Ex-Trump aide says he'll likely cooperate with Mueller  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Trump campaign aide spent much of Monday promising to defy a subpoena from special counsel Robert Mueller, even throwing down the challenge to “arrest me,” then backed off his defiance by saying he would probably cooperate in the end.

North Korea Is Willing to Discuss Giving Up Nuclear Weapons, South Says  —  SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has told South Korean envoys that his country is willing to begin negotiations with the United States on abandoning its nuclear weapons and that it would suspend …

Flynn selling house to pay legal bills in Trump probe  —  Michael Flynn, the retired Army general and ex-Trump national security adviser who pleaded guilty last year to lying to FBI agents about his Russian contacts, has put his Virginia home up for sale to pay mounting legal fees, friends and family members told ABC News.

Australian diplomat whose tip prompted FBI's Russia-probe has tie to Clintons  —  The Australian diplomat whose tip in 2016 prompted the Russia-Trump investigation previously arranged one of the largest foreign donations to Bill and Hillary Clinton's charitable efforts, documents show.

Trump Reaffirms Commitment to Tariffs but Opens Door to Compromise  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump, facing an angry chorus of protests from leaders of his own party, including the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, insisted on Monday that he would not back down from his plan to impose across-the-board tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is expected to announce her resignation Tuesday morning  —  Nashville Mayor Megan Barry speaks to the press in Old Hickory after a ribbon cutting ceremony Michael Schwab  —  Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is expected to announce her resignation at a press conference Tuesday morning.

TV Ratings: Oscars Drop to All-Time Low 26.5 Million Viewers  —  The telecast stumbles an unfortunate 19 percent from 2017.  —  A comparatively uneventful Oscar telecast led the way on TV Sunday night — though updated numbers have the telecast somewhat predictably stumbling to an all-time low.

Premium Twitter feeds are for suckers  —  I know, because I read them.  —  Facebook and Twitter have both pledged never to charge users a monthly fee for their basic services, partly in response to persistent hoaxes claiming otherwise.  And why would they?

'It's almost nasty': Dems seek crackdown on sleeping in the Capitol  —  A bloc of House Democrats is calling for an ethics investigation into the widespread practice of lawmakers sleeping in their offices, arguing it's an abuse of taxpayer funds.  —  More than two dozen members …

“He Can Go from a B Player to an A Player”: At Rolling Stone, Ryan Lizza Is Writing, Jann and Gus Wenner Are Still Kicking Around, and Jay Penske Is the Media Tycoon du Jour  —  Jay Penske, the scion of an auto-racing empire, has a legitimate shot to turn the baby-boomer culture bible around—if he can make it safe for millennials.

Trump Lawyer's Payment to Porn Star Was Reported as Suspicious by Bank  —  First Republic alerted Treasury Department about Michael Cohen's $130,000 wire transfer to former adult-film actress Stormy Daniels  —  The bank used by President Donald Trump's personal lawyer to wire $130,000 …

Trump's name stripped from Panama hotel as showdown appears to end … PANAMA CITY — Workers began removing the Trump name from the only Trump-branded hotel in Latin America on Monday after the majority owner of the Trump Panama hotel won a legal battle to eject the president's company as its manager.

Russia suspected of using ‘dumb’ bombs to shift blame for Syria war crimes  —  UN sources say Moscow's use of weapons similar to those used by Syrian regime could be attempt to mask involvement in airstrikes … The Russian air force has used unguided “dumb” bombs in Syria …

He Turned on Al Qaeda and Aided the U.S. Now He's on Food Stamps and Needs a Job.  —  Bryant Neal Vinas, a convicted terrorist from Long Island, showed up recently for dinner at Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side in oversize glasses with black rims, a thin attempt to alter his appearance.

Florida school removes teacher who hosted white nationalist podcast  —  A Florida school district removed a middle school teacher from her classroom after it was revealed that she had secretly hosted a white nationalist podcast, raising concerns that she may have exposed her students to such ideology.

EPA appointee gets approval to consult for outside clients  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A key aide to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has been granted permission to make extra money moonlighting for private clients whose identities are being kept secret.