1 Trump resort: President Trump intends to host next year’s Group of Seven conference at his Doral International Resort in Miami in June, the White House confirmed Thursday, a controversial decision certain to raise conflict-of-interest questions given the financial benefit to Trump’s business. Trump first floated the idea of the Doral in August at the G-7 meeting in Biarritz, France, telling reporters that his property was far better than others his administration had considered, given its proximity to a major airport and the abundance of accommodations and meeting space on site. Trump is already fighting three lawsuits suggesting that he is violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which prohibits U.S. officeholders from personally profiting from payments by foreign governments.
2 Prostitution decriminalization: A bill before Washington’s City Council would make it the first American city to decriminalize prostitution, placing the nation’s capital at the forefront of a growing movement that seeks to permit the activities of prostitutes, as well as pimps and johns, and to allow bordellos. Critics say it would be a boon to sex traffickers. An initial hearing began Thursday. The proposal is dividing the city’s progressive community, pitting some women’s groups against advocates for sex workers.
3 Southeast drought: A drought affecting more than 30 million people across the southeastern United States is getting worse. The latest assessment from the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday shows arid conditions are deepening from Alabama to Virginia. Areas that were experiencing a moderate drought are now in a severe or extreme drought despite occasional rain. About 75 million people nationally are living in drought areas nationally, with the largest...
