Arizona GOP lawmaker resigns over surrogacy allegation

Republican Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona said Thursday he is resigning next month after revealing that he discussed surrogacy with two female staffers. The eight-term lawmaker, a staunch conservative and fierce opponent of abortion, said in a statement that he never physically intimidated, coerced or attempted to have any sexual contact with any member of his congressional staff.

Sexual misconduct claims force two in Congress to resign, another into ethics probe

In a head shaking series of events, a tide of sexual misconduct allegations continued to sweep across Capitol Hill on Thursday, as one Senate Democrat and one House Republican announced their resignations, while another House GOP lawmaker became the subject of an ethics review over a sexual harassment case that has already resulted in a taxpayer funded settlment. Hours later, the House floor suddenly was in the spotlight, as Rep. Trent Franks surprised colleagues by announcing he would resign effective at the end of January.

The Latest: Ariz. Rep. Franks resigns before Ethics probe

Arizona Republican Trent Franks says he is resigning from the House because he discussed with two female staff aides whether they would consider being a surrogate mother. He says his resignation will take effect Jan. 31. He says he will not put his family, staff and fellow lawmakers through "hyperbolized public excoriation."

GOP plans stopgap fix to try to avoid government shutdown

Republicans are moving toward passing a two-week stopgap measure to avoid a looming government shutdown, but the path in the coming weeks is treacherous, with obstacles on both sides of the aisle as lawmakers push their own priorities, some unrelated to government spending. With government funding set to expire at the end of Friday, Republicans are aiming to buy more time so they can negotiate over a long-term spending package.

The White House Has Declared War on the FBI

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged "at least one person" in connection with the Russia investigation, which is surprisingly quick work for a special counsel. So who is it? The speed of the action suggests to me either it's a fairly minor character or it's a major character whose actions were so obviously illegal that it didn't take much time to build a case.

Some expect rush of GOP hopefuls vying for Sen. Flake’s seat

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake's decision to bow out of a re-election fight could spur a rush of other Republican candidates who hope to take on his only announced challenger in the Arizona primary next year. The freshman senator's decision came after months of saying he expected a tough primary and general election but believed he could win.

Trump makes a mess for Arizona GOP with Arpaio pardon

In just nine days, President Donald Trump might have badly hobbled Arizona Republicans headed into a competitive Senate race and hurt his own re-election prospects in the state. Trump's efforts to unseat Sen. Jeff Flake in the state's 2018 Republican primary have left Trump's allies confused and divided over which of several possible anti-Flake candidates should get their support.

Democratic fury, and mostly GOP silence, over Trumpa s pardon of Arpaio

President Donald Trump's end-of-the-week pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, a campaign supporter who shares Trump's hard-line views on immigration, touched off a political outcry that did not abate Saturday even as much of the nation was focused on a hurricane that pummeled Texas. Democrats condemned the president's decision, which was made public by the White House on Friday night as Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, churned toward the Texas coast.

Photo shows Trump meeting with 2 potential challengers to a vulnerable GOP senator

President Donald Trump met with two potential challengers to a vulnerable Republican senator on Tuesday, reaffirming his baffling commitment to ousting a member of his own party from Washington. The president has made no secret of his desire to replace Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who escalated his criticism of Trump in his new book "Conscience of a Conservative."

Nation’s political split on display at Trump Phoenix visit

The nation's political split over President Donald Trump is expected to be on full display Tuesday as hard-core backers of the Republican president flood into the Phoenix Convention Center and police brace for protests from opponents outside. The rally organized by the Trump campaign will also be a test of the president's support among his base and elected Arizona Republicans, some of whom won't show up because of the possible damage he can do to their own political standing.

If Trump pardons Arpaio, GOP can’t claim ‘rule of law’ on immigration

Arizona politicians have invoked the "rule of law" for more than a decade to argue for harsher immigration enforcement. Does it apply to Arpaio? If Trump pardons Arpaio, GOP can't claim 'rule of law' on immigration Arizona politicians have invoked the "rule of law" for more than a decade to argue for harsher immigration enforcement.

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After hours of negotiations that featured personal intervention by President Donald Trump, Republican leaders in the Congress were forced to back off a planned vote on a GOP health care bill, unable to find enough votes approve it and send it on to the Senate for further work. While House leaders said votes were possible on Friday, there was no final agreement to vote on, as more conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus refused to get on board with a deal offered by the White House.

Character vs. policy in the 2016 presidential campaign

Americans are learning far more about Donald Trump's sex life and Hillary Clinton's emails than about their respective policy agendas. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speak during the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Oct. 9, 2016.