NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Trump hotel: The Trump family, after nearly three years of controversy and legal fights, is considering selling its Washington hotel that is a few blocks from the White House. The hotel has become a frequent target of criticism for Trump and his family because it frequently hosts foreign diplomats as well as corporate executives seeking approvals from the Trump administration, creating questions about conflicts of interest. “People are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel, and therefore we may be willing to sell,” Eric Trump said Friday in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the proposal. 2 Sheriff convicted: A
South Carolina sheriff found guilty of misconduct for using his power and office to push a personal assistant to have sex with him was sentenced to a year in prison Friday and will lose his job. Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis learned his sentence a day after a jury found him guilty of one misconduct charge, but not guilty of another. Prosecutors said Lewis hired a 22yearold personal assistant after his 2016 election, paying her $62,000 a year when some starting deputies make just $30,000, then arranged an outoftown meeting to try to have sex with her away from his wife and children.
3 Russian agent: A Russian gun rights activist who admitted being a secret agent for the Kremlin and trying to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups like the National Rifle Association while Donald Trump rose to power was released from federal prison on Friday, officials said. Maria Butina left a lowsecurity facility in Tallahassee, Fla., and was placed in the custody of federal immigration authorities. She was to be immediately deported to Russia now that she has finished her 18month sentence. Butina pleaded guilty last December to conspiring to act as an unregistered agent.
4 Campaign 2020: Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she will focus on her White House bid and not run for reelection to her Hawaii congressional seat. While lagging behind in a crowded Democratic presidential field, Gabbard has gotten renewed attention lately after a heated argument with former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Clinton said in a recent interview that she believes Republicans have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the thirdparty candidate.” Clinton did not name Gabbard directly.
5 Actress released: Felicity Huffman was released Friday from federal prison in the Bay Area 11 days into her 14day sentence for her role in the college admissions scandal, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said. The agency said the “Desperate Housewives” star was released from the lowsecurity prison for women in Dublin. More than 50 people have been charged in the admissions scheme, which involves wealthy and famous parents accused of paying bribes to rig their children’s test scores or to get them admitted to elite universities as recruited athletes.