Politics

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Religious groups have long urged the Supreme Court to reverse a 1990 decision that diminished free-exercise protection and that was written, paradoxically, by the conservative exemplar Justice Antonin Scalia. That decision, against two members of a Native American church who lost their jobs after engaging in

By Jeff Zeleny, Steve Contorno, Eric Bradner, CNN Atlanta (CNN) — Americans have elected three Black governors in the nation’s 250-year history. By next week, that figure could multiply. From Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia to Byron Donalds in Florida to David Crowley in Wisconsin, Black candidates are vying to lead eight states from the

CNN By Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Justice Department prosecutors on Tuesday tried and failed to secure a grand jury indictment of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony about President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, according to two people familiar with the matter. Hutchison

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Justice Department prosecutors on Tuesday tried and failed to secure a grand jury indictment of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony about President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, according to two people familiar with the matter. Hutchison was

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Maine’s battleground Senate race is being roiled by a late burst of Republican ads mocking Democratic nominee Troy Jackson over his relationship with his longtime partner, whom Sen. Susan Collins and GOP allies have said is his second cousin. Collins has distanced herself from one radio ad from the

By Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The FBI searched a Beverly Hills mansion Tuesday in connection to an investigation into former Rep. Eric Swalwell, according to two people familiar with the probe. The home is owned by a Swalwell donor, one of the people said. CNN has reached out to a

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN Boca Raton, Florida (CNN) — A week before the Israeli elections that will determine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future, the only two Jewish candidates running against each other to represent one of the most heavily Jewish House districts in the country met for their first face-to-face at a synagogue the name

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge extended an order blocking tree removal from a Washington, DC golf course President Donald Trump is seeking to renovate, while imposing new notice requirements on any other major changes the administration seeks to make on the golf course grounds. The new 70-page opinion from US District

By Jeremy Herb, Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s unprecedented attempt to force California to set aside votes from 20,000 people it claims could be noncitizens. The Justice Department’s lawsuit in California, filed earlier this month, is part of its escalating effort to insert the federal

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department criminally charged James Comey over a decade-old allegation that he ordered his staff to leak classified information to a reporter, the third time that prosecutors have levied criminal allegations against the former FBI director. Comey is charged over allegedly leaking a sensitive national security

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — A little over a week ago, an “official statement,” appearing to be printed on State Department letterhead with its seal, was posted on Kristi Noem’s official special envoy X account and her own personal X account about the end of her tenure as an envoy to the Shield of

By Christopher Lamb, CNN (CNN) — Two Catholic bishops have expressed regret over attending a meeting with 10 other prelates and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, saying they were “exploited.” Photos and video of 12 clergy members praying over the president were released on Thursday, less than two weeks before the midterm elections.

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Monday found the Justice Department’s firing of Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor who presided over several high-profile cases including those of Jeffrey Epstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs, was unconstitutional. Comey, an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York for nearly a

By Zachary Cohen, Jim Sciutto, Tal Shalev, CNN (CNN) — US forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch new, potentially major, military operations against Iran “within 96 hours of receiving” an order from President Donald Trump, according to two US officials. Sufficient forces are now deployed in the region to carry out the

By Jeremy Herb, Katelyn Polantz, Aleena Fayaz, Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A three-judge US Circuit Court of Appeals panel expressed significant skepticism Sunday over the Justice Department’s desire to inject itself into California’s midterm vote-counting process by forcing election officials to set aside the votes of suspected noncitizens who have been issued mail ballots.

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Voters will pick the winners of next month’s midterm elections, but it is the conservative Supreme Court that has set the rules. Long before early voting got underway to decide control of Congress, the court exerted an unusually profound impact on the election with a series of decisions that

By Katherine Koretski, CNN (CNN) — The campaign signs across New Hampshire read “Sununu” in block letters. They’re for Republican Senate nominee John E. Sununu, who held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and is running to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. But they also invoke the legacy of New Hampshire’s preeminent GOP family,

By Eric Bradner, Jeff Zeleny, CNN Cincinnati (CNN) — Democrats could be poised for a revival in the heartland, as furor over high costs and doubt about President Donald Trump’s willingness to change the nation’s trajectory threaten to loosen the GOP’s grip on working-class voters. A decade after the Trump era began, when he first

By Sarah Owermohle, David Wright, CNN (CNN) — As the debate season kicked off in Iowa’s heated gubernatorial race, one question seemed to animate and, in some ways, unify the candidates. “What are the immediate and specific steps that you would take to combat Iowa’s cancer crisis?” the moderator asked the Democrat Rob Sand and

