Jeb Bush, in apparent slip, says 'I'm running for president'  —  Republican Jeb Bush appears to have unintentionally announced his candidacy for president in 2016 in a conversation with reporters on Wednesday that was caught on video.  —  Speaking in Nevada, the former Florida governor seemed …

Technology That Could Have Prevented Amtrak Derailment Was Absent  —  For the second time in two years, a passenger train traveling well above its speed limit has derailed, leaving a trail of death and injuries.  And for the second time, existing technology that might have prevented the accident was missing.

“Democrats in Disarray,” Part II  —  I complained this morning about the permanent audience for “Democrats in Disarray” stories like Robert Draper's piece turning the Maryland Senate primary into a microcosm of a party torn apart by dissension between dirty hippies and centrist pragmatists.

O'Malley to Announce Presidential Plans on May 30  —  Martin O'Malley plans to announce his presidential intentions on May 30 in Baltimore, a move that could present another Democratic challenger to Hillary Rodham Clinton.  —  The former Maryland governor will hold a conference call …

Missouri House Speaker John Diehl admits sexually charged relationship with intern  —  Screenshots of text messages obtained by The Star  —  ›  —  ‹  —  JEFFERSON CITY —Text messages obtained by The Star reveal a sexually charged relationship between House Speaker John Diehl …

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.

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.”

VA 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 …

Walker Still Leads Nationally, Clinton Over 60%  —  PPP's national Republican poll for May continues to find Scott Walker leading the field, but it's tightly clustered and his support has actually dropped two consecutive surveys now.  —  Walker's at 18% to 13% for Marco Rubio …

Secret Service agent retiring amid probe into conduct at White House  —  A top member of President Obama's Secret Service detail under investigation for his conduct during a White House bomb investigation notified the agency this week that he plans to retire, according to officials familiar with his decision.

Student Suing Misericordia University Officials After Failing to Pass Course … DALLAS TOWNSHIP — A nursing student is suing some Misericordia University officials after she failed to pass a course twice.  —  Jennifer Burbella of Stroudsburg said school officials failed to abide by federal law.