The Great Dood Drain of ’17

"How can we expect the federal government to continue to function at its usual peak efficiency without the awesome 52 years of experience and institutional knowledge supplied by Michigan Congressman John Conyers? American government faces a congressional brain drain, Conyers's resignation in the wake of accusations of sexual harassment not being anything like unique. Yesterday, Senator Al Franken announced his impending resignation, as did Rep. Trent Franks - before allegations against him had even hit the news.

2018 race for Franken seat attracts lots of names, sets up seismic shift

Sen. Al Franken's decision to step down amid a growing sexual-harassment scandal has scrambled Minnesota's 2018 election. Political operatives in Minnesota and Washington were drawing up lists of candidates to run for Sen. Al Franken's Senate seat even before his resignation speech last week, searching for prospects with the profile, fundraising prowess and mettle to sprint to next November's special election - and then do it again in 2020 to hold the seat another six years.

While lawyers argue, it’s past time to physically protect Utah’s public lands

The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. President Donald Trump, surrounded by Utah representatives looks at Sen. Orrin Hatch to give him the pen used to signs a presidential proclamation to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments at the Utah Capitol on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Depends on whom you ask.

Zinke calls reports on helicopter use a “wild departure from reality’

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke responded Saturday to reports about his helicopter use, calling them a "wild departure from reality" in a statement on Twitter. "Recent articles about official Interior Department helicopter usage are total fabrications and a wild departure of reality," he said in a statement posted with the tweet.

Hillary, please don’t reject romance novels – you are a romance…

Ex-Fox News anchor claims Trump tried to kiss her - Former Fox News anchor Juliet Huddy said President Donald Trump tried to kiss her in an elevator around the time he married First Lady Melania. - Huddy, who left Fox News after allegedly receiving a settlement after she made a complaint Brzezinski questions Franken accuser: 'Playboy model who goes on Hannity, voted for Trump' - MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski referred to an accuser of Sen. Al Franken - as a "Playboy model who goes on Hannity [and] voted for Trump" during a Friday morning discussion on Franken's resignation announcement.

GOP governor sides with Indonesians facing deportation

In this Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 photo, Poppy Sombah, left, and Freddy Sombah listen to an Indonesian community leader at their home in Somersworth, N.H. The couple fled Indonesia to escape harassment from their Muslim neighbors following Poppy's conversion to Christianity after marrying. After word spread earlier this year that the Indonesian community in New Hampshire faced deportation they receive unexpected support from Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

Larry Pressler: Mitt Romney for president

Mitt Romney said last week that Roy Moore is "unfit" as the GOP Senate nominee for Alabama's special election on Dec. 12. Probably the biggest news out of Washington this week has been President Donald Trump's visit to Utah. People are speculating about what the spillover of his proclamation might be to public lands in the other 49 states.

Trump Trying To Help Push Moore Across Alabama Finish Line

President Donald Trump is trying to push embattled GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore across the finish line in Tuesday's election in Alabama by contending the Democratic nominee would oppose "what we must do" for the nation. Trump, in a tweet early Saturday, hours after boosting Moore's campaign during a Florida rally, framed the race as a referendum on his efforts to reshape the country and said Democrat Doug Jones would work in lockstep with his party's leaders on Capitol Hill to oppose the Trump agenda.

Bozell & Graham Column: Don’t Cry for Al Franken

Senator Al Franken, Comedian of Minnesota, was pressed by a majority of Senate Democrats to resign in the wake of a growing pile of accusations of grabbing women in sexual ways. When the number of accusers reached a critical mass,"They turned on one of their party's most popular figures with stunning swiftness," reported The Washington Post.

Doubts Rise About Sen. Collins’ Strategy To Shore Up Insurance Market

Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican whose vote was pivotal in pushing the GOP tax bill forward last week, thought she had a deal to bolster health care protections in exchange for her support. But it's now unclear wether her strategy to shore up part of the Affordable Care Act will prevail or that it would produce the results she anticipates.

Trauner announces Senate bid

The last time Gary Trauner ran for national office he was accused of having robbed a bank when he was 16. Though not true, it taught the 58-year-old Wilson resident an important lesson. "People will do anything to win, and though lots of people say they don't like negative campaigning, it's effective," Trauner said Friday, soon after announcing that he would run as a Democrat in the 2018 race for U.S. Senate.

Trump says US – cannot afford’ Roy Moore loss in Alabama

President Donald Trump on Friday urged voters to elect a Republican Senate candidate in Alabama who has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, warning that America "cannot afford" to have a Democrat win the hard-fought campaign instead. Trump gave a boost to the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore during a raucous campaign rally in the Florida panhandle, near the state line with Alabama.

Planned Parenthood probe pursued

A top Democrat is hinting that the Justice Department's investigation into Planned Parenthood is politically motivated, but a pro-life advocate said those claims would not stop the feds from pursuing their investigation. The DOJ is asking for unredacted documents from the Senate Judiciary Committee's probe into accusations that Planned Parenthood violated federal laws regarding the sale of fetal tissue and body parts of aborted fetuses.

Trump Urges Alabama to Vote Moore, Discrediting Accuser’s Lawyer

U.S. President Donald Trump gave his most full-throated endorsement yet of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, casting aside calls for to shun the former judge who's been accused of sexual misconduct while seizing on reports that questioned the credibility of his accuser.  Trump, speaking to a crowd of supporters in Northern Florida about 30 miles from Alabama, highlighted reports Friday that Beverly Young Nelson acknowledged she had written some of the words in her high-school yearbook that she had attributed to Moore. Referring to the woman's attorney, Gloria Allred, Trump said "anytime you see her you know something's wrong."