Russian cyber hacks on U.S. electoral system far wider than previously known, says Bloomberg. It is now believed that Russian hackers hit systems in a total of 39 states. "The scope and sophistication so concerned Obama administration officials that they took an unprecedented step -- complaining directly to Moscow over a modern-day “red phone.” Read more 

Middle East standoff leads to a DC lobbying battle, says the Hill. Qatar paid five K Street firms more than $1.8 million on its advocacy efforts last year. Many of Qatar’s neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE, also pay numerous lobbying firms. "Multiple K Street operatives for Saudi Arabia told The Hill that Qatar-related issues are not on their radar at the moment. However, the number of firms it has indicates that a big force could be mobilized to shape U.S. policy and thinking on the issue, should the need arise." Read more 

D.C. and Maryland AGs file lawsuit against Trump, says the Washington Post. The lawsuit by AGs Karl Racine and Brian Frosh says that Trump is ‘flagrantly violating’ the emoluments claus. "The new lawsuit argues that D.C. and Maryland, specifically, are being harmed because the Trump International Hotel near the White House may be drawing business away from the taxpayer-owned Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District and a facility in Maryland subsidized by taxpayers." This lawsuit is a first of its kind brought by government entities. Read more 

The Koch Brothers effort to rewrite the constitution runs into roadblocks, says Arn Pearson of of the Center for Media and Democracy. "Advocates of a federal “balanced budget amendment” (BBA) picked up two more states, Wyoming and Arizona, in their drive to win the 34 resolutions needed to bypass Congress and convene a convention to propose changes to the U.S. Constitution. That momentum, however, was blunted by surprisingly successful campaigns to rescind convention calls in three states, New Mexico, Maryland, and Nevada. As a result, BBA proponents now claim 27 states in their column, down from 28 at the beginning of the year. Two steps forward and three steps back…from the brink of a political experiment untried since 1787." Read more  Democracy 21 is one of the leaders of the national coalition opposing a constitutional convention.

Ivanka Trump's company calls off deal with brand tied to Japanese government, says the New York Times. Ivanka Trump's clothing company ended a deal with a Japanese apparel company after they learned that the company was backed by the Japanese government. "The New York Times reported in December that Ms. Trump’s company was finalizing the agreement when Ms. Trump sat in on her father’s meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, and that the company’s largest shareholder was a government-owned bank. The brand “decided not to pursue further negotiations” the next month, the company said." Read more