Politics

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

By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter A federal judge on Wednesday set a hearing date for October 1 to consider a request from the Justice Department to freeze a Texas law that bars most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The order, from Judge Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas, means

By Kevin Liptak and Maegan Vazquez, CNN President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled a new effort to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a major step toward countering China as he works to build international backing for his approach to Beijing. The announcement came as part of a new trilateral partnership among the United States, Australia

By Oren Liebermann and Alex Marquardt, CNN US Capitol Police have requested DC National Guard assistance ahead of planned right-wing protests scheduled for this Saturday at the Capitol, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday. “We have received a request from Capitol Police for some assistance for this weekend’s protests, scheduled protests. I’m not going

By Dan Merica, CNN California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top aides were so confident the night before the Democratic governor defeated the effort to remove him, they began giving advice to the national Democratic Party. Democrats, depending on the race, should link their opponents to former President Donald Trump like Newsom did in the waning weeks