Day 127: Can I have a holy shit?

Just when you thought the week was winding down quietly, we have another bombshell.

• In December, Kushner met with the Russian ambassador to request setting up a secure back channel to the Kremlin using Russian equipment. While not quite proof of collusion, it's getting really very smoky in here. Trump is having a really terrible few weeks regarding Russia, and he's not even here to take the flack for it.
• Trump's meeting with the G7 leaders is going roughly. His bluster is being ignored by European leaders, and he seems to be having a tantrum that they're not treating him like the King of the World, as he was feted in Saudi Arabia. He's been especially vicious to Germany, which for the past 40 years has had very strong ties with the US as a bulwark against Soviet imperialism. Russia has been trying for decades to drive a wedge between the US and Germany, and now Trump is doing it for them. Great.
• I missed this one a few days ago. In a bit of good news, Obama's fiduciary rule, which had been put on ice, is due to take effect in June. The department's review found no legal reason to delay its implementation further.

For some side reading, if you're interested: Trump has been obsessed with Russia since at least the 80's, and was even angling for a government Soviet posting.