1. Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s foreign minister met secretly with the U.S. special envoy in New York, even while the Trump administration continues to publicly back an attempt to overthrow the Maduro government. While in New York, the foreign minister urged Elliot Abrams to come to Venezuela “privately, publicly or secretly.” U.S. officials have said they are willing to meet with officials from the current Venezuelan administration, “including Maduro himself, to discuss their exit plans.” (Associated Press / Politico)

  2. Trump gained four pounds over the last year, making him technically obese. Trump’s doctor still claimed that Trump “remains in very good health overall” in a memo released by the White House. Dr. Sean Conley said Trump is 6’3” and weighs 243 pounds. Last year, Trump weighed 239 pounds. That puts his current body mass index at 30.4, just over the 30.0 mark for obesity. (Politico)

  3. Pro-Israel lobbyists and donors spent more than $22 million on lobbying and campaign contributions during the last election cycle. Those same groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars through a variety of channels in order to influence American politics and elections in recent decades. The Guardian investigation found that the pro-Israel lobby is “highly active and spends heavily to influence US policy,” but not as heavily as some U.S. business sectors. “I haven’t observed many other countries that have a comparable level of activity, at least in domestic lobbying data,” said a senior researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics. The Guardian started examining the data after Muslim Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar claimed pro-Israel lobby money influenced U.S. policy. (The Guardian)