Outrage erupts over Trump-Putin ‘conversation’ about letting Russia interrogate ex-U.S. diplomat Michael McFaul – The Washington Post

At this week’s summit in Helsinki, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed what President Trump described as an “incredible offer” — the Kremlin would give special counsel Robert S. Mueller III access to interviews with Russians indicted after allegedly hacking Democrats in 2016. In return, Russia would be allowed to question certain U.S. officials it suspects of interfering in Russian…

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Trump-Putin Summit: The two leaders are meeting after Trump faults U.S. ‘stupidity’ for poor relations with Russia – The Washington Post

HELSINKI — President Trump cast doubt on the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, saying after his summit here Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the autocrat gave him an “extremely strong and powerful” denial. After Putin said his government played no role in trying to sabotage…

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Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking – The New York Times

President Obama in December. Some in his administration feared that intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election could be covered up or destroyed. WASHINGTON — In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates…

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If Russia tried to influence the U.S. election, things aren’t going as planned – The Washington Post

MOSCOW — A funny thing happened in Russia this past week: President Trump’s face, once ubiquitous on the talk shows and evening news programs that tack closely to the Kremlin’s political agenda, was suddenly absent. Gone. “Like they flipped a switch,” said Alexey Kovalev, a journalist at the Moscow Times who covers Russian state media.  It’s not…

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Exclusive: In call with Putin, Trump denounced Obama-era nuclear arms treaty – sources | Reuters

WASHINGTON In his first call as president with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump denounced a treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads as a bad deal for the United States, according to two U.S. officials and one former U.S. official with knowledge of the call.   When Putin raised the possibility…

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Trump refuses to face reality about Russia – The Washington Post

ALTHOUGH PRESIDENT Obama’s sanctions against Russia for interfering with the U.S. presidential election came late, his action on Thursday reflected a bipartisan consensus that penalties must be imposed for Moscow’s audacious hacking and meddling. But one prominent voice in the United States reacted differently. President-elect Donald Trump said “it’s time for our country to move…

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Russians No Longer Dispute Olympic Doping Operation – The New York Times

The Russian Olympic Committee’s building in Moscow in 2015. Many of the athletes pictured in the building’s hallways have been implicated in this year’s doping scandal. Credit Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press MOSCOW — Russia is for the first time conceding that its officials carried out one of the biggest conspiracies in sports history: a far-reaching doping…

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