First Run News

WASHINGTON — Representative Tim Murphy, an outspoken abortion opponent embattled by allegations that he encouraged his lover to terminate a pregnancy, announced Thursday that he would step down from his House seat this month. Speaker Paul D. Ryan said on Thursday afternoon that Mr. Murphy, a Republican who has represented his conservative Pennsylvania district since 2003, had sent him a letter of resignation, effective Oct. 21. “It was Dr. Murphy’s decision to move on to the next chapter of his life, and I support it,” Mr. Ryan said in a statement.

WASHINGTON — Republican leaders in Congress are under attack from all sides of their own party, battered by voters from the right and left, spurned by frustrated donors and even threatened by the Trump White House for ineffective leadership and insufficient loyalty. Since last week, Senate Republicans lost one of their own when Roy S.

WASHINGTON — When Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson traveled to Saudi Arabia with President Trump last spring, he impressed hosts and visitors alike by swaying along with the traditional men’s dancers swathed in white robes and brandishing swords. “Not my first sword dance,” Mr. Tillerson deadpanned afterward. Indeed, the calculation behind Mr.

President Trump may announce in the coming days that he will “decertify” Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement reached with six world powers, including the United States. Here are some questions and answers about the nuclear agreement and the possible consequences should Mr.

WASHINGTON — President Trump is expected to overrule his top national security advisers and decline to certify the Iran nuclear agreement, according to people who have been briefed on the matter, a decision that would reopen a volatile political debate on Iran but is likely to leave in place the landmark deal negotiated by the Obama administration. By declining to certify Iran’s compliance, Mr.

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Thursday began giving away some of the thousands of dollars in campaign contributions they had received from Harvey Weinstein, a wealthy Hollywood producer, moving to distance themselves from him after revelations he had reached at least eight settlements with women accusing him of sexual harassment. Senators Patrick J.

The Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein faces a series of previously undisclosed allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact stretching back nearly three decades, according to a New York Times investigation published on Thursday afternoon. Over that span, Mr.

Two decades ago, the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein invited Ashley Judd to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what the young actress expected to be a business breakfast meeting. Instead, he had her sent up to his room, where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower, she recalled in an interview. “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?” Ms.