National Politics

The United States has extended a key nuclear arms control treaty with Russia for five years, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday. “Extending the New START Treaty makes the United States, U.S. allies and partners, and the world safer. An unconstrained nuclear competition would endanger us all,” Blinken said. The treaty — the only

Democrats tasked with protecting majorities in the House and Senate are seizing on deep divisions within the Republican Party, hoping that stoking the discord could help them overcome the legacy of losses the party in power usually suffers in midterm elections. The Democratic strategy is two-fold. The party, led by Biden, looks to get the

President Joe Biden vowed that no one in his extended family will have sway over government decisions in an interview with People magazine published Wednesday. “We’re going to run this like the Obama-Biden Administration,” he said of ethics requirements pertaining to government appointees’ family and friends to avoid the semblance of wrongdoing. “No one in

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is considering bringing state charges against Steve Bannon related to the same border wall fundraising campaign fraud scheme for which he was federally charged and then granted a presidential pardon, according to The Washington Post. Discussions on whether a state case can be brought against Bannon for his role in

Hundreds of congressional staffers wrote an open letter to senators urging them to consider the trauma aides experienced during the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol and to convict former President Donald Trump “for our sake, and the sake of the country.” “We are staff who work for members of the U.S. Senate and the

More than 370 congressional staffers from both the House and Senate have signed a letter advocating for former President Donald Trump’s conviction. In the letter they detail their experiences during the riot at the Capitol on January 6. Read the letter:

Ginni Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas and a longtime conservative activist, has apologized to his former Supreme Court clerks for her role in creating a divide between them that came after her post-election support of former President Donald Trump and her early endorsement of Trump’s January 6 rally that later resulted in a

Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked on Tuesday with the loved ones of Americans held hostage or unlawfully detained abroad — a gesture of support from the new administration that garnered high praise from the families who spoke with CNN. It sent a promising signal, the families said, that the Biden administration will make the

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Joe Biden told Senate Democrats at lunch Tuesday that he wants a “big, bold package” on Covid-19 relief and that he told Senate Republicans that their $600 billion proposal is “way too small.” It was a point White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated during her briefing —

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has been quietly reaching out to GOP House members aiming to lock down their support amid the push to oust her from her leadership spot by defenders of former President Donald Trump, explaining her vote to impeach Trump and listening to concerns they may have. The move, according to

Investigators are struggling to build a federal murder case regarding fallen US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, vexed by a lack of evidence that could prove someone caused his death as he defended the Capitol during last month’s insurrection. Authorities have reviewed video and photographs that show Sicknick engaging with rioters amid the siege but

The House of Representatives has officially created a new rule that will fine any member for failing to complete security screening prior to entering the House floor. With the passing of this rule Tuesday evening, members who fail to comply with security screenings will be fined $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for a

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will begin direct shipments of coronavirus vaccines to retail pharmacies next week, expanding points of access for Americans to receive shots as concerns about variants of the virus expand. “Millions of Americans turn to their local pharmacies every day for their medicines, flu shots, and much more. And pharmacies

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has dismissed hundreds of members of 42 Pentagon advisory boards, including controversial late appointments by the Trump administration, as the Pentagon announced a review of the boards’ memberships Tuesday. The announcement comes after the previous administration appointed several loyalists to advisory boards in the final months of former President Donald Trump’s

President Joe Biden signed three executive orders Tuesday that take aim at his predecessor’s hardline immigration policies and try to rectify the consequences of those policies, including by establishing a task force designed to reunite families separated at the US-Mexico border. The latest orders build upon the actions taken in Biden’s first days in office

Democrats won the Senate, but they’re not in charge until the chamber’s party leaders strike a power-sharing agreement. A stalemate has prevented Democrats from taking control of key committees since the chamber is operating under the rules of the last Congress, when the GOP was in charge, delaying consideration of attorney general nominee Merrick Garland,

State lawmakers across the US have filed more than 100 bills since the November election aimed at reforming election procedure and limiting voter access, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice. In all, 28 states have introduced, pre-filed or are advancing 106 restrictive bills for the 2021 legislative session, a significant

A number of Democratic House members are calling for Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to be removed from Congress, censured or face other punishment since a number of inflammatory past comments have come to light. CNN reported that the freshman congresswoman from Georgia repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019,

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary, the first Latino and immigrant to serve at the helm of the department. His confirmation will fill a critical role in the new administration and he’ll be expected to swiftly begin rolling back Trump administration immigration policies while juggling the response to a

The House impeachment managers charged Tuesday that former President Donald Trump is “singularly responsible” for inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol last month, while Trump’s legal team argued his speech was protected by the First Amendment and a Senate conviction would be unconstitutional. The dueling pretrial legal briefs from the House managers and Trump’s

Former President Donald Trump’s legal team argued Tuesday that he cannot be convicted by the Senate because he is no longer in office, previewing what’s likely to be one of the biggest points of contention during Trump’s Senate impeachment trial that begins next week. Trump’s lawyers filed a 14-page response to the House’s impeachment effort

GOP state senators in Georgia introduced a slate of bills on Monday that seek to roll back voter access in the state, such as “no excuse” absentee voting and automatic voter registration. If passed, the nine proposed measures — which follow elections where Democrats made historic gains in the state — could considerably reshape Georgia’s