Politics

By Steve Contorno Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed what he called “the strongest piece of legislation that’s been enacted anywhere in the country” in opposition to coronavirus vaccination mandates on workers. Flanked by Republican legislative leaders, DeSantis officially made Florida the first state with a law that imposes fines on businesses and

By Jasmine Wright, Donald Judd, Maegan Vazquez and Jeremy Diamond, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris’ communications director, Ashley Etienne, is leaving the Biden administration to pursue “other opportunities,” a White House official tells CNN. “Ashley is a valued member of the vice president’s team, who has worked tirelessly to advance the goals of this administration,”

By Marshall Cohen, CNN When it came to light in January 2017, just days before Donald Trump took office, the so-called Steele dossier landed like a bombshell and sent shockwaves around the world with its salacious allegations about Trump and his supposed ties to Russia. The central allegations, that Trump conspired with the Kremlin to

By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter A Washington state florist who refused to make an arrangement for a couple out of religious objections to same-sex marriage is withdrawing a pending petition before the Supreme Court after announcing that she has settled her dispute, according to her lawyers. The settlement means the justices won’t

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN Potential pay outs of up to $450,000 to migrant families separated at the US-Mexico border are the latest political flashpoint in the Republican criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policy — and the political back-and-forth has put a tense relationship under further strain. The debate has not only put the Biden

By Oren Liebermann, CNN Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was sworn in as the new chair of the Defense Policy Board Wednesday, the Pentagon announced, almost exactly one year after the Trump administration abruptly removed her and other national security experts from the advisory committee. Albright is the first chair of the board since

By Ethan Cohen, Daniella Diaz and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Democrat Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina announced Thursday he would not seek reelection in 2022, all but blaming his decision to retire on a redrawn congressional map that made his district more competitive. Butterfield is the latest Democrat to say they’ll leave Congress as the

By Maegan Vazquez, CNN President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday that he is mulling a US diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. “It’s something we’re considering,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office following a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A senior administration official told CNN on Wednesday that

By Melanie Zanona, CNN House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that he would reinstate Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on committees — potentially even “better” ones — if Republicans win back the House after next year’s midterms. “They’ll have committees,” McCarthy said at his weekly news conference. “They

Analys by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large Everywhere you look these days, there’s good political news for Republicans. Earlier this month they swept the statewide offices in Virginia and nearly upset New Jersey’s Democratic governor. President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains mired in the low 40s. The generic congressional ballot is moving in Republicans’ direction. Inflation

By Clare Foran, Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer, CNN House Democrats pushed back a vote on President Joe Biden’s plan to dramatically expand the social safety net after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stalled floor action with a record-breaking marathon speech that stretched into the early hours of Friday morning. McCarthy, a Republican from California,

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN Reporter, Crime and Justice Lawyers for right-wing firebrand Steve Bannon made clear at a court hearing Thursday that they intend to slow down, as much as possible, the criminal case against Bannon for failing to testify to the House January 6 select committee. “We’ll have to learn exactly what was done

By Kate Sullivan, CNN The Biden administration on Thursday announced steps it’s taking to deploy funds from the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief law passed earlier this year to help offset rising home heating costs for Americans this winter. The White House on Thursday also called on utility companies that receive public funding to prevent utility

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday unanimously voted to require text messages sent to the number 988 be routed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by next year, expanding access to the critical 24/7 national hotline. Phone carriers are in the process of nationwide implementation of 988 as the easy-to-remember number