Politics

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN Infighting within the Biden administration over the onslaught of challenges facing officials has, at times, stalled decision making on key issues, frustrating officials, sources tell CNN. This week, two senior DHS officials announced their resignations: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ chief of staff, Karen Olick, and assistant secretary for border and

By Daniel Dale Swing state by swing state, former President Donald Trump is trying to get people who tried to overturn the 2020 election chosen to be in charge of the 2024 election. Trump’s Monday endorsement of state Rep. Mark Finchem for Arizona secretary of state is the latest in a series of announcements that

By Zachary Cohen, CNN New satellite images obtained by CNN reveal North Korea is expanding a key facility capable of enriching uranium for nuclear weapons, renovations that likely indicate the country plans to significantly ramp-up production at this once-dormant site in the near future, according to experts who analyzed the photos. Images captured by commercial

By Manu Raju, Chief Congressional Correspondent John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, is struggling with a crucial decision: Whether to ask South Dakota voters for six more years in office. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Senate Republican, says Iowa voters are increasingly urging him to run again, and he’s now considering moving up his much-anticipated

By Jeff Zeleny, Don Lemon and Kate Sullivan, CNN The White House offered to connect rapper Nicki Minaj with one of the Biden administration’s doctors to answer questions about the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday. The offer came after Minaj had posted false information about the

By Kate Sullivan, CNN President Joe Biden on Thursday defended his administration’s new vaccine mandates and said Republican governors undermining the requirements are putting lives at risk. “We’re facing a lot of pushback, especially from some of the Republican governors. The governors of Florida and Texas are doing everything they can to undermine the life-saving requirements that I’ve proposed,” Biden said, specifically

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN A gun-control group that helped turn Virginia blue two years ago plans to spend more than $1.8 million in a bid to shape the state’s gubernatorial race and other down-ballot contests this fall, according to spending plans shared first with CNN. Everytown for Gun Safety, backed by former New York City

By Melanie Zanona, CNN Republicans are trying to distance themselves from Saturday’s right-wing rally on Capitol Hill, an event that could present a tough optics problem for the party as Democrats plan to tie all Republicans to the most extreme elements of the GOP. No sitting member of Congress is scheduled to appear at the

By Alex Rogers, CNN If Rep. Liz Cheney is purged from the Republican Party, it likely will be at the hand of Harriet Hageman. Hageman, the former Wyoming national Republican committeewoman, launched her campaign last week, emphasizing her deep roots in the state, her conservative values and her alliance with former President Donald Trump, who

By Jessica Schneider and Devan Cole, CNN The organizer of the right-wing rally coming up Saturday in Washington, DC, downplayed concerns of potential violence, telling CNN on Wednesday that it will feature “a largely peaceful crowd.” The comments from Matt Braynard come as law enforcement officials in DC are bracing for potential clashes and unrest

By Geneva Sands, CNN The Department of Homeland Security needs to enhance its Covid-19 prevention measures at the US-Mexico border, a newly released report from the department inspector general has found. “Without stronger COVID-19 prevention measures in place, DHS is putting its workforce, support staff, communities, and migrants at greater risk of contracting the virus,”

By Shawna Mizelle, CNN Former US rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard said Wednesday that she “would really like to see some follow-through” after top US gymnasts gave harrowing testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about how Federal Bureau of Investigation agents mishandled the Larry Nassar investigation. The testimony from Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and

By Annie Grayer, Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson and Tami Luhby, CNN A small group of House Democrats voted against key drug pricing provisions on Wednesday in two separate committee markups, underscoring the challenges the party is facing to stay united as it races to finalize sweeping legislation to expand the nation’s social safety net. Democratic

By Tierney Sneed, CNN A Senate hearing Wednesday gave several acclaimed gymnasts who were abused by Larry Nassar a powerful platform to call out the system that failed them. Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman focused on how the FBI botched its investigation into allegations against Nassar and the intimidation that came

By Delia Gallagher, Tom Foreman and Paul LeBlanc, CNN Pope Francis on Wednesday said bishops debating whether to deny communion to public figures who support abortion rights, such as President Joe Biden, should make their decisions from a “pastoral” viewpoint and not a political one. “The problem is not theological, it’s pastoral,” Francis told reporters

By Manu Raju and Ted Barrett, CNN Democratic leaders are actively discussing attaching an increase to the national debt limit onto a must-pass spending bill to keep the government open, setting up an end-of-the-month partisan standoff with Republicans on the eve of a key deadline to keep federal agencies operating. What’s still unknown: What will

By Katie Bo Williams and Jeremy Herb, CNN The defense of the top US military official kicked into gear across Washington Wednesday in response to claims that Gen. Mark Milley overstepped his authority during the waning days of the Trump administration. The Joint Chiefs chairman came under attack Tuesday over new reporting in “Peril,” a