Trump is now repaying Putin for helping him win the presidency  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  The events of the past few days — culminating in President Trump's meeting today with Russian President Vladimir Putin — have rendered this interpretation inescapable: Trump is currently in the process …

Bombshell Bourdain interview is published one month after his suicide: Celebrity chef unloads on 'rapey, gropey and disgusting Bill Clinton and hopes Weinstein is ‘beaten to death in jail’  — Anthony Bourdain gave a lengthy, wide ranging interview to journalist Maria Bustillos for her recently launched magazine Popula

What Robert Mueller Knows—and 9 Areas He'll Pursue Next  —  The special counsel has collected a mountain of evidence in the Trump-Russia investigation, but so far only a tiny amount of it has been revealed in official indictments.  Here are nine areas where we should expect answers as the inquiry unfolds.

Plutonium went missing in San Antonio, but the government says nothing  —  Losses of civilian nuclear material are usually disclosed but when the government loses nuclear bomb ingredients it stays mum  —  Two security experts from the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory drove to San Antonio …

Germany: We can no longer fully rely on U.S. White House  —  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's foreign minister said on Monday Europe could not rely on Donald Trump and needed to close ranks after the U.S. president called the European Union a “foe” with regard to trade.

FCC sends Sinclair mega-deal to likely doom  —  FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday he has “serious concerns” about Sinclair Broadcast Group's acquisition of Tribune Media, saying he would send the transaction through a lengthy administrative process often viewed as a deal-killer.

Vanishing Point  —  As the GOP increasingly comes to resemble a personality cult, is there any red line—video tapes?  DNA evidence? a war with Germany—President Trump could cross and lose party support?  “Very doubtful,” say a dozen GOP members of Congress stuck hard behind the MAGA eight ball.

Muslim candidates running in record numbers face backlash  —  SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A liberal woman of color with zero name recognition and little funding takes down a powerful, long serving congressman from her own political party.  —  When Tahirah Amatul-Wadud heard …

Russia Hawk Axed From National Security Council Right Before Trump-Putin Summit … Shortly before Donald Trump detonated a NATO summit, shanked the beleaguered British prime minister and prepped for a face-to-face love session with Vladimir Putin, his White House quietly divested itself …

I'm running for Senate as a Republican.  My Democrat parents are so furious they're backing my opponent  —  My decision to be a Democrat was never a decision.  It was just expected of me.  It was understood.  Born into a family of Democrats, my grandfather would often spend weekends talking …

Ocasio-Cortez Floats a “Sub-Caucus” of Progressives Willing to Vote Together as a Bloc  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is exploring forming a “sub-caucus” of progressives in the House that would be willing to vote as a bloc to leverage their power, she said in a recent podcast interview.

Arrest made in racially charged vandalism on Ogden Ave.  —  TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Toledo police arrested Patricia Edelen for spray painting racial slurs on her neighbor's home Friday night.  —  “She had multiple warrants.  She ran from the officers inside her residence.

He Preyed on Men Who Wanted to Be Priests.  Then He Became a Cardinal.  —  As a young man studying to be a priest in the 1980s, Robert Ciolek was flattered when his brilliant, charismatic bishop in Metuchen, N.J., Theodore E. McCarrick, told him he was a shining star, cut out to study in Rome and rise high in the church.

$88 Million and Counting: Trump Amasses Huge Head Start for 2020 Campaign  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump has raised more than $88 million for his re-election campaign over the last year and a half, giving him a dramatic head-start on prospective Democratic challengers in the 2020 race.

Tracing Guccifer 2.0's Many Tentacles in the 2016 Election  —  The message from WikiLeaks in July 2016 to a group of Russian intelligence officers who prosecutors say were posing as a Romanian hacker named Guccifer 2.0 urged swift action before the opening of the Democratic National Convention that month.

The MAGA Trolls Meet Their Match In Sacha Baron Cohen And “Who Is America?”  —  Sacha Baron Cohen — a consummate troll himself — is a perfect foil to the current political climate of grift and trolling.  —  While many journalists have risen to the occasion of the Trump era …

Judge Orders Los Angeles Times to Delete Part of Published Article  —  LOS ANGELES — A federal judge ordered The Los Angeles Times to remove information from a published article on Saturday, a step that legal experts said was extremely unusual and conflicted with the First Amendment.

A Better Way to Run Schools  —  The New Orleans turnaround shows the power of giving more freedom to teachers and principals — and then holding them accountable for their performance.  —  NEW ORLEANS  —  Twelve years later, Nigel Palmer still remembers the embarrassment of his first days …