Mega-donor urged Bannon not to resign  —  The man credited with honing Donald Trump's populist message and guiding him into the White House has grown frustrated amid continued infighting in the West Wing, so much so that in recent weeks a top donor had to convince him to stay in his position.

Trump Says Susan Rice May Have Committed a Crime  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Wednesday that he thought that the former national security adviser Susan E. Rice may have committed a crime by seeking the identities of Trump associates who were mentioned on intercepted communications …

Partial Transcript: Trump's Interview With The Times  —  WASHINGTON — The following is a partial transcript of President Trump's interview with The New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush.  It has been lightly edited for content and clarity, and omits several off-the-record comments and asides.

Negotiations to avert nuclear option collapse ahead of Gorsuch vote  —  Bipartisan negotiations involving as many as 10 senators hoping to avoid a floor blowup over the Senate rules and Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch have collapsed, setting up a partisan showdown on Thursday.

First on CNN: Secret Service agent on VP's detail caught after meeting with prostitute at Maryland hotel  —  Secret Service scandals Story highlights  —  Washington (CNN)CNN has learned from multiple law enforcement sources that a Secret Service agent on Vice President Mike Pence's detail …

House Intelligence Republicans Boycott Briefing From FBI's Russian Double-Agent  —  A House Intelligence Committee Democrat tried to reach across the aisle to reboot the committee's stalled Russia investigation.  Republicans met his gesture with total silence.

Trump and his ‘America First’ philosophy face first moral quandary in Syria  —  President Trump has vowed to follow a radically new approach to foreign policy that jettisons the costly mantle of moral leadership in favor of America's most immediate economic and security interests.

Donald Trump Jr. talks about running for governor of New York  —  MORE FROM: … Donald Trump Jr. wants to run for political office, telling members of an elite gun club that he could set his sights on becoming governor of New York.  —  Don Jr. spoke to members of the F6 Labs gun club in Hicksville …

No One to Blame But Trump  —  A lot of Republicans who had deep misgivings about Trump went along with him because they assumed that he could produce legislation dear to their hearts.  But what if it turns out that he can't?  Politicians are highly pragmatic people; they will support a president as long as he isn't too costly to them.

Cohn Backs Wall Street Split of Lending, Investment Banks  —  Senators ask about Glass-Steagall return in private meeting  —  Trump's top economic adviser said he supports separation  —  In a private meeting with lawmakers, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said he supports a policy …

White House Takes Lead Role on Tax Plan  —  No consensus has emerged on shape of legislation, but administration is courting Democrats  —  The Trump administration, stung by its failure to advance a health-care overhaul through Congress last month, is trying to lay a stronger foundation …

No ‘sea to shining sea’ border wall, says Trump homeland security chief Kelly  —  WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told the Senate on Wednesday morning that he doesn't expect construction of a wall the full length of the U.S.-Mexico border — marking the abandonment …

Trump loyalists fight to survive — in his administration  —  A civil war between Donald Trump loyalists and establishment-minded Republicans is escalating throughout the federal government — and increasingly the president's allies are losing.  —  From the State Department …

Conservative Megadonor Wrote $450,000 Check To Spread Indicted Congressman's Fake News Across Texas, Prosecutors Say  —  The indictment of former Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) offers a rare look at how a wealthy conservative's money was spent.  —  Late last month, federal prosecutors indicted ex …

Shia LaBeouf's ‘Man Down’ Likely to End U.K. Run With Just 3 Tickets Sold  —  YOUTUBE  —  A box-office jump of 200 percent since its much-derided opening will bring the film's final theatrical haul in the U.K. to $26.  —  While a 200 percent box-office leap is something most producers might offer …

Ossoff pulls in record donations for Georgia special election  —  GEORGIA-POLITICS By Aaron Gould Sheinin and Greg Bluestein - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  —  Democrat Jon Ossoff has raised more than $8.3 million for his campaign to represent suburban Atlanta in Congress …

The IRS took millions from innocent people because of how they managed their bank accounts, Inspector General finds  —  The Internal Revenue Service has seized millions of dollars in cash from individuals and businesses who obtained the money legally, according to a new Treasury Inspector General's report.

It's now illegal in Russia to share an image of Putin as a gay clown  —  Russia has banned a picture depicting President Vladimir Putin as a potentially gay clown.  —  Russian news outlets are having trouble reporting exactly which image of the Internet's many Putin-gay-clown memes is now illegal to share.

Trump faces major diplomatic test in summit with China's Xi Jinping  —  President Trump is set to wrap up a week's worth of meetings with world leaders by undergoing what will arguably the most crucial diplomatic test of his presidency so far.  —  The president will host Chinese President Xi Jinping …

Pepsi Pulls Ad Accused of Trivializing Black Lives Matter  —  Pepsi has apologized for a controversial advertisement that borrowed imagery from the Black Lives Matter movement, after a day of intense criticism from people who said it trivialized the widespread protests against the killings of black people by the police.

Using Technology to Protect Intimate Images and Help Build a Safe Community  —  By Antigone Davis, Head of Global Safety  —  Today, we are announcing new tools to help people when intimate images are shared on Facebook without their permission.  When this content, often referred to as …

Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Amy Adams Circling Adam McKay's Dick Cheney Biopic  —  After diving into the economic crisis of 2008, “The Big Short's” Adam McKay is taking aim at one of Washington's most polarizing figures.  —  Sources tell Variety that Christian Bale, Steve Carell …

Melania Trump and the politics of airbrushing  —  The official portrait of first lady Melania Trump is jarring because her face appears to be heavily retouched, or perhaps just photographed through a lens smeared with Vaseline.  It is devoid of fine lines and pores.

Germany to outlaw child marriages  —  USA  —  USA  —  SYRIA … Germany is working on new rules ensuring that most marriages involving minors are not legally recognised in the country.  —  The draft law aims to protect girls who were married abroad and sought asylum in Germany.