Axios

Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green said Wednesday he plans to draft articles of impeachment against President Trump. Green says he has received multiple death threats since proposing the move last month.

One snag in the plan, from CNN: "Top Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill have specifically urged members to not raise the specter of impeachment, arguing that they need to allow investigations already underway to uncover more details about the president and his team's actions."

Why impeachment: Green says Trump's firing of his FBI Director James Comey May 9 amounted to obstruction of justice:

"The facts are simple and indisputable…The president fired the FBI director because the director was investigating the president's campaign connections to Russian interference in the presidential election."

James Comey is no stranger to Congressional intel hearings, testifying on both the Clinton email investigation and the Trump-Russia investigation. Here's what he's said so far about the probe into Russia's election interference and possible collusion with Trump associates.

When asked if President Trump stands by his statement that he didn't ask former FBI Director James Comey for his loyalty, or ask him to stop investigating Michael Flynn, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters she "can't imagine the president not standing by his own statement."

As for whether Trump has read Comey's opening statement for tomorrow's testimony? Sanders said she wasn't sure, but "I did find the timing of the release a little bit interesting."

Other highlights from her press gaggle aboard Air Force One.

Vox reported Wednesday that former FBI Director James Comey told three of the bureau's top officials that President Trump asked him to close the investigation into Trump's then-national security advisor Michael Flynn, in addition to detailing the events of the meeting in his now infamous Comey memo.

Who he told: Vox, citing "two people with detailed, firsthand knowledge of the matter" said Comey confided in Jim Rybicki, his chief of staff; James Baker, the bureau's general counselor; and Andrew McCabe, the FBI's then-deputy director and current acting director.

Why this matters: The White House has repeatedly denied that Trump asked Comey to interfere in the Russia investigation, so up until now it's been the Trump administration's word against the Comey memo. But now there are three separate FBI officials who could be asked to corroborate the contents of the memo.

Timing: The news comes just a day before Comey is set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee tomorrow.

Former Director of U.S. national intelligence James Clapper said that the Trump-Russia scandal has become more serious than the Watergate scandal.

Kellyanne Conway told Mike Allen this morning that Trump "has confidence in the people who work for him" when asked if POTUS still believes in his Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who allegedly offered to resign over tensions with Trump. Follow along for live updates from our Axios News Shapers event in DC.

• On whether Trump needs to assert primacy over his colleagues: "I disagree with that premise completely...all of those people who you said are in the dog house…are still in this moment at the White House." Go deeper here in our guide to Trump's doghouse.
• On the Russia investigation: Trump "sees that there's nothing there…if you look at everything that's been said and done we're back to where we were at the beginning…if this, if that…doesn't seem to be very responsible to me…You can do almost any storyline with if, if, if, if, if."

President Trump's close advisors have been falling in and out of favor, even Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who reportedly offered to resign after tensions over his decision to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia probe.

Here are the highlights of a Trump White House perpetually on the verge of an overhaul, and who has fallen out of grace along the way:

Former FBI Director James Comey told Attorney General Jeff Sessions in February he did not want to be alone with President Trump because it was Sessions' role to protect the FBI from White House influence, current and former law enforcement officials told the NY Times.

• The conversation between Comey and Sessions took place the day after Trump reportedly asked Comey to drop the Flynn probe, though Comey reportedly did not disclose Trump's request to Sessions.
• Sessions had not yet recused himself from the Trump-Russia probe.
• Trump later asked Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats if he could intervene to get Comey to back off the Flynn investigation, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The FBI declined to comment and a DOJ spokesman said "the attorney general doesn't believe it's appropriate to respond to media inquiries on matters that may be related to ongoing investigations."

What's next: Comey is testifying Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The U.S. Travel Association's Travel Trends Index shows that international travel to the U.S. grew by 4% in April, beating expectations for the month, per the AP. Any reactions to Trump's proposed travel bans would have shown up in April data, so this could indicate they may not be influencing people's travel decisions as much as some expected.

Why it matters: International travel boosts the U.S. economy, and this could signal that fears of a Trump-effect on travel were overblown. Plus, this reverses what happened between December 29 and February 1 when interest in travel to the U.S. dropped 17%, according to Hopper. (A map on that here.)

Russia planted a fake news report that contributed to the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and several of its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, CNN reports. Per CNN, the goal appeared to be to cause rifts between U.S. and key allies.

What Qatar says: The hack "undermines Qatar's reputation" and "does not support the unity of the region." The Qatari foreign minister said the FBI has confirmed that false comments attributed to its ruler were inserted into a May 23 article from its news agency. The comments were critical of Trump and favorable toward Iran.

Trump's role: He took credit for the diplomatic changes in tweets that also suggested Qatar was funding terrorism. The comments came despite the fact that Qatar hosts one of the largest U.S. military bases in the region.

