Sacha Baron Cohen

Georgia state lawmaker Jason Spencer has announced his resignation from public office, after repeatedly shouting the n-word, dropping his trousers and putting on an offensive Asian accent on Sacha Baron Cohen 's new show Who is America? . In the scene, which you can watch below, Baron Cohen poses as an Israeli anti-terrorism expert named Captain Erran Morad, leading Spencer to believe he was shooting a martial arts lesson.

House Republicans seek more tax cuts as elections near

House Republicans have launched an effort to expand the massive tax law they muscled through Congress last year, aiming to make permanent the individual tax cuts and small-business income deductions now set to expire in 2026. The pre-midterm elections push, which clicked into gear Tuesday, is portrayed as championing the middle class and small businesses.

GOP, Dems focus on messages as summer recess, elections near

One House bill, backed mostly by Republicans, would repeal a tax imposed on some medical devices to help pay for President Barack Obama's health care law, a statute they despise. With another, still a bare-bones outline, the GOP would make last year's $1.5 trillion tax cut permanent and expand reductions for families, homeschooling and businesses.

In Georgia, governor nominees show polar opposite parties Source: AP

Georgia Republicans tapped Brian Kemp to face Democrat Stacey Abrams in the Georgia governor's race, setting a November matchup that will test history and highlight the widening gulf between two major parties moving further apart in style and substance in the era of President Donald Trump. Kemp, a two-term secretary of state, trounced longtime Lt.

Dan Vallone: The importance of corralling Trump

If present trends continue, when historians write about the proximate cause for America's, and the world's, descent into a violent, volatile state of affairs in the aftermath of the 2016 elections, they will point not to a specific act of aggression or political miscalculation, but to the deafening and tragic silence of elected officials who buried their heads while an egomaniacal president subverted America's interests for his own self-aggrandizement At the recent summit in Helsinki, President Donald Trump willingly, knowingly and with the eyes of the world watching praised Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly while attacking other Americans, going so far as to indicate he trusts Putin more than he does the American intelligence agencies.

A religious freedom summit cana t undo Trumpa s record on Islam

This week's State Department ministerial on international religious freedom has been a well-orchestrated, if hastily organized, event with a sense of common purpose rarely seen in the current administration. It prominently features the work of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, as bipartisan a body as you'll find in Washington these days.

Connecticut town official takes a knee during Pledge and an outcry ensues

Selectwoman Melissa Schlag's decision to take a knee to protest the president during the Pledge of Allegiance last week has sparked an uproar in this small town and launched a spirited debate on social media about rules of protesting in the Age of Trump. Schlag said she acted in response to President Donald Trump's defense of Vladimir Putin after the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered with the 2016 election.

Trump-backed candidate Kemp wins Georgia GOP governor runoff

With a damning secret recording of his opponent and a late Trump-Pence endorsement, Secretary of State Brian Kemp on Tuesday won a bruising Republican runoff in the race for Georgia governor. A self-described "unapologetic conservative" whose campaign ran an eyebrow-raising ad that said he could use his own pickup to "round up criminal illegals," Kemp rode a national wave of voter contempt for the establishment in favor of bare-knuckled outsider politics.

McCaskill wants tighter rules on duck boats after accident

Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill announced Tuesday that she wants to enshrine into law federal recommendations to improve duck boat safety such as getting rid of canopies that can trap passengers if the vehicles sink, a move that comes after a deadly accident in Missouri. McCaskill said during a speech on the Senate floor that she is drafting legislation following the sinking of a sightseeing boat last week on Table Rock Lake near Branson that killed 17 people.

Ryan calls Trump threat to pull clearances ‘just trolling’

President Donald Trump's threat to revoke the security clearances of top former officials critical of his administration left congressional leaders stunned and confused, with the House speaker shrugging it off as a bit of "trolling." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was surprised to learn that many former top national security and intelligence officials maintain access to classified information after they leave their posts.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill, July 24, 2018.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is not up for re-election until 2020, raised more than $10 million for other GOP Senate candidates this cycle, according to Cornyn would like to move into his party's top Senate leadership position, and being generous with colleagues is a time-honored way of winning their support. He's raised $9.39 million for Republicans' Senate campaign arm - playing an "indispensable" role in the committee's fundraising, according to its leadership.

Putin won’t be invited to address U.S. Congress despite Trump invite: Paul Ryan

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. Ryan said Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be invited to speak at a joint meeting to Congress on a visit to the U.S., and what matters is the message Putin will get from Trump - to stop meddling in U.S. elections and violating sovereignty.

Trump plans emergency aid to farmers affected by his tariffs

The U.S. readied a plan Tuesday to send billions in emergency aid to farmers who have been hurt by President Donald Trump's trade disputes with China and other American trading partners. The Agriculture Department was expected to announce the proposal that would include direct assistance and other temporary relief for farmers, according to two people briefed on the plan, who were not authorized to speak on the record.

Contentious Georgia GOP runoff tests Trump voters’ loyalty

Accompanied by his wife Nita Cagle, left, and political supporters, Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle speaks during a rally in Evans, Ga., Monday, July 23, 2018, as he continues his campaign for Georgia governor, a day before the Republican runoff election against his rival, Brian Kemp, Georgia's secretary of state.