments by David nakamura (Washington Post)
• Opinion: Trump’s foreign trip will have dangerous consequences. They’ve already begun. by Editorial Board (Washington Post)
• The tussle in Brussels by Fred Kaplan (Slate)
• Trump didn’t say the one thing about NATO he was supposed to say by Zeeshan Aleem (Vox)
• Trump Declines to Affirm NATO’s Article 5 by Rosie Gray (The Atlantic)

Budget

• Donald Trump’s budget losers by Chris Sheridan (Al Jazeera)
• Trump’s Cruel and Unusual Budget by Start Making Sense & Jon Wiener (The Nation)
• Opinion: Trump’s budget betrays two critical campaign promises by Hugh Hewitt (The Washington Post)
• Trump’s Proposed Budget Would Cut $2.2 Billion From Global Health Spending by Nurith Aizenman (NPR)

Healthcare

• Republican health bill to leave 23m uninsured (BBC)
• Patient, Doctor Groups Say New CBO Score Reveals Health Bill’s Flaws by Alison Kodjak (NPR)
• How the New Republican Healthcare Bill Is Worse Than the Old One by Harry Cheadle (VICE)
• Why Republicans can’t fix health insurance by Matthew Yglesias (Vox)
• If You Have a Preexisting Condition, the GOP Health Care Bill Is Even Worse Than You Thought by Patrick Caldwell (Mother Jones)

Jared Kushner

• FBI probes Kushner-Russia meetings; more documents sought by Matthew Daly and Chad day (AP)
• FBI’s Russia investigation reportedly now focusing inside the White House on Jared Kushner by Elliott Hannon (Slate)
• Meet the Real Jared Kushner by David Freedlander (Politico)
• Lawyer: Kushner willing to answer questions on Russian meetings by Josh Gerstein, Cristiano Lima (Politico)
• Jared Kushner Is Reportedly Under FBI Scrutiny for Meetings With Russians by AJ Vicens (Mother Jones)

News

• Manchester attack: Trump condemns media leaks (BBC)
• British intelligence shuts out US after information leaks on Manchester attack by Mark Sumner (Daily Kos)
• New Immigration Crackdowns Creating ‘Chilling Effect’ On Crime Reporting by John Burnett (NPR)
• A Proposed New Tax, Mainly On Latinos, To Pay For Trump’s Border Wall by Jason Beaubien (NPR)
• May to confront Trump as UK police stop sharing attack information with U.S. by Kate Holton, Andrew Yates (Reuters)
• Britain’s Theresa May to Confront Trump on Manchester Intel Leaks by Kevin Lui (TIME)
• In first under Trump, U.S. warship challenges Beijing’s claims in South China Sea by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart (Reuters)
• Donald Trump vows to find and punish source of ‘deeply troubling’ Manchester attack leaks by Andrew Griffin, Clark Mindock (Independent)
• Donald Trump accused of breaking his promises on big infrastructure spending by Alexandra Wilts (Independent)
• Jeff Sessions ‘did not disclose meetings with Russians on security clearance form’ by Alexandra Wilts (Independent)
• Jeff Sessions says he was advised not to mention Russia meetings by Matthew Rozsa (Salon)
• Appeals court upholds injunction blocking Trump’s travel ban by Lydia Wheeler (The Hill)
• Appeals court will not reinstate Trump’s revised travel ban by Adam Liptak (The Washington Post)
• Jeff Session’s agenda for the Civil Rights division by Adam Serwer (The Atlantic)
• Trump reportedly wants to stop Germans from selling so many cars here, where they’re made by Daniel Gross (Slate)
• Court maintains block on Trump’s Muslim travel ban (Al Jazeera)
• 4th Circuit Court Ruling Keeps Trump’s Travel Ban On Hold by Camila Domonoske (NPR)
• Lieberman withdraws from FBI director search by Josh Gerstein (Politico)

Opinion

• How Saudi Arabia played Donald Trump by Fareed Zacharia (Washington Post)
• The White House’s Aversion to Ethical Scrutiny by Editorial Board (NY Times)

Analysis

• The Muslim Ban ‘Drips With Religious Intolerance, Animus, and Discrimination,’ Rules Federal Appeals Court by Cody Wofsy (ACLU.org)

Trump Trip: Vatican & Pope

• Donald Trump meets Pope Francis at the Vatican (Al Jazeera)
• Pope asks Trump to be peacemaker, gives him environmental letter by Philip Pullella & Steve Holland (Reuters)
• Pope Francis Slips Trump the Ultimate Backhanded Gift by Isobel Thompson (Vanity Fair)
• Pope Francis Can Barely Hide How He Feels About Donald Trump by Jack Moore (GQ)
• ‘He Is Something’: Trump Visits Pope Francis At The Vatican by Bill Chapell (NPR)
• ‘We Can Use Peace,’ President Trump Says After Exchanging Gifts With Pope by Sylvia Poggioli (NPR)
• Melania and Ivanka Trump Wore Veils to Meet the Pope by Katie Reilly (TIME)
• Live Briefing: The Latest: Trump’s Meeting With the Pope at the Vatican (NY Times)
• Donald Trump receives frosty reception in first meeting with Pope Francis at Vatican by Philip Pullella, Steve Holland (Independent)
• The Pope gave Donald Trump a 192-page letter he wrote on climate change by Mythili Sampthkumar (Independent)
• Donald Trump prepares to meet with ‘apprehensive’ Nato with terrorism on the agenda by Clark Mindock (Independent)

Russia

• Why The Russia Investigation Matters And Why You Should Care by Domenico Montanaro (NPR)
• Republicans Focus on Protecting Trump at Russia Hearing by David Corn (Mother Jones)
• House Dems Investigating Trump Loans for Russian Connections by Russ Choma (Mother Jones)
• House Intelligence Committee to Subpoena Flynn, Schiff Says by Emmarie Huetteman (NY Times)
• The many ways Trump has tried to intervene in the Russia investigation, in one chart by Alvin Chang (Vox)
• Sessions did not disclose Russian meetings on security clearance application By Max Greenwood (The Hill)
• Former Trump campaign chairman submits Russia-related documents to intelligence panels by Tom Hamburger (Washington Post)
• A dubious Russian document may have swayed former FBI Director Comey’s treatment of the Clinton email probe by Natasha Bertrand (Business Insider)
• Sessions was advised not to disclose Russia meetings on security forms by Rebecca R. Ruiz (The NY Times)

Budget

• The Phantom Infrastructure Proposal in Trump’s Budget by Russell Berman (The Atlantic)
• A Republican Congressman Just Destroyed Trump’s ‘Lie’ Of A Budget by Michael McAuliff (Huffington Post)
• Trump budget is an ‘assault on science and the environment,’ says climate scientist by Joe Romm (ThinkProgress)
• Donald Trump’s budget slammed as ‘cruel’ and ‘immoral’ after it promises to cut social safety-net by $1 trillion by Alexandra Wilts (Independent)
• Donald Trump’s budget proposal for 2018 plans to scrap 66 federal programmes by Shehab Khan (Independent)
• Sanctuary cities targeted in budget by Rafael Bernal (The Hill)
• Opinion: Trump’s Budget: The Math Is Phony but the Cruelty Isn’t by Steve Rather (NY Times)
• Trump Administration Says It Isn’t Anti-Science As It Seeks to Slash EPA Science Office by Lisa Song (ProPublica)

Healthcare

• Trumpcare Is Russian Roulette for People with Pre-Existing Conditions by Brian Beutler (New Republic)
• Some With Pre-Existing Conditions Could Lose Coverage Under The GOP Health Bill by Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Perry Bacon Jr. (FiveThirtyEight)
• The CBO Says Trumpcare Won’t Cover Everybody With Pre-Existing Conditions by Ben Mathis-Lilly (Slate)
• GOP Health Plan Would Leave 23 Million More Uninsured, Budget Office Says by Danielle Kurtzleben (NPR)
• 23 Million More Uninsured: Read the CBO’s Report on the GOP Health Care Bill by Patrick Caldwell (Mother Jones)
• What the New CBO Score Reveals About the AHCA by Vann R Newkirk II (The Atlantic)

