Axios reports: South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy, who is retiring from Congress this year, told Vice News’ Michael C. Moynihan that he felt being in Congress was largely a waste of time, as it was bogged down by “ineffectiveness.” And asked what he makes of the Republican party in 2018, he said “the goal is to win” — that’s it. …

The Associated Press reports: Mississippi’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a woman has parental rights to a 6-year-old boy born to her ex-wife when the two were married, in a case watched by gay rights activists and groups aiding in vitro fertilization. Christina “Chris” Strickland brought the appeal, challenging a lower court decision that an anonymous sperm donor still had …

NPR reports: As allegations continue to swirl about the president and a payout to a porn star to cover up a sexual encounter, evangelical leaders are organizing a sit-down with President Trump in June, four sources with knowledge of the planned meeting tell NPR. “We’re very concerned” about the allegations, said a leader of a faith-based ministry. The leader is …

The Washington Post reports: The president usually begins his morning with the “Fox & Friends” show on Fox News, often sending tweets that correspond with the show’s headlines and programming. The show even partially fueled his decision this week to call for sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. He also watches Sean Hannity’s show in the evenings, regularly …

Much to the eternal anguish of Porno Pete, the gay teen romance Love, Simon is a surprise US box office hit, having grossed over $36 million. The film opens in Britain tomorrow and the Guardian raves: With its sheer warmth, openness, likability and idealism, Love, Simon won me over. It takes all the corniness and tweeness of the coming-of-age genre …

Arkansas Online reports: Oren Paris III, former president of Ecclesia College in Springdale, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to a fraud charge in a kickback scheme involving state grants for his school. Paris was scheduled to go to trial Monday alongside former state Sen. Jon Woods (R) of Springdale and consultant Randell G. Shelton Jr., formerly of Alma but currently of …

The New York Daily News reports: Infighting among white supremacists led to a major development this week: one of the most notorious pro-Trump internet trolls was outed as a Middlebury College grad who lives in Manhattan. Ricky Vaughn, an alt-right troll who was banned from Twitter for spreading anti-Semitic and racist content, got into a toxic back-and-forth with other far-right …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not know about a $130,000 payment made to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence, his first public acknowledgment of the scandal surrounding an alleged sexual affair that has plagued him for months. “No,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when questioned about his knowledge of the …

CBS News reports: Several weeks after taking the helm of the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator Scott Pruitt was running late and stuck in Washington, D.C., traffic. Sources tell CBS News that he wanted to use his vehicle’s lights and sirens to get to his official appointment, but the lead agent in charge of his security detail advised him that sirens …

CNBC reports: Facebook has asked several major U.S. hospitals to share anonymized data about their patients, such as illnesses and prescription info, for a proposed research project. Facebook was intending to match it up with user data it had collected, and help the hospitals figure out which patients might need special care or treatment. The proposal never went past the …

Billboard Magazine reports: Adam Rippon may be a professional figure skater, but he has shown over the last few months that he has a knack for marketing himself. The openly gay Olympian has been seen on almost every cable talk show imaginable, made a name for himself online, and seen multiple interviewers and fans asking him what he wants to …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Thursday revived his unfounded claim that there is widespread voter fraud in the United States. Speaking at a roundtable on tax reform in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Trump told attendees that Americans in California cast ballots “many times.” “In many places, like California, the same person votes many times. You probably heard about …

“All elections are important. Midterms are coming up, but important elections are happening across the country at other times as well. As Christians we need to pray and we need to vote, even in off-year elections. Christians should be aware of candidates who call themselves progressive. Progressive is generally just a code word for someone who leans toward socialism, a …

The New York Times reports: The Chinese government has banned online retailers from selling the Bible, moving in the wake of new rules to control the country’s burgeoning religious scene. The measures to limit Bible sales were announced over the weekend and began taking effect this week. By Thursday, internet searches for the Bible came up empty on leading online …

The Associated Press reports: The number of women running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives set a record Thursday, the vast majority of them Democrats motivated by angst over President Donald Trump and policies of the Republican-controlled Congress. Their ranks will continue to grow in the weeks ahead, with filing deadlines still to come in more than half …

“When she sat for that interview, it actually lasted over two hours in length. The portion that the American public saw was only about 14 or 16 minutes. CBS, they’re a conservative network. There’s a lot of information that was said that did not make it into the final piece. For instance, she can describe the president’s genitalia in great …

The SPLC’s Hatewatch reports: Stormfront founder and former Klansman Don Black announced on Tuesday that the white supremacist movement’s first major hate forum is temporarily restricting access to “sustaining members” — users who donate at least five dollars a month — and will be archiving and shuttering its main server on April 6 due to a “financial crisis.” Black is …

The Tennessean reports: Former Gov. Phil Bredesen has a 10-point lead over U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, according to a new poll from Middle Tennessee State University. The poll, released Thursday, found 45 percent of 600 registered Tennessee voters said they would choose Bredesen, a Democrat and former Nashville mayor, if the …

Forbes reports: In March, The Rachel Maddow Show finished as the highest-rated show in cable news, with an average total audience of 3.058 million viewers–the show’s best-ever performance in the 9 p.m. ET hour. FNC’s Hannity was second, with 3.000 million viewers. Maddow also won among viewers 25-54, the demographic most valued by advertisers, finishing March with an average audience …

This is fantastic: Striking Oklahoma teachers jangled their keys and chanted “Where’s my car?” at their governor after she compared their demands to a “teenager wanting a better car.” Public schools in Oklahoma are closed this week as teachers strike for better pay and resources. On Tuesday, Gov. Mary Fallin (R) said the teachers striking for improved pay and benefits …