$30,000 rumor?  Tabloid paid for, spiked, salacious Trump tip  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Eight months before the company that owns the National Enquirer paid $150,000 to a former Playboy Playmate who claimed she'd had an affair with Donald Trump, the tabloid's parent made a $30,000 payment …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Trump Court Pick Thinks Planned Parenthood ‘Kills Over 150,000 Females A Year’  —  Wendy Vitter refused to tell senators if she still agrees with a speech she gave at a 2013 anti-abortion rally.  —  WASHINGTON One of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees, Wendy Vitter …

Scoop: Ricky Waddell is leaving the White House  —  Trump's deputy National Security Adviser Ricky Waddell will leave the White House, according to two sources briefed on the decision.  New National Security Adviser John Bolton wants to bring his own person in, and Waddell was H.R. McMaster's hand-picked deputy.

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.

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 …

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 …

Climate change dials down Atlantic Ocean heating system  —  A significant shift in the system of ocean currents that helps keep parts of Europe warm could send temperatures in the UK lower, scientists have found.  —  They say the Atlantic Ocean circulation system is weaker …

Mike Pompeo's confusing answer about whether Trump asked him to intervene in the Russia probe … One of the biggest questions hanging over Mike Pompeo's secretary of state nomination is whether he's too willing to do President Trump's bidding.  —  An answer he gave at Thursday's confirmation hearing …

I Downloaded the Information That Facebook Has on Me.  Yikes.  —  Ask our reporter, Cecilia Kang, questions about the Facebook hearings now on The New York Times Politics Facebook page.  —  When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn't expect to see much.

Bust the budget then vote to balance it: GOP's shameless bid to shred safety net  —  The balanced budget amendment is a shameless GOP attempt to shred Social Security and the whole safety net after busting the federal budget with massive tax cuts.  —  CONNECT