General
IRS analyst charged in leak of Michael Cohen’s bank records Kara Scannell, CNN
An analyst with the Internal Revenue Service was charged with disclosing confidential reports about Michael Cohen’s bank records that revealed the President’s former lawyer sought to profit from his proximity to the White House. The analyst was charged by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California with the unauthorized disclosure of a suspicious activity report, or SAR.
Manafort’s Virginia sentencing set for March 8 Darren Samuelsohn, Politico
A federal judge on Thursday scheduled Paul Manafort to be sentenced March 8 for financial malfeasance in Virginia. It’s one of two court hearings coming up next month that could send the former Trump campaign chairman to prison for the rest of his life.
A Woman Who Left The US As A Teen To Join ISIS Is Suing Trump To Come Home Claudia Koerner, BuzzFeed News
The family of a woman who left the US to join ISIS is now suing President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Attorney General William Barr to prove that she is an American citizen and has the right to return home. Hoda Muthana secretly traveled from her home in Alabama to Syria when she was 19, and BuzzFeed News exclusively profiled her journey to radicalism in 2015.
Judge decides that twin son of binational gay couple entitled to birthright U.S. citizenship Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times
A federal judge decided Thursday that a twin son of a binational gay couple, who was denied U.S. citizenship because he does not share a blood relationship with his American father, has been a U.S. citizen since birth. In an 11-page order, Los Angeles federal Judge John F. Walter concluded that U.S. law does not require a child to show a biological relationship with both of their parents if their parents were married at the time of their birth.
White House & Administration
Trump to Meet With China’s Trade Chief Liu He on Friday Jenny Leonard and Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg
President Donald Trump will meet with China’s top trade negotiator Friday afternoon in Washington as the U.S. tries to forge a preliminary deal with its biggest economic rival before tariffs on some Chinese imports more than double next month. The meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He was listed on the White House’s daily schedule for 2:30 p.m. and would cap the latest round of talks in Washington.
Trump Inaugural Committee Challenged Vendor Requests and Budgeting, Documents Show Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Rebecca Ballhaus, The Wall Street Journal
In the weeks before his inauguration, top officials on President Trump’s inaugural committee repeatedly sounded alarms about the budgets submitted by several vendors, according to correspondence, committee records and draft budgets reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Some of the materials, which haven’t previously been reported, have been shared with federal prosecutors in New York, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The North Korea summit nobody wanted Eliana Johnson, Politico
President Donald Trump is eagerly anticipating his second summit with Kim Jong Un, touting his “really meaningful” relationship with the North Korean strongman and insisting he’s ready to give up his nuclear arsenal. In Washington, he’s pretty much the only one who feels that way.
Trump administration begins effort to strip work permits for immigrant spouses Tal Koplan, San Francisco Chronicle
After nearly two years of delays, the Trump administration is moving ahead with its plan to strip work permits for the spouses of many high-skilled visa holders, an effort that could jeopardize tens of thousands of immigrants families in California alone. Rolling back the permits could have sweeping consequences for the Bay Area, where tech companies heavily rely on high-skilled immigrants.
Senate
Michael Cohen to Testify to Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday Rebecca Ballhaus, The Wall Street Journal
Michael Cohen will testify privately next week before the Senate Intelligence Committee, a person close to him said, one of three congressional appearances next week for the former Trump lawyer who has implicated the president in federal crimes. Mr. Cohen, who has pleaded guilty in two different cases and who begins a three-year prison sentence in May, will testify privately before the Senate panel on Tuesday, a day before he is to speak publicly before the House Oversight Committee.
Scoop: McConnell recommends Kelly Craft to Trump for UN ambassador Jonathan Swan, Axios
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has spoken to President Trump and recommended U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft as the next UN ambassador, according to two sources familiar with the situation. Details: Like McConnell, Craft is from Kentucky, where she and her husband, billionaire coal CEO Joe Craft, rank among the state’s highest-profile Republican donors.
Democrats May Try to Subpoena Mueller Report If It’s Not Public Terrence Dopp, Bloomberg
Democrats in Congress may seek to subpoena Special Counsel Robert Mueller or the results of his Russia probe if the results — expected to be submitted to the Justice Department as early as next week — aren’t publicly released. “The public will feel rightly that there is a coverup” if details are withheld, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, told CNN Thursday.
Schumer wants to know how many journalists will be fired if hedge fund takes over USA TODAY Niels Lesniewski, Roll Call
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer wants to know how many journalists a hedge fund intends to lay off if it manages to take control of the publisher of USA TODAY. The attempt by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital to take control of the newspaper publisher Gannett has the attention of the New York senator, who is expressing concern about the ability of the public to have access to local news.
House
Jim Jordan: Michael Cohen’s testimony a ‘charade’ to begin impeaching Trump Andrew Desiderio, Politico
The top Republican on the House Oversight Committee said Michael Cohen’s appearance before the panel next week will be “Phase One of the Democrats’ coordinated campaign” to impeach President Donald Trump, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a “charade” meant to embarrass the president. “Giving a platform to Mr. Cohen is beneath the dignity of the Congress and I am saddened that Democrats have sunk so low as to promote an admitted liar just to satisfy Tom Steyer and the political forces on the left who will settle for nothing less than impeachment,” Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said in a statement Thursday, referring to the billionaire liberal donor who is pushing House Democrats to start impeachment proceedings.
