Russia, With Love: From the Russian ambassador to a  deputy prime minister, a weightlifter, a lawyer, and a Soviet army veteran, representatives of Russia had contact with at least 14 Trump campaign associates during the 2016 election season, according to a story in The Washington Post.

Russians made contact  with Trump’s  closest family and friends as well as people on the margins of his campaign. They came offering help for Trump’s campaign and his real estate business. They tried to set up a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Post sources its story to interviews and public documents. They say their conclusions are in concert with the finding of special Counsel Robert Mueller, who described in a court filing “sustained efforts by the Russian government to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.”

President Trump has repeatedly said and tweeted that there was no collusion with the Russians.

Yesterday, Trump turned his rage to James Comey, the FBI director the President fired. Comey testified before the House Intelligence committee on Friday and Trump tweeted, “Leakin’ James Comey must have set a record for who lied the most to Congress in one day. His Friday testimony was so untruthful! This whole deal is a Rigged Fraud headed up by dishonest people who would do anything so that I could not become President. They are now exposed!”

California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said on CBS,“My takeaway is there’s a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office the justice department may indict him. That he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time.”

It appears that the President doesn’t agree. He tweeted, “The Trump Administration has accomplished more than any other U.S. Administration in its first two (not even) years of existence, & we are having a great time doing it! All of this despite the Fake News Media, which has gone totally out of its mind-truly the Enemy of the People!”

Georgia on His Mind: Trump’s pick for his next chief of staff has turned him down. Nick Ayers, who is now Vice President Pence’s chief of staff, declined a two-year-commitment to work for Trump. He said he would take the job temporarily, but wants to return his family to Georgia. He tweeted, “I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGAteam to advance the cause.

Denial Ain’t a River: The US joined Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait over the weekend in declining to endorse the findings a study on worldwide climate change.

The four oil-producing countries officially “noted” the delivery of the report rather than “welcoming” it. It’s a difference between saying we believe it’s true and we don’t.

“I think it was a key moment,” Alden Meyer, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the Associated Press. “The fact that a group of four countries were trying to diminish the value and importance of a scientific report they themselves, with all other countries, requested three years ago in Paris is pretty remarkable.”

He said, “ The US’s decision to distance itself from the report comes as Trump administration officials, including the president, have continued to cast doubt on the reality of global warming and whether climate change is human-made.”

Brexit Exit: A day ahead of Parliament’s vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to leave the European Union, the European Court of Justice has ruled the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 EU members.The appeal was brought by a group of anti-Brexit politicians who argued that the UK should be able to unilaterally stop Brexit.

The Obit Page: Pier Massimo “PM” Forni, a Johns Hopkins University professor of Italian literature who turned his focus to the teaching of civility, has died at age 67.

In the 1990s Massimo was teaching Dante and Boccaccio when he decided it was more important for his students to understand basic civility rather than Renaissance literature.

In 1997, Dr. Forni and some colleagues established the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, now known as the Civility Initiative, a mix of academic disciplines that teaches civility and manners.

“Courtesy, politeness, manners and civility are all a form of awareness,” Forni wrote. “Being civil means constantly being aware of others and weaving restraint, respect and consideration into the very fabric of this awareness.”

Razzle Dazzle: The Miami Dolphins stung the New England Patriots on their last down yesterday with a play that invited disaster but ended up winning the game. It was a short pass with two laterals for a 70-yard touchdown.

The Dolphins were down 33-28 and well short of the 50-yard line with seven seconds on the clock. Instead of throwing for a touchdown, quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw the ball midfield to Kenny Stills, who then lateralled to DeVante Parker, who passed it on to Kenyan Drake, who ran it into the end zone.

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