How Russia helped swing the election for Trump; contest to troll the world; Mariia Butina in prison

It’s hard to imagine that even a master manipulator like Putin would have anticipated the full success of his operation. Not only had he sabotaged Hillary Clinton, but he had also helped install in the Oval Office someone who — by virtue of his disdain for democratic norms and volatile leadership — compounded the impact of the Russian campaign.
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Trump’s decisions sometimes seemed as if they were designed to erode American effectiveness or standing, be it in government or on the world stage. Again and again he would belittle America’s closest allies — Australia, Britain, Canada, France and Germany — all the while praising Russia’s strongman.

Rosenstein’s departure is a national emergency (David Frum, The Atlantic)
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is now in mortal peril.

With Rod Rosenstein possibly on his way out at the Justice Department, who will protect Robert Mueller’s investigation? (Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker)
If Rosenstein is gone, who, if anyone, will make sure that Mueller’s work can continue?
This issue of who, technically, would be in charge of Mueller is an important one, but it’s not nearly as significant as the broader issue raised by Rosenstein’s likely departure. The President is in charge of the executive branch, and Mueller, as the special counsel, is a subordinate in that branch of the government. If Trump is determined to fire Mueller, or to constrict his investigation in untoward ways, he and his advisers will figure out a way to do it. There is little doubt that the President could ultimately find a compliant Justice Department official to carry out his order of execution. In other words, the massacre this week may lead to another, like the one on a Saturday night in 1973 when Richard Nixon fired Archibald Cox, the Watergate special prosecutor. This modern version would be an abuse of power of the most profound sort. Firing Mueller—who has been investigating Trump and his campaign and Administration for a year and a half—would be the very definition of a high crime and misdemeanor, as impeachable offenses are defined in the Constitution. But would the Republicans who control Congress see it that way?
Put another way, the real question is whether there is any political will among the Republicans who run the legislative branch of government to check Trump’s power. One of the signal features of the Trump Presidency has been the abject surrender of the Republican Party, especially in Congress, to all of Trump’s demands. Most congressional Republicans have made dutiful statements urging the President not to fire Mueller, but will they really take any action if Trump actually does it? Their history suggests that they will not—and they may soon have the chance to test that hypothesis. Mueller’s fate has never looked more precarious than it does today, and he would be foolish to think that the Republicans in Congress would do anything to protect him.

Mueller has been questioning Michael Cohen on Trump’s Russia ties (Andrew Prokop, Vox)
Here’s what Mueller is likely asking the former Trump lawyer.

U.S. blacklists Russian entities tied to election meddling (Matthew Choi, Politico)
The Treasury Department also sanctioned a Chinese entity for buying blacklisted Russian arms.

Why Russians keep visiting Mariia Butina in prison (Alex Finley, Politico)
Take it from this former spook: It ain’t because they’re concerned about her well-being.

U.K. gov plans cyber warfare unit to tackle threat posed by Russia, North Korea and Iran (Graeme Burton, Inquirer)
But plans are reportedly being held up by political wrangling over funding

Russia is running an actual contest to troll the World (Kimberly Dozier, Daily Beast)
Moscow is switching from covert to overt means to influence Americans and others, helped by a U.S. president who has set an example and given it cover.