* Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman report that Robert Mueller’s noose is tightening:
The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization to turn over documents, including some related to Russia, according to two people briefed on the matter. The order is the first known time that the special counsel demanded documents directly related to President Trump’s businesses, bringing the investigation closer to the president.
The breadth of the subpoena was not clear, nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that oversees Mr. Trump’s business ventures. In the subpoena, delivered in recent weeks, Mr. Mueller ordered the Trump Organization to hand over all documents related to Russia and other topics he is investigating, the people said.
The subpoena is the latest indication that the investigation, which Mr. Trump’s lawyers once regularly assured him would be completed by now, will drag on for at least several more months. Word of the subpoena comes as Mr. Mueller appears to be broadening his investigation to examine the role foreign money may have played in funding Mr. Trump’s political activities. In recent weeks, Mr. Mueller’s investigators have questioned witnesses, including an adviser to the United Arab Emirates, about the flow of Emirati money into the United States.
Here’s something to watch for: Trump is going to try to spin this away by saying “I never had an investments in Russia!” But the real sketchy thing isn’t Trump’s money going to Russia, it’s Russian money going to him. In fact, for years his business has depended on it. You’ll be hearing more about this, I promise you.
* Ellen Nakashima reports that the Trump administration did something surprising today:
The Trump administration on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on Russian government hackers and spy agencies to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and for a cyberattack against Ukraine and other countries last year that officials have characterized as “the most destructive and costly” in history.
Sanctions also were imposed on individuals known as “trolls” and the Russian organizations — including the Internet Research Agency — that supported their efforts to undermine the election. Additionally, the administration alerted the public that Russia is targeting the U.S. energy grid with computer malware that could sabotage its systems.
Taken together, the moves represent the administration’s most aggressive actions to date against Russia for its incursions against the United States, though analysts say their impact is mostly symbolic and noted that a number of the individuals and groups had already been subject to sanctions. Nonetheless, officials hope the actions will help deter tampering with this year’s midterm elections while signaling to Russia that Washington will not allow its attacks to go unchallenged.
So what’s going to happen when somebody tells the president about this?
* Dan Diamond reports that the administration is finalizing a plan to combat opioid abuse that includes the death penalty for drug dealers, because apparently any idiotic thing that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth has to be translated into policy.
* The networks continue carrying Trump’s extended rallies live, but Jonathan Bernstein (without defending the practice) makes a good case that he probably doesn’t get nearly as much out of it as he thinks he does.
* Lara Putnam reports on how the Pennsylvania special election was won by a grassroots partnership of organized labor and suburban women activists.
* John Harwood explains how Trump is making it a lot easier for Democrats to win the midterm elections. But does he even he’s doing this?
* The Truman Project rolls out a new web site with tools for gauging how far Trump is pulling our country towards authoritarianism.
* Dana Milbank documents Larry Kudlow’s remarkable ability to be wrong over and over again about what the economy is going to do.
* Adele Stan explains the tight connection between our next secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the Koch brothers.
* Former FBI interrogator Ali Soufan explains the problem with the lack of accountability for the Bush administration’s torture program, which led to the appointment of Gina Haspel as CIA director.
* Here’s the full transcript of Trump’s bananapants comments at a recent private fundraiser.
* And Lili Loofbourow argues that Stormy Daniels is beating Trump because she refuses to allow him and his supporters to make her feel shame.
