- Cambridge Analytica, the data firm used by the Trump campaign during the 2016 campaign, contacted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange seeking access to thousands of Hillary Clinton‘s emails kept on a private server while she was secretary of state [CNN].
- As Congressional Republicans push forward with their tax reform plan, but there are six issues that could derail that effort [Politico].
- A group of Republicans are threatening to derail the tax reform effort if a plan to get rid of the state and local tax deduction is included [CNN].
- Republicans shouldn’t expect any help from Democrats on tax reform. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says if the GOP crashes and burns on this issue, it will likely flip the house to Democratic control [Politico].
- Former Vice President Joe Biden says he’s not ruling out a run for president in 2020 [ABC News].
- President Donald Trump will declare the opioid crisis as a public health crisis on Thursday but will stop short of declaring it a national emergency [USA Today].
- Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake says he won’t be “vindictive” toward President Trump’s agenda in Congress, even though the two men have serious differences [Politico].
- President Donald Trump lashes out at Flake on Twitter following his announcement that he won’t run again in 2018 [ABC News].
- A record number of Americans support legalizing marijuana in the U.S., including a majority of Republicans [Gallup].
- President Donald Trump is changing the GOP and his critics have two choices – either give in or give up [New York Times].
- Allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell are starting to openly attack former White House strategist Steve Bannon. Bannon is hoping to oust McConnell as Senate Majority Leader in 2018 [Washington Post].
- The final batch of secret documents from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy will be released on Thursday [New York Times].
- Fishy! in 2014 President Donald Trump‘s longtime business associate Michael Cohen sold four New York buildings to anonymous buyers for millions of dollars in cash. Experts say the transactions raise red flags because they could be part of a money-laundering scheme [McClatchy].
- Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly is in negotiations with Sinclair Broadcasting to host a new show. Sinclair owns nearly 200 TV stations across the country [NBC News].
- Five women have accused prominent journalist Mark Halperin of sexual harassment [CNN].
- Ready to give Amazon.com the ability to open your front door while you’re not home? [Recode]
- A record number of retail stores have closed during 2017 [CNN Money].
On this day in history:
- 1774 -The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia.
- 1775 – King George III of Great Britain goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorizes a military response.
- 1776 – Benjamin Franklin departs America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.
- 1825 – The Erie Canal, America’s first man-made waterway, was opened, linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River.
- 1861 – The Pony Express officially ceases operations.
- 1881 – The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
- 1936 – The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation.
- 2001 – Congress passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.
