National Politics

The Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s first Cabinet nominee Wednesday evening, voting to approve his pick for director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, on his first day in office Haines’ confirmation as the first woman to lead the US intelligence community, which was approved in the Senate by 84 to 10, continues a recent Senate

Hours after he was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden signed 17 executive actions to begin overhauling the nation’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic and undo some of the most controversial policies of former President Donald Trump. Entering the Oval Office for the first time as President in the midst

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a slate of acting agency heads after taking office without a single one of his Cabinet nominees in place and confirmed by the US Senate. “These individuals, nearly all of whom are career civil servants, will temporarily lead federal agencies while Cabinet nominees continue moving through the confirmation process,”

Being President of the United States can be lonely and daunting, and only a few people alive know what it’s like first hand. One of the modern Inauguration Day traditions for presidents leaving office is to write their successors a letter offering best wishes and advice. This is usually left on the Resolute Desk to

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas cleared the way for the Senate to vote on the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence nominee Avril Haines on Wednesday after initially holding up her nomination, making Haines likely to be the first confirmed member of Biden’s Cabinet. Cotton placed a hold on Haines’ nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris formally swore in three new, barrier-breaking Democratic senators on Wednesday afternoon following her own inauguration, officially giving Democrats control of the Senate for the first time since they lost the chamber in the 2014 elections. Earlier this month, Georgia elected two Democrats — the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff —

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is waiting for an answer from President Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence nominee Avril Haines before he agrees to a speedy Senate confirmation vote, a sign of the challenges that the new President faces getting his Cabinet nominees installed in the evenly divided Senate. Many of Biden’s Cabinet

President Joe Biden is directing the Department of Education Wednesday to extend the suspension of federal student loan payments and interest. Borrowers will not have to make payments until October 1 at the earliest, extending the already unprecedented pause on payments by eight months. When the economy began to shut down in response to the

Hours after he was sworn in, President Joe Biden announced the US plans to reenter the Paris climate accord, the landmark international agreement signed in 2015 to limit global warming, in a sign of Biden’s urgency to address the climate crisis. The US abandoned the agreement late last year on former President Donald Trump’s orders.

President Donald Trump made false claims from the first hours of his term to the last. Trump repeated some of his favorite falsehoods in both his farewell video address, which was released on Tuesday, and in his final speech on Wednesday morning at Joint Base Andrews. One more time, here is a fact check roundup.

Joe Biden took a brief walk along the inaugural parade route Wednesday before entering the White House for the first time as the 46th President of the United States, jogging to the sidelines to greet reporters and the few guests in attendance in a city that is locked down following the security breach at the

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to swear in three new, barrier-breaking Democratic senators on Wednesday afternoon following her own inauguration, officially giving Democrats control of the Senate for the first time since they lost the chamber in the 2014 elections. Earlier this month, Georgia elected two Democrats — the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon

President Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States Wednesday, ushering in a new era of calm and comity to Washington after four divisive and tumultuous years under former President Donald Trump. As the nation collectively breathed a sigh of relief, the peaceful transfer of power took place at noon

In one last divisive spectacle before exiting the Oval Office, President Donald J. Trump became the first chief executive in modern US history to forgo the tradition of attending his successor’s inauguration. Instead, Trump opted for a departure ceremony that left the self-styled larger-than-life business tycoon-turned-president appearing small and as alone as ever. With the

President Joe Biden was sworn in on a 19th century family Bible on Wednesday, continuing his longtime tradition of using the heirloom during his decades of public service. The five-inch thick Bible features a Celtic cross on the cover, and has been in the Biden family since 1893. The President has used the Bible each