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.

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.

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.

Joy Reid's Lawyer: FBI Now Investigating Alleged ‘Hack’  —  MSNBC weekend host Joy Reid's lawyer claimed Wednesday evening that the FBI has opened a probe into her claim that her old blog was hacked to make her appear homophobic.  “We have received confirmation the FBI has opened an investigation …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Hit-and-Run Fatalities Soar as More People Bike to Work  —  Report finds close to 70% of fatalities are cyclists or pedestrians  —  Hit-and-run crash deaths are rising nationwide, and pedestrians and bicyclists account for close to 70% of the victims, according to a new report …

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.

Why Does Trump Treat Immigrant Kids Cruelly?  Because He Can  —  A lifetime ago, Anne Frank's family applied for visas to the United States to escape Hitler, but we rejected the Franks and other desperate Jewish refugees.  We thought: This is Europe's problem, not ours, and we don't want to be overrun by “those people.”

Bannon turned Cambridge into ‘propaganda machine,’ whistleblower says  —  WASHINGTON — Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie told Democrats on Capitol Hill that former Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon asked the embattled data firm to study voter suppression strategies …

Bill Cosby's lawyer falls asleep during testimony  —  NORRISTOWN, Pa.-As rapt jurors listened to the judge overseeing Bill Cosby's sex assault retrial read back prior testimony, the entertainer's lead lawyer snoozed in his chair.  —  Tom Mesereau, mouth agape, drifted in and out of consciousness Wednesday …

Exclusive: Expelled spies included Russians suspected of tracking compatriots who resettled in US  —  Trump expels 60 Russian diplomats over UK attack  —  Washington (CNN)Among the dozens of Russian diplomats the US expelled last month were suspected spies who US law enforcement …

HUD Secretary Ben Carson to propose rent increases for low-income Americans receiving federal housing subsidies … U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday will propose to increase the amount low-income households are expected to pay for rent as well as require …