BREAKING: POTUS is directing ODNI/DOJ/FBI to declassify: pages of carter page FISA applications, reports and interviews bruce ohr prepared & all FBI repots on page FISA 🚨 TRUMP is *also* directing the DOJ/FBI to "publicly release all text messages relating to the Russia investigation, without redaction, of James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr."

PAUL MANAFORT & SPECIAL COUNSEL have reached a plea deal, per a criminal information filed in DC. he's pleading guilty to conspiracy against US and conspiracy to obstruct justice. manafort is due in DC federal court at 11am, where judge amy berman jackson still has to accept the deal. it's also still unclear if he is going to cooperate with robert mueller's team.

NEW- US district judge tanya chutkan was denied a motion from maria butina's defense to release her from jail pending trial, citing a high risk of flight the judge also imposed a gag order on both sides, saying comments from butina's lawyer robert driscoll "crossed the line." the judge said they make it even harder to find a jury pool that would ensure a fair trial in DC

NEWS: DOJ official says 31 lawmakers have viewed a largely unredacted version of the carter page FISA applications - and devin nunes, who demanded over the weekend that the president declassify pages of it, has not personally viewed it. the DOJ says it has met the historically high demands of house lawmakers for documents washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice-d…

hello from alexandria, where we just saw paul manafort in a forrest green jumspsuit- albeit briefly.

we’re in recess until 2pm, when the judge will grant or deny the defense’s motion to delay the start of trial, slated for wednesday. the judge, TS ellis III also granted immunity to 5 witnesses that the special counsel plans to call.

AND they will be named publicly before the trial starts, whether that is wednesday or not.

.@mitchellreports asks DNI dan coats why he issued a statement on interference on monday that contradicted trump: “i was just doing my job … it was important to take that stand.” #aspensecurity COATS says he wishes TRUMP had made a different statement re: russia.

given "what we had assessed and reassessed and reassessed and carefully gone over still stands...it was important to take that stand on behalf of the IC and on behalf of the american people.” #aspensecurity

via pool: TRUMP tells reporters at WH that he "accepts our intelligence community conclusion that meddling took place”

TRUMP adds that he meant to say he saw no reason why *it would not be* russia who interfered in 2016 election TRUMP also adds: “there was no collusion at all."

JUST MET A VERY GOOD CAPITOL HILL DOG NAMED DOLLY dolly is a mini golden doodle and I AM IN LOVE

INBOX: "RUSSIAN NATIONAL CHARGED IN CONSPIRACY TO ACT AS AN AGENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION WITHIN THE UNITED STATES" if you need background on maria butina while i write my story, @timkmak has done pretty good reporting on her: thedailybeast.com/the-kremlin-an…

trump & putin's one-on-one lasted “about two hours,” @pressec tells the pool PUTIN calls the talks with TRUMP a "success" and "very fruitful"

BREAKING- special robert mueller indicts 12 russian nationals for hacking of DCCC, DNC & hilary clinton’s presidential campaign, and releasing it as DCleaks and guccifer 2.0 ROSENSTEIN says he briefed TRUMP on the indictment earlier this week

hello from today’s peter strzok hearing, where my claustrophobic self is jammed with all other members of press also i can’t wait to torture the back of @DelWilber all hearing

VAI BRASIL !! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 lawd, that silva miss

because all good news dumps happen on fourth of july-eve: the senate intelligence committee has released a summary of its findings on the intelligence community's january 2017 assessment on russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election burr.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/… remember that the senate intelligence committee said it agreed with the house intelligence committee’s russia investigation findings, except that russia did not have a preference for trump

senate intel says it supports the assessment that russia/putin preferred trump > clinton

NEWS: after peter strzok’s lawyer said republican lawmakers were setting his client up for a “trap” (washingtonexaminer.com/news/peter-str…) and won’t testify publicly on july 10, house judiciary committee chairman bob goodlatte issues a subpoena today for strzok to do so. story TK this back & forth has been intense. first goodlatte threatened a subpoena, then strzok said he would voluntarily testify & do so publicly, then goodlatte subpoenaed strzok, then strzok said he would come on his own & subpoena was rescineded. strzok gives private 11 hr interview.

i was a cool 20 minutes late but i made it! house judiciary chairman bob goodlatte makes it clear that today’s DOJ IG hearing with rosenstein & wray will focus on russia/FISA/documents requests gowdy beard watch: it has been shaved.

currently nearing hour 6 of the strzok stakeout. @KatieBoWill @kyledcheney @jeremyherb @karoun and i would all great appreciate snacks & coffee 🙏🏼 update: it's hour 8 and i'm freakin starving.

O M G 🚨 from SCOTUS: "Justice Kennedy today advised his colleagues that he is submitting to the President a formal notification of his decision, effective July 31 of this year, to cease active status as an Associate Justice and to assume senior status."

BREAKING: the supreme court has upheld trump’s travel ban, a 5-4 decision by john roberts supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf… SCOTUS says POTUS has "lawfully excersied the broad discretion graned to him under Section 1182(f) to suspend the entry of aliens into the” united states

NEW: DOJ writes to house intel chairman devin nunes tonight: “Your letter asks whether the Department and the FBI ‘intend to obey’ the law. We believe that is exactly what the Department and the FBI have been doing responding to the Committee’s subpoenas and requests..." DOJ tells nunes, re: his 5pm deadline today: “The department also has provided documents and answers to your inquiries, including in productions made last week." story TK

BREAKING- DOJ official says more documents related to "spygate" will be available for review by the "gang of eight" early next week, says some documents were already available at the may 24 "but not inspected by the members." story TK this comes after house speaker paul ryan said he agreed with the assessment of trey gowdy (who, with devin nunes, made the original documents request) that the FBI did "exactly" what it should have by using a confidential informant; but ryan said he had moe questions