National Politics

President Joe Biden will sign several executive actions related to the climate crisis on Wednesday, including one directing the secretary of the interior to pause on entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters. The executive order directs the interior secretary to launch a “rigorous review” of the existing

Former first lady Melania Trump is establishing a post-White House office in Palm Beach, Florida, according to two sources familiar with her plans. Her intention is to “maintain ‘Be Best,’ ” said one of the sources, Trump’s loosely defined initiative that looks to help children. During her time in the White House, “Be Best” existed

The spread of new coronavirus variants that are more contagious threatens to add stress to an already overwhelmed health care system, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday during the Biden administration’s first virtual Covid briefing. “I also know that there are concerns about various viruses mutate, and we

The first Covid-19 briefing of the Biden administration got off to an unfortunate start on Wednesday with multiple technical difficulties. The administration has repeatedly touted their transparency amid the enormous undertaking of getting the pandemic under control, but the briefing, which was conducted virtually via Zoom, had multiple audiovisual issues. As Covid-19 chief Jeff Zients

President Joe Biden is expected to sign several executive actions related to climate on Wednesday, including issuing a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands, according to a person familiar with his plans. The moratorium on new leases would fulfill a campaign promise by Biden. When issued, the halt on new leases

President Joe Biden’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations plans to voice her support for the country’s re-engagement in the multilateral institution in order to counter Chinese influence during a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, according to excerpts of her testimony obtained by CNN. “When America shows up — when we are consistent

Former President Donald Trump has expanded his impeachment legal team by tapping a former prosecutor-turned-criminal defense lawyer, an addition that comes as Trump and his allies scramble to prepare a defense with less than two weeks until the Senate trial. The addition of Deborah Barbier, a lawyer with a reputation for tackling high-profile, controversial clients,

Members of Congress were left stunned during a briefing from law enforcement about their failure to prepare for the insurrection at the US Capitol earlier this month, two members who attended a House Appropriations Committee briefing told CNN on Tuesday, with one saying it was “dumb luck” more people didn’t die. House Appropriations Committee Chair

A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s pause on deportations Tuesday, delivering a blow to one of the administration’s first immigration actions. Read the ruling here:

Several hundred White House employees had been vaccinated as of Tuesday, two Biden administration officials told CNN, with more expected in the coming weeks. Most officials who have received vaccinations work for the Executive Office of the President, meaning they operate inside the White House complex, either in the West Wing or Eisenhower Executive Office

Antony Blinken said it is the honor of his life to serve as the top US diplomat after being sworn in as the newest secretary of state Tuesday. Blinken, a longtime Biden associate, was approved by the Senate with a vote of 78-22 earlier in the day. “My career has come full circle,” Blinken wrote

Former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told a House panel on Tuesday that the National Guard only planned to deal with traffic in Washington, DC, the day the deadly US Capitol insurrection occurred, with “no contingency” in place if things escalated in the city, according to a copy of his prepared testimony obtained by CNN. But

Democrats are swiftly moving to unlock an arcane Senate budget process to pass a Covid-19 relief bill with just Democratic votes even as the Biden administration continues their outreach to Republican senators to make the bill bipartisan. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday that the Senate could move as soon as next week to pass

President Joe Biden held his first call Tuesday with his Russian counterpart, according to the White House, confronting President Vladimir Putin over a range of issues from a recent massive cyberattack to the suspected poisoning of the country’s leading opposition figure. The call, which occurred midday, amounted to Biden’s opening bid at diplomacy with one

President Joe Biden announced a series of measures on Tuesday aimed at ramping up coronavirus vaccine allocation and distribution, including the purchase of 200 million more vaccine doses and increased distribution to states by millions of doses next week. With those additional doses, Biden said there would be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans

President Joe Biden will announce a series of measures on Tuesday aimed at ramping up coronavirus vaccine allocation and distribution, including buying 200 million more vaccine doses and increasing distribution to states by millions of doses next week, according to sources familiar with the plan. The US plans to buy 100 million more doses from

At least 150 people have now been charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, according to a CNN review of court records and Justice Department announcements, as a top prosecutor said charges of sedition are not out of the question. The milestone of 150 charged in the riot

The Senate tabled an effort by Sen. Rand Paul Tuesday to force a vote on the constitutionality of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, but the vote offered an indicator for how Republican senators — who overwhelmingly voted for Paul’s measure — feel about the trial. Paul’s motion was killed on a 55-45 vote, with

The Senate tabled an effort by Sen. Rand Paul to force a vote on Tuesday on the constitutionality of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, but the vote offered an indicator for support among Republican senators who have been sworn in as jurors for the trial. Paul’s motion was killed on a 55-45 vote, with

Seeking to fulfill a long-standing Democratic ambition, a coalition of lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday that would raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour. The measure, which is also included in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package, calls for gradually increasing the hourly wage in increments until it hits $15 in