Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The front-runner in Mexico's 2018 election has embraced a small, socially conservative party in his bid for the presidency, sparking criticism among progressives that could splinter his support in what is expected to be a tight race.

Earlier this week, two-time presidential runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador entered into a coalition with the Social Encounter Party (PES), a tiny party with religious roots that pushes an anti-gay and anti-abortion agenda.

The coalition is led by Lopez Obrador's left-of-center MORENA party and also includes the socialist-leaning Labor Party.

Lopez Obrador, who is leading in most polls, has been Mexico's best-known leftist since he served as mayor of the capital a decade ago. In previous elections he favored tie-ups with left-wing parties.



Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/mexico-presidential-race-roiled-leftist-front-runner-embraces-003538621.html

Source: Politico

A female Democratic House member shocked fellow lawmakers Wednesday when she said that the revealing clothing that some members and staffers wear is an “invitation” to sexual harassment.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) made the comments during a private Democratic Caucus meeting Wednesday to discuss sexual harassment issues, according to two Democratic sources in the room.

“I saw a member yesterday with her cleavage so deep it was down to the floor,” Kaptur said, according to the sources present. “And what I’ve seen … it's really an invitation.” The comments left many others in the room stunned, the sources said.

Kaptur said women on Capitol Hill should have to abide by a stricter dress code, like those adopted by the military or corporations.



Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/marcy-kaptur-womens-clothing-sexual-harassment-294974

Source: The Hill

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Tuesday praised Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) for not casting his ballot for GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate special election.

"Country over Party. Always," Kasich tweeted.

"Well done, @SenShelby."

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/364470-kasich-praises-shelby-for-not-voting-for-roy-moore-country-over-party

Source: The Hill

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) will announce his pick to replace Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) in the Senate on Wednesday.

Dayton's office said he will make an announcement on Wednesday morning from the state Capitol.

Franken announced last week during a defiant Senate floor speech that he would step down after several women came forward and accused him of inappropriate conduct, including forced kissing and groping.

"I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a senator, nothing, has brought dishonor on this institution, and I am confident that the Ethics Committee would agree," he said from the Senate floor. "Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate."

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/364479-franken-successor-to-be-announced-wednesday

Source: Albany Times-Union

The FBI is investigating the Cuomo administration's practice of hiring employees to work in the governor's office, while actually paying them through various state agencies and public authorities, the Times Union has learned.

The practice of hiring pricey political appointees to work for the Executive Chamber – but paying them through other entities – has allowed Cuomo and prior governors to increase the size of their staffs while escaping criticism for inflating the Executive Chamber budget.

In recent months, however, FBI agents have interviewed a number of people who work for the governor's office, but are paid by agencies or authorities, about the circumstances of their hirings, according to people familiar with the matter.

One type of evidence being explored by the FBI, sources said, are the written notifications that are sent by agencies or authorities to the governor's office informing them of a new hire.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/FBI-probing-Cuomo-hiring-practices-12416069.php

Source: Huffington Post

Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) wants Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) to resign from Congress after it was discovered that he used $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim.

“I don’t think he thinks he’s done anything wrong,” Love told CNN Thursday. “But the fact is, someone was paid off. It’s taxpayer dollars that [were] used. This is about people taking responsibility for what they do and changing the culture in Washington.”

Few congressional Republicans have publicly called for Farenthold’s ouster. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) said in a statement released by her deputy chief of staff that Farenthold should step aside and pay back the taxpayer money. Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.) on Friday also called for Farenthold’s resignation.

The House Ethics Committee voted Thursday to launch an investigation into the allegation that Farenthold sexually harassed a female former staff member and retaliated against her.

Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mia-love-blake-farenthold-resign_us_5a2a99cfe4b073789f691ac6

Source: The Hill

The Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan election handicapper, changed its election rating for Tennessee’s Senate race to a toss-up following former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) launching his bid for the seat.

Bredesen, who served as the last Democratic governor of the state, was a top recruit for Democrats in the race to replace Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a President Trump surrogate-turned-critic who won’t seek reelection in 2018.

Bredesen won his first term as governor in 2002 and handily won reelection in 2006 with 69 percent of the vote, winning every county in Tennessee.


He officially jumped into the Senate race Thursday morning with an online video, arguing that he has the “actual track record that it will take to start working across party lines, to fix the mess in Washington and bring common sense back to our government.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/363776-cook-political-report-shifts-tennessee-senate-race-to-toss-up

Source: Talking Points Memo

Tina Dupuy, a journalist and former Democratic congressional staffer, on Wednesday alleged that Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) groped her at a party in 2009.

“It happened at a Media Matters party during the first Obama inauguration,” Dupuy wrote in the Atlantic, referring to an event in February 2009, after Franken was elected to office in a close race.

Dupuy said she “saw Al Franken” and asked to take a picture with him because her foster mother was a fan.

“We posed for the shot. He immediately put his hand on my waist, grabbing a handful of flesh. I froze. Then he squeezed. At least twice,” Dupuy said.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/journalist-says-franken-groped-her-at-2009-party

Source: The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Since it first emerged that Michael T. Flynn had repeated phone conversations last December with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, one of the most significant unanswered questions has been what transition team officials and Donald J. Trump, then the president-elect, knew about the calls.

The documents made public on Friday show that the transition team knew that Mr. Flynn was going to be discussing sanctions with the then ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, and raise new questions about what President-elect Trump knew about the conversations.

Here are some key dates around the conversation and the subsequent fallout that offer insight on what the transition team knew at the time:

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/us/politics/flynn-russia-sanctions.html

Source: The Hill

An attorney for Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said Friday that the embattled congressman would make a decision in the coming days about whether to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment.

"We will discuss in the next day or so what Mr. Conyers plans to do," Arnold Reed, a lawyer for Conyers, said at a news conference in Michigan, where the longest-serving current House member was hospitalized for stress this week.

"As you know, his health is not the best, is not what it should be. He has undergone a second round of examinations. I will meet and confer with doctors and it will be Congressman John Conyers who will be the one to decide what it is he’s going to do," Reed added.

In recent days, Conyers has faced mounting calls from his fellow lawyers to resign.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/362822-conyers-will-decide-in-coming-days-whether-to-resign