The Kremlin has issued a denial, and the FBI, which reportedly sent a team to Qatar to investigate, declined to comment.

The National Security Council, the Pentagon, and the State Department all expected President Trump to endorse Article 5, NATO's collective defense agreement, at last month's NATO summit. Here are the words they expected to hear, but didn't, via Politico:

"We face many threats, but I stand here before you with a clear message: the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance and to Article 5 is unwavering."

Why it matters: The decision to omit this sentence sent an ambiguous signal to other NATO members about Trump's commitment to Article 5, the cornerstone of the alliance, particularly as he continued to challenge them over defense spending.

Eric Trump's annual charity golf tournament, which has raised more than $11 million for St Jude's Children's Hospital, generated more than $1 million in revenue for the Trump organization, Forbes reported Tuesday.

Despite Eric Trump repeatedly claiming he was able to use Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, N.Y. for free, his charity was actually billed amounts that golf experts told Forbes far exceeded what would be normal for a one-day tournament. Two sources with direct knowledge told Forbes it was Donald Trump who insisted his son's charity be billed.

Forbes also reports that the Donald J. Trump Foundation "apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization."

Why it matters: President Trump's foundation has faced previous accusations of self-dealing, and questions have repeatedly been raised over the murky relationship between it and his for-profit business. The Washington Post's David Fahrentold is back on the case after today's story.

Sean Spicer repeatedly declined to say President Trump has confidence in Attorney General Jeff Sessions — after Trump's tweets yesterday questioning key Justice Dept. decisions — saying instead that he had not discussed the matter with Trump. Key takeaways from his Tuesday briefing:

• Will Trump watch Comey's testimony? "The president has a full day Thursday."
• Can Trump's tweets be considered official WH statements? "They are considered official statements by the president of the United States."
• On Qatar's diplomatic crisis: "This issue is not new. There's been tension among Qatar's neighbors for quite some time."
• On health care reform stalling in the Senate: "We just don't have time to waste. Obamacare continues to collapse."
• On the alleged leaking a confidential NSA document by contractor Reality Winner: "While I don't want to comment on any specific case or allegation, I think it's important to note that any disclosure of classified information is a threat to national security."

Top lawyers from at least four major law firms turned down requests to represent President Trump in the ongoing Russia investigation, per Yahoo News.

Their reasoning: Potential conflicts of interest and existing commitments caused some of the rejections, but the big thing was a worry that Trump simply wouldn't listen to their legal counsel. Additionally, firms were worried about a prestige hit from representing a controversial president in such a fraught political climate. A lawyer with White House ties told Yahoo:

"The concerns were, 'The guy won't pay and he won't listen.'"

Go deeper: Jonathan Swan reported Sunday that top lawyers were put off by the idea of working under Marc Kasowitz, who is leading Trump's legal team, both from a pride standpoint and because they believe Kasowitz "plays to Trump's instincts" and has the wrong experience.

"The Trump effect: Everyone's thinking of running for president" ... WaPo's Karen Tumulty and John Wagner survey the insanely broad potential field of 2020 Democratic nominees, and gathered some juicy quotes from top Dems. Highlights:

Jennifer Palmieri: "How can you possibly tell someone they shouldn't run for president? There's no one on the planet who you can tell, 'That's crazy..."David Axelrod: "It is more expeditious to put together a list of Democrats who are not thinking they are running for president in 2020, than ones who are."Joe Trippi: "[I]t's only a matter of time until a Donald Trump runs as an independent and swamps both parties..."Why it matters: "Going into 1992, the party's biggest names... took a pass on the race... Instead, the nomination went to a little-known governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton."

A year after the UK's working class was a primary factor in Brexit, it appears to be key to how big a victory Prime Minister Theresa May will win in snap elections on Thursday. While she is taking fire after last Saturday's terror attack in London, that's why, even though polls say her Conservative Party will retain a majority in Parliament, May is attempting to persuade the working class that she is truly on their side.

May's key target: The "Jams," or the "just about managing," her administration's soundbite for the working class.

Why it matters: This election is May's attempt to win a mandate for her own particular brand of conservatism — an attempt to bridge the gap between traditional globalism and the populism that powered Brexit, reflected in her two oft-repeated mantras: "strong and stable" and "Brexit means Brexit."

The Indian Health Service has battled mismanagement and underfunding for several years, and it's unlikely President Trump's administration will lend a helping hand soon.

The bottom line: The IHS network of hospitals and clinics exclusively treats Native Americans who are in federally protected tribes, and many tribal leaders have traveled to D.C. to beg Congress for help to improve a system they say is riddled with substandard care. Congress is attempting to pass legislation to help employee recruitment and retention within IHS. But don't expect larger meaningful changes to the system, considering Trump's 2018 budget would cut IHS funding by $56 million.