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Special counsel Jack Smith argues Trump’s push to hold him in contempt in January 6 case is baseless

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith pushed back Friday against Donald Trump’s assertions that the prosecutor should be held in contempt for submitting filings while the federal election interference case is paused, calling accusations that he was intentionally violating a court order “false” and “baseless.” “The Court has held that there is a

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Supreme Court to decide if emergency room doctors can perform medically necessary abortions in states that prohibit them

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court said Friday that it will decide whether emergency room doctors can perform medically necessary abortions in states that prohibit them, bypassing the court of appeals to resolve on an expedited basis a lawsuit brought by the United States against Idaho. It’s the second major abortion case the

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recovering after being admitted to hospital

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on New Year’s Day for complications from an elective medical procedure, the Pentagon said Friday. The Pentagon announced the hospitalization four days after Austin was initially admitted. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, made

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Justice Department, special counsel have spent nearly $24 million on Trump-related cases

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has spent nearly $24 million investigating and prosecuting former President Donald Trump and his allies, according to expense reports. In the most recent expense report released Friday, which covers April 2023 to September 2023, special counsel Jack Smith’s office reported spending $7.4 million on things such

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Abortion rights groups reach petition threshold to put abortion on Florida ballot in 2024

By Carlos Suarez and Denise Royal, CNN (CNN) — A coalition of Florida abortion rights supporters announced on Friday they have gathered enough signatures to put a state constitutional amendment protecting the right to an abortion on the ballot in 2024. Election officials have verified 910,946 petitions submitted by Floridians Protecting Freedom, according to the

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Student loan borrowers waited an average 70-plus minutes on hold when payments resumed in October

By Katie Lobosco, CNN Washington (CNN) — Many federal student loan borrowers faced long hold times on the phone, experienced significant delays in application processing and received inaccurate bills when payments resumed in October, according to a report released Friday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When the three-plus-year pandemic pause ended, many borrowers needed

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Here’s what the Supreme Court faces as justices discuss Trump’s eligibility

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — The US Supreme Court is now confronting an election case of unparalleled weight that will determine Donald Trump’s prospects to regain the White House and influence public regard for an increasingly embattled court. The new controversy from Colorado arrives as the nine justices face more scrutiny and the

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US attorney says untold number of police officers injured while protecting Capitol on January 6

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department believes more police officers were injured in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack than have been officially reported, a top prosecutor said Thursday. In a news conference commemorating the third anniversary of the insurrection, Matthew Graves, the US attorney for

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China spent over $5.5 million at Trump properties while he was in office, documents show

By Zachary Cohen and Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — The Chinese government and its state-controlled entities spent over $5.5 million at properties owned by Donald Trump while he was in office, the largest total of payments made by any single foreign country known to date, according to financial documents cited in a report from House Democrats released Thursday. Those

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Foreign conflicts are taking up a lot of Biden’s time as he fights for his political future at home

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Speaking to a group of Democratic donors at a Washington hotel last month, President Joe Biden wanted to underscore just how much of his time lately has been spent confronting a chaotic world. Seventy-five percent of his job, Biden guessed, is consumed dealing with foreign leaders and traveling the world. Whether

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Education Department official resigns over Biden administration’s approach to Israel-Hamas war

By Jack Forrest, CNN (CNN) — A Department of Education political appointee resigned on Wednesday, citing in a letter the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The resignation by Tariq Habash, policy adviser in the DOE’s Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, comes as the conflict – which erupted with Hamas’

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Trump asks US Supreme Court to overturn Colorado ruling removing him from ballot

By Joan Biskupic, Kaitlan Collins, Devan Cole, Marshall Cohen, Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump has formally asked the US Supreme Court to overturn the Colorado state Supreme Court ruling that removed him from the state’s 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist clause.” “In our system of ‘government of the people, by

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US doubles down on assessment Hamas used Gaza hospital as command hub

By Alex Marquardt and Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — The US doubled down on its assessment that Hamas and other Gaza militants used the enclave’s largest hospital complex as a command hub as well as to hold hostages and store weapons, with a senior intelligence official pointing to newly declassified intelligence that reinforces the conclusion of Israeli and US intelligence. “The US Intelligence Community is

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House committee to formally begin impeachment proceedings against Biden Homeland Security chief over border policies

CNN By Lauren Fox, Priscilla Alvarez and Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — House Republicans will forge ahead with steps to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, a GOP source tells CNN. In a statement provided to CNN, a committee spokesperson said “the House Committee on Homeland Security

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House committee to formally begin impeachment proceedings against Biden Homeland Security chief over border policies

By Lauren Fox, Priscilla Alvarez and Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — House Republicans will forge ahead with steps to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, a GOP source tells CNN. In a statement provided to CNN, a committee spokesperson said “the House Committee on Homeland Security has

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Mark Meadows asks appeals court to reconsider his failed bid to move Georgia election subversion case to federal court

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has asked a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision rejecting his bid to move his Georgia election interference criminal case to federal court. A three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled last month that Meadows could

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China’s unsafe interceptions of US military aircraft have dropped off, defense officials say

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — China’s unsafe interceptions of US military aircraft have dropped off amid signs relations with Beijing are improving, two US defense officials told CNN. There had been a spike in what the US deemed dangerous incidents in October and the Pentagon publicly condemned China’s behavior. But in a sign military tensions could be

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US quietly reaches agreement with Qatar to keep operating largest military base in Middle East

By Alex Marquardt and Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — The United States has quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence at a sprawling base in Qatar for another 10 years, three US defense officials and another official familiar with the agreement told CNN. The deal, which has not been announced publicly, highlights Washington’s reliance on the tiny Gulf country that has

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Federal appeals court blocks Biden administration from enforcing guidance meant to protect abortion access in Texas

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Biden administration can’t enforce guidance meant to protect abortion access in life-threatening or health-saving situations even where abortion is banned. The guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services says that medical providers who are required to provide emergency care to pregnant patients regardless of their

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Biden administration asks Supreme Court to let Border Patrol remove razor wire on US-Mexico border

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow the US Border Patrol to remove razor wire at the US-Mexico border – another escalation in the dispute between President Joe Biden and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over border policy. The dispute is over whether the Border Patrol has the legal authority to cut concertina wire

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Michael Cohen loses appeal in quest to revive his retaliation lawsuit against Trump

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Michael Cohen’s attempt to revive his lawsuit against Donald Trump for allegedly retaliating against him for promoting a tell-all book critical of the former president. Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, had sued Trump, former Attorney General Bill Barr, and other Justice Department officials for

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Two weeks out from the caucuses, DeSantis-Haley rivalry dominates airwaves as Trump maintains front-runner status

By Steve Contorno and Kit Maher, CNN Waukee, Iowa (CNN) — With TVs inside a packed central Iowa sports bar tuned to the Citrus Bowl, the phrase “dumpster fire” could be heard over the pub’s speakers midway through the second quarter. But the criticism wasn’t directed at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ lackluster performance in the New

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Trump defense strategy in January 6 case may go beyond trying to delay trial, court filings reveal

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Much of Donald Trump’s legal strategy in his federal 2020 election interference case has, so far, centered around trying to delay the start of his March trial until after the November presidential election. But in recent court filings, and according to sources familiar with the Trump team’s approach, other

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US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier returning to US after extended deployment in Mediterranean

By Brad Lendon, CNