National Politics

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his way back to where the air is sweet, reprising an appearance on Sesame Street this week. Blinken talked about his work as the top US diplomat and refugees in a short video clip posted to his Twitter account Wednesday. “Delighted to catch up with

By Zachary Cohen and Michael Conte, CNN Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said Wednesday he wouldn’t comment on a recent book excerpt alleging he and other top officials were so deeply concerned that former President Donald Trump and his allies might attempt a coup after the November 2020 election they informally

By Annie Grayer and Jeremy Herb, CNN House Republicans balked at participating in the House committee that’s investigating the January 6 insurrection on Wednesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of the five Republicans House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had tapped for the panel. Pelosi’s decision to reject the two Republicans — and McCarthy’s

By Maegan Vazquez, CNN President Joe Biden is set to face key questions on how his administration will handle some of the most pressing issues facing the country when he takes part in a CNN town hall Wednesday night. At 8 p.m. ET, Biden will take the stage at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN The Biden administration is extending non-essential travel restrictions for the US northern and southern borders until August 21. The US has been limiting non-essential travel along both borders since the start of the pandemic and extending those restrictions on a monthly basis. The restrictions don’t apply to cross-border trade, US citizens

By Daniella Diaz, Manu Raju, Lauren Fox and Ted Barrett, CNN Republicans will not vote to increase the federal borrowing limit, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a new interview, setting the stage for a huge battle in Congress as it stares at a deadline to avoid a debt default. McConnell’s threat prompted outrage

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Capitol rioter and ex-Army Ranger Robert Morss to remain in jail before trial, ruling that he was too dangerous to release and slamming him for using his military training to help organize the mob and eventually breach the Capitol. This came hours after the Justice

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN When officers arrested Robert Morss of Pennsylvania on charges related to the January 6 Capitol riot, they found in his car a notebook with a page titled, “Step by Step to Create Hometown Militia.” Beneath it Morss allegedly scribbled bullet point reminders, fleshing out the idea of forming a violent cell

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN Maribeth Witzel-Behl had run elections in Madison, Wisconsin, for 15 years when the 2020 election arrived, bringing challenges like no other: a global pandemic, a crushing workload, lawsuits and a recount. Then the threats started. Wisconsin rules require the initials of the municipal clerk to appear on absentee ballots, but during

By Kate Sullivan, CNN President Joe Biden and the Democrat-led Senate are working quickly to appoint judges from a broad range of backgrounds to the federal bench as they counter Republican efforts to reshape the bench over the previous four years. The push comes after former President Donald Trump, working with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch

By Erica Orden, CNN Michael Avenatti, the celebrity lawyer who rose to fame as an antagonist of former President Donald Trump, faces opening statements Wednesday in Los Angeles as part of his second federal criminal trial, just two weeks after he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in a separate case in New York.

By Kylie Atwood and Nicole Gaouette, CNN An extraordinary effort by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to block nominees from being confirmed to vital jobs in the State Department is creating hurdles for the Biden administration and hindering US diplomacy, according to Democrats and Republicans who spoke to CNN. The Biden administration — with

By Kate Sullivan, CNN President Joe Biden will participate in a CNN town hall on Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohio, just over six months after taking office. The town hall comes as the White House grapples with a new surge in Covid-19 cases, which has led to increasing rates of hospitalizations and deaths. The Delta variant, which

By Alex Rogers and Manu Raju, CNN Senate Republicans blocked a vote Wednesday to start debate on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, as they push for more time to strike a deal with Democrats and write the legislation. The vote was 49-51, short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure. But lawmakers

By Kate Bennett, CNN Jill Biden departs Wednesday morning for a five-day international trip to Tokyo, Japan, her first solo trip abroad as first lady of the United States. However, Biden’s visit to kick-off the Olympic Games in support of America’s athletes comes amid rising Covid-19 numbers in Japan, and specifically at the Games. As