Free Republic

WASHINGTON—Congress is probing the Obama administration’s decision to use research by an ex-British spy to justify, in part, surveillance of an associate of​ Donald Trump, as Republican scrutiny rises of law-enforcement actions during 2016 presidential campaign. In the final days of the campaign, the Justice Department used information from Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence official, as part of its request for a secret court order to monitor Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to Mr. Trump and his ties to Russia, say people familiar with the matter.

Financial shares are down sharply in 2016 even as broader markets have recovered; central-bank policies squeeze interest margins --- Bank stocks are having a terrible 2016, as central-bank policies, which for years lifted asset prices, are hurting the financial sector. The impact of economic stimulus efforts on lenders will get a fresh airing this week, as big U.S. banks begin reporting their earnings for the first quarter. Trading revenue is expected to have taken a hit, but the more enduring problem will be visible in the lenders’ net interest margins, the basic measure of bank profitability that gets flattened by...