Trump Team Met With Lawyer Linked to Kremlin During Campaign  —  Two weeks after Donald J. Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last year, his eldest son arranged a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin …

Why People Hate The Media, Chapter MDCXIII  —  I had dinner tonight with a friend who knows Congressman Steve Scalise, the Republican from Louisiana who was critically injured in last month's assassination attempt.  He told me a story that's personal, that almost nobody knows, but that reflects very well on Scalise's character.

U.S. officials say Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks  —  Russian government hackers were behind recent cyber-intrusions into the business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies in what appears to be an effort to assess their networks …

The New York Times Is In Trouble  —  We have noted here and elsewhere Sarah Palin's libel case against the New York Times.  In a June 14 editorial, the Times accused Palin of being responsible for Jared Loughner's murder of six people in Tucson, Arizona.  Since then, the Times has issued two corrections to the editorial.

At Private Dinners, Pence Quietly Courts Big Donors and Corporate Executives  —  WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence has been courting scores of the country's most influential donors, corporate executives and conservative political leaders over the past several months in a series of private gatherings and one-on-one conversations.

Marco Rubio Is Tweeting the Most Republican Part of the Bible  —  Marco Rubio had a message for his nearly 3 million Twitter followers on the morning of June 26: “As dogs return to their vomit, so fools repeat their folly.  Proverbs 26:11.”  —  That one might have been his most head-snapping …

These Coloradans say Earth is flat.  And gravity's a hoax.  Now, they're being persecuted.  —  The Flat Earth movement is growing in Colorado, thanks to technology and skepticism about science … Every Tuesday at 6 p.m., three dozen Coloradans from every corner of the state assemble …

Iraqi Prime Minister Arrives in Mosul to Declare Victory Over ISIS  —  MOSUL, Iraq — Dressed in a military uniform, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived here in Mosul on Sunday to congratulate Iraq's armed forces on its victory over the Islamic State and mark the formal end of a bloody campaign …

The Congressional War on Expertise  —  Talk about a lousy recess.  —  Even as members of Congress were sprinting out of town for the July 4th holiday, the hard-working nerds at the Congressional Budget Office were handed the number-crunching equivalent of a colonoscopy …

Glum House leaders begin search for fallbacks  —  House Republican leaders are beginning to give significant thought to what their exit-for-August bills look like if they don't have healthcare to leave on.  — What we're hearing: House members are super-anxious about health care …

Senator McCain says Republican healthcare bill likely dead  —  A senior U.S. Republican senator predicted on Sunday that the Republican bill to roll back Obamacare would likely fail, adding to growing signs that the bill is in trouble.  —  “My view is that it's probably going to be dead,” …

Capito opposes conservative amendment to ACA repeal bill  —  U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Friday she wouldn't support an amendment to the GOP's health care overhaul pushed by far-right Senate conservatives, pouring cold water on prospects of unifying the party around any legislation.

Muslim leaders begin European bus tour against terrorism in the name of Islam  —  The tour, involving around 60 imams, will visit the sites of terror attacks by Islamist extremists.  —  Muslim leaders launched a European bus tour in Paris on Saturday to express opposition to terrorism in the name of Islam.

De Blasio skips slain NYPD cop's vigil to praise police in Germany … Mayor de Blasio flew all the way to Hamburg, Germany, to praise that city's police in a speech — while cops back home continued to mourn, without him, the assassination of one of their own in The Bronx.

Hillary Clinton looks for her role in midterms  —  wants to play a role in next year's midterm elections.  It's just not clear yet what that role will be.  —  Clinton has already launched a PAC aimed at helping congressional Democratic candidates in 2018, signaling the former first lady …