From Russia, With Love: Speaking before the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday, the leaders of the nation’s intelligence agencies said Russia is already messing with the American midterm elections. “There should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 US midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations,” said Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.

The Russians are using fake news and invented people on social media to create political divides and sow mistrust with the electoral system, the intel chiefs say.

President Trump and his administration have previously dismissed intelligence assessments that the Russians interfered with the 2016 elections. The directors of the intelligence agencies say they have been given no orders by the White House to fight back against the Russians.

“We expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social media, false-flag personas, sympathetic spokespeople, and other means of influence to try to exacerbate social and political fissures in the United States,” Coats said.

The White House Mess: The White House is still fumbling its explanation for the debacle involving the departed Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who was accused by two ex-wives and a girlfriend of physical and emotional abuse and forced to resign.

High on the list of questions is who knew what and when, and whether Chief of Staff John Kelly covered up or bungled the whole thing. Porter handled the nation’s top secrets while working with a temporary security clearance because the FBI had reservations about him.

President Trump and the administration have also fallen short of saying they believe the well-documented accusations against Porter. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “Above all, the President supports victims of domestic violence and believes everyone should be treated fairly and with due process.”

The White House has said they learned of the damaging information about Porter only in November, yet allowed Porter to serve until the accusations against him hit the press. Kelly said he didn’t know the worst until 40 minutes before he fired Porter. Yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said his agents delivered their initial report about Porter in March, a completed report in July, and additional information in November.

The Porter mess has also revealed that 30 to 40 people are serving the Trump administration without a full security clearance more than a year after the President’s inauguration. Top on the list is Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is one of the President’s closest advisers. The White House has not said what the holdup is, but has blamed the FBI and the “process.”

Fingers are pointing to Chief of Staff John Kelly, who has failed to  ensure that the people handling the nation’s secrets have full security clearance and allowed the Porter situation to explode. Boston Globe columnist Indira Lakshmanan wrote that, “In any other White House, Kelly would already be fired for gross incompetence, failed crisis management, misrepresenting reality, even insubordination.” She said, “Most of the press portrayed Kelly as a moderating ‘grown-up’ who would bring order to the chaos. That was wishful groupthink.”

Stormy Weather: President Trump’s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen told The NY Times that he paid $130,000 of his own money to the porn star Stormy Daniels, who is purported to have had an affair with Trump years before he was president. The money is presumed to be a payment to keep Daniels from talking about the affair. Cohen, who has previously denied the affair, told the Times, “The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.”

World: After a yearlong investigation, the Israeli police say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, calling to question whether he will be able to stay in office. The police accuse Netanyahu of accepting nearly $300,000 in illicit gifts over 10 years.

The police have two cases against Netanyahu, one in which the police say he took gifts for favors, and a second in which he is accused of nefarious dealings to get more favorable coverage from a popular daily newspaper.

Netanyahu denied it all in a live television speech in which he equated himself with the welfare of the country. He said, “I feel a deep obligation to continue to lead Israel in a way that will ensure our future.”  He went on, “You know I do everything with only one thing in mind — the good of the country, not for cigars from a friend, not for media coverage, not for anything. Only for the good of the state.”

Flying Tomato: Shaun White, at 31 possibly the greatest halfpipe snowboarder ever, came from second place to lay down one of the runs of his life in South Korea and win his third Olympic gold medal. White was first after the initial run, but fell in the second round after Japan’s Ayumu Hirano scored a difficult-to-beat 95.25. In the final run of the competition, and possibly the last of his Olympic career, White blasted out two 1440-degree spins at the top of his routine to score 97.25. “All that work,” he cried, as he fell into his mother’s arms moments later.

Bang, You’re Broke: Remington Arms, the 200-year-old company that started out making flintlock rifles, announced that it is filing for bankruptcy in the softening market for guns.

Ironically it was the election of pro-gun President Donald Trump that shot Remington in the foot. With no fear that guns will be taken away or become illegal, fewer people are buying them. President Obama, on the other hand, was great for the gun business because he was against them.

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