Biden and Harris to visit Georgia, a battleground that paved way for agenda
By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent 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, who logged countless hours volunteering for the President and Vice President Kamala Harris. “We actually are about to head back to somewhat of a normal situation that we were used to before. So, honestly, I’m satisfied.” Davis is
‘Unapologetically progressive’: Karen Carter Peterson fights to become first Black woman Louisiana sends to Congress
By Jasmine Wright and Annie Grayer, CNN Karen Carter Peterson wants to make history. The longtime Louisiana state senator is vying for the open seat once held by Cedric Richmond — one that would propel her to become the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. “When women are not at the table and seated, we are typically on the menu,” Peterson, 51, told CNN in an interview. “I don’t like that we’ve never had an African American woman serve from Louisiana in our congressional delegation. That needs to end.” Peterson is one of 15 candidates running to
House votes to award Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department
By Annie Grayer and Kristin Wilson, CNN The House of Representatives passed legislation in rare bipartisan fashion Wednesday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to officers of the US Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department for their work protecting the Capitol on January 6. The legislation provides for a third gold medal to be given to the Smithsonian to be displayed and for research purposes. The final vote was 413-12 to award the law enforcement agencies for what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has previously called “a moment of extraordinary heroism.” Twelve Republicans voted against the bipartisan legislation: Louie Gohmert
Man arrested outside Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence and had rifle and ammunition in car
By Whitney Wild and Rashard Rose, CNN Washington, DC, police arrested a Texas man outside Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence, the US Naval Observatory, in the nation’s capital on Wednesday and he’s now facing weapons and ammunition charges. A spokesperson for Washington’s Metropolitan Police said officers responded “at approximately 12:12 pm, to the 3400 block of Massachusetts Avenue, NW in reference to a suspicious person based on an intelligence bulletin that originated from Texas, who was detained by US Secret Service.” Law enforcement contacted the man after a region-wide intelligence bulletin had been issued for the suspect. DC police
House to vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act
By Clare Foran and Jessica Dean, CNN The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Wednesday to renew the lapsed Violence Against Women Act, landmark legislation championed by President Joe Biden. A bipartisan bill to reauthorize the VAWA, as it is known, was introduced in the House earlier this month by Democratic Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler of New York and Republican Rep. Brain Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. “Domestic violence has surged in this nation. And we now have a moment in history,” Jackson Lee told CNN Wednesday ahead of the vote. “This
Harris uses UN speech to champion women’s role in democracy
By Jasmine Wright, CNN Kamala Harris declared “the status of women is the status of democracy” on Tuesday, in her first speech before the United Nations as the first female vice president of the United States. “Eleanor Roosevelt, who shaped the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, once said, ‘Without equality, there can be no democracy.’ In other words, the status of women is the status of democracy,” she said during the UN’s 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. “The status of democracy also depends fundamentally on the empowerment of women. Not only because the exclusion of
Schumer keeps pressure on Biden to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt
By Katie Lobosco and Ali Zaslav, CNN Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is keeping the pressure on President Joe Biden to forgive $50,000 in federal student loan debt. The New York Democrat said Monday that the Justice Department is currently conducting a legal review on whether Biden has the authority to issue blanket forgiveness on student debt. But Biden has repeatedly resisted calls from Schumer and other Democrats like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to cancel $50,000 per student loan borrower — making it very clear during a CNN Town Hall last month that he does not support the idea. Biden
Historic benefits in stimulus bill may answer a big question for Democrats
Analysis by Ronald Brownstein The massive stimulus plan President Joe Biden signed last week sets up a critical real-world test of an argument that has divided political professionals for decades: Can Democrats win back White working-class voters drawn to conservative Republican messages on culture and race by offering them more tangible economic benefits? Social policy experts say the $1.9 trillion bill will channel more direct government financial assistance to families on the middle and lower rungs of the income ladder than any single piece of legislation since at least President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society during the 1960s — and possibly
Biden to announce Gene Sperling will oversee rollout of $1.9 trillion in Covid relief
By Phil Mattingly and Jeremy Diamond, CNN President Joe Biden will announce Monday that Gene Sperling, a former top economic official in the last two Democratic presidential administrations, will serve as the point person in overseeing the implementation of the newly signed $1.9 trillion Covid relief law, according to two people briefed on the plan and a senior administration official. Biden will announce Sperling’s appointment at the White House Monday afternoon during remarks about implementation of the law, according to the senior administration official. Sperling’s mandate will be to get money out the door quickly and maximize its impact, the
America should listen to Stacey Abrams’ warning about ‘racist’ election laws
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN Stacey Abrams’ stark warning about Georgia’s new election bill being racist is shining a spotlight on a nationwide battle over whose voices will be heard at the ballot box, as Republicans around the country try to suppress voting rights. The Georgia Democrat’s comments on CNN Sunday come amid a building showdown over GOP efforts to make voting harder in multiple states following former President Donald Trump’s loss and his lies about ballot fraud, and Washington Democrats’ vast federal election and civil rights bill that would counter such efforts. Flurries of bills have been introduced in