So What Did Hastert Do?  —  “The Coach”, former House Speaker turned high-priced lobbyist, is the target of a mysterious indictment.  The Times has some details (and attaches the indictment) and the WaPo has some speculation that is informative for its omissions.  —  Background from the Times:

Bernie Sanders distances himself from ‘dumb’ 1972 essay on rape  —  Bernie Sanders wrote about rape fantasies in 1970s 06:17  —  New York (CNN)Bernie Sanders' campaign tried on Thursday to distance the presidential candidate from a 1972 essay in which he wrote — among other things …

An Award for Bill Clinton Came With $500,000 for His Foundation  —  To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Petra Nemcova, a Czech model who survived the disaster by clinging to a palm tree, decided to pull out all the stops for the annual fund-raiser of her school-building charity, the Happy Hearts Fund.

Americans Choose “Pro-Choice” for First Time in Seven Years  —  Story Highlights  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Half of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice” on abortion, surpassing the 44% who identify as “pro-life.”  This is the first time since 2008 that the pro-choice position …

Rescission of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism  —  Press Statement  —  Director, Office of Press Relations  —  Washington, DC  —  In December 2014, the President instructed the Secretary of State to immediately launch a review of Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism …

Rand Paul's money problem  —  Behind the Kentucky senator's NSA ‘filibuster’ lies a desperate quest for cash.  —  In a presidential campaign defined by billionaire sugar daddy donors, Rand Paul has a problem: He doesn't seem to have one.  —  While his rivals cultivate wealthy backers …

U.S. Economy Contracted 0.7% in First Quarter  —  The economy got off to an even weaker start this year than first thought, the government reported Friday, as economic activity contracted amid a disappointing trade picture and continued caution on spending by businesses and consumers alike.

The Insecure American  —  America remains, despite the damage inflicted by the Great Recession and its aftermath, a very rich country.  But many Americans are economically insecure, with little protection from life's risks.  They frequently experience financial hardship …

Trump stokes 2016 talk, schedules ‘major announcement’  —  Donald Trump will make a “major announcement” on June 16 at New York City's Trump Tower before heading to New Hampshire the next day, according to WMUR-9 in New Hampshire.  —  The schedule adds to the speculation Trump will run …

The fake Clinton scandals are back  —  The right's newest crusade has an old fake villain.  —  Lead image by AP Photo.  —  Has Washington learned nothing from Whitewater?  The Clintons have spent their entire political lives in the capital dogged by one fake scandal after another.

Christie to pull New Jersey from Common Core  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Thursday he will pull his state out of Common Core, a move that could bolster his standing with grassroots Republican primary voters opposed to the education standards.

The Note: Welcome To The Martin O'Malley Moment … NOTABLES  —COULD MARTIN O'MALLEY BE THE CLINTON SLAYER?  Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to launch his 2016 White House bid tomorrow in Baltimore injecting another dose of competition into the Democratic nominating contest that heavily favors Hillary Clinton.

Thoughts from the ammo line  —  Ammo Grrrll stands and delivers Psychotic Ninnies, Circa 1975.  She writes:  —  Last Friday I referred to the Psychotic Ninny Wing of the feminist movement.  In the beginning they were a relatively small part of the legitimate push for equality and expanded opportunities for women.

No one is better at making children laugh than Boswick the Clown.  He doesn't understand why adults are so scared of him.  —  Among the indignities the clown routinely endures, the theft of his Ralph Wiggum antenna topper barely registered.  Until a few weeks earlier, a foam miniature …

The reign in Spain is no longer on the wane  —  King Felipe and Queen Letizia, an “in touch” duo that's trying to keep together a weakened kingdom.  —  MADRID — Spain has been magnificent at giving birth to painters and poets, impressive at minting novelists, chefs and soccer players, but thoroughly inept at producing good kings.

Let Patriot Act Provisions Expire  —  Barring a last-minute compromise, congressional authorization for the program the government uses to sweep up Americans' phone records in bulk will lapse on Sunday.  That would be perfectly fine.  —  The looming expiration of a handful of provisions of the Patriot Act …