First Run News

WASHINGTON — A growing campaign by President Trump’s most ardent supporters to discredit the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and the law enforcement agencies assisting his investigation is opening new fissures in the Republican Party, with some lawmakers questioning the damage being done to federal law enforcement and to a political party that has long championed law and order. A small but vocal group of conservative lawmakers, much of the conservative media and, at times, the president himself have launched a series of attacks to paint not only Mr.

WASHINGTON — During a night of heavy drinking at an upscale London bar in May 2016, George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, made a startling revelation to Australia’s top diplomat in Britain: Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton. About three weeks earlier, Mr. Papadopoulos had been told that Moscow had thousands of emails that would embarrass Mrs. Clinton, apparently stolen in an effort to try to damage her campaign. Exactly how much Mr. Papadopoulos said that night at the Kensington Wine Rooms with the Australian, Alexander Downer, is unclear.

WASHINGTON — During a night of heavy drinking at an upscale London bar in May 2016, George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, made a startling revelation to Australia’s top diplomat in Britain: Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton. About three weeks earlier, Mr. Papadopoulos had been told that Moscow had thousands of emails that would embarrass Mrs. Clinton, apparently stolen in an effort to try to damage her campaign. Exactly how much Mr. Papadopoulos said that night at the Kensington Wine Rooms with the Australian, Alexander Downer, is unclear.

Friday on CNN, Rep. Cheri Bustos  (D-IL ) said if the Democratic Party would “perpetually be in the minority” if they ignored jobs and the economy to further embrace identity politics. Partial transcript as follows: Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

Friday on CNN, Rep. Cheri Bustos  (D-IL ) said if the Democratic Party would “perpetually be in the minority” if they ignored jobs and the economy to further embrace identity politics. Partial transcript as follows: Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

Alarmed by the proliferation of false content online, state lawmakers around the country are pushing schools to put more emphasis on teaching students how to tell fact from fiction. Lawmakers in several states have introduced or passed bills calling on public school systems to do more to teach media literacy skills that they say are critical to democracy.

As Democrats and Republicans continued partisan sniping Friday over a House seat that could determine the balance of power in the Virginia House of Delegates, state elections officials moved to break the deadlock by scheduling a random drawing to pick the winner. The Virginia Board of Elections said it will pick the winner's name in the Newport News-based 94th District next Thursday, unless a recount court decides to intervene. The race between Democrat Shelly Simonds and Republican Del. David Yancey has seesawed since the Nov.

In the first month of Donald Trump's presidency, an American scholar quietly met with North Korean officials and relayed a message: The new administration in Washington appreciated an extended halt in the North's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. It might just offer a ray of hope. North Korean officials responded defiantly. The nearly four-month period of quiet wasn't a sign of conciliation, they retorted, insisting supreme leader Kim Jong Un would order tests whenever he wanted.

Coverage of global affairs in 2017 focused on the big flashpoints -- North Korea, the fight against ISIS and the aftershocks of Russia’s election meddling. But along with the familiar narratives there were a few plot twists –- from deadly drones to advances in artificial intelligence to new frontiers -- experts say 2018 could be a year where the stuff of speculative fiction gets real. The battle for Mosul generated some strange and gruesome images. ISIS had Mad Max-style VBEIDs -- heavily armored cars stuffed wit

As 2017 — the year of the Donald Trump presidency, further Russian interference in American politics, and the Robert Mueller's sprawling probe now stands. In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, Trump insisted it has already "been proven that there [was] no collusion" between his associates and Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential campaign. However, the status of Mueller's probe has remained elusi