Now that the Trump-Russia fake news story is crumbling as Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi warned liberals, how can the mainstream media continue to report on this fact-free topic? Simple. By invoking masters of fiction in the form of spy novelists. Therefore it is appropriate that Associated Press writer Hillel Italie consulted several of those fiction writers to comment on fake news fiction.

You will look in vain for any actual facts but at least you will be somewhat entertained by his desperation to report something in his March 8 AP article, Spy novelists keeping an eye on Trump-Russia allegations:

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Jason Matthews is a retired CIA officer who now writes spy novels, focused on Russia. He was working on a book last year that ordinarily would seem a little far-fetched, but which proved too close to current events. "The plot line was an American presidential candidate who has a secret that's so bad it would ensure his or her impeachment, and the only person who would know the secret is Vladimir Putin," says Matthews, a prize-winning author best known for his "Red Sparrow" thrillers.

Newsflash! If you had been following the real, not fake, news recently, the premise has definitely returned to the far-fetched category. Not one intelligence agency has provided proof of collusion between Trump and Russia. In fact the former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, flat out denied it on Sunday. But back now to the AP fiction story:

With law enforcement and Congress looking into possible ties between Trump advisers and Russians during the 2016 campaign, spy novelists have been challenged, amused, angered and inspired. The Cold War ended decades ago, but writers now see a new wave of possible plot twists and plots to avoid, whether the reported Russian contacts of such former Trump campaign officials as Paul Manafort and Carter Page, the Trump dossier compiled by British intelligence or the firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn over phone conservations with the Russian ambassador. ...Charles Cumming, known for such novels as "A Divided Spy" and "A Colder War," is working on a thriller that touches upon Brexit and Trump's election, including "the idea that collusion could take place between the Russian and American intelligence services is no longer the stuff of fiction." Michael R. Davidson, another former CIA agent who writes novels, also found the story of Trump and Russia overlapping with fiction. He and writing partner Kseniya Kirillova had been working since early 2016 on "Successor," a thriller about the Russians attempting to get a mole in the White House who will push the Americans to lift sanctions.

More likely will be comedy reality, not fiction, of a Russia collusion story that blows up in the faces of the MSM which is desperately searching for an impeachment pot of gold.

David Downing, whose novels include "Lenin's Roller Coaster" and "One Man's Flag," said he finds the Trump-Russia reports more a political story than a spy story. But he did find some details in common with his novel "Stettin Station," about an American businessman caught up with Nazi Germany during World War II. "This is what you get for electing a self-defining businessman/deal-maker as president - someone who can't be relied on to put the national interest first, while, of course, loudly insisting that that's exactly what he's doing," he said of Trump.

Too bad the AP couldn't have consulted the late Ian Fleming, author of the highly popular James Bond novels. Perhaps Fleming could have written a book based on the ultimate outcome called, "From Russia With Laughs."