Trent Lott to Resign by End of Year

Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat by the end of the year, congressional and Bush administration officials said Monday.

No reason for Lott's resignation was given, but according to a congressional official, there is nothing amiss with Lott's health. The senatort had saluted the South Carolina senator with comments later interpreted as support for southern segregationist policies.

Lott becomes the sixth Senate Republican this year to announce retirement. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the chamber.
 
Mississippi's Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, will appoint Lott's replacement, who will serve until the 2008 elections, when voters will elect someone to serve out the balance of Lott's term, which runs through 2012.