Steve King: ‘I have nothing to apologize for,’ plans to run for re-election Tony Leys, Des Moines Register
A defiant Rep. Steve King confirmed Thursday that he will run for a 10th term as an Iowa congressman, despite controversies over his history of caustic remarks, including about race and immigration. The Kiron Republican has been criticized by national and state leaders of his own party, has been stripped of committee assignments in Congress and has drawn three primary challengers for the 2020 race.
2020
Hogan rips RNC for shielding Trump from primary challenge Alex Isenstadt, Politico
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday he expects to make a springtime trip to New Hampshire as he weighs a 2020 challenge to Donald Trump — and accused the Republican National Committee of going to extraordinary lengths to shield the president from a potentially draining primary. “Typically they try to be fair arbiters of a process and I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been involved in the Republican Party for most of my life. It’s unprecedented. And in my opinion it’s not the way we should be going about our politics,” Hogan, a popular two-term Maryland governor, said in an interview with POLITICO.
Trump Won’t Rule Out Using Stolen Data in 2020 Campaign Sam Stein et al., The Daily Beast
Nearly three years after hacked materials upended the 2016 presidential campaign, every Democratic candidate running for the White House has pledged not to knowingly use such material should they end up being published during the current election cycle. Only one 2020 campaign declined to make such a commitment: President Donald Trump’s.
Here’s What Beto Could Unleash on Trump Sasha Issenberg, Politico
With rain hammering outside, Zack Malitz stood in a warehouse space lit by strands of bistro lights and began to reveal the campaign strategy of Beto O’Rourke in exacting detail. Malitz, who was the field director of O’Rourke’s Senate campaign, is a tall 30-year-old with thick glasses and a haircut that over the course of an election season can drift inexorably toward mopheadedness.
‘He is not going to be the nominee’: Dems slam Sanders over Maduro stance Marc Caputo, Politico
Florida Democrats are denouncing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for refusing to call Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro a dictator — a politically explosive issue in the nation’s biggest swing state. Sanders also would not say whether he considered Venezuela’s assembly leader, Juan Guaidó, as the nation’s interim president, which is the position of the United States and a majority of Latin American countries European countries.
2020 Democrats Embrace Race-Conscious Policies, Including Reparations Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times
From the very first day of the 2020 presidential race, when Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts blamed “generations of discrimination” for black families earning far less than white households, Democratic hopefuls have broadly emphasized racial justice and closing the wealth gap in their policy platforms. But in recent weeks, some candidates have started embracing specific goals and overtly race-conscious legislation that even the most left-wing elected officials stayed away from in recent years.
States
Virginia House speaker: Democrats resisting proposal for panel to investigate Fairfax Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider, The Washington Post
Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox said Thursday that he has been quietly laying the groundwork for a bipartisan investigation of sexual assault allegations against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax but Democrats have refused to cooperate. For the past several days, Cox (Colonial Heights) has pressed Democrats to work with him on forming a 10-person investigative committee — with five Republicans, five Democrats and limited subpoena power — to look into claims by two women that Fairfax (D) sexually assaulted them years ago.
Gov. Bill Lee pictured in Auburn yearbook wearing Confederate army uniform Natalie Allison, The Tennessean
Days after Gov. Bill Lee’s staff members said they were unaware of any photos of the Tennessee governor wearing a Confederate uniform, his office confirmed he is pictured doing so in a 1980 Auburn University yearbook. The photo, included on a page in the Kappa Alpha section of the yearbook, shows Lee and another man smiling while wearing a Confederate army style uniform and posing with two women in period costumes.
California GOP’s next leader needs to raise money — fast Christine Mai-Duc, Los Angeles Times
There’s at least one thing California Republicans can still agree on: To recover from brutal midterm election losses, they need to raise a lot more money. But when delegates vote to elect the party’s next chair this weekend, they’ll weigh pitches from two front-running candidates with very different views about just how to put Republicans on the offensive again in a blue state that’s a reliable cash machine for Democrats.
Advocacy
Russian-backed US energy company hires lobbying firm with connections to Trump to help with China deal Brian Schwartz, CNBC
A lobbying firm run by former advisors to President Donald Trump is representing American Ethane Company, an energy producer funded by Russian billionaires that is involved with a Chinese aluminum company. Turnberry Solutions, a lobbying group run by former Trump campaign advisor Jason Osborne, has signed American Ethane as a client, according to a new lobbying disclosure form.
Google Takes New Policy Approach Amid Growing Global Threats Ben Brody, Bloomberg
Alphabet Inc.’s Google is reorganizing its approach to global policy, including the addition of resources to emerging markets, according to a person familiar with the moves, which come as the internet giant faces new threats and regulations around the world. In an internal email, the company’s new global policy chief, Karan Bhatia, described the reorganization as a reaction to policy makers who are increasingly empowered to regulate the company’s core businesses, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel decisions.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
An open letter to my Republican colleagues Adam Schiff, The Washington Post
This is a moment of great peril for our democracy. Our country is deeply divided.
The Lawyers Who Did Not Break David Brooks, The New York Times
A crucial question of the Trump years has always been: Will our institutions hold? Will the legal, political and social institutions of American life be able to withstand the norm-destroying corruption of King Chaos?
Research Reports and Polling
Better State Budget, Policy Decisions Can Improve Health Jennifer Sullivan, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
States’ and localities’ decisions significantly affect their residents’ health. While this includes their decisions about Medicaid and the other important health care programs they administer, it also includes a wide array of budget and policy decisions that affect the “social determinants of health” — the conditions in which people live, work, learn, and play.
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