The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence  —  Late in 2015, a former Trump Tower doorman named Dino Sajudin met with a reporter from American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.

Trump, Mueller teams prepare to move forward without presidential interview  —  WASHINGTON — Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office and President Donald Trump's legal team are now proceeding with strategies that presume a presidential interview will likely not take place as part of the Russia investigation …

James Comey: John Kelly Called Trump ‘Dishonorable’ for Firing Me … Within minutes of his firing in May, former FBI Director James Comey received a call from John Kelly, then the head of the Department of Homeland Security and now the White House chief of staff.

Lawmakers' Letter Claims Further Spending Abuses by the E.P.A. Head, Scott Pruitt  —  WASHINGTON — Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, insisted on staying in luxury hotels that were costlier than allowed by government standards, while also pushing to fly on an airline …

Trump weighs rejoining Trans-Pacific Partnership amid trade dispute with China  —  President Trump told top administration officials Thursday to look at rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the multination trade agreement he pulled the United States out of shortly after taking office.

Holocaust Is Fading From Memory, Survey Finds  —  For seven decades, “never forget” has been a rallying cry of the Holocaust remembrance movement.  —  But a survey released Thursday, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, found that many adults lack basic knowledge of what happened …

Former Texas Congressman Steve Stockman found guilty of 23 felonies  —  A federal jury in Houston has ruled that Steve Stockman, a conservative former Texas congressman, is guilty of all but one charge in his federal fraud trial.  —  Steve Stockman, a former Texas congressman …

The Principle of Professional Law Enforcement Is Now on the Line  —  Expect President Trump to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in the next few days.  Maybe he won't do it.  Maybe he'll change his mind.  But Trump is apparently livid at Rosenstein and both The Washington Post …

Trump federal judicial nominee refuses to say whether she supports racial segregation in schools  —  Brown v. Wendy Vitter?  —  A Louisiana lawyer nominated by President Trump for a federal judgeship refused to affirm whether she's opposed to school segregation during a congressional hearing Wednesday.

Diamond & Silk Claim Facebook Never Contacted Them.  Facebook Emails Prove Otherwise. … Pro-Trump vloggers Diamond & Silk found themselves the center of two high-profile congressional hearings this week lawmakers obsessed over claims the duo were “censored” by Facebook.

FBI raid sought Trump lawyer's communications with bank that loaned him money against his taxi business … A federal investigation into what role President Trump's personal attorney played in facilitating payments to two women who alleged affairs with Trump is also examining the lawyer's interactions …

America's Most and Least Popular Senators  —  There's good news and bad news for Senate Democrats up for re-election  — Sanders (I-Vt.) and McConnell (R-Ky.) remains the most popular and unpopular senators, respectively.  —  2018's first quarter was a volatile one for several senators …

This Parkland teacher left his gun in a public bathroom.  It was loaded, BSO says.  —  Not the most normal sight: a gun left in the bathroom stall.  —  But that's exactly what went down on Sunday in a men's room at the Deerfield Beach Pier.  —  The circumstances of how the Glock 9mm got there are unusual.

Seahawks postpone visit after Colin Kaepernick won't say if he'll stop kneeling  —  After arranging for Colin Kaepernick to work out for the Seattle Seahawks this week, team officials postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to say he would stop kneeling during the national anthem next season …

Biblical prophecy claims the Rapture is coming April 23, numerologist says  —  Is the Rapture finally here?  One Christian numerologist says a biblical sign strongly suggests it.  —  David Meade tells the U.K.'s Daily Express newspaper that on April 23, the sun and moon will be in Virgo, as will Jupiter, which represents the Messiah.

Charlie Rose's Life Now: “Broken,” “Brilliant” and “Lonely”  —  Before the devastating allegations of sexual misconduct hit, Rose was a legendary man-about-town.  Now, the former CBS and PBS star, one of TV's most feted journalists, is hiding out on Long Island with occasional …

Ryan may be forced to leave speakership by summer  —  Paul Ryan said he plans to remain as speaker and not call an early leadership election, but well-wired Republicans tell Jonathan Swan and me that Ryan may be forced out sooner.  —  What we're hearing: One source close to leadership told us …

The Story Behind TIME's ‘Stormy’ Donald Trump Cover  —  Nothing to See Here, Feb. 27, 2017 Stormy, April, 23, 2018 Illustrations by Tim O'Brien for TIME  —  The April 23 TIME cover, depicting the growing chaos within the Trump White House, may look familiar to some readers …

Pennsylvania Will Eliminate Paperless Voting Machines In Time For The 2020 Election  —  The largest swing state that can't fully audit its votes says that'll be fixed by the next presidential election.  —  Pennsylvania, the largest swing state where a substantial number of voting machines leave …

Trump Didn't Break the Speakership, It Was Already Broken  —  In the wake of Speaker Paul Ryan's announcement this week that he was retiring from Congress, many have argued that President Trump's take-over of the GOP is now complete.  Ryan, it's argued, decided it was easier to cede the party …

Tucker Carlson Gets Petty After Noah Rothman Bests Him in Intense Syria Showdown  —  For Tucker Carlson, interviews with his detractors have become something of an art form, if that art form consists in churning out the same predictable and petty performance of contention night after night.

In Pennsylvania, It's Open Season on Undocumented Immigrants  —  QUAKERTOWN, PA — From the time they first flirted at a party, Anne and Ludvin Franco were inseparable.  It did not matter that Anne, a waitress, was Pennsylvania Dutch going back generations, while Ludvin, a cook, had grown up in the scrublands of eastern Guatemala.

The State Pension Funding Gap: 2016  —  Investment shortfalls, insufficient contributions reduced funded levels for public worker retirement plans  —  Many state retirement systems are on an unsustainable course, coming up short on their investment targets and having failed to set aside enough money …

Donald Trump Takes Out Paul Ryan, and 'It's Going to Be a Civil War' … The news that Paul Ryan is retiring from Congress was received by grim-faced members of the GOP caucus finally realizing what they've done, and what's coming.  Ryan pulled the ripcord today after a 19-year career in Congress …

U.S. officials: Blood samples show nerve agent, chlorine in Syria gas attack  —  WASHINGTON — The U.S. now has blood and urine samples from last Saturday's deadly attack in Syria that have tested positive for chemical weapons, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence.

VIDEO: Pelosi suffers face spasms, says wrong words during brief appearance  —  Nancy Pelosi only spoke for a few minutes to reporters on Wednesday, but she still wasn't able to avoid suffering face spasms, brain freezes and repeatedly using the wrong words.

The Real Story Behind Donald Trump's Infamous “Best Sex I've Ever Had” Headline (Guest Column)  —  Jill Brooke, a former New York Post journalist, reveals how the future president engineered one of the most well-known tabloid covers ever — even as she can't be sure Marla Maples actually said the famous line.

California Rep. Jeff Denham says he has the votes to force GOP leaders to consider immigration bills … California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham says he has the support needed to force a vote in the House on four immigration bills to protect so-called Dreamers, despite the objections of his own party's leadership.