Trump Lawyer Arranged $130,000 Payment for Adult-Film Star's Silence  —  Agreement just before election required woman to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, people familiar with the matter say  —  A lawyer for President Donald Trump arranged a $130,000 payment …

Trump's history of breaking decorum with remarks on race, ethnicity  —  A career intelligence analyst who is an expert in hostage policy stood before President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last fall to brief him on the impending release of a family long held in Pakistan under uncertain circumstances.

Exclusive: Watch Chris Matthews Joke About His ‘Bill Cosby Pill’ Before Interviewing Hillary Clinton  —  On January 5, 2016, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews interviewed Hillary Clinton in an Iowa fire station during the Democratic primary season.  Network footage obtained by the Cut shows Matthews …

Trump criticism dominates Chuck Grassley town meeting in rural Iowa  —  LOGAN, Ia.  — U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley faced relentless questioning about President Donald Trump's fitness for office and his own handling of the investigation into Russian election meddling at a rural town meeting here Friday morning.

Sen. Tim Scott: Graham says reports of Trump's ‘shithole countries’ comment ‘basically accurate’  —  U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said he talked to fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham about hearing President Donald Trump's “shithole countries” comment and Graham confirmed to him the president said it.

White House struggles with muting function for 22 minutes on Iran conference call with reporters  —  It took the White House twenty-two minutes to figure out how to enable the “listening only” feature on a conference call on Thursday in which senior administration officials announced …

Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers  —  A BuzzFeed News review of every sale of a Trump-branded condominium in the United States provides the first comprehensive look at how many went to unidentified buyers who paid cash, an indication of possible money laundering.

A President Who Fans, Rather Than Douses, the Nation's Racial Fires  —  WASHINGTON — As he signed a proclamation marking the holiday next week honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President Trump on Friday recalled the civil rights leader's message that “no matter what the color …

James O'Keefe says Trump asked him to go on birther-linked mission  —  Donald Trump in 2013 asked James O'Keefe, the controversial conservative filmmaker, if he could “get inside” Columbia University and obtain President Obama's sealed college records, according to a passage in O'Keefe's forthcoming book …

Cybersecurity firm: US Senate in Russian hackers' crosshairs  —  PARIS (AP) — The same Russian government-aligned hackers who penetrated the Democratic Party have spent the past few months laying the groundwork for an espionage campaign against the U.S. Senate, a cybersecurity firm said Friday.

Demoralized Trump aides grapple with 'shithole'-gate  —  White House aides were demoralized on Thursday night, watching the word “shithole” slink across the cable news chyrons.  —  In the wake of the administration's tax reform coup, Fiat Chrysler had just announced it planned to spend …

How The Alt-Right — And Paul Ryan's Challenger — Coordinate To Fight The “Jewish Media”  —  When Steve Bannon, Breitbart, and other conservatives cut ties with far-right activist and congressional candidate Paul Nehlen, he turned to his private Twitter direct message group, CityRevoltVoteNehlen.

After drubbing by media, Trump's ambassador to the Netherlands apologizes for anti-Muslim remarks  —  The embattled U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands Peter Hoekstra apologized Friday for making unsubstantiated anti-Muslim claims at a conference in 2015, after his first week in the post …

Trump Puts the Purpose of His Presidency Into Words  —  Francis Amasa Walker had fought to preserve the Union in the Grand Army of the Republic, but by 1896 he saw its doom in the huddled masses coming from Eastern Europe.  The “immigrants from southern Italy, Hungary, Austria, and Russia …

Tax officials reduce Trump's tax bill on D.C. hotel by nearly $1 million  —  President Trump's D.C. hotel received a $53.6 million reduction in its 2018 assessment from the District of Columbia tax office, saving his company nearly $1 million.  —  The District tax office initially valued …

Supreme Court to hear sales tax collection case  —  The Supreme Court agreed Friday to wade into the issue of sales tax collection on internet purchases in a case that could force consumers to pay more for certain purchases and allow states to recoup what they say is billions in lost revenue annually.

Biden Trashes Millennials in His Quest to Become Even Less Likable  —  In an apparent effort to make himself an even less appealing 2020 contender, former Vice President Joe Biden had some harsh words for millennials while promoting his new book on Wednesday.  Here's what he said in a conversation with Patt Morrison of the LA Times:

‘Thanks, but no thanks’ - Norwegians reject Trump's immigration offer  —  OSLO (Reuters) - Many Norwegians rejected on Friday a suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump that they would be more welcome to move to the United States than immigrants from “shithole countries” such as Haiti or African nations.

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos to Fund 1,000 College Scholarships for Dreamers $33 million donation the largest ever for TheDream.US  —  Jeff Holmes jholmes@skdknick.com 860-575-6870  —  Desiree Vodounon dvodounon@skdknick.com 917-499-5101