No thank you, Mr. Pecker  —  Something unusual happened to me yesterday.  Actually, for me it wasn't just unusual—it was a first.  I was made an offer I couldn't refuse.  Or at least that's what the top people at the National Enquirer thought.  I'm glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing.

‘My whole town practically lived there’: From Costa Rica to New Jersey, a pipeline of illegal workers for Trump goes back years  —  SANTA TERESA DE CAJON, COSTA RICA — At his home on the misty slope of Costa Rica's tallest mountain, Dario Angulo keeps a set of photographs from the years …

Trump's lifeline: Democrats' socialism surge  —  Democrats are flirting with socialism in ways they carefully and clearly ran away from in the past, handing President Trump a new way to unify Republicans — and to club his opponents.  — It started with Democrats sitting silently as he railed …

First on CNN: Kellyanne Conway describes for the first time alleged October 2018 assault  —  Washington (CNN)Kellyanne Conway says that she was grabbed and shaken by a woman while out with her teenage daughter in a Maryland restaurant late last year.  —  In an interview with CNN …

Whitaker says he did not discuss Mueller investigation with Trump  —  Acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker said Friday he has not spoken to President Trump about the special counsel investigation since taking the helm at the Justice Department in November.

Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Louisiana law that its opponents say could have left the state with only one doctor in a single clinic authorized to provide abortions.  —  The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining …

Political giant John Dingell dies at 92  —  Michigan Democrat John Dingell, the longest-serving member ever of Congress who helped write most of the nation's major environmental and energy laws, died Thursday, his wife said.  He was 92.  —  The Dearborn statesman was a champion …

Ahead of annual physical, Trump has not followed doctor's orders  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump was less than thrilled last year when his personal physician recommended he get on a diet, start exercising and set a goal of losing a dozen pounds.  —  The President famous for his love …

Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi  —  WASHINGTON — Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia told a top aide in a conversation in 2017 that he would use “a bullet” on Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist killed in October …

Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing - new book  —  Deputy attorney general privately complained about Trump's order, according to Comey's former deputy Andrew McCabe  —  The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, privately complained that he was ordered …

Trump is first modern president to hire his customers - including as US ambassadors  —  WASHINGTON - When President Donald Trump needed an ambassador to represent the United States in Romania, he enlisted a real estate lawyer who was a member of one of his private golf clubs.

Bloomberg to announce 2020 decision by end of month  —  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that he'll decide by the end of the month whether to seek the presidency.  —  The 76-year-old businessman, one of the richest men in the world …

Manafort continued Ukraine work in 2018, prosecutors say  —  Prosecutors allege that Paul Manafort was working on Ukrainian political matters in 2018, after his indictment in the special counsel's investigation, and also revealed that a former business associate of his who was assessed …

Republicans Got Us Into This Mess, and They Have to Get Us Out of It  —  The idea sounds crazy — until suddenly it doesn't.  —  Mr. Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Mr. Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Can a Journalist as Important as Jill Abramson Be a Plagiarist?  —  The Worst Thing We Read Yesterday™  —  Last night, Michael C. Moynihan of Vice tweeted a series of examples of Jill Abramson, formerly an executive editor of the New York Times, plagiarizing other writers' work in her new book …

The Biden Fallacy  —  Struggle against the powerful, not accommodation of their interests, is how America produced the conditions for its greatest social reforms.  —  There's something odd about the self-described moderates and centrists considering a run for president.

“I Am Disgusted”: Behind the Scenes of Trump's Increasingly Scrutinized $107 Million Inauguration  —  Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was the mastermind event producer behind Trump's inaugural celebration, which has since come under S.D.N.Y. investigation.  Now, taped conversations reveal Wolkoff's concerns …

Inside Ralph Northam's plot for survival  —  RICHMOND, Va. — Ralph Northam might just hang on to his job.  —  Left for dead a week ago after his disastrous handling of his history with blackface, the Democratic Virginia governor is quietly plotting a survival strategy.

GOP border security negotiator: Chances of another shutdown are ‘nil or next to nil’  —  A Republican member of the bipartisan conference committee responsible for reaching a deal on border security said Friday that there is “no appetite” in the Capitol for a second government shutdown this year.