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.

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.

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 …

The Hillary Clinton Paradox  —  Is her victory inevitable or impossible?  —  On the matter of Hillary Clinton's candidacy I find myself holding opposite and irreconcilable views: “That can't possibly work,” and “She's inevitable.”  —  Her candidacy can't work because of the deep …

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.

Rand Paul's money problem  —  Behind the Kentucky senator's NSA ‘filibuster’ lies a desperate quest for cash.  —  In a presidential campaign defined by billionaire sugar daddy donors, Rand Paul has a problem: He doesn't seem to have one.  —  While his rivals cultivate wealthy backers …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

U.S. Economy Contracted 0.7% in First Quarter  —  The economy got off to an even weaker start this year than first thought, the government reported Friday, as economic activity contracted amid a disappointing trade picture and continued caution on spending by businesses and consumers alike.

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 …

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.

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.