News

• China says no one should bring chaos to Korean peninsula by Michael Martina (Reuters)
• Trump Administration Says It Isn’t Anti-Science As It Seeks to Slash EPA Science Office by Lisa Song (ProPublica)
• Secret Service budget asks for $25M to protect Trump Tower by Jack Gillum (AP)
• Joe Lieberman no longer front-runner for FBI director by Philip Rucker (Washington Post)
• Trump praises Duterte for ‘unbelievable job’ cracking down on drugs in the Philippines by Louis Nelson (Politico)
• Trump tells Duterte of two U.S. nuclear subs in Korean waters: NYT (Reuters)
• Top Education official resigned over dispute with DeVos: report by John Bowden (The Hill)
• DeVos won’t say whether she’d withhold federal funds from private schools that discriminate by Emma Brown (Washington Post)
• Betsy Devos refuses to rule out giving funds to schools that discriminate by Erica L. Green (The NY Times)
• G.O.P. health bill would leave 23 million more uninsured in a decade, C.B.O. says by Robert Pear (The NY Times)
• GOP candidate in Montana race charged with misdemeanor assault after allegedly body-slamming reporter by David Weigel (The Washington Post)
• Watch Betsy DeVos Dodge Questions About How She’d Deal With Private Schools That Discriminate by Edwin Rios (Mother Jones)
• Ben Carson: Poverty Is a ‘State of Mind’ Children Learn From Their Parents by Aric Jenkins (TIME)

Analysis

• Donald Trump’s Base Is Shrinking by Nate Silver (FiveThirtyEight)
• Opinion: Republicans, get ready for the Trumpcare headlines by Jeanne Lambrew (The NY Times)
• How a dubious Russian document influenced the FBI’s handling of the Clinton probe by Karoun Demirjian and Devlin Barrett (The Washington Post)
• A new GOP bill would make it virtually impossible to sue the police by Radley Balko (Washington Post)

Trump Trip / Bethlehem

• Donald Trump arrives in Bethlehem for talks with Abbas (Al Jazeera)
• Expectations low for Trump’s Bethlehem visit (Al Jazeera)
• Trump: Israelis and Palestinians are ‘ready to reach for peace’ by Annie Karni (Politico)
• Trump Meets With Abbas, but Progress on Peace Remains Elusive by Ian Fisher, Peter Baker (NY Times)
• The huge contrast between Obama’s and Trump’s visits to Israel’s Holocaust memorial by Max Bearak (The Washington Post)
• Opinion: President Trump’s Mideast Contradictions by the Editorial Board (NY Times)
• Donald Trump ends Middle East tour (Al Jazeera)

Russia

• FEC member urges escalated Trump-Russia inquiry by Kenneth P. Vogel (Politico)
• Watch Live: House Intelligence Hearing With John Brennan by Brian Naylor (NPR)
• Former C.I.A. chief reveals mounting concern over Trump campaign and Russia by Matt Apuzzo (The NY Times)
• CIA director alerted FBI to pattern of contacts between Russian officials and Trump campaign associates by Greg Miller (Washington Post)
• Opinion: Brennan’s explosive testimony just made it harder for the GOP to protect Trump by Sarah Posner (The Washington Post)
• Ex-CIA chief: Worries grew of Trump campaign contacts to Russia by Patricia Zengerle & Doina Chiacu (Reuters)

