By Katelyn Polantz, CNN Reporter, Crime and Justice The Justice Department is trying to block the Oath Keepers they’ve charged with seditious conspiracy from shifting blame to Donald Trump when they are tried in federal court later this year, according to a court filing. The DOJ’s requests come as both sides in the case are
Continue Reading By Kevin Liptak and Donald Judd, CNN President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 again Saturday morning, per a letter from presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, in what is likely a “rebound” Covid-19 positivity that the doctor noted is “observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid.” Biden has experienced “no reemergence of
Continue Reading By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN The Republican-led West Virginia Legislature on Friday did not come to a consensus on a bill that would ban abortions with some exceptions, leaving the procedure legal in the state for now. West Virginia is one of two states that have reconvened a special session to consider restrictions on abortion since
Continue Reading By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN The overturning of Roe v. Wade gives the green light to Republican-led states to pass stricter abortion laws, and several legislatures, rather than wait for the traditional legislative season to begin in the fall, are calling extraordinary sessions this summer to immediately take action. Lawmakers in Indiana and West Virginia have
Continue Reading By Fredreka Schouten, CNN The Wisconsin Elections Commission plans to meet next week to consider making a criminal referral against a Racine County man who ordered absentee ballots in the names of a top state lawmaker and other voters in what he says was an effort to expose vulnerabilities in Wisconsin’s voting system. In a
Continue Reading By Virginia Langmaid, CNN A new piece of legislation introduced in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday would ban the use of lyrics from being used as evidence in legal claims. The bill, dubbed the Restoring Artistic Protection Act, aims to limit the extent to which an artist’s “creative or artistic expression” can be
Continue Reading By Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand, CNN A Massachusetts man was arrested Friday after being indicted by a grand jury for allegedly making a bomb threat last year towards an election official in the Arizona’s Secretary of State office. “Your attorney general needs to resign by Tuesday February 16th by 9 am or the explosive
Continue Reading By Jasmine Wright, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris’ director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs is leaving his position, a White House official told CNN. Michael Collins announced his departure in a letter to staff after 16 months in the role. “It has been a difficult decision, but I’ve decided to leave this amazing experience
Continue Reading By Whitney Wild and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN Key House Democrats have issued a new call for the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general to recuse himself from a probe of missing Secret Service text messages after a CNN exclusive report showed investigators knew for more than a year texts had been erased. House Oversight Committee
Continue Reading By Natasha Bertrand and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN Russian government officials requested that a former colonel from the country’s domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in Germany last year be included in the US’ proposed swap of a notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, multiple sources familiar with the
Continue Reading By Kaitlan Collins, CNN Jared Kushner details his clashes with Steve Bannon in his new book, describing a “toxic” West Wing presence who accused him of “undermining the President’s agenda” and threatened to break him “in half” if Kushner turned on him. The detailed account in the memoir — set to be published next month
Continue Reading By Whitney Wild, Zachary Cohen, Jeremy Herb and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN The embattled inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security first learned of missing Secret Service text messages in May 2021 — months earlier than previously known and more than a year before he alerted the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021, that
Continue Reading By Jeremy Diamond, CNN Recounting his yearlong effort to pass the First Step Act, Jared Kushner in his forthcoming memoir describes the numerous and ultimately unsuccessful efforts by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to thwart the landmark criminal justice reform legislation. In his upcoming book, “Breaking History: A White House Memoir,” Kushner details several efforts by
Continue Reading By MJ Lee, Arlette Saenz, Maegan Vazquez and Kevin Liptak, CNN White House communications director Kate Bedingfield is staying on in her role, a surprise decision coming after the White House announced she would be leaving, multiple sources told CNN. Bedingfield shared her decision in an email sent to her colleagues Friday afternoon. Bedingfield wrote
Continue Reading By Clare Foran and Ted Barrett, CNN The Senate voted Wednesday to pass a long-awaited bill aimed at boosting US semiconductor production in a bid to increase American competitiveness. It passed with broad bipartisan support, 64 to 33. The measure now goes to the House for approval before it can be sent to President Joe
Continue Reading By Jennifer Hansler, CNN The Biden administration announced sanctions targeting Russia over its global “malign influence” and election interference operations on Friday. In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new tranche of sanctions “is separate and distinct from the broad range of measures the United States and its allies and partners continue
Continue Reading By Natasha Bertrand and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN Russian government officials requested that a former colonel from the country’s domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in Germany last year be included in the US’ proposed swap of a notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, multiple sources familiar with the
Continue Reading By Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand, CNN The Justice Department unveiled on Friday a conspiracy charge against a Russian national accused of working with FSB agents and using unnamed political groups in the US as foreign agents of Russia. Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov allegedly orchestrated “a years-long foreign malign influence campaign that used various U.S. political
Continue Reading By Jennifer Hansler, CNN US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday for the first time since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine in late February. In what the top US diplomat described as “a frank and direct conversation,” Blinken said he “pressed the Kremlin to accept the
Continue Reading By Eva McKend and Michael Warren, CNN Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia is turning up the heat on Herschel Walker, calling out his Republican opponent for so far refusing to agree to public debates before this fall’s election. Warnock released a new television ad this week criticizing Walker for “dodging” three debate invitations the
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