Politics

By Paul LeBlanc and Andy Rose, CNN Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday that the state would use federal Covid relief money to increase the funding available to public school districts only if they’re open for in-person learning and don’t require children to wear masks. To be eligible for the grant funding — $163

By Dianne Gallagher, CNN The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the state House may compel the attendance of its members by civil arrest, overturning a lower court order from earlier this month. The Texas House has yet to reach a quorum during the second called special session because the majority of House Democrats have

By Daniel Dale Defending his withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden and his administration have emphasized how many people served in the Afghan military before its collapse. “We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong. Incredibly well equipped. A force larger in

By Paul LeBlanc, CNN Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said Tuesday. Abbott, a Republican, is fully vaccinated against the virus, his office said in a statement, adding that he is tested daily and this is his first positive result. He is currently isolated in the governor’s mansion and is

By Paul LeBlanc, CNN Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday that he was concerned that then-President Donald Trump “undermined” the US’ 2020 agreement with the Taliban by pushing for US forces to leave Afghanistan without the Taliban meeting the conditions of the deal. The Trump administration’s “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” outlined a

By Devan Cole, CNN Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten have become first-time parents, the transportation secretary announced on Tuesday. “For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents!” Pete Buttigieg wrote in a tweet. “The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has been widely criticized across the political spectrum, with a focus on the administration’s miscalculation of the speed with which the Taliban would take over and its failure to act faster to extract US personnel and thousands of Afghans who have worked

By Gregory Wallace, CNN The Transportation Security Administration will extend its US federal transportation mask mandate through January 18, the agency confirmed late Tuesday afternoon. The mandate was set to expire on September 13. TSA said the purpose of the mask directive is “to minimize the spread of Covid-19 on public transportation,” and the extension

By Maegan Vazquez, Ellie Kaufman and Mike Conte, CNN White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday said the Taliban have committed to providing a “safe passage” for civilians looking to flee Afghanistan as he defended the US’ chaotic withdrawal from the two-decade conflict. Sullivan said the military is in discussions with the Taliban

By Paul P. Murphy and Fredreka Schouten, CNN Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Tuesday took the extraordinary step of appointing a new official to supervise elections in rural Mesa County, where federal and local authorities are investigating a security breach that included the leak of voting system passwords. Soon after, however, the county’s

By Alex Rogers, CNN Former Nevada state Attorney General Adam Laxalt launched his campaign for US Senate on Tuesday, comparing his campaign against Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto to the Star Wars’ battles between the Rebels and the Empire. After images of his three children watching the movies, dressing up in costumes and playing with

By Lauren Fox, Clare Foran, Annie Grayer and Ryan Nobles, CNN House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is signaling that she won’t be backed into a corner next week by moderates in her caucus who are refusing to back a budget agreement unless the speaker first allows a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. It’s the first

By Kate Sullivan, CNN The Biden administration on Tuesday is shipping the first of the 500 million Covid-19 doses that President Joe Biden pledged to share with countries around the world at the Group of Seven summit earlier this year. The US is sending 488,370 doses of Pfizer to Rwanda through the global vaccination program

By Oren Liebermann and Ellie Kaufman, CNN An incoherent strategy to rebuild Afghanistan, flush with resources but lacking cohesive leadership and a well-defined mission, doomed the 20-year US reconstruction effort that saw American taxpayers pour $145 billion into projects that were often unsustainable, corrupt, and forced through on unrealistic timelines. The conclusions from the latest