A federal judge in California dismissed Monday a defamation lawsuit that Stephanie Clifford (also known as Stormy Daniels) filed against President Trump for what her legal team described as "irresponsible and defamatory statements” on Twitter.
The backstory: Daniels sued Trump in April for calling a composite sketch of a man Daniels said threatened her in 2011 to keep quiet about her alleged sexual affair with Trump as a “con job.” Daniels’ attorneys said that tweet unfairly portrayed her as a liar, But U.S. District Judge James Otero ruled that it was non-defamatory on its face, instead characterizing it as “rhetorical hyperbole.” However, Otero also ruled that Daniels is entitled to pay Trump' legal fees, the details of which are to be determined at a later date.
The Cherokee Nation, one of the largest tribes in the U.S., issued a statement Monday dismissing Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) release of DNA analysis as "inappropriate and wrong ... [and undermines] tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."
Be smart: Warren did not claim that the analysis, which she says proves she has Native American ancestry, was evidence of tribal membership. Rather, she said she released her DNA results as a response to President Donald Trump mocking her for saying she was of Native American heritage.
The U.S. budget deficit grew by $113 billion in fiscal year 2018, driven by tax cuts and increased federal spending on defense, Medicaid, Social Security and disaster relief, reports CNBC.
The big picture: The total deficit for FY 2018 came in at $779 billion, or 3.9% of U.S. GDP, and was the largest of any year since 2012. In a statement, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said that "America's booming economy will create increased government revenues," but warned that Congress should be wary of the "dire consequences" of irresponsible spending.
President Trump repeated that King Salman of Saudi Arabia "firmly denied" having any knowledge about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi while speaking to reporters Monday, adding that it's possible "rogue killers" could have been responsible.
Flashback: Trump's willingness to accept Salman's denials is reminiscent of his July summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, where he told reporters of Putin's denials of election hacking: "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."
President Trump tweeted Monday morning that he had spoken to — and will send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with — King Salman of Saudi Arabia about Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist suspected to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
"Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened 'to our Saudi Arabian citizen.' He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King!"
The big picture: The Saudi government has agreed to allow Turkish authorities to search the consulate as early as Monday afternoon, per the WashPost. The escalating international rift has massive financial implications and has caused a number of companies to back away from doing business with the Saudis until more answers are provided.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a DNA test to the Boston Globe that suggests there is "strong evidence" she had a Native American ancestor 6–10 generations back in her family tree.
The big picture: The test, while "inherently imprecise," indicates Warren is between 1/32 and 1/1,024 Native American, supporting the senator's claims that her Cherokee ancestry was a recurring theme in the family stories she was told growing up in Oklahoma. The controversy over Warren's heritage had become a favorite target for mockery by President Trump, who nicknamed her "Pocahontas" and claimed she had used a false minority status to get hired at Harvard Law School.
President Trump has clearly soured on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and top Republicans and Democrats both tell me his departure would be particularly costly for the White House — and a disturbing sign for outsiders.
The big picture: A former aide who can read Trump like a book told me: "His tone on Mattis is really striking. ... Will be worth watching whether he's just brushing him back and moving on, or if he launches a sustained effort to get him to quit." And if Mattis departs on anything other than the most cordial terms, confirming a successor will be fraught.
President Trump sat down for a lengthy interview with Lesley Stahl on CBS' "60 Minutes," discussing a wide variety of topics from climate change to foreign policy to the Mueller investigation.
The big picture: Trump was discursive — and often combative — while defending some of his administration's most controversial policies, including family separation at the border. He ended one particularly tense exchange with Stahl by reminding her, "Lesley, it's okay. In the meantime, I'm president — and you're not."
President Trump has done 33 #MAGA campaign rallies in 17 states, including last night in Kentucky. In addition, he attended rallies for two GOP candidates (in Alabama and South Carolina), according to a tally by Mark Knoller of CBS News.
The other side: At the same point in his presidency, Obama had done nine political rallies for Democratic candidates and the DNC, and one for his health insurance plan.
As President Trump builds his team for 2020, he has asked Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel to serve a second term, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
The big picture: The source said Trump praised McDaniel's work on behalf of the America First agenda, effective management of the party infrastructure, and record grassroots engagement and fundraising.
Democratic hopefuls for 2020, who had been expected to wait until after midterms to begin overt campaigning, are jumping the gun and flooding into Iowa, New Hampshire and other early-voting states to begin building support.
What they're saying: Jeff Link, a top Iowa operative who has worked in Hawkeye State politics since he joined Joe Biden in 1987, said it's like a poker game: "No one wanted to jump in, but once [New Jersey Sen. Cory] Booker broke the seal (and had a good trip), it's forcing everyone else's hand."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who is publicly considering a 2020 presidential run, has been positioning herself for a bid in recent months by crisscrossing the country to coordinate with local and state campaigns to help elect Democrats nationwide, the Washington Post's Matt Viser writes.
The state of play: Her ongoing efforts have reportedly encompassed all 50 states, including direct coordination with more than 150 political campaigns, Viser reports. Most notably, Warren — one of Democrats' top 2020 favorites — is targeting some of the early-primary states during a presidential run, deploying staffers to New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, as well as battleground states like Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin.
For a great indication of how much the Trump brand is worth, look no further than the retail price of the New World Red Reserve wine from Trump's very own winery in Monticello, Virginia.
Reproduced from American Association of Wine Economists; Chart: Axios Visuals
By the numbers: Before Trump ran for president, his flagship red generally priced around 25% higher than other Bordeaux-style blends from the region. Now, it sells at roughly a 20% discount.
A new CNN poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden leading a crowded Democratic field of potential 2020 presidential contenders — with Sen. Bernie Sanders in a distant second.
The big picture: While a poll this early doesn't really have any predictive value for the Democrats' eventual nominee, the fragmented, wide-open field is most notable. As the Washington Post's Dave Weigel points out, with 65% of the party's support, Hillary Clinton led a much smaller field by a much greater margin in the same poll in December 2014.
Investor appetite for cryptocurrencies and blockchain tech continues, with the arrival of Dragonfly Capital Partners this week, but that's not all the news you should know about.
President Trump told CBS News' Lesley Stahl in a "60 Minutes" episode, which airs Sunday night, that he thinks Secretary of Defense James Mattis is "sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth."
The big picture: While Mattis has denied reports that he's thinking of leaving his post at the Pentagon, Trump says on "60 Minutes" that while he hasn't been told anything, "[h]e may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves." Trump also said he has "people now on standby" to fill administration positions.
