$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 …

Bannon pitches White House on plan to cripple Mueller probe and protect Trump … Stephen K. Bannon, who was ousted as White House chief strategist last summer but has remained in touch with some members of President Trump's circle, is pitching a plan to West Wing aides and congressional allies …

Ryan Found Himself on the Margins as the G.O.P. Moved Right  —  WASHINGTON — Paul D. Ryan took the helm of the House two and a half years ago, not because he wanted it, but because he was seen as the only lawmaker who could keep Republicans from devouring themselves.

Exclusive: Inside the GOP plan to discredit Comey  —  Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's allies are preparing an extensive campaign to fight back against James Comey's publicity tour, trying to undermine the credibility of the former FBI director by reviving the blistering Democratic criticism …

Raid on Trump's Lawyer Sought Records on ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape  —  The F.B.I. agents who raided the office and hotel of President Trump's lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, were seeking details on his relationship with the Trump campaign and his efforts to suppress negative information about Mr. Trump …

Woman: Sexual encounter with Greitens was not consensual.  Lawmakers find her credible  —  When she tried to leave, sobbing after a non-consensual sexual encounter, she says the man who would be governor physically stopped her.  —  What happened next, she testified under oath …

Scott Pruitt's Idea to Update an E.P.A. Keepsake: Less E.P.A., More Pruitt  —  When Scott Pruitt wanted to refashion the Environmental Protection Agency's “challenge coin” — a type of souvenir medallion with military origins that has become a status symbol among civilians …

RUSSIA PREPARES FOR WAR WITH U.S., INSTRUCTING CITIZENS TO BUY WATER AND GAS MASKS  —  Claiming that some Americans are preparing for a coming war with Moscow, Russian state-owned television explained to the country's residents how to stock their bunkers with water and basic foodstuffs in case a war breaks out.

Pompeo failed to disclose Chinese business connection  —  WASHINGTON  —  CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose last year that he owned a Kansas business that imported oilfield equipment from a company owned by the Chinese government.  —  That omission, on the questionnaire Pompeo …

NRA, In New Document, Acknowledges More Than 20 Russian-Linked Contributors  —  The National Rifle Association has accepted contributions from about 23 Russians, or Americans living in Russia, since 2015, the gun rights group acknowledged to Congress.  —  The NRA said in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden …

California Responds to Federal Request for National Guard Personnel  —  SACRAMENTO - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today responded to the federal government's request for additional California National Guard personnel with the following letter.  The accompanying agreement …

Women are lining up to date Rudy Giuliani  —  The about-to-be-consciously uncoupled Rudy Giuliani is coming off to Upper East Side sex kittens like catnip.  They're purring at him.  Sidling — if not actually front-ling — in his direction.  —  It seems power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

I Downloaded the Information That Facebook Has on Me.  Yikes.  —  When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn't expect to see much.  My profile is sparse, I rarely post anything on the site, and I seldom click on ads.  (I'm what some call a Facebook “lurker.")

Single mom of five goes viral with inspiring law school graduation photo  —  Ieshia Champs has wanted to be a lawyer since she was 7 years old.  In her teenage years, however, the odds began stacking up against her and it appeared that her dream might be permanently out of reach.

A Congressman's Profanity Laced Tirade in a Safeway Grocery Store  —  One of the President's congressional defenders has privately decided he hates Trump and wants to unload.  —  “If we're going to lose because of him, we might as well impeach the motherf**ker,” said the congressman …