News

CNN reports: Rep. Mo Brooks, who lost to Roy Moore in Alabama’s GOP Senate primary, announced Wednesday he has prostate cancer and that losing the race “may have saved” his life. Speaking from the House floor, Brooks said that he learned of his “high risk” prostate cancer in October. Appearing to hold back tears, the congressman talked about the night …

The Hill reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday suggested a possible 2020 bid for the presidency, saying he “may very well do it.” “If I were offered the nomination by the Lord Almighty right now, today, I would say no because we’re not ready, the family’s not ready to do this. If in a year from now, if …

Mediaite reports: The shocking victory came after multiple women stepped forward to accuse GOP candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct, with many of them claiming these incidents occurred when they were underage. One such accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, appeared on CNN’s New Day this morning, exuding joy to host Alisyn Camerota. “I’m feeling fantastic,” she said. “Roy Moore’s loss means …

Bloomberg reports: The White House says Omarosa Manigault Newman — one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent African-American supporters — plans to leave the administration next month. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Manigault Newman’s resignation is effective Jan. 20, one year since Trump’s inauguration. Manigault Newman’s decision comes at the start of what’s expected to be a …

The Minnesota Star-Tribune reports: Gov. Mark Dayton will appoint Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to replace Sen. Al Franken as Minnesota’s next U.S. senator, according to two high-level Democratic sources with knowledge of the decision. Dayton will name Smith as his choice at a Wednesday morning news conference, and she plans to run for the seat in a 2018 special election, …

The Hill reports: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said after embattled GOP candidate Roy Moore was defeated in the Alabama Senate race that it’s “best to exit with class.” Alabama state law requires an automatic recount when election results are within 0.5 percent. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Jones holds 49.9 percent of the vote, compared to Moore’s …

From the New York Daily News: Jones’ narrow win means the Republican majority over Democrats in the Senate drops to a slim 51 to 49. It will also further galvanize the Democratic Party as it looks to build on sentiment against President Trump to mount a challenge next year to the Republican control of Congress. The bitter political battle centered …

The Hill reports: President Trump congratulated Democrat Doug Jones for winning the Alabama Senate race Tuesday night. Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore in a close election for the open seat, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama since 1992. The result was a major blow for Trump, who backed Moore despite a series of allegations that …

The New York Times reports: The last polls close at 8 p.m. Eastern. Strong support for Roy S. Moore, the Republican, is expected in rural, mostly white parts of the state and in its northern half. The Democrat, Doug Jones, aims to create a lead in the urban counties that include Birmingham and Montgomery, and across a band of largely …

The Washington Post reports: The campaign chairman for Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones sounded notes of cautious optimism Tuesday afternoon as Alabama voters continued to cast ballots in a pivotal special election here. Giles Perkins said he had observed signs of high voter turnout in Jefferson and Montgomery counties — populous Democratic strongholds where Jones is trying to run up …

The Hill reports: A Democratic lawmaker has introduced a bill calling on Congress to investigate claims of sexual assault and misconduct against President Trump following calls from several Senate Democrats for Trump’s resignation. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday introduced a resolution calling on Congress to investigate the accusations against the president either in an existing committee or through the …

From Merriam-Webster: Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2017 is feminism. The word was a top lookup throughout the year, with several spikes that corresponded to various news reports and events. The general rise in lookups tells us that many people are interested in this word; specific spikes give us insight into some of the reasons why. Feminism spiked following …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee died early Tuesday morning at age 65, his office said. The sudden news came in an email from the office at 2:23 a.m. It read: “It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M. Lee passed away on Tuesday, December 12 at 1:11 a.m. …

Reuters reports: At a time when China is working on an ambitious lunar program, President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that the United States will remain the leader in space exploration as he began a process to return Americans to the moon. “We are the leader and we’re going to stay the leader, and we’re going to increase it many …

The New York Daily News reports: Ryan Lizza, a longtime writer for the New Yorker, has been booted from the high-brow magazine amid allegations of “improper sexual conduct.” A statement issued by the New Yorker confirmed that Lizza was fired on Monday. A spokesperson for the magazine did not immediately respond to questions about what Lizza had been accused of. …

Axios reports: Sen. Lindsay Graham said Monday in a CNN interview that if Roy Moore — accused of sexual misconduct by nine women — is elected to the U.S. Senate Tuesday, his victory will “define the 2018 elections.” Republican candidates will be “asked about a thousand times” about Moore, he said. “Roy Moore will be the gift that keeps on …

The Hill reports: Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) is calling for extra protections for Senate pages to prepare for the possible election of Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. In a Dec. 8 letter to the Senate Sergeant at Arms, the congresswoman writes of her “urgent concern” for the safety of Senate pages if Moore is elected. “Being away from home …

Heavy.com reports: Ullah Akayed has been arrested following reports of a possible pipe bomb detonated in New York City. Police say that it appears as though Akayed set off some kind of explosive device around 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning in an underground Subway station not too far from bustling Times Square. Police took 27-year-old Akayed into custody shortly after …

CNN reports: Former President Barack Obama is adding his voice to the Alabama Senate race, imploring voters to go to the polls Tuesday to reject the candidacy of Roy Moore as part of an aggressive effort by Democrats to try and counter President Donald Trump’s full-throated endorsement of the controversial Republican candidate. “This one’s serious,” Obama says in the call. …

Politico reports: People close to Bannon, who left the White House in August and returned to his former perch as head of Breitbart News, say he’s told them he doesn’t have a lawyer and isn’t worried about potential exposure. But others say it’s inevitable he’ll be called in as a witness in the ongoing investigations. He has not been publicly …