Democrat Mike Espy files to run for Senate in 2020

Democrat Mike Espy appears to be gunning for a rematch in his bid for Senate in Mississippi.

The former agriculture secretary and congressman filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Friday declaring his intention to run for Senate in 2020.

The filing comes just three days after he was defeated by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) in a heated runoff election. A spokesperson for Espy's campaign did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.

Hyde-Smith, who was appointed earlier this year to replace former Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) in the chamber, beat Espy on Tuesday by roughly 8 points.

Because Hyde-Smith was appointed this year and elected in a special election, she will face reelection again at the end of Cochran's term in 2020 when she's expected to seek her first full term in the Senate.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is best selling book of 2018

Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" has become the best selling book of the year in the United States, surpassing Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" and others.

Wolff's "Fire" was a publishing world sensation when it came out in January. To date it has sold 1,008,088 hardcover copies, according to NDP BookScan data.

All year long, it was the year's No. 1 political book. Its closest competitor was "Fear," by Bob Woodward, which came out in September and has sold 872,567 hardcover copies to date.

But "Becoming" outpaced them both in just a couple of weeks. BookScan shows 1,122,618 hardcover copies of Obama's uplifting memoir have sold since its November 13 release date.

That makes it No. 1 for the year. The year's No. 2 book in terms of hardcover sales is "Magnolia Table," a cookbook by TV star Joanna Gaines. "Fire and Fury" now ranks No. 3, followed by Rachel Hollis' self help book "Girl, Wash Your Face" at No. 4 and "Fear" at No. 5.

Obama's publisher, Penguin Random House, said Friday that "Becoming" "sold more than 2 million units in all formats and editions in the U.S. and Canada during the first 15 days of its publication."

The hardcover edition of "Becoming" is now up to six printings, meaning the publisher has had to order more and more copies to keep up with demand. By the end of the sixth printing, there will be 3.4 million copies in print in the U.S. and Canada, well-timed for the holiday book-buying season.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Barack and Michelle Obama statement on passing of George H. W. Bush

Former President Obama and his wife Michelle have issued a statement on the passing of George H.W. Bush who died at the age of 94 on Friday.

GOP Sen. Tim Scott To Oppose Trump Judicial Nominee Thomas Farr

Republican Sen. Tim Scott announced Thursday he would oppose President Donald Trump's nominee to be a US district judge in North Carolina, effectively ending the nomination that had been plagued with accusations that Thomas Farr supported measures that disenfranchised African-American voters.

"This week, a Department of Justice memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr's activities. This, in turn, created more concerns. Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr's nomination," Scott said in a statement.

Scott, who is the Senate's sole black Republican, told reporters Wednesday that he wanted to speak to the author of a 1991 memo obtained by the Washington Post, which outlines a controversial postcard campaign distributed by the 1990 campaign of Sen. Jesse Helms that the Justice Department said were used to intimidate black voters from going to the polls.

Scott's decision to oppose Farr prevented Farr from being confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans hold a 51-to-49 seat majority. Also opposing Farr was Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who has sworn off advancing Trump judicial nominees until the chamber votes on a bill to protect special counsels such as Robert Mueller. All 49 Democrats opposed the nomination.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Bomb threat at Texas Southern University

A bomb threat at Texas Southern University, one of the largest historically black universities in the United States, triggered an evacuation of the campus on Wednesday, but students were allowed back after a sweep, officials said.

The threat to the school in Houston was made in a call to emergency dispatchers, Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said by phone.

"It was a generalized bomb threat," Silva said.

Thousands of students, including those in dorms, were forced to leave the campus and classes were canceled for Wednesday, Steve Scheffler, a spokesman for the university, said by phone.

Police conducted a sweep of the campus and the school was declared safe, with students allowed to return, Scheffler said.

[SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS]