Putin Hints at U.S. Election Meddling by ‘Patriotically Minded’ Russians  —  MOSCOW — Shifting from his previous blanket denials, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Thursday that “patriotically minded” private Russian hackers could have been involved in cyberattacks last year …

Nigel Farage is ‘person of interest’ in FBI investigation into Trump and Russia  —  Exclusive: FBI interested in former Ukip leader's ties with people connected to US president and WikiLeaks' Julian Assange … Nigel Farage is a “person of interest” in the US counter-intelligence investigation …

Trump Exempts Entire Senior Staff From White House Ethics Rules … President Donald Trump has exempted his entire senior staff from provisions of his own ethics rules to allow them to work with political and advocacy groups that support the administration.  —  Staffers given a pass …

Every Russia story Trump said was a hoax by Democrats: A timeline  —  There have been twists and turns over the past year in the saga of President Trump's alleged ties to Russia and Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election to help Trump win.  —  Yet one thing has remained consistent …

Everything Conservatives Said About the Paris Climate Agreement Is Already Wrong  —  The Trump administration's reportedly forthcoming decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement will not end the global effort to limit the effects of climate change.  In the immediate time frame …

Trump Opts Not to Move Embassy to Jerusalem, at Least for Now  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an order keeping the American Embassy in Tel Aviv rather than move it to Jerusalem as he promised during last year's campaign, aides said Thursday, disappointing many Israel supporters …

Comey Expected to Testify Before Senate, if He Isn't Blocked  —  Senators expect the former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to testify next week about his conversations with President Trump, congressional officials said on Wednesday, setting up a test of the White House's willingness …

‘We were used, abused and exploited’  —  As he built support for his signature political issue, Donald Trump formed a powerful partnership with a non-profit group dedicated to families of those killed by undocumented immigrants, but now some of those families are alleging they were exploited …

Samantha Power Unmasked  —  Why would a diplomat need to know the names of Trump officials?

In her bubble, Kathy Griffin thought nothing was out of bounds in mocking Trump  —  MORE FROM: … Imagine living in a bubble so impermeable it didn't occur to you that retailing a photograph of a decapitated president's head would be a horrendous career move — a bubble in which you don't know anyone …

Commentary: The left is winning  —  Here's an argument that seems unavoidable yet endlessly debatable: In American politics, progressives are winning, and have been for some time.  When it comes to economic policy in particular, every day it seems the Overton Window skews a few more millimeters leftward …

House Intelligence Panel Issues Seven Subpoenas in Russia Probe  —  Four are related to Russia investigation, three to ‘unmasking’ controversy, individuals say  —  The House Intelligence Committee issued seven subpoenas on Wednesday, in a sign that its investigation into alleged Russian meddling …

Less Tweeting, Lawyers Beg.  ‘Covfefe,’ the President Says.  —  WASHINGTON — There was a time in the not-too-distant past when President Trump refrained from flamethrowing messages on Twitter.  —  That time is over.  —  Never mind that his aides have asked him to stop.

Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum — Again  —  It is imperative we begin emulating the left in its tactics.  —  A couple of years ago, I suggested a completely different strategy: I wanted to pursue a kinder path.  I wanted an end to the speech wars and social media mobs and boycotts and all the rest of it.

Trump's special antagonism toward Germany is stupid and dangerous.  —  The fallout from President Trump's disastrous trip to Europe continues to poison the trans-Atlantic climate.  His comments about Germany have been particularly toxic—and, beyond that, stupid, reflecting no understanding …

Private sector job growth rebounds to ‘rip-roaring’ pace in May, ADP says  —  Private-sector hiring surged in May, according to a report released Thursday.  —  Employers added a seasonally adjusted 253,000 during the month, payroll processor ADP said.  Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics …

The Maps That Kill Competition  —  Corey Lowenstein/The News & Observer, File via AP  —  Republican State Senators Dan Soucek, left, and Brent Jackson, right, review North Carolina's congressional district map.  —  Democrats eyeing the 2018 midterm elections have a lot to feel optimistic about …

Trump's “Good Job” Call to Roger Stone  —  On May 11th Roger Stone, Donald Trump's on-again, off-again political adviser for several decades, had just wrapped up a pair of morning television appearances when, according to two sources with direct knowledge, he received a call from the President.

Russia escalates spy games after years of U.S. neglect  —  In the throes of the 2016 campaign, the FBI found itself with an escalating problem: Russian diplomats, whose travel was supposed to be tracked by the State Department, were going missing.  —  The diplomats, widely assumed …

How Twitter Is Being Gamed to Feed Misinformation  —  After last year's election, Facebook came in for a drubbing for its role in propagating misinformation — or “fake news,” as we called it back then, before the term became a catchall designation for any news you don't like.

Donald Trump's budget slashes government junk food pipeline to the poor  —  Food stamps foolishly fuel diabetes and obesity  —  Perhaps the most controversial element of the Trump administration's budget is the proposal to reduce food stamp spending by 25% or $193 billion over the next decade.

After another Nunes no-show, cardboard cutout replaces congressman at Fresno event  —  Kiki Wells looked at a cardboard cut-out of Rep. Devin Nunes on Wednesday, and told it her concerns about his support of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.  —  “I want to remind everyone …