By now it's clear that President Trump and his allies in Congress are waging war with the Justice Department over the Russia investigation.
House Republicans have threatened to impeach the official overseeing the Russia investigation. Trump has made moves at least twice to fire the special counsel doing the investigating. There's plenty of evidence some Republicans and Trump have worked together to undermine the Russia investigation, like declassifying a much-criticized report about the FBI's investigation during the election even when the FBI maligned it.
All that makes this latest feud between a powerful House Republican and the Justice Department particularly politically interesting.
So far, it has put House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Trump on different sides, and it has forced Nunes to face off against Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions.
That might be the end of the story. But as my Washington Post colleagues report, the intelligence community seems fearful Trump could rejoin his ally Nunes, which would jeopardize intelligence gathering, the Russia investigation and potentially a secret source's life.
The Post's Devlin Barrett and Carol D. Leonnig, along with Robert Costa and Shane Harris, have the full story here and here. Here's your cheat sheet, broken down by characters, to a battle involving the Russia investigation that could reverberate beyond the national security community.
Character 1: Nunes
Who he is: The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He technically recused himself from the Russia investigation last year, and Republicans on the committee are technically done investigating Russian interference in the election. (They said there was interference but that it wasn't to help Trump and there was no collusion.)
Why he's in this article: Nunes wants documents about a person who is essentially a longtime spy for the CIA and the FBI. We don't know much more about this person other than she or he is a U.S. citizen who has helped the investigation into Russia interference in the presidential campaign, the one Trump as recently as Thursday called a WITCH HUNT.
We're not sure why Nunes wants them, either. He'll say only they should have been handed over a long time ago and that they relate to alleged FBI abuse in its warrant to spy on a Trump campaign official. (Legal experts have contradicted Nunes's allegations that the FBI did something wrong.)
Where the rub is: Nunes wants what the Justice Department can't give, sources tell my colleagues. The intelligence community is concerned that handing this information over could jeopardize the source's safety.
Character 2: Jeff Sessions
Who he is: The attorney general, a Trump campaign ally on whom the president soured after Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation. Shortly after Sessions's recusal, Sessions's newly empowered No. 2 appointed Robert S. Mueller III to lead a special investigation.
Why he's in this article: Nunes has threatened to hold Sessions in contempt if Sessions's department doesn't hand over the documents about this individual.
Where the rub is: A House Republican and Trump ally threatening a member of the Trump administration.
But Nunes's threat also doesn't make much sense, since Sessions doesn't oversee the Russia investigation.
Character 3: Intelligence officials
Who they are: A conglomerate of people, ostensibly at high levels in the CIA and FBI and Justice Department, concerned about Nunes's request.
Why they're in the article: They took their concerns about Nunes's request to Trump's chief of staff, John F. Kelly, last week, reports The Post. They were concerned that sharing information about the source could endanger a secret intelligence source.
Where the rub is: They won this argument. Kelly sided with the intelligence officials, and Trump sided with Kelly. It marked a rare moment where Trump was backing the Justice Department for keeping information from his allies in the House. Trump regularly attacks his own administration for this, which is widely seen as part of his broader campaign to undermine the investigators looking at him.
Character 4: Trump
Who he is: The president
Why he's in this article: Trump's position backing the Justice Department feels precarious. It's not normally what he does.
Where the rub is: If he changes his mind and tells the Justice Department to give documents to his House GOP ally, that could force a major showdown between congressional Republicans and Trump on one side and the Justice Department on the other. In other squabbles, the Justice Department has stood down and handed over most of the documents congressional Republicans requested.
But this feels different. Intelligence officials are concerned that lives could be at stake in a very direct way, and were so concerned they took their worries to the White House. They don't seem willing to bend on this one.
So if Trump changes his mind and decides to side with his allies that the Justice Department should hand over this info to Congress, it could dramatically escalate an already heated battle between the president and his own administration.