Congressman

A 52-year-old Georgia woman was being held Monday on charges that she unlawfully pointed a pistol at a South Carolina congressman, a congressional spokesman said. The woman, Gloria Yvonne Brackett, was arrested Sunday and was denied bond in Spartanburg, S.C., on Monday, said Josh Dix, a spokesman for Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy. Brackett is facing two counts, including pointing the weapon and unlawfully carrying the pistol, Dix said in a telephone interview with the Los Angeles Times.

TAMPA, Fla. - When Mitt Romney accepts the Republican nomination for president Thursday night, Rep. Mo Brooks plans to be in the hall, unlike most of his fellow freshmen in the influential tea party class in the House, who skipped the convention. The former prosecutor and state lawmaker had considered sticking to the campaign trail in his northern Alabama district, where he is running for reelection, but decided the stakes were too high to stay away. "It's a historic event, perhaps one of the last chances we have to save our country," Brooks said.

Manny Pacquiao's fall opponent was supposed to be known by now. He's not, and neither is the date of the Pacquiao's next fight. Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum told The Times on Tuesday he's still "waiting to hear" from Pacquiao about his intentions. Arum said he remained in "conversations" with possible opponents, including Miguel Cotto, but gave little information beyond that. "I can't go blabbing to the press, who will trust me?" Arum said. "I have no date set, nothing.

TAMPA, Fla. - Ron Paul's fiercely loyal supporters fought until the bitter end on Tuesday, challenging rule changes that weakened their delegate count at the Republican National Convention and made it harder for future candidates to re-create what the Texas congressman did in his third presidential bid. That bid ended Tuesday, when Mitt Romney was nominated by the GOP to take on President Obama. Coming into the convention, Paul didn't have anywhere near the number of delegates necessary to challenge Romney's nomination.

ST. LOUIS - Law enforcement officials are investigating threats that were made against Rep. Todd Akin, the Missouri Republican who sparked controversy when he said that women's bodies can somehow prevent pregnancy in the instance of a “legitimate rape.” Akin spokesman Steve Taylor said in a statement that the congressman “has received threats of rape of his official staff, family and the congressman himself along with suggestions that the...

WASHINGTON - Leading Republicans sought Monday to pressure Rep. Todd Akin into quitting the U.S. Senate race in Missouri, fearing his ill-considered remarks on abortion and rape would cost the GOP its shot at controlling the chamber and damage the party's presidential ticket. Democrats, eager to capitalize on Akin's comments, issued a burst of fundraising appeals - subject line: "Legitimate rape" - and even President Obama weighed in, saying the congressman's statement was hard to comprehend.

Re "Rape remark sets off an uproar," Aug. 20 I thought we had finished the silly season of this campaign, but we have a new entry: Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican Party's candidate for one of Missouri'sU.S. Senate seats. Thanks to him and some unnamed doctors (I bet they're glad), we ladies now know we have some sort of toggle switch we can throw and render any attack sperm sterile. It sort of sounds like a Star Trek episode gone bad. I have a question for the Republicans: Where do you find these people?

The Republican Party has ridden ideological, anti-government fervor to a number of victories, particularly in the 2010 midterm election. But the political dangers created by the free-wheeling, anti-authoritarian movement have come into full view in the person of rogue U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin. Most traditional GOP nominees who made a giant blunder - as Akin did Sunday with his foolish comments about how “legitimate rape” seldom makes women pregnant - would find it hard to resist the barrage of calls from Republican Party major-domos to give up their candidacies.

A Florida veterinarian who was the tea party favorite in the Republican primary against Rep. Cliff Stearns appears poised to pull off a shocking upset over the veteran congressman after Tuesday's primary. Ted Yoho leads Stearns 35% to 34%, with just 829 votes separating the two. Two other candidates split the remaining votes. The Associated Press has not called the race, as some late overseas ballots and provisional ballots have yet to be counted. Stearns, a 12-term congressman representing the Gainesville area, chairs the investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

NORFOLK, Va. - Abandoning his trademark caution, Mitt Romney selected Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate Saturday in a move that reframed the presidential race as an ideological battle over the size of government and the fate of Medicare, the popular healthcare program for seniors. Standing in this naval city before the battleship Wisconsin, which was draped in red, white and blue bunting, Romney said he had selected the 42-year-old House budget chairman because he had displayed the intellect and legislative savvy to tackle the nation's fiscal crises while staying rooted in the small-town values of his hometown of Janesville, Wis. "Paul Ryan has become an intellectual leader of the Republican Party," Romney told a crowd of several thousand supporters in Norfolk.