Dozens of former Obama administration officials are running for office this year, largely in opposition to President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE and his policies, NBC News reported Sunday. At least 64 former Obama staffers are running for federal, state or local office this year, according to the network, which cited numbers obtained from the Obama Alumni Association. The group said it expects that number to rise as more Obama alums contact it about their bids. Some states also have yet…

Former President Obama has been privately meeting with possible 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Politico reported Monday. Obama has reportedly held one-on-one sessions with at least nine candidates in his Washington, D.C., office over the past few months, including former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE, Sens. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with…

University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato says Democrats for the first time are the favorites to retake control of the House in this year’s midterm elections. Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the university’s Center for Politics, said Tuesday that Democrats are now “soft favorites” for control of the chamber. ADVERTISEMENT “For most of this election cycle the generic ballot has shown a consistent Democratic lead that suggests a very competitive battle for the majority. A high number of open seats — the highest number of any postwar election save 1992 — give Democrats many more targets than the GOP,” he wrote. The analysis comes as Sabato shifted 17 House races in favor…

Citing the destruction wrought by last year’s uniquely devastating Atlantic hurricane season and other natural disasters, a group of Caribbean religious leaders issued a letter (pdf) on Friday calling on governments and international financial institutions to relieve the debt of island nations and allow them to devote their resources to meeting the needs of their citizens. “Islands that are struggling to recover after natural disasters and meet basic needs of their people should not be making debt payments.” —Eric LeCompte, Jubilee USA”Across the Caribbean, we still see immense suffering from the hurricanes that landed last year,” Jubilee USA executive director Eric LeCompte said in a statement endorsing the Caribbean leaders’…

The Trump administration on Thursday officially unveiled its new policy aimed at upping foreign sales of military drones, with President Donald Trump hailing the plan as one that will allow weapons deals to be finalized more quickly. The new policy will allow defense companies to negotiate contracts directly with foreign countries, likely paving the way for a significant rise in the number of American drones sold abroad—even as the U.S. is already behind 33 percent of global arms exports. Restrictions for specialized features on drones, such as lasers which transmit information to fighter jets regarding the location of a target, will also be eliminated under the new rules. Trump suggested…

New reporting by the New York Times on Wednesday strongly suggests that the government of Ukraine has ended its cooperation with the ongoing probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into alleged interference in the 2016 elections due to concerns that further involvement with the investigation could potentially imperil a weapons deal it wants the Trump administration to approve. The Times reporting centers around multiple investigations by the Ukrainians focused on dealings inside the country by former top Trump aide Paul Manafort, now under indictment in the U.S. for money laundering and other schemes. Manafort, of course, has featured prominently in the Mueller probe. According to the newspaper: Ukraine MP Volodymyr…

An indigenous group was joined by investors controlling trillions of dollars in assets on Monday as they called for fossil fuel companies and the banks that fund them to end efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—making clear that harming the protected land is bad for business as well as destructive to indigenous groups’ land and the environment. “We strongly urge banks and oil and gas companies to honor their fiduciary duty to investors and refuse to engage in drilling in the Arctic Refuge,” the investors wrote. “We, as investors, encourage expanding support for the wide range of clean energy solutions and sustainable industries in Alaska, instead of…

Thousands of women marched across Italy on Saturday afternoon to mark the anniversary of Italy’s 194 Law, which passed in 1978 and legalized abortion in the country. Marchers fear that the far-right, anti-European Union, anti-immigrant League, which contains many anti-choice militants, will soon threaten the 194 Law. The League stands on the brink of forming a government with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement following the general elections in March. Saturday’s mobilization was organized by ‘Obiezione Respinta’ (Rejected Objection) and the ‘Non una di meno’ (Not one less) movement. “Italian women’s battles over the last four decades show that any abortion law has to be founded on women’s freedom of choice…

This is Election Countdown, The Hill’s new newsletter from Lisa Hagen and Ben Kamisar that brings you the biggest stories on the campaign trail.  We’d love to hear from you, so feel free to reach out to Lisa at [email protected] and Ben at [email protected] with any questions, comments, criticisms or food recommendations (mostly the latter, please). Click here to sign up for the newsletter.   ADVERTISEMENT We’re 132 days until the 2018 midterm elections and 860 days until the 2020 elections.   Well, things just got even more interesting. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement announcement stunned Washington on Wednesday and set in motion a high-stakes midterm year fight that could…

Rep. Martha RobyMartha Dubina RobyThe 14 other key races to watch on Super Tuesday Collins Senate bid sets off game of musical chairs for GOP Global health is the last bastion of bipartisan foreign policy MORE is favored to prevail in Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff in Alabama, with President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE’s endorsement — and deep-pocketed Washington allies — providing critical support to the one-time Trump critic. Roby, now in her fourth term in Congress, had faced…