White House Withdraws Jackson Nomination for V.A. Chief Amid Criticism  —  WASHINGTON — The White House withdrew the nomination of Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the White House physician, to lead the Veterans Affairs Department on Thursday after lawmakers went public with a torrent of accusations leveled …

Michael Cohen to Take Fifth Amendment in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit  —  Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal lawyer, will invoke his Fifth Amendment right in a lawsuit filed against the president by Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film star better known as Stormy Daniels.

Fox News Poll: Mueller likely to find Trump offenses, Trump likely to fire him  —  Most voters think it is important to continue investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia — but more believe President Trump will fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller before he's done.

Trump's biggest problem might be the competency question  —  First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter  —  WASHINGTON — This morning, President Trump's pick to head the Department …

Kevin Williamson: The punishment I favor for abortion  —  Kevin D. Williamson is a Texas-based writer.  —  As a libertarian, I fully accept the motto that what a woman chooses to do with her own body is her business.  As someone who can count, I believe that abortion involves two bodies.

Pruitt fears White House undermining him ahead of hearings  —  Republicans wants answers from EPA chief  —  Washington (CNN)Embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt believes members of the administration are actively trying to get rid of him, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell CNN.

The Center For American Progress Staff Was Shocked After Neera Tanden Named The Anonymous Harassment Victim In An All-Staff Meeting  —  The meeting comes after BuzzFeed News reported on allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation against those who reported at the progressive organization.

Trump says Comey ‘guilty of crimes,’ warns DOJ he won't ‘stay away’ forever  —  President Trump, in a fiery exclusive interview with “Fox & Friends,” blasted former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday morning as a “liar and a leaker” who is “guilty of crimes” — while issuing a stern warning …

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 …

Kanye West Doesn't Care About Black People  —  Last year Panama Jackson, a man who, in the 14 years that we've known each other, has become one of my best friends, published a piece about his mother's support of Donald Trump, and revealed how that ruined his relationship with her.

Tina Brown wants no part of Charlie Rose's #MeToo redemption series  —  Disgraced CBS anchor Charlie Rose is being slated to star in a show where he'll interview other high-profile men who have also been toppled by #MeToo scandals.  —  The move was revealed by editor, writer and women's advocate Tina Brown …

Arizona's only black legislators chastised after race talk  —  PHOENIX (AP) — The only two black members of the Arizona Legislature were formally chastised for speaking out against a Republican lawmaker's published column, which included a racial slur and they say derided black activists …

Macron Says Trump Will Likely Kill The Iran Deal  —  US flip-flops on treaties are “insane,” says the French president.  —  BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief  —  French President Emmanuel Macron believes President Donald Trump will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal as part of “a strategy of increasing tension …

Exclusive poll: GOP Senate seats threatened in Arizona, Nevada  —  Data: SurveyMonkey poll conducted April 2-23, 2018.  Poll Methodology; Note: “No answer” responses not shown; Chart: Axios Visuals  —  Democrats have a real shot at winning two of the three Senate seats where Republicans …

Is ‘Guilty Until Proven Innocent’ the New Standard?  —  Too many Trump critics have abandoned all pretense of respecting due process.  —  The absurd ruling by District Judge John Bates in the DACA case — which means that what is lawlessly imposed by executive order may not be lawfully rescinded …

Unpacking the Other Clinton-Linked Russia Dossier  —  A copy of the little-publicized second dossier in the Trump-Russia affair, acquired by RealClearInvestigations, raises new questions about the origins of the Trump investigation, particularly about the role of Clinton partisans and the extent …

Meet the New Boss.  Actually Quite Different From the Old Boss.  —  In the end, the wheelers and dealers faded away, trying to get what they could under cover of darkness.  Their loss of stature was abrupt.  Only those willing to soldier on as subordinates remained, ceding authority to their leader, President Trump.

Top Trump Fundraiser Caught Working for Assad Ally … Brian Ballard, viewed by some as the lobbyist closest to President Donald Trump, is working for an ally of Syria's brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad.  —  Ballard's firm, Ballard Partners, disclosed on March 15 that it has taken …

Raising the Ceiling, but Not the Floor, on Potential Democratic House Gains  —  Playing field widens even as odds of turnover don't change  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — The number of potentially vulnerable Republican seats is growing, and we're adding an extra 10 GOP-held seats to the Likely Republican column this week.

Here's The White House Questionnaire For GOP Candidates Who Want Trump's Backing  —  It asks about immigration, Pakistan and trade.  —  The White House has a few questions for candidates in Republican primaries hoping for President Donald Trump's endorsement.  —  Do you support ending foreign aid to Pakistan?

U.S. weekly jobless claims fall to lowest level since 1969  —  WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits dropped to their lowest level in more than 48 years last week, suggesting that March's slowdown in job growth was probably temporary.