POLITICO Playbook: Trump's huge week  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  WE ARE ENTERING what could be one of the most momentous weeks in what's left of DONALD TRUMP'S presidency, a week that could set the tone for the rest of his first term.  Not only is former special counsel Robert Mueller testifying live …

The Case of Al Franken  —  A close look at the accusations against the former senator.  —  Last month, in Minneapolis, I climbed the stairs of a row house to find Al Franken, Minnesota's disgraced former senator, wandering around in jeans and stocking feet.  It was a sunny day, but the shades were mostly drawn.

The Coming Economic Crash — And How to Stop It  —  I warned about an economic crash years before the 2008 crisis, but the people in power wouldn't listen.  Now I'm seeing serious warning signs in the economy again — and I'm calling on regulators and Congress to act before another crisis …

'It's a disaster over there': Commerce reaches new heights of dysfunction  —  Constant infighting among top officials.  Sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation.  A leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings.  —  The Commerce Department has reached …

Bernie Sanders might be losing his N.H. firewall  —  Bernie Sanders and his aides would be forgiven if, when mapping out his 2020 presidential campaign, they didn't spend a lot of time wondering how the Vermont senator would win the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

Emerging budget deal likely to include few or no actual spending cuts, while lifting debt limit for two years  —  Deal taking shape days ahead of Congress' summer recess, but still awaits Trump's approval  —  White House and congressional negotiators rushing to hammer out the final details …

Illinois Republicans pull social media aimed at four Democratic congresswomen who were subjects of President Trump's ‘go back’ tweets, calling them ‘Jihad Squad’  —  Top leaders of the Illinois Republican Party launched an effort at damage control Sunday after a social media post echoed …

Two Unofficial US Operatives Reporting To Trump's Lawyer Privately Lobbied A Foreign Government In A Bid To Help The President Win In 2020  —  Two unofficial envoys reporting directly to Donald Trump's personal lawyer have waged a remarkable back-channel campaign to discredit the president's rivals …

Donald Trump's Idea of Selective Citizenship  —  Last week, the President wasn't just attacking four congresswomen of color; he was reanimating ideas whose prevalence wreaked havoc in the nation's past.  —  We have known since the earliest moments of Donald Trump's political life …

Wendy Davis announces bid for Congress, will challenge U.S. Rep. Chip Roy  —  The former state senator is running for office for the first time since her unsuccessful campaign for Texas governor.  —  WASHINGTON - Former Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis is running for Congress.

A Peculiarly Dutch Summer Rite: Children Abandoned in the Night Woods  —  It may sound extreme, but it's normal in the Netherlands.  —  AUSTERLITZ, the Netherlands — Shortly after 10 p.m. on a recent night, a car came to a stop at the edge of the woods.  The door opened to release three children …

Robert Morgenthau, Longtime Manhattan District Attorney, Dies at 99  —  Robert M. Morgenthau, a courtly Knickerbocker patrician who waged war on crime for more than four decades as the chief federal prosecutor for Southern New York State and as Manhattan's longest-serving district attorney, died on Sunday in Manhattan.

Louisiana Police Officer on Facebook Says Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‘Needs a Round’  —  Officials in the city where the officer works condemned his comment but said they were not sure it constituted a threat.  —  A Facebook post by a Louisiana police officer suggesting that Representative …

Trump's New Favorite Channel Employs Kremlin-Paid Journalist  —  Kristian Rouz appears on segments for One America News Network—ironic given he is working for a Russian outlet fingered in the 2016 election attack.  —  If the stories broadcast by the Trump-endorsed One America News Network sometimes look …

Comey's Under DoJ Scrutiny for Leading Probe While Misleading Trump  —  It is one of the most enduring and consequential mysteries of the Trump-Russia investigation: Why did former FBI Director James Comey refuse to say publicly what he was telling President Trump in private — that Trump was not the target of an ongoing probe?

Conservative Nationalism Is Trumpism for Intellectuals  —  On the final night of this past week's National Conservatism Conference, Senator Josh Hawley—a graduate of Stanford and Yale and a former instructor at an English private school—warned the attendees gathered in the ballroom …

Leaked documents reveal Huawei's secret operations to build North Korea's wireless network  —  Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese tech giant embroiled in President Trump's trade war with China and blacklisted as a national security threat, secretly helped the North Korean government build …

Puerto Rico gov will not seek re-election, leaves his party  —  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Sunday evening that he will not resign in the face of public furor over an obscenity-laced leaked online chat, but he will not seek re-election or continue …