National News at a Glance

Trump Lawyer Said to Silence a Porn Actress

A lawyer for President Donald Trump orchestrated a $130,000 payment to a pornographic-film actress in October 2016 to prevent her from going public with claims of a consensual sexual encounter with Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The reported payment came before the presidential election and as Stephanie Clifford, 38, was discussing sharing her account with ABC’s “Good Morning America” and Slate, according to interviews, notes and text messages reviewed by The New York Times. Jacob Weisberg, editor-in-chief of Slate Group, said Clifford told him she had an affair with Trump after meeting him at a 2006 golf tournament.

Border Agency Asks for Expanded Control Over Lands in Building Wall

The Trump administration is seeking new authority to acquire land near the Southern border with Mexico as part of its plan to quickly build immigration barriers, angering activists who said it would violate liberties and endanger the environment. The proposed changes are outlined in a border security budget document that was delivered to Congress last week in a funding request asking for $33 billion for border security over the next decade, including $18 billion for a nearly 1,000-mile wall on the Mexican border that President Donald Trump has made a top priority to combat illegal immigration.

After Vile Remark, Senator Scolded President and Defended Migrants

Just after President Donald Trump finished railing in the Oval Office against African immigrants he said came from “shithole countries,” a senior Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, spoke up. “America is an idea, not a race,” Graham said, according to three people familiar with the exchange Thursday. Diversity was a strength, he said, not a weakness. Graham added that he was a descendant of immigrants who came to the United States from “shithole countries with no skills.” Trump’s comments now threaten what had been an emerging agreement to protect unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States as children.

Trump Is in ‘Excellent Health,’ Doctor Says After Exam

President Donald Trump is in good health, his doctor said Friday after his first comprehensive physical exam since he was elected. “The president’s physical exam today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center went exceptionally well,” Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy and the White House physician, said in a statement. “The president is in excellent health.” The statement did not include any basic information about Trump’s health, including his weight, blood pressure or cholesterol levels. The president’s doctors did not indicate what tests they performed during the exam or whether Trump, 71, was taking medications.

Justices to Hear Cases on Voting Rights and Internet Taxes

The Supreme Court added 12 cases to its docket Friday, including ones on whether voting districts in Texas were the product of racial discrimination and whether online merchants must collect sales taxes. The court agreed to decide whether congressional and state legislative districts in Texas violated the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against minority voters. The Supreme Court also agreed to reconsider a 1992 ruling, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, that helped spur the rise of internet shopping. It barred states from forcing companies to collect sales taxes if they do not have a local physical presence.

Kentucky Is First to Add Work Rule to Medicaid Plans

Kentucky will be the first state to require many of its Medicaid recipients to work or face losing their benefits after the Trump administration approved its plan Friday. Advocates for the poor threatened lawsuits, while Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, celebrated the approval as “the most transformational entitlement reform that has been seen in a quarter of a century.” The plan calls for most Medicaid recipients who are not disabled and ages 19-64 to work at least 20 hours a week, beginning in July. The Bevin administration expects about 350,000 people to be subject to the requirement.

CDC Postpones Session Preparing Us for Nuclear War

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to postpone its session on nuclear attack preparedness next week. Much attention had been drawn to the timing of the agency’s session, which was publicized just days after President Donald Trump touted the size of his nuclear button compared with North Korea’s. The CDC announced Friday that it had changed its mind about Tuesday’s topic, making a revision to reflect concerns about cases of severe flu. Kathy Harben, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the session would address guidance for health professionals on trying to reduce the spread of the flu.