National Politics

By Alex Rogers, CNN Herschel Walker, the former football star, announced his campaign for US Senate in Georgia on Wednesday, after months of speculation marked by both former President Donald Trump’s public encouragement and some Republicans’ rising concerns about the political newcomer’s ability to win a crucial seat. “Our country is at a crossroads, and

By Kaitlan Collins, Kate Sullivan and Zachary Cohen, CNN It has now been 90 days since President Joe Biden ordered the intelligence community to investigate the origins of Covid-19, but the public may have to wait a few more days to view an unclassified version of that report. In May, Biden told US intelligence agencies

By Devan Cole, Ryan Nobles, Zachary Cohen and Oren Liebermann, CNN Two US congressmen on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan as the US races to evacuate as many people as possible from the country in the remaining days of the US military presence there, taking Democratic leadership by surprise and drawing swift criticism.

By Phil Mattingly, CNN The White House is firing back at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who on Tuesday called for Democrats to halt work on their sweeping economic agenda to focus on Afghanistan evacuations. McCarthy said his call highlighted frustration, voiced by a growing number of Republicans, over administration briefings they feel have been

By Oren Liebermann and Paul LeBlanc, CNN Several hundred US troops have left Afghanistan, on the same day President Joe Biden decided not to extend the August 31 evacuation deadline, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed Tuesday evening. “These troops represent a mix of headquarters staff, maintenance and other enabling functions that were scheduled to

By Tierney Sneed, CNN The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined the Biden administration’s request that it put on hold a lower court order requiring the revival of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy. The court’s three liberal justices publicly noted that they would have granted the request to halt the lower court’s order. The

By Dan Merica, CNN President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have found their chosen rhetorical rivals in the fight against the coronavirus: each other. And neither seems eager to back down anytime soon. The recent uptick in direct rhetoric between the Biden White House and the Republican governor with unbridled political aspirations reached

By Annie Grayer, CNN Progressives in the House are not backing down from their requirement that the final reconciliation package move at the same time as the Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure bill in order for their caucus to vote for both bills. Their continued demand comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a deal with moderates

By Sara Sidner, Erica Orden and Cheri Mossburg, CNN A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the federal case against attorney Michael Avenatti, who is accused of embezzling millions of dollars from his clients for personal use and to pay creditors. US District Court Judge Michael V. Selna in Orange County, California, granted the motion for

By Gregory Krieg, CNN New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised on Tuesday to forge a “new era of transparency” in the halls of a state government that has for decades been wrought by corruption, ethics scandals and a culture of sexual harassment that came front-and-center as allegations mounted against Andrew Cuomo, her disgraced predecessor. In

By Paul LeBlanc, CNN The Biden administration’s evacuation efforts in Afghanistan have gained considerable momentum in recent days, now far exceeding the initial daily goals after a chaotic and disjointed start. The White House said Wednesday morning that approximately 19,000 people had been evacuated by US military and coalition flights over the past 24 hours.

By Alex Rogers, CNN Herschel Walker, the former University of Georgia football star, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday to run for Senate in Georgia, months after former President Donald Trump publicly encouraged his longtime friend to campaign for the key seat. Walker is expected to be the early front-runner in the

By Alex Rogers, CNN The House passed a bill Tuesday increasing the power of the federal government and racial minorities to block or challenge election rules they find discriminatory. Democrats named the legislation the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancements Act after the civil rights icon and longtime Georgia congressman who died last year. “John knew

By Jeremy Herb, Ryan Nobles and Morgan Rimmer, CNN Lawmakers from both parties pressed top Biden national security officials at a classified briefing Tuesday to extend the August 31 deadline for the US military to evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan. During a briefing with President Joe Biden’s top national security officials Tuesday —

By Marshall Cohen The Justice Department has offered a plea deal to the US Capitol rioter who wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt, prosecutors said Tuesday at a court hearing. Robert Packer of Virginia went viral during the January 6 attack because of the brazenly anti-Semitic nature of his sweatshirt. He was arrested in January and