By Annie Grayer, CNN QUAKERTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA (CNN) — GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was weaving through the crowd of a fall street festival when he was confronted by a man enraged by the skyrocketing costs he’s experiencing. Dave Woods, a contractor and registered Democrat, held up red signs with big white letters in Fitzpatrick’s face to

By Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — The videos that pop up on social media appear alarming: A voter seemingly touches one candidate’s name, only to see the machine highlight an opposing candidate instead. With early voting underway, there have been a scattering of reports across the country already about voting machines “flipping votes” to the

By Eric Bradner, Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Vivek Ramaswamy is ending his run for Ohio governor the same way he launched himself onto the political scene four years ago — with a bet that voters will reward him for a never-back-down bombast that mirrors President Donald Trump’s instincts. But interviews with voters over three

By Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said on Friday he wanted an election-related lawsuit to be filed in Alaska. The man to do it for him was Stanley Woodward, the associate attorney general. Holding the third highest ranking job at the Justice Department and having never appeared in federal court

By Karina Tsui, Maria Aguilar Prieto, Isa Mudannayake, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department on Friday ordered California election officials to identify suspected noncitizens on voter rolls and set aside their mail-in ballots — warning that officials who knowingly count ballots cast by noncitizens could face criminal liability. The action marks an escalation in the

By Brian Stelter, CNN (CNN) — Fox News stars Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt are getting married on Saturday. The couple wanted to celebrate with President Donald Trump, so on Friday evening they held a pre-wedding rehearsal dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Both the president and first lady Melania Trump were present at the celebration, sources confirmed

By Sarah Ferris, David Wright, CNN (CNN) — In the final sprint to the midterms, Speaker Mike Johnson went to President Donald Trump with a crucial ask, according to a person familiar with the exchange. Johnson’s message: Could Trump spare more cash to help House Republicans in this tough political climate? He wasn’t the only

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Prediction markets about the 2026 midterm elections have surpassed $1.4 billion in trading volume as Election Day fast approaches, according to a new CNN analysis. This year has seen massive growth in the prediction industry, where people can bet on real-world events like sports, entertainment and the weather. While

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Sean Lyngaas, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The United States is rushing to move some diplomats and their family members from posts in the Middle East as the threat of regional escalation looms, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The departures have been described as a frustrating and

By Tierney Sneed, Ethan Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has preemptively filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska’s US Senate election if the Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses in the critical contest which could decide the balance of power in the Senate. The lawsuit represents the latest attempt of the

By Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Hannah Rabinowitz, Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — Two former FBI officials are facing charges for allegedly lying to Congress as part of a probe that focused on whether FBI investigators sought to minimize allegations of Biden family corruption and evidence of Hunter Biden’s laptop, according to people briefed

By Kit Maher, Anna Chernova, Kosta Gak, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — First lady Melania Trump announced on Friday that she helped secure a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the city of Oleshky to facilitate the humane evacuation of elderly residents. Trump worked directly with Ukrainian and Russian leadership as the “exclusive intermediary,”

By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — In last week’s Georgia Senate debate, Democrat Jon Ossoff accused Republican congressman Mike Collins of calling for immigrants to be thrown to their deaths from helicopters, referring to a social media post Collins sent in 2024. Collins didn’t address the accusation directly and instead pivoted to immigration enforcement and

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — Top Trump political advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita have donated money they made earlier this month in the Balkans on behalf of a pro-Russian government to President Donald Trump’s presidential library. “Yes, it’s true we donated our full fee. I love the President and am eternally grateful for

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — A mysterious group that has spent at least $2 million boosting a little-known socialist candidate in Ohio’s highly competitive Senate race is being funded by Republicans, according to a new campaign finance filing. Enough Promises Ohio has poured money into ads and mailers that criticize Democratic former Sen. Sherrod

By Kevin Liptak, CNN Sioux City, Iowa (CNN) — When Christine Brenden, an Iowa paralegal who staunchly supports President Donald Trump, went to fill her gas tank a year ago, it cost around $40. Now, she said, the cost has jumped to $60. Standing in line to see Trump speak at an airport in Sioux

By John Fritze (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed New Hampshire officials to limit when voters may use a student ID to receive a ballot, agreeing that a lower court ruling that blocked enforcement of the policy was too close to Election Day. The unsigned order was a win for New Hampshire Secretary

By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju, David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Republicans working to keep the Senate are increasingly anxious about holding onto a seat in Mississippi — a GOP stronghold in the deep South — and are investing money in the final weeks to shore up incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Senate Leadership Fund, the leading

By Sarah Owermohle, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — Calley Means, a prominent figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, resigned from his position as a senior Trump health official on Thursday over frustrations with the government’s progress tackling chronic disease, according to multiple people familiar with his decision. Means confirmed his departure in a

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Kaitlan Collins, Priscilla Alvarez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Justice Department prosecutors are investigating allegations of contract misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security, including the role of Corey Lewandowski who worked as de facto chief of staff to former Secretary Kristi Noem, according to multiple people familiar with the

By Tierney Sneed, CNN Miami (CNN) — A federal judge warned President Donald Trump could see his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC dismissed if he does not work harder to produce information the news outlet is entitled to in the case, including sitting for a deposition. “Engaging in discovery is burdensome, but is

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — A Virginia grand jury has indicted Democratic state Sen. L. Louise Lucas and six others, including members of her family, on charges that she engaged in a racketeering conspiracy to sell marijuana and launder the proceeds. According to the indictment, Lucas, the 82-year-old president pro tempore of

CNN By Lauren Fox, Patrick Svitek, CNN Wharton, Ohio (CNN) — Amy Acton was talking school budgets, local hospitals and generational farming at a farm event in northwest Ohio when she called on an attendee and asked her if there was anything she wanted to share. Karen Lortz didn’t want to talk about those issues.

By Lauren Fox, Patrick Svitek, CNN Wharton, Ohio (CNN) — Amy Acton was talking school budgets, local hospitals and generational farming at a farm event in northwest Ohio when she called on an attendee and asked her if there was anything she wanted to share. Karen Lortz didn’t want to talk about those issues. “My

By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration told a judge Wednesday evening that construction on the president’s controversial 250-foot triumphal arch could begin in just two weeks, days after the midterm elections. The Justice Department said in Wednesday’s court filing that the National Capital Planning Commission is set to meet on November

By Holmes Lybrand, Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to stop certain investigative actions in its hunt for noncitizen voters, writing that the department’s efforts rely on faulty data that includes US citizens legally allowed to vote. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín wrote in the order that DHS’s

By Stephen Collinson, Gloria Pazmino, Aaron Blake, CNN (CNN) — Michigan and Kansas held some of the final major Senate debates of the 2026 midterm elections on Wednesday night. And they were a study in contrasts. The Michigan Senate debate between Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers was bitterly personal and ferociously contested

By Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The US State Department ordered the departure of non-essential staff and family members at its embassy in Riyadh, a move that comes amid intensifying strikes on Saudi Arabia by the Iran allied Houthi rebels in Yemen. “The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency

CNN By Patrick Svitek, Lauren Fox, CNN Wharton, Ohio (CNN) — Some leading Ohio Republicans began distancing themselves from a controversial new ad from their gubernatorial nominee, Vivek Ramaswamy, even as the president and vice president defended it. Vice President JD Vance warned Republicans on Wednesday not to break ranks over the commercial, telling them

By Jason Morris, Gabe Cohen, Nicky Robertson, CNN Whitfield County, Georgia (CNN) — On his nationwide campaign swing for Republicans, President Donald Trump traveled to Dalton, the self-proclaimed “Carpet Capital of the World,” last week and revived a familiar falsehood: that Georgia’s past elections were rigged. In the rural manufacturing hub, democracy was humming. More

By Kaanita Iyer, MJ Lee, CNN (CNN) — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against two of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest advisers, accusing them of having “facilitated and concealed” Epstein’s crimes. The advisers, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, have faced scrutiny over their ties to the late sex offender since

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — The State Department is publicly warning Americans about violent crime in parts of Latin America, but privately, it has given asylum officers new assessments arguing that conditions in some of those same countries are no more dangerous than in some US cities, according to internal documents reviewed by CNN.

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump from suspending hormone therapy and other treatments for transgender Americans in federal prisons, a rare win for transgender rights at the conservative high court. The court handed down a one-sentence order that did not explain the decision. “This is a

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — No law required Sen. Roger Marshall to file lawsuits against patients who had unpaid medical bills. Marshall, a Republican obstetrician-gynecologist who is in a competitive race for re-election in Kansas, has faced criticism over a New York Times report that he launched hundreds of lawsuits against patients who had

By Zachary Cohen, Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon has given the Department of Homeland Security permission to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics to potentially use it in operations at the southern US border, according to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month and obtained by CNN. The

By Jennifer Agiesta, Ariel Edwards-Levy, Edward Wu, CNN (CNN) — The Democratic Party, riding a tide of anti-Donald Trump sentiment, enters the final stretch of the midterm campaign with a 10-point advantage over Republicans nationwide in voters’ choice in their own congressional district, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. More than three-quarters

