CNN – US Politics

By Phil Mattingly, CNN Senior White House officials explored whether the US could unilaterally continue payments should the debt ceiling be breached in mid-October but ultimately concluded it would not be possible to avoid default and economic catastrophe, a person with direct knowledge of the matter tells CNN. The conclusion came as part of a

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN The mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, apologized this week after he said that some residents’ decisions to wear the Star of David — à la Jews who suffered under Nazi-occupied Europe — to protest a proposed city mask mandate is a “credit” to Jewish people. Mayor Dave Bronson, a self-identified “center-right” conservative

By Gregory Wallace, Melanie Zanona and Kristin Wilson, CNN The House of Representatives on Friday night passed a resolution extending funding for the Highway Trust Fund for 30 days, hours after funding for the program had lapsed at midnight. The resolution now goes to the Senate, which has adjourned for the night, and will gavel

By Tierney Sneed A federal judge Friday questioned the controversial enforcement mechanism of Texas’ six-week abortion ban and asked whether the law made private citizens “a proxy for the state to insulate the state from the sort of judicial oversight that would exist.” US District Judge Robert Pitman is holding a hearing Friday to consider

By Rachel Janfaza, CNN Planned Parenthood clinics have seen dramatic increases in the number of people from Texas going out of state to seek abortions since the Texas six-week abortion ban took effect, the group says. The organization says that clinics in neighboring states saw a surge in patients with Texas zip codes. In Oklahoma,

By Ella Nilsen and Angela Dewan, CNN With just one month to go until a pivotal UN climate change conference in Glasgow, President Joe Biden’s climate agenda is on the line. The fate of Biden’s ambitious climate promises is wrapped up in a large budget bill that’s stalling in Congress, as moderates and progressives in

By Karl de Vries and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Justice Brett Kavanaugh has tested positive for Covid-19, the Supreme Court said Friday, the first publicly known case of coronavirus among the high court’s justices. Kavanaugh, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive on Thursday night, the court said in a statement. The justice’s immediate family tested negative

By Phil Mattingly and Lauren Fox, CNN There wasn’t a vote. There wasn’t a deal. But a $2.1 trillion compromise framework has been floated by Democratic leaders and the White House after an all-day sprint to bridge the gap between their party’s opposing factions. Despite an 11-hour scramble, Democratic leaders left the US Capitol Thursday

By Tami Luhby, CNN The federal government picked up the cost of the unprecedented expansion of jobless benefits during the pandemic, but many states are still facing a hefty tab for their share of the program — and tough decisions about how to cover the bill. To avoid hiking taxes on employers, some states have

By Joan Biskupic, CNN legal analyst & Supreme Court biographer Supreme Court justices have revealed a new level of defensiveness and anger in recent weeks, showing irritation with public expectations, the news media and one another. The extraordinary public display extends beyond any single justice or case, although the majority’s decision to let a Texas

By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent Glenn Youngkin doesn’t deliver blistering criticism of President Joe Biden. He doesn’t heap glowing praise on former President Donald Trump. In his bid for Virginia governor, the Republican’s best path to victory is to win over voters who supported Biden and Trump, a remarkably challenging needle to thread

By Alex Rogers, Melanie Zanona and Daniella Diaz, CNN House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled against putting a $1 trillion infrastructure bill on the floor Thursday night, according to a leadership aide, after progressives rebelled, potentially delaying consideration until Democrats strike an agreement on separate, much larger social safety net and climate legislation. Pelosi’s decision came

By Tami Luhby, CNN Food stamp recipients will see their monthly payments go up in October thanks to a major update to the program, even though a special pandemic boost has now expired. Benefits will jump 27% above pre-pandemic levels, on average — the largest increase in its history. The change stems from a revision

By Jasmine Wright and Jeremy Diamond, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris’s office is trying to contain the fallout from an exchange earlier this week between the vice president and a student who characterized Israel’s actions toward Palestinians as “an ethnic genocide and a displacement of people.” While visiting a political science class at George Mason