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A federal judge in Manhattan just sentenced infamous pharma douche Martin Shkreli to seven years in prison. Before the judge issued the sentence, Shkreli sobbed and begged for mercy. The Associated Press reports: “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli cried in court Friday as he apologized for defrauding investors while being sentenced by a federal judge. Shkreli, his cocky persona nowhere to …

Politico reports: Joe Biden knows that winning in 2020 would require a shoot-the-moon set of circumstances and luck. So his team is on the hunt for a moon shot. Between stops on his book tour and in the ramp-up for what will be a heavy midterms campaign schedule, a tight circle of aides has been brainstorming a range of tear-up-the-playbook …

Bloomberg reports: Toys “R” Us Inc. is making preparations for a liquidation of its bankrupt U.S. operations after so far failing to find a buyer or reach a debt restructuring deal with lenders, according to people familiar with the matter. While the situation is still fluid, a shutdown of the U.S. division has become increasingly likely in recent days, said …

Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg just walked into the DC federal courthouse where he’ll testify before Mueller’s grand jury. ABC News reports: It’s unclear what exactly Nunberg will testify about before the grand jury, but during previous interviews Nunberg said he was questioned about some of President Trump’s campaign and previous business activities. But Nunberg gave a mixed message on …

Politico reports: Dean Heller knows he’s the most vulnerable Republican senator in the country. But he thinks Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy might just help him hang on to his seat. “Kennedy is going to retire around sometime early summer,” Heller predicted in Las Vegas last week, according to audio of an event he spoke at that was obtained by …

CBS Sports reports: All throughout spring training camps in Florida and Arizona, MLB teams bring in motivational speakers and guest instructors to help their players, especially their young players. As part of their spring routine, the Kansas City Royals have taken it upon themselves to teach their players about the harmful effects of … pornography? Yes, pornography. Royals GM Dayton …

Buzzfeed reports: Just days before heading to a West Wing job, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was secretly engaged in talks to sell his struggling news organization, the New York Observer, to Clinton megadonor and Univision chair Haim Saban and Hillary Clinton ally David Brock — a progressive media figure with aspirations to turn the news outlet into “the Breitbart …

The Associated Press reports: Records show the Interior Department spent nearly $139,000 last year for construction at the agency that was labeled on a work order as “Secretary’s Door.” A spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke did not provide answers Thursday to questions about whether changes had been made to a door in the secretary’s office. Records show the Maryland …

The Atlantic reports: A political operative who frequented the White House in the early days of President Trump’s administration, George Nader, was indicted in 1985 on charges of importing to the United States obscene material, including photos of nude boys “engaged in a variety of sexual acts,” according to publicly available court records. Nader pleaded not guilty, and the charges …

The New York Times reports: Former President Barack Obama is in advanced negotiations with Netflix to produce a series of high-profile shows that will provide him a global platform after his departure from the White House, according to people familiar with the discussions. Under terms of a proposed deal, which is not yet final, Netflix would pay Mr. Obama and …

I’m among those Trump has blocked: A judge is recommending that President Donald Trump mute rather than block some Twitter followers to resolve a First Amendment lawsuit. Manhattan federal Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald on Thursday suggested a settlement as the preferred outcome after listening to lawyers argue whether it’s constitutional for Trump to block his critics. The hearing stemmed from …

The Associated Press reports: Mississippi lawmakers on Thursday passed what is likely to be the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, making the procedure illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The House voted 75-34 in favor of the measure, and Gov. Phil Bryant has said he will sign it. The owner of Mississippi’s only abortion clinic has pledged to sue— a …

USA Today reports: Former LSU running back Derrius Guice said in an interview Wednesday that one NFL team asked about his sexuality and another inquired if his mother was a prostitute at the NFL Scouting Combine that concluded earlier this week. ‘’It was pretty crazy,” Guice said in an interview on the SiriusXM NFL show Late Hits. “Some people are …

ProPublica reports: When the Trump administration took office early last year, hundreds of staffers from lobbying firms, conservative think tanks and Trump campaign groups began pouring into the very agencies they once lobbied or whose work they once opposed. Today we’re making available, for the first time, an authoritative searchable database of 2,475 political appointees, including Trump’s Cabinet, staffers in …

Mother Jones today published a long-read on Trump’s passionate bromance with Vladimir Putin. Near the end of the piece is this: At each pageant, Miss Universe staffers would set up a special room for Trump backstage. It had to conform to his precise require­ments. He needed his favorite snacks: Nutter Butters and white Tic Tacs. And Diet Coke. There could …

The Hill reports: President Trump is upset with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for her handling on Wednesday of questions about allegations that the president once had an affair with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. CNN’s Jim Acosta reported that Trump is “very unhappy” with his press secretary after she acknowledged at a press briefing on Wednesday that Trump …

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports: Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota law professor and prolific TV and Twitter critic of President Donald Trump, said Wednesday that he is forming an exploratory committee that could lead to a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Al Franken and now occupied by Democrat Tina Smith. Painter said at a State Capitol news …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump’s lawyer is trying to silence adult-film star Stormy Daniels, obtaining a secret restraining order in a private arbitration proceeding and warning that she will face penalties if she publicly discusses a relationship with the president, NBC News has learned. Tuesday’s lawsuit says that Trump attorney Michael Cohen — who brokered the agreement with Clifford …

NBC News reports: Hope Hicks told the House Intelligence Committee last week that one of her email accounts was hacked, according to people who were present for the former White House communications director’s testimony in the panel’s Russia probe. Under relatively routine questioning from Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., about her correspondence, Hicks indicated that she could no longer access two …

“If conservatives are complacent — we know that the left is going to show up. The extreme left, they’re angry. They’re filled with rage, they hate the president. And mark my words, we are going to see historic turnout from the extreme left in November, which means if conservatives stay home, we have the potential, we could lose both houses …