May 10, 2017


NEWS AND VIEWS


COMEY/SAVING DOCUMENTS/SPECIAL PROSECUTOR


I WOULD THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE A MANDATE REQUIRING THE FBI TO RETAIN DOCUMENTS FROM A SENATE HEARING ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE AND A FOREIGN POWER, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR DEMOCRATS TO MAKE A SPECIAL PETITION; BUT THERE HASN’T BEEN VERY MUCH FOLLOWING OF RULES BY THE TRUMP GROUP. IT’S REALLY DISCOURAGING. I WISH WE HAD MORE DEMOCRATS IN BOTH HOUSES SO THAT WE COULD FIGHT MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR WHAT I VIEW AS FREEDOM. (SEE THE SECOND ARTICLE BELOW. THE SENATE HAS SUBPOENAED THE DOCUMENTS.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-fired-democrats-urge-fbi-retain-russia-investigation-documents/
CBS NEWS May 10, 2017, 7:34 AM
After Comey firing, top Dems want Russia documents kept from White House

Some Congressional Democrats compared FBI Director James Comey's firing to the famous "Saturday Night Massacre" during Watergate. Top Democrats on the Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging the FBI to retain all Russia investigation documents and not share them with the Trump administration.

Senate Democrats demand special prosecutor after Comey's firing
A James Comey timeline

"It was brazen, one of the most staggering, stunning acts of a president compromising an investigation," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said.

Democrats savaged the president's decision, calling it "Nixonian," "mind-boggling" and "a cover-up," reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.

"If there was any question about the need for a special prosecutor, there is none now," Blumenthal said.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of systematically silencing law enforcement leaders who cross them.

"They fired Sally Yates. They fired Preet Bharara. And now they fired Director Comey, the very man leading the investigation. This does not seem to be a coincidence," Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

Schumer got a phone call from Mr. Trump and said he told the president the decision was a big mistake. Mr. Trump responded on Twitter: "Cryin' Chuck Schumer stated recently, 'I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer.' Then acts so indignant."

Some Republicans were scathing too. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said on Twitter: "I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing. I just can't do it."

But other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham argued the FBI needs a "fresh start" after Comey got tangled up in the 2016 campaign.

"The investigation is going forward both at the FBI and in the Senate Intelligence Committee in a bipartisan way," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said on Fox News.

And yet the Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Comey's "dismissal further confuses an already difficult investigation."

Comey was scheduled to testify on Thursday.

"Is he still going to attend?" Cordes asked.

"I doubt if he'll attend on Thursday but it is still my strong desire to have now-former director Comey to come and testify before the committee," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said.

Whoever Mr. Trump names to replace Comey will need to go through a Senate confirmation hearing. Adding to Democratic concerns of a bias appointment are the new rules of the Senate, which allow Republicans to approve a new FBI director with a simple majority. In 2013, 93 of the 100 senators voted yes to appoint Comey.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/10/527856856/senate-intelligence-panel-subpoenas-former-national-security-advisor-michael-fly
Senate Intelligence Panel Subpoenas Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
May 10, 2017 8:01 PM ET
RICHARD GONZALES

Photograph -- Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaking at the White House in February. He's been subpoenaed by a Senate committee investigating possible Trump campaign dealings with Russia.
Carolyn Kaster/AP

The Senate Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena for President Trump's former national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn.

In a joint announcement, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the panel, said. "The subpoena requests documents relevant to the Committee's investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 elections."

The senators said the documents are the same as those first requested from Flynn on April 28. But through his legal counsel, Flynn declined to cooperate with the committee's request.

Politico reports that Flynn's attorneys told the committee that the former general would not cooperate with the investigation unless he was granted immunity.

Flynn was fired by Trump in February after published reports that the national security adviser had misled Vice President Pence about his discussions with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

Flynn's contacts with the Russian government are also being examined by the FBI's investigation of possible links between Trump campaign officials and Russian meddling in the elections. The status of that probe is unclear in the wake of Trump's firing of FBI chief James Comey on Tuesday.



TRUMP PROHIBITS OUR WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS FROM ATTENDING, BUT FAILS TO REALIZE, OR PERHAPS BE ABLE TO STOP, A RUSSIAN SOURCE FROM TWEETING PHOTOS OUT. THAT IS EMBARRASSING.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kremlin-tweets-during-closed-door-oval-office-meeting-with-lavrov/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS May 10, 2017, 12:19 PM
Kremlin tweets during closed-door Oval Office meeting with Trump

In what was supposed to be a closed-door Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, pictures have emerged of meetings between President Trump, Mr Lavrov and Russian Envoy Sergey Kislyak via Russian media and Russian government social media accounts.

The Russian-sourced pictures are the only public record of the meetings as of this writing, largely because members of the White House press pool — who are charged to report on the president's whereabouts and what happens inside the White House — were not allowed into the meeting Wednesday morning. No photos were taken by the White House press of the president's meeting with Lavrov and with Russian Envoy Sergey Kislyak.

Twitter accounts held by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Embassy provided a running commentary of highlights from Lavrov's Washington visit, including Lavrov's jibes with reporter's at the State Department regarding FBI Director James Comey's firing.

Follow
MFA Russia 🇷🇺 ✔ @mfa_russia
#Lavrov: Was FBI Director James Comey fired? You’re kidding!
10:48 AM - 10 May 2017
648 648 Retweets 606 606 likes

Following Lavrov's comments, the Ministry tweeted a photo of a handshake with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Follow
MFA Russia 🇷🇺 ✔ @mfa_russia
#Lavrov - @realDonaldTrump meeting has just started | В Овальном кабинете началась встреча С.Лаврова с Д.Трампом#RussiaUSA #РоссияСША
10:57 AM - 10 May 2017
769 769 Retweets 524 524 likes

The Russian embassy then followed up with a tweeted photo of Mr. Trump shaking hands with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, the same ambassador who is currently at the forefront of the ongoing investigation into Russia's meddling of the 2016 election.

