National Politics

Despite a massive effort by the Pentagon to promote the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, the US military’s opt-out rate for vaccinations may be far higher than the 33% figure defense officials have used publicly. Conversations with military medical officials and service members, as well as data from several bases and units around the

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is warning that White supremacy, neo-Nazism and extremism pose an “international threat” and believes US leaders have a “responsibility” to lead in combating the issue. “The US is an enormous influence. The soft power of the US is something that, it is clear in culture, in art, in many

US and Chinese officials meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, ended talks Friday that national security adviser Jake Sullivan described as “tough and direct” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said made the Chinese “defensive.” “We certainly know and knew going in that there are a number of areas where we are fundamentally at odds, including China’s

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Atlanta on Friday to meet with Asian American leaders in the wake of deadly shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. They also visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is headquartered there, as part of a focus on

Congressional leaders are discussing a new $2 billion funding package that would bolster security around the US Capitol and shore up vulnerabilities exposed by the January 6 attack, according to sources familiar with the talks. There are many details to sort through amid a heated debate in Congress over how to respond to the attack

Congressional leaders are discussing a new $2 billion funding package that would bolster security around the US Capitol and shore up vulnerabilities exposed by the January 6 attack, according to sources familiar with the talks. There are many details to sort through. Among them: A permanent fence around the Capitol, hundreds of new security personnel

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he learned he had Covid-19 antibodies after getting blood drawn in December, learning for the first time that he previously had the virus. He said he got his vaccine before learning he had antibodies because the blood results took a few days. “I had to do the blood work

Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California formally introduced a resolution Friday to expel Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress, suggesting that she “advocated violence against our peers, the Speaker and our government.” “I take no joy in introducing this resolution, but any member who cites political violence and threatens our lives must be

Julia Letlow didn’t expect to be on a ballot this Saturday. Three and half months ago, her husband had won the election for Louisiana’s 5th District in an early December runoff. But he never made it to Congress, dying from complications of Covid-19 before he was sworn in. Letlow, a university administrator who wrote a

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tried to rewrite history on Thursday by claiming that he was not involved in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election in a heated exchange during a news briefing. When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju why it was acceptable for him to support Trump’s efforts to overturn the

The head of the Internal Revenue Service warned Thursday that it may not be able to start sending child tax credit payments in July, as called for by the $1.9 trillion relief law. IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig told a House subcommittee that the agency is struggling to juggle the traditional tax season, the $1,400 stimulus

Several Asian American members of Congress implored Republicans on Thursday to tone down their rhetoric in the wake of attacks on the Asian American community, with one Democratic lawmaker accusing a Republican of placing a “bull’s-eye” on them with his comments about China. “Your president and your party and your colleagues can talk about issues

House Democrats are undeterred by the mounting GOP criticism over their review of a contested congressional race that could potentially overturn a state-certified Republican victory in southeast Iowa, brushing back attacks that they are seeking to subvert the will of voters just months after lambasting former President Donald Trump for trying to reverse his electoral

Democratic voters in Georgia may have helped deliver Joe Biden‘s long quest to win the White House, but they take even prouder ownership of their critical role in cementing an early chapter of his legacy through the passage of the American Rescue Plan. “You still just feel the relief in the air,” said Mariama Davis,

President Joe Biden is poised to nominate former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida to lead NASA, an official familiar with the decision said, elevating a longtime friend from the Senate and space aficionado as administrator of the agency. Nelson, who flew a space shuttle mission more than three decades ago, has been a long

The Biden administration is considering a six-month extension for American troops in Afghanistan, just weeks before the May 1 deadline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban to withdraw all US forces from the country, according to a defense official. No final decision has been made, the official emphasized. NBC News first reported

In the middle of arguably the most trying moment in his political career, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ventured to Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem to get the coronavirus vaccine with a range of black political and spiritual leaders this week. He marked his relationships with each leader in his speech, reminded New Yorkers

Republican state officials are up in arms over one of the strings attached to the $350 billion in state and local aid contained in the Democrats’ massive relief package enacted last week. The restriction, which was added by Senate Democrats, prompted Ohio’s attorney general to file a lawsuit Wednesday and his GOP peers to write