John Dowd Resigns as Trump's Lead Lawyer in Special Counsel Inquiry  —  WASHINGTON — The president's lead lawyer for the special counsel investigation, John Dowd, resigned on Thursday, according to two people briefed on the matter, days after the president called for an end to the inquiry.

Facebook gave data about 57bn friendships to academic  —  Volume of data suggests trusted partnership with Aleksandr Kogan, says analyst … Before Facebook suspended Aleksandr Kogan from its platform for the data harvesting “scam” at the centre of the unfolding Cambridge Analytica scandal …

Massive spending deal clinched despite Trump's misgivings  —  Lawmakers will have to move quickly to avoid a shutdown on Friday night.  —  Congressional leaders on Wednesday night formally unveiled a mammoth spending bill that would deliver the largest funding boost to federal agencies in years …

Charges Have Been Dropped Against Most Turkish Officers in D.C. Clash  —  Case had caused a rift between the U.S. and Turkey  —  WASHINGTON—Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against 11 of 15 members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security team who were accused in connection …

He Gambles.  He Tips Staff.  He Eats Alone.  All the While, He's Stocking His Vegas Suite With Guns.  —  Sometimes we see him as other hotel guests would have seen him: as the tall gambler intent on the video poker machine across the casino floor, or as the customer standing in line in front …

Saudi Crown Prince Boasted That Jared Kushner Was “In His Pocket”  —  Until he was stripped of his top-secret security clearance in February, presidential adviser Jared Kushner was known around the White House as one of the most voracious readers of the President's Daily Brief …

John Bolton's Curious Appearance In A Russian Gun Rights Video  —  Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton recorded a video used by the Russian gun rights group The Right to Bear Arms in 2013 to encourage the Russian government to loosen gun laws.  —  The episode, which has not been previously reported …

China to Target Trump's Base in Tariff Response  —  Beijing prepares to deliver pain to President Trump's support base, including with tariffs targeting agricultural exports  —  China is preparing to hit back at trade offensives from Washington with tariffs aimed at President Donald Trump's support base …

Police shot at a man 20 times in his back yard, thinking he had a gun.  It was a cellphone. … Police say they saw an object in Stephan Clark's hand before firing 20 bullets that killed him in his own yard Sunday night in Sacramento, with the disturbing moment made public through body camera footage released Wednesday night.

Bill Murray The Parkland kids remind me of the students who helped end the Vietnam War  —  Their most powerful asset in their fight to bring change is their idealism  —  We are living in interesting times, and people are becoming politically activated who weren't previously.

60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels to be broadcast Sunday  —  The adult-film star and director describes the affair she says she had with Donald Trump in her first television interview about the alleged relationship  —  The 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels …

The School Shooting Generation Has Had Enough  —  It's lunchtime on a Tuesday, and the kids are piling into a pizzeria booth in Coral Springs, Fla., to plot a revolution.  “The adults know that we're cleaning up their mess,” says Cameron Kasky, an 11th-grader at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School …

This Public Relations Firm Has Been Secretly Placing Articles In Conservative Publications  —  Inside the corporate payola machine.  —  Conservative media has long been the home for impassioned arguments against the welfare state, gun control, and taxes.  —  But if you look closely …

The Radical Proposal That Moderate Democrats Should Be Running On  —  Last week, a self-styled moderate Democrat won a congressional race in the heart of Trump Country — and the last-surviving “Blue Dogs” promptly declared their vindication.  For the Democrats' right flank, Politico wrote …

Austin bomber: ‘Challenged young man’ or ‘terrorist’? … For weeks, the 23-year-old suspected bomber terrorized the city of Austin with a string of explosions that killed two and injured several others.  —  But should the bomber, identified by authorities as Mark Anthony Conditt, be called a terrorist?

Foreign Relations Dem: Senate must act on Trump's ambassador nominees  —  A Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee expressed frustration Thursday over the slow pace of confirmations for President Trump  —  's ambassador nominees, saying he would push Senate minority leader Charles Schumer

Citigroup Sets Restrictions on Gun Sales by Business Partners  —  Citigroup is setting restrictions on the sale of firearms by its business customers, making it the first Wall Street bank to take a stance in the divisive nationwide gun control debate.  —  The new policy, announced Thursday …

Why Is Trump So Afraid of Russia?  —  The former C.I.A. director John Brennan pulled no punches on Wednesday when he was asked why President Trump had congratulated his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for his victory in a rigged election, even after Mr. Trump's national security staff warned him not to.

Yes, Jordan Peterson Really Is That Smart … In the last year, or so, Jordan Peterson, the University of Toronto clinical psychologist turned internet sensation, has emerged as arguably the most important intellectual figure on the right today.  —  His new book, 12 Rules for Life, is currently number one on Amazon.

When Trump Met Stormy Daniels: The Strange Story of Four Wild Days in Tahoe  —  In July of 2006, Donald Trump had a new wife, a hit TV show, and a trip to a celebrity golf tourney with a slew of porn stars secretly in attendance.  According to a few of those women, including Stormy Daniels, Trump went wild.

House leaders' biggest 2018 fear: The lazy Republican  —  On paper, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) appears to be a shoo-in for reelection.  He's served nine terms in what's been a GOP stronghold for decades, hasn't had a serious challenger in years and sits on one of the most powerful committees in Congress.

Frank Avruch, who played Bozo the Clown, dies at 89  —  (CNN)Frank Avruch, who was best known for playing Bozo the Clown, died Tuesday at the age of 89, according to his manager Stuart Hersh.  —  “While it's hard to say goodbye, we celebrate the legacy of joy and laughter he brought to millions …