Who is Sergey Kislyak?
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Follow
Russia in USA 🇷🇺 ✔ @RusEmbUSA
Ambassador Kislyak and President Trump / Посол С.Кисляк и Президент Д.Трамп
11:11 AM - 10 May 2017
2,063 2,063 Retweets 1,224 1,224 likes

Kisylak reportedly spoke with several Trump advisers before Mr. Trump took office, including his son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was eventually fired for misleading the Vice President about his contacts with the Russian envoy.


COMEY FIRING AND AFTERMATH – A COVER UP?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/us/politics/comey-russia-investigation-fbi.html?_r=0
POLITICS
Days Before Firing, Comey Asked for More Resources for Russia Inquiry
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and MATT APUZZOMAY 10, 2017

Photograph -- The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the bureau’s J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington. Credit Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Days before he was fired, James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, asked the Justice Department for a significant increase in resources for the bureau’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the presidential election, according to four congressional officials, including Senator Richard J. Durbin.

Mr. Comey made his appeal to Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who also wrote the Justice Department’s memo that was used to justify the firing of Mr. Comey this week, the officials said.

“I’m told that as soon as Rosenstein arrived, there was a request for additional resources for the investigation and that a few days afterwards, he was sacked,” said Mr. Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois. “I think the Comey operation was breathing down the neck of the Trump campaign and their operatives, and this was an effort to slow down the investigation.”


JAMES COMEY AND THE F.B.I By SUSAN JOAN ARCHER, ROBIN LINDSAY and DAVE HORN 2:34
Video -- Trump Fires Comey: Key Moments in a Public Scuffle

President Trump often publicly pushed back against the now-fired director of the F.B.I., James Comey, including over Hillary Clinton’s emails and Russia links. Here’s a closer look. By SUSAN JOAN ARCHER, ROBIN LINDSAY and DAVE HORN on Publish Date May 10, 2017. Photo by Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times.

Mr. Comey briefed members of Congress on the meeting in recent days, telling them about his meeting with Mr. Rosenstein, who is the most senior law enforcement official supervising the Russia investigation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself because of his close ties to the Trump campaign and his undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador.

The timing of Mr. Comey’s request is not clear-cut evidence that his firing was related to the Russia investigation. But it is certain to fuel bipartisan criticism that President Trump appeared to be meddling in an investigation that had the potential to damage his presidency.

The F.B.I. declined to comment. But Sarah Isgur Flores, the Justice Department spokeswoman, said “the idea that he asked for more funding” for the Russia investigation was “totally false.” She did not elaborate.

In his briefing with members of Congress, Mr. Comey said he had been frustrated with the amount of resources being dedicated to the Russia investigation, according to two of the officials. Until two weeks ago, when Mr. Rosenstein took over as deputy attorney general, the investigation was being overseen by Dana Boente, who was acting as the deputy and is now the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mr. Comey has said he was hoping that he would find a supportive boss in Mr. Rosenstein, and according to the officials, pressed for more resources so he could accelerate the investigation, which is also examining possible collusion between Trump associates and the Russian interference campaign. It was unclear how Mr. Rosenstein reacted to the request, or whether the White House was informed of it.

To a president who puts a premium on loyalty, Mr. Comey represented a fiercely independent official who wielded incredible power. Mr. Comey made his career standing up to members of the George W. Bush administration on matters of surveillance. And his advisers have cast his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as evidence that he was equally willing to criticize the Democratic nominee for president.

Mr. Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation was the stated reason for his termination, and the White House has insisted it had nothing to do with the Russia inquiry, which has become a major distraction for the Trump administration.

Mr. Comey broke with longstanding policies by speaking publicly about the Clinton investigation twice last year. He also termed Mrs. Clinton’s handling of classified information as “extremely careless,” an estimation that went far beyond what the authorities normally say in cases where nobody is charged.

Follow Matthew Rosenberg @AllMattNYT and Matt Apuzzo @mattapuzzo on Twitter.
Charlie Savage contributed reporting.

TRENDING
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Editorial: Trump Fired Comey to End Hope for a Russia Inquiry
McConnell Defends Trump as Schumer Calls for Special Prosecutor



WAS ASKING FOR MORE SUPPORT ON RUSSIA INVESTIGATION HIS MAIN ERROR?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-asked-doj-for-more-resources-for-russia-investigation/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS May 10, 2017, 12:53 PM
James Comey asked DOJ for more resources for Russia investigation

Former FBI Director James Comey met with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein last week to request more "resources, energy and attention" for the Russian investigation, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

Comey then met with the two leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee -- Sens. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia -- on Monday and informed them about his request to Rosenstein.

A Justice Department spokesman said that the report about Comey requesting more resources "is totally false."

This development comes a day after President Trump fired Comey in a shocking move. In a letter to Comey, the president said that he accepted the recommendation from the attorney general and deputy attorney general that Comey be "terminated and removed from office."

"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," he wrote.

One of the documents the White House released following his firing Tuesday was a memo issued by Rosenstein in which he outlined the rationale for removing Comey from his role. He pointed to the way Comey had handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as one factor.

Democrats, however, reject this reason because they say Republicans could have fired him last year. Many are suggesting Comey's ouster has more to do with the president removing the person in charge of the investigation into Russia and possible collusion between Trump associates and Russian officials.

CBS News' Nancy Cordes and Paula Reid contributed to this report.


FRAN TOWNSEND ON COMEY ERRORS

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-fired-fran-townsend-says-mistakes-have-consequences/
CBS NEWS May 10, 2017, 12:38 PM
DOJ veteran says "mistakes have consequences" for FBI Director Comey

President Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey on Tuesday sent shock waves through Washington and the agency. But according to CBS News senior national security analyst Fran Townsend, who spent 11 years working in the Justice Department and was national security adviser to President George W. Bush, Comey violated Justice Department guidelines "about how you handle investigations and public pronouncements" in relation to the FBI probe of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email servers.

