Trump backer Tom Barrack defends Saudi Arabia  —  Real estate developer said that kingdom was misunderstood by the West  —  Dubai: America is in no moral position to criticise Saudi Arabia, according to financier and key Trump backer Tom Barrack.  —  Speaking on stage at the Milken Institute MENA Summit …

President Trump installed a room-sized golf simulator at White House  —  President Trump has installed a room-sized “golf simulator” game at the White House, which allows him to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world by hitting a ball into a large video screen, according to two people told about the system.

Howard Schultz and the media's unlearned lesson  —  A billionaire flirts with a run for president and gets grossly disproportionate free airtime.  We all know the punchline.  Howard Schultz, the running-but-not-yet-running former CEO of Starbucks, has attracted intense media interest …

Michael Bloomberg's $500 million anti-Trump moonshot  —  Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg is preparing to spend at least $500 million from his own pocket to deny President Donald Trump a second term, according to Democratic operatives briefed on his plans.

Former U.S. Counterintelligence Agent Charged With Espionage on Behalf of Iran; Four Iranians Charged With a Cyber Campaign Targeting Her Former Colleagues  —  Indictment Unsealed as U.S. Treasury Department Announces Economic Sanctions  —  Monica Elfriede Witt, 39, a former U.S. service member …

Schumer recruits famed fighter pilot to challenge McConnell in 2020  —  Chuck Schumer is actively recruiting a high-profile fighter pilot to take on Mitch McConnell in 2020 — a calculated act of aggression against a leading Republican foe.  —  Schumer met with Amy McGrath …

A Fence, Steel Slats or ‘Whatever You Want to Call It’: A Detailed Timeline of Trump's Words About the Wall  —  As a candidate, Donald J. Trump's language about the southern border was remarkably simple: He would build a great wall, and Mexico would pay for it.  He repeated this promise hundreds of times.

MN Jewish leaders talked with Ilhan Omar about anti-Semitism last year.  Why they remain frustrated.  —  Ilhan Omar has been talked to about this before.  —  Last year, before she was elected to the House of Representatives, before she emerged from a crowded Democratic field …

House Democrats plan vast Russia probe  —  Mueller is just the beginning.  House Democrats plan a vast probe of President Trump and Russia — with a heavy focus on money laundering — that will include multiple committees and dramatic public hearings, and could last into 2020.

Unmistakable Divide Among Women in Virginia Over Accusations Against Fairfax  —  RICHMOND, Va. — To Constance Cordovilla, the president of the Virginia National Organization for Women, the two sexual assault allegations against Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax are not just grounds for him to resign …

Who is Richard Burr, Really?  Why the public can't trust his voice in the Russia probe  —  On the same day that Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) officially joined the Trump campaign as a senior national security advisor, the U.S. intelligence community released a statement that the Kremlin was trying to interfere in the election.

President Trump wants the press to check out the Great Tariff Debate of 1888.  Okay!  —  On tariffs, what can 1888 tell us about 2019?  —  Many things happened at President Trump's El Paso rally on Monday night.  A BBC cameraman was violently attacked by a #MAGA supporter; you can read his colleague's account of that here.

Trump Approval, Economic Confidence Rebound  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump's job approval rating has risen to 44% after the conclusion of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.  While views of Trump have improved, the public's heightened positivity does not extend …

Chris Christie talks his time with Trump at Manhattan soirée  —  Chris Christie told Trump stories for nearly an hour last night at the Manhattan home of hedge fund billionaire Steven Cohen.  —  What he's saying: Standing in front of 10-foot-high windows on the first floor of a home …

APNewsBreak: Howard Dean to head new Dem voter data exchange  —  Howard Dean is back.  —  The one-time presidential candidate, former Vermont governor and ex-Democratic National Committee chairman is set to return to prominence as head of a new operation that Democrats hope puts them back on par …

Trump Is Immune From Impeachment if Mueller Can't Share His Evidence  —  Attorney General nominee William Barr sounds likely to try to keep what the special counsel finds out from Congress.  Thanks to Watergate, there's a way around him.  —  Donald Trump's next attorney general may attempt …

Rachael Rollins prepared to investigate Boston-based assault allegations against Va. lieutenant governor  —  Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Tuesday that she is ready to investigate allegations that Virginia's lieutenant governor sexually assaulted a woman at the 2004 Democratic …

An artist famed for using his own urine just bought Trump's wedding cake.  His plans are a mystery.  —  Everyone who's anyone got one.  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani, now President Trump's lawyer, got one.  So did Hillary Clinton, who became Trump's archrival, and CNN President Jeff Zucker.

Brie Larson isn't letting ‘Captain Marvel’ press tour be ‘overwhelmingly’ white and male … Brie Larson is on a mission to save the world — and not just in her latest flick, superhero blockbuster “Captain Marvel.”  —  The Academy Award-winning actress might be the star …

Binyamin Appelbaum Joins the Editorial Board  —  Binyamin Appelbaum, a reporter in Washington who has covered the economy for nine years, will be the board's lead writer on business and economics.  Read more in this note from editorial page editor James Bennet, deputy editorial page editor Katie Kingsbury and op-ed editor Jim Dao.

McCarthy blames Republican loss of House majority on GOP health care bill  —  Speaking privately to his donors, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy squarely blamed Republican losses in last year's midterm elections on the GOP push to roll back health insurance protections for people …

The Daily 202: Everyone gets a win.  Huge public lands bill shows how Congress is supposed to work.  —  THE BIG IDEA: Politics doesn't have to be a zero-sum game.  In this era of brinkmanship and braggadocio, when official Washington lurches from crisis to crisis, with shutdowns and smash-mouth politics …

How Team Trump keeps changing its story in the Russia investigation  —  Over the past two years, President Donald Trump and his team have offered changing accounts regarding key matters in the Russia investigation.  Their denials have been debunked, Trump has contradicted his senior aides …

Wilbur Ross, Ivanka Trump Introduce Workforce Advisory Board  —  The chief executives of Apple Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Walmart Inc., are among 25 prominent Americans from various walks of life who will shape Trump administration efforts to develop job training programs to meet the changing demands of U.S. employers.