Politics

By Katie Bo Lillis, CNN The Biden administration’s most senior intelligence officials defended their push to boost diversity in the ranks of the intelligence community in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, amid attacks from Republicans that such efforts are a distraction from core national security priorities. Diversity and inclusion “is not only the smart thing

By Geneva Sands and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN An internal investigation into US Border Patrol agents on horseback who confronted migrants in Texas, remains ongoing, a month after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas committed to concluding the probe within “days.” Two agents at the center of the investigation have yet to be interviewed, according to National

By Annie Grayer and Paul LeBlanc, CNN The House select committee investigating January 6 has granted short postponements of the scheduled depositions of individuals who helped plan the rallies and events leading up to the attack on the Capitol, a committee aide told CNN. The individuals — Justin Caporale, Tim Unes, Caroline Wren and Maggie

By Marshall Cohen Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that he wants “as much as possible” of special counsel Robert Durham’s eventual report to be released publicly. Durham was appointed during the Trump administration to investigate the FBI’s Russia probe, which uncovered contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians during the 2016 election. “With respect

By Marshall Cohen and Em Steck, CNN A January 6 riot defendant with ties to the Proud Boys, who was recently profiled by CNN for promoting false-flag conspiracies about the insurrection, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor for illegally protesting in the Capitol building, his lawyer confirmed on Tuesday. Micajah Jackson has agreed to a

By Zachary Cohen, Katelyn Polantz and Ryan Nobles, CNN The House select committee investigating January 6 has postponed its request for dozens of pages of records from the Trump White House even though the documents were determined by the current White House counsel to be relevant to its probe. While the exact nature of these

By Veronica Stracqualursi and Christina Carrega, CNN Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed Wednesday that the Justice Department has “new evidence” in its ongoing review of the decision not to prosecute two former FBI officials who were accused of mishandling the investigation into former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General Lisa

By Rachel Janfaza, CNN Former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof announced Wednesday that he is running for governor of Oregon. “I’ve never run for political office in my life, but I have spent a lifetime shining a light in the darkest corners of the globe, and it broke my heart when I returned from

By Kate Bennett and Kate Sullivan, CNN The White House said Wednesday it would not be hosting a traditional Halloween celebration this year due to President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s overseas travel. Michael La Rosa, the first lady’s press secretary, says the annual trick-or-treating on the South Lawn, which is typically attended

By Chandelis Duster, CNN The State Department has issued the first US passport with an “X” gender marker as it seeks to implement gender-inclusive polices, the department announced Wednesday. The department announced in June it would update its procedures to allow applicants to self-select their sex marker for passports and that it “will no longer

By Phil Mattingly and Lauren Fox, CNN Democrats seemed to move further apart over the course of the last 24 hours, laying bare the very real risk that President Joe Biden will fall short in his effort to secure an agreement before he arrives on the global stage later this week. In private meetings from

By Michael Warren and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is backing former football star Herschel Walker’s Senate bid in Georgia, the latest sign that the Republican establishment is aligning behind Walker despite having serious doubts about the GOP candidate’s viability. “I am happy to endorse Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia,”