Politics

By Holmes Lybrand A Washington, DC, federal jury will continue deliberations on Monday in the conspiracy trial against six people affiliated with the right-wing Oath Keepers militia group for their alleged actions on January 6, 2021. Prosecutors and defense counsel concluded their closing arguments on Friday, after which jurors debated for about 30 minutes before

By Betsy Klein, CNN One of the key forces behind messaging the Biden White House’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic is set to step down from his role. Kevin Munoz, the assistant White House press secretary tasked with handling Covid-19 and other critical public health issues, will depart later this month, CNN has learned. Munoz’s

By Devan Cole, CNN West Virginia on Thursday asked the US Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a state law that prohibits transgender women and girls from participating in public school sports. The emergency request filed to the court by state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey gives the justices a chance to weigh in on

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the 2024 presidential candidates and key dates in their campaigns. Republican Candidates Donald Trump – 45th president of the United StatesPrimary Campaign Committee – Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc.Website – https://www.donaldjtrump.com/November 15, 2022 – Trump announces that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024,

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN The US intelligence community believes that individuals with ties to Russian intelligence are planning to stage protests in Moldova to try to foment a manufactured insurrection against the Moldovan government, with the ultimate goal of seeing a more pro-Russia administration installed there, White House officials said Friday. The US believes that

By MJ Lee and Betsy Klein, CNN President Joe Biden touted a hotter-than-expected February jobs number on Friday as a sign that his agenda is working, even as the Federal Reserve considers increasing its pace of interest rate hikes in the coming weeks as a part of its ongoing efforts to tame inflation. The US

By Steve Contorno, Jeff Zeleny and Kit Maher, CNN Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made his first appearance in Iowa on Friday, an unmistakable flirtation for a top-tier Republican presidential contender that brings his expected bid for the White House a step closer to reality. Though DeSantis doesn’t plan to make a formal announcement on his

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN Russia has been capturing some of the US and NATO-provided weapons and equipment left on the battlefield in Ukraine and sending them to Iran, where the US believes Tehran will try to reverse-engineer the systems, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Over the last year, US, NATO and other

By Kevin Liptak, CNN President Joe Biden hoped to ease a serious source of tension with Europe when he met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the White House on Friday. The dispute is technical but highly contentious. It comes at a moment — a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine —

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN A sweeping cybersecurity breach of congressional members’ private information was more extensive than previously known and affects not only House lawmakers and their staff but also Senate employees. The Senate sergeant-at-arms alerted Senate staff about the breach Thursday in an email obtained by CNN. The compromised data is “extensive,” and includes

By Nicki Brown and Jack Forrest, CNN New York’s governor and attorney general on Thursday called on major pharmacy chains Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS to commit to dispensing prescribed medication abortion in the state, both in pharmacy locations and through mail orders. “Even as access to this medication is under threat elsewhere for political

By Jack Forrest and Sydney Kashiwagi, CNN A former Republican speaker of Ohio’s House of Representatives was convicted by a federal jury Thursday on racketeering conspiracy charges in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme. Former Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Mathew Borges, who was also convicted Thursday, could face up

By Haley Britzky, CNN Senior enlisted US military leaders pushed back against Republican lawmakers’ assertions on Thursday that the force is being politicized by what Republicans called “woke” initiatives that the lawmakers claim are hurting recruitment and distracting from the military’s mission. In response to questioning at a congressional hearing from Republican Rep. Mike Waltz,

By Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky, CNN More than a year after Congress signed into law a bill meant to help service members struggling with severe mental health problems, the Pentagon still has not issued guidance to the services to put the bill into practice. “We hear the rhetoric all the time, but we need

By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent The Republican presidential race is just getting started, but Kim Schmett said he and his fellow conservatives are spending more time thinking about the end of the 2024 campaign and trying to answer one question above all. “We like him,” Schmett said. “The question is can he win?”

By Kevin Liptak, CNN President Joe Biden will pay his first visit to Canada since taking office later this month for talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and an address to the country’s Parliament, the White House announced Thursday. Traditionally a stop in the United States’ northern neighbor is customary in the opening months of

By Tierney Sneed, CNN A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a Florida law passed after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that raised the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21. The 3-0 ruling from the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals comes as aged-based restrictions are shaping up

By Sydney Kashiwagi, CNN The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Daniel Werfel, the former acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, to lead the IRS. He was approved on a bipartisan 54-42 vote. Werfel’s confirmation to the agency comes after he was grilled by the Senate Committee on Finance last month on how he plans

By Clare Foran, CNN A powerful Senate panel held a hearing Thursday on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle call for answers and action in the wake of the disaster. The hearing is taking place after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train on February 3 that

By Katie Lobosco and Tami Luhby, CNN President Joe Biden released his annual budget Thursday, outlining his policy priorities for the year ahead. Make no mistake, the proposed budget has no chance of making it through the Republican-controlled House. But Biden’s plan will frame upcoming political battles on Capitol Hill, where the GOP has yet

By Tami Luhby, CNN The Biden administration wants to make sure states are doing all they can to minimize the number of Medicaid enrollees who wind up uninsured once states regain the ability to drop ineligible recipients next month. The Department of Health and Human Services this week sent governors a letter warning them to

By Tierney Sneed and Devan Cole, CNN With a new annual budget request posted Thursday, the Supreme Court told Congress that it needs nearly $6 million in new security funding to expand the protection justices receive following threats to the court last summer. “Ongoing threat assessments show evolving risks that require continuous protection,” the court

