Trump won’t campaign for Moore in Ala.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made it known Monday he won’t set foot in Alabama on behalf of Republican Roy Moore, even as he insisted that voters must never elect Mr. Moore’s Democratic foe.

Weighing political needs, loyalty to his base supporters and his own struggles against allegations of sexual impropriety, the president is staking out a position that should bring him the least political exposure.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday the president has no plans for an in-person appearance on Mr. Moore’s behalf in the Dec. 12 special election.

Claims debunked

A woman who falsely claimed to The Washington Post that Roy Moore, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, impregnated her as a teenager appears to work with an organization that uses deceptive tactics to secretly record conversations in an effort to embarrass its targets.

In a series of interviews, the woman told of an alleged sexual relationship with Mr. Moore in 1992 that led to an abortion when she was 15.

The Post did not publish an article based on her unsubstantiated account.

Calif. lawmaker quits

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra said Monday he will resign “immediately,” one week after multiple women alleged he sexually harassed them.

Hours before the Los Angeles Times published a report last week in which six women accused him of making unwanted sexual advances, Mr. Bocanegra, D-Pacoima, announced he would resign on Sept. 1, 2018.

On Monday, he said he would resign immediately.

Lawsuit binds foes

Sen. Jeff Flake and former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio have been tied together again after a new lawsuit alleged Mr. Arpaio improperly pursued charges against one of Mr. Flake’s family members to damage the Arizona Republican politically.

Mr. Flake’s son, Austin, filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit against Mr. Arpaio, saying the sheriff brought felony animal cruelty charges against him and his then-wife in order to hurt the senator’s image.

Austin Flake and his wife were charged in the heat-exhuastion deaths of 21 dogs in June 2014 at a kennel his in-laws managed.

A judge dismissed the case against the Flakes at the request of prosecutors.

President Trump pardoned Mr. Arpaio in August after the sheriff was convicted in July of contempt of court. Jeff Flake criticized the decision at the time.

Cell phone ban weighed

WASHINGTON— The White House may ban its employees from using personal mobile phones while at work, raising concerns among staff that they will be cut off from family and friends, according to five administration officials.

President Trump has complained about press leaks since taking office.

However, the proposed ban is instead driven by cybersecurity concerns, one official said.