South Carolina officials have announced the United States' first two confirmed cases of a more contagious coronavirus strain first spotted in South Africa.

There is no known travel history or connection between the cases, both adults, according to a release Thursday from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Cloris Leachman, the acclaimed actress whose one-of-a-kind comedic flair made her a legendary figure in film and television for seven decades, has died, according to a statement from her longtime manager and representatives. She was 94.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday issued a threat bulletin due to the potential for violence from extremists that object to the presidential transition, hold anti-government views or are motivated by other false narratives.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

President Joe Biden announced a series of measures on Tuesday aimed at ramping up coronavirus vaccine allocation and distribution, including the purchase of 200 million more vaccine doses and increased distribution to states by millions of doses next week.

The US plans to buy 100 million more doses from Pfizer/BioNTech and 100 million more from Moderna -- the two-dose vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration. Pfizer and Moderna are working to step up production, and Biden said that the additional doses will be available this summer.

The new purchase will lead to a 50% increase in the order for each vaccine, increasing the planned supply from 400 million to 600 million, an official told reporters on a call on Tuesday ahead of Biden's remarks.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Senators were sworn in for the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on Tuesday amid an immediate challenge to the constitutionality of the trial from a Republican ally of the former President.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he would force a procedural vote on the trial on Tuesday afternoon, in what will amount to the first test of how Senate Republicans view the upcoming trial, which will start in earnest the week of February 8. Several Republican leaders said Tuesday they planned to vote with Paul that the trial was not constitutional because Trump is no longer President, in what's become the most common argument from Republicans to acquit Trump.

The Kentucky Republican said Tuesday that he was forcing it to show there already aren't sufficient votes to convict Trump, which would require two-thirds of senators.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Antony Blinken as the new US secretary of state.

With Blinken's confirmation, President Joe Biden now has a number of key members of his national security team in place. His Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was confirmed on Inauguration Day and his Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was confirmed last Friday.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

US Capitol Police officers are in preliminary discussions over holding a no-confidence vote targeting department leaders who were working on the day when Donald Trump supporters led an insurrection into the building, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

The vote would target acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman, who was promoted into the agency's top job following the resignation of Steven Sund after the insurrection. At least four additional chiefs may be targeted as part of any no confidence vote, the three sources said.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The House impeachment managers formally triggered the start of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial Monday evening after they walked across the Capitol and began reading on the Senate floor the charge against Trump, the first president in history to be impeached twice.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Lawmakers confirmed Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary on Monday, making her the first woman in American history to hold the position. 

As head of the Treasury, she'll be tasked with shepherding President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan through Congress and overseeing its execution. The plan includes $1,400 stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, and increased funding for Covid-19 vaccinations and testing.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The Justice Department's internal watchdog will investigate whether any department official sought to have the department overturn President Joe Biden's election win.

The office of Inspector General Michael Horowitz is launching "an investigation into whether any former or current DOJ official engaged in an improper attempt to have DOJ seek to alter the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election," it announced Monday.

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy