Donald Trump and Sean Hannity Like to Talk Before Bedtime  —  Life inside the bunker of Fox News' resident Trumplegänger.  —  Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Pool via Bloomberg/Getty Images (Trump head); Rob Kim/Getty Images (Hannity head); NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images (phone)

White House Aide's Plan to Stop Leaks: Spy on His Co-Workers … A former National Security Council official now working for Attorney General Jeff Sessions explored ways to surreptitiously monitor the communications of White House staff for leaks or perceived political disloyalty to Donald Trump …

At Least 28 Palestinians Die in Protests as U.S. Prepares to Open Jerusalem Embassy  —  Right Now: Palestinian officials say at least 28 people have died in the latest round of protests.  —  • At least 1,000 Palestinian demonstrators were also wounded along the border fence with Gaza …

Michael Cohen's D.C. Consulting Career: Scattershot, With Mixed Success  —  Pitching himself as the president's lawyer to companies expecting a Clinton win, Mr. Cohen won AT&T and Novartis but was spurned by Ford and Uber  —  When Michael Cohen came knocking after the 2016 election …    SL 

He Was a Tireless Critic of the Iran Deal.  Now He Insists He Wanted to Save It.  —  WASHINGTON — While many hands gripped the sword that undercut the Iran nuclear deal, no one outside the Trump administration was a more persistent or effective critic than Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of a hawkish Washington think tank.

Trump vs. the “Deep State”  —  How the Administration's loyalists are quietly reshaping American governance.  —  Two months after Donald Trump's Inauguration, the White House took a sudden interest in a civil servant named Sahar Nowrouzzadeh.  At thirty-four, she was largely unknown outside …

All the problems at NBC News aren't just coincidence.  They're symptoms.  —  As months go, this has been a terrible one for NBC News.  Among the low points:  —  The ace reporter whose work the network's management couldn't seem to support adequately — Ronan Farrow — broke another huge story for the competitor he fled to.

Graham considers Jolly for running mate  —  MIAMI — Democrat Gwen Graham said she would consider Republican David Jolly as a Florida gubernatorial running mate, a move that opens her to criticism from a progressive rival, and that contradicts her own campaign and supporters who had said a bipartisan ticket isn't legal in the state.

How The Congressional Baseball Shooting Didn't Become The Deadliest Political Assassination In American History  —  You don't know the whole story of how close we came to one of the deadliest political shootings in US history last year.  —  Bureau Chief, BuzzFeed DC  —  Lissandra Villa

Trump Vows to Save Jobs at China's ZTE Lost After U.S. Sanctions  —  SHANGHAI — President Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday that he was working with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to prevent the collapse of the Chinese electronics giant ZTE, which shut down major operations …

Trump's improved standing, energized GOP voters worry Democrats  —  After months of confidence that public discontent with President Trump would lift Democrats back to power in Congress, some party leaders are fretting that their advantages in this year's midterms are eroding amid a shifting political landscape.

Mueller's Investigation Crosses the Legal Line  —  It's unconstitutional under Morrison v. Olson—the decision, not the dissent.  —  Judge T.S. Ellis has expressed skepticism about the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.  “What we don't want in this country is …    SL 

Why Traditional TV Is in Trouble  —  Television networks will draw hordes of advertisers to New York City this week for their annual bonanza of presentations and parties, a decades-old tradition known as the upfronts that is meant to dazzle marketers and loosen their purse strings.

‘Buckle up’: As Mueller probe enters second year, Trump and allies go on war footing … The grand jury witnesses arrive one by one at the windowless room in the federal courthouse on Constitution Avenue in downtown Washington.  They are struck first by how commonplace the setting feels …

GOP tax cut not why economy is booming  —  Economists are rolling their eyes at candidates' claims.  —  Republicans facing a tough midterm election season are pointing to the strong economy as proof their new tax law is working its magic.  —  But as campaign ads tout swelling payrolls …

Mueller's Probe is Even More Expansive Than It Seems  —  FBI agents working for special counsel Robert Mueller allegedly detained a lawyer with ties to Russia who is closely associated with Joseph Mifsud, the shadowy professor who claimed during the election that Russia had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

Trying for House Gains, Democrats Bless Moderates and Annoy Liberals  —  CONWAY, Ark. — To many Democratic leaders, the path to power in Washington looks like Clarke Tucker.  —  He supports the Affordable Care Act, but not a single-payer system.  He signals misgivings about Nancy Pelosi as the next House speaker.

Kudlow brings kill 'em with kindness approach to White House  —  He's trying to avoid the collapse of NAFTA and a trade war with China by seeking consensus and sticking close to Trump.  —  Larry Kudlow thinks he can steer Donald Trump's chaotic White House away from economic disaster by being the nicest guy in the West Wing.

Qatari Investor Accused in Bribery Plot Appears With Michael Cohen in Picture Posted by Stormy Daniels' Lawyer  —  Members of the Trump transition team appear to have met on December 12, 2016 with a group from Qatar that included Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, the former Qatari diplomat and current head …

Why Comey's October Surprise Was Pointless and Wrong  —  James Comey's Oct. 28, 2016, letter to Congress — announcing the resumption of the Hillary Clinton email investigation based on newly discovered evidence — may well have cost her the presidency.  In “A Higher Calling,” …

Tasha Reign: I Was Assaulted on a Stormy Daniels Porn Set.  And She Did Nothing. … On the morning of April 17, Stormy Daniels made a hotly-anticipated appearance on The View.  —  Flanked by her omnipresent attorney, Michael Avenatti, the adult actress/director defended her decision …

‘A rogue state’  —  As California defies federal immigration policy, calling itself a sanctuary, the state's conservatives are pushing back  —  For nearly two decades, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Don Laventure has kept inmate records at what was once one of the nation's largest jails …

Trump is more popular than Dems want to admit  —  It's time for the Democrats to stop bashing President Trump.  —  It's not going to be easy, given his policies and personality.  It might even mean checking into a 12-step program.  But setting a winning agenda is like maneuvering an aircraft carrier.

Wellstone legacy ‘goes dormant’ after family ousted in Democratic feud  —  A rift at an influential progressive group named for the late Minnesota senator offers a glimpse into a thorny party debate.  —  In the Democratic Party's reckoning following the election of Donald Trump …