Hastert made payments to conceal sexual misconduct from high school coaching years, officials say  —  Indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying an individual from his past to conceal sexual misconduct, two federal law enforcement officials said Friday.

Ross Ulbricht, Creator of Silk Road Website, Is Sentenced to Life in Prison  —  Ross W. Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, a notorious online marketplace for the sale of heroin, cocaine, LSD and other illegal drugs, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday in Federal District Court in Manhattan.

New ‘robocall’ rules could leave Americans in the dark  —  Pollsters see the FCC's proposed guidelines on automated calls as an existential threat.  —  For many Americans, the idea of technology that can block automated telephone calls sounds like a solution to all those annoying “robocalls” and interrupted family dinners.

Appeals Court Strikes Down Idaho's 20-Week Abortion Ban  —  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit struck down an Idaho law banning abortions 20 weeks into pregnancy Friday on the basis that the law unconstitutionally prohibits abortions before the point of viability.

Cops: Teacher Showed Pupils Boob Job Pix  —  Virginia educator, 34, is being probed over before/after photos  —  Police are investigating a Virginia high school teacher who allegedly showed several students before and after photos of her breast enlargement surgery, according to a court filing.

Texas student sues after college bans gun rights sign  —  A Texas college student filed suit against her school this week, saying her constitutional rights were violated when she was shooed off the quad for displaying a pro-Second Amendment sign.  —  Nicole Sanders, 24, who attends Blinn College …

Cuba Officially Removed From U.S. State Sponsor of Terrorism List  —  After 45-day review, move clears hurdle for reestablishing diplomatic ties  —  WASHINGTON—Cuba's designation by U.S. officials as a state sponsor of terrorism was officially lifted Friday, the State Department said …

CNN's Jake Tapper won't moderate panel discussion at Clinton Global Initiative confab  —  CNN anchor Jake Tapper has pulled out of his scheduled duties moderating a panel on workforce investment at the upcoming Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting in Denver from June 8-10.

Lincoln Chafee to announce presidential run on June 3  —  Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee will officially enter the presidential race on June 3, a source with knowledge of his plans told POLITICO.  —  He'll make the announcement in a speech he's scheduled to deliver next Wednesday …

Ann Coulter: My Immigration Plan Would ‘Not Admit Overweight Girls’ Into US  —  Ann Coulter, conservative columnist, said Friday in an email to Breitbart News that if she ran the immigration system, she wouldn't “admit overweight girls” into the US.  —  Coulter's comments were reportedly …

In Europe, Fake Jobs Can Have Real Benefits  —  At 9:30 a.m. on a sunny weekday, the phones at Candelia, a purveyor of sleek office furniture in Lille, France, rang steadily with orders from customers across the country and from Switzerland and Germany.  A photocopier clacked rhythmically …

Americans Choose “Pro-Choice” for First Time in Seven Years  —  Story Highlights  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Half of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice” on abortion, surpassing the 44% who identify as “pro-life.”  This is the first time since 2008 that the pro-choice position …

Thousands of websites block Congress in Patriot Act protest  —  Thousands of websites are blocking Congress's access to their sites in a show of force to protest the Patriot Act.  —  Led by the online activist group Fight for the Future, more than 10,000 sites have added code that redirects …

Bernie Sanders exposed!  A shocking look at his views on rape and violence against women  —  Mother Jones senior reporter Tim Murphy has a profile out this week on Bernie Sanders' “long, strange trip” from a “restless political activist” to mayor of Burlington, Vermont and now a presidential bid.

Exclusive: U.S. tried Stuxnet-style campaign against North Korea but failed - sources  —  The United States tried to deploy a version of the Stuxnet computer virus to attack North Korea's nuclear weapons program five years ago but ultimately failed, according to people familiar with the covert campaign.

North Carolina Governor Vetoes ‘License To Discriminate’ Bill  —  North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed state officials to refuse to officiate marriages.  The legislation (SB 2), which passed in the House on Thursday having previously passed in the Senate …

Women Are a Driving Force in Nation's Shift from Gun Control to Gun Rights  —  Women have emerged as one of the fastest-growing demographics of new gun buyers and concealed carry permit holders in the country, and in the process, they have become a driving force in the shift in American attitudes from pro-gun control to pro-gun rights.

What a new Iraq ‘surge’ could look like  —  After Ramadi fiasco, talk grows of U.S. boots on the ground in Iraq.  —  The fall of the city of Ramadi and doubts about the Iraqi army's will to fight the Islamic State has a growing number of Republicans and military strategists proposing the once unthinkable …