Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House  —  WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn told President Trump's transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign …

House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump  —  KIEV, Ukraine — A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation …

Flynn, Manafort Are Key Figures In Russia Probe Mueller Will Lead  —  Former Trump aides Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort have emerged as key figures in the FBI's investigation into Russian campaign interference, which has just been taken over by a special counsel, four law enforcement officials told NBC News.

Comey prepped responses ahead of Trump discussions  —  (CNN)Ahead of discussions with President Donald Trump, Former FBI Director James Comey prepped with his team on ways to respond to anticipated questions so that he would not come across as confrontational during the ongoing Russia probe, according to an official close to Comey.

Democratic leaders seek to stifle impeachment talk  —  House Democrats are buzzing about the possibility of President Donald Trump being impeached.  But party leaders aren't going there — at least not yet.  —  Top Democrats in the House and Senate know their liberal base is clamoring for a harder line …

Israeli Source Seen as Key to Countering Islamic State Threat  —  The classified information that President Donald Trump shared with Russian officials last week came from an Israeli source described by multiple U.S. officials as the most valuable source of information on external plotting by Islamic State.

‘The Flight 93 Election’ Crashes Again  —  In case you've had the pleasure of forgetting, “The Flight 93 Election” was the title of a portentous essay, published last September under a Roman pseudonym in The Claremont Review of Books, that declared the stakes for the United States in 2016 thus: “Charge the cockpit or you die.”

Pence Takes Steps to Build War Chest as White House Stumbles  —  Political action committee registered Wednesday with FEC  —  Neither Biden nor Cheney had active leadership PACs in office  —  While President Donald Trump's White House grapples with the fallout from his firing of the former FBI director …

Fox Stands By DNC Murder Conspiracy Theory Even After Main Source Changes Story  —  Fox News reporter Malia Zimmerman says she spent 10 months working on her story.  —  Fox News and its Washington, D.C., affiliate, Fox 5, are standing by their conspiracy-mongering reports …

Any Half-Decent Hacker Could Break Into Mar-a-Lago  —  We tested internet security at four Trump properties.  It's not good.  —  Two weeks ago, on a sparkling spring morning, we went trawling along Florida's coastal waterway.  But not for fish.  —  We parked a 17-foot motor boat in a lagoon …

This is How Your Government Responds to Unfavorable News Coverage  —  Monday night, as the story of the President giving classified information to the Russians was in full evolution, I get a call from this guy:  —  RC Hammond, the State Department's communications advisor, who had his facts wrong about what was reported and by whom.

James Comey's memo has shaken a presidency.  Here's why memos have always mattered.  —  JoAnne Yates, a professor of organization studies at MIT, is the world's foremost, and perhaps only, expert on the history of memos.  —  “I specialize in studying things that at first glance might sound incredibly boring,” she said.

Koch network to launch major campaign for tax reform  —  The political network helmed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch is about to embark on a multimillion-dollar campaign for comprehensive tax reform.  — What to expect: Digital ads, grassroots organizing and likely …

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke accepts job in Department of Homeland Security  —  Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. will leave office next month to accept a federal appointment as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.