1. U.S. intelligence reports say a Russian oligarch believed to be in charge of the Russian mercenaries who attacked U.S. forces in Syria this month was in close contact with the Kremlin and Syrian officials in the days leading up to the attack. Intercepted communications between Yevgeniy Prigozhin and a Syrian official indicate that Prigozhin — who was recently indicted by Robert Mueller on charges of bankrolling and conducting information warfare against the U.S. during the 2016 presidential election — said he had "secured permission" from an unspecified Russian minister to conduct a "fast and strong" initiative in early February. (Washington Post)

  2. Paul Ryan plans to replace the head of a federal election commission charged with helping U.S. states protect their election systems against possible cyber attacks by foreign entities. Chairman Matthew Masterson will not be permitted to seek a second four-year term as one of the four commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. A spokesperson for Paul Ryan insisted that the move was routine, and rejected the notion that Masterson was being removed or sidelined. (Reuters)

  3. Trump suggested Thursday that the U.S. could come up with enough money to arm and train up to a million teachers with guns as a way to keep schools safe from mass shootings like the one that occurred in Parkland, Florida. Trump said arming teachers would be a "great deterrent" to would-be killers, and suggested that up to 40 percent of teachers could be given a bonus of $1,000 if they agree to carry a weapon and undergo training to make them "gun-adept." The White House said the plan, if implemented, would involve distributing a total of roughly $1 billion to a million teachers across the country. (The Guardian)

  4. The Trump administration is expected to announce a new round of sanctions against North Korea today. The sanctions are being billed as “the largest package of new sanctions against the North Korea regime” yet, and are intended to increase pressure on Kim Jong Un's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Details about the specifics of the sanctions have been scarce. Trump plans to give a mid-morning speech about the sanctions to the Conservative Political Action Conference. (Reuters)

  5. John Kasich and members of his inner circle are reportedly gearing up for a possible Republican primary challenge to Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Kasich and his team are apparently counting on the "very real, maybe even likely, possibility" that Trump will not run again in 2020 — either by choice or due to the constantly changing political landscape surrounding the Trump administration. (Politico)