A James Comey timeline
Interim FBI director likely to be named as soon as Wednesday

"Mistakes have consequences, and I think Jim Comey is suffering," Townsend said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning." "I should tell you, I've known him for more than 30 years. He is smart. He is ethical. He is honest, and so I think it's really unfortunate the way to see him go."

FBI officials "stunned" by James Comey firing
Play VIDEO
FBI officials "stunned" by James Comey firing

She also called the timing of the dismissal "unfortunate."

"Would we have been asking this question if the president had dismissed him on day one?" Townsend said. "I think from the administration's point of view, they gave him the chance to kind of try and right the ship — that is, the FBI that was in turmoil after the Clinton email investigation was concluded — and he hasn't done that. So I think the timing of it is what raises people's concern."

But Townsend said much of the language being used surrounding Comey's firing is "very inflammatory."

"'Grotesque abuse of power,' 'Nixonian' — all of this sort of language is unfortunate," Townsend said. "This is a hundred-year-old organization, the FBI. It's staffed by career men and women who spent decades and devote themselves to these investigations. And by the way… the very same agents who are investigating the Russia claims yesterday are investigating today. Subpoenas are going out. Prosecutors are involved."

In a memorandum for the attorney general titled "Restoring Public Confidence in the FBI," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote Tuesday: "I cannot defend the Director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken." He continued: "The Director was wrong to usurp the Attorney General's authority on July 5, 2016 and announce his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution."


COMEY CAREER EVENTS

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/05/09/how-did-we-get-here-james-comey-timeline/101488160/
How did we get here? A timeline of James Comey's FBI controversies
Jessica Estepa , USA TODAY Published 8:28 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago

James Comey is only the second director in the FBI's storied history to be fired.

In the year leading up to his President Trump's abrupt firing on Tuesday, he was at the center of two controversial investigations: the probe into Hillary Clinton's emails, and the ongoing investigation into whether Trump campaign officials colluded with Russia during the election.

So how did we get here? Let's take a look back at the key moments of leading up to Comey's recent FBI controversies.

June 2013

President Obama appointed Comey as the seventh director of the FBI. His career included time in the private sector as well as a tenure as deputy attorney general under President George. W. Bush. Succeeding former FBI Director Robert Mueller, Comey was confirmed by the Senate for a full 10-year-term.

"I must be out of my mind to be following Bob Mueller,"’ he said at the time. "I don't know if I can fill those shoes, but I know that, however I do, I will be standing truly on the shoulders of a giant."

August 2015

With the 2016 presidential primaries in full swing, the FBI confirmed it was investigating Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of State.

July 1, 2016

President Obama's attorney general, Loretta Lynch, said she would accept the recommendations from the FBI and career prosecutors on the Clinton email case.

July 2, 2016

Clinton was interviewed by the FBI for 3.5 hours.

July 5, 2016

Comey called Clinton's server "extremely careless," but gave a news conference in which he explained that Clinton would not be prosecuted.

July 6, 2016

Lynch accepted the FBI's recommendation not to charge Clinton.

July 7, 2016

Comey appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and was grilled for his decision to recommend against charging Clinton.

Sept. 7, 2016

Comey wrote a memo to his employees, defending his recommendation.

Sept. 28, 2016

Appearing during a congressional oversight hearing, Comey once again defended his recommendation not to charge Clinton.

"You can call us wrong, but don’t call us weasels. We are not weasels," Comey said. "Whether or not you agree with the result, this was done the way you want it to be done."

Oct. 28, 2016

Comey announced that new emails had been discovered on the laptop of former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, who was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, and that messages may be related to the Clinton probe. His announcement came 11 days before Election Day

Nov. 6, 2016

Two days before the presidential election, Comey wrote a letter to lawmakers saying that the previous decision not to prosecute Clinton over her emails would stand.

March 20, 2017

During a public hearing with the House Intelligence Committee, Comey publicly acknowledged that the FBI is investigating whether there was collusion between members of Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.

Additionally, Comey dismissed Trump's claims that Trump was wiretapped by the Obama administration.

May 3, 2017

Comey made another trip to the Hill, defending his Oct. 28, 2016, decision to publicly announce the emails found on Weiner's laptop.

"It makes me mildly nauseous that we would have had an impact on the election," Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During the hearing, Comey said "hundreds and thousands" of emails had ended up on Weiner's laptop because of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. He said Abedin made "regular practice" of forwarding emails to her husband, Weiner.

May 9, 2017

After reports surfaced that Comey had misstated Abedin's handling of the emails, the FBI confirmed Comey's erroneous testimony in a letter to lawmakers.

Hours later, the White House announced that Comey had been fired.

Read more:

President Trump fires FBI Director James Comey
Democrats call for independent Russia probe in wake of Comey firing
5 key points in memo calling for FBI Director James Comey's firing
Tweets fly fast and furious following firing of FBI head Comey
James Comey is one of several officials President Trump fired



YES, THERE MUST BE A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR – ASSUMING OF COURSE THAT THE TRUMP TEAM DOESN’T PREVENT IT ….

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/democrats-charge-comey-firing-nixonian-demand-special-prosecutor-n757121
POLITICS MAY 10 2017, 11:44 AM ET
Pence Calls Comey Firing ‘Right Decision’ as Democrats Pounce
by ALI VITALI , LEIGH ANN CALDWELL and CORKY SIEMASZKO

Vice President Mike Pence defended the ouster of FBI Director James Comey as the "right decision, right time" on Wednesday as Democratic lawmakers stepped up their demands for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

Pence's first comments on President Donald Trump's move in a brief interview with NBC News stood in contrast to the muted response from most of his fellow Republicans, including some key GOP senators who admitted being troubled by the firing of Comey, who had been leading an investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia.

"The White House timing on this was less than impeccable," Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, a Republican, told NBC News. "The president's selection of a new FBI director might be one of the most important decisions of his presidency."

