Homeland Security Secretary Was Close to Resigning After Trump Berated Her  —  WASHINGTON — Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, told colleagues she was close to resigning after President Trump berated her on Wednesday in front of the entire cabinet for what he said was her failure …

White House official mocked ‘dying’ McCain at internal meeting  —  A White House official mocked Sen. John McCain  —  's brain cancer diagnosis at an internal meeting on Thursday, a day after the Arizona Republican announced his opposition to President Trump  —  's nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel.

The smear that killed the ‘reset’  —  Putin needed an American enemy.  He picked me.  —  From the beginning of the Obama administration, we knew we wanted to reboot our relationship with Moscow.  I coordinated Russia policy from the National Security Council, and Russia …

How the Online Left Fuels the Right  —  I think I know what it feels like to be “red-pilled,” the alt-right's preferred metaphor for losing one's faith in received assumptions and turning toward ideas that once seemed dangerous.  —  For me, it happened over several visits to the West Bank.

My journey to North Korea with the secretary of state … The State Department normally craves elaborate planning and procedures for everything.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's 13-hour visit to North Korea had little of that.  —  I had a view of the improvisational quality of his trip because …

About That FBI ‘Source’  —  Did the bureau engage in outright spying against the 2016 Trump campaign?  —  The Department of Justice lost its latest battle with Congress Thursday when it allowed House Intelligence Committee members to view classified documents about a top-secret intelligence source …

Lawmakers weigh Plan B to protect Mueller's work  —  WASHINGTON — If Congress can't protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job, perhaps it can protect his work.  —  That's the thinking among several lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who are discussing ways to safeguard the special counsel's investigation …

Dear Conservative Media: Do Some More Damn Reporting … The American political left has something that their counterparts on the right do not.  —  It's not a particular point of view, or a thing that is particular to a point of view.  It is more foundational than that.

Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly … The top White House official responsible for leading the U.S. response in the event of a deadly pandemic has left the administration, and the global health security team he oversaw has been disbanded under a reorganization …

Florida Insider Poll: Doubts about Bill Nelson beating Rick Scott grow  —  Among more than 200 experts and veterans of Florida politics surveyed in the latest Tampa Bay Times Florida Insider Poll, nearly six in 10 this week said they expect Florida's Republican governor to unseat the three-term Democratic Senator.

Blankenship wants to ‘make sure’ Morrisey doesn't win Senate bid  —  Ex-coal CEO Don Blankenship, who lost the GOP primary bid in West Virginia this week, is actively plotting how to undercut state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's Senate candidacy.  —  Greg Thomas, an adviser …

They mock vegans and eat 4lb of steak a day: meet ‘carnivore dieters’  —  For the last 18 months, Shawn Baker has eaten around 4lb of steak every day.  —  “I've got two rib-eye steaks waiting for me when I get off this call,” said the trained orthopaedic surgeon from Orange County, California.

Trump to Drop Call for Medicare to Negotiate Lower Drug Prices  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump will lay out on Friday a broad strategy to reduce prescription drug prices, but in a break from one of his most popular campaign promises, he will not call for Medicare to negotiate lower prices …

The Price of Getting Inside Trump's Head  —  Michael Cohen has profited from it, but we're all Trumpologists now.  —  On Easter Sunday, Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, was holding forth in the green room at ABC News in New York before going on the air.

Who Is Anna Wintour Asking Us to Forgive in Her Editor's Letter?  —  Anna Wintour is our Fashion Pope, the infallible ruler of Vogue, fashion's Vatican.  Both because of her reputation — which is the stuff of pop-culture legend — and the reality of her power, she's not someone anyone in the industry dares cross.

Loyalty, unease in Trump's Midwest  —  Voters gave Trump a chance.  Some remain all in.  Others have grown weary of the chaos.  —  After eight years of displeasure with the presidency of Barack Obama and faced with a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Dennis Schminke of Austin …

Former Western leaders join forces to fight Russian meddling … Right now the fight against foreign influence in democratic societies is a fragmented, partisan and poorly understood endeavor.  That, however, must change.  To counter Russian interference of all kinds, Democrats …

Tell us how this ends … So what's next with Iran?  Even if you think President Trump has made a big mistake in withdrawing from the nuclear agreement, as I do, that's not the end of the story.  Where does this bumpy road lead?  —  What's distressing about the Iran question is that nobody …

First look: Mueller gains credibility among swing voters  —  Reproduced from Firehouse/Optimus; Note: Survey conducted from May 4-6 of 2,486 likely midterm voters in Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio; Chart: Axios Visuals  —  Firehouse Strategies, a Republican firm …

Trump Jr. prepares to hit the campaign trail ahead of midterms  —  is preparing to hit the campaign trail for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.  —  A source close to Trump Jr. says he plans to hold rallies and fundraisers for Republicans, particularly in states …

Gina Haspel fails the test  —  GINA HASPEL, President Trump's nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency, faced a clear test when she appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.  After a 33-year career at the agency, she may be, in many respects …