Budget

• Trump seeks to slash government spending in budget plan by Roberta Rampton (Reuters)
• Trump has requested $1.6 billion to help build his ‘beautiful’ border wall in 2018 by Esther Yu Hsi Lee (ThinkProgress)
• Trump’s budget would destroy the health coverage of at least 14 million poor people by Tara Culp-Ressler (ThinkProgress)
•  Donald Trump’s budget relies on magic economic growth by Matthew Ygleias (Vox)
• Trump’s budget cuts deeply into medicaid and anti-poverty efforts by Julie Hirschfeld Davis (The NY Times)
• The 18 Independent agencies Trump wants to eliminate by Elaine Godfrey (The Atlantic)
• Trump’s cuts to SNAP and Social Security would hit the Rust Belt hard by Ronald Brownstein (The Atlantic)
• The dumb accounting error at the heart of Trump’s budget by Matthew Yglesias (Vox)
• Analysis: Trump’s ‘balanced’ budget relies on $2,062,000,000,000 in mystery money by Max Ehrenfeund (Washington Post)
• Analysis: Trump’s budget only works ‘if you believe in tooth fairies’y Bob Bryan (Business Insider)
• Trump’s Own Voters Would Be Among Hardest Hit By His Budget by Chuck Todd, Mark  Murray, and Carrie Dana (NBC.com)
• Here are the 66 programs eliminated in Trump’s budget by Niv Elis (The Hill)
• Analysis: Trump’s Budget Will Hit These States the Hardest by Sam Petulla (NBC.com)
• 45 million Americans rely on food stamps. Trump wants to gut the program by Julia Belluz (Vox)
• The unworkable math of Trump’s budget by Alana Semuels (The Atlantic)
• Medical Research, Health Care Face Deep Cuts In Trump Budget by Alison Kodjak, Rob Stein (NPR)
• Trump Budget’s Paid Parental Leave Plan Could Mean Higher State Taxes by Danielle Kurtzleben (NPR)
• Trump Budget Deals ‘Devastating Blow’ To Low-Income Americans, Advocates Say by Palm Fessler (NPR)
• White House Budget For 2018: Read The Full Plan by Dana Farrington (NPR)

News

• Betsy DeVos Continues to Make Paying Back Student Loans a Nightmare by Jack Moore (GQ)
• Manchester Arena: Donald Trump brands suicide bomber behind terror attack as ‘evil loser’ by Bethan McKernan (Independent)
• Democrats Warn Trump Against Pre-emptive Attack on North Korea by Rick Gladstone (NY Times)
• North Korea, if left unchecked, on ‘inevitable’ path to nuclear ICBM: U.S. by Phil Stewart & Idrees Ali (Reuters)
• Trump’s Immigration Pick Attacked Obama Programs in Ghost-Written Senate Letters by Marcelo Rochabrun (ProPublica)
• California Takes Center Stage in the Resistance to Trump by Sasha Abramsky (The Nation)

Action / Resources

• Demand That Congress Force Trump to Release His Tax Returns by NationAction (The Nation)

Trump Trip / Saudi Arabia / Israel

• Trump Arrives In Israel For Second Leg Of International Trip by Camila Domonoske (NPR)
• In A Historic First, Trump Visits Old City Of Jerusalem by Mark Katkov (NPR)
• Donald Trump becomes first sitting US president to visit Western Wall by Luke Baker (Independent)
• Melania Trump Coldly Slapped Away Donald Trump’s Hand in Israel by Jack Moore (GQ)
• The Latest: White House puts ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on website (AP)
• Trump in Jerusalem to explore Palestinian-Israeli talks (Al Jazeera)
• Trump Touched an Orb and He Liked It by Eve Peyser (VICE)
• Donald Trump drops out of Saudi Arabia event due to ‘exhaustion’ by Rachael Revesz (Independent)
• Trump Comes to Israel Citing a Palestinian Deal as Crucial by Peter Baker, Michael D. Shear, Ian Fisher (NY Times)
• Official White House Document Promotes Goal of “Lasting Peach” Between Israelis and Palestinians by Ben Mathis-Lilley (Slate)
• The President Just Told a Room of Israelis That He “Just Got Back From the Middle East” by Ben Mathis-Lilley (Slate)
• In Israel, Trump urges new Middle East ‘harmony’ but faces old suspicions by Phillip Rucker and Karen DeYoung (Washington Post)
• Trump fails to explain how to revive Arab-Israeli talks (Al Jazeera)
• What Explains Trump’s Sharp About-Face on Saudi Arabia? by James Carden (The Nation)

