Friday's Headlines: Democrats’ move against Franken seen as a moral and political calculation

Rep. Franks, who asked staffers if they would bear his child as surrogate mothers, to resign; As Trump's visit nears, Mississippi blacks say he's brought back troubles of the past;...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   The Debrief Democrats' move against Franken seen as a moral and political calculation The Minnesota senator's forced resignation was the Democrats' strongest declaration yet that they — unlike the Republicans — are willing to sacrifice their own in the interest of staking out the high ground on allegations of sexual misconduct. But some say that may not be enough to overcome the deeper dynamics that drive the electorate, and will instead make voters even more disillusioned. By Karen Tumulty  •  Read more » Rep. Franks, who asked staffers if they would bear his child as surrogate mothers, to resign Republican Trent Franks of Arizona, among the most conservative House members, said he would resign effective Jan. 31. The House Ethics Committee had said it would create a special subcommittee to investigate him for conduct "that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment." By Mike DeBonis and Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •   Read more »   As Trump's visit nears, Mississippi blacks say he's brought back troubles of the past The president's last-minute decision to attend the opening of a new civil rights museum in Jackson has sparked protests and wariness from those who believe he empowers racists. "It's hostile now, more hostile than in a long, long time," one resident said. By Marc Fisher  •   Read more »   Britain, European Union reach divorce deal to move on to new phase in Brexit talks Prime Minister Theresa May overcame dissent at home to reach a compromise over borders between Northern Ireland and Ireland, the amount of money Britain will have to pay to leave the bloc and who will guarantee the rights of E.U. citizens after the divorce. By Michael Birnbaum  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   Trump's mental meltdown By Joe Scarborough  •   Read more »   Was Al Franken's punishment fair? By Ruth Marcus  •   Read more »   What if Mueller catches Trump — and it isn't enough? By Eugene Robinson  •   Read more »   No city would ever pass this tax bill By John Hamilton  •   Read more »   President Trump, come see what makes America great By Steve Bullock  •   Read more »   Al Franken's departure is a welcome sign By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Trump's richest friends are asking for changes to the GOP tax plan, and he's listening At a private fundraiser, some of the president's longtime New York friends raised concerns about how the GOP plan would affect them. By Damian Paletta and Josh Dawsey  •  Read more »     Russian social media executive sought to help Trump campaign in 2016, emails show The executive at Vkontakte, or VK, Russia's equivalent to Facebook, emailed Donald Trump Jr. and social media director Dan Scavino in January and again in November of last year, offering to help promote Trump's campaign to its nearly 100 million users. Scavino expressed interest in learning more at one point. By Rosalind S. Helderman, Anton Troianovski and Tom Hamburger  •   Read more »   The Fix | Analysis White House says questioning Trump's health based on slurring is 'ridiculous.' Has it forgotten 2016? The Trump campaign had made a concerted effort to raise questions and stoke insinuations about Hillary Clinton's health, including an ad featuring video of Clinton stumbling at a 9/11 memorial and coughing repeatedly. By Aaron Blake  •   Read more »   Israeli forces brace for mass protests as Palestinians gather for Friday prayers Police have beefed up patrol units in and around Jerusalem's Old City, but a police spokesman said Muslim worshipers entering to pray at the holy Haram al-Sharif compound would not face restrictions. Clashes have erupted following President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. By Loveday Morris and Ruth Eglash  •   Read more »   Congress passes two-week spending bill, briefly delaying larger fight President Trump indicated he will sign the stopgap deal to extend government funding until Dec. 22 and avert a partial government shutdown that had been set to take effect at 12:01 Saturday morning. By Mike DeBonis  •   Read more »   Winds propel raging fires and growing fears across Southern California The fires forced a wave of new evacuations and shut down major roadways, leaving scenes of apocalyptic destruction in its path. By Scott Wilson, Eli Rosenberg and Mark Berman  •   Read more »   House Ethics Committee revives investigation into Rep. Farenthold, accused in 2014 of sexual comments The House Ethics Committee is resuming its investigation into Republican Blake Farenthold of Texas in light of new information that surfaced about a 2015 settlement agreement he reached with his former aide. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •   Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071