West Virginia gov taps ex-speaker, congressman to high court

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, center, shakes hands with West Virginia Great Barrel Co. managing partners Tom Crabtree, left, and Philip Cornett following the announcement Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, in Charleston W.Va., that a barrel-making facility will be constructed in White Sulphur Springs.

Behind Trump’s decision to finally praise John McCain

President Donald Trump offered brief plaudits for the recently passed Sen. John McCain in a statement on Monday after responding only with silence to questions about the Vietnam War veteran. Full credit: Chip Somodevilla/Saul Loeb/Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Fed up with television coverage of Sen. John McCain's death and eager to continue promoting his agenda, President Donald Trump remained silent for most of Monday about the Vietnam War veteran being honored by the rest of Washington.

White House drafted a statement on John McCain, but never released it

White House aides drafted a fulsome statement for President Donald Trump on the death of Sen. John McCain, but it was never sent out, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. Several staff members believed the official White House statement, which went through an internal approval process, would be released at the time of the Arizona Republican's death, which occurred on Saturday.

Democrats, on last day of Chicago meetings, OK limiting party leadersa role in picking nominee

After two years of sometimes ugly public fighting, Democratic Party leaders on Saturday voted to limit their own high-profile roles in choosing presidential nominees, giving even more weight to the outcome of state primaries and caucuses. The debate over the influence of party insiders known as superdelegates was evidence of the fallout from the 2016 fight between eventual nominee Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

In Arizona, replacing McCain a political balancing act

The governor of Arizona, Republican Doug Ducey, says he won't be naming a replacement for the late Sen. John McCain until after the senator's burial next Sunday. Ducey's decision requires a political balancing act considering the demands of many Arizona conservatives who had soured on McCain over the years and Republicans who favored McCain's more moderate, independent approach.

Sen. McCain will be honored this week for five days in three cities

Following the death of Sen. John McCain on Saturday, politicians and supporters across the country were left remembering the legacy of a strong political figure who withstood a Washington career that spanned four decades, two failed presidential bids and a life-changing military career that included being held captive as a prisoner of war for more than five years. After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer last year, he began planning his own funeral, which many expected to be as grand and prominent as his life.

How Arizona will fill John McCain’s seat — and who might fill it

As the nation mourns the death of John McCain , Arizona's Republican governor must soon decide who will replace him in the Senate. Under Arizona law, it's up to Gov. Doug Ducey to fill Senate vacancies until a special election is held in 2020.

Six memorable moments when John McCain earned a reputation as a ‘maverick’

John McCain, who died Saturday at 81 , will be remembered as many things father, former prisoner of war, U.S. senator, presidential nominee but perhaps his most enduring legacy is captured in a single word: maverick. But how did the Arizona Republican earn the label that has come to define his rise in national politics? We've rounded up some of his most memorable moments in which he showed he was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in.