Play Feinstein Calls Comey's Firing 'Beyond Surprising' Facebook Twitter Embed
Feinstein Calls Comey's Firing 'Beyond Surprising' 1:13
In an appearance Wednesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Comey was "a good man but he compromised himself multiple ways."

"Let's start over and get somebody in the FBI that we all can agree is capable of doing the job," he said.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, however, appeared to be following the White House line that Comey was damaged goods and had to go.

"The Director of the FBI needs to be above reproach, with an unquestioned reputation for fairness and impartiality," he said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Mr. Comey had lost the confidence of both Republicans and Democrats, and, frankly, the American people."

Meanwhile, top Judiciary Committee Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday renewed her call for a special prosecutor to oversee the Russian investigation.

"At a minimum, the decision to fire Comey raises questions about the appropriateness and timing of the person in charge of an investigation that could, I won't say would, but could, implicate the administration," Feinstein said.

New York Senator Charles Schumer on Tuesday night used the word "cover-up" when discussing the FBI chief's removal.

"If we don't get a special prosecutor, every American will rightfully suspect that the decision to fire #Comey was part of a cover-up," he added.

Play Schumer Calls for Special Prosecutor in Trump, Russia Investigation Facebook Twitter Embed
Schumer Calls for Special Prosecutor in Trump, Russia Investigation 1:41
Trump, ahead of a scheduled sit down Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, shot back at the Schumer on Twitter.

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Cryin' Chuck Schumer stated recently, "I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer." Then acts so indignant. #draintheswamp
10:42 PM - 9 May 2017
25,457 25,457 Retweets 77,360 77,360 likes
Lavrov, on a visit to the State Department, responded to NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who asked whether Comey's firing "cast a shadow" over his talks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"Was he fired? You're kidding?" Lavrov said.

Lavrov Comments Sarcastically on Comey Firing at Tillerson Photo Op 0:42

Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who was fired by the Trump administration in March, said on Twitter that "EVERYONE who cares about independence & rule of law in America should be 'troubled by the timing and reasoning' of Comey firing. Period."

And former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in a tweet sent a message of encouragement to the career men and women of the FBI and Justice Department. Holder played a role in the Obama administration selection of Comey as FBI director, it was reported at the time.

Follow
Eric Holder ✔ @EricHolder
To the career men and women at DOJ/FBI: you know what the job entails and how to do it. Be strong and unafraid. Duty. Honor. Country.
12:01 AM - 10 May 2017
38,790 38,790 Retweets 83,191 83,191 likes

Virginia Senator and former Hillary Clinton running mate Tim Kaine took to Twitter to call the firing of Comey a sign of "how frightened the Admin is over Russia investigation."

Some Democrats charged that the sudden ouster by the president of the FBI chief had echoes of Watergate.

"This is Nixonian," Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said. "Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein must immediately appoint a special prosecutor to continue the Trump/Russia investigation."

Timeline: Comey's Fall From Grace

New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich added: "President Trump's dismissal of FBI Director Comey smacks of President Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. … If this is an effort to stop the investigations into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign, it won't succeed."

Play History offers glaring precedent for Trump Facebook Twitter Embed
History offers glaring precedent for Trump 5:18
Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz said the nation was in "a full-fledged constitutional crisis."

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy called the action and the White House's handling of it "shocking" and labeled it "nothing less than Nixonian."

"No one should accept President Trump's absurd justification that he is now concerned that FBI Director Comey treated Secretary Clinton unfairly," Leahy said. "The president has removed the sitting FBI director in the midst of one of the most critical national security investigations in the history of our country — one that implicates senior officials in the Trump campaign and administration."

And Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal took to Twitter to fire back at Trump.

"His bullying won't silence my calls for an independent special prosecutor," he wrote.

Related: Why Trump Fired the FBI Director

Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said the timing of Comey's ouster "will raise questions."

"While the case for removal of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey laid out by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein was thorough, his removal at this particular time will raise questions," Corker said. "It is essential that ongoing investigations are fulsome and free of political interference until their completion, and it is imperative that President Trump nominate a well-respected and qualified individual to lead the bureau at this critical time."

16h
Richard Burr ✔ @SenatorBurr
Dir. Comey has been more forthcoming w/ information than any FBI Director I can recall in my tenure on the congressional intel committees.
Follow
Richard Burr ✔ @SenatorBurr



https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/us/politics/congress-partisan-fbi.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-2&action=click&contentCollection=Politics®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article
POLITICS
Comey’s Firing May Imperil Republicans’ Legislative Agenda
On Washington
By CARL HULSE MAY 10, 2017

Photograph -- Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, arrived at the United States Capitol on Wednesday. Credit Joshua Roberts/Reuters

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s stunning firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, injected another volatile ingredient into the partisanship already engulfing the capital and threatened to overwhelm Republican efforts to turn their government control into legislative success.

The decision to replace Mr. Comey also increased the prospect of another contentious confirmation fight in the Senate as Mr. Trump promised to move quickly to replace the director, who had overseen the inquiry into Russian meddling in the election. And the White House handling of the dismissal — and its apparent failure to anticipate the severe backlash the move generated — renewed questions about the competency of administration officials and their ability to navigate Washington.

Already on the defensive over their health care proposal, congressional Republicans suddenly found themselves trying to explain how Mr. Trump was within his rights in jettisoning Mr. Comey. Democrats quickly coalesced around the push for a special prosecutor to take control of the inquiry, saying the leadership of the Justice Department could not be trusted with the job after the termination of the F.B.I. chief on what they considered spurious grounds.

“Clearly the time is now for an independent prosecutor,” Senator Christopher Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said Wednesday. “The Senate, designed by the founding fathers as the guardian of democratic norms, must now rise to meet the gravity of this moment.”

To emphasize that gravity, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, summoned his colleagues to sit at their desks as the Senate convened Wednesday morning to take in whatever the majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, had to say about the firing.