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Two weeks before the midterm elections, liberal Justice Elena Kagan bluntly sized up the Supreme Court handling of election and voting-related cases, saying, “The court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effects of their rulings on how the political system works.” The court

By Adam Cancryn, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump still has two weeks to salvage his Republican congressional majorities and defy expectations of a midterm wipeout. But all around him, aides and allies are bracing for what happens if he fails. Administration officials have grown increasingly convinced that steep GOP losses will trigger

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — As Kansans were waiting for President Donald Trump to arrive at his rally in Wichita this week, they were treated to a new addition to the pre-show program: footage of this weekend’s violent protests in France, most of it clipped from Fox News, aired on large screens. That the

By Jeff Zeleny, Eric Bradner, CNN Detroit (CNN) — Abdul El-Sayed often talks about building a new and broad coalition of Michigan voters. A looming question in the state’s pivotal Senate race is whether he can keep the old one intact — particularly with the Black voters who are pivotal to any Democratic victory. The

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — In the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump told an outlandish lie that schools in parts of the US were sending children for gender surgeries without the knowledge of their parents. Trump has now revived the lie for the final weeks of the 2026 midterm

By Patrick Svitek, CNN Woodsfield, Ohio (CNN) — Holding a town hall Saturday in the second least populous county in Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy seemed further than ever from the presidential campaign trail where he made his political debut three years ago. President Donald Trump barely came up. The war in Iran wasn’t mentioned. Instead, Ramaswamy

By Kit Maher (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Monday used an antisemitic term that he has used publicly at least once before as he​ defended Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall against criticism over medical billing practices. Trump invoked the term “Shylock” while defending Marshall’s​ suing more than 700 patients for outstanding medical bills during his

By Kit Maher, Tal Shalev, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance on Monday declined to say whether he endorses Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, after President Donald Trump recently threw his support behind the Israeli prime minister. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on is the midterm,” Vance said in

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — The Muslim Brotherhood has become a flashpoint in Michigan’s Senate race, with Republicans trying to cast Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed as sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror and El-Sayed arguing that he is being unfairly accused of the same “dual loyalties” that former Presidents John F. Kennedy and

By Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans after suggesting congressional investigations could deter recent graduates from joining the Trump administration. The controversy stemmed from Slotkin’s remarks at a University of Chicago event last week, when she was asked how Congress could

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — When John Ream got into brewing beer at home nearly two decades ago, starting out was as easy as opening the kit his wife bought for him as a gift. But the Ohio engineer’s plans ran dry when he tried to switch to making whiskey. That’s because a 160-year-old

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to cancel plea agreements with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants accused of plotting the 9/11 terror attack. By denying the appeals, the high court left in place a decision from an appeals court

By Tierney Sneed, Katelyn Polantz, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — One of the tensest showdowns between the Trump administration and the federal bench in Washington, DC, came to a head on Monday in a marathon court hearing over President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul a public golf course that has been the subject of months

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson over the past two years has been nearly as visible on the book circuit as she has been at the Supreme Court, recounting her personal struggles and professional successes and emphasizing that she is the embodiment of her “ancestors’ dreams.” As she

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — Immigrants from Ukraine and Sudan are expected to be allowed to continue to live and work in the United States for now after their deportation protections were set to expire this week, the Department of Homeland Security said. Temporary Protected Status is a form of humanitarian relief that provides

By Patrick Svitek, CNN Greenville, Ohio (CNN) — A day after President Donald Trump offered his latest appraisal of Ohio Sen. Jon Husted’s muscular physique, it had already become a running joke — if not an explicitly stated one — during a GOP gathering in rural western Ohio. “I know the president’s been talking about

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama on Sunday called the Justice Department’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar “appalling,” saying the government is attempting to intimidate and deport one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics. “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected

By Julia Benbrook, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that restoration work on the Washington, DC, golf course that has become wrapped up in litigation will begin November 15. In a Truth Social post, Trump displayed an architectural rendering of what he said will be a “world class championship golf course” developed by

By Katherine Koretski, CNN (CNN) — One year after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the organization he founded for young conservatives is building out its political operation in a purple state that has often evaded Republicans’ grasp at the federal level. New Hampshire appears to have become a centerpiece of Turning Point Action’s midterm work, according to

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — As potential 2028 presidential candidates crisscross the country to campaign in the midterms, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is wielding an advantage that none of the others can match: his massive personal wealth. The billionaire has funneled nearly $40 million to Democratic candidates and groups in the midterms, donating to

