STATEMENT BY FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS  —  We are former federal prosecutors.  We served under both Republican and Democratic administrations at different levels of the federal system: as line attorneys, supervisors, special prosecutors, United States Attorneys, and senior officials at the Department of Justice.

Trump pardons former US soldier who killed Iraqi prisoner  —  President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday.  —  Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, for former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna …

Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar freed from prison: witnesses  —  YANGON (Reuters) - Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon on Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars, witnesses said.

Former U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor campaign staffer indicted in petition forgery scandal  —  A former campaign staffer for ex-Congressman Scott Taylor was charged Monday with submitting forged signatures on a petition to get a third-party candidate on the ballot to siphon votes from his opponent.

Inaugural Official Disputes White House Account of Her Departure  —  WASHINGTON — Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a leading contractor for President Trump's inaugural committee and a former adviser to the first lady, Melania Trump, has publicly disputed accounts of her departure from the White House last year …

The Fox effect: Trump's base bolsters his standing  —  First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  WASHINGTON — “Hung jury” is how Democratic pollster Peter Hart described …

Congress Is Failing  —  So much for checks and balances.  —  WASHINGTON — As House Democrats dither over moving forward with impeachment in a divided government and Senate Republicans are satisfied confirming judges rather than passing legislation, a pressing question is emerging: What the hell is Congress good for, anyway?

CIA warns Arab activist of potential threat from Saudi Arabia  —  Pro-democracy campaigner Iyad el-Baghdadi has been vocal critic of Saudi crown prince  —  The CIA has warned Norway that a prominent Arab activist who is living in the country under asylum protection is facing a potential threat …

Analysis: Don't use the royal birth to trot out a dangerous myth  —  (CNN)It's hard not to get excited.  —  It's like watching the unfolding of a modern-day fairy tale.  —  Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, just gave birth to a boy.

Steven Mnuchin Refuses to Release Trump's Tax Returns to Congress  —  WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department said on Monday that it would not release President Trump's tax returns to Congress, defying a request from House Democrats and setting up a legal battle likely to be resolved by the Supreme Court.

No question there was spying on Trump campaign, but how much?  —  At a contentious hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General William Barr dropped a big hint about his investigation into the conduct of the Trump-Russia investigation.  —  “Many people seem to assume …

Trump awards highest U.S. civilian honor to Tiger Woods  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Tiger Woods won the Masters on April 14, President Donald Trump declared he was going to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and ordered his aides to schedule the event as soon as possible.

Rep. Glen Casada, Cade Cothren sent sexually explicit text messages about women  —  Update: Cade Cothren announced his resignation Monday night, following the publication of this story.  —  Editor's note: This story contains sexually explicit language.  —  House Speaker Glen Casada's top aide …

Biden Continues Post-Launch Surge, Grows Lead Among Likely Democratic Voters  —  Former VP picked up 4 more points, part of a 10-point gain since campaign launch  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden is putting more distance between himself and the rest of the Democratic presidential field.

Steve Bannon: We're in an economic war with China.  It's futile to compromise.  —  Stephen K. Bannon served as chief strategist for President Trump from January 2017 to August 2017.  —  Getting tough with China to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States was the linchpin …

Pompeo: Melting sea ice presents ‘new opportunities for trade’  —  (CNN)Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday praised the Arctic region — and its rapidly shrinking levels of sea ice — for its economic opportunities, despite continued warnings about the catastrophic effects of climate change.

How Chinese Spies Got the N.S.A.'s Hacking Tools, and Used Them for Attacks  —  Chinese intelligence agents acquired National Security Agency hacking tools and repurposed them in 2016 to attack American allies and private companies in Europe and Asia, a leading cybersecurity firm has discovered.

Danish PM Calls Election That Polls Show He Is Set to Lose  —  Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called a general election for June 5, with most polls suggesting his center-right coalition will be defeated by a more left-leaning bloc led by the Social Democrats.

George Will set to release his first book in 5 years  —  George F. Will will be out June 4 with “The Conservative Sensibility,” his first book in five years, and his first on politics in over a decade.  And it doesn't mention President Trump a single time.  —  The big picture: Instead …

Crowd erupts into chants of ‘PowerPoint’ after Yang pledges to use PowerPoint at SOTU  —  A crowd broke out into chants of “PowerPoint, PowerPoint, PowerPoint,” at Democratic presidential hopeful and entrepreneur Andrew Yang's latest Seattle rally last week.  —  The chant broke out during a Friday rally at Gas Works Park in Seattle.

The smoke-filled rooms have burned down  —  Traditional political kingmakers like the parties' national committees and powerful insiders have lost their edge for 2020 as buzzy, insurgent campaigns have the ability to seize control of the narrative — and bundles of cash.

How Trump has attempted to recast his response to Charlottesville  —  Hours after Joe Biden launched his 2020 campaign by attacking President Trump for his response to a deadly white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, the president began to spin a yarn.  —  The August 2017 demonstration …

Qatar Finalizing Plans for Spy Plane Project in South Carolina  —  'It's more than just an economic decision,' one analyst says.  It's a part of a broad campaign to sway opinion in the United States.  Look out below.  —  The Qatari military is finalizing plans to invest in South Carolina …

Bill de Blasio for President?  —  With 0 percent support, he has nowhere to go but up.  —  New York is a town that enjoys a good quarrel, but it's all but impossible to find someone to argue, “I love Bill de Blasio.”  Rarely do you meet anyone who can even tolerate Bill de Blasio.