EXCLUSIVE: Trump the foul-mouthed germophobe fired Chris Christie because New Jersey governor arranged for Obama to call his phone NOT The Donald's on election night  — A new book reveals how Trump fell out with his then transition boss Chris Christie over whose cellphone to use on election night

Outgoing Ethics Chief: U.S. Is ‘Close to a Laughingstock’  —  WASHINGTON — Actions by President Trump and his administration have created a historic ethics crisis, the departing head of the Office of Government Ethics said.  He called for major changes in federal law to expand the power …

An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of USC med school dean  —  In USC's lecture halls, labs and executive offices, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito was a towering figure.  The dean of the Keck School of Medicine was a renowned eye surgeon whose skill in the operating room …

White House squeezes Jeff Flake  —  The White House has met with at least three actual or prospective primary challengers to Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake in recent weeks, a reflection of Donald Trump's strained relations with the senator and the latest sign of the president's willingness …

Monmouth University Polling Institute  —  Trump Rating Holds Steady Despite Campaign's 2016 Russia Meeting  —  4-in-10 support impeachment, higher than for Nixon at start of Watergate  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Donald Trump's approval rating has held fairly steady since …

Liberals can win again if they stop being so annoying and fix their ‘hamburger problem’  —  I've been haunted by a claim my KCRW colleague Rich Lowry made on our radio show a few weeks ago: Democrats keep coming up short in elections because they won't give any ground on “cultural issues” …

Vice chair of Trump's voter fraud commission wants to change federal law to add new requirements for voting, email shows  —  The day after Donald Trump was elected president, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, now the vice-chair of Donald Trump's commission on voter fraud …

If John McCain were uninsured, his surgery could have cost $76,000  —  That's more than the average annual American household income.  —  The fate of the GOP's health reform plan right now hinges on Sen. John McCain's recovery from a blood clot surgery.  It's also the perfect reminder …

R. Kelly Is Holding Women Against Their Will In A “Cult,” Parents Told Police  —  As the R&B legend tours the country this summer, parents have told police that R. Kelly is running an abusive “cult” that's tearing families apart.  Three former members of Kelly's inner circle told BuzzFeed News similar stories.

Note to Heller: Don't take away my health care or you die  —  A note taped to Sen. Dean Heller's Senate office was from someone asserting that he would lose his health care if the key senator voted for the repeal bill and that he would die if that happened and would take Heller with him, a law enforcement source said.

Trump climbs into firetruck at ‘Made in America’ event … President Trump climbed into a firetruck as he toured a showcase displaying American-made products at the White House on Monday.  —  Trump was looking at large U.S.-made products including machinery and vehicles when he made his way into the firetruck.

‘Modern Day Presidential’ really isn't working for Trump  —  (CNN)Just after 10 a.m. ET Monday, Donald Trump typed out his first tweet of the day: “Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent.  That's politics!”  —  A few things:

How Trump Is Transforming Rural America  —  In Colorado, the President's tone has started rubbing off on residents.  —  When Karen Kulp was a child, she believed that the United States of America as she knew it was going to end on June 6, 1966.  Her parents were from the South …

Americans decided health care is for all.  The GOP wants to roll that back.  —  Their plan would once again make it a privilege for the wealthy.  —  As vice president, I met with Americans all across our country.  What they told me over and over is that the Affordable Care Act gave them peace of mind …

Trump Says He Has Signed More Bills Than Any President, Ever.  He Hasn't.  —  WASHINGTON — To hear President Trump tell it, his first six months in the White House should be judged in part by the legislation he has signed into law.  —  At rallies, in speeches and on Twitter …

Trump's D.C. Hotel Sells Clothes Made in China, Vietnam, Peru During ‘Made In America’ Week … President Donald Trump has declared this week Made in America week, a celebration of United States-based manufacturing and domestic economic consumption.  —  At the newest jewel in the Trump business empire …

Six Months In, Trump Is Historically Unpopular  —  On Thursday, President Trump will officially have been in office for six months, and his term so far has included a few victories (the nomination and confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court), plenty of frustrations …

Trump's Air War Has Already Killed More Than 2,000 Civilians … Civilian casualties from the U.S.-led war against the so-called Islamic State are on pace to double under President Donald Trump, according to an Airwars investigation for The Daily Beast.  —  Airwars researchers estimate …

The Top Jobs in Trump's Administration Are Mostly Vacant: Who's to Blame?  —  President Trump has filled far fewer top jobs in cabinet or cabinet-level agencies than President Barack Obama had at this point in his presidency.  —  The status of top jobs  —  25 weeks into each administration:

Why I'm Leaving the Southern Baptist Convention  —  OKLAHOMA CITY — The first time I was called a nigger to my face was by a fellow camper at a Southern Baptist Convention retreat near Oklahoma City.  I was 13, and it was 1995.  Devastated, I complained to a counselor who suggested I pray for the ability to turn the other cheek.

Tropical Storm Don forms in the Atlantic  —  The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Don, which formed this afternoon east of the Windward Islands.  —  A tropical storm warning is in effect for Grenada.  A tropical storm watch is in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia.

Fired cop who killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards indicted for murder  —  The fired Balch Springs cop who shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards was indicted Monday on a murder charge by a Dallas County grand jury.  —  Roy Oliver fired his rifle April 29 into a car of teenagers leaving a party.

How the White House and Republicans underestimated Obamacare repeal  —  The longer Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare flounder, the clearer it becomes that President Donald Trump's team and many in Congress dramatically underestimated the challenge of rolling back former President Barack Obama's signature achievement.