Comey, Trump, U.S. Senate: Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/briefing/comey-trump-us-senate.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest.

1. A day after President Trump’s sudden firing of the F.B.I. director, James Comey, Washington was still reeling from the decision and its implications.

Congressional officials revealed that days earlier Mr. Comey had requested additional resources for the F.B.I.’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the election. Democrats said the timing of his dismissal suggested the president was trying to derail the investigation.

The White House denied that it was linked to the Russia inquiry. And Mr. Trump took to Twitter to accuse Democrats of hypocrisy, noting that they had criticized Mr. Comey for his handling of the Clinton email investigation.

Above, a White House aide gave reporters copies of Senator Chuck Schumer’s past statements on Mr. Comey.

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2. In an awkwardly timed diplomatic encounter, Mr. Trump met for the first time with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia.

And former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stopped by for a photo-op — an interesting coincidence, since many commentators had spent the previous 15 or so hours comparing Mr. Comey’s firing to the Watergate scandal.

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3. In the Senate, Democrats and some Republicans repeated their calls for an independent investigation of Russian meddling. And the Intelligence Committee invited Mr. Comey to testify at a closed hearing next week.

The turmoil could endanger the G.O.P.’s legislative agenda. We’re tracking the reactions from the right and left; where members of Congress stand; and all the latest developments as they happen.

Above, Mr. Schumer, the Senate minority leader.

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4. South Korea’s new president vowed to do “whatever it takes” to make peace with North Korea as he was sworn in.

Moon Jae-in said he hoped to strengthen the alliance with President Trump, whose military posturing toward North Korea has rattled and confused South Koreans.

And looking at the recent elections in South Korea and France, our columnist discusses what makes a political movement populist — or not.

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5. Puerto Rico’s schools are being hit hard by its crippling debt crisis.

Many have lost students as families flee the island. Now 179 schools are set to close and teachers fear the cuts will cost them their jobs.

The closings, part of the effort to help Puerto Rico battle a $123 billion debt, were ordered by a Washington-based consultant now in charge of education there. Parents criticized the decision as both catastrophic and capricious.

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6. Germany is investigating Nazi sympathizers and other far-right extremists in its own army.

Critics say the troubling trend in the armed forces has been overlooked for too long. Starting in July, all applicants will have to undergo a security check aimed at weeding out potential extremists.

The revelations, in the middle of an election year, have set off sniping between the civilian and military authorities. Above, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen with troops.

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7. Two controversies over questions of ownership and appropriation in the art world:

A Massachusetts seminary is under fire for failing to return sacred Native American artifacts collected by 19th-century missionaries, like the fishhook above.

And the British artist Damien Hirst was criticized over his work in the Venice Biennale. A fellow artist accused him of copying a well-known ancient Nigerian brass artwork.

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8. Scientists are learning more about the recently discovered planets circling Trappist-1, a star about 40 light years away.

The Earth-size planets are packed tightly together, and researchers puzzled over how they could coexist despite gravitational jostling.

One astrophysicist was so inspired, he created software that composes music based on their orbits’ patterns.

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9. Are we witnessing the end of “the influencer?”

This nebulous category of celebrity with a large social media following is forcing a rewrite of the rules of engagement for models and the companies that hire them.

Our fashion writer assesses their fortunes in the wake of several high-profile fails, including Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial and the Fyre Festival, promoted by Bella Hadid, above.

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10. Finally, there is now a Tinder for moms. A new app called Peanut promises to connect mothers with their peers.

The creator, above, said she wanted to help women form meaningful relationships while balancing the often transformational act of parenting.

(And a second friendly reminder: Mother’s Day is Sunday.)

Have a great night.

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