Politics

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump is growing increasingly irritated with lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s frequently off-message media blitz, which has included muddying the waters on hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels and making claims that could complicate the president’s standing in the special counsel’s Russia probe. Trump has begun questioning whether Giuliani, an old friend and former …

The New York Daily News reports: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned Monday after four women came forward to say he abused and harassed them, has been replaced. The acting attorney general will be Barbara Underwood, the current state solicitor general, officials said. “This morning, I’m grateful to work with the best colleagues in the business — including Barbara Underwood, …

Mediaite reports: Kellyanne Conway, the White House counselor, invited her followers to read Ronan Farrow and Jane Meyer’s report for the New Yorker, calling the allegations “harrowing.” Conway has repeatedly dismissed the accusers of her boss, President Trump. In a subsequent tweet, Conway resurfaced an old Trump tweet in which Schneiderman said Trump is not “above the law” for his …

The New York Post reports: The Manhattan District Attorney’s office said on Monday night that they were probing Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after explosive assault allegations were launched against him in a New Yorker article. “Our office has opened an investigation into the recently reported allegations concerning Mr. Schneiderman,” said a spokesman for District Attorney Cy Vance. A law enforcement …

Politico reports: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt placed a polluted California area on his personal priority list of Superfund sites targeted for “immediate and intense” action after conservative radio and television host Hugh Hewitt brokered a meeting between him and lawyers for the water district that was seeking federal help to clean up the polluted Orange County site. The previously unreported …

The New York Daily News reports: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is resigning amid allegations that he physically assaulted four women he dated. Schneiderman, an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, bowed to pressure from politicians, including Gov. Cuomo, who called for him to step down. “It’s been my great honor and privilege to serve as Attorney General …

The New York Times reports: The New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, was accused of physically assaulting four women with whom he had relationships, according to an article published Monday by The New Yorker. Two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, who spoke on the record to the magazine, said they had been choked and hit …

Slate reports: Two years ago, Melania Trump copied several lines in her Republican National Convention speech from an address Michelle Obama delivered in 2008. On Monday, Melania Trump formally announced the launch of an anti-cyberbullying initiative. As part of the initiative, the White House released a booklet that, in the words of Melania’s signed introduction, is intended to “help kids …

Politico reports: Sen. John McCain should reconsider his wish that President Donald Trump not attend McCain’s funeral, said Sen. Orrin Hatch, the most senior GOP senator. McCain prefers instead that Vice President Mike Pence attend his funeral rather than Trump, who has mocked McCain for being tortured and attacked him for voting against Obamacare repeal. But Hatch said he thought …

The Hill reports: The Washington Post reported Sunday that the allegedly frayed relationship between the first lady and the president has spawned rumors that Melania Trump lives with her parents in Washington, D.C., and does not stay in the White House. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders blasted the story as “something that belongs in tabloid gossip.” “Just when …

NPR reports: Melania Trump often seems like a reluctant first lady. But she’s stepping into the spotlight this week to take on a very traditional part of the role. Mrs. Trump is unveiling her policy priorities — as have first ladies who have come before her — which are expected to focus on children. The announcement comes at a moment …

Politico reports: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said U.S. President Donald Trump would be a deserving winner of the Nobel Peace Prize if he can solve problems in Iran and on the Korean peninsula. “If Trump can fix North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal then I don’t see why he’s any less of a candidate for the Nobel Peace …

Popular YouTube comedian Randy Rainbow (his real name) is back today with another one of his musical takedowns, this time setting Rudy Giuliani’s meltdown to the theme song from Disney’s 1991 animated classic, Beauty And The Beast. As always, I won’t give away any of the jokes but you’ll want to stick around for that final note.

The Weekly Standard reports: Republicans are panicking as internal polls show Don Blankenship, a coal baron who spent time in jail for a mining disaster that killed 29 workers, surging into the lead in the West Virginia Senate GOP primary over Attorney General Patrick Morrissey and Congressman Evan Jenkins. The results of an internal campaign poll conducted for one rival …

“People can underestimate us. They’ve done that before. All they want to do is capture this government to try to impeach this president or stop anything from happening, or raising your taxes. I think the American public is too smart for that. I’m very confident that we can keep the majority. I know that history plays against us, but remember …

The Daily Beast reports: On the latest edition of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver aimed the majority of his ire at Rudy Giuliani, who made headlines last week with a bizarre, eye-bulging appearance on Fox News. The comedian suggests Trump and Giuliani are more similar than people realize: “Think about it: They’re basically two versions of the same person. …

Fox News reports: President Trump made an extraordinary appeal Monday for Republican primary voters to oppose former coal baron Don Blankenship in the looming West Virginia Senate primary, saying he “can’t win” in the general election. Trump, in an early-morning tweet, instead urged voters to pick one of his two rivals, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey or Rep. Evan Jenkins. The …

The Washington Post reports: Gina Haspel, President Trump’s nominee to become the next CIA director, sought to withdraw her nomination Friday after some White House officials worried that her role in the interrogation of terrorist suspects could prevent her confirmation by the Senate, according to four senior U.S. officials. Haspel told the White House she was interested in stepping aside …

Golf News reports: Trump arrived at the DC-area golf club at 10:30 a.m., per CBS reporter Mark Knoller. The round of golf was his first of the weekend, coming after Trump made controversial remarks on Saturday night in a speech in Cleveland. Expect Trump to spend more weekends when in D.C. at this 36-hole facility which hosted the 2017 Senior …

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 …