WaPo with a story of a Potus going his own way and a White House that continues to leak just about everything: “President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladi­mir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating ‘DO NOT CONGRATULATE,’ according to officials familiar with the call.” (I suppose it shouldn’t rank that high on my list of worries, but the Trump administration has normalized all caps…)

+ Trump took to Twitter to defend his gentle tone with Putin: “They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and even the coming Arms Race. Bush tried to get along, but didn’t have the ‘smarts.’ Obama and Clinton tried, but didn’t have the energy or chemistry (remember RESET). PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!” (If you can’t count on Putin to help solve the problems in Syria and Ukraine, who can you count on?) It’s traditional for former presidents to avoid stepping on the toes of the current office holder. But since Trump is attacking his predecessors from the Oval Office, is it time for them to speak up?

+ Look, Russia is already helping us “solve” problems in Venezuela.

+ So a playmate, a porn star, a reality show contestant walk into a bar exam….