Politics

The New York Times reports: The first lady, Melania Trump, has parted ways with an adviser after news about the adviser’s firm reaping $26 million in payments to help plan President Trump’s inauguration. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who has been friends with Mrs. Trump for years, had been working on a contract basis as an unpaid senior adviser to the office …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: The Georgia Senate blocked a lucrative tax break bill on Monday that would benefit Delta Air Lines after the Atlanta-based company severed ties with the National Rifle Association. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle [photo] said he would not support tax legislation that helped the airline “unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with …

USA Today reports: The Supreme Court refused Monday to review a federal judge’s order that the Trump administration continue a program protecting undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. The denial leaves in place the popular DACA program, which has protected some 690,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation and enabled them to get work permits. The program had faced …

Jonathan Swan reports at Axios: In Singapore, the death penalty is mandatory for drug trafficking offenses. And President Trump loves it. He’s been telling friends for months that the country’s policy to execute drug traffickers is the reason its drug consumption rates are so low. “He says that a lot,” said a source who’s spoken to Trump at length about …

Mediaite reports: Rick Santorum appeared on CNN’s New Day to face a grilling from Chris Cuomo, after the former Pennsylvania senator argued that mass shooters often “come from broken homes without dads.” Cuomo pressed Santorum on calling for a debate about family instead of gun control in the wake of the massacre at a South Florida high school. Santorum, who …

Time Magazine reports: While Oliver isn’t an Italian citizen, he is alarmed by the slate of candidates and the possible repercussions for the world. In fact, Oliver is so concerned that he has jumped into action and consulted lawyers. Turns out that under Italian law the government coalition can pick a non-politician to run. In fact, they can pick “a …

Axios reports: The president’s personal pilot is on the administration’s short list to head the Federal Aviation Administration. Trump has told a host of administration officials and associates that he wants John Dunkin — his longtime personal pilot, who flew him around the country on Trump Force One during the campaign — to helm the agency, which has a budget …

The Associated Press reports:  Michelle Obama’s memoir, one of the most highly anticipated books in recent years, is coming out Nov. 13. The former first lady tweeted Sunday that the book, to come out a week after the 2018 midterm elections, is called “Becoming.” “Writing ‘Becoming’ has been a deeply personal experience,” she said in a statement. “It has allowed …

The Washington Post reports: Tentative plans for Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to make his first visit to the White House to meet with President Trump were scuttled this week after a testy call between the two leaders ended in an impasse over Trump’s promised border wall, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. Peña Nieto was eyeing an official trip …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: California Democrats sent a loud message to incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein, one of the nation’s best-known and longest-serving politicians, by not endorsing her for re-election at their state convention Sunday. The delegates also offered no endorsement in the state’s race to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom receiving the most support, with …

Politico reports: The FBI team investigating the 2016 Trump campaign’s contacts with Russians had already opened inquiries into multiple people connected to the campaign when it received a controversial dossier alleging illicit ties between then-candidate Trump and the Kremlin, a Democratic memo released by the House Intelligence Committee revealed Saturday. The dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, wasn’t …

Reuters reports: A Florida golf club owned by U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on Friday to pay $5.45 million to settle claims by former members that it wrongfully refused to refund their deposits when they wanted to resign. The payout is more than 94 percent of the $5.77 million that U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, who must approve the settlement, …

As I reported earlier today, last night CPAC communications director Ian Walters drew gasps from the audience when he declared that Michael Steele had only been elected RNC chairman because he is black. This afternoon Steele got into it with CPAC head Matt Schlapp, who told Steele he need to “have some grace” over the insult. As you’ll see in …

The Associated Press reports: Recently filed federal charges against President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort could also pose legal and regulatory risks for the banks that loaned him millions of dollars against his New York real estate in recent years. The most serious exposure may be for a Rhode Island-based bank that employed a “conspirator” in Manafort’s scheme to …

Business Insider reports: The family of Colton Haab, a student at the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last week, provided a doctored email to media outlets in order to defend Haab’s claims that CNN rewrote a question for him to ask at the network’s Wednesday town-hall-style event on school shootings. Haab told the Fox News host …

The Observer reports: Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) communication director Ian Walters sparked controversy with a racially charged insult hurled at former RNC chair Michael Steele on Friday night. “We elected Mike Steele as chairman because he was a black guy, that was the wrong thing to do,” Walters told hundreds of conservatives during the conference’s Ronald Reagan dinner as …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House-backed military parade are beginning to take shape. The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. The memo, which was summarized to …

Mediaite reports: The Missouri GOP has finally released an official statement on the scandal that has enveloped Gov. Eric Greitens (R-MO,) which found the politician slapped with an invasion of privacy charge, stemming from his extramarital affair with a woman in 2015. In a bizarre bit of narrative jiu jitsu, the party somehow has laid the blame at the feet …

The Associated Press reports: Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens remains defiant, even amid calls for impeachment or resignation, after a St. Louis grand jury indicted him for felony invasion of privacy, alleging the Republican took a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair the year before he was elected. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner on Thursday announced the …

The Week reports: President Trump will speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, although his vision and voice were strongly felt throughout the first day of events Thursday in speeches by Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. Trump is set to speak at 10:05 a.m. ET, and his message will …