The Trumps asked to borrow a Van Gogh for the White House.  The Guggenheim offered an 18K gold toilet instead.  —  The emailed response from the Guggenheim's chief curator to the White House was polite but firm: the museum could not accommodate a request to “borrow” a painting by Vincent Van Gogh …

Grassley Says ‘Spooked’ Kushner Won't Agree to Russia Interview  —  Committee to release other transcripts on Trump Tower meeting  —  ‘That section of our investigation is done,’ senator says  —  A “spooked” Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser …

I've Watched Trump Testify Under Oath.  It Isn't Pretty.  —  In a 2007 deposition in my libel case (which he lost), he was underprepared and overconfident.  —  “There's been no collusion whatsoever.  There's been no obstruction whatsoever.”  —Donald Trump, Jan. 24, 2018

DOJ recovers missing text messages between anti-Trump FBI agents Strzok and Page  —  The Department of Justice has recovered missing text messages between anti-Trump FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, the DOJ's inspector general said Thursday.  —  In a letter sent to congressional committees …

The U.S. Can No Longer Hide From Its Deep Poverty Problem  —  You might think that the kind of extreme poverty that would concern a global organization like the United Nations has long vanished in this country.  Yet the special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston …

GOP Senate candidate flips out over 'women's rights': ‘I want to come home to a cooked dinner every night’  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Missouri Courtland Sykes blasted “women's rights” this week.  —  In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Sykes said that he had been asked if he “supports women's rights.”

Cruz Blasts Citizenship Path for Dreamers Suggested by Trump  —  Senator Ted Cruz blasted the idea of giving young undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship, a day after President Donald Trump said he was open to the idea as part of immigration legislation being negotiated in Congress.

Trump and the great GOP abdication  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  Something remarkable is happening in our politics right now.  On multiple fronts, it has fallen to Democratic elected officials to step up and defend the integrity and basic functionings of our government …

Cuckolding can be positive for some couples, study says  —  (CNN)In our current political climate, the term “cuck” — short for “cuckservative” — has become an insult of the so-called alt-right, aimed at men they view as spineless and emasculated.  The slur has its roots in the concept of cuckolding, or having an adulterous partner.

The Photo That Never Saw The Light of Day: Obama With Farrakhan In 2005  —  A journalist announced last week that he will publish a photograph of then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D) and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan that he took in 2005 at a Congressional Black Caucus meeting …

Senators seek answers, change after gymnastics sex abuse case  —  Senators from both parties turned the spotlight on USA Gymnastics and other sports organizations Thursday after a judge sentenced Larry Nassar, the former national team doctor who pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct, to up to 175 years in prison.

Casey Affleck Withdraws From Oscars: Won't Present Best Actress Award  —  EXCLUSIVE: Casey Affleck has withdrawn from presenting the Best Actress Award at the upcoming Oscars, Deadline hears.  He has notified the Academy he will not be attending the event, sources said.

Bill Kristol takes on Fox News, Tucker Carlson: 'I don't know if it's racism exactly - but ethno-nationalism of some kind'  — Bill Kristol was often a guest on Fox News, but he appeared gradually less on the network, he says, after he declined to do something for the late Fox News chief Roger Ailes.

Their school deleted an article on a teacher's firing.  So these teens published it themselves.  —  The teenagers' newspaper story started with a simple question: Why had a well-liked history teacher at their high school been missing from campus?  Was there a medical issue, or something else?

Vince McMahon: XFL to return in 2020 without gimmicks  —  WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go.  —  It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league McMahon and NBC tried for one season in 2001 …

Be Smart: Mike Allen Wrote The Rules Of Washington And Now Donald Trump's Destroying Them  —  Every morning, Washington wakes up to Axios AM — Mike Allen's top 10 stories of the day, filled with short bits of breaking news, feuding White House insiders, and, some days, sober, moral pronouncements on how weird the Trump era is.

California Considers $1,000 Fine for Waiters Offering Unsolicited Plastic Straws  —  Ian Calderon wants restaurateurs to think long and hard before giving you a straw.  —  Calderon, the Democratic majority leader in California's lower house, has introduced a bill to stop sit-down restaurants …

Why Democrats Won't Get Their Way on Immigration  —  They were not elected to run any branch of government.  That's hard news to break to the liberal base.  —  As a right-leaning libertarian, my heart goes out to liberal pundits right now, who face the unenviable task of explaining …

Trump says dollar will get ‘stronger and stronger,’ Mnuchin was misinterpreted  — “The dollar is going to get stronger and stronger and ultimately I want to see a strong dollar,” Trump told CNBC in an exclusive interview.  — On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he welcomed …

Teen killed in Kentucky school shooting called mother as she died  —  The parents of a Kentucky teenager who was fatally shot in a mass shooting at her high school this week said their daughter called them as the violent scene unfolded in the background.  —  Bailey Holt, 15 …

Putin Family Split Offers Peek at Secret Dealings of Russia Inc.  —  During his courtship and marriage, Kirill Shamalov catapulted into the ranks of the super-rich with a little help from some of the closest allies of his father-in-law: Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A dangerous piece of fake news is spreading like wildfire on Facebook  —  Two weeks ago, Facebook announced that it would be reformatting its maligned News Feed, looking for the latest means of steering away from the fake news controversies that have dogged the company over the past year.

Ex-Justice Dept. lawyer offered to sell secret U.S. whistleblower lawsuits to targets of the complaints  —  Jeffrey Wertkin had a plot to bring in business and impress his new partners after joining one of Washington's most influential law firms.  —  As a former high-stakes corporate-fraud prosecutor …

Seung-Min Kim joins The Post's White House team  —  Announcement from National Editor Steven Ginsberg, Deputy National Editor Lori Montgomery, Senior Politics Editor Peter Wallsten and White House Editor Dan Eggen:  —  We are excited to announce that Seung Min Kim is joining our White House team.

Mueller Almost Done With Obstruction Part of Trump Probe, Sources Say  —  Other portions of investigation could last months: officials  —  Intelligence officials, Trump aides interviewed in past weeks  —  Special Counsel Robert Mueller is moving at a far faster pace than previously known …

Rep. Pat Meehan will have to step aside, Republican insiders say  —  Pennsylvania Republicans increasingly believe Rep. Pat Meehan, the latest elected official to be tarnished by a sexual harassment claim, will not be able to run for reelection this fall — and it's now a question of whether …