Court let FBI monitor Carter Page, an adviser to Trump,

The FBI obtained a secret court order last summer to monitor the communications of an adviser to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, part of an investigation into possible links between Russia and the campaign, law enforcement and other U.S. officials said.

The FBI and the Justice Department obtained the warrant targeting Carter Page’s communications after convincing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was probable cause to believe Mr. Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power, in this case Russia, according to the officials.

This is viewed as the clearest evidence so far that the FBI had reason to believe during the 2016 presidential campaign that a Trump campaign adviser was in touch with Russian agents. Such contacts are now at the center of an investigation into whether the campaign coordinated with the Russian government to swing the election in Mr. Trump’s favor.

Mr. Page has not been declined to comment.

The government’s application for the surveillance order targeting Mr. Page included a lengthy declaration that laid out investigators’ basis for believing that Mr. Page was an agent of the Russian government and knowingly engaged in clandestine intelligence activities with Russian intelligence operatives on behalf of Moscow, officials said.

Since the 90-day warrant was first issued, it has been renewed more than once by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, the officials said.

Mr. Page is the only American to have had his communications directly targeted with a FISA warrant in 2016 as part of the Russia probe, officials said.

The Page claims came at a complex time for the capital.

Trump taps lawyer

Carlos G. Muniz, a former top aide to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi involved in her office’s decision not to pursue legal action against Trump University, has been nominated by the president to serve as the top lawyer at the U.S. Department of Education.

Infrastructure bill

On infrastructure, Mr. Trump wants to offer a two-for-one deal.

The Trump administration intends to propose a package of tax breaks meant to help spur $1 trillion in new spending on roads, bridges and other construction over the next decade. But as part of that bill, Mr. Trump also wants introduce measures to drastically shorten approval times for projects.

Drug czar pick?

The next national drug czar is likely to be Tom Marino — a four-term U.S. representative from Lycoming County — who was an early supporter of Mr. Trump, said Val DiGiorgio, the head of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

Loan protections

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday withdrew a series of policy memos issued by the Obama administration to strengthen consumer protections for student loan borrowers.