Trump disputes account of his call with soldier's widow.  But congresswoman who heard exchange says it was ‘horrible.’  —  President Trump in a tweet Wednesday denied that he had told the widow of a soldier killed in an ambush in Africa this month that her husband “must have known what he signed up for.”

Alexander: Trump engineered the bipartisan health bill  —  Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) sat down with Mike Allen immediately after getting off the phone with President Trump, who called to encourage him about the bipartisan health care bill he announced yesterday with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Senate Judiciary opens probe into Obama-era Russian nuclear bribery case  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee has launched a full-scale probe into a Russian nuclear bribery case, demanding several federal agencies disclose whether they knew the FBI had uncovered the corruption before the Obama administration …

Senate Candidate Roy Moore Says NFL Protesters Are Breaking the Law  —  Senate candidate Roy Moore believes that professional athletes who take a knee during the national anthem are breaking the law.  —  In an interview with TIME magazine, the Alabama Republican argued that NFL players …

Bannon's Bark Is Worse Than His Bite  —  Trump's former campaign manager fancies himself as a master strategist, but he lacks the tactical skills to oust Republican senators in the 2018 primaries.  —  In the wide world of politics, there are two different types of campaign operatives: strategists and tacticians.

Republican lawmakers' posh hideaway bankrolled by secret corporate cash  —  Bank records: Comcast, Microsoft, Koch helped fund GOP convention ‘cloakroom’  —  Donald Trump declared last year in his populist presidential nomination acceptance speech that he's “not able to look the other way” …

Twitter Was Warned Repeatedly About This Fake Account Run By A Russian Troll Farm And Refused To Take It Down  —  The account was one of hundreds created by Russia's Internet Research Agency and drew 136,000 followers by tweeting divisive messages in the name of the Tennessee Republican Party.

Poll: 46 percent think media make up stories about Trump  —  Nearly half of voters, 46 percent, believe the news media fabricate news stories about President Donald Trump and his administration, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.  —  Just 37 percent of voters think the media …

5 shot, 3 dead in Maryland business park, gunman on the run, Harford sheriff says  —  Three people have died and two are injured in a shooting at an Edgewood area business park, the Harford County sheriff said Wednesday.  (Courtesy video)  —  Shooting in Emmorton business park in Edgewood area.

Ralph Northam campaign defends deleting black running mate from campaign literature  —  Ralph Northam, Virginia's Democratic nominee for governor, deleted his black running mate from his campaign fliers.  His campaign says that's not a big deal.  —  Northam, the sitting lieutenant governor …

Second judge rules against latest travel ban, saying Trump's own words show it was aimed at Muslims  —  A federal judge in Maryland early Wednesday issued a second halt on the latest version of President Trump's travel ban, asserting that the president's own comments on the campaign trail …

Jared Kushner Adds Charles Harder to Legal Team As West Wing Pressure Mounts  —  On Friday, Reince Priebus testified for hours with lawyers on special counsel Robert Mueller's team.  While Priebus has been careful not to criticize the president openly, sources who have spoken to him say he's …

Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing States  —  The big tech companies worked closely with Secure America Now to target an audience the group felt could be swayed by the message.  —  In the final weeks of the 2016 election campaign, voters in swing states including Nevada …

Trump suggests Comey prematurely exonerated Clinton but investigators say probe was largely complete  —  President Trump suggested Wednesday that former FBI director James B. Comey had intended to spare Democrat Hillary Clinton from prosecution “long before investigation was complete” into her government email practices.

Putin Rival Ties Kushner Meeting to Kremlin Bankers  —  A prominent exiled Russian oligarch said in an exclusive interview with NBC News that he is nearly certain Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to collaborate with the Trump campaign, and that he believes a top Russian banker was not …

Treasury secretary: Pass a tax bill or markets will tank  —  Steven Mnuchin has a stern warning for Congress: You could blow up the stock market if you fail to cut taxes.  —  The Treasury secretary, in the first episode of the “POLITICO Money” podcast, said Wall Street's big runup following …

McConnell to hold Senate in session for longer workweeks  —  Mitch McConnell is putting an end to the Senate's light schedule.  —  The Senate majority leader is preparing to hold the chamber in session for more rigorous workweeks, including Fridays and possibly even weekends, according to two sources familiar with the matter.