Photo -- Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, has asked for an all-senators briefing with top Justice Department officials on the state of the investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times

Mr. Schumer also requested that Mr. McConnell call a closed-door and possibly classified all-senators briefing with top Justice Department officials on the state of the investigation. Such a session could underscore what Democrats view as the seriousness of the president’s decision and give senators in both parties a private opportunity to confront their differences.

But if Democrats were hoping that the uproar surrounding the firing was going to push Mr. McConnell in their direction, they were badly mistaken.

Although other senior Republicans expressed some misgivings about the firing, the majority leader showed no sign of budging or joining a call for a special prosecutor. Instead, he said that any new investigation would only impede current inquiries being conducted by the House and Senate intelligence committees and the F.B.I. He noted that Democrats and Mr. Schumer himself had made clear their dissatisfaction with Mr. Comey over the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s email practices during the presidential campaign.

“This is what we have now,” Mr. McConnell said, “our Democratic colleagues complaining about the removal of an F.B.I. director whom they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticized.”

Mr. McConnell also issued a veiled warning to Democrats who are likely to try to use any confirmation hearing for a new F.B.I. director to air their grievances about the firing and push for a special prosecutor if one is not in place by then. He said Senate Republicans anticipated a “full, fair and timely” confirmation of the person selected by Mr. Trump to take over the agency.

But Democrats were already setting the stage for a confirmation showdown. “The Senate must stand firm,” Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, said in a Wednesday post on Twitter. “We will only confirm an FBI director who pledges a vigorous investigation of Russian interference & connections.”

Despite Mr. McConnell’s efforts to move past the firing, Democrats and some Republicans are going to be unwilling to do so. Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, on Wednesday joined some of his colleagues in challenging the White House explanation for the firing.

“Given the timing and circumstances of the decision, I believe the White House should provide a fuller explanation regarding the president’s rationale,” he said.

Democrats view this as an opportunity to force the appointment of a special prosecutor they have sought since serious questions were first raised about Russian meddling in the election. They have, at least for the moment, relegated their push for a special congressional committee or independent commission to the back seat.

Though most Republicans continued to oppose the idea, some small cracks in the resistance were giving Democrats hope that they could prevail while at the minimum forcing Republicans to defend their opposition to the public.

The fight is likely to spill over into the consideration of Trump administration nominees to the federal bench — which the White House initiated this week with the announcement of a slate of conservative judges and is one area where the administration could have some success.

Though Democrats can keep public pressure on Republicans over the firing, their minority status limits their ability to force action. They can slow the Senate to a crawl, as they tried to do Wednesday by refusing to give consent to the Senate holding a daylong slate of hearings. But changes in Senate practices instituted by Democrats in 2013 mean that a new F.B.I. director can ultimately be put in office on a straight majority vote.

Still, the firing presented a formidable new distraction for a White House and congressional Republicans who were already struggling badly to deliver on their pledge to enact a conservative agenda. They already faced opposition Democrats with little trust in the president’s motives or intentions. The sudden departure of Mr. Comey only made a bad situation much worse.


COMEY ASKED TO TESTIFY

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-asked-to-testify-by-senate-intelligence-committee-next-tuesday/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS May 10, 2017, 1:56 PM
James Comey has been asked to appear before Senate Intelligence Committee next Tuesday

The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked former FBI Director James Comey Wednesday morning to come before their panel next Tuesday, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, confirmed to CBS News.

FULL COVERAGE: The firing of FBI Director James Comey

Warner confirmed that he and Chairman Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, have made the request, but they haven't received a response yet. An aide to the committee said that Comey has been invited to the closed session on Tuesday.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, a top Democrat on the committee, told reporters, it's "extremely important that Comey come to an open hearing in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as quickly as possible and testify as to the status of the U.S.-Russia investigation at the time of his firing."

Timeline: Trump firing FBI Director Comey
Play VIDEO
Timeline: Trump firing FBI Director Comey

Comey was scheduled to appear at an Intelligence hearing on worldwide threats Thursday, but now acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe will take his place.

Wyden also questioned why Attorney General Jeff Sessions played a role in Comey's firing, considering that he had recused himself from the Russia investigation.

"It seems to me Jeff Sessions has engaged in a blatant disregard for the commitment he made to the Congress and the country in his recusal letter and in my view, it raises serious questions about his fitness for office," he said.

Senate Democrats huddled behind closed doors Wednesday morning to discuss the situation surrounding Comey's firing. Lawmakers leaving the meeting said that there are "a lot of options on the table," but none revealed what those options are.

The top Democrat on Senate Intelligence, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said, "I agree that we ought to have a special prosecutor that can be appointed by an individual. I believe that individual should not be one of the political appointees. I don't have faith in the political appointees. It should be appointed by a senior-most career lawyer at Justice Department."

This comes a day after President Trump fired Comey in a sudden move. In a letter to Comey, the president said that he accepted the recommendation from the attorney general and deputy attorney general that Comey be "terminated and removed from office."

CBS News' Nancy Cordes contributed to this report.

##########


UNRELATED FREEDOM OF THE PRESS ISSUE, THOUGH IT COMES FROM TRUMP PERSONNEL

THE PNS ARREST STORY

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/05/10/w-virginia-reporter-arrested-yelling-questions-visiting-hhs-secretary-tom-price/101503242/
W. Va. reporter arrested for 'yelling questions' at HHS secretary
Doug Stanglin, USATODAY Published 9:52 a.m. ET May 10, 2017 | Updated 2 hours ago

View News Video -- W. Va. reporter arrested for 'yelling questions' at HHS secretary
Doug Stanglin , USATODAY Published 9:52 a.m. ET May 10, 2017 | Updated 2 hours ago

A veteran West Virginia reporter has been arrested and charged with "disruption of government processes" in the state capitol for "yelling questions" at visiting Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price and White House senior advisor Kellyanne Conway.

Daniel Ralph Heyman, 54, with the Public News Service of West Virginia, was freed on $5,000 bond Tuesday night on a charge of "willful disruption of government processes," according to a criminal complaint.

“The above defendant was aggressively breaching the secret service agents to the point where the agents were forced to remove him a couple of times from the area walking up the hallway in the main building of the Capitol,” the complaint states. It adds Heyman caused a disturbance by “yelling questions at Ms. Conway and Secretary Price.”

The misdemeanor carries a possible fine of $100 and up to six months in jail.

Heyman later told reporters he was “trying to do my job” by pressing the secretary on whether domestic violence would be considered a pre-existing condition under the proposed American Health Care Act.


Heyman, a veteran reporter who covers health issues for Public News Service, said he was holding his phone out to record the impromptu hallway interview but Price repeatedly refused to respond. “He didn’t say anything,” Heyman told reporters. "So I persisted.”

Heyman told reporters at the news conference, posted on the Facebook page of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, that his arrest sets a “terrible example” for members of the media seeking answers.

“This is my job, this is what I’m supposed to do,” he said. “I think it’s a question that deserves to be answered. I think it’s my job to ask questions and I think it’s my job to try to get answers.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia called the charges "outrageous" and said the arrest was "a blatant attempt to chill an independent, free press."

"Freedom of the press is being eroded every day, " it said in a statement. "We have a president who calls the media 'fake news' and resists transparency at every turn."

The statement added this is a "dangerous time in the country."

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Reporter arrested after repeatedly questioning Health secretary about ObamaCare repeal: http://hill.cm/u3zVRpn
9:01 AM - 10 May 2017
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Price and Conway were in the state to discuss the opioid addiction in West Virginia, which has the highest drug overdose death rate in the nation. They met privately with state and local policymakers and members of several groups, including officials of an addiction treatment center and an addiction hotline, according to the Associated Press.

In the capitol building, they were also confronted by a handful of demonstrators protesting the bill recently passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. House to repeal and replace Obamacare. At the time of the incident, Heyman said he was the only reporter scurrying down the hallway with the Price entourage.

Kristen O'Sullivan, who recorded the arrest on her cell phone, was among the protesters. She told Public News Service that Heyman was grabbed by the back of the neck and put against a wall by capitol security officers.

"And it's a shame," she told the media organization, "to see not only the fact that we may be losing the ability for ourselves to get our pre-existing conditions covered, but we're losing out on the First Amendment. We can't even report on that anymore."

Valerie Woody, who was there as outreach coordinator for the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, said Price's group was moving quickly down a hallway and Heyman was racing after them.

"I saw nothing in his behavior, I heard nothing that indicated any kind of aggressive behavior or anything like that," she told Public News Service. "Just simple, you know, trying to get somebody's attention and ask them a question. It seems to me there was no violation of anyone's space, or physicality, other than the arrest itself."

Heyman, who was wearing his 8-year-old press pass and a shirt with his organization's logo at the time, told reporters that no one who identified themselves as law enforcement — neither Secret Service nor police — asked him to leave the area. He said a person he thought may have been one of Price's aides told him he “probably shouldn’t be there” and he asked why not.

Heyman's attorney, Tim DiPiero, told Public News Service that the charge, "willful disruption of governmental processes," is based on what he called a "vague" statute, and that Heyman was just doing his job as a journalist.



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HOW COULD THIS BE A PREEXISTING CONDITION? IN THE CASE OF A DEPENDENT BEING ABUSED PHYSICALLY AND TOTALLY INTIMIDATED BY A DOMINANT MAN – EITHER FATHER, LOVER OR HUSBAND? I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT THE LEGAL RATIONALE ON THIS IS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF IT IS TO BE LINKED, IT SHOULD BE CALLED A POST-EXISTING CONDITION, RIGHT? CLEARLY, THOUGH, IT'S JUST ANOTHER LEGAL LIE.

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/may/09/gwen-moore/sexual-assault-domestic-violence-themselves-are-no/
Sexual assault, domestic violence themselves are not pre-existing conditions under GOP health bill
By Tom Kertscher on Tuesday, May 9th, 2017 at 5:00 a.m.

Photograph -- "Under ‘Trumpcare,’" domestic violence and sexual assault "could be considered pre-existing conditions." — Gwen Moore on Thursday, May 4th, 2017 in a news release
Photograph -- President Donald Trump congratulated House Republicans for passing a replacement for Obamacare. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Democrats savaged the Republican legislation, pushed by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, that would replace Obamacare.

"Under ‘Trumpcare,’" U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin declared in a May 4, 2017 news release, "being a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault could be considered pre-existing conditions."

The claim by Moore, who has talked publicly about being a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault herself, cuts to one of the big fears around health care -- that having something that is considered a pre-existing condition means a person has to pay more for insurance, or could be denied coverage altogether.

Typically, this refers to things such as diabetes or cancer.

But sexual assault or domestic violence?

Obamacare vs ‘Trumpcare’

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is the 2010 legislation adopted under President Barack Obama. It prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage -- or charging higher premiums -- because a person has a pre-existing medical condition.

Under the American Health Care Act (sometimes called "Trumpcare"), insurers would still be prohibited from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition. The bill was narrowly approved by the House of Representatives and could be changed in the Senate.

But in its current form, the bill would give states the option to allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions higher prices.

Republicans argue those people would be protected, because those states would have to set up high-risk pools to insure people with pre-existing conditions. But many analysts believe the law would still leave those people more vulnerable to cost increases that could make their plans unaffordable.

(The day after the House passed the bill, GOP Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said he would consider allowing insurers to charge higher prices. But later that day -- in an indication of how politically touchy the issue is -- he backed away from that comment after it drew criticism.)

Pre-existing conditions

Bloggers claimed that under the GOP bill, sexual assault is a pre-existing condition, which PolitiFact National rated Mostly False. PolitiFact National spelled out what would happen under the GOP bill regarding sexual assault and experts told us that the same would apply to domestic violence.

In a nutshell:

The bill does not single out any specific medical event or diagnosis as a pre-existing condition.

Conditions stemming from a sexual assault or domestic violence, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or certain sexually transmitted diseases, could be judged to be a pre-existing condition.

States would have the option to allow insurers to charge higher prices to people with an existing condition, possibly making coverage unaffordable.

Our rating

Moore says that "under ‘Trumpcare,’" the Republican replacement for Obamacare, domestic violence and sexual assault "could be considered pre-existing conditions" -- something that could trigger higher insurance prices for those victims.

Moore’s claim goes too far. Simply being a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault would not mean a person had a pre-existing condition.

But it is important to know that conditions stemming from those assaults, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, could.

For a statement that contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, our rating is Mostly False.

Share The Facts
Gwen Moore
U.S. representative, D-Wis.

"Under ‘Trumpcare,’" domestic violence and sexual assault "could be considered pre-existing conditions."
In a news release – Thursday, May 4, 2017



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/betsy-devos-commencement-speech-live-updates/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS May 10, 2017, 1:03 PM
Betsy DeVos met with audible boos at Bethune-Cookman graduation

In a speech delivered amid constant streams of boos and chants, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos addressed the graduates of historically black institution Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida on Wednesday.

DeVos was able to finish her speech but not without being forced to pause as outraged students shouted and audibly booed her comments.

School president Dr. Edison O. Jackson threatened to end the commencement ceremony at one point, suggesting he would mail students their degrees instead. "Choose which way you're going to go," he told students, as boos grew louder.

ap-17130686101137.jpg
Bethune-Cookman University president Edison Jackson, left, and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos applaud students as they are introduced during commencement exercises, on Wed., May 10, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Fla. AP

Much of DeVos' speech was devoted to embracing student's differences and encouraging graduates to pursue careers in service and "embrace grace."

Omarosa Manigault, a political aide to Mr. Trump was also present at the graduation ceremony, and like DeVos, was jeered by the audience when introduced by the school's president.

"You don't know her and you don't know her story" Jackson said in defense of Manigault.

ap-17130691852940.jpg
A group of students stand and turn their backs during a commencement exercise speech by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at Bethune-Cookman University, on Wed., May 10, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Fla. AP

Students and members of the alumni community at Bethune-Cookman University had signed a petition, calling for DeVos to be removed from the roster of speakers at the commencement ceremony.

Students reportedly planned to protest the day's proceedings and delivered over 50,000 signatures to Bethune administrator's offices.

DeVos had previously come under fire for her comments regarding HBCUs, calling the colleges "real pioneers when it comes to school choice."

"They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality," DeVos continued.

Critics were quick to point out that HBCUs were created because African American students were denied access to higher education.

DeVos later amended her comments in a series of tweets the next day, reflecting the importance of the institutions.

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Betsy DeVos ✔ @BetsyDeVosED
#HBCUs are such an important piece of the fabric of American history—one that encompasses some of our nation's greatest citizens.
1:45 PM - 28 Feb 2017
125 125 Retweets 382 382 likes

Recently, Mr. Trump had declared his "unwavering" support for historically black colleges and universities.

See our live blog of the commencement proceedings from earlier below.

1:22 p.m. DeVos completes her speech as students fall silent, administrators applaud the secretary.

1:19 p.m. "We should embrace the change to grow and to serve, we should pursue these opportunities with humility and grace," says DeVos in the closing of her speech. "Approach the unexpected and unforeseen with grace.

DeVos says the startling polarization across the United States is visible on social media and news networks.

"We will not solve the significant problems our country faces if we can not bring ourselves to embrace a mindset of grace," says DeVos.

1:17 p.m. "Our nation has made remarkable progress, but addressing inequities remains a challenge," DeVos tells students. "America is too great a country to deny any child this equal opportunity," she adds.

1:14 pm. DeVos acknowledges students who are the first in their family to graduate. The first round of applause for the Secretary, DeVos acknowledges a student who was the victim of gun violence who will receive his degree today.

1:09 p.m. DeVos recalls the history of Bethune's founder, civil rights activist Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, saying that Bethune "refused to accept systemic racism,"

Loud boos erupt as DeVos announces plans to pay her respects at Dr. Bethune's gravesite.

1:08 p.m. Now surrounded by school administrators, DeVos advises students to give back to their community as boos still persist.

1:03 p.m. DeVos attempts to re-take the stage, boos continue to drown her out as she promises to continue the work in preserving HCBU'.

DeVos shifts her speech to embracing differences from others, saying she is here "to celebrate you and all of your achievements and to encourage each of you to reach your full potential."

DeVos says the Trump administration is committed to students' success across the country.

1:00 p.m. Amid loud boos and chants, DeVos tells the crowd "thank you for the invitation for me to be here" adding "a hallmark of higher education is ability to converse with and learn from those with who [sic] we disagree."

School president Jackson threatens to end graduation and mail degrees to student "choose which way you're going to go," he says.

12:45 p.m. In an uncomfortable introduction to her remarks, boos and shouts erupt as DeVos takes the stage. Mentions of Mr. Trump illicit the loudest of boos from students.


12:30 p.m. Omarosa Manigault, a political aide to Mr. Trump is present at the graduation ceremony, and received a round of audible boos from the audience when introduced by the school's president.

"You don't know her and you don't know her story," said Bethune-Cookman's president Dr. Edison O. Jackson in response to the disruption.

12:00 p.m. The commencement begins and students start to file in to hear Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' address.



ON THE LIGHTER SIDE, A NEW HYPOTHESIS ON FORMATION OF THE MOON

https://iq.intel.com/simulating-different-birth-of-the-moon/?sr_source=lift_bidtellect&cid=11321710&plid=150975326&crid=0&aid=321564592&sid=3144207&dclid=CJi5vZvI4dMCFVaUfgodR7MKqQ
Simulating a Different Birth of the Moon
by Julian Smith
Writer
April 5, 2017

Photograph -- The multiple-impact hypothesis proposes that the moon was formed by debris kicked up by many high-velocity collisions with smaller objects. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.
Image -- The moon may have been formed by a floating disc of debris, growing like a ball of Play-Doh. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL.
Planetary scientists in Israel are using linked computers to unravel the secrets of how the moon formed.

