Politics

NBC News reports: With just weeks to go before President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to hold their first-ever summit, Pyongyang on Sunday criticized what it called “misleading” claims that Trump’s policy of maximum political pressure and sanctions are what drove the North to the negotiating table. The North’s official news agency quoted a …

“It’s an absolute, unmitigated disaster for Rudy Giuliani and the president. It’s a train wreck. I can’t believe that actually just happened. I mean what we witnessed by Rudy Giuliani may be one of the worst T.V. appearances by any attorney on behalf of a client in modern times. I mean this guy’s all over the map over the last …

Politico reports: A federal judge has rejected special counsel Robert Mueller’s request to delay the first court hearing in a criminal case charging three Russian companies and 13 Russian citizens with using social media and other means to foment strife among Americans in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In a brief order Saturday evening, U.S. District Court Judge …

The New York Times reports: It was at his Hidden Valley Ranch where the senator participated in a nearly two-hour HBO documentary and co-wrote what he acknowledges will be his last book, “The Restless Wave,” both of which are set to be released this month. While he continues to defend Ms. Palin’s performance, Mr. McCain uses the documentary and the …

Entertainment Weekly reports: Stormy Daniels is here! The porn star whose alleged affair with Donald Trump is currently causing many problems the president appeared in the cold open for tonight’s Donald Glover-hosted Saturday Night Live. However, she wasn’t the only famous face. We also got Scarlett Johansson, Jimmy Fallon, Martin Short, and many more surprises. The sketch’s coup de grace …

NBC News reports: People close to Sen. John McCain have told the White House that the ailing Arizona Republican does not want President Donald Trump to attend his funeral and would like Vice President Mike Pence to come instead, a source close to McCain confirmed to NBC News. McCain, 81, has been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer for …

The Associated Press reports: Russians angered by the impending inauguration of Vladimir Putin to a new term as president demonstrated throughout the country on Saturday. Police arrested hundreds, including protest organizer Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who is Putin’s most prominent foe. Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs and carried the thrashing activist from Moscow’s Pushkin Square, where …

The Hill reports: Adult film star Stormy Daniels is promoting a line of t-shirts and other products mocking President Trump. The Stormy Store website, which describes Daniels as a “slayer of internet trolls,” says that part of the sales will go to supporting anti-bullying organizations. “#TeamStormy doesn’t start fights, but we finish them,” the website reads. “Unwilling to be silenced …

Politico reports: A federal judge sharply challenged special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecution team Friday, questioning how its indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on financial charges relates to Mueller’s core mandate to investigate alleged 2016 Russian election interference. U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis said Mueller’s team seemed to be pursuing the case — which involves bank and …

From a slavering Washington Examiner profile: Romney is “brilliant” in his ability to analyze complicated problems and formulate solutions and “sophisticated” in his understanding of politics, those in his orbit say. Yet he is not a complicated person, with simple tastes that can seem out of place with a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “My favorite meat is …

The Post & Courier reports: A bill that would have outlawed almost all abortions in South Carolina died in the early hours of Friday morning on the floor of the state Senate, granting a major victory to Democrats after they launched a lengthy filibuster that lasted throughout much of the day and showed no signs of stopping. In a stunning …

The Washington Post reports: After taking office last year, Pruitt drew up a list of at least a dozen countries he hoped to visit and urged aides to help him find official reasons to travel, according to four people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency deliberations. Pruitt then enlisted well-connected friends …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump crowed Friday morning that “NBC NEWS is wrong again” after the network was forced to issue a correction on reporting that initially said Trump’s longtime personal attorney had been the subject of a federal wiretap. NBC News issued both on-air and online corrections to state that Michael Cohen, the attorney at the center of efforts …

The Kansas City Star reports: The Missouri General Assembly has taken the historic step of calling itself back into special session to decide whether to impeach Gov. Eric Greitens. According to the petition signed by 138 House members and 29 senators — both more than the three-fourths required in each chamber to call a special session — lawmakers will consider …

Politico reports: West Virginia GOP Senate hopeful Don Blankenship is amping up his racial attacks on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a new ad declaring, “Swamp captain Mitch McConnell has created millions of jobs for China people.” “While doing so, Mitch has gotten rich,” Blankenship adds. “In fact, his China family has given him tens of millions of dollars.” …

Talking Points Memo reports: NBC News corrected its bombshell report on the wiretapping of Michael Cohen Thursday, saying that President Trump’s longtime personal attorney’s phone calls were monitored, rather than listened to, by federal investigators. Tom Winter, one of the authors of the report, said on MSNBC Thursday that the original report claiming that Cohen’s phones had been tapped “in …

Notoriously anti-LGBT Vice President Mike Pence this afternoon swore in homocon Richard Grenell as US ambassador to Germany as Grenell’s partner held the bible. Grenell’s history of misogynistic tweets, including attacks on Rachel Maddow’s appearance, had, in part, delayed his confirmation for months. Last week he was approved by the Senate in a 56-42 vote that fell largely along party …

The Washington Post reports: The Rev. Patrick J. Conroy, the House chaplain who announced his resignation under pressure last month, informed Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) Thursday that he wanted to rescind his offer and remain in his position at least through the end of this year. In a two-page letter, Conroy informed Ryan that he gave in to pressure …

The New York Times reports: Over the opposition of lawyers for a company owned by President Donald J. Trump, State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Bransten ruled Thursday that a condominium on the Upper West Side could remove the bronze letters spelling out his name from its 46-story building. The ruling opens the door for the 377 condo owners at 200 …

Howard Kurtz writes for Fox News: There are growing whispers that if John Kelly is eased out or bails out as White House chief of staff, the job could go to Corey Lewandowski. I can report, based on my sources, that the president and his first campaign manager have discussed that possibility. Lewandowski has said he would accept a White …