GOP lawmaker's absence nearly hands Democrats win on Trump war powers

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, nearly handed Democrats a victory to restrict President Donald Trump's war powers in Venezuela by initially failing to appear for votes on Thursday.

It’s a continuation of a pattern of absences that’s added instability to a razor-thin Republican majority in the House of Representatives as Hunt spends time in Texas campaigning in a competitive Republican Senate primary.

Hunt had already missed two key votes earlier in the day by the time he rushed into the...