National Politics

By Devan Cole, Hannah Rabinowitz and Tierney Sneed, CNN Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared before a Senate committee on Wednesday, where he faced a colorful array of questions on everything from the federal investigation into Hunter Biden to the sale of deadly drugs, Taylor Swift tickets and FBI investigations. Garland’s nearly four-hour-long hearing before the

By Maegan Vazquez and Gregory Wallace, CNN President Joe Biden’s embattled pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration participated in his confirmation hearing before Congress on Wednesday amid a series of challenges for the agency. Phil Washington, whose nomination was first announced by Biden nearly eight months ago, appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce,

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Chief Justice John Roberts pounded away on the price tag — “about half a trillion dollars” — for the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program during oral arguments Tuesday. But as he repeatedly cited the big cost, he reinforced a broader, more familiar point that could further

By Tami Luhby, CNN Putting food on the table will be a lot harder for millions of Americans starting in March. Food stamp recipients will each receive about $90 a month less in benefits, on average, as a pandemic hunger relief program comes to an end nationwide three years after Congress approved it. Every household

By Taylor Romine, CNN The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation allowing non-profits to open and operate overdose prevention sites with private funding, Mayor London Breed announced in a news release. Ordinances require two rounds of voting: a first read and final passage. Jeff Cretan, a spokesman for the mayor’s office,

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN A federal appeals court on Tuesday dismissed a case brought by two Democratic states that sought to have the US archivist publish and certify the Equal Rights Amendment as part of the Constitution. The decision deals another blow to advocates’ legal efforts to get the amendment, which they say would ban

By Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju, CNN Former President Donald Trump’s allies have been privately lobbying hard-right House members to throw their support behind his bid for the GOP 2024 presidential nomination and help inject some fresh momentum into his fledgling campaign, according to Republican sources. But Trump has his work cut out for him.

By Eric Bradner, CNN Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her bid for a second term Tuesday, failing to make a top-two runoff in the latest demonstration of growing concerns about crime in one of the nation’s largest cities. Paul Vallas, a long-time public schools chief who ran on a tough-on-crime message, and Brandon Johnson, a

By Phil Mattingly, Allie Malloy and MJ Lee, CNN The Biden administration is projecting confidence about the fate of President Joe Biden’s student loan cancellation program in a message to applicants, even in the face of skepticism from conservative Supreme Court justices in Tuesday’s high-stakes oral arguments. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in an email

By Devan Cole, CNN Transgender minors in Mississippi can no longer receive gender-affirming care in the state after its Republican governor signed a bill Tuesday that prohibits health care professionals from providing both hormone treatments and surgical procedures. Gov. Tate Reeves’ approval of HB 1125 comes as Republican-led states around the country are pushing an

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN Iran could now produce “one bomb’s worth of fissile material” in “about 12 days,” a top US Defense Department official said Tuesday. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl offered one of the most striking US government assessments to date of Iran’s “breakout time” as efforts to try to restore

By Manu Raju, Holmes Lybrand and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office said on Tuesday that lawyers for defendants facing charges in the January 6, 2021, insurrection will be granted access to US Capitol security footage as the top House Republican has faced scrutiny for allowing Fox News host Tucker Carlson to view

By Lauren Fox and Manu Raju, CNN Multiple Democrats are undecided about how they will vote on a measure that would overturn a rewriting of Washington, DC’s criminal code, which critics have argued is soft on violent criminals. The measure is expected to come up for a vote by next week and only needs a