BREAKING NEWS

DC police have a suspect in custody. Via USA Today: The White House went into lockdown Friday afternoon after what federal law enforcement agencies said was a shooting just outside the West Wing. President Obama was on a golf outing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland when the shooting occurred. The U.S. Park Police, which has jurisdiction of the …

CNN reports: EgyptAir Flight 804 vanished from radar on its way from Paris to Cairo with 66 people aboard, the airline said Thursday. The plane was flying at 37,000 feet when it lost contact overnight above the Mediterranean Sea, the airline tweeted. Although investigators are still trying to figure out what happened, French President Francois Hollande said he had been …

Whoa. From the New York Times: The Obama administration is planning to issue a sweeping directive telling every public school district in the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. A letter to school districts will go out Friday, adding to a highly charged debate over transgender rights in the middle of the …

The Associated Press reports: North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is going to court in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. McCrory is leading a lawsuit filed Monday seeking to keep in place the law the U.S. Justice Department said last week violated the civil rights of transgender people. The Justice …

From the Charlotte Observer: U.S. Justice Department officials Wednesday notified Gov. Pat McCrory that House Bill 2 violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act. The department gave state officials until Monday to address the situation “by confirming that the State will not comply with or implement HB2.” The letter says HB2, which pre-empted Charlotte’s anti-discrimination ordinance, violates Title IX of the …

After his drubbing today in Indiana, Ted Cruz tonight dropped out of the presidential race. From the Washington Post: Ted Cruz, the insurgent Texan whose presidential campaign was fueled by disdain for Washington, dropped out of the 2016 race Tuesday night, removing the last major hurdle in Donald Trump’s quest to become to become the Republican nominee for president. Cruz’s …

TMZ has the shocking news: The artist known as Prince has died … TMZ has learned. He was 57. Prince’s body was discovered at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota early Thursday morning. Multiple sources connected to the singer confirmed he had passed. The singer — full name Prince Rogers Nelson — had a medical emergency on April 15th that …

Well, THIS is unexpected. New York Magazine reports: Donald Trump says transgender people should be able to “use the bathroom they feel is appropriate.” On NBC’s Today show Thursday morning, the GOP front-runner said he opposes North Carolina’s “very strong” bathroom bill, which prohibits transgender residents from doing just that. “North Carolina did something that was very strong and they’re …

Politico has the scoop: Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Wednesday will announce a decision to keep Alexander Hamilton on the front of the $10 bill and put leaders of the movement to give women the right to vote on the back of the bill, sources tell POLITICO. Treasury will also announce that it plans to replace former President Andrew Jackson …

Minutes ago Buzzfeed News reported that Democratic North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper will not defend the constitutionality of his state’s newly-enacted anti-LGBT law. Cooper is running for governor against incumbent Pat McCrory, who has issued lie-filled statements in support of the law, which excludes LGBT citizens statewide from all discrimination protections. Story developing. See the tweets below from Buzzfeed’s …

Little is known so far. From the Associated Press: The U.S. Capitol Police are telling staff in the Capitol complex to shelter in place after a report of gunshots being fired in the Capitol Visitors Center. The White House also was put on lockdown because of the report. The situation was apparently contained to the Visitors Center but no further …

Moments ago Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared that he will veto his state’s anti-LGBT so-called “religious liberty” bill. Among his reasons are that Georgia does not protect its LGBT citizens from discrimination in the first place, so further legislation is not necessary. UPDATE: Lambda Legal reacts. Today we feel very fortunate that LGBT people and people with living with HIV …

The BBC reports: Many people have been killed or seriously injured in terrorist attacks at Brussels international airport and a city metro station, Belgium’s PM says. Two blasts tore through the departures area of Zaventem airport shortly after 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT). An hour later, an explosion hit Maelbeek metro station. The airport and whole transport system are closed. …

Via the New York Times: Michael R. Bloomberg, who for months quietly laid the groundwork to run for president as an independent, will not enter the 2016 campaign, he said Monday, citing his fear that a three-way race could lead to the election of a candidate who would imperil the security and stability of the United States: Donald J. Trump. …

USA Today has the breaking news: The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously reversed an Alabama court’s refusal to recognize a same-sex adoption. The justices upheld a challenge brought by an Alabama woman after her state’s highest court refused to recognize the adoption she and her former lesbian partner were granted in Georgia. The couple never married and have since split …

TMZ has the report: Nancy Reagan has died … TMZ has learned from a close family member. The former first lady was living in Bel Air and has been in failing health in recent years. Mrs. Reagan married Ronald in 1952 and went on to became a First Lady who at first was severely criticized for her fancy taste — …

Whoa. From the Los Angeles Times: In another twist in the long-running O.J. Simpson saga, Los Angeles police are investigating and testing a knife that was reportedly recovered on property once owned by the former football star. The elite Robbery-Homicide Division is investigating a buck knife now in the department’s possession. The knife was apparently turned over to a police …

President Obama will address the nation on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at 8:30PM Eastern. Embedded below is the official White House video stream. Express the president speak about making an appointment.

From the Dallas Morning News: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died of apparent natural causes Saturday on a luxury resort in West Texas, the San Antonio-Express News reported. Scalia, 79, was a guest at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a resort in the Big Bend region south of Marfa, the paper reported. According to a report, Scalia, an associate justice, arrived …

Portland’s ABC affiliate has the breaking news: One person is dead and several others, including Oregon occupation leader Ammon Bundy, were detained following a confrontation with the FBI and state police Tuesday night. It all began with a traffic stop while Bundy and some of his followers were en route to a community meeting in John Day, about 70 miles …