Russia Investigation / Flynn / Comey

• Flynn To Take The 5th, Refuses To Turn Over Documents To Senate Panel by Brian Naylor, Mary Louise Kelly (NPR)
• Trump asked intelligence chiefs to push back against FBI collusion probe after Comey revealed its existence by Adam Entous and Ellen Nakashima (The Washington Post)
• Flynn to decline U.S. Senate subpoena in Russia probe: media (Reuters)
• Analysis: Why new evidence suggests big trouble ahead for Michael Flynn by Matt Ford (The Atlantic)
• Flynn takes the Fifth, declines to comply with Senate Intelligence Committee subpoena by Karoun Demirjian (Washington Post)
• Report: Trump Asked Intel Heads To Push Back On FBI Russia Probe by Jessica Taylor (NPR)

Impeachment

• Democrats Should Proudly Call for Trump’s Impeachment by Brian Beutler (New Republic)
• Will Donald Trump Be Impeached? by Nate Silver (FiveThirtyEight)
• The case for impeaching Trump — and fast by Matthew Yglesias (Vox)

Budget

• Donald Trump’s budget proposal breaks his promise to not cut Social Security by Dylan Matthews (Vox)
• Trump budget seeks huge cuts to disease prevention and medical research departments by Joel Achenbach and Lena H. Sun (The Washington Post)
• Trump budget plan slashes food stamps, healthcare for poor by Roberta Rampton (Reuters)
• Trump’s budget proposal slashes spending by $3.6 trillion over ten years by Damien Paletta and Robert Costa (The Washington Post)
• Budget seeks end to subsidized student loans, forgiveness by Maria Danilova (AP)
• President Trump’s Budget Proposal Calls For Deep Cuts To Education by Anya Kamenetz (NPR)
• Trump Officially Proposes Stripping All Federal Funds From Planned Parenthood by Hannah Levintova (Mother Jones)

News

• Supreme Court Strikes Down North Carolina’s Racial Gerrymander by Pema Levy (Mother Jones)
• Supreme Court Rejects 2 Congressional Districts In North Carolina by Merrit Kennedy (NPR)
• North Korea: Medium-range missile ready for deployment (Al Jazeera)
• Exclusive: Trump EPA transition chief laments slow progress in killing green rules by Valerie Volcovici (Reuters)
• Trump extends legal protection for Haitians in U.S. by Josh Gerstein & Ted Hesson (Politico)
• Amid complicated relations with U.S., Turkey hires longtime Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard by Marc Caputo  (Politico)
• White House wants to keep secret which government staffers have been lobbyists by Matthew Rozsa (Salon)
• How Trump Revived the Story About What He Told the Russians by Krishnadev Calamur (The Atlantic)
• Trump Says He “Never Mentioned the Word ‘Israel’” to the Russians, Which No One Says He Did by Joshua Keating (Slate)
• The White House is trying to dupe the New York Times with phony leaks by Callum Borchers (Washington Post)
• White House Moves to Block Ethics Inquiry Into Ex-Lobbyists on Payroll by Eric Lipton (NY Times)
• Trump seems to confirm Israel as source of intelligence shared with Russia by David Smith (Guardian)
• The Latest: Senate confirms Iowa governor as China envoy (AP)

Analysis

• How Far Can Jeff Sessions Take His Crime War? by David Dagan (New Republic)
• Trump hypocrisy continues at home and abroad by James Hohman (Washington Post)
• Escalating probes rattle Trump and his aides by Josh Dawsey (Politico)
• Can Michael Flynn refuse to turn over documents to Congress? Yes — but he risks jail. by Phillip Bump (Washington Post)
• The real threat of phony leaks by Callum Borchers (The Washington Post)
• Trump’s plan to cut food stamps could hit his supporters hardest by Caitlin Dewey and Tracy Jan (The Washington Post)
• Trump’s budget is an aristocratic con by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic)
• Donald Trump is destroying his own Presidency by Ezra Klein (Vox)
• Trump’s first budget only works if wishes come true by Binyamin Applebaum and Alan Rappeport (The NY Times)

Opinion

• Trump’s Big Mouth Got Him Elected President. Now It’s His Undoing. by Paul Waldman (The American Prospect)
• Blood in the Water by Charles M. Blow
• Why Donald Trump’s ‘Arab Nato’ would be a terrible mistake by Rashid Khalidi (Guardian)