1/ Trump’s Justice Department will overrule its own prosecutors and reduce Roger Stone’s sentencing recommendation, calling it “extreme and excessive and disproportionate to Stone’s offenses.� Federal prosecutors initially recommended that Stone serve up to nine years in prison for obstruction of justice, lying to Congress, and witness tampering. The Justice Department’s reversal came hours after Trump tweeted that the recommended sentence was “horrible and very unfair� and a “disgraceful� “miscarriage of justice� that should not be allowed to happen. In the sentencing memo, federal prosecutors said Stone “obstructed Congress’ investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, lied under oath, and tampered with a witness,� and that Stone “displayed contempt for this Court and the rule of law� after he was indicted. (Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Politico / CNBC / ABC News / Axios / CNN / Reuters)

2/ Three career prosecutors handling the Roger Stone case resigned after the Justice Department said in a new sentencing memo that Stone’s sentence should be “far less� than the seven to nine years that they had recommended. The memo noted that DOJ still wanted Stone to be incarcerated but declined to say for how long. Prosecutors Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, and Jonathan Kravis told the judge they were withdrawing immediately as attorneys. (Washington Post / CNN / Daily Beast / NBC News)

3/ The Office of Management and Budget was fully aware of the Pentagon’s concerns about Trump’s hold on Ukraine funding and attempted to bury them, according to new, unredacted emails. OMB also appears to have mislead the Government Accountability Office about the circumstances surrounding the freeze. Pentagon officials were reportedly so concerned over the hold on aid by OMB that they noted the aid was at “serious risk� of not being used ...