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Austin speaks with Chinese counterpart in first at-length conversation since 2022

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Tuesday morning with China’s Minister of National Defense Adm. Dong Jun, marking both Austin’s first call with Dong and his first at-length conversation with his Chinese counterpart since November 2022. During their teleconference call, Austin and Dong “discussed U.S.-PRC defense relations and regional and

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Biden pushes his economic populism on the trail in Pennsylvania as Trump sits in a New York courtroom

By Arlette Saenz, Sam Fossum, Tami Luhby and Michael Williams, CNN Scranton, Pennsylvania (CNN) — President Joe Biden is seeking to make a sharp economic argument against former President Donald Trump during a three-day swing through Pennsylvania with campaign officials framing the election as a debate between his “kitchen table” Scranton outlook and Trump’s “Mar-a-Lago

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Trump fundraising intensifies, Democrats post big hauls and other first-quarter takeaways

By David Wright, Fredreka Schouten, Alex Leeds Matthews and Matt Holt, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump’s fundraising operation picked up the pace during the first three months of the year while Democratic Senate and House candidates reported massive quarterly hauls as the battle for Congress takes shape, new federal filings show. Democrats and

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Former Marine sentenced to 9 years in prison in firebombing of California Planned Parenthood clinic

By Taylor Romine and Jack Forrest, CNN (CNN) — A former marine who used a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa, California, was sentenced to nine years in prison Monday, according to the Justice Department. Chance Brannon — along with his co-defendant Tibet Ergul — attacked the Planned Parenthood clinic and conspired to

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Key surveillance tool could run out Friday as senators struggle to reach agreement to beat deadline

By Ted Barrett, CNN A critical intelligence community surveillance tool could lapse temporarily Friday unless senators reach an agreement to speed passage of a bill that would renew the program for two years. That cooperation would be needed from Senate critics who have myriad of complaints about Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,

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White House declines invite for Biden to testify in House Oversight impeachment inquiry

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — The White House informed House Oversight Chair James Comer that President Joe Biden will not accept his invitation to testify in a committee impeachment inquiry hearing, according to a letter obtained first by CNN, further insulting the Republican-led effort. “Your impeachment investigation is over,” Special Counsel to the President

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Arizona Republicans weigh options to defeat abortion rights ballot measure, draft proposal reveals

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Arizona Republicans are weighing their options to defeat a potential abortion rights ballot initiative this fall, including offering measures of their own that could draw support away from efforts to enshrine access to the procedure in the state constitution, according to a draft proposal obtained by CNN. Under the proposal,

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Opinion: Don’t call it a ‘hush money’ case

CNN Opinion by Norman Eisen (CNN) — Judge Juan Merchan began the long-awaited Manhattan criminal trial of former President Donald Trump on Monday by interviewing prospective jurors. Debate has been raging about every aspect of this historic trial – including what to call it. It is the first of four expected criminal trials involving Trump,

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Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from Black Lives Matter organizer facing damages suit

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from Black Lives Matters organizer DeRay Mckesson, letting stand a lower court’s decision that some critics fear could wind up limiting the First Amendment rights of Americans to organize protests against the government and police. The upshot is that Mckesson’s case

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What to watch in Trump’s hush money trial

By Kara Scannell, Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle, Julian Cummings and Laura Dolan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal hush money trial, set to begin Monday, brings with it a long list of charges, witnesses, potential penalties, appeals and attorneys. Here’s everything you need to know. Case overview The charges stem from reimbursements made

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US military’s additional review into deadly Kabul airport attack concludes troops did not see bomber ahead of attack

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — An additional review by the US military into the deadly Abbey Gate bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021, which aimed to clear up outstanding questions about the attack, has concluded that service members had not previously seen the suspected bomber ahead of the attack, but believed they had because of conflated intelligence reporting. “Over

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Congressional leaders at odds over Israel aid next steps as conservatives warn Johnson against including Ukraine funding

By Michelle Shen and Melanie Zanona, CNN (CNN) — Congressional leaders from both parties were quick to condemn Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel this Saturday but still remain at odds on how to pass additional Israel funding in wake of the attacks. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday he will move forward with a vote on additional Israel

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Trump seeks to use NY hush money trial to delay criminal case over classified document handling in FL

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Katelyn Polantz and Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith told the federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case she should reject the former president’s attempt to use his first criminal trial, set to begin Monday in New York, to try to delay facing a jury over the more serious federal

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Joe Manchin and Rob Portman hold back support from their parties’ presidential nominees while calling for bipartisanship in Congress

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, are holding off on throwing support behind their parties’ presidential nominees, while taking aim at members on both sides of the aisle for stalled legislation in Congress. When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju if

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Fact check: Trump’s false and unsubstantiated claims about his Manhattan criminal case

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly made false and unsubstantiated claims while denouncing the Manhattan criminal case against him over his alleged falsification of business records related to a hush money scheme executed during the 2016 presidential election. With Trump’s trial scheduled to start Monday, here is a fact

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Trump’s extreme rhetoric is a mainstay of his 2024 campaign. Much of it could become a reality if he wins another term

By Phil Mattingly and Andrew Seger, CNN (CNN) — In the more than 370 days between his first indictment and his first criminal trial, Donald Trump unleashed rhetorical warfare as predictable as it was extreme. The familiar slash and burn playbook, sharpened over decades in business and eight years in politics, has shaped an overlapping

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Trump will juggle appearances in courtroom and on campaign trail as hush money trial begins

By Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene and Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump’s appearance in a New York courthouse Monday for jury selection in his criminal hush money trial will kick off a weekslong juggling act between the courtroom and the campaign trail during a crucial period for his general election bid. The presumptive Republican

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Federal judge rejects Hunter Biden’s attempts to throw out gun indictment in Delaware

By Marshall Cohen and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge has rejected several attempts by Hunter Biden to throw out his felony gun indictment in Delaware. The trial — the first-ever against the child of a sitting US president — is scheduled to begin in early June, as his father, President Joe Biden, campaigns for reelection. Federal Judge

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Bernie Sanders Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at the life of US Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont and former 2020 presidential candidate. Personal Birth date: September 8, 1941 Birth place: Brooklyn, New York Birth name: Bernard Sanders Father: Eli Sanders, paint salesman Mother: Dorothy (Glassberg) Sanders Marriages: Jane (O’Meara) Sanders

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China is giving Russia significant support to expand weapons manufacturing as Ukraine war continues, US officials say

By Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — China is helping Russia ramp up its defense industrial base at such a large scale that Moscow is now undertaking its most ambitious expansion in military manufacturing since the Soviet era as it continues its war against Ukraine, according to senior Biden administration officials. The support China is providing includes significant quantities of machine tools, drone

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Democratic National Committee paid lawyers who represented Biden in special counsel probe

By Arlette Saenz, Fredreka Schouten and David Wright, CNN (CNN) — The Democratic National Committee has paid law firms that represented Joe Biden in the special counsel probe into his handling of classified documents, federal records show, even as the president’s aides have lambasted Donald Trump for directing donors’ money to help pay his mounting

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Judge appears skeptical of Trump’s co-defendants’ attempts to get some charges dismissed in classified documents case

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand, CNN Fort Pierce, Florida (CNN) — A federal judge appeared dubious of efforts by former President Donald Trump’s two co-defendants in the classified documents case to get the charges against them thrown out and to get more information from prosecutors about the charges. The hearing in Fort

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White House sees consumer sentiment underpinning hopes for November amid persistent economic pessimism

By Kayla Tausche, CNN Washington (CNN) — White House advisers are looking to one economic indicator in particular for signs that the economy is heading in the right direction amid persistent inflation, high interest rates and lackluster wage gains. Consumer sentiment — a gauge of how average Americans feel about their financial situation and purchasing power —

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Former US diplomat sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to spying for Cuba

By Denise Royal, Carlos Suarez and Ray Sanchez, CNN (CNN) — Manuel Rocha, the former US ambassador to Bolivia who acted as a secret foreign agent of Cuba, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges Friday – a judge telling him, “you turned your back on this country.” Rocha, 73, pleaded guilty in Miami to

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Cornel West and running mate Melina Abdullah refuse to condemn Hamas’ actions in first joint TV interview

CNN By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — Independent presidential candidate Cornel West and his running mate, Melina Abdullah, defended their pro-Palestinian views Thursday night in their first joint television interview since Abdullah joined West’s campaign this week. In an interview with CNN’s Abby Phillip, the pair declined to call on Hamas to release hostages taken

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Cornel West and running mate Melina Abdullah refuse to condemn Hamas’ actions in first joint TV interview

By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — Independent presidential candidate Cornel West and his running mate, Melina Abdullah, defended their pro-Palestinian views Thursday night in their first joint television interview since Abdullah joined West’s campaign this week. In an interview with CNN’s Abby Phillip, the pair declined to call on Hamas to release hostages taken from

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Trump says he thinks Speaker Mike Johnson is ‘doing a very good job’ amid ouster threat from Marjorie Taylor Greene

CNN By Kate Sullivan, Kristen Holmes and Melanie Zanona, CNN Former President Donald Trump on Friday expressed support for House Speaker Mike Johnson when asked about GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to oust the Louisiana Republican from his speakership. Standing next to Johnson at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “We’re getting along

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Trump says he thinks Speaker Mike Johnson is ‘doing a very good job’ amid ouster threat from Marjorie Taylor Greene

By Kate Sullivan, Kristen Holmes and Melanie Zanona, CNN Former President Donald Trump on Friday expressed support for House Speaker Mike Johnson when asked about GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to oust the Louisiana Republican from his speakership. Standing next to Johnson at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “We’re getting along very

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How Speaker Johnson helped Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election

By Marshall Cohen, CNN Years before becoming House speaker, Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana played a leading role aiding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. That history will be on display Friday, with Johnson set to deliver remarks alongside the former president about “election integrity” – a phrase Trump often uses to describe the

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FBI interview transcript reveals how Trump aide characterized boxes at Mar-a-Lago to investigators

By Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The transcript of an FBI interview made public late Thursday details how an aide to former President Donald Trump characterized the boxes of sensitive documents that are now at the center of the special counsel’s case into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House. The new court

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New York ratchets up security for Trump’s trial now that he’s the presumptive GOP nominee

By Mark Morales, CNN (CNN) — When former President Donald Trump appears in a New York courtroom Monday to face an unprecedented legal battle in his hush money case, law enforcement will deploy a sophisticated and multi-layered security plan greater than that of his previous high-profile cases in Manhattan, law enforcement officials told CNN. Trump, who is

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Russian hackers steal US government emails with Microsoft, officials confirm

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — Russian state-backed hackers have stolen email correspondence between US government agencies and Microsoft via a breach of the software giant’s systems, US officials confirmed on Thursday. Microsoft has notified “several” US federal agencies that the hackers may have stolen emails that Microsoft sent to those agencies that included login information such

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State prosecutor to investigate Georgia Lt. Gov. Jones and his role as Trump fake elector

By Jason Morris and Sara Murray, CNN (CNN) — A state prosecutor will investigate whether Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones violated criminal law in his efforts to help former President Donald Trump subvert the 2020 election results in the state. Peter Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, has appointed himself to investigate

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Biden says US defense commitments to Japan and Philippines remain ‘ironclad’ as he hosts key meeting amid China tensions

By Samantha Waldenberg and Michael Williams, CNN Washington (CNN) — The United States’ commitments to the defense of Japan and the Philippines remain “ironclad,” President Joe Biden said on Thursday as he hosted the leaders of those countries amid their separate territorial disputes with China. The comments came as Biden hosted the first ever trilateral

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GOP leaders pursue new lawsuits over 2024 election rules – including attacking methods of voting they want supporters to use

By Fredreka Schouten and Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Republican leaders are encouraging their supporters to vote by mail in this year’s consequential presidential election, even as their party pursues lawsuits and legislation that would make it harder for those votes to count. The Republican National Committee and the Mississippi Republican Party are suing the

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European diplomats in DC scramble to gain access to Trump allies for insights

By Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — European diplomats in Washington are frantically working to set up meetings with allies of former president Donald Trump as they prepare for his potential return to the White House, sources familiar with the effort tell CNN. At face-to-face sit-downs in private DC clubs, hotels, embassies and think tanks around town, diplomats are asking

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RFK Jr. New York campaign staff member Rita Palma has been fired

By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign manager said on Wednesday that New York campaign staff member Rita Palma was fired after she told GOP voters in a meeting last week that preventing President Joe Biden’s victory was her “number one priority” and encouraged them to volunteer for former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. “We terminated

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Idaho man accused of planning church attacks in support of ISIS pleads not guilty to terrorism charge

KXLY, KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF IDAHO, CNN By Cindy Von Quednow and Jack Forrest, CNN (CNN) — The 18-year-old accused of pledging allegiance to ISIS and planning attacks against churches in Idaho pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a federal terrorism charge, according to the court docket. Alexander Scott Mercurio pleaded

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Former Biden White House chief of staff says president’s reelection message is too focused on infrastructure

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff said Tuesday that the president is too focused on infrastructure and should instead prioritize Americans’ economic concerns as he seeks another term, Politico reported. “I think the president is out there too much talking about bridges,” Ron Klain said Tuesday evening, Politico

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Who’s coming to the White House’s Japan state dinner: the Clintons, De Niro, Bezos

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Former President Bill Clinton, former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Robert De Niro, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos are among the distinguished guests arriving at the White House Wednesday evening for an official state dinner with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The glitzy, black-tie dinner is among the

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