- Congress avoids a shutdown…for two weeks. Congressional leaders send a stopgap spending bill to fund the government until just before Christmas to President Trump’s desk [New York Times].
- Sen. Al Franken announces he will resign from Congress amid multiple women accusing him of sexual misconduct [New York Times].
- Arizona Rep. Trent Franks says he will resign from Congress after two female staffers alleged he sexually harassed them. Franks bizarrely claims he discussed “fertility issues and surrogacy” with the staffers, but denies any harassment [CNN].
- The House is launching an ethics investigation into Texas Republican Blake Farenthold who paid more than $80,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim against him [Politico].
- Former WSJ reporter Neil King says the number of sexual harassment claims against members of Congress could be between 20 and 30 [Twitter].
- A British publicist who arranged the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer sent multiple follow-up emails to one of the Russians involved in the meeting. Trump Jr. previously claimed there was no follow-up following the meeting [CNN].
- An executive with a Russian social media company made several overtures to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign [Washington Post].
- Conservatives are ramping up their attacks on special counsel Robert Muller as his investigation into Russian election meddling seems to be intensifying [The Hill].
- The House ethics committee clears California Republican Devin Nunes of allegations he disclosed classified information related to the Russia investigation [Politico].
- Former Congressman and current MSNBC contributor Harold Ford Jr. was fired by Morgan Stanley after a woman claimed he sexually harassed her [Huffington Post].
- President Trump’s approval rating drops to 32%, which is a new low [CNN].
- Drain the swamp? Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent more than $14,000 on helicopters to ferry himself and his staff to events around Washington, D.C. [Politico].
- Controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says he’s considering running for the U.S. Senate [Daily Beast].
- The UK and the European Union reach an agreement on the Brexit talks [New York Times].
- Bitcoin prices are skyrocketing, and investors on Wall Street cannot wait to short the cryptocurrency [Axios].
On this day in history:
- 1941 – The U.S. declares war on Japan following the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
- 1980 – Former Beatle John Lennon is murdered in front of The Dakota in New York City.
- 1987 – President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty between the two superpowers to reduce their massive nuclear arsenals.
- 1993 – President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
