News

The Chicago Sun-Times reports: The federal indictment hanging over the head of former congressman Aaron Schock repeatedly references the official rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. Trouble is, some of them are pretty vague. Or so says Schock. And his attorneys insist the judicial branch has no business deciding what they really mean. To do so would be a …

The Hill reports: The Tampa Bay Times announced that it would cut about 50 jobs after new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration caused the cost of newsprint to dramatically rise. A spokeswoman for the Times confirmed the layoffs to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, saying they are directly in response to the tariffs imposed on newsprint imported from Canada. …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a joint press conference Wednesday amid Abe’s visit to Trump’s golf club in Florida. The pair of leaders will likely address efforts to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Earlier Wednesday, the president confirmed CIA Director and Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo met directly with …

Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate reports: Pittsburgh Police are gearing up for possible protests in the event President Donald Trump fires special counsel Robert Mueller. A memo went out to the police department from Victor Joseph, commander of the Pittsburgh Bureau of police. In the memo the department’s detectives are instructed to begin wearing a full uniform and carrying riot gear with …

The SPLC’s HateWatch report: It started out as a gag on alt-right and racist websites: The idea that someone should claim credit for Nikolas Cruz after he was charged with killing 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Republic of Florida leader Jordan Jereb took the joke into the real world, telling news outlets that he trained Cruz …

The Hill reports: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) holds a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), a poll released Wednesday showed. A Quinnipiac University Poll, conducted April 12-17, deemed the race too close to call. Cruz leads O’Rourke, by 3 percentage points — 47-44 — which falls within the poll’s margin of error of 3.6 percentage points. Support …

Politico reports: Vice President Mike Pence is racking up the travel miles. After a quick day trip on Wednesday to Mar-a-Lago for meetings with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Pence will return to crisscrossing the country for political events aimed at staving off a Democratic wave in the 2018 midterm elections, according to his office. He …

The Telegraph reports: The Queen has reportedly been hit “extremely hard” by the loss of her corgi Willow who died on Sunday – ending Her Majesty’s close association with the breed dating back eight decades. The dog, which was 14th generation and descended from the Queen’s first dog Susan, was suffering from a cancer-related illness. It is understood The Queen …

CNN reports: First lady Melania Trump will attend the funeral for Barbara Bush in Texas on Saturday. “Mrs. Trump plans to pay her respects at the funeral on Saturday,” her communications director Stephanie Grisham told CNN. Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty and a first lady who elevated the cause of literacy, died Tuesday. She was 92. The …

Buzzfeed News reports: About two weeks after he was released from the hospital, 15-year-old Anthony Borges, who was shot protecting his classmates, became the first Parkland victim to file a lawsuit against an array of parties for negligence. Borges was shot five times, three times in the leg and twice in the torso, barricading the door of his classroom, where …

Reuters reports: Some major customers of Boeing Co’s popular 737 jets said on Wednesday they were inspecting engines of the type that blew apart mid-air on a fatal Southwest Airlines Co flight on Tuesday. European regulators this month began requiring an inspection by early next year, and a person familiar with the matter said U.S. regulators were near a similar …

The New York Post reports: Former FBI director James Comey called the Trump presidency “a forest fire” and defended his handling of the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email during his appearance Tuesday night on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” “He’s tweeted at me probably 50 times,” Comey told Colbert. “I’ve been gone for a year, I’m like the …

The Washington Post reports: CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a top-secret visit to North Korea as an envoy for President Trump to meet with Kim Jong Un, and plans for a possible summit between the two leaders are underway, Trump confirmed Wednesday. The extraordinary meeting between one of Trump’s most trusted emissaries and the authoritarian head of a rogue state …

ABC News reports: Former first lady Barbara Bush died Tuesday at her home in Houston, Texas. She was 92. “A former first lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy, Barbara Pierce Bush passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at the age of 92,” reads a statement from the office of former President George H.W. …

CBS News reports: A Southwest Airlines plane made an emergency landing at Philadelphia’s airport with what appears to be a damaged engine on Tuesday. Passengers walked off the plane on the tarmac at the airport. Passenger Marty Martinez did a brief Facebook Live posting with the caption “Something is wrong with our plane! It appears we are going down! Emergency …

Back in December, Pennsylvania GOP House Rep. Charlie Dent announced that he would retire at the end of this term, citing Trump’s “divisiveness” as among his reasons. Today Dent revealed that he will resign from the House “in the coming weeks,” opening up the likelihood of a special election ahead of the midterms.  UPDATE: Here’s his statement. Serving the 15th …

The New York Post reports: The Mooch is helping “Sugar Daddies” hook up with pliant young women seeking “arrangements.” Anthony Scaramucci’s Midtown restaurant, Hunt & Fish Club, is the venue for Thursday’s “Sugar Social,” where 25 “invited gentlemen” will meet for cocktails and dinner with 35 “stunning women.” The email promoting the event promises, “Sugar Socials are our solution to …

Bloomberg reports: South and North Korea are discussing plans to announce an official end to the military conflict between the two countries that are still technically at war, the Munhwa Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unidentified South Korean official. At next week’s summit between South Korea President Moon Jae-in and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, the two neighbors may …

“Did Sean Hannity tell his bosses that, ‘I’m a third client of Michael Cohen and I’m going on the air tonight?’ Because, I will tell you, if he did not and then he proceeded to do the coverage that he’s been doing for months, honestly, and it appears he intends to continue doing, he’s lying to his viewers – bald-faced …

The Hill reports: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said she was “struggling not to laugh” after it was revealed that the Fox News host Sean Hannity was Michael Cohen’s previously unnamed third client. “I still am struggling not to laugh. This has been a very weird day in the news,” Maddow said on MSNBC. “One of the anchors at the major pro-Trump …