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Nearly five decades before David Hearn faced up to 10 years in prison over allegations from the Trump administration that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, he did something that would be considered unthinkable today. The then-18-year-old dropped an oblong yellow canoe into the shallow water and,

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — GOP operatives conducting a focus group in a traditionally red Midwestern state this month were taken aback by what they heard from their own party’s voters. Asked what they blamed for rising gas prices, those voters pointed to “corrupt politicians” and “billionaires” — a response that surprised some longtime

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Saturday disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement, during a heated exchange at a town hall. El-Sayed, who could make history as the first Muslim elected to the Senate, has frequently faced Republican accusations that he is sympathetic to interests connected

By Aleena Fayaz, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration on Friday released final plans for its proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, notably excluding key features of a military complex including drones and snipers that President Donald Trump used as justification for the controversial project. In the new documents, made public by the federal National

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has requested the removal of the federal judge overseeing a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul a Washington, DC public golf course, accusing her of having “bias.” In a motion filed Friday, the administration’s lawyer said US District Judge Ana Reyes’ “behavior in

By Michael Williams, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, DC, home by federal law enforcement earlier this week was an extraordinary legal step taken against a sitting congresswoman who is facing reelection. The Justice Department pushed for an unusually aggressive search of Omar’s home while the congresswoman has said

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is fighting back against the Trump administration’s search of her home earlier this week – disputing its legality and demanding the return of her property seized by federal agents. Omar’s attorneys sent a letter Friday, obtained by CNN, to prosecutors at the Justice Department, saying,

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Friday there is “zero chance” he’s considering replacing White House chief of staff Susie Wiles after reports that suggested as much. “The Susie Wiles story was a fake story,” Trump told CNN’s Kristen Holmes in reference to Politico reporting earlier this week about the president

By Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Settling in for a seven-hour flight across the continent this week, President Donald Trump offered little indication there was anything wrong. His new press secretary’s rocky 14-minute debut at the White House podium was being met with decidedly negative reviews. An hour later, she’d offered

By Kaanita Iyer, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has quietly moved into a new role at the State Department after her special envoy status expired last month. President Donald Trump fired her from his Cabinet earlier this year after multiple controversies while she ran the Department of Homeland Security.

By Jeff Zeleny, David Wright, CNN (CNN) — An open Senate seat in Minnesota. A massive GOP spending advantage in almost every battleground. A lingering sense of unease that polling could be underestimating Republican support. With many Democrats awash in optimism, those are just some of the potential obstacles facing the party as it seeks

By Bob Ortega, CNN (CNN) — When voters in Tarrant County, part of a key swing district in Texas, prepare to cast ballots for the midterms, they’ll encounter a whole new set of rules. Those allowed to send mail-in ballots will now need to provide a Social Security or state ID number. And in-person voters

By David Wright, Kaanita Iyer, Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — New filings with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday are shedding light on tech billionaire Elon Musk’s heavy influence on the 2026 midterm elections, especially the blockbuster Senate race in Texas. After contributing more than a quarter of a billion dollars to support President Donald

CNN By Patrick Svitek, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Candidates faced off in heated debates Thursday night in two of the country’s most competitive Senate races, showing how bitter — and personal — each contest has become. In Maine, Democratic nominee Troy Jackson told GOP Sen. Susan Collins to “shut up” after she suggested a

By Patrick Svitek, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Candidates faced off in heated debates Thursday night in two of the country’s most competitive Senate races, showing how bitter — and personal — each contest has become. In Maine, Democratic nominee Troy Jackson told GOP Sen. Susan Collins to “shut up” after she suggested a protester

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Tech billionaire and Republican megadonor Elon Musk on Thursday settled the two remaining lawsuits stemming from his $1 million giveaways to voters during the 2024 election, according to court filings, bringing a two-year legal saga to an end. During the final stretch of the 2024 presidential race, Musk’s super

By Sean Lyngaas, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — US intelligence officials had to postpone a much-anticipated classified briefing for election officials about foreign threats because the video call was plagued by technical difficulties, according to six people familiar with the matter. Election officials from across the country, who rearranged their schedules on short notice less

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — A group of attorneys filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the accelerated immigration process for unaccompanied migrant children, saying the Trump administration’s policies are unlawful. Under President Donald Trump, unaccompanied migrant children have been increasingly forced to navigate a complicated and accelerated immigration process with dwindling help after the administration

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — A political appointee with deep ties to the Trump family has been removed from his special envoy role following a report of a feud with a top State Department official. Paolo Zampolli, who served as US special envoy for global partnerships, “was notified today that his status