Trump Tanks His Own Putin Walk-Back During One of the ‘Worst Moments of His Presidency’ … It was approaching mid-morning on Tuesday, and Donald Trump's team had one choice: He had to clean up the mess he had left for them following his disastrous press conference abroad.  If they had to beg, so be it.

Maria Butina, Suspected Secret Agent, Was in Touch With Russian Intelligence, Prosecutors Say  —  WASHINGTON — A woman charged with secretly acting on behalf of Russia was working as a covert agent in the United States and was recently in contact with a suspected Russian intelligence official, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg: The Recode interview  —  Everything was on the table — and after Facebook's wildest year yet, that's a really big table.  —  I had not done a formal interview with Zuckerberg since he appeared at our D: All Things Digital conference in 2010, when the company was in its early days.

EXCLUSIVE: Riverside gun store confronts Sacha Baron Cohen after he comes to business in disguise  —  RIVERSIDE, CA (FOX 11) - A Riverside gun store owner has harsh words for Sacha Baron Cohen after he says he caught the actor showing up to his business in disguise and under false pretense, and it was all caught on surveillance video.

State Department Silent on MH17 Anniversary Following Trump-Putin Firestorm  —  The department prepared to criticize Russia's role in the 2014 downing of a civilian airliner over Ukraine, but the statement was never released.  —  Every year since a Russian missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 …

Trump Supreme Court pick: I would ‘put the nail’ in ruling upholding independent counsel  —  (CNN)Judge Brett Kavanaugh two years ago expressed his desire to overturn a three-decade-old Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of an independent counsel, a comment bound …

Now the party of Trump, GOP's midterm pitch is protecting him  —  Subscribe to McClatchy's Beyond the Bubble show on iTunes here or Stitcher.  —  WASHINGTON — Headed into a election that's expected to favor Democrats, a top GOP Senate strategist says Republicans are counting …

House Dems unveil new midterm campaign slogan  —  House Democrats have finalized their campaign slogan heading into the last months before the midterm election: “For the People.”  —  The new motto, which Democratic leaders unveiled in a private meeting with members Wednesday morning …

A Stabbing On Samish Island: The Radicalization Of Lane Davis  —  Lane Davis was a far-right, pro-Trump media figure looking for his big break.  Then he stabbed his father to death.  —  Nearly everyone on Samish Island knew Chuck Davis, a bighearted retiree who lived in the handsome gray shingle house …

American Conservatives Played A Secret Role In The Macedonian Fake News Boom Ahead Of 2016  —  A joint investigation by BuzzFeed News and partners has uncovered new information that rewrites the story of the fake news boom in the Macedonian town of Veles.  —  A week before Election Day in 2016 …

Rep. Jim Jordan interviewed in doctor sex abuse inquiry  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who used to coach wrestling at Ohio State University, was interviewed by a law firm investigating allegations that a now-dead team doctor sexually abused male athletes there decades ago, his spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

Trump's tariffs on Mexico are causing layoffs in the United States  —  POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — When a Mexican company bought Mid Continent Nail Corp. in 2012, workers at the factory here feared it was the beginning of the end.  Their jobs, they suspected, would be given to lower-paid workers in Mexico …

Special counsel still investigating Roger Stone  —  Stone: Think I'm probably person in indictment  —  Washington (CNN)Robert Mueller's special counsel's office appears to still be investigating Trump adviser Roger Stone and working on a case in court involving one of his former associates.

Facebook removes page inciting violence against Republicans after lawmaker's appeal  —  Facebook on Tuesday removed a page for inciting violence against Republicans after Rep. Matt Gaetz  —  (R-Fla.) brought it up in a hearing.  —  Gaetz said his office previously brought the page …

Trump calls out ‘very aggressive’ Montenegro in latest NATO jibe  —  The U.S. ally — which is smaller than Connecticut and about as populous as Baltimore — found itself in the president's cross hairs.  —  LONDON — In the 12 short years since Montenegro regained its independence …

A Critical Factor In 2020: Democrats Make Significant Cut To Caucus States  —  A quiet but significant shift across a handful of states could reshape the Democratic nominating process ahead of 2020: The party is now poised to see a historic reduction in the number of states that use caucuses …

Trump's military parade expected to cost nearly as much as ‘tremendously expensive’ canceled war games  —  Here's how other countries do military parades  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's military parade in DC is likely to cost nearly as much as the now canceled military exercise …

Trump wrongly says queen reviewed guard for 1st time in 70 years  —  President Trump claimed Tuesday that during his visit to England, Queen Elizabeth II reviewed her Guard of Honor for the first time in 70 years — but she's only been queen for 65 years.  And as any royal-watcher knows …

Citizenship shouldn't be a birthright  —  Michael Anton is a lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale College and a former national security official in the Trump administration.  —  A Supreme Court confirmation fight always raises constitutional hopes and stokes constitutional fears.

GOP lawmaker regrets appearing on Alex Jones's radio show  —  (R-Fla.) on Wednesday said he regrets his appearance on a radio show hosted by Infowars founder Alex Jones.  —  “I would not go back on Alex Jones's show,” Gaetz told Hill.TV co-hosts Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball on “Rising.”

Owning People Online Really Is the Left's Path to Victory  —  Progressive candidates need to meet their people where they live: on the web.  —  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, being online.  Photo by Scott Heins/Getty  —  Joe Crowley, the incumbent congressman in New York's 14th District …

Texas to pass Iraq and Iran as world's No. 3 oil powerhouse  —  Shale exec: US will surpass Russia in oil production  —  Don't mess with Texas.  It's a global oil superpower.  —  The shale oil boom has brought a gold rush mentality to the Lone Star State, which is home to not one but two massive oilfields.

Iran builds new centrifuge rotor factory: nuclear chief  —  (Reuters) - Iran has built a factory that can produce rotors for up to 60 centrifuges a day, the head of its atomic agency said on Wednesday, upping the stakes in a confrontation with Washington over the Islamic Republic's nuclear work.