Michelle Wolf got it just right … “Thank you!”  —  That's how comedian Michelle Wolf answered Sean Spicer's declaration that her headlining stand-up set at the the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was “a disgrace.”  Her response is instructive: To Wolf …

Ronny Jackson won't return to old job as Trump's physician  —  White House physician Ronny Jackson will not return to his role as the president's personal physician, according to two senior administration officials, after a string of allegations caused the Navy rear admiral to withdraw …

Trump has already been ‘played’ … President Trump looks with disdain on those who get snookered, which is odd since he's the easiest of marks for anyone with a red carpet and a batch of insincere compliments.  —  His defensiveness about being “played” was evident when asked …

BREAKING.  Huge Mother of All Explosions Hits Syrian City of Hama (VIDEO)  —  Right now reporting is sketchy and confused.  This is the synopsis: Sunday evening, Damascus time, several Syrian Army bases were struck by what appear to be airstrikes.  There was a major explosion at a Syrian Army base near the city of Hama.

Former George W. Bush ethics lawyer ditches GOP, to seek U.S. Senate in Minn. as Democrat  —  Richard Painter will take on Tina Smith, who holds the seat now as Al Franken's successor, for the party nomination.  —  Richard Painter, a longtime Republican who was chief ethics lawyer …

The Original Donald Trump  —  Amid the aftershocks of Donald Trump's firing of James Comey last May, I went to see Angels in America at the same theater in London, the National, where I'd first seen it as a New York Times drama critic some 25 years earlier.  The play didn't transport me quite …

White House mystery: Where is Macron's gifted oak tree?  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A mystery is brewing at the White House about what happened to the oak tree President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron planted there last week.  —  The sapling was a gift from Macron on the occasion of his state visit.

The Justice Department Deleted Language About Press Freedom And Racial Gerrymandering From Its Internal Manual  —  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ordered a review of the US Attorneys' Manual, which features high-level policy statements as well as practical guidance to prosecutors on how to do their jobs.

The NRA said guns will be banned during a Pence speech.  Parkland students see hypocrisy. … The National Rifle Association has championed the idea of “a good guy with a gun,” but no firearms will be allowed when Vice President Pence speaks at its annual meeting — sparking criticism from Parkland …

The one-trick pony: Inside Trump's negotiating style  —  President Trump tells people he keeps the world guessing with his wild unpredictability.  But those who work most closely with him say he's a one-trick pony in negotiations.  —  The trick: Threaten the outrageous, ratchet up the tension …

‘Forget the Facebook leak’: China is mining data directly from workers' brains on an industrial scale  —  Government-backed surveillance projects are deploying brain-reading technology to detect changes in emotional states in employees on the production line, the military and at the helm of high-speed trains

Showdown builds between Comey, House: Just what did FBI director say about Michael Flynn?  —  There's an intense conflict brewing between some Capitol Hill Republicans and fired FBI director James Comey.  The Republicans say Comey has been lying about what he told them in a March 2017 meeting.

Left vs. Left: Richard Cordray and Dennis Kucinich Battle for Governor of Ohio  —  AKRON, Ohio — Richard Cordray speaks softly and carries a big stack: lime-green index cards, pressed into his shirt pocket, near enough for any sudden onset of note-taking.  —  A former director …

Scoop: Elaine Chao the enforcer  —  When he needs to send a message to his foes, Mitch McConnell is the master of subtlety.  —  What I'm hearing: At the Republican Study Committee meeting this past week, RSC Chairman Mark Walker told members the following story, according to a source …

Why climate change can't escape Washington's back burner  —  When it comes to federal policy priorities, climate change rarely drives the agenda.  —  Why it matters: It's one of the biggest issues facing political and corporate leaders, yet it is almost always put behind more imminent priorities.

U.S. Allies Brace for Trade War as Tariff Negotiations Stall  —  BERLIN — A few weeks ago, it felt as if a trade war pitting the United States against allies like Australia, Canada and the European Union was over before it even began.  The Trump administration dispensed so many temporary exemptions …

Amid political chatter, Democratic women push Hochul's re-election bid  —  ALBANY - Kathy Hochul, the state lieutenant governor who has logged tens of thousands of miles promoting Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his policies, again is facing questions about her political future after the governor recently promoted …

What savvy journalists say when they are minimizing Trump's hate movement against journalists  —  For two years I have been tracking a speech pattern among American journalists, in which they try to explain to us — and perhaps to themselves — why Donald Trump's campaign to discredit them is not what it seems, why it's no big deal.