Month: February 2021

The Biden administration is just weeks away from having to make a decision whether to end the nearly 20-year military deployment in Afghanistan that has claimed nearly 2,400 American lives, as experts and US officials told CNN there are no good options available and the best hope is to avert “catastrophe.” With the May deadline

Del. Stacey Plaskett on Sunday defended the Democratic House managers’ decision not to call witnesses in former President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, saying a day after Trump’s acquittal that they “needed more senators with spines” in order to convict him. “I know that people are feeling a lot of angst and believe that maybe

On March 2, 1797, President George Washington wrote a letter comparing himself to a “wearied traveler who sees a resting place, and is bending his body to lean thereon.” The idea of retiring after his controversy-filled second term was “most grateful to my soul,” Washington confided to his former secretary of war, Henry Knox. “Tomorrow,

The Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial Saturday, voting that Trump was not guilty of inciting the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol — but the verdict amounted to a bipartisan rebuke of the former President with seven Republicans finding him guilty. The final vote was 57 guilty

Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday praised Senate Republicans who broke with the party ranks and voted against former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, saying if he were a senator, he would have done the same. “I’m proud of them because sometimes it’s not — it’s not easy to go against

On March 2, 1797, President George Washington wrote a letter comparing himself to a “wearied traveler who sees a resting place, and is bending his body to lean thereon.” The idea of retiring after his controversy-filled second term was “most grateful to my soul,” Washington confided to his former secretary of war, Henry Knox. “Tomorrow,

In the moments after former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate for a second time in a little more than a year, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rose to speak. His message was clear: the former President could not be the future of the Republican Party. Even as McConnell voted that Trump was

There was never a doubt that former President Donald Trump would escape conviction in his latest impeachment trial. The “jurors” were, after all, politicians. And in a 50-50 Senate, the constitutional bar of 67 votes was never achievable. Not in these bitterly polarized times. But even as the final chapter was known from the start,

Former President Donald Trump’s impeachment defense was dishonest from start to finish. Prior to Trump’s Senate acquittal on Saturday on a charge that he incited the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen delivered a closing argument that was replete with false and misleading claims. This followed a Friday session

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell directly blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting last month’s riot but voted Saturday to acquit him anyway of inciting an insurrection. McConnell sharply criticized his former ally in a speech on the Senate floor shortly after Trump was cleared in a 57-43 vote, saying the rioters had been “fed

Seven Republican senators joined with Democrats in voting to convict former President Donald Trump at the conclusion of his second impeachment trial. Trump has been acquitted of inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6. The GOP defections nevertheless stand as a sharp rebuke of the former President. The Republicans who voted for

On Friday, senators recognized Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman’s courage and gave him a standing ovation for risking his own life to save theirs on January 6. A day later, when it came time for the senators themselves to show courage, however, they folded and acquitted former President Donald Trump in a 57-43 vote —

Former President Donald Trump has privately voiced concern in the last two weeks about whether he could face charges as a result of the January 6 riot he’s accused of inciting, according to multiple people. Trump has mainly been quiet since leaving the White House last month, and his silence has been in part related

The Republican congresswoman who triggered a surprise call for witnesses in the waning hours of former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial has logged a decade in Congress — at times breaking from her party and standing up to Trump. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state on Saturday was at the center of House

On Saturday morning, Democrats appeared to score a coup: Winning a surprise vote on calling witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. On Saturday afternoon, Democrats agreed to end the trial without calling any witnesses. If that seems odd to you, well, you are far from alone. The Democrats’ rapid backtrack left

It has only been a month since Trump was booted from Twitter and other social media platforms, but already the nasty slogans have slowed and the vicious attacks have waned. Trumpian politics are alive and well in some quarters — but there has been a noticeable respite from the constant barrage of toxic rhetoric since

President Donald Trump was aware his vice president had been evacuated to a secure location as rioters stormed the US Capitol, according to a person who was with Trump on January 6. And while Trump never attempted to contact Vice President Mike Pence directly, infuriating Pence’s team, he did express concern for Pence to advisers

