Before reading the article:



This is a complex story, the details of which will continue to emerge. To understand the big picture before you take on the article as a whole, slowly read just the first four paragraphs, annotating as you go to mark both what seems most important and what confuses you:

The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, announced charges on Monday against three advisers to President Trump’s campaign and laid out the most explicit evidence to date that his campaign was eager to coordinate with the Russian government to damage his rival, Hillary Clinton. The former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, surrendered to the F.B.I. and pleaded not guilty to charges that he laundered millions of dollars through overseas shell companies — using the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, antique rugs and expensive clothes. Rick Gates, Mr. Manafort’s longtime associate as well as a campaign adviser, was also charged and turned himself in. But information that could prove most politically damaging to Mr. Trump came an hour later, when Mr. Mueller announced that George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, had pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. and was cooperating with investigators. In court documents released on Monday, federal investigators said they suspected that Russian intelligence services had used intermediaries to contact Mr. Papadopoulos to gain influence with the campaign, offering “dirt” on Mrs. Clinton in April 2016 in the form of “thousands of emails.” Mr. Papadopoulos secretly pleaded guilty weeks ago to lying to the F.B.I. about those contacts and has been cooperating with Mr. Mueller’s prosecutors for months.

With a partner, discuss the paragraphs above. Share what else you know about this news, if anything, and compile a list of any questions you have. You might also try to answer the question, “Why does this matter?”

(Another option? You might listen to The Daily podcast for Oct. 31, which delves into the significance of this news.)

Now, read the entire article, “Former Trump Aides Charged as Prosecutors Reveal New Campaign Ties With Russia” and answer the following questions:

1. Who is Robert Mueller? Who is Paul Manafort? Who is George Papadopoulos? Why could the announcement that George Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. and was cooperating with investigators “prove most politically damaging to Mr. Trump”?

2. What is “now clear” about the Russian government and Mr. Trump’s candidacy? What has the United States concluded about President Vladimir V. Putin’s role in the 2016 presidential election?