House chaplain forced out by Ryan  —  House Chaplain Patrick Conroy's sudden resignation has sparked a furor on Capitol Hill, with sources in both parties saying he was pushed out by Speaker Paul Ryan  —  (R-Wis.).  —  Conroy's own resignation announcement stated that it was done at Ryan's request.

Attorney Michael Avenatti hints $1.6 million abortion payout was for Trump — not GOP donor  —  The lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels suggested that a $1.6 million hush money payoff to a Playboy model was actually made on behalf of President Donald Trump — and not a Republican donor.

In Warning to Trump, Senators Advance Bill to Protect Mueller  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee fired a political warning shot at the White House on Thursday, advancing on a bipartisan vote long-stalled legislation to allow special counsels such as Robert S. Mueller III to appeal …

Relative's DNA from genealogy websites cracked East Area Rapist case, DA's office says  —  Sacramento investigators tracked down East Area Rapist suspect Joseph James DeAngelo using genealogical websites that contained genetic information from a relative, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office confirmed Thursday.

F.B.I. Letter Casts Further Doubt on White House's Rob Porter Timeline  —  WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. first gave the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, a file containing spousal abuse allegations against Rob Porter in March 2017, according to a detailed new timeline the bureau has given …

‘Boss, I Miss You So Much’: The Awkward Exile of Michael Cohen  —  Donald Trump's self-described ‘fixer’ brooded about failing to get a White House post; now under criminal investigation, he has the president's attention  —  In the 15 months since Donald Trump shut him out of a White House job …

Mattis Breaks With Trump, Says Iran Nuclear Deal Includes ‘Robust’ Verification  —  Without giving his opinion about whether the U.S. should stick with the agreement, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that after reading the deal three times he was struck by how tough it is

NBC News faces skepticism in remedying in-house sexual harassment … NBC News Chairman Andy Lack had barely slept.  Late the night before, he had walked from the art deco headquarters of NBC Universal in Midtown Manhattan to the Upper East Side to fire his most famous employee and longtime friend, “Today” show co-host Matt Lauer.

Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Leadership Pressuring Progressive to Leave Race  —  Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives, has for years been a prolific campaigner on behalf of current and potential members of Congress.  It was no surprise, then …

‘This puts a target on his back’: Ethics experts say the FBI should investigate Trump's budget director for pay for play  — Ethics experts say Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director and interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, should be investigated for potentially violating federal bribery laws.

Bill Cosby Found Guilty of Sexual Assault After Years of Accusations  —  NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A jury found Bill Cosby guilty Thursday of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home near here 14 years ago, capping the downfall of one of the world's best-known entertainers …

Senate Confirms C.I.A. Chief Mike Pompeo to Be Secretary of State  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday easily confirmed Mike Pompeo as the nation's 70th secretary of state, elevating the current C.I.A. director and an outspoken foreign policy hawk to be the nation's top diplomat.

A farewell to free journalism  —  Bloomberg, my former employer, is reportedly moving to a paywall.  If that turns out to be true, I can't say I'll be surprised.  —  When I announced that I was leaving Bloomberg View for the Post Opinion section in February, many longtime readers gently reproached …

Amid Trump's diplomatic thaw, Otto Warmbier's parents sue North Korea for having ‘brutally tortured and murdered’ their son  —  The family of Otto Warmbier filed an extraordinary lawsuit against North Korea in federal court Thursday alleging that the 22-year-old college student was …

Ford Is About to Abandon American Sedans  —  Cars will be just 10% of its North American portfolio by 2020  —  Wall Street cheers CEO Hackett's ‘bold and decisive action’  —  The Model T, the '32 deuce coupe, the Thunderbird, the Mustang: For much of its 115-year history, Ford Motor Co. has been synonymous with cars.

In Bonkers Interview, Trump Threatens to Seize Control of Justice Department  —  While many reporters have described President Trump's aggrieved psychology, his phone call this morning on Fox & Friends gave outsiders unfiltered access to the sorts of rants he routinely imposes upon his staff.

‘Firing Line’: PBS Reloads Public-Affairs Show With Host Margaret Hoover  —  EXCLUSIVE: PBS is bringing back an iconic property after nearly two decades.  The pubcaster said today that a new version of Firing Line, the William F. Buckley-hosted public-affairs show it aired from 1966-99, will premiere in June.

The Public, the Political System and American Democracy  —  Most say ‘design and structure’ of government need big changes  —  At a time of growing stress on democracy around the world, Americans generally agree on democratic ideals and values that are important for the United States.

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez is ‘severely admonished’ by Ethics Committee, ordered to repay gifts  —  The Senate Ethics Committee said Thursday that Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who avoided conviction in a federal corruption trial last year, violated federal law and Senate rules …

Trump's unwieldy ‘Fox and Friends’ interview, annotated … President Trump gave his first interview in months Thursday morning on “Fox and Friends,” weighing in on topics from Ronny Jackson to Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels to James Comey to Kanye West.  Trump was often factually inaccurate …

Jill Stein Defies Senate Intelligence Document Request, Calling It “Overbroad” and Unconstitutional  —  The Jill Stein campaign is refusing to comply fully with a Senate intelligence committee request for documents and other correspondence, made as part of the committee's probe into Russian activities …

If Democrats Are Doing so Great, Why Don't They Have a Bigger Lead on Generic Ballot?  —  Every day, it seems, another warning light goes off on the GOP's dashboard, a blinking reminder of their ensuing troubles for 2018.  There are a record number of GOP retirements — including that of House Speaker Ryan.