The life and death of the Seth Rich conspiracy theory  —  When Seth Rich's Gmail account received an alert this week from Mega.com, attempting to start a new account on a website created by the New Zealand-based Internet businessman and convicted hacker Kim Dotcom, his family knew that something was off.

Trump tells Duterte of two U.S. nuclear subs in Korean waters: NYT  —  U.S. President Donald Trump told his Philippine counterpart that Washington has sent two nuclear submarines to waters off the Korean peninsula, the New York Times said, comments likely to raise questions about his handling of sensitive information.

Pope Lends Weight to G-7 Push to Bind Trump to Climate Deal  —  G-7 leaders await Trump decision on emission cuts this weekend  —  Francis has called for urgent action to protect environment  —  Pope Francis joined an international chorus urging Donald Trump to meet U.S. commitments …

Father and brother of Manchester bomber arrested in Libya  —  The father and younger brother of the Manchester Arena bomber have been arrested in Libya.  —  The Telegraph understands Hashem Abedi, 20, the brother of suspected attacker Salman Abedi, was arrested last night in the capital Tripoli …

Exclusive: U.S. Senate's McConnell sees tough path for passing healthcare bill  —  U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday said he has yet to hit upon a formula for repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a new healthcare program, but he expressed some optimism on another top priority, overhauling the tax code.

Republicans: Montana special election ‘closer than it should be’  —  GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Republican Greg Gianforte's closing motivational speech to voters ahead of Thursday's special House election in Montana is the same thing GOP strategists are whispering in private: “This race is closer than it should be.”

Trump Failing to Track Foreign Cash at His Hotels  —  Just before taking office, President Donald Trump promised to donate all profits earned from foreign governments back to the U.S. Treasury.  —  But MSNBC has learned the Trump Organization is not tracking all possible payments it receives …

Donald Trump 2018 budget could turn off his voters and sink his approval rating  —  His pie-in-the-sky plan breaks campaign promises and is useless as a guide for Congress.  —  The best way to think about the fiscal 2018 budget released by the White House is as a Trump political campaign rally on paper.

Wash. Post didn't disclose that writer who penned positive piece about Trump's Saudi trip is paid by Saudi government  —  The Washington Post allowed contributor Ed Rogers to praise Donald Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia without disclosing that he's a lobbyist for the Saudi Royal Court.

Trump should be scared, Comey friend says  —  (CNN)A friend of James Comey said Tuesday that if he were President Donald Trump he would be scared of the former FBI director's pending testimony.  —  “I found it interesting and very telling that (Comey) declined any opportunity to tell his story in private …

In upset, Democrat Pellegrino wins 9th District Assembly seat  —  Democrat Christine Pellegrino, left, won the race against Conservative Tom Gargiulo in a special election Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in the 9th Assembly District.  She will fill the seat that opened when Assemb.

Someone killed a congressional inquiry into America's sky-high transit construction costs  —  The life and death of great American GAO reports.  —  Mass transit construction costs in the United States appear to be far higher than what European countries pay for comparable projects.

Trump administration hits reset in FBI director search  —  (CNN)The team tasked by the White House with finding a new director for the FBI is resetting its search, a senior administration official told CNN.  —  President Donald Trump said last week that he was “very close” …

Trump SoHo Plans Layoffs  —  In its heyday, Trump SoHo was a destination.  Celebrity-filled limos regularly pulled up, and delighted tourists snapped selfies in front of the glassy tower.  Rooms at the five-star hotel cost over $700 a night, and the Koi restaurant on the ground floor rocked.

Poll: Majority says mainstream media publishes fake news  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the mainstream press is full of fake news, a sentiment that is held by a majority of voters across the ideological spectrum.  —  According to data from the latest Harvard-Harris poll …

Woodward: “Smug” media on Trump crusade  —  Bob Woodward told Axios' Mike Allen that the press is covering Trump with a certain smugness, but it's not the media's job to make his presidency an editorial.  “You have to have a presumption of good will,” said Woodward. … - What is power?

Outrage as Milo Yiannopoulos criticises Ariana Grande for being ‘pro-Islam’ after Manchester attack  —  Milo Yiannopoulos, the ultra-conservative British media personality in the US, has prompted outrage on social media after he criticised singer Ariana Grande for being “pro-Islam” …

Baltimore attorney arrested for allegedly offering rape victim $3K to not testify, saying Trump will deport her  —  A Baltimore defense attorney was arrested in the downtown courthouse Tuesday and charged with obstruction of justice and witness intimidation for allegedly telling a rape victim …

Donald Trump's Base Is Shrinking  —  A widely held tenet of the current conventional wisdom is that while President Trump might not be popular overall, he has a high floor on his support.  Trump's sizable and enthusiastic base — perhaps 35 to 40 percent of the country — won't abandon him any time soon …

New GOP fear: nine months of failure  —  Republican leaders are coming to the bleak conclusion they will end summer and begin the fall with ZERO significant legislative accomplishments.  Privately, they realize it's political malpractice to blow at least the the first nine of months of all Republican rule …

Even after Manchester, Cuomo's dodging on marching to honor a terrorist  —  Gov. Cuomo attends last year's Puerto Rican Day Parade.  —  LightRocket via Getty Images  —  MORE FROM: … There was no dust on Gov. Cuomo's brogans last week when a self-described crazy man drove into a crowd at Times Square …

Franken on 2020 run: 'I'm not going to do that'  —  (D-Minn.) pushed back on presidential speculation in a new interview, saying he won't run for the White House in 2020.  —  “Yeah, I'm not going to do that,” he said in a People magazine interview published Wednesday.

Melania and Ivanka Trump show the world what feminine power looks like  —  By now you're exhausted by all the head-swiveling news — the terrorist slaughter in Manchester; the president's trip to Everywhere; and investigation upon investigation of the possible collusion with Russia, obstruction of justice and liars by the dozen.