U.S. May Launch Strike If North Korea Reaches For Nuclear Trigger  —  The U.S. is prepared to launch a preemptive strike with conventional weapons against North Korea should officials become convinced that North Korea is about to follow through with a nuclear weapons test, multiple senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.

36 ISIS fighters killed by US ‘mother of all bombs’: Afghan official  —  (CNN)In its second major display of military might in one week, the US dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb on ISIS positions in a remote part of Afghanistan.  —  Afghan officials said 36 militants were killed …

Trump's got a new favorite Steve  —  President Donald Trump once affectionately called them “my two Steves,” a reference not only to their ideological kinship but to their central role in his administration.  —  But while Steve Bannon is on the ropes in Trump's fractious White House …

'People's hopes are dashed': Ex-Breitbart writer says Trump's nationalist fanbase is in despair  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  President Donald Trump has gone through some major reversals over the past week, including his decision to attack the government of Bashar al-Assad …

Pompeo mocks microwave surveillance claims  —  CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday mocked those who fear intelligence officials conduct surveillance through microwaves, saying the agency tries to ignore such claims.  —  While White House counselor Kellyanne Conway suffered blowback last month …

Trump Shifts Back to Health Care  —  President says his plan to change the tax code will have to wait  —  WASHINGTON—After losing a fight to revamp the health-care system, President Donald Trump said last month he was prepared to put the setback behind him and move on to the next challenge, rewriting the tax code.

Sexual Abuse at Choate Went On for Decades, School Acknowledges  —  Choate Rosemary Hall, an elite boarding school in Wallingford, Conn., acknowledged decades of sexual abuse by former teachers against the students entrusted to their care in a report on Thursday.

Detroit emergency room doctor charged with child genital mutilation  —  (WXYZ) - A Henry Ford Hospital emergency room doctor has been arrested and charged in connection to performing female genital mutilation on young girls.  —  Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville Michigan is accused …

Syrian First Lady Asma Assad's social media posts reflect ‘alternate reality,’ critics say  —  The Instagram account of Bashar Assad's wife is adorned with tender snapshots: Asma Assad reading to Syrian children; holding an infant inside a maternity hospital in Damascus …

Mélenchon: Far-leftist surges in French polls, shocking the frontrunners  —  In a presidential campaign with more twists than a French braid, Jean-Luc Mélenchon's sudden play to become France's third man — or better — is shaking up the race.  —  With ten days to go before April 23's …

Jeff Sessions, Unleashed at the Border  —  Attorney General Jeff Sessions went to the border in Arizona on Tuesday and declared it a hellscape, a “ground zero” of death and violence where Americans must “take our stand” against a tide of evil flooding up from Mexico.

How many American atheists are there really?  —  “There's a lot of atheists in the closet” — why most polls on religious belief are probably wrong.  —  Here's a simple question: How many Americans don't believe in God?  —  Pew and Gallup — two of the most reputable polling firms in America — both come to a similar figure.

Overseas Adoptions by Americans Continue to Decline  —  They have spent thousands of dollars in fees, scaled a mountain of paperwork and waited nearly five years, but Caroline and Jason Lankford have yet to be matched with the Ethiopian child they long to adopt.

US sending ‘dozens’ more troops to Somalia  —  U.S. strike kills 150 Al Qaeda backed terrorists  —  (CNN)The US is sending “dozens” of additional troops to Somalia to train and equip the Somali National Army and the forces participating in the African Union Mission in Somalia there, a US military official confirmed Thursday.

The Great Japan Potato-Chip Crisis: Panic Buying, $12 Bags  —  Companies halt sales of some chip brands after bad potato crop  —  Calbee says it doesn't know when chips supply will be restored  —  Demand for potato chips has surged in Japan this week, with products on offer for 6 times …

Maxine Waters has called for Trump's impeachment 22 times — and she's just getting started  —  There have been many Democratic legislators who have engaged in effective resistance of Donald Trump, but no one has cut to the chase like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), who simply will not be pushed around.

NASA: Nearby ocean worlds could be best bet for life beyond Earth  — It's possible Europa or Enceladus, two moons in our solar system, could support life, NASA announced  —  (CNN)NASA has new evidence that the most likely places to find life beyond Earth are Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Trump Nominates Salesman To Run Military Draft  —  Don Benton has a long record of controversies, but no record of military service.  —  Late Monday night, when many Americans were in bed, President Donald Trump quietly announced his intention to nominate former Washington state senator Don Benton …