Chief White House correspondent John Roberts will join CNN as senior national correspondent later this month, CNN/U.S. president Jon Klein announced this morning.

"Roberts will report on a broad range of pressing stories developing in the nation's capital. He will contribute as a correspondent to programs throughout the network," the press release said.

Roberts was frequently mentioned as a possible heir to the CBS Evening News throne, but Sean McManus ruled him out recently. Roberts has served as anchor for the Sunday edition of CBS Evening News since March 1995.

"By giving him the freedom to report beyond the halls of the White House, he will be able to dig deeper into the political stories that have been breaking around the nation's capital and beyond," Klein said.

Roberts starts at CNN on Feb. 20...