From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered  —  WASHINGTON — Two weeks before his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was shown highly classified intelligence indicating that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally ordered complex cyberattacks to sway the 2016 American election.

Nunes used political dollars for $15K in Celtics tickets, winery tours and Vegas trips  —  WASHINGTON  —  Rep. Devin Nunes used political donations to pay for nearly $15,000 in tickets to Boston Celtics basketball games as well as winery tours and lavish trips to Las Vegas …

Accused Russian Spy's Boy Toy Is a Serial Fraud: Lawsuits … This isn't the first time Paul Erickson, the Republican political consultant at the center of a Russian espionage probe, has found himself in middle of some drama.  —  Erickson—who served as a media advisor to a famously-emasculated porn actor …

Democratic push to investigate Russia stymied by partisan acrimony  —  Schiff: GOP House Intel protecting Trump  —  (CNN)Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee thought they had scored a coup in their efforts to continue investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election …

New York Is Said to Open Tax Inquiry Into Trump Foundation  —  The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has opened an investigation into whether the Donald J. Trump Foundation violated state tax laws, a move that could lead to a criminal referral for possible prosecution …

Steve King Is A White Supremacist, And The GOP Doesn't Care  —  Among other white supremacist views, the congressman refused to apologize for promoting a neo-Nazi on Twitter.  Republicans continue to look the other way.  —  On June 12, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) tweeted: “Europe is waking up …

‘Russian suspects identified’ from CCTV in Skripal poison attack  —  Police are believed to have identified the suspected perpetrators of the Novichok attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal.  —  Officers think several Russians were involved in the attempted murder of the former double agent …

Trump's Ties  —  For the better part of two years now, reporters have been trying to find the issue or offense that could fracture Donald Trump's base of support.  They have traveled to “Trump country” for regular updates from working-class whites and other key Trump constituents …

Trump on a 2020 Joe Biden run: “Obama took him out of the garbage heap”  —  For the first time as president, Donald Trump is holding his Russian counterpart responsible for interfering in the 2016 election.  In an exclusive interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Jeff Glor …

Reporters, Facing a Hostile White House, Try a New Tactic: Solidarity  —  Reporters, Facing a Hostile White House, Try Solidarity  —  The Town at the Heart of  —  Nicaragua's Opposition Movement  —  Masaya is one of the few places in Nicaragua where President Daniel Ortega's crackdown on protesters has faltered.

A Democratic Blue Wave?  Don't Forget the Republicans' Big Hill  —  One seems like an unstoppable force, but a G.O.P. structural advantage may represent an immovable object.  —  Democrats are optimistic about riding a so-called blue wave to control of the House this November, and it's easy to see why.

Three Republican Governors Face Increasingly Tough Election Contests  —  Ratings changes in Arizona, Illinois, and Iowa  —  KEY POINT FROM THIS ARTICLE  — The Crystal Ball has three ratings changes in gubernatorial contests, all shifts in the Democrats' direction …

He thought white men were vanishing from TV.  I disagreed.  So we conducted an experiment.  —  I have this friend I'll call Tom, and when we each watch TV, we notice different things.  Recently, Tom had been noticing white men like him — or rather, noticing a lack of them.

Trump Nominee Is Behind Anti-Union Legal Campaign  —  Even before the Supreme Court struck down mandatory union fees for government workers last month, the next phase of the conservative legal campaign against public-sector unions was underway.  —  In March, with the decision looming …

The Districts Are Mostly White.  The Candidates Are Not.  —  NORTH AURORA, Ill. — Most of the room's occupants looked nothing like Lauren Underwood, but no one seemed to care.  —  Ms. Underwood, the Democratic congressional nominee in northern Illinois's pivotal 14th District …

Weinstein lawyers claim actress Judd made sexual ‘deal’ with disgraced mogul  —  Harvey Weinstein's lawyers are calling on a US judge to dismiss a lawsuit from actress Ashley Judd — who accuses the disgraced mogul of torpedoing her career — on the grounds that she had made a sexual “deal” with him.

Deficit Projected to Top $1 Trillion Starting Next Year  —  Most recent administration estimates show challenge of reducing red ink  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration expects annual budget deficits to rise nearly $100 billion more than previously forecast in each of the next three years …

MedStar Washington Hospital investigating after initial reports of active shooter  —  Police are responding to initial reports of an active shooter at MedStar Washington Hospital.  A spokesperson for the hospital said they don't believe it is an active shooter situation, however they are still investigating the incident.

State Supreme Court removes measure to split California into three states from November ballot  —  The California Supreme Court decided Wednesday to remove from the November ballot a measure aimed at dividing California into three states.  —  In a brief order, the court said it acted …

Black American Culture and the Racial Wealth Gap  —  There is arguably no racial disparity more striking than the wealth gap.  While the median white household earns just 65 percent more income than its black counterpart, its net worth is fully ten times as high.

Democrats Say The Final Russian Computer Intrusion Netted Nothing For The Hackers  —  Russian intelligence officers were probably seeking information on likely Hillary Clinton voters when they hacked into a leased Democratic Party computer server just two months before the 2016 election …

A 4-Day Workweek?  A Test Run Shows a Surprising Result  —  WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A New Zealand firm that let its employees work four days a week while being paid for five says the experiment was so successful that it hoped to make the change permanent.

Governor who has kept Supreme Court waiting for a new justice asks court to expedite his case  —  Today is Day 497 since Justice Kathryn Werdegar announced that she would be retiring from the Supreme Court and it's been almost 11 months since she actually left the court.

No, Montenegro Is Not Essential To U.S. National Security Interests  —  Critics suggest it is ridiculous to question the idea that defending Montenegro via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is necessary to keep America safe.  They're wrong.  —  “Why should my son go to Montenegro …

Barry Blitt's “Thumbs-Up”  —  A little more than three years ago, Donald Trump descended an escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for the Presidency.  That image makes a return in Barry Blitt's latest cover, which remarks on Trump's performance during and after his summit with Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki.

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.