Arizona's Trent Franks to Resign Jan. 31  —  Updated 7:24 pm |  Arizona Republican Trent Franks said Thursday he is resigning from Congress effective Jan. 31 amid an Ethics Committee investigation into discussions he had with two female staffers about surrogacy.

Exclusive: Previously undisclosed emails show follow-up after Trump Tower meeting  —  Analyzing Donald Trump Jr.'s House testimony  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Washington (CNN)The British publicist who arranged the June 2016 meeting with Russians and Donald Trump Jr. sent multiple emails …

Justice Department Moves To Investigate Planned Parenthood's Fetal Tissue Practices … The Justice Department is taking steps to investigate Planned Parenthood, The Daily Beast has learned.  —  The head of Justice's office of legislative affairs has sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee asking …

Stark Partisan Divisions Over Russia Probe, Including Its Importance to the Nation  —  Trump's style, Twitter use top ‘disappointments’ among supporters  —  A majority of Americans say they think senior members of Donald Trump's administration definitely or probably had improper contacts …

Exclusive: Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. Fired For Misconduct By Morgan Stanley  —  A woman who was interviewed as part of the company's HR probe separately told HuffPost that Ford harassed her one evening in Manhattan several years ago.  —  Former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr …

Less-guarded Sessions spars with interns in internal DOJ video  —  This summer, in the midst of President Donald Trump's criticism of the Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions in particular, Sessions said during a private event that the U.S. legal system must be …

Al Franken's Resignation and the Selective Force of #MeToo  —  On what he called the worst day of his political life, Senator Al Franken articulated two points that are central to understanding what has become known as the #MeToo moment.  In an eleven-minute speech, in which Franken announced …

Private War: Erik Prince Has His Eye On Afghanistan's Rare Metals  —  BuzzFeed News is publishing the slide presentation by the founder of Blackwater to privatize the Afghan war and mine Afghanistan's valuable minerals.  He pitched the proposal to the Trump administration.

Trump's richest friends are asking for changes to the GOP tax plan, and he's listening … Some of President Trump's wealthiest New York friends have launched a last-minute campaign to pressure him for changes to the GOP tax bill, telling the president personally that the current plan would drive up their taxes and hurt his home state.

Here's Why Democrats Forced Al Franken to Do the Right Thing—And Why They May Come to Regret It … So Al Franken is out.  It was the right thing for him to do.  I guess.  What he did was wrong.  It wasn't asking-a-14-year-old-girl-to-take-her- clothes-off wrong, but it was wrong.

Heavy winds and dry air could prolong Ventura County wildfire for weeks, officials say  —  Gusty Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions continued to stoke major wildfires in Southern California on Thursday as Ventura County fire officials said the battle there could last well over a week.

Op-Ed Dylan Farrow: Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?  —  Director Woody Allen attends a special screening of “Wonder Wheel” in New York City on Nov. 14.  (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press) … We are in the midst of a revolution.

Trust no one: Scholar risked all to document Islamic State  —  The historian carried secrets too heavy for one man to bear.  —  He packed his bag with his most treasured possessions before going to bed: the 1 terabyte hard drive with his evidence against the Islamic State group …

Cory Gardner: The NRSC ‘Will Never Endorse’ Roy Moore  —  As Donald Trump and the RNC move to support the Alabama Senate candidate, one group stands firm.  —  A protester holds up a sign as Roy Moore, not pictured, speaks during a campaign rally in Fairhope, Alabama, on Tuesday.

Congressional Democrats Left Out of White House Hanukkah Party  —  WASHINGTON — The latkes were fried and the kosher lamb chops were prepared on Thursday, just as in past years, for the first White House Hanukkah party of the Trump era.  But there was one prominent break with tradition …

The Steele Dossier on Trump and Russia Is Looking More and More Real  —  When news surfaced at the beginning of the year that British intelligence agent turned private investigator Christopher Steele had compiled a report on Donald Trump's ties to Russia, news reports immediately treated its findings as radioactive.

Rep. John Lewis to skip Trump visit to Mississippi Civil Rights Museum  —  Civil rights icons Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Bennie Thompson announced Thursday they will not attend President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, calling the trip “an insult” to the African-Americans commemorated there.

Lindsey Vonn: I won't be representing US President at Winter Olympics  —  St Moritz, Switzerland (CNN)A number of US athletes have spoken out against Donald Trump during his presidency — and skier Lindsey Vonn has become the latest to have her say.  —  Targeting Olympic gold …

Former Colorado GOP chairman Steve Curtis found guilty of voter fraud, forgery  —  republican found guilty of voter fraud |  DENVER - Steve Curtis, the former chairman for the Colorado Republican Party, was found guilty Thursday by a Weld County jury of voter fraud and forgery.

2 Times Reporters Will Write Book on Sexual Abuse Scandals  —  The New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey will publish a book about the sexual abuse and harassment scandals that have convulsed the nation over the past two months, Penguin Press confirmed on Thursday.

Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models Into This Year's Holiday Parties  —  “Ambiance and atmosphere models” contractually obligated to pretend they're party guests are in record demand from local agencies.  —  Along with a seemingly endless string of harassment and discrimination scandals …

Ex-Governor's Run Gives Democrats a Bit More Hope of Retaking the Senate  —  WASHINGTON — Former Gov. Phil Bredesen, the last Democrat to win statewide office in Tennessee, announced on Tuesday that he would run for the seat being vacated by Senator Bob Corker, handing his party a conceivable …

Grindelwald casting  —  When Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald, I thought he'd be wonderful in the role.  However, around the time of filming his cameo in the first movie, stories had appeared in the press that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise.