1/ Three women who previously accused Trump of sexual harassment called for Congress to investigate the allegations. Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey, and Rachel Crooks said that “a non-partisan investigation is important not just for him but for anybody that has allegations against them, this isn’t a partisan issue, this is how women are treated everyday.” The White House called the accusations false and “totally disputed in most cases,” adding that “the timing and absurdity of these false claims speak volumes.” (CBS News / Washington Post / USA Today)

  • How Trump came around to support an accused child molester: He doesn’t believe the claims leveled by Roy Moore’s accusers. Who were these women, he asked, and why had they kept quiet for 40 years only to level charges weeks before an election? (Politico)

2/ Nikki Haley: The women who’ve accused Trump of sexual harassment “should be heard,” breaking from the administration’s assertion that the allegations are false. The US ambassador to the United Nations argued that Trump’s accusers should be treated no differently than the other women who have come forward recently with stories of sexual harassment and misconduct against other men. (New York Times)

3/ Democratic senators called for Trump’s resignation over sexual harassment and assault accusations against him. Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, and Jeff Merkley suggested that the standard that brought down Al Franken should be applied to Trump. Kirsten Gillibrand added: “Trump has committed assault” and “he should be fully investigated and he should resign.” (Washington Post / CNN)

4/ Obama called on Alabama voters to reject Roy Moore. “This one’s serious,” Obama said in a recorded message intended for black voters whose turnout is critical for Democratic candidate Doug Jones. “You can’t sit it out.” Multiple women have accused Moore of pursuing relationships with them when they were teenagers while he was in his 30s, and one woman has accused him of sexual assault. (CNN)

  • A Nebraska Republican National Committeewoman resigned in protest of the committee’s financial support for Roy Moore. (Politico)

5/ Adam Schiff called the evidence of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia is “pretty damning.” The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee said: “The Russians offered help. The campaign accepted help. The Russians gave help. And the president made full use of that help.” (The Hill)

6/ Robert Mueller’s investigators are focused on an 18-day timeline related to possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Sally Yates testified that she told White House Counsel Don McGahn on January 26th that Michael Flynn had lied to senior members of the Trump team about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Possible obstruction of justice hinges on when Trump knew about Flynn’s conversations with Russia’s ambassador during the transition and when he learned that Flynn had lied about those conversations to the FBI. Trump fired Flynn on February 13th, saying he did so because he had misled Pence. Mueller is trying to determine why Flynn remained in his job for 18 days after Trump learned of Yates’ warning, and is interested in whether Trump directed him to lie to senior officials. (NBC News)

  • Steve Bannon’s name has surfaced a handful of times in the special counsel and congressional investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Bannon was a key bystander when Trump decided to fire Michael Flynn, and was among those who Trump consulted before firing James Comey. (Politico)

7/ The Treasury Department admits the GOP tax plan won’t pay for itself through increased economic growth. The one-page analysis says “a combination of regulatory reform, infrastructure development, and welfare reform” is needed to offset the cost of the tax plan. (Politico / Axios)

poll/ 50% of Alabama voters support Democrat Doug Jones. 40% support Roy Moore. (Fox News)

poll/ 32% of Americans support the GOP tax plan - the lowest level of public support for any major piece of legislation enacted in the past three decades. 53% say it won’t help the economy in a major way. (USA Today)

Notables.

  1. Four people were injured in an explosion in the passageway connecting the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations. A suspect is in custody. Mayor Bill de Blasio called the blast an “attempted terrorist attack.” (New York Times)

  2. The Supreme Court refused to hear a case challenging sex discrimination protections in employment and whether they extend to sexual orientation. (The Hill)

  3. A federal judge denied Trump’s request to delay accepting transgender recruits, who will now be able to enlist by January 1st. (Washington Post)

  4. Police shoot Americans more than twice as often as previously known, according to data from the 50 largest local police departments. (Vice News)

  5. Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria. Putin made a similar withdrawal announcement last year, but Russian military operations continued. (BBC)

  6. Inside Trump’s battle for self-preservation. tl;dr Twitter, cable news, and a dozen Diet Cokes. (New York Times)

  7. The Trump administration is taking credit for killing 469 regulatory actions. 42% were already dead. (Bloomberg)

  8. Macron will award US climate scientists with “Make Our Planet Great Again” grants to conduct research in France for the remainder of Trump’s current presidential term, totaling about $70 million. (ABC News)