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Good morning.



Here’s what you need to know:

The prospect of presidential pardons

• What do Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort know?

A lawyer for President Trump broached the idea of pardons for the two former advisers last year, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. The talks could suggest that the White House was concerned about what Mr. Flynn and Mr. Manafort might reveal to the special counsel in the Russia investigation.

The lawyer who is said to have made the offer, John Dowd, denied the reports on Wednesday. He resigned as the president’s lead lawyer for the Russia inquiry last week.

• Separately, a top Trump campaign official had frequent phone calls before the election with a person the F.B.I. believes had active links to Russian spy services at the time. That’s according to a document released this week by the special counsel, Robert Mueller.