Uninsured Americans can start signing up for coverage on the federal Affordable Care Act exchange starting Monday, but the Biden administration has not allocated more funds to help them enroll. President Joe Biden last month ordered the launch of a three-month special enrollment period as a key part of his effort to rebuild the Affordable

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticized former President Donald Trump’s actions for fomenting the attack on the Capitol last month, but voted to acquit him Saturday on the charge of “incitement of insurrection.” House impeachment managers had asserted that there should not be a “January exception” for impeachment, contending that it’s a crucial tool

Former President Donald Trump has received enough not guilty votes to be acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial, which requires a two-thirds vote for conviction. The vote is still ongoing. The move to the trial’s finishing stages was a final twist after the House managers’ surprise request for witnesses had appeared to extend the trial

GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has turned over phone records to the House impeachment managers, shedding light on the timing of a call that had been referenced during the second Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. A list of calls Lee gave to the managers showed a highlighted incoming call from a

The Senate is poised Saturday to move to a final vote and acquit former President Donald Trump after Democrats backed away from a call for witnesses to testify that threw the trial into chaos for several hours earlier in the day. The move to the trial’s finishing stages was a final twist after the House

Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, has been contacted about providing information to House impeachment managers about threats to Pence during last month’s Capitol riot, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN. Short has not responded, said the source, who added that managers are also seeking information from Chris Hodgson,

Donald Trump may end up as a very lucky guy. Lucky because if he gets acquitted again and avoids disqualification from future office in his second impeachment trial — which is entirely possible, if not likely — he will manage to avoid any sanction from the Senate despite having received lousy representation from his lawyers

Court officials say the leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was arrested shortly before the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, violated the terms of his release, according to new court filings. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was arrested in DC two days prior to the insurrection on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of

In a surprise twist, House impeachment managers asked the Senate on Saturday morning to call witnesses in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial rather than moving to a final vote, pushing the next phase of the trial into unknown territory. The Senate voted 55-45 to agree to call witnesses, with five Republicans joining with

Five Republicans voted with Democrats on Saturday in favor of allowing witnesses during former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, a move that now means it is unclear when the trial will conclude. The final vote tally in the Senate was 55-45. The vote signals a major twist in the trial. Prior to Saturday morning’s

Donald Trump’s impeachment trial was thrown into uncertainty Saturday with the Senate’s vote to agree to call witnesses after questions built Friday about what the former President knew and when about the danger his vice president and members of Congress were in on January 6. New revelations about a phone conversation between Trump and House

Donald Trump may end up as a very lucky guy. Lucky because if he gets acquitted again and avoids disqualification from future office in his second impeachment trial — which is entirely possible, if not likely — he will manage to avoid any sanction from the Senate despite having received lousy representation from his lawyers

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has told his colleagues that he will vote to acquit former President Donald Trump of inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol last month because he doesn’t think the Senate has jurisdiction to try to the case, according to sources familiar with the matter. He described it as a close

Members of the US Capitol Police issued a vote of no confidence in the force’s top leaders more than a month after the January 6 riot at the Capitol left dozens of officers injured and led to the death of Officer Brian Sicknick. Vote totals varied for each boss but each of the seven —

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray hid just “inches away” as violent rioters descended upon the US Capitol on January 6, pounding on the door to the office where she sheltered in place with her husband. “It wasn’t long before I heard explosions,” the Washington senator told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff in an interview Friday. “I heard

The Senate voted 55-45 to call witnesses at former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, with five Republicans joining with Democrats to hear from witnesses and extend the proceedings. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska voted in favor of witnesses. Before the vote

For many Americans this week, myself included, the traumatizing videos the House managers presented during the impeachment trial elicited a visceral response. Rarely has the American public experienced such a compelling example of the power of images and sound to communicate in ways that written texts cannot. That wrenching emotional punch needed to land with