Trump labor secretary Alex Acosta resigns amid Epstein plea deal scandal – live

Acosta was under fire for having granted Jeffrey Epstein immunity from federal prosecution in 2008, following sex trafficking ring investigation

Another big House vote this afternoon.

With a 402-12 vote, Congress approved a bill that would ensure funding for the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

Jon Stewart says he looks forward to signing ceremony for bill funding 9/11 first responders compensation fund: "We'll all be here for that one final moment—not of celebration, but of relief. Let them exhale." https://t.co/NkJuIoh4fP pic.twitter.com/p7PI4cLDOc

The House has just voted to limit Trump’s authority to make war in Iran as part of a bill which also restricts the president’s budget request for the Pentagon.

Republicans joined the majority Democrats for a 251-170 vote.

Trump said last month he believes he does not need congressional approval to strike Iran. The vote Friday amounted to a pointed and bipartisan rebuttal — led by strange ideological bedfellows, Representatives Ro Khanna, a liberal Democrat from California, and Matt Gaetz of Florida, one of Trump’s most strident Republican allies in Congress.

“When this passes, it will be a clear statement from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle that this country is tired of endless wars, that we do not want another war in the Middle East,” Khanna said before the amendment vote.

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Paul Ryan releases ‘teaser trailer’ about series on push for tax reform

Paul Davis Ryan GOP set for blame over shutdown The Hill's 12:30 Report - Cohen says Trump knew payments were wrong 's office on Monday released a trailer for an upcoming series focused on his efforts to pass tax reform. The 59-second trailer sets up the premise of "Decades in the Making," a docu-series set for a Dec. 18 release focused on Ryan's years-long effort to pass tax reform that culminated with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.a From the first day I came to Congress, I've been fighting for comprehensive tax reform to keep America competitive.

Sanders headlining 2 Wisconsin Democratic rallies next week

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is coming to Wisconsin to headline a pair of rallies featuring candidates for top offices in the state. Sanders was to hold rallies Monday in Milwaukee and Kenosha.

Voice of the people: Slam on Madigan misguided

Professor James Nowlan has joined Rauner's anti-Madigan crusade with his recent commentary . Noted that Nowlan demurs from totally taking up the whine of Rauner and his merry band of political dependents, who portray the Illinois speaker of the House as an arch villain like "Darth Vader," but then he claims galactically "Madigan has shut down democracy in Illinois."

Congress heads toward postelection fight over border wall

Congress is heading toward a postelection showdown over President Donald Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as GOP leaders signal they're willing to engage in hardball tactics that could spark a partial government shutdown and the president revs up midterm crowds for the wall, a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign and a top White House priority. Trump is promising voters at rallies across the country that Republicans will bring tougher border security in campaign speeches that echo those that propelled him to office two years ago.

Trump Dossier Research Chief Declines U.S. Congress Interview Request

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, is joined by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., right, as the Republican-led House pushes ahead on legislation to crack down on illegal immigration, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. The Republican chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Friday subpoenaed a U.S. research firm founder to give a deposition on his hiring of a former British spy to compile a dossier on alleged links between U.S. President Donald Trump's associates and Russia.

Rosenstein’s Day of Reckoning with the President

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was reportedly convinced that he'd be fired following a bombshell New York Times report that described comments he apparently made about President Trump privately last year. But whether or not Rosenstein emerges from a meeting with Trump on Thursday with his job intact, House Republicans are salivating at the thought of exploiting The Times' story to tighten the noose on the Justice Department.

The Latest: House approves bill to keep US government open

The House has given final legislative approval to a bill keeping the government open through Dec. 7. The $854 billion bill also funds the military and a host of civilian agencies for the next year. The measure includes $675 billion for the Defense Department and boosts military pay by 2.6 percent, the largest pay raise in nine years.

Amid Reports of Rosenstein Firing, Democrats Want Vote to Protect Mueller

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein arrives in the Capitol for a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the Russia investigation in May 24. As news broke Monday morning that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was resigning or expecting to be fired , Democrats were quick to call for congressional action to protect the special counsel investigation that Rosenstein has managed.  "With Rosenstein's departure there is one less barrier protecting the Mueller investigation from President [Donald] Trump's interference," Florida Rep. Val Demings said in a statement.

Congress set to fund government, but not Trump’s wall Source: AP

Congress is set to pass a crucial spending bill that averts a government shutdown, but there's one potential obstacle: President Donald Trump. Neither party wants the government to close ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, but Trump has made clear his frustration at the lack of money for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Siblings of Arizona GOP congressman back rival in stunning ads

Videos show brothers and sisters of Paul Gosar, previously condemned for comments about George Soros, telling voters to choose Democrat David Brill in midterm election Six siblings of a Republican congressman from Arizona seeking re-election in November's midterms have publicly endorsed his Democratic opponent - all but ensuring an awkward Thanksgiving family dinner this year. Paul Gosar, who first entered Congress in 2011 with the backing of the populist Tea Party movement and is known for his hardline views on immigration, is odds-on favorite to retain his seat in the rural, conservative state when he faces Democrat David Brill this fall.

Arizona congressman blasts siblings who endorsed opponent

In this Dec. 2013, file photo, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., speaks during a Congressional Field Hearing on the Affordable Care Act in Apache Junction, Ariz. Six siblings of Gosar have urged voters to cast their ballots against the Arizona Republican in November 2018 in an unusual political ad sponsored by the rival candidate.

6 siblings of Arizona GOP congressman endorse his opponent Source: AP

Six siblings of U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar have urged voters to cast their ballots against the Arizona Republican in November in an unusual political ad sponsored by the rival candidate. The television ad from Democrat David Brill combines video interviews with Gosar-family siblings who ask voters to usher Paul Gosar out of office because he has broken with the family's values.

6 siblings of Arizona GOP congressman endorse his opponent

In this Dec. 2013, file photo, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., speaks during a Congressional Field Hearing on the Affordable Care Act in Apache Junction, Ariz. Six siblings of Gosar have urged voters to cast their ballots against the Arizona Republican in November 2018 in an unusual political ad sponsored by the rival candidate.

Rep. Paul Gosar’s siblings: Don’t vote for our brother

Six siblings of Republican Rep. Paul Gosar delivered a stark message in a new television advertisement: Vote for their brother's opponent. The Democrat challenging Gosar in Arizona's 4th District unveiled a new ad Friday that features Grace, David, Jennifer, Tim, Joan, and Gaston lambasting Gosar over Social Security, health care, water policy and more.