National Politics

By Jasmine Wright, CNN “It’s 2021.” That was the official line from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday as he tried to downplay chatter about his political future, which has become increasingly intertwined with Vice President Kamala Harris, his traveling companion on an infrastructure-themed trip Thursday. The trip came as Washington chatter has heated up

By Steve Contorno, CNN Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to reestablish a World War II-era civilian military force that he, not the Pentagon, would control. DeSantis pitched the idea Thursday as a way to further support the Florida National Guard during emergencies, like hurricanes. The Florida National Guard has also played a vital role during

By Kaitlan Collins and Paul LeBlanc, CNN The Biden administration’s new, stricter Covid-19 testing requirements for all travelers coming to the United States will take effect on Monday, an administration official told CNN. The new rules will require each traveler flying into the US from another country to test negative one day before their departure,

By Alex Rogers, CNN Republican Lynda Blanchard plans to end her Alabama US Senate bid and instead run for governor, according to three people familiar with the matter. She is expected to announce her campaign against GOP Gov. Kay Ivey next week. Blanchard served as then-President Donald Trump’s US ambassador to Slovenia, former first lady

By Marshall Cohen A federal judge slammed one of the January 6 rioters for waving a 1776 flag while storming the US Capitol, saying his attempt to overturn a democratic election betrayed the values of the American Revolution. Judge Amy Berman Jackson made the comments Thursday at a sentencing hearing for Andrew Wrigley, 51, from

By Dan Merica, CNN The race for Massachusetts governor became more appealing for commonwealth Democrats this week with popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker‘s decision not to seek a third term. The unexpected move set off a frenzied day for Democrats across Massachusetts, with much of the talk and speculation focused on state Attorney General Maura

By Lauren Fox, Clare Foran and Ali Zaslav, CNN Kyrsten Sinema, the influential moderate Democratic senator from Arizona, did not commit to voting for President Joe Biden’s sweeping social safety net legislation in a sit-down interview with CNN on Thursday, the latest sign that Senate Democrats do not yet have the votes to pass one

By Joan Biskupic, CNN legal analyst & Supreme Court biographer During Wednesday’s historic oral arguments on abortion rights, Chief Justice John Roberts pulled back the curtain on internal Supreme Court negotiations and referred to the papers of the late Justice Harry Blackmun, the author of Roe v. Wade. Roberts usually scorns any courtroom references to

By Donald Judd and Jasmine Wright, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday offered praise for her departing senior adviser, Symone Sanders, while brushing off a question about a larger staff shake up in her office. “I love Symone, and I can’t wait to see what she will do next, and I know that it’s

By Maegan Vazquez, CNN President Joe Biden expressed optimism for the future of the country during the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Thursday in Washington, telling the American people that “we have so much ahead of us.” “Over the course of the past 99 years, presidents have continued this great American tradition of lighting

By Liz Stark, CNN The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled billions of dollars in new federal water infrastructure funding on Thursday, urging states to utilize the federal dollars from the recent bipartisan infrastructure law to address environmental impacts faced by historically underserved communities. The bipartisan infrastructure law provided more than $50 billion to the EPA for

By Steve Contorno, CNN As Florida Republicans, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, escalate their fight against President Joe Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, they are testing a new method to support resisters: giving taxpayer money to the unvaccinated. Florida is one of a handful of states that now ensures people who refuse the shot remain eligible