Mueller Expands Probe to Trump Business Transactions  —  Special counsel examines dealings of Kushner, Manafort, Trump  —  Trump has warned Mueller against going beyond Russia in probe  —  The U.S. special counsel investigating possible ties between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia …

Inspiring Little Fear in Senators, Trump Struggles to Sell Health Bill  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump thought he could sell balky Republican senators like Ron Johnson of Wisconsin on the Senate health care bill through pleasantries, cajoling and, ultimately, some Oval Office muscle.

Team Trump Used Obamacare Money to Run PR Effort Against It … The Trump administration has spent taxpayer money meant to encourage enrollment in the Affordable Care Act on a public relations campaign aimed at methodically strangling it.  —  The effort, which involves a multi-pronged social media push …

Column Bill Nye on the terrifying ascendancy of American ‘dingbatitude’  —  From the Emmy-winning “science guy on” the PBS children's television program to the lab-coat crusader who “saves the world” on Netflix, Bill Nye is a longtime science-is-entertaining educator, a onetime mechanical engineer and a perpetual science lover.

AlphaBay, the Largest Online ‘Dark Market,’ Shut Down  —  ‘Dark Net’ Site Was Major Source of Fentanyl and Heroin, Linked to Overdose Deaths, and Used By Hundreds of Thousands of People to Buy and Sell Illegal Goods and Services Anonymously over the Internet

Big German Bank, Key to Trump's Finances, Faces New Scrutiny  —  During the presidential campaign, Donald J. Trump pointed to his relationship with Deutsche Bank to counter reports that big banks were skeptical of doing business with him.  —  After a string of bankruptcies in his casino …

The ‘Game of Thrones’ Creators' Next Show Sounds Stupid as Hell … The takes are already rolling in on Confederate, a forthcoming HBO series from the showrunners of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss — but all you really need to know is that this show sounds stupid as hell.

Manafort Was in Debt to Pro-Russia Interests, Cyprus Records Show  —  Financial records filed last year in the secretive tax haven of Cyprus, where Paul J. Manafort kept bank accounts during his years working in Ukraine and investing with a Russian oligarch, indicate that he had been in debt …

One in eight people who voted for Trump having second thoughts - Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  6 MIN READ  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - About one in eight people who voted for President Donald Trump said they are not sure they would do so again after witnessing Trump's tumultuous first six months in office …

IQ costs Oregon parents their kids, but is that fair?  (Column)  —  Gallery: Redmond couple fights for custody of their children  —  The nursery in Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler's home is filled with unread children's books and unworn baby clothes.  A Winnie the Pooh blanket lies untouched inside …

The Democratic Party's Billion-Dollar Mistake  —  The Democratic Party is at risk of repeating the billion-dollar blunder that helped create its devastating losses of 2016.  With its obsessive focus on wooing voters who supported Donald Trump, it is neglecting the cornerstone of its coalition …

We Must Elect Senator Kid Rock  —  The news that Southern-fried rock/rapper Kid Rock will be running for some timeserving Dem hack's Senate seat in Michigan should make every normal American smile and spill a 40 to his homies.  The future Senator Rock deserves your eager support for two critical reasons …

Trump kills 16 regulations for every new one, crushing 2-for-1 goal  —  President Trump's administration, on orders to kill two regulations for every new one, ripped up the playbook during its first six months, eliminating 16 old rules for every new one, according to top officials.

Source: Senate leaders to offer $200 billion to win over moderates  —  In a bold move to revive their healthcare bill, Senate Republican leaders are getting ready to propose giving $200 billion in assistance to states that expanded Medicaid, according to a person familiar with internal Senate negotiations.

Fact Check: Trump's Confusing Remarks To Senate Republicans On Health Care  —  President Trump did not do much to sell the Senate health care bill before its failure.  But he gave the sale a shot Wednesday in the White House before cameras and a captive audience of nearly all the Republican senators.

Everyone Hates Neoliberals, So We Talked to Some  —  If I've learned anything from having my eyes glued to politics Twitter and the punditry it inevitably spawns for 12 hours a day, it's that I am ruining my life and desperately need help.  But more to the point, I've also learned that in leftist circles …

Sen. John McCain has brain cancer, aggressive tumor surgically removed  — Lab results from a surgery on Friday confirmed the presence of glioblastoma associated with the blood clot  —  (CNN)Sen. John McCain, 80, has been diagnosed with a primary glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor …

The Sinclair Revolution Will Be Televised.  It'll Just Have Low Production Values  —  In the menagerie of television talking heads who have come to prominence advocating for Donald Trump, Boris Epshteyn is hardly the most memorable.  He lacks Sean Spicer's flair for the absurd …

A Guide to Russia's Diplomatic Properties in Washington  —  It's no secret that the Russian Embassy wants its diplomatic compounds back.  —  In December 2016, in addition to expelling 35 Russian diplomats, the Barack Obama administration seized two Russian compounds …

Henrico McDonald's takes ‘appropriate action’ after employee refused to serve uniformed police officer … An on-duty officer with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says he was denied service at a McDonald's restaurant in Henrico County because of his profession …

Hialeah man shoots out tires of AT&T truck outside home  —  A retired Miami-Dade firefighter took extreme measures to get AT&T workers to remove their trucks from his property, Wednesday morning.  —  According to Hialeah Police, the AT&T utility employees were working on lines near …

Exclusive: Cecil the Lion's son Xanda killed by trophy hunter  —  Cecil the lion: Son Xanda killed by trophy hunters  —  One of Cecil the Lion's cubs has been shot dead by a big game trophy hunter in Zimbabwe, just two years after his father was killed in similar circumstances.