Earth’s moon is special. At 2,000 miles across, it’s the largest moon in the solar system compared to the planet it orbits. But questions about the birth of the moon have always been a topic of contention among planetary scientists.

Knowing the answer would help scientists understand the formation of Earth and the solar system, as well as other planets and solar systems, said Raluca Rufu, a planetary scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She said it can even help know where to search for extraterrestrial life.

“Without the moon, life may not have evolved on Earth,” she said. “It stabilized our orbit, giving us a stable climate.”

Birth of the moon

The leading explanation has always been the “giant impact theory,” also known as the “Big Whack.” That theory states something roughly the size of Mars collided with the early Earth, and the material ejected into space formed a disc that eventually clumped into the object that lights up the night skies today. However, this doesn’t explain how the Earth and the moon are almost identical in composition. What happened to the leftovers of the other body?

An alternate explanation, the “multiple-impact hypothesis,” says that the moon was formed by debris kicked up by many high-velocity collisions with smaller objects left over from the formation of the solar system. Scientists know this happened often when the Earth was forming, including the six-mile-wide asteroid whose impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Spread out over millions of years, these would have each ejected rubble into space that eventually merged into a single orbiting body. (Researchers have floated other explanations, such as the Earth “stole” the moon from Venus, but some kind of impact was most likely involved.)

Simulating the Sky Falling

The multiple-impact hypothesis was first proposed in 1989, but no one had tested it until last year, when Rufu and fellow planetary scientist Oded Aharonson, joined forces with Hagai Perets of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology.

The researchers used the institute’s high-performance computer cluster, with 624 CPUs and a total of more than 5,000 processor cores and 2.9 TB of memory. (Home computers and laptops typically have anywhere from one to eight processor cores.)

They simulated a total of 864 impacts by bodies ranging from one-hundredth to one-tenth the mass of Earth. Each simulation was so calculation-intensive it took a couple of days to run on 12 processors.

Their findings suggest the multiple-impact hypothesis checks out. Each simulated impact formed a floating disc of debris that eventually coalesced into what’s called a “sub-lunar moonlet.” Gravity then pulled in material kicked up by later impacts, like a growing ball of Play-Doh, until the result was something in the size range of the moon.

“We are imagining a half-dozen or dozen impactors over a period of 60 to 100 million years,” said Aharonsen. Smaller objects would leave fewer traces of themselves behind, he added. Some objects likely traveled very fast, kicking up more of the proto-Earth material that ended up in the moon.

The multiple-impact hypothesis proposes that the moon was formed by debris kicked up by many high-velocity collisions with smaller objects. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

The leading explanation has always been the “giant impact theory,” also known as the “Big Whack.” That theory states something roughly the size of Mars collided with the early Earth, and the material ejected into space formed a disc that eventually clumped into the object that lights up the night skies today. However, this doesn’t explain how the Earth and the moon are almost identical in composition. What happened to the leftovers of the other body?

An alternate explanation, the “multiple-impact hypothesis,” says that the moon was formed by debris kicked up by many high-velocity collisions with smaller objects left over from the formation of the solar system. Scientists know this happened often when the Earth was forming, including the six-mile-wide asteroid whose impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Spread out over millions of years, these would have each ejected rubble into space that eventually merged into a single orbiting body. (Researchers have floated other explanations, such as the Earth “stole” the moon from Venus, but some kind of impact was most likely involved.)

Simulating the Sky Falling

The multiple-impact hypothesis was first proposed in 1989, but no one had tested it until last year, when Rufu and fellow planetary scientist Oded Aharonson, joined forces with Hagai Perets of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology.

The researchers used the institute’s high-performance computer cluster, with 624 CPUs and a total of more than 5,000 processor cores and 2.9 TB of memory. (Home computers and laptops typically have anywhere from one to eight processor cores.)

They simulated a total of 864 impacts by bodies ranging from one-hundredth to one-tenth the mass of Earth. Each simulation was so calculation-intensive it took a couple of days to run on 12 processors.

Their findings suggest the multiple-impact hypothesis checks out. Each simulated impact formed a floating disc of debris that eventually coalesced into what’s called a “sub-lunar moonlet.” Gravity then pulled in material kicked up by later impacts, like a growing ball of Play-Doh, until the result was something in the size range of the moon.

“We are imagining a half-dozen or dozen impactors over a period of 60 to 100 million years,” said Aharonsen. Smaller objects would leave fewer traces of themselves behind, he added. Some objects likely traveled very fast, kicking up more of the proto-Earth material that ended up in the moon.

Birth of the moon
The moon may have been formed by a floating disc of debris, growing like a ball of Play-Doh. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL.
Who Needs a Supercomputer?

The simulation shows how scientists are leveraging the power of linked computer clusters to do work that would otherwise be impossible without access to a supercomputer, said Intel’s Pradeep Dubey, a Fellow at Intel Labs.

“In the old days, there used to be a big difference [between supercomputers and clusters]”, he said. “Now, that distinction is less meaningful.”

While the average supercomputer still out-performs setups like the one in Israel, Dubey said, computer clusters are much more affordable and accessible — and they’re becoming more and more powerful.

Academics and other researchers are using data-driven simulations to improve healthcare, test economic theories, search for signs of alien life or design safer cars without putting actual lives at risk.

Other researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute are putting the cluster to work to search for previously missed exoplanets and to understand the moods of Jupiter’s atmosphere, said Rufu from the Weizmann Institute of Science.

The next phase of the moon project includes using simulations to look more closely at exactly how the ejected debris gloms together into larger and larger moonlets, she said, a process that could have been more common during the formation of the solar system than previously thought.

Luckily the solar system is mostly cleared out of large wandering bodies, Rufu said, so our modern moon is probably the final version. “You can sleep OK at night.”