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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Democrats forced Franken out to ramp up their strategy to bring down Trump  —  In the comedy movie “Anchorman,” comedian Will Farrell advises his TV audience to “stay classy.”  On Thursday, former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken didn't follow that advice and resigned from the U.S. Senate in a particularly classless way.

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 …

Fox's pro-Trump hosts are working overtime to discredit Robert Mueller  —  This is why Trump loves ‘Fox & Friends’  —  What's President Trump hearing when he watches Fox News?  —  He's hearing that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is “illegitimate and corrupt.”

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 …

Southern California Fires Live Updates: Threats in Ventura and San Diego Counties  —  LOS ANGELES — Firefighters battled to hold back flames that on Thursday threatened tens of thousands of homes in Southern California and forced new evacuations, as officials implored residents to remain vigilant …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

California's vulnerable GOP members watch closely as final tax bill is negotiated … Vulnerable California Republicans say they are watching closely as House leaders work on a final tax bill with the Senate, hoping they'll win back at least part of some popular deductions that would lower tax bills in their districts.

James O'Keefe, Practitioner of the Sting, Has an Ally in Trump  —  WASHINGTON — Days after Donald J. Trump launched his presidential campaign in June 2015, James O'Keefe, the conservative disrupter famous for trying to use secret recordings to embarrass liberals and journalists …

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.

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 …

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.

Zinke booked government helicopters to attend D.C. events  —  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent more than $14,000 on government helicopters this summer to take himself and staff to and from official events near Washington, D.C., in order to accommodate his attendance at a swearing-in ceremony …

Exclusive: Wells Fargo sanctions are on ice under Trump official - sources  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new acting head of the U.S. consumer finance watchdog is reviewing whether Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) should pay tens of millions of dollars over alleged mortgage lending abuse, according to three sources familiar with the dispute.

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 …