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.

Bastards

A uranium company launched a concerted lobbying campaign to scale back Bears Ears National Monument, saying such action would give it easier access to the area's uranium deposits and help it operate a nearby processing mill, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and top Utah Republicans have said repeatedly that questions of mining or drilling played no role in President Trump's announcement Monday that he was cutting the site by more than 1.1 million acres, or 85 percent.

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.

Tillerson Criticizes Saudi Arabia, Citing Its Policies in Yemen and…

Prominent appeals court Judge Alex Kozinski accused of sexual misconduct - Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, pictured in 2003. Six women - all former clerks or externs in the 9th Circuit - alleged to The Washington Post in recent weeks that Kozinski Female aides fretted Franks wanted to have sex to impregnate them - Arizona Rep. Trent Franks allegedly made unwanted advances toward female staffers in his office and retaliated against one who rebuffed him, according to House GOP sources with knowledge of a complaint against him.

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.

Former aide to Arizona Republican Trent Franks says he offered her $5 million to carry his child

A former aide to Republican Rep. Trent Franks has told AP the congressman repeatedly pressed her to carry his child, at one point offering her $5 million to act as a surrogate mother. The eight-term lawmaker abruptly resigned Friday, bowing to an ultimatum from House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Pence announces death of family cat Pickles

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen announced that their cat Pickle died this week, according to Karen Pence's Twitter account. The Pence family took two cats, Oreo and Pickle, a snake and a rabbit named Marlon Bundo to their new home at the Naval Observatory residence in Washington, D.C. Oreo died in June, according to the family.

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.

NAACP schedules separate event during Saturday museums opening ceremony

There will be a separate event honoring Mississippi's civil rights icons Saturday around the same time as opening ceremonies for two new museums in downtown Jackson. N-double-A-C-P President/CEO Derrick Johnson, will join Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and Congressman Bennie Thompson in a press conference at Smith Robertson Museum as President Donald Trump tours the new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

Group to host congressional forum

Greenfield will welcome three of the four Republicans running for Congress next week for a forum to introduce them to voters. Hancock County Young Republicans is hosting one of this election season's first gatherings, inviting the men seeking their party's nomination to run for the District 6 U.S. House of Representatives seat to meet with the folks they'd represent.

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.

Embattled Chicago schools chief quits amid ethics probe

Chicago Sun-Times via AP Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool tenders his resignation during a news conference Friday at CPS headquarters. The resignation follows Inspector General Nicholas Schuler's recommendation that Claypool be fired because he concluded Claypool had lied during a probe by denying that he'd asked an attorney to alter a bill for legal advice on an ethics issue.