Politics

Ronan Farrow reports at The New Yorker: When I mentioned the White House’s role in escalating rumors of his demise, Tillerson appeared to have been waiting for the question. “Mm-hmm,” he said, nodding. “When you say ‘the White House,’ who are you talking about?” he asked. “The White House is comprised of how many people?” Hook, the director of policy …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

USA Today reports: President Trump prepared for the second day of a Japan summit by tweeting Wednesday about Stormy Daniels, mocking the new police sketch of a man she says threatened her in 2011. Trump’s comment accompanied the re-tweet of a Twitter user — “Deplorably Scottish” — who said the sketch resembled Daniels’ ex-husband. Daniels and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, …

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. …

The Birmingham Herald reports: Alabama doesn’t need “folks in Washington” or “out-of-state liberals” instructing the state on what it should do with Confederate monuments, Gov. Kay Ivey said Tuesday. Ivey, during a campaign appearance in Foley, defended a new campaign ad released earlier in the day that touted the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017, which she signed into law …

Axios reports: House Speaker Paul Ryan told CNBC’s Joe Kernen Tuesday that it’s “fake news” that he’s leaving Congress because he doesn’t want to deal with President Trump anymore. Yes, but: Ryan allies told Axios earlier this month that once Ryan passed tax reform, his longtime dream, he was ready to step out of the frustrating role of Speaker, in …

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 …

Gay Star News reports: Poland’s first openly gay mayor, might just become the country’s first ever openly gay president. Robert Biedroń is throwing his hat in the presidential campaign ahead of a national vote in 2020. Even though the election is a few years away, recent polls show one in every four Poles is willing to vote for Biedroń. This …

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 Daily Beast reports: When the camera cut back to Colbert after Hannity’s name was revealed, he was lounging in a leather chair, moaning as he gently rubbed his own nipple and sipped from a glass of red wine. “Jon Stewart, after the show I’m going to come over and we’re just going to spoon,” Colbert said. “This is crazy! …

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 …