Article snippet: Hicks’s departure comes as a surprise to most in the White House — and casts a pall over the West Wing at a tumultuous time. President Trump told a group of lawmakers to pursue bills that have been opposed for years by most congressional Republicans and the NRA. Harshly criticized yet again by his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions abandoned his usual stony silence and pushed back against President Trump. On Tuesday night, Democrats won elections for state lawmaker seats in New Hampshire and Connecticut that were previously held by Republicans. ‘‘How many millions of people were shot and killed because they were unarmed?’’ the Alaska Republican said last week. The review was initiated after the Globe published a story about a climate of misconduct in the State House. People with a prior conviction for trafficking in drugs other than marijuana will be barred from working in jobs that include access to the plant in the newly-legal marijuana industry, a decision made after about an hour of tense between state pot regulators. The special counsel is reportedly investigating whether President Trump’s efforts were part of a monthslong pattern of attempted obstruction of justice. The son of the late Massachusetts senator is stepping aside so he can focus his efforts on protecting disability rights at the federal level. The unusual request comes in an already unusual case. <?EM-dummyText [This is dummy text for the story. This is dummy text fo... Link to the full article to read more