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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 …
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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


‘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 and Raw Story


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:
ABC News, The Daily Beast, twitchy.com, Axios, AOL and Balloon Juice

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


Trump attorney fed statement to publicist for Russians about Trump Tower meeting — The Trump Organization fed a prepared statement to a representative of Russians involved in the notorious 2016 meeting at Trump Tower on what to tell the press about what was discussed, it emerged on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Washington Press


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 …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast


Russia favored Trump in 2016, Senate panel says, breaking with House GOP

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

Senate Intel Completes Review of Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian Activities in the 2016 U.S. Elections

Senate intelligence leaders: Russians schemed to help Trump
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and Daily Kos

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


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, Mother Jones, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bustle, Vox, Breitbart, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos
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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


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:
Political Wire and IJR
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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
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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:
RedState, The Daily Caller, National Review, WQAD-TV, Associated Press, Breitbart, WGN-TV, Daily Wire, Washington Free Beacon, twitchy.com and IJR
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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
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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


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.


Tillerson warns of ethical crisis among U.S. leaders in speech — Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday appeared to offer an implicit rebuke of his old boss, as he warned of a “growing crisis in ethics and integrity” during a commencement address at the Virginia Military Institute.
Discussion:
ABC News
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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


Gov. Kay Ivey on gay accusations: 'It's false. It's wrong' — A little more than 12 hours after a state legislator suggested she was gay, Gov. Kay Ivey again issued a strong denial on Wednesday morning. — “There's absolutely no truth to it,” Ivey said. “It's false. It's wrong.”
Discussion:
Raw Story, LGBTQ Nation and PinkNews


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


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