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:

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Thousands of websites block Congress in Patriot Act protest  —  Thousands of websites are blocking Congress's access to their sites in a show of force to protest the Patriot Act.  —  Led by the online activist group Fight for the Future, more than 10,000 sites have added code that redirects …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

Lincoln Chafee to announce presidential run on June 3  —  Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee will officially enter the presidential race on June 3, a source with knowledge of his plans told POLITICO.  —  He'll make the announcement in a speech he's scheduled to deliver next Wednesday …

Windshield Devices Bring Distracted Driving Debate to Eye Level  —  In a widely watched YouTube video, a man is driving around Los Angeles when his phone rings.  On a small screen mounted on the dashboard, an image of the caller, the man's mother, appears.  —  But there's an optical twist …

Mysterious Globs Of Oil Close Beaches In Southern California  —  A cleanup crew collects balls of tar that washed ashore in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Thursday, May 28, 2015.  —  CREDIT: AP  —  Nearly seven miles of popular Los Angeles coastline remain closed Friday after mysterious balls of oil …

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 …