George Stephanopoulos discloses $50,000 contribution to Clinton Foundation  —  ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos has given $50,000 to the Clinton Foundation in recent years, charitable contributions that he did not publicly disclose while reporting on the Clintons or their non-profit organization …

Amtrak Engineer of Derailed Train, Brandon Bostian, Can't Remember Crash … Brandon Bostian, the engineer driving the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia Tuesday night, has no recollection of the crash itself, his attorney told ABC News.  —  The attorney for Bostian, 32, a Queens …

How Jeb Bush Stumbled His Way Through Four Days Of Iraq Questions  —  More than a decade after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), ended up in his own Iraq quagmire this week.  —  The likely presidential contender for months somehow …

O'Malley, eyeing the presidency, plans May 30 announcement  —  DURHAM, N.H. — Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, who has been ramping up for a potential White House bid, plans to make an announcement about his political future on May 30 in Baltimore, aides said Wednesday.

Russ Feingold Running For Senate In 2016  —  WASHINGTON — Progressive Democrat Russ Feingold announced Thursday that he will run for Senate in 2016, hoping to win back the seat he lost six years ago.  —  Feingold made his announcement in a video that was provided in advance to The Huffington Post.

So wrong it's funny  —  In troubled times, it's good to take a moment to laugh at the GOP's hilariously wrong predictions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  —  Let's start with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who predicted in 2011, “[ObamaCare] will bankrupt our nation, and it will ruin our economy.”

After Lobbying by Obama, Senate Agrees to Vote on Trade Bill After All  —  WASHINGTON — Senate leaders, after personal intercessions by President Obama, reached an agreement Wednesday on a path to grant the president accelerated power to complete a sweeping trade accord ringing the Pacific Ocean …

Veterans Affairs improperly spent $6 billion annually, senior official says  —  The Department of Veterans Affairs has been spending at least $6 billion a year in violation of federal contracting rules to pay for medical care and supplies, wasting taxpayer money and putting veterans at risk …

Guns and Members, When Congress Protected Itself  —  Before there were Capitol Police to protect Congress (and leave their guns stashed in bathrooms), lawmakers tended to their own security — and their own weaponry.  —  And through much of the first half of the 19th century …

Rendell Blasts GOP ‘SOBs’ Who Didn't Have ‘Decency’ To Delay Amtrak Vote  —  Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on Wednesday night slammed House Republicans who voted to cut funding for Amtrak a few hours after a deadly train accident in Philadelphia.  —  Rendell told MSNBC's Chris Hayes …

Saudi Arabia Promises to Match Iran in Nuclear Capability  —  WASHINGTON — When President Obama began making the case for a deal with Iran that would delay its ability to assemble an atomic weapon, his first argument was that a nuclear-armed Iran would set off “free-for-all” of proliferation in the Arab world.

The weaponization of fact-checking  —  Can fact-checkers adapt what they do to the way politicians have adapted to them?  —  Lead image by Getty.  —  The TV commercial started with a barrage of four-megaton words in all caps, all attributed to serious news organizations and read aloud in a disapproving voice:

Punishing parents who deviate from the government-enforced norm  —  Controversies about “free-range parenting” illuminate today's scarred cultural landscape.  Neighbors summon police in response to parenting choices the neighbors disapprove.  Government extends its incompetence with an ever-broader mission of “child protection.”

Ethics office: Lawmakers took trip secretly paid for by foreign government  —  Ten members of Congress and their aides accepted gifts and airfare to Azerbaijan that were secretly paid for by that country's state-owned oil company, according to a report from the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) obtained by The Washington Post.

House Approves Revised Measure Banning Most Abortions After 20 Weeks  —  WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday voted to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, approving a revised version of a bill that Republican leaders had abruptly pulled in January amid objections from some of their own members.