Are there still public servants who will say no to the president?  —  Preet Bharara, a scholar in residence at New York University Law School, was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 until this March.  —  The most dramatic hearing I helped to arrange as chief counsel …

How Trump gets his fake news  —  White House chief of staff Reince Priebus issued a stern warning at a recent senior staff meeting: Quit trying to secretly slip stuff to President Trump.  —  Just days earlier, K.T. McFarland, the deputy national security adviser, had given Trump a printout of two Time magazine covers.

The need for urgent collective action to keep people safe online: Lessons from last week's cyberattack  —  Early Friday morning the world experienced the year's latest cyberattack.  —  Starting first in the United Kingdom and Spain, the malicious “WannaCrypt” software quickly spread globally …

G.O.P. Senators, Pulling Away From Trump, Have ‘a Lot Less Fear of Him’  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, increasingly unnerved by President Trump's volatility and unpopularity, are starting to show signs of breaking away from him as they try to forge a more traditional Republican agenda and protect their political fortunes.

Frelinghuysen Targets Activist in Letter to Her Employer  —  The most powerful congressman in New Jersey, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, wrote a fundraising letter in March to the board member of a local bank, warning him that a member of an activist group opposing the Republican worked at his bank.

Miss USA Winner Angers Liberals With Health Care Answer  —  25-year-old scientist Kára McCullough won the crown at the Miss USA pageant on Sunday night while surprising and angering liberals with her interview answers on health care and feminism.  —  McCullough works at the U.S …

Callista Gingrich set to be named ambassador to the Vatican  —  Washington (CNN)Callista Gingrich, the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, is the preferred nominee to be the next ambassador to the Vatican.  —  The White House hopes to announce her nomination before President Donald Trump meets …

Political chaos in Washington is a return on investment for Moscow  —  Russia has yet to collect much of what it hoped for from the Trump administration, including the lifting of U.S. sanctions and recognition of its annexation of Crimea.  —  But the Kremlin has gotten a different return …

Trump calls for more women's health care, paid family leave options  —  In a statement celebrating Women's Health Week, President Donald Trump on Sunday called on improving health care access for “quality prenatal, maternal, and newborn care,” in addition to ensuring paid family leave for both mothers and fathers.

North Korea says missile could carry large nuclear warhead  —  (CNN)North Korea says the missile it tested Sunday is capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead, state media said Monday.  —  The country's leader, Kim Jong Un, supervised the launch of the Hwasong-12 missile that reached …

With a New Collaborations Album, Todd Rundgren Talks About Loving Reznor, Fagen and Robyn... and Loathing Trump  —  Todd Rundgren's new album, “White Knight,” is a grab-bag of collaborations with fellow artists — among them, Trent Reznor, Daryl Hall, Bettye LaVette, Robyn, Donald Fagen …

Lawrence O'Donnell's Future At MSNBC Is Unclear  —  As his contract nears its end, a renewal doesn't appear to be on the horizon for “The Last Word” host.  —  Lawrence O'Donnell, host of MSNBC's “The Last Word,” has just four weeks left in his contract, and the cable network does not appear to be interested in renewing his deal.

Meet the Press - May 14, 2017  —  CHUCK TODD:This Sunday, the firing of James Comey.  Why did President Trump do it, and why now?  —  Was it based on a justice department recommendation?  The administration said this.  —  VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE:  —  Because of the actions that the deputy attorney general outlined.

Ann Coulter Is Worried The ‘Trump-Haters Were Right’  —  Conservative author Ann Coulter was one of the most vocal supporters of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign.  —  She wrote “In Trump We Trust” and proclaimed that she worships him like the “people of North Korea worship their Dear Leader - blind loyalty.”

Can American democracy survive Donald Trump?  —  It might not end with a bang, but the president is doing deep, lasting damage.  —  In 2014, Turkey's authoritarian president fired four prosecutors who were leading an investigation into an alleged corruption scandal involving the president himself.

Liberals Are An Inferno Of Flaming Crazy And We Should Pour Gasoline On The Fire  —  Pity the Democrats, to the extent you can without bursting into hysterical laughter at their agony.  America has thoroughly rejected them in every branch of the federal government plus out in the states …

Republicans getting nervous about Dem recruitment  —  I'm beginning to hear senior Republicans fret about Democrats recruiting unusually high quality House candidates for the 2018 midterms.  They worry that with Trump in turmoil, accomplished progressives view next year as a their best chance in ages to win a congressional seat.

Trump thinks that exercising too much uses up the body's ‘finite’ energy  —  President Trump reportedly eschews exercise because he believes it drains the body's “finite” energy resources, but experts say this argument is flawed because the human body actually becomes stronger with exercise.

Women Can Wear Pants on Fox News Now, But Not Much Else Has Changed  —  When Rupert Murdoch left his office on a recent Monday afternoon, the 86-year-old mogul was ambushed by a BBC reporter seeking comment on the ongoing scandals at Fox News.  “Nothing's happening at Fox News, nothing,” Murdoch declared.

THE TRUTH about Trump's tapes — POLITICO INVESTIGATION: Stock trades ‘leaves Congress rife with conflicts’ — About that White House shakeup ... — ADRIENNE ELROD's new firm — B'DAY: Rachel Kelly  —  Listen to the Playbook Audio Briefing http://bit.ly/2qIO6jZ ... Subscribe on iTunes http …

Trump's Madness Invites Mutiny  —  When people behave as if they have something to hide, it is often because they do.  For me, this is a basic law of human behavior.  —  That's why President Trump's baffling, outrageous, unfathomable and just plain bizarre behavior last week strengthened …