Top Items:


A Secret Mission, a Code Name and Anxiety: Inside the Early Days of the F.B.I.'s Trump Investigation — WASHINGTON — Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the F.B.I. dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission …
RELATED:


Tantalizing Testimony From a Top Trump Aide Sets Off a Search for Proof — WASHINGTON — The White House official had a startling assertion: He thought he had received an email in the first half of 2016 alerting the Trump campaign that Russia had damaging information about Hillary Clinton.
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Politico


Thousands of pages of Congressional testimony shed light on 2016 Trump Tower meeting — A music promoter who promised Donald Trump Jr. over email that a Russian lawyer would provide dirt about Hillary Clinton in June 2016 made the offer because he had been assured the Moscow attorney was …
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Media Matters for America, The Daily Beast, Axios, twitchy.com, AOL and Balloon Juice


‘Kremlin Used’ NRA to Help Trump in 2016, Says Senate Judiciary Committee — The Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that the Russian government apparently used the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. “The Committee has obtained a number …
Discussion:
Boing Boing, Raw Story and Daily Kos

Materials from Inquiry into Circumstances Surrounding Trump Tower Meeting — As a part of its oversight of the Justice Department's enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and federal investigations into potential improper influence during the 2016 presidential election …
Discussion:
New York Times, NPR, Vox, Bloomberg, Fox News, BuzzFeed, Townhall, CBS New York, Fox News Insider, IJR, Washington Post, CNBC, CNN, Joe.My.God. and The Week


Trump Jr: Can't recall discussing Russia probe with father — WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he couldn't remember whether he had discussed the Russia investigation with his father, according to transcripts released Wednesday of his interview with the panel.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Bloomberg, Bustle, Mediaite and Shakesville


7 big things we just learned from the Trump Tower meeting testimony … The Senate Judiciary Committee released 2,500 pages of congressional testimony on Wednesday. The trove of information provides a new window into that ill-fated June 2016 Trump Tower meeting before which Donald Trump Jr …


Trump attorney fed statement to publicist for Russians about Trump Tower meeting
Discussion:
Washington Press

Russia favored Trump in 2016, Senate panel says, breaking with House GOP
Discussion:
The Week

Anthony Scaramucci, days after Trump hired him at the White House, reached out to promoter …
Discussion:
The Week

Russia favored Trump in 2016 election, Senate Intelligence Committee says, breaking with House GOP
Discussion:
Political Wire

Materials from Inquiry into Circumstances Surrounding Trump Tower Meeting
Discussion:
CNN, Vox, The Seattle Times, Splinter and Raw Story

Trump Jr.'s team wanted stories straight on Russian lawyer meeting
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, ThinkProgress, Power Line, CNN, Daily Kos, CNBC and The Daily Beast


Did Democrats Just Have Their First Tea Party Moment Of The 2018 Primaries? — The Democratic Party woke up this morning with a clear signal from Tuesday's primary elections: The #Resistance means business. The more progressive candidate won in Democratic primaries around the country.
Discussion:
National Review, New York Times, Mother Jones, Bustle, Vox, Breitbart, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and CNN
RELATED:


The Daily 202: The far left is winning the Democratic civil war … THE BIG IDEA: Tuesday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Democratic moderates. — The success of very liberal candidates in primaries across four states is causing a new bout of heartburn among party strategists …
Discussion:
The Nation and New York Magazine


Four socialist-backed candidates win Pennsylvania legislative primaries
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, LGBTQ Nation, Washington Press and Common Dreams

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen ‘asked Qatari investor for millions of dollars’ …
Discussion:
Slate, New York Magazine, The Week and Washington Press

Pennsylvania Primaries Deliver Strong Wins for Democratic Women
Discussion:
Vox, Wall Street Journal, Washington Free Beacon, Jezebel, Bustle, IJR, CNN, Axios and USA Today


Putting ‘White House’ on the resume is less of a boost — WASHINGTON — Listing a White House gig on your resume used to be considered a sparkling credential, reflecting a stint at the apex of the country's political power. — But as with so many other things about Donald Trump's …
Discussion:
IJR and Political Wire
RELATED:


White House downplays Bolton comments after North Korea outcry
Discussion:
The Atlantic, ThinkProgress, Balloon Juice, Common Dreams and New York Times

