JEFF FLAKE

The race to find any survivors still holding on under the rubble is being made even more urgent by a cold snap.

The challenges facing the Democratic Party heading into the next campaign have come into sharp relief just a few days after the party celebrated victory in the final Senate contest of the 2022 midterms.

The far-right forces that former Sen. John McCain successfully marginalized within the Arizona Republican Party are back and in full control, with profound implications for one of the nation’s most closely matched battlegrounds.

The Arizona Republican Party has censured state House Speaker Rusty Bowers after his gripping public testimony before the Jan. 6 House committee about Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

“The work of building a more just society must continue,” he says.

Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake has formally stepped into his new position as U.S. ambassador to Turkey, after presenting his credentials to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota is seeking reelection to a fourth term in 2022.

As President Joe Biden announces two more ambassador nominees, the White House and Democrats are warning that maneuvering by some Senate Republicans to block all but a small fraction of Biden’s diplomatic and other national security appointees is doing serious harm to U.S. diplomatic efforts around the globe.

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up procedural challenges to Texas' controversial abortion law on November 1. The conservative majority has decided to allow the law, banning most abortions after about six weeks, to remain in place while legal proceedings are underway. CBS News political reporter Melissa Quinn joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano with details.

The Senate has confirmed two prominent anti-Trump Republicans to serve in the Biden administration.

The Senate confirmed two prominent anti-Trump Republicans to serve in the Biden administration on Tuesday with former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona approved to serve as the ambassador to Turkey and Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain, approved to serve as the ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. The Senate also voted to confirm former Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico to serve as ambassador to New Zealand and Victoria Reggie Kennedy of Massachusetts, the widow of former Sen. Ted Kennedy, to serve as ambassador to Austria. The nominations were approved through voice vote, a process taking only minutes that can be used so long as no senators object.

The Senate also confirmed Victoria Reggie Kennedy, widow of Sen. Ted Kennedy, and former Sen. Tom Udall as ambassadors.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered 10 foreign ambassadors who called for the release of a jailed philanthropist to be declared persona non grata.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump lost by 80,000 votes eight months ago, his false claims of a stolen election are finding new signs of life.

Flake said he is "honored and humbled by the trust President Biden has placed in me with this ambassadorial nomination."

President Joe Biden is nominating former Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, as his ambassador to Turkey, Flake said.

If the Senate confirms Flake for the ambassadorship, he would assume the important role at a time when US-Turkey relations have hit a historic low.

President Joe Biden has nominated former senator Jeff Flake to serve as U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated former Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican lawmaker who endorsed his 2020 run for the White House, to serve as U.S. ambassador to Turkey. Flake retired from the Senate at the end of his term in 2019, saying he was out of step with the Republican Party in the era of former President Donald Trump.

It's a sharp example of how "conservativism" has evolved.

Donald Trump and his supporters are intensifying efforts to shame members of the party who are seen as disloyal to the former president and his false claims that last year’s election was stolen.

Donald Trump and his supporters are intensifying efforts to shame members of the party who are seen as disloyal to the former president and his false claims that last year’s election was stolen.

The first principle and best practice of engaging our differences more constructively is to listen across the divide with the goal of understanding.

The Forest Service says it's doing what Congress mandated. ___OTHER LAWSUITSThe Apache Stronghold lawsuit is one of three filed over the copper mine, some of which have overlapping arguments. The San Carlos Apache Tribe, and a coalition of environmentalists, tribes and the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, also sued the U.S. Forest Service. Apache Stronghold contends the land belongs to Western Apaches under an 1852 treaty with the United States. AdReuben Schifman, a U.S. Department of Justice Attorney representing the Forest Service, said Apache Stronghold can't assert ownership rights because it's not a federally recognized tribe.

Former Scott County Republican Party chairman Dave Millage at his home, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Bettendorf, Iowa. In swing states and GOP bastions, state and local Republican committees are stocked with Trump supporters who remain loyal. The Arizona state party Saturday reelected its controversial Trump loyalist chairwoman, Kelli Ward and censured Trump critics Cindy McCain, former Sen. Jeff Flake and even Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican Trump supporter who offended the party leadership by certifying Trump's loss in the state. In Pennsylvania, another state Trump lost, nearly 10,000 voters registered as Republicans had dropped their GOP affiliation as of Monday, according to state data.

But as the Senate prepares for an impeachment trial for Trump's incitement of the riot, few seem willing to hold the former president accountable. “The political winds within the Republican Party have blown in the opposite direction,” said Ralph Reed, chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and a Trump ally. After Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer backed impeachment, Republican Tom Norton announced a primary challenge. “We’re getting ready for an impeachment trial — that’s really the focus,” said Trump adviser Jason Miller. And that his political activism or whatever role he would play going forward would be with the Republican Party, not as a third party,” Cramer said.

