National Politics

Capitol Hill security forces abruptly reversed plans to reinstall outer perimeter fencing on Capitol Complex grounds meant to protect against potential unrest related to the high-profile trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, walking back its request for additional security measures minutes after Chauvin was convicted of the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Late

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted Tuesday evening clarifying earlier remarks about the murder conviction of Derek Chauvin, writing, “George Floyd should be alive today,” after earlier making comments where she thanked Floyd, who died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer last year, “for sacrificing your life for justice.” “George Floyd should be alive

President Joe Biden welcomed Tuesday’s guilty verdict in the murder trial of a former Minneapolis police officer but said the outcome was “too rare” for the country to turn away now from issues of systemic racism. “I can’t breathe. Those were George Floyd’s last words,” Biden said, evoking the final utterance of the man Derek

Top officials from the Biden administration’s national security team on Tuesday briefed lawmakers about the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, facing questions from skeptical Republicans and Democrats alike about whether they’re prepared for the ramifications of what happens once US troops are gone. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Director

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is offering a significant change to her plans for a 9/11-style commission to investigate what led up to the Capitol insurrection on January 6, proposing to create an independent panel with an equal number of Republican and Democratic members, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN. Pelosi briefed her leadership

The judge overseeing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd said Monday that Rep. Maxine Waters’ comments could be grounds for appealing a verdict. “I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned,” Judge Peter Cahill

The House voted Tuesday afternoon to block a resolution from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to censure Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters following her remarks over the weekend calling for protesters to “get more confrontational” if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin were acquitted in the killing of George Floyd. Democrats had an extremely narrow margin to

Even a verdict finding former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of George Floyd’s murder will not erase generations of trauma caused by systemic racism, Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday. Harris was speaking just before a sequestered jury in Minnesota announced it had reached a verdict in the Chauvin trial. “This verdict is but

The top US military official who runs the American nuclear arsenal warned that China and Russia are modernizing their nuclear weapons and capabilities faster than the US, saying during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that if it does not start investing more in nuclear defense and infrastructure, the US will be “at risk of losing

The Biden administration kicked off a 100-day effort on Tuesday to beef up cybersecurity in the nation’s power grid, calling for industry leaders to install technologies that could thwart attacks on the electricity supply. The move follows a high-profile, if unsuccessful, cyberattack in Florida that sought to compromise a water treatment plant, which highlighted some

The US Ambassador to Russia will return to the United States this week for discussions with the Biden administration about the relationship between Russia and the US, amid heightened tensions between the two nations. Ambassador John Sullivan plans to come back to the US for “consultations,” the US Embassy in Moscow said in a statement

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills tightening gun regulations into law on Monday, nearly a month after the mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, left a police officer and nine others dead. Both measures were introduced before the mass shooting occurred on March 22 at a grocery store, but the tragedy added to the

The US Capitol Police department has asked to keep the outer perimeter fence on Capitol Complex grounds, according to sources familiar with the request. Three sources told CNN that Capitol Police have asked the Capitol Police Board to approve keeping the fencing up through the joint session of Congress, which is scheduled for April 28.

President Joe Biden, breaking his careful silence about the eventual outcome in the trial of Derek Chauvin, said Tuesday he was “praying the verdict is the right verdict” and suggested there was ample evidence for the jury to consider as they determine whether the former Minneapolis police officer is guilty of murdering George Floyd. “It’s

Montana Democrats are suing the state over two bills signed into law Monday that add new restrictions to voting in the Big Sky state. On Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 176, which ends same-day voter registration, and Senate Bill 169, which revises the accepted IDs which can be used for voting —

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is “praying for the right verdict” in the trial of Derek Chauvin, suggesting there was ample evidence to convict the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd. “It’s overwhelming, in my view,” Biden said in the Oval Office, where he was meeting with Hispanic lawmakers. “I wouldn’t

Former President George W. Bush on Tuesday described the Republican Party as “isolationist, protectionist and, to a certain extent, nativist,” his strongest and most direct criticism yet against his own party since leaving office in 2009. Bush’s comments are notable not only because he’s a former Republican president, but he has largely kept quiet on

Just 12 individuals and couples provided $1 out of every $13 spent to influence congressional and presidential races in the last six elections, according an analysis released Tuesday by a Washington watchdog group. Led by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, America’s political megadonors have plowed $3.4 billion into federal contests between January 2009 and