Politics

Promotions of two female generals were delayed by Pentagon officials until after the 2020 presidential election out of fear of “turmoil” from President Donald Trump’s White House, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper, according to the newspaper, worried that if

Lowering Covid-19 cases across the US is critical not only to preventing another surge fueled by variants — but it also makes vaccines more likely to continue working against mutations, one expert says. “The best thing we could possibly do to improve the chances that the vaccine will continue working … is to reduce cases

The US government’s probe into the devastating SolarWinds breach is likely to take “several months” at least, according to the top White House cybersecurity official, speaking to reporters Wednesday in the Biden administration’s first public assessment of the gravity of the suspected Russian spying campaign. At least nine federal agencies were specifically targeted by the

Nicholas Burns, a former US ambassador and senior State Department official, is the leading contender for US ambassador to China, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. The Biden administration wants to fill the role with someone who has extensive diplomatic experience and Burns meets that criteria, the sources said, but noted that announcements

The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump may have ended with an acquittal on Saturday, but Trump’s trials and tribulations are far from over. This fact should trouble the former president but comfort those who believe the powerful shouldn’t evade accountability. Trump is still facing possible prosecution and civil actions in courtrooms around

As he gently told a traumatized 8-year-old girl, “Don’t be scared, honey. Don’t be scared,” Joe Biden showed that the days of presidential pandemic denial and indifference to America’s suffering are over. His reassuring words to second grader Layla Salas came during a CNN town hall in Wisconsin on Tuesday night when he also tried

Advocates fighting for Washington, DC, to become the 51st state are more hopeful than ever that they’ll achieve statehood with Joe Biden in the White House and Democrats now controlling both chambers of Congress, though the effort still faces an uphill battle to gain traction. After decades of pushing for representation, supporters of DC statehood

The Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee has filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump that cites a little-known federal statute that was first passed after the Civil War. The complaint, filed Tuesday by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, accuses Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani, the Proud Boys and the Oath

President Joe Biden was pressed on a range of issues Tuesday evening as he fielded questions from voters during a CNN town hall in Milwaukee. The President addressed everything from coronavirus vaccine equity to police funding in his first face-to-face engagement with voters since taking office. Multiple participants — including two who voted for former

President Joe Biden at a Tuesday CNN town hall sought to reassure a second grader worried about getting Covid-19, telling her that young children are the “safest group of people in the whole world.” “Don’t be scared, honey. Don’t be scared. You’re going to be fine, and we’re going to make sure mommy’s fine, too,”

Several members of President Joe Biden’s former coronavirus advisory board are urging his administration to more widely recommend and mandate the use of N95 masks, citing a “pressing and urgent need for action” driven by the threat of new coronavirus variants. In a memo to Biden’s top coronavirus advisers obtained by CNN, a dozen health

If you’re among the fortunate folks who have survived Covid-19, you might have your Neanderthal ancestors to thank. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1. Winter