Gaetz Paid Accused Sex Trafficker, Who Then Venmo'd Teen … In two late-night Venmo transactions in May 2018, Rep. Matt Gaetz sent his friend, the accused sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, $900.  The next morning, over the course of eight minutes, Greenberg used the same app to send three young women varying sums of money.

Exclusive: How Donald Trump upended Nancy Pelosi's plans, then she unraveled his  —  This story is adapted from “Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power,” which will be published April 20 by Twelve Books.  Author Susan Page, the Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY …

Trump officials celebrated efforts to change CDC reports on coronavirus, emails show  —  Political appointees also tried to blunt scientific findings they deemed unfavorable to Trump, according to new documents from House probe  —  Trump appointees in the Health and Human Services department …

Prince Philip, Husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Is Dead at 99  —  The Duke of Edinburgh, who married the future queen in 1947, brought the monarchy into the 20th century, but his occasional frank comments hurt his image.  —  Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II …

Amazon Appears to Defeat Union Drive at Alabama Warehouse  —  The company's victory deals a crushing blow to organized labor, which had hoped the time was ripe to start making inroads.  —  Amazon appeared to beat back the most significant labor drive in its history on Friday …

Tucker Carlson gives passionate defense of “white replacement theory”  —  Carlson: “If you suggest that the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate ... they become hysterical because that's what's true.  Let's just say it that it's true”

Kati Kariko Helped Shield the World From the Coronavirus  —  Collaborating with devoted colleagues, Dr. Kariko laid the groundwork for the mRNA vaccines turning the tide of the pandemic.  —  She grew up in Hungary, daughter of a butcher.  She decided she wanted to be a scientist, although she had never met one.

Vladimir Putin Has a Message: “Hey, Joe, Are You Listening?”  —  The Biden Administration can't escape the Russia problem.  —  Vladimir Putin would like a word.  All of the talk in Washington these days is about China, or our crazy dysfunctional politics, or the pandemic and its consequences.

Biden Creating Commission to Study Expanding the Supreme Court  —  The White House is taking action after progressives pushed to add seats to the court to balance the conservative stamp put on it by President Trump.  —  WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday will order a 180-day study …

The Business Community Must Act  —  When the Voting Rights Act came before Congress for renewal in 2006, corporate America had a clear message for Congress—pass the bill.  —  As early as 2005, Walmart's CEO had written both President Bush and Republican leadership in Congress in support of the reauthorization legislation.

What About the Cops Who Watched George Floyd Die?  —  Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer currently on trial for the killing of George Floyd, is an all-too familiar type: a bully with a badge and gun.  During his 19 years as an officer, Chauvin was the subject of a score of misconduct complaints.

Trump Put a Right-Wing Radio Host in Charge of a National Park.  Emails Show the Chaos That Ensued.  —  Click the highlighted text for more.  —  Last December 7, Michael Savage kicked off his radio program by railing yet again against the “demonic” and “fascist” governors who had locked down their states to slow the spread of COVID.

With Warning to Democrats, Manchin Points the Way for Biden's Agenda  —  The West Virginia Democrat's latest plea for bipartisanship suggested that, to win over a critical swing vote in his own party, President Biden will first have to reach out to Republicans.

‘Tiger Mom’ Amy Chua says Yale punishing her over false student allegations  —  The author of a controversial 2011 book on parenting says that Yale Law School is punishing her over false allegations raised by students by removing her from a position teaching one of the law school's “small groups …

First Biden budget outline calls for major boost in non-defense spending  —  WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden released the outlines of his first budget proposal to Congress, with a $1.5 trillion proposal calling for a significant increase in non-defense spending in areas ranging from climate change to gun violence.

New York Is Taxing the Rich.  Here's Who Made That Happen.  —  A budget that spends on education, homelessness and undocumented immigrants is the product of years of progressive politics, not a governor looking for a diversion.  —  About a decade ago, it became increasingly common …

2022 will pit a Democratic economic pitch against GOP culture wars  —  WASHINGTON — We are still 578 days away from Election Day 2022, but we already have a good idea of what the battle lines will be.  —  Democrats are concentrating on the economy and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic …

In gun policy address, Joe Biden exaggerates about background checks at gun shows  —  If you go to a gun show and buy a firearm from a federally licensed seller, you will have to pass a background check, just as if you went to a bricks-and-mortar gun store.  You would only escape a background check …

Video shows Texas GOP official seeking ‘army’ of volunteers to monitor polls in mostly Black and Hispanic Houston precincts  —  In a leaked video of a recent presentation, a man who identifies himself as a GOP official in Harris County, Tex., says the party needs 10,000 Republicans for an “election integrity brigade” in Houston.

Trump hands Rubio coveted reelection endorsement in Florida  —  Former President Trump on Friday endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) reelection bid in Florida, throwing his support behind the incumbent senator and former GOP Primary foe in his adopted home state.

“The idea that we can change anything, I have given up on”: NBC News' Brandy Zadrozny on documenting the “depressing” internet  —  “Suddenly, the stupid stuff on the internet, the scary stuff on the internet, became just so mainstream and important.  And that totally should not be.”

The Rise and Fall of the Lincoln Project  —  There have been plenty of grifters in the political world.  But what made the Lincoln Project grift unique was that much of it played out on television.  —  here was nothing special about the Lincoln Project.  Its ads were coarse …

A Nation Primed To See Racism In Everything Will Think Only About Race  —  Americans are now trained to see racism everywhere, even where it doesn't exist.  —  One high school in Oregon postponed a vote last week on whether to change its mascot from the Trojan to the Evergreens over concerns the lush timber imagery was racist.