Politics

By Katie Bo Williams, CNN A deputy to then-President Donald Trump’s acting secretary of defense held a call with his Chinese counterpart two days before the now-controversial call by Gen. Mark Milley, undercutting criticism that the Joint Chiefs chairman was out of line. According to two sources familiar with the matter, in a previously scheduled

By Lauren Dezenski, CNN This week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom held on to his job in a recall election, which President Joe Biden touted as a victory for strict Covid-19 mitigation efforts, including vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, a shaken US Capitol braced for an upcoming rally in support of those jailed in the January 6 insurrection.

By Tierney Sneed, Dianne Gallagher and Rachel Janfaza, CNN A North Carolina state court panel on Friday blocked a voter identification law, citing discrimination against Black voters. The law, known as SB 824, was passed in 2018 after Republicans lost their supermajority in the legislature but before the new legislature took over. It was already

By Liz Stark, CNN Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced her plans Friday to return the Bureau of Land Management national headquarters to Washington, DC, after it had been relocated under the Trump administration. The headquarters of the BLM — which is part of the Interior Department and controls 245 million acres of federal lands —

By Priscilla Alvarez and Geneva Sands, CNN The Biden administration on Friday appealed a federal judge’s ruling to block border authorities from expelling migrant families with children under a public health order linked to the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia District Court acknowledged that his ruling would force

By Clare Foran and Alex Rogers, CNN GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio announced on Thursday that he will not seek reelection, becoming the first of the 10 House Republicans who had voted in January to impeach then-President Donald Trump to decide to retire. Trump has targeted the Republicans, trying to purge them from the

By Tierney Sneed Attorney General Merrick Garland is facing more pressure to reconsider the Justice Department’s decision not to bring any prosecutions related to the FBI’s mishandling of the Larry Nassar investigation, with Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley calling Friday for a federal prosecutor or special counsel to further investigate the matter. Grassley is the top

By Sam Fossum and Kevin Liptak, CNN President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order adding measles to the list of quarantinable diseases roughly one week after several Afghan refugees who had recently arrived in the US tested positive for the disease, which led to a pause in flights of US-bound refugees. Flights of

By Veronica Stracqualursi and Lauren Fox, CNN A House Republican on Friday publicly pushed back against the Biden administration’s plan to resettle Afghan nationals in his home state of Montana and suggested that the refugees are not properly vetted, despite repeated assurances from the Biden administration that they are. The comments by Rep. Matt Rosendale

By Anna Coren, Julia Hollingsworth, Sandi Sidhu and Zachary Cohen, CNN A United States military investigation into a deadly Kabul drone strike on a vehicle in August has found it killed 10 civilians and the driver and that the vehicle targeted was likely not a threat associated with ISIS-K, announced Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top

By Maegan Vazquez, CNN The French government says it was betrayed when Australia pulled out of their existing multi-billion dollar defense deal, agreeing instead to attain nuclear-powered submarines through a new deal with the United States and the United Kingdom. The effort to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines — a major step toward countering China

By Jessica Schneider, CNN A high-ranking Capitol Police officer, who was also a vocal Donald Trump supporter, told those under his command not to wear riot gear on January 6, according to internal documents reviewed by CNN that detail allegations submitted to an officer tip line. In this case, an unidentified Capitol Police lieutenant emailed

By Michael Warren, CNN Mike Pence is adding staffers for his brand-new office in downtown Washington — inching closer to a possible White House run even as his standing worsens with former President Donald Trump and his base of supporters. The former vice president’s ramp-up comes as Trump appears to be making good on his

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the line of succession for the president and vice president of the United States. Presidential Succession Act Article 2, Section 1, Clause 6, Constitution of the United States: In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge