Donald Trump Jr. participated in an August 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that included suggestions that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates wanted to help his father win the 2016 presidential election, according to a New York Times report.
Why it matters: The meeting is "the first indication that countries other than Russia may have offered assistance to the Trump campaign," per the Times.
"F.B.I. agents sent an informant to talk to two [Trump] campaign advisers only after they received evidence that the pair had suspicious contacts linked to Russia during the campaign," the N.Y. Times reports:
Details: "The informant, an American academic who teaches in Britain, made contact late that summer with one campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos."
The State Department is cutting funding to stabilization programs in northwest Syria, two State Department officials tell Axios. The decision follows a review undertaken at President Trump's request and was made by "Department leadership in consultation with the interagency," a U.S. official told Axios.
What it means: The cuts are to counter violent extremism, civil society, and governance programs. "It's basically cutting losses at this point" since Assad and rebel forces have the northwest region encircled, Melissa Dalton, a former Pentagon official, tells Axios. But things could get much dicier for groups on the ground following the cut.
President Trump announced Friday that he will be nominating Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to officially lead the agency.
Timing: The announcement comes nearly one month after Dr. Ronny Jackson announced he was withdrawing his nomination following allegations of alcohol abuse and overprescription of medication.
More than 40 prominent figures in the conservative movement plan to send an open letter to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), urging the Freedom Caucus member to declare himself a candidate for Speaker “at once” to replace Paul Ryan.
Axios has obtained a letter — circulated by Ginni Thomas, longtime leader in the conservative movement and spouse of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — stating that current House Republican leadership "has utterly failed" and "proven that it’s part of the Swamp," and that Jordan is the solution. Richard Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, and Jenny Beth Martin, Chairman of the Tea Party Patriots, are among the more th 40 people who have also signed on.
President Trump is in a tight spot as he tries to pressure Iran with revived sanctions while avoiding political blowback for Republicans, and himself, from higher energy prices that hit businesses and consumers.
The big picture: There are simply too many variables to say with any certainty where oil prices — which are at their highest levels since late 2014 — will go moving forward. But Trump’s hawkish posture could bring domestic economic ripples.
America feels closer to three different possible wars than at any point this decade.
The big picture: Possibilities include a confrontation with North Korea over nuclear weapons, a spontaneous war in the Middle East, and a trade war with China.
