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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:
Little Green Footballs, 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, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, 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, CBS New York, Townhall, Fox News Insider, IJR, Washington Post, CNBC, Joe.My.God., CNN and The Week


Russia favored Trump in 2016, Senate panel says, breaking with House GOP … The Senate Intelligence Committee has determined that the intelligence community was correct in assessing that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election with the aim of helping then-candidate Donald Trump …


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:
Axios, Talking Points Memo and Splinter


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


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

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

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


The #Resistance Had A Very Good Night — 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. The question, however …
Discussion:
National Review, Mother Jones, The Nation, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bustle, Vox, Breitbart and Hullabaloo
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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


Qatari Investor: Michael Cohen Asked Me For a Million Dollars
Discussion:
ABC News, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and Washington Press

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

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


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., Bustle, Law & Crime and CNBC
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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, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Balloon Juice, Common Dreams and New York Times

White House Brushes Aside North Korea's Threats to Cancel Summit With Trump
Discussion:
New Republic, Daily Kos, USA Today, Bustle, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, JustOneMinute, Splinter and Patterico's Pontifications

North Korea is dismantling its nuclear site, but is it abandoning its arsenal or hiding evidence?
Discussion:
CNN, Instapundit and TheBlaze


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, Breitbart, Associated Press, WGN-TV, Washington Free Beacon, Daily Wire, IJR and twitchy.com
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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


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.
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Leaders warn Republicans against forcing immigration vote — Republican leaders warned rank-and-file members Wednesday not to move ahead with a discharge petition to force an immigration vote, saying the effort would effectively hand over power to the Democrats, according to lawmakers who attended the closed-door meeting.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Political Wire
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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, PinkNews and Joe.My.God.


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.


“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 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


Shady Marketplaces Selling Fake Facebook Profiles Operate In Plain Sight — Thirty minutes and a little bitcoin can buy you an army of believable Facebook users. — Audrey Mitchell is a 23-year-old New York City transplant from London. She's an aspiring model working at KFC.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Facebook and Mother Jones, more at Techmeme »