10 things you need to know today: July 17, 2018

Trump backs Putin's denial of Russia's election meddling, prosecutors charge a Russian woman with conspiracy against America, and more

President Trump and Vladimir Putin at a press conference
(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

1. Trump sides with Putin in denial of Russian election meddling

President Trump stood next to Vladimir Putin on Monday and questioned U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election, saying the Russian president "was extremely strong and powerful in his denial" at their Helsinki summit. "I don't see any reason why Russia would interfere," Trump said. He also called Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference a "disaster," and repeated his assertion that there was "no collusion" between his campaign and Moscow. Putin said the U.S. and Russia could jointly investigate a dozen Russian intelligence officials recently indicted for hacking Democrats during the campaign, and Trump called it an "incredible offer." Putin told Fox News it was "ridiculous" to think Russia could influence a U.S. election.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.