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.

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 …

An Award for Bill Clinton Came With $500,000 for His Foundation  —  To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Petra Nemcova, a Czech model who survived the disaster by clinging to a palm tree, decided to pull out all the stops for the annual fund-raiser of her school-building charity, the Happy Hearts Fund.

Longmont valedictorian silenced over speech disclosing he was gay  —  Twin Peaks charter principal also accused of outing 18-year-old to his parents  —  Second shot at a speech  —  Out Boulder is providing an opportunity for Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School valedictorian Evan Young …

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.

Pro-Paul group unleashes fiery attack ad  —  A super-PAC backing Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is pulling no punches with the first attack ad of the 2016 GOP presidential primary, complete with fire-breathing bald eagles and slams of Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham for their stances on government surveillance.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

U.S. GDP Swings to Contraction in First Quarter  —  Harsh weather, strong dollar, and consumer caution sees growth shrinking in revision of initial estimate  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy contracted early this year as harsh weather and a strong dollar sapped demand for American goods …

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 …

Beer Giant Stops Production to Give Water to Storm Victims  —  Beer giant Anheuser-Busch stopped production at its Georgia brewery this week to instead produce drinking water for those affected by a deadly bout of historic flooding and storms in Texas and Oklahoma.