Newsletter: Today: Trump’s Fury Before the Comey Firing

More twists in the aftermath of James Comey’s dismissal from the FBI. I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

Trump’s Fury Before the Comey Firing

Subpoenas to Michael Flynn and his associates. Questions about how and why President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. An Oval Office meeting with Russian officials, shut out to U.S. media but with a Russian photographer in attendance. A photo op with Henry Kissinger, right when critics are bringing up Watergate. As Trump said about healthcare, who knew firing Comey would be so complicated? The president’s explanation: “He wasn’t doing a good job.” But officials tell a deeper story, one of Trump’s growing anger at Comey — and Trump’s surprise at the intense reaction to the dismissal.

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak during their meeting in the White House.

(Russian Foreign Ministry / EPA)

You’ve Got Russia Questions. Will We Get Answers?

Was Comey fired to cripple an expanding investigation into whether any of President Trump’s campaign aides coordinated with Russian intelligence last year? Democratic senators and aides say Comey was sacked after asking Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein for more money and personnel, but a Justice Department spokesman says that request didn’t happen. Meanwhile, as a Comey replacement is sought, the FBI’s inquiry appears to be on uncertain ground. Today, acting director Andrew McCabe testifies to the Senate Intelligence Committee; and next week, Comey has been invited to talk behind closed doors.

Mr. President, Meet the Law of Unintended Consequences

What to make of all this? Former officials in Republican and Democratic administrations tell L.A. Times Washington bureau chief David Lauter that if the goal was to get the Russia investigation over with, firing Comey probably moved things in the wrong direction. Some experts think that the Trump White House will eventually have to accept some form of special counsel or independent investigative commission. And as for Mitch McConnell’s role? Read on.

More From Washington

-- Five candidates under consideration for interim FBI director.

-- The difference between Richard Nixon and John Travolta, plus other things to know about Trump, Comey and special prosecutors.

-- From Anderson Cooper’s eye roll to Chuck Todd’s “Wow”: The media react.

This Mystery From Beyond the Grave Is Solved

Who was the girl who was found in a small, elaborate metal coffin buried more than a century ago in what is now a wealthy San Francisco neighborhood? No headstone or markings offered any clues, so a group of scientists, amateur sleuths and history buffs set out to solve the mystery. They discovered it was Edith Howard Cook. This is her story.

A Show You Should Talk About With Your Kids

Nearly 250 years ago, Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther” became wildly popular but sparked worries about readers copying the suicide depicted in the novel. Fast forward to the era of smartphones and social media, and the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” is generating concerns that it glamorizes suicide too. Teens have tweeted more about the show than any other program this year. But how is the show being discussed in real life? Educators from around the U.S. told reporter Amy Kaufman what they’re seeing and hearing.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Helen Mirren discusses the mysteries of the Winchester house.

-- Would “Rocky Horror Picture Show” star Susan Sarandon do a “straight musical”?

-- Comedian Jon Gabrus explains his process, including why he doesn’t write his jokes down.

CALIFORNIA

-- Creating more “affordable housing” or rewarding “illegal behavior”? The L.A. City Council voted to smooth the way for landlords to get approval for bootlegged apartments.

-- Prosecutors say no criminal charges will be filed against two LAPD officers who shot and killed a woman in 2015. The shooting had drawn a rebuke from a civilian police oversight panel.

-- A new report says there were serious problems in 2016 for some California voters who don’t speak English.

-- Call it the case of the purloined pizzas. San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies say teens robbed a pizza delivery man of all his orders, but a bloodhound tracked them down.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Is it too early to talk about the 2018 Oscars? Not if the movie is Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.”

-- “Saturday Night Live” will be hosted by Melissa McCarthy this weekend. The mind reels.

-- Will he join Kanye? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is considering a run for the White House.

-- Actor Michael Parks has died at age 77. Director Kevin Smith called him “hands-down the most incredible thespian I ever had the pleasure to watch perform.”

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Phil Silvers started off as a vaudevillian and burlesque comic, but his role as a friendly Army con man named Sgt. Ernie Bilko propelled him to worldwide fame — or, as the son of Russian immigrants born on this date in 1912 might say, he went from “third banana” to “top banana.”

NATION-WORLD

-- Video: Students booed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos when she gave a commencement speech at a historically black college in Daytona Beach, Fla.

-- China has long kept its space program a military secret, but now it’s trying to make one launch site into a tourist destination.

-- As Mexico combats fears about rising crime, a soldier is caught on video carrying out an execution.

-- India is building a biometric database for 1.3 billion people, and enrollment is mandatory.

-- Who you gonna call? Scientists have discovered a new species of horned, club-tailed dinosaur with a spooky resemblance to Zuul from the movie “Ghostbusters.”

BUSINESS

-- Oh, Snap! Snapchat user growth is slowing, and its stock dropped sharply in after-hours trading.

-- The Private Suite at LAX has been dubbed “the TMZ terminal.” Here’s how it works for celebrities and other big spenders looking to avoid the limelight.

SPORTS

-- The Anaheim Ducks’ Game 7 curse is dead. They’re headed for the NHL’s Western Conference finals against the Nashville Predators.

-- Bad news for the Dodgers: Outfielder Andrew Toles is out for the season with a torn knee ligament.

OPINION

-- The Russia investigation is on life support. What will it will take to survive after Comey?

-- Spineless Republicans are abdicating their responsibility to keep Trump in check.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A reporter was arrested after “causing a disturbance by yelling questions at” Kellyanne Conway and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. (Washington Post)

-- The director of the U.S. Census is resigning. At first glance that might seem like no big deal, but it could have big political implications. (The Atlantic)

-- Vladimir Putin is asked about the Comey firing, then goes out and scores six goals and five assists in a hockey game. (The Guardian)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

The country may be politically polarized, but in California lawmakers of both parties showed this week they can come together … to make bullfrogs jump. In an annual rite of May at the Capitol, the politicians, their staffers and family members held a contest inspired by Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Here’s how they hopped to it.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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