WH Says NK Threatening To Withdraw From Talks Was ‘Fully Expected’
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN and Just Security


Sderot homes hit with heavy machine gun fire from Gaza, army says — No injuries after gunmen in Strip target military aircraft and hit homes in city with errant rounds; IDF shells Hamas post in Gaza — The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday's events as they unfold.
Discussion:
National Review, NewsBusters and twitchy.com
RELATED:


Dixon High School shooting: Former student shot, wounded after bringing gun — DIXON - A 19-year-old former Dixon High student is in custody with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder after bringing a gun to the school this morning. — The man shot at school resource officer Mark Dallas …
Discussion:
Associated Press, RedState, The Daily Caller, National Review, WQAD-TV, Breitbart, WGN-TV, Daily Wire, Washington Free Beacon, twitchy.com and IJR


Porn Star Lawyer Interviewed 147 Times in 10 Weeks — In the past ten weeks, lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against President Trump, has been interviewed a staggering 147 times on broadcast and cable news shows.
Discussion:
Daily Wire, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller


Trump Discloses Payment to Cohen in Financial Report — President Trump's financial disclosure, released on Wednesday, revealed for the first time that he paid more than $100,000 to his personal attorney, Michael D. Cohen, as reimbursement for payments to a “third-party.”
Discussion:
Axios, Towleroad, Joe.My.God., CNBC and Bustle


The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy — 1. — The Aristocracy Is Dead ... For about a week every year in my childhood, I was a member of one of America's fading aristocracies. Sometimes around Christmas, more often on the Fourth of July, my family would take up residence …


The Democratic Party Has an ‘MSNBC Problem’ — “The Democrats need to stop obsessing about Trump and Russia, and start talking about the bread-and-butter issues that matter to ordinary people.” Since Donald Trump took office, that sentiment has been a refrain for the party's leading critics on both the left and right.


Michigan State settles with Larry Nassar victims for $500 million … Michigan State has agreed to pay $500 million to 332 alleged victims of disgraced former sports physician Larry Nassar, settling lawsuits filed by the victims, both sides announced Wednesday.
RELATED:


Democrats Flip a Pennsylvania Seat, Making 41 Since Trump's Inauguration … Democrats flipped another seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday night, bringing the total number of state legislative flips to 41 since Donald Trump's inauguration.
Discussion:
The Week


It's not just Amazon: Apple quietly explores Northern Virginia campus for 20,000 jobs — Apple has quietly explored the idea of opening a campus for 20,000 employees in Northern Virginia, further advancing the possibility that the Washington area could evolve into an East Coast outpost for Silicon Valley.


“Pence Is Not Stupid”: As Trump Sinks, G.O.P. Insiders See a Shadow Campaign Taking Shape — Could Pence's ambition make him the president's next mortal enemy? Or will his well-oiled political operation allay Trump's concerns—at least for now? — “There is no shadow campaign,” …
Discussion:
Shakesville, LGBTQ Nation, Daily Kos and Jezebel


Democrats are about to have to pay up — Before the ink was dry on our new tax bill, outraged blue states were screaming about the cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes. Their governments were also frantically seeking ways around it, and small wonder.
Discussion:
The Mahablog and CNBC


Kremlin Critics Could Face Prosecution For ‘Enabling’ Western Sanctions — Kremlin opponents could face criminal prosecution under new Russian legislation proposing possible prison sentences for Russians who adhere to or promote international sanctions targeting Moscow, one of the bill's authors said on May 16.


Baby Bust: Fertility is Declining the Most Among Minority Women … Any serious pro-natal policy in America worth its salt would primarily result in birth gains among minority mothers, not white ones. — The decline in fertility has been far greater among minorities than among non-Hispanic whites.


More than 1 million students to miss school as teacher revolt sweeping nation heads to new state — A wave of teacher revolts sweeping the nation is set to hit North Carolina on Wednesday as thousands of educators are expected to swarm the state's capital in a quest for higher pay and more money for education.
Discussion:
ABC News


Justice Department and F.B.I. Are Investigating Cambridge Analytica — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and the F.B.I. are investigating Cambridge Analytica, the now-defunct political data firm, and have sought to question former employees and banks that handled its business …