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.

'This is CNN Tonight.  I'm Don Lemon.  The president of the United States is racist.'  —  It's not every day you hear a television news anchor unabashedly calling a public figure “racist.”  Broadcast journalists tend to tread lightly when describing racism, using terms such as “racially charged” or “racially tinged.”

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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:

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 …

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

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.

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 …

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 …