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 …

Trump lays into the Federal Reserve, says he's ‘not thrilled’ about interest rate hikes  — President Donald Trump, in a rare statement for Oval Office holders, criticized the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates.  — He said he's “not thrilled” with rate hikes and worries …

House GOP refuses to renew election security funding as Democrats fume over Russian interference  —  House Republicans plan to vote Thursday on a spending bill that excludes new money for election security grants to states, provoking a furious reaction from Democrats amid a national controversy over Russian election interference.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Sean Spicer: Mueller's investigation is not a witch hunt  —  “I think it's very important to be clear that Russia meddled in our election and there's no evidence of collusion,” Spicer said.  —  Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that he does not believe special counsel …

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 …

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 …

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.

Ryan says conservatives must ‘fight back’ against the alt-right  —  Conservatives should “fight back” against the alt-right and white nationalists, and do a better job reclaiming classic terms to stamp out identity politics, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Thursday.

The Ultimate Guide to This Fabulous Summer  —  Man-free zones, a leather weekend, a trans pageant, a bunch of witches meeting in the woods and a Two Spirit gathering — here's everywhere cool to be in America and around the world this summer.  —  A gathering for non-binary Native Americans

Duterte's drug war killed thousands, and Filipinos still loved him.  Then he called God ‘stupid.’  —  President Rodrigo Duterte slams his hand lightly on the podium, as if to show exasperation.  Speaking in his usual casual tone, he unloads an expletive-laden tirade over what he sees as a bizarre story rife with stupidity.

Montenegro, and NATO's other little countries, have already spilled blood for us  —  I remember, when I was in Afghanistan, hearing a report that coalition soldiers on a dismounted patrol in a neighboring province had been killed in action by a suicide bomber.

Special counsel has nearly 500 pieces of evidence for Paul Manafort trial  —  Pictures of Paul Manafort's homes, cars, $21,000 watch and high-end clothing may be displayed for jurors at his trial beginning in Alexandria federal court next week, according to a list of nearly 500 potential exhibits published …

‘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 …

Microsoft reveals first known midterm campaign hacking attempts  —  Microsoft detected and helped block hacking attempts against three congressional candidates this year, a company executive said Thursday, marking the first known example of cyber interference in the midterm elections.

Cuomo leads Nixon by 36 points in latest Quinnipiac poll  —  ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads Democratic primary challenger Cynthia Nixon 59-23 in a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday morning, expanding the streak of polls that bode well for the governor as he seeks a third term.

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.

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.

In bid to impeach Rod Rosenstein, House Republicans are abusing power to protect Trump  —  Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan are trying to impeach Rod Rosenstein in an effort to protect Donald Trump.  That is an abuse of power and trust.  —  CONNECT  —  Even as President Donald Trump …