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.

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 …

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.

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.

US ambassador to Panama resigns, saying he can no longer serve under Trump administration  —  US Ambassador to Panama John Feeley, a career diplomat and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, has resigned, telling the State Department he no longer feels able to serve President Donald Trump.

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.

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.

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:

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

President Trump today: Live updates  —  President Trump is facing backlash for his “shithole countries” slur as he's set to undergo a physical today.  Follow here for live updates.

The Top 10 Most Obsequious Comments Letterman Made to Obama During Their Netflix Interview  —  Former “Late Show” host David Letterman returned to the stage, in a manner of speaking, on Friday with the first episode of his Netflix special interview series.  —  His guest: Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States.

Time to Say It: Trump Is a Racist  —  When it comes to President Trump and race, there is a predictable cycle.  He makes a remark that seems racist, and people engage in an extended debate about whether he is personally racist.  His critics say he is.  His defenders argue for an interpretation …

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 …

Trump waives Iran sanctions for what administration says is last time  —  will again waive sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, the White House said Friday.  —  But the Trump administration is imposing new, nonnuclear sanctions in response …

AJC poll: Trump's approval ratings in Georgia erode  —  President Donald Trump's approval ratings have crumbled in Georgia over his first year in the White House, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Friday that shows nearly six in 10 registered voters disapprove of his performance.

Social Media Is Making Us Dumber.  Here's Exhibit A.  —  This week, a video surfaced of a Harvard professor, Steven Pinker, which appeared to show him lauding members of a racist movement.  The clip, which was pulled from a November event at Harvard put on by Spiked magazine …

The Dossier Rehab Campaign  —  Congress should work quickly to declassify documents and let the public decide.  —  There's no such thing as a coincidence in Washington, so why the sudden, furious effort by Democrats and the media to give cover to the Steele dossier?

Opioid Addiction Knows No Color, but Its Treatment Does … On a street lined with garbage trucks, in an industrial edge of Brooklyn, dozens of people started filing into an unmarked building before the winter sun rose.  Patients gather here every day to visit the Vincent Dole Clinic …

It's Time to Resist the Excesses of #MeToo  —  A month or so ago, a friend and I mulled over when exactly the backlash to the then-peaking #MeToo moral panic would set in.  Mid-January, we guessed, and sure enough here we are.  —  No, we were not being clairvoyant, just noting certain dynamics.