Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testified before Congress on Wednesday. Rosenstein defended the special counsel in the face of Republicans' allegations of anti-Trump political bias among the investigators.

Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a former top aide Rick Gates were in court again on Monday to negotiate a bail agreement. The two have been confined to their homes since pleading not guilty to charges stemming from the Russia investigation.

FBI director Chris Wray is briefed Congress on Thursday. He faced questions about the Russia probe which has intensified in recent weeks.

The former national security adviser is becoming a central figure in the special counsel's probe of Russian election interference and any possible connections between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Facebook says it has an edge in fighting back against influence campaigns like the one Russia waged against the U.S. in 2016. The company says it requires users' real names, but an NPR reporter tested it and signed up for an account under a fake name in about 1 minute. Experts say that feature is not a silver bullet.

A sanctions-evasion trial in New York that has proven a major irritant in U.S.-Turkish relations just got more interesting. One of the accused Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader, has agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors, raising the possibility that he might reveal connections in the scheme that could extend to the highest reaches of the Turkish government.

A Libyan national was convicted on terrorism charges for his role in the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, but was acquitted on the most serious charges of murder.

A sanctions-evasion trial in New York that has proven a major irritant in U.S.-Turkish relations just got more interesting. One of the accused Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader, has agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors, raising the possibility that he might reveal connections in the scheme that could extend to the highest reaches of the Turkish government.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified on Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee at a time when he faces new questions about what he knew about reported contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. Sessions also answered questions about his decision to open the door to the possibility of appointing a special counsel to investigate the dealings of the Clinton Foundation. Republicans, including the president, have been asking for such an investigation since the campaign. Sessions has previously said he has recused himself from any investigations that stem from the campaign during which he served as a surrogate for Donald Trump.

Data released by the FBI on hate crimes in the U.S. shows that 58 percent of the hate crime incidents last year were motivated by a victim's race. FBI data is based on voluntary reporting from more than 15,000 local law enforcement agencies, but civil rights groups argue the study is flawed because it undercounts the number of hate crimes.

NPR's Noel King gets the latest details of the mass shooting in Sutherland Spring, Texas, from NPR's John Burnett and Colin Dwyer.

At least 20 people have been killed in a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, after a gunman opened fire during a late Sunday morning service.

Facebook, Google and Twitter appeared in a Capitol Hill marathon before Senate and House Intelligence Committees. The public got a clearer view of how Russia operated online to interfere in 2016.

Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller unveiled his first charges in the Russia imbroglio on Monday. Three former Trump aides were involved, and members of Congress have said they want to pass a bill protecting Mueller from being fired by Trump if the president feels threatened.

Three people have been indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, including former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort. NPR Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas has the latest.

Trump's former campaign chairman and a top aide are charged with money laundering; a former foreign policy aide has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI.

Some news organizations are reporting — but NPR hasn't confirmed — that special counsel Robert Mueller has secured his first indictment. Other developments in the Russia probes are expected this week.

The president and his allies argue that since Hillary Clinton paid for the infamous dossier, that means it's a political hatchet job and so is the Russia imbroglio.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. There was no shortage of topics discussed — from police oversight and voting rights litigation to protections for the LGBT community and the administration's travel ban. But Democrats repeatedly pushed him on one topic in particular — Russia.

Since the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas, new scrutiny has fallen on the controversial firearm device. Experts in the field say there are limits to what the ATF can do under existing law.