Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema, who has been criticized for his homophobic and anti-Muslim remarks, believes the GOP is being held hostage to "big money" donors who are following the "Devil's way."

Multiple U.S. representatives and members of the Republican Party called on Agema to resign earlier this year. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus did not ask Agema to resign, but said that the Michigan Republican's remarks are "patently wrong, lack merit and are devoid of any meaningful value."

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Monday said that he would not participate in Congressional consideration of Comcast's decision to buy Time Warner Cable because his brother helped orchestrate the deal, according to the Huffington Post.

Schumer, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, originally praised the deal on Thursday after he was assured by Comcast that the company would work to keep Time Warner jobs in New York state. But the LittleSis blog pointed out on Monday that his brother, Robert Schumer, worked on the deal as an attorney.

A valve failure on an icy pipe in Allegan County, Mich. caused liquid cow manure from a dairy farm to seep into local waterways and spread about five miles toward the town of Hopkins, Michigan Live reported.

The Department of Environmental Quality started investigating the spill of otherwordly proportions on Friday after receiving calls from Hopkins residents.

Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) on Monday asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate him after a Gannett story found that he advocated for Oshkosh Corp. as a representative while owning stock in the company, USA Today reported.

"To end any questions, I am requesting that the committee formally review the matter and report back," he wrote in a letter obtained by USA Today Monday.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) on Monday asked a federal judge to uphold the state's ban on providing benefits to same-sex couples employed by local or state governments because it will save the state money, Michigan Live reported.

In June 2013, Judge David Lawson issued a preliminary injunction keeping the state from enforcing the ban and wrote in the order that the plaintiffs had a good chance of winning in federal court.

Mitt Romney's niece was elected as Republican National Committeewoman in Michigan by the state GOP on Saturday, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Ronna Romney McDaniel will join Dave Agema, the committeeman who refuses to step down despite GOP criticism of his public homophobic and anti-Muslim remarks, in representing Michigan with the national Republican party.

Bob Costas will return as host of NBC's primetime Olympics coverage Monday night, now that he has recovered from a double pink eye infection, the network told The Wrap Sunday.

Costas called in Matt Lauer last Tuesday when his infection had spread to both eyes and was no longer able to anchor NBC's coverage in Sochi. Meredith Vieira filled in as anchor as well, and became the first woman to host NBC's primetime Olympics coverage, according to Mediaite.

Pastor Jamie Coots, one of the stars of National Geographic's "Snake Salvation," died on Saturday after he was bitten by a snake, police told WBIR.

Coots was allegedly bit while handling a snake at his Pentecostal church in Kentucky, Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name, and later died in his home, according to WBIR.

President Obama on Sunday criticized the Anti-Homosexuality Bill soon to be enacted in Uganda.

Read Obama's full statement:

Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who has been outspoken about his opposition to immigration reform, on Saturday indicated that Republican leaders support immigration reform because large donors like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are pushing them to.

"It seems as though there are some deep pockets outside the Congress and across the country that seem to be the only voices that line up with the Republican leadership in the House on immigration," he said on the Tea Party News Network's "The Capitol Hill Show."