Chris Christie Becomes Powerful Figure in Donald Trump Campaign  —  Defeated by Donald J. Trump in the 2016 primaries and derided by fellow Republicans for his subsequent embrace of Mr. Trump, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has quietly emerged as one of the most influential advisers …

Democrats groan after Bill Clinton meets Loretta Lynch  —  Attorney General Loretta Lynch described her Monday meeting with Bill Clinton aboard a private plane as “primarily social,” but some Democrats are struggling to stomach the optics of the attorney general's meeting with the former president …

Presidential Race Shaping Up Similarly to 2012  —  PPP's newest national poll continues to find the Presidential race shaping up pretty similarly to how the 2012 contest played out, with Hillary Clinton holding a 4 point lead that matches Barack Obama's final margin of victory last time around.

Sources: Donald Trump Listened In On Phone Lines At Mar-A-Lago  — Several workers said Trump used the equipment to secretly listen in on phone calls in the mid-2000s.  —  At Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach resort he runs as a club for paying guests and celebrities, Donald Trump …

House to vote on gun legislation  —  A week after Democrats staged a nearly 26-hour sit-in demanding a vote on gun control measures, Speaker Paul Ryan  —  (R-Wis.) said the House will vote next week on legislation to block suspected terrorists from buying guns.

Trump skepticism hardens in GOP  —  Over the past several weeks, Donald Trump has managed to deliver several scripted speeches that stayed on message.  He's hired top staffers to bulk up his skeletal campaign.  And he's kick-started a fundraising operation, while focusing most of his rhetorical fire on Hillary Clinton.

After Saying He Forgave Loans to Campaign, Trump Won't Release Proof  —  When Donald Trump said last Thursday he was forgiving over $45 million in personal loans he made to his campaign, the announcement drew plenty of coverage.  Many even reported Trump's statement as if the deal was done.

Nothing sorry about Trump One  —  ABOARD TRUMP ONE — The candidate loosened his tie and offered me some advice.  —  “Whatever you do, don't apologize,” he said.  “You never hear me apologize, do you?  That's what killed Jimmy the Greek way back.  Remember?  He was doing okay 'til he said he was sorry.”

Navy report: Failure at every level for US ships captured by Iran  —  Iran video appears to show U.S. sailor in tears  —  Washington (CNN)A devastating new report by military investigators released Thursday found that the 10 sailors captured by Iranians in January suffered from “failed leadership” …

Fox targeted by FEC Dems in first-ever vote to punish debate sponsorship  —  Finally making good on long-harbored anger at conservative media, Democrats on the Federal Election Commission voted in secret to punish Fox News' sponsorship of a Republican presidential debate …

Mika's hush-hush divorce fuels Joe romance chatter  —  MORE FROM:  —  “Morning Joe” hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough could soon go public as a couple.  Page Six has exclusively learned that Brzezinski and her husband of 23 years have quietly divorced.

The Pentagon's ban on transgender service just fell - but the details are complicated  —  Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter repealed the Pentagon's long-held ban on transgender people serving in the military Thursday, ending a year-long process that was bogged down by internal conflict …

Lynch meeting with Bill Clinton creates firestorm for email case  —  The private meeting between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton  —  has created a political firestorm, fueling criticism of the Justice Department's investigation into Hillary Clinton

Rationalia, Ho!  —  Kevin Williamson's piece on “Rationalia” may be the best thing he's written in a while — which is quite a high bar.  But I may be biased because it is so in my wheelhouse.  For those of you who read the Tyranny of Clichés or any of my extended rants …

Nancy Grace to Depart HLN After 12 Years (Exclusive)  —  EMAIL ME  —  One of cable's most recognizable and controversial figures tells THR she will embark upon a new chapter involving “a very large digital component.”  —  Nancy Grace, who parlayed her stint as a successful prosecutor …

Naked man takes over Times Square, screams about Donald Trump  —  A naked man screaming “Donald Trump where are you!” turned Times Square into an open-air peep show Thursday morning, ambling to the top of the red staircase in Duffy Square where he put on a bizarre one-hour spectacle, and then jumped off.

Culture Is Replacing Class as the Key Political Divide  —  When United Kingdom voters last week narrowly approved a referendum to leave the European Union, they underscored again how an era of unrelenting economic and demographic change is shifting the axis of politics across much of the industrialized world from class to culture.