National Politics

The first thing some of the women were asked to do when they got to the house parties in the gated community in suburban Orlando was to put away their cellphones, according to two women in attendance who spoke to CNN in recent days. The men inside, a who’s who of local Republican officials that

President Joe Biden on Wednesday named Erika Moritsugu to a senior-level Asian American and Pacific Islander liaison position, the White House announced in a statement. Moritsugu, whose official title will be deputy assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander senior liaison, “will bring her experience and expertise to the Biden-Harris Administration where

The entire 30-member NATO alliance was united in its concern about the massive buildup of Russian forces near Crimea and along Ukraine’s borders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday. “What was striking today was every single ally expressed the same concerns,” said Blinken, speaking alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd

A geophysicist who allegedly beat police officers who were trying to help injured rioters during the US Capitol siege will be jailed before trial, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, citing the man’s ham-handed attempt to flee to Switzerland as proof that he poses a literal flight risk. Judge Emmet Sullivan said Jeffrey Sabol was too

The Senate voted 92-6 to advance a bill Wednesday that would address the surge of hate crimes against Asian Americans, signaling broad bipartisan support and momentum for the measure. The bill, which would assign a Justice Department official to expedite reviews of potential Covid-19-related hate crimes and establish an online database, initially received pushback from

The White House is expected to name Erika Moritsugu to a senior-level Asian American and Pacific Islander liaison position, two sources familiar with the decision said Wedesday. The expected announcement comes less than a month after the White House committed to naming a senior-level AAPI liaison following pressure from Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and

House Republicans are doing their best to steer clear of embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz amid an FBI investigation into whether he broke sex trafficking laws and had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The Republican efforts to keep their distance from Gaetz also offer him a lifeline within the GOP conference, as he appears safe at

US intelligence agencies still do not know “exactly where, when or how Covid-19 virus was transmitted initially” in China but remain focused on two primary theories, that “it emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals or it was a laboratory accident,” the nation’s top spy told Senate lawmakers on Wednesday. That admission from Director

President Joe Biden said at a CNN town hall on Tuesday that he remains opposed to calls for “defunding the police” — a rallying cry for activists seeking reforms in law enforcement. In response to a question about how to avoid overly constraining police while addressing racial disparities, Biden replied, “By number one, not defunding

Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday praised President Joe Biden’s “bold leadership” for his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, saying that “it is time to recognize that we have accomplished all that we can militarily” in America’s longest war. “President Biden has made the right decision in completing the withdrawal

The Biden administration intends to move forward with $23 billion in proposed arms sales to the United Arab Emirates even as it continues its review of pending weapons transfers, a State Department spokesperson told CNN Wednesday. The Trump administration last year pushed forward the controversial sale, which includes F-35 aircraft and armed drones, despite bipartisan

The House Oversight and Reform Committee voted on Wednesday to approve a bill that would grant statehood to Washington, DC, a Democratic priority that faces obstacles for final passage even when the party controls both chambers on Capitol Hill and the White House. The tally was 25-19. “Today is an historic day for our country

Kristen Clarke, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, defended her record against some skeptical senators during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday as a groundswell of supporters says there’s an urgency for Clarke to take office and lead the team of federal prosecutors to address recent allegations of unconstitutional acts

Federal prosecutors in Washington, DC, will not pursue criminal charges against the US Capitol Police officer involved in the shooting death of Ashli Babbitt during the riot at the Capitol on January 6, the Justice Department said Wednesday. The Justice Department said it has cleared the officer involved and has closed its investigation, saying there

Almost a year after Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the Supreme Court’s liberals to cast the determinative vote to block a Louisiana abortion law, his opinion in the case is causing deep divisions among lower court judges and lawyers. Last June, Roberts, who had never voted against an abortion restriction, spelled out his thinking

Activist and nonprofit founder Rana Abdelhamid on Wednesday launched a Democratic primary challenge to Rep. Carolyn Maloney in New York’s 12th congressional district, marking the third straight election in which Maloney, who has been in Congress since 1993, will face intense opposition from party progressives. This time, though, the field will include a candidate with