NPR POLITICS: The Big Picture: Power And Leverage, ICYMI: Top Stories, The Russia Imbroglio: Mueller At The Door,Briefly:18NOV17

The Big Picture: Power And Leverage Allegations of sexual harassment and assault dominated again and took new turns. As female members of Congress introduced “Me Too” legislation aimed at overhauling the system for filing and settling harassment claims for congressional employees, now-Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was accused of unwanted kissing and groping in 2006. Franken had been hotly critical of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein for accusations against him. President Trump branded Franken “Al Frankenstien.” Meanwhile, Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said she had “no reason to disbelieve” any of the women accusing GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual assault, many of whom were teenagers at the time, but she’s voting for Moore anyway. Republicans, she said, needed the leverage in Congress, citing Supreme Court justice appointments. That was similar to the logic conservatives used to rally around Trump whenmore than a dozen women during the 2016 campaign accused him of sexual misconduct, allegations the president has denied. Speaking of votes, Republicans moved one step closer to getting their tax bill through. It passed the House and a key committee in the Senate, but Republicans still have a long way to go — first, to get it through the Senate with a repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate added to it and then to merge it with the House. And do it all by Christmas. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR's lead political editor

ICYMI: Top Stories Taxes galore: The House has narrowly approved a $1.4 trillion tax overhaul, clearing the first major hurdle in the Republican effort to cut taxes and rewrite the tax code. The measure would sharply reduce corporate tax rates and double the standard deduction many individuals take, reports NPR’s Brian Naylor. Meanwhile, despite the Senate tax overhaul undergoing some big changes, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., says he still can’t support it. Neither the Senate nor the House proposal does much for the lowest-income Americans, and some higher-income people could gain a lot, reports NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben. Senate expulsion: There is no precedent for expelling a duly elected Senate member for actions committed before he or she took office. In fact, there is little precedent for expelling senators at all. No one has been expelled from the Senate since the Civil War, NPR's Ron Elving reports. 2020 talk: The next presidential election may seem far away, but there’s already plenty of speculation about who might be on the Democratic ticket. Joe Biden says he has "no plans" for that challenger to be him. The former vice president and Senate veteran is out with a book that recounts his son Beau’s diagnosis and death from brain cancer, as NPR’s Domenico Montanaro writes.   Nuclear concerns: Critics of President Trump in the Senate are questioning whether anything could stop him from launching a nuclear attack unilaterally, reports NPR’s David Welna. Republican allies of the president argue these kinds of concerns undercut America’s position in the world.  Dysfunction in D.C.: On the campaign trail, Trump promised to clean things up in Washington. But the swamp is still pretty swampy, NPR's Peter Overby writes. One veteran lobbyist calls the ethical climate in the capital worse than anything he’s seen in his career.   — Barbara Sprunt, NPR politics producer The Russia Imbroglio: Mueller At The Door White House officials are expecting some unusual guests in the short work week before Thanksgiving: investigators from the FBI. The team headed by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller is set to interview a number of current administration officials, a top White House attorney tells NPR, although the official details are scarce about who specifically is involved. "I sort of have a blood oath with Mueller that I don't get into that," White House lawyer Ty Cobb told NPR's Tamara Keith. There have been suggestions, however, that Mueller's team may want to talk with communications director Hope Hicks, senior adviser Jared Kushner and White House counsel Don McGahn and people on his staff. There have been reports that Mueller's investigators may already have spoken with policy adviser Stephen Miller. One thing Cobb did say is that he expects the sessions to wrap up by Thanksgiving. And the DOJ Russia probe may wrap up not long after that, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said. Or not — the only person who knows the answer is Mueller. Briefly: “My story has never changed,” Attorney General Jeff Sessionstold the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. A “toothless” old law could have new fangs, thanks to special counsel Robert Mueller. Read the full weekly imbroglio update on NPR.org on Sunday. Here is last week’s update. — Philip Ewing, NPR national security editor