Senate Democratic leaders are urging their caucus to stick together and fend off GOP amendments that could alter key elements of the $1.9 trillion relief plan when it heads to the floor later this week, a plea aimed at keeping together a fragile Democratic coalition in order to send the bill to President Joe Biden’s
Continue ReadingThe Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Monday to advance President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for attorney general, setting up his confirmation before the full Senate. The vote was 15 to 7 with all Democratic senators and four Republicans in favor of the nominee. Garland, the former chief judge of the US Court
Continue ReadingThe Biden administration is preparing to impose sanctions on Russia over the poisoning and jailing of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny this week, two administration officials tell CNN. The rollout of the sanctions will happen in coordination with the European Union, the officials said. The measures and the exact timing will be fleshed out by
Continue Reading Senate Democrats decided Sunday to abandon an alternative proposal to penalize companies for not providing a $15 minimum wage to their employees, the latest indication that boosting the federal minimum wage in this Congress remains an extremely tall order, according to a person involved in the talks. After the House passed President Joe Biden’s Covid-19
Continue ReadingLiberal House Democrats are pleading with Vice President Kamala Harris to ignore the ruling of the Senate’s parliamentarian and decide that the $15 federal minimum wage can stay in the Covid relief package during Senate floor debate this week. Such a move has not been employed since 1975 — and taking that tack would generate
Continue ReadingFaced with an escalating backlash following two allegations of sexual harassment in less than a week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday acknowledged that some of his comments in the workplace “may have been insensitive or too personal” and said he was “truly sorry” to those who might have “misinterpreted (the remarks) as an
Continue Reading Former President Donald Trump turned the Conservative Political Action Conference into his first post-presidential rally Sunday evening, pledging in a speech riddled with falsehoods to purge his enemies from the Republican Party and hinting repeatedly at another run for the White House in 2024. But before Trump closed out the annual conservative gathering, held in
Continue Reading The US is sending negotiators to the Middle East to restart peace negotiations with the Taliban for the first time in the Biden administration, the State Department announced Sunday. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan and Qatar, where he will meet with Afghan government officials on the trip as
Continue Reading A White House aide with close ties to progressives is leaving the administration to play a role in a nascent outside advocacy group being put together to bolster President Joe Biden’s policy agenda, according to a person familiar with the matter. Rosemary Boeglin, who has been handling the economic portfolio in the White House press
Continue ReadingFormer President Donald Trump repeated his election lies on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, Sunday, looking to reclaim his role as the Republican Party’s kingmaker in the 2022 midterm elections and positioning himself for a 2024 presidential run. “It is far from being over,” Trump said. “We will be victorious
Continue Reading The Biden administration is disappointed after Iran rejected an offer by the European Union to partake in nuclear talks with the US and the other signatories of the nuclear deal on Sunday, but said they remain open to diplomacy with Iran. “While we are disappointed at Iran’s response, we remain ready to reengage in meaningful
Continue ReadingFormer President Donald Trump took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, Sunday, looking to reclaim his role as the Republican Party’s kingmaker as he positions himself to play a major role in the 2022 midterm elections. “It is far from being over,” Trump said about the “incredible journey” he said
Continue Reading In 2016, Belqees Al-Doais won a lottery that she was sure would change her life: the chance at a visa to come to the United States. She was in her fourth year of university, living in Yemen, a newlywed and soon to be pregnant when she found out she won the US Diversity Visa Lottery,
Continue ReadingFormer President Donald Trump takes the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference Sunday, looking to reclaim his role as the Republican Party’s kingmaker as he positions himself to play a major role in the 2022 midterm elections. “I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we began together four years ago
Continue ReadingDr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, on Sunday urged Americans to take any of the three “highly efficacious” coronavirus vaccines now available to them and not delay getting one vaccine over another. His comments come after the US Food and Drug Administration on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, adding a
Continue ReadingNew York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office has asked the New York attorney general and the chief judge of the court of appeals to jointly select an independent attorney to conduct “a thorough review” of sexual harassment claims against the governor. “The Governor’s Office wants a review of the sexual harassment claims made against the
Continue ReadingGOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said Sunday that he believes if the Republican Party focuses on former President Donald Trump to win back seats in 2022 and the presidency in 2024, “we will lose.” “If we idolize one person, we will lose,” Cassidy told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” “And that’s kind of
Continue ReadingThe White House and congressional Democrats on Sunday defended the House’s passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package without any Republican support, arguing the Senate must now move quickly on the proposal to address the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN’s Dana Bash on
Continue Reading Rep. Karen Bass said Sunday that the coronavirus vaccine rollout is failing African Americans and systemic racism is playing a role in vaccine distribution. “But you know when we say that doesn’t mean that people are deliberately withholding vaccines, the greatest problem is access,” Bass told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” “There
Continue Reading White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that the Biden administration will “keep fighting” for Neera Tanden’s confirmation to lead the Office of Management and Budget despite her slim chances amid bipartisan resistance in the Senate. “We remain committed to fighting our hearts out for Neera Tanden. We believe she is the right person,
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