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020, file photo Cindy McCain, wife of former Arizona Sen. John McCain, waves to the crowd after being acknowledged by Arizona Republican Gov. Arizona Republicans voted Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 to censure Cindy McCain and two prominent GOP officials who have found themselves crosswise with former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX – Arizona Republicans voted Saturday to censure Cindy McCain and two prominent GOP members who have found themselves crosswise with former President Donald Trump. John McCain was censured by the state GOP in 2014 and went on to comfortably win a Republican primary over Ward and a general election. The self-described maverick, known best for his willingness to buck his party, had strained relations with the state party for much of his career but was consistently reelected by wide margins.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – This time the fury enveloping the U.S. Capitol comes not from an insurgent mob but from within. The anger on display is searing — Democrat against Republican; Republican against Republican; legislators of both parties against the catastrophic security failure that left top leaders of the government vulnerable to last week's violence as well as to the coronavirus in their ranks. Shaken members, long accustomed to protective bubbles, inquired whether they can expense their own bulletproof vests to taxpayers (yes they can). McCarthy had joined most House Republicans in December in supporting a lawsuit to block Biden’s election, and again last week in two votes against certifying Biden’s win. In their oath of office, lawmakers vow to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – This time the fury enveloping the Capitol comes not from an insurgent mob but from within. The anger on display is searing — Democrat against Republican; Republican against Republican; legislators of both parties against the catastrophic security failure that left top leaders of the government vulnerable to last week's violence as well as to the coronavirus in their ranks. Shaken members, long accustomed to protective bubbles, inquired whether they can expense their own bulletproof vests to taxpayers (yes they can). McCarthy had joined most House Republicans in December in supporting a lawsuit to block Biden’s election, and again last week in two votes against certifying Biden’s win. In their oath of office, lawmakers vow to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers of both parties raised the prospect Thursday of ousting President Donald Trump from office, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that if he wasn't removed, the House may move forward with a second impeachment. Senior Trump administration officials raised the long-shot possibility of invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — the forceful removal of Trump from power by his own Cabinet. Pelosi told a news conference she is waiting for a decision from Vice President Mike Pence and other Cabinet officials. Under the 25th Amendment, Trump could dispute his Cabinet’s finding, but the Cabinet could quickly reaffirm its position, keeping Pence in power while the question fell to lawmakers. As lawmakers assessed damage in the ransacked Capitol, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also called Thursday for the Cabinet to remove him.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – As President-elect Joe Biden started rolling out his administrative team, one voice has been notably silent: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But key Republican senators, including the GOP leader, are keeping quiet, for now, choosing their battles ahead. Biden purposefully tapped seasoned government officials for his national security team as he vows a diverse administration reflecting the nation. Those two positions do not require Senate confirmation. Yellen was confirmed twice with bipartisan support, including as Fed chair in 2014 with the backing of three sitting Republican senators: Collins, Murkowski and Richard Burr of North Carolina.

And he had demanded in advance that the results be known on Election Day, which is never a given. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell waited until Friday morning to tweet that “Every legal vote should be counted. All sides must get to observe the process.”Whether that dynamic will continue if fuller election results deliver the presidency to Biden is another key unanswered question. If the vote count goes against him, does he really want to be remembered as the president who burned down the building on his way out the door? ___EDITOR’S NOTE -- Nancy Benac is White House news editor and has covered government and politics for The Associated Press for four decades.

John Dickerson's report shows a traditionally Republican state in political flux whose presidential pick might be among the first swing states to be called and might be a new bellwether. Arizona started counting and tabulating a record number of early votes on October 20, 14 days before the election. It will be ahead of the pack says the state's chief election officer and Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Still, the state's Republican Party chairwoman, Dr. Kelli Ward, agrees there's change in the air. He says Arizona remains a state whose local elections will still go to Republicans, but Trump is a different Republican.

Harris introduced Biden by blasting Trump’s “reckless disregard for human life and for the well-being of the American people” when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Arizona’s transformation seems stark for a state that just a decade ago was the epicenter of Republicans' push against anti-illegal immigration push. To varying degrees, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico have all moved closer to Democrats since the turn of the century. Since 1952, a Democrat has won Arizona only once — Bill Clinton in 1996, with about 46% of the vote. Biden will look to run up the score there and on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for a trip to North Carolina, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON The Latest on this week's Republican National Convention (all times local):12:10 p.m.President Donald Trump has been renominated as the GOPs presidential candidate. Republicans made it official during a scaled-back roll call vote on Monday at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina. Democrats nominated former Vice President Joe Biden as their presidential candidate at their all-virtual convention last week. ___9:35 a.m.Republicans have begun the process of formally nominating Donald Trump as the partys 2020 presidential nominee.

Republican leaders looking to broaden the party's appeal were buoyed Tuesday when Iowans refused to renominate Rep. Steve King, known for racially incendiary comments. Republican leaders are taking steps to withhold support from candidates with extreme views. King was stripped of committee assignments last year by House Republican leaders after he defended white nationalism. In Kansas, Pompeo failed to file this week to become a Senate GOP candidate. Emmer, the House GOP campaign chairman, said people are nervous about safety and Trumps stance will prove a winning November message.

The Arizona Republican withheld his endorsement of the GOP nominee, citing his "needless" offense of the growing Hispanic population. While running mate Mike Pence has argued Trump is a different person behind closed doors, Flake notes you cannot govern in private.

After a tumultuous week for Donald Trump's campaign, "Face the Nation" brings you the latest from the trail, with Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, CBS News Elections Director Anthony Salvanto and others.

The Arizona Republican senator said he wants to be able to support their nominee in theory, but will hold off on endorsing Trump until they see he can change some of his inflammatory rhetoric.

The yearly "Pig Book" lays out U.S. government's unnecessary spending of taxpayer dollars. Arizona Senator Jeff Flake joins CBSN to discuss government spending and concerns about Trump as the potential Republican presidential nominee.

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is among a handful of Republicans who have agreed to meet President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. Flake joins “CBS This Morning” from Capitol Hill to discuss his concerns about Garland's nomination and why he is hesitant to throw his support behind GOP front-runner Donald Trump.