National Politics

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin stalled the passage of the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill for hours on Friday, as Republicans urged him to support a less generous plan extending enhanced benefits for the unemployed. The Senate had braced for a series of politically tough amendment votes that will stretch late into the night

A former Trump State Department political appointee appeared in Washington, DC, federal court Friday after being charged for pushing against police in the Capitol building during the January 6 insurrection. Federico Klein, who lives in the DC area and who goes by Freddie, is the first known Trump administration political appointee to be arrested for

Some top aides for New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo allegedly rewrote a June nursing home report from state health officials to hide the higher Covid-19 death toll among the state’s nursing home residents, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night. In its reporting, the New York Times cites documents and

Jobless Americans would get a smaller weekly boost to unemployment benefits but receive those payments for an additional month under a last-minute revision of the Senate’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Friday. The bill, which now differs from the House version passed last week, calls for providing a $300 a week federal enhancement and

As the demand for coronavirus vaccines continues to outpace the supply, the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine came as encouraging and much needed news to cities and states across the US. But not, apparently, for Detroit. The city’s longtime mayor, Democrat Mike Duggan, rejected a shipment of 6,200 J&J single-shot vaccines, claiming that Detroit’s

White House and Detroit officials tried to limit fallout after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan initially declined to accept an allocation of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. The move is at odds with federal health officials’ recommendations and the Biden administration messaging that Americans should take whichever vaccine they first have access to. “As I understand

The New York State Senate passed a bill to repeal Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s expanded emergency executive powers Friday. The vote split straight down the party lines, with all 20 Republican senators saying the bill does not go far enough to curtail Cuomo’s power and voting against it. “Today, under this new legislation the governor will

The Senate is bracing for a series of politically tough amendment votes Friday that could stretch late into the night and into Saturday, the last major hurdle senators face before voting on President Joe Biden’s sweeping pandemic relief bill, even as lawmakers are still debating whether to make more changes to the legislation before sending

Black Georgians disproportionately cast their ballots on the weekend days that Republican lawmakers want to eliminate as options in future elections, according to a CNN analysis of voting data from last November’s general election. A measure moving swiftly through the Georgia legislature would reduce the number of weekend days available for in-person early voting and

As he darted down to Florida last week and skipped crucial House votes, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona neglected to tell GOP Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri the full story behind why he needed her to vote in his place. In a letter to the House designating Wagner to vote on his behalf, Gosar

The House has passed the Democrats’ massive coronavirus relief package, bringing President Joe Biden’s stimulus proposal one step closer to reality. Most — but not all — of the measures in the 591-page bill adhere closely to what Biden outlined in his $1.9 trillion relief proposal last month. The legislation could face hurdles in the

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is stalling efforts by the Biden administration to provide federal funds for Covid-19 tests for migrants released from custody, a senior Homeland Security official tells CNN. After relaxing state Covid restrictions this week, Abbott alleged, without evidence, that migrants coming into Texas are exposing the state’s residents to the coronavirus. “The

Charlotte Bennett, the second woman to go public with sexual harassment allegations against Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, says she thought the governor was trying to sleep with her and she was deeply uncomfortable with questions he asked. “I thought, he’s trying to sleep with me. The governor is trying to sleep with me.

The Senate is bracing for a series of politically tough amendment votes Friday that could stretch late into the night and into the early hours of Saturday, the last major hurdle senators face before voting on President Joe Biden’s sweeping pandemic relief bill. The long series of amendment votes, known as a vote-a-rama, is a

Former House impeachment manager Eric Swalwell has sued former President Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Republican Rep. Mo Brooks in a second major lawsuit seeking to hold Trump and his allies accountable for inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6. The new lawsuit filed on Friday by