National Politics

By Eric Bradner and Anna-Maja Rappard, CNN The final report produced by Cyber Ninjas, the company hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to conduct a months-long, partisan review of the 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County in the 2020 election, shows that the results of reviewers’ hand recount are nearly identical to the county’s tally.

By Nicole Gaouette, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, CNN Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended US leadership at the United Nations on Thursday even as he acknowledged that it will take time to repair relations with France, one of America’s oldest allies, after missteps by the Biden administration. The top US diplomat, speaking to reporters

By Kristin Wilson, CNN The House has voted to approve the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 with wide bipartisan support. The bill, which sets the guidelines for defense policy, authorizes spending in line with the Pentagon’s priorities, though it does not appropriate the spending itself. The vote was 316-113. The Senate will

By Mark Morales Dr. Howard Zucker, the New York state health commissioner during the Covid-19 crisis who became engulfed in the Cuomo administration’s nursing home controversy, is stepping down. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Zucker’s departure Thursday during a Covid-19 briefing, adding that he will stay on as health commissioner until the position is filled. Zucker’s

By Jeff Zeleny and Evan Perez, CNN The White House is taking steps to release information to a congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol about what former President Donald Trump and his aides were doing as violence erupted that day, a decision that is likely to set up a legal fight

By Ryan Nobles and Annie Grayer, CNN The select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol issued its first round of subpoenas Thursday, targeting close aides and allies of former President Donald Trump. The subpoenas come as the select committee seeks to investigate efforts the Trump White House took to potentially overturn

By Hannah Rabinowitz The Justice Department unsealed charges on Thursday against an organizer from the conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks for his alleged role in the January 6 insurrection. Brandon Prenzlin was charged last week with four federal misdemeanors for what prosecutors say was just over three minutes inside the Capitol. According to court documents, a

By Geneva Sands, CNN Customs and Border Protection targeted US citizens, including journalists and attorneys, during the Trump administration as it monitored migrant caravans traveling through Mexico, according to a new Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report. As part of its response to the caravan, the agency conducted unnecessary inspections, improperly shared sensitive information

By Marshall Cohen An Oklahoma man who took a beer from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the January 6 insurrection pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor offense. Andrew Ericson, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of illegally protesting inside the US Capitol, which has become a standard charge for rioters who aren’t accused of

By Ted Barrett, CNN The Senate is expected to vote Monday on a key procedural motion to advance a temporary government funding bill that includes a suspension of the debt ceiling, according to senators and aides in each party. The vote has not been locked in by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Republicans in the

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN Suspected foreign government-backed hackers last month breached a computer network at one of the largest ports on the US Gulf Coast, but early detection of the incident meant the intruders weren’t in a position to disrupt shipping operations, according to a Coast Guard analysis of the incident obtained by CNN and

By Paul LeBlanc, CNN It’s a new day for a 3,500-year-old artifact. US officials on Thursday formally returned the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet to Iraq after the Justice Department had deemed that it “entered the United States contrary to federal law.” “The tablet is a treasure to the world. And it will now return to its

By Gregory Krieg, CNN For all but eight of the last 30 years, a Republican has occupied the governor’s office in Massachusetts. The state that so many Americans equate with mainline liberalism — “Taxachusetts” was the GOP’s old derisive nickname — has a habit of electing Republicans to its top job, even as it sends

By Katelyn Polantz and Tierney Sneed, CNN Sean Spicer and Russ Vought have sued the Biden administration over their threatened removal from the Naval Academy Board of Visitors. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the US District Court in DC, alleges that the pair is being unlawfully threatened with removal from the board to which President

By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter A coalition of Texas abortion providers went back to the Supreme Court Thursday, asking the justices to expedite a review of the state law that bars abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law has been in effect for 23 days, but the federal appeals court hearing

By Ryan Nobles, Annie Grayer, Kristin Wilson, Melanie Zanona and Clare Foran, CNN House GOP leaders are rallying Republican lawmakers in opposition to an infrastructure bill that is expected to come to a vote next week, the latest sign of partisan divisions on Capitol Hill and a warning for Democrats that they cannot afford large

By Matt Egan The White House’s top emissary to the business community hit back at the US Chamber of Commerce Thursday after the powerful lobby launched an ad blitz aimed at sinking President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure and spending plan. “I was very disappointed in that. It’s not productive. It’s not helpful,” Commerce Secretary

By Nicole Gaouette, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, CNN The US is working on contingency plans if Iran continues to make nuclear advances and fails to return to international talks, a senior State Department official said Thursday, adding that as the US and allies wait for Tehran to return to nuclear talks, their patience won’t

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN The Washington National Cathedral announced Thursday it has commissioned renowned Black artist Kerry James Marshall to create “racial-justice themed windows” that will replace two stained-glass windows the church removed in 2017 that memorialized Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The church has also tapped celebrated poet Elizabeth Alexander,