National Politics

By Ali Zaslav, CNN Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is expanding his efforts to convince more Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with a new public service announcement available for TV stations to air nationwide. The ad aims to target vaccine hesitant Republicans and pushes back against skepticism about the shot promoted by many members

By Tierney Sneed, CNN A Texas state law that bans abortion after as early as six weeks into the pregnancy could provide the playbook for red states to pass extreme abortion restrictions — without having to wait for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade. The measure — signed into law by Republican Gov.

By Devan Cole, CNN Republican Congressman and US military veteran Adam Kinzinger on Monday reflected on the closing of America’s longest war, saying that while he’s relieved, Afghanistan now being under Taliban control has left him with mixed emotions. “At the one hand, it’s great relief that we got those thousands of military members out

By Paul LeBlanc and Daniel Dale, CNN Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn on Sunday suggested there could be “bloodshed” over future elections as he pushed false claims about election security and voter fraud. Speaking at a North Carolina county GOP event, Cawthorn repeated the lie about US election systems being “rigged” and “stolen,” something he said

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN Reporter, Crime and Justice A prominent lawyer has not been appearing at recent court hearings on behalf of some of his nearly 20 US Capitol riot clients after reportedly becoming ill with Covid-19, the Department of Justice said in court filings in multiple cases on Monday. Prosecutors said they believe the

By Paula Reid and Paul LeBlanc, CNN Rudy Giuliani’s communications director has resigned from her position, ending a nearly two-year stint as the former New York City mayor faces mounting legal problems. Christianné Allen, who has worked at Giuliani Communication LLC since December 2019, said in a statement Monday that she is “proud of the

By Devan Cole, CNN California Gov. Gavin Newsom has enlisted Sen. Bernie Sanders in his fight to remain in office, with the progressive icon urging voters to reject a “bold-faced Republican power grab” in a new recall ad. The spot released on Monday by Stop the Republican Recall, a countereffort launched by Newsom’s team, features

By Hannah Rabinowitz A former University of Kentucky senior caught on security footage lugging a congressional “members only” sign around the US Capitol pleaded guilty on Monday to a federal misdemeanor for her part in the January 6 riot. Twenty-three-year-old Gracyn Courtright pleaded guilty to illegally entering and remaining in a restricted building or ground

By Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler, Barbara Starr and Oren Liebermann, CNN The last US military planes have left Afghanistan, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, announced Monday at the Pentagon. The US departure marks the end of a fraught, chaotic and bloody exit from the United States’ longest war. “I’m here to

By Liz Stark, CNN The Education Department’s civil rights enforcement arm announced Monday it has launched investigations in five states to determine whether statewide policies prohibiting school mask mandates is discriminatory against students with disabilities. The Department’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to the chief state school officials in five states — Iowa, Oklahoma,

By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter Lawyers for abortion clinics in Texas raced to the Supreme Court Monday, asking the justices to block a controversial law that bans abortions at six weeks and allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of

By Jeff Zeleny and Kate Sullivan, CNN President Joe Biden spoke Monday afternoon on Hurricane Ida relief efforts as he met virtually with a host of leaders involved in the response to the massive storm that has rocked the Gulf Coast. “We know Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause massive, massive damage, and that’s

By Ryan Nobles, Zachary Cohen, Annie Grayer and Whitney Wild, CNN The House Select Committee investigating the deadly January 6 riot has requested that a group of telecommunications companies preserve the phone records of a group of GOP members of Congress and former President Donald Trump, as well as members of the Trump family, who

By Daniel Dale On Saturday night, an entirely false claim about President Joe Biden went viral among conservatives on Twitter. “Our heroes were returned to American soil and Dover AFB today. Nobody from the Biden White House attended,” tweeted Buzz Patterson, a Republican congressional candidate in California. Patterson’s tweet — posted before 11 p.m. on

By Jason Hoffman and Chandelis Duster, CNN The US, along with about 100 other countries, said they will hold the Taliban to their promises that they will allow people to leave the country after August 31, according to a joint statement released Sunday. “We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents,

By Amanda Sealy, CNN Mandating Covid-19 vaccines for children to attend school in person is a “good idea” due to a strong benefit-risk ratio, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. “I believe that mandating vaccines for children to appear in school is a good idea,” Fauci told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” Fauci