By Phil Mattingly, Chief White House correspondent The budget blueprint President Joe Biden revealed on Thursday is designed lay out a clear, if aspirational, policy vision for the year ahead. To be clear, Biden’s budget proposal as written is dead on arrival in Capitol Hill. But as a proposal it lays down a strategic marker

By Clare Foran and Chris Isidore, CNN A powerful Senate panel will hold a hearing Thursday on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle call for answers and action in the wake of the disaster. The hearing is taking place after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train

By Kate Sullivan and Jeff Zeleny, CNN Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is calling for changing the retirement age for Americans currently in their 20s and limiting Social Security and Medicare benefits for wealthier Americans, staking out a position on the politically controversial issue of entitlement reform that’s already been the subject of attacks from

By Morgan Rimmer and Clare Foran, CNN Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is being treated for a concussion and is staying at a hospital for observation after a fall at a hotel in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening. “Leader McConnell tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and

By Jamie Gangel, Gregory Krieg and Elizabeth Stuart, CNN The Republican political strategist who accused conservative leader Matt Schlapp, the influential chairman of the American Conservative Union, of sexual assault is revealing his identity after a judge ruled Wednesday that he cannot move forward with his lawsuit anonymously. Carlton Huffman, 39, was working for Herschel

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN US Marine Corps Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews can remember in specific detail the moment that a suicide bomber attacked Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate in August 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. “A flash and a massive wave of pressure. I’m thrown 4 feet onto the ground but instantly knew what had

By Shawna Mizelle, CNN Georgia’s Republican-led state legislature is considering a set of bills that would establish a commission with the power to remove prosecutors and district attorneys from their posts. Republicans, including Gov. Brian Kemp, say additional oversight is necessary to prevent “soft on crime” prosecutors from endangering Georgians. But Democrats are taking note

By Holmes Lybrand A former Republican congressional candidate pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting a campaign contribution that violated campaign finance law. Lynda Bennett — who was backed by then-President Donald Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows in her 2020 run for Meadows’ former House seat in North Carolina — pleaded guilty to one

By Sydney Kashiwagi, CNN Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law this week that rolls back a number of child labor protections across the state, including a measure that had required employers to obtain work certificates for children under the age of 16. “The Governor believes protecting kids is most important,

By Haley Britzky, CNN Senior US generals issued stark warnings to lawmakers about what they described as an “aggressive” expansion of Chinese influence in South America and the Caribbean encroaching on American interests in the region. “The [People’s Republic of China] has the capability and intent to eschew international norms, advance its brand of authoritarianism,

By Lauren Fox, CNN The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday voted to advance the embattled nomination of Eric Garcetti to be ambassador to India. The vote was 13-8, primarily along party lines. Two Republicans Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee voted with Democrats to support the nominee. The next step

By Ella Nilsen, CNN The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed a new rule for regulating wastewater from coal-fired power plants that are stronger than previous rules in the Obama and Trump administrations. “Coal-fired power plants discharge wastewater that can contain toxic metals and other pollutants that contaminate our vital water sources,” EPA Administrator Michael

By Jeremy Herb and Zachary Cohen, CNN US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to press Taiwan and try to undercut US influence in the coming years as he begins a third term as president. While Beijing has stepped up its public criticism of the

By Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju, CNN House Speaker Kevin McCarthy often spent the last two years avoiding much discussion about the January 6, 2021, attack. Now, he’s effectively put the issue back in the spotlight and on the investigative agenda — a gambit that has divided House and Senate Republicans and reopened

By Sydney Kashiwagi, CNN ’90s sitcom star Ben Savage of “Boy Meets World” is running as a Democrat for Rep. Adam Schiff’s southern California congressional seat, the actor announced this week. “I firmly believe in standing up for what is right, ensuring equality and expanding opportunities for all,” Savage said in an Instagram post Monday.

By Tami Luhby, CNN President Joe Biden and House Republicans have promised not to touch Social Security in their battle over cutting spending to address the nation’s debt ceiling crisis. While that vow is intended to indicate support of the popular entitlement program, it could actually lead to financial disaster. Tens of millions of senior

By Haley Britzky, CNN The US Army on Wednesday launched a years-in-the-making rebrand, including two new recruiting commercials, as it aims to increase enlistment numbers after failing to meet its recruiting goals last year. “The Army at the end of the day is here to fight and win the nation’s wars, and we wanted to

By Jeremy Diamond and Betsy Klein, CNN President Joe Biden will propose cutting the deficits by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade in his budget blueprint, the White House announced on Wednesday. “The president’s budget, which we will release tomorrow, will cut the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over the next 10 years. That’s

By Clare Foran, CNN Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is inviting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see the situation on the ground first hand — an invitation that comes as the Republican Party faces a divide over whether the United States should continue to provide aid to the country under attack from Russia.

By Clare Foran, Ali Zaslav and Ted Barrett, CNN The Senate passed a Republican-led resolution on Wednesday to block a controversial Washington, DC, crime bill that opponents have criticized as weak on crime. The measure will next go to President Joe Biden, who has said he won’t veto it. The effort to block the crime

By Holmes Lybrand and Haley Britzky, CNN A man who was serving in the Navy Reserves when he participated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol was convicted Tuesday of all five counts he faced for his actions that day. Hatchet Speed served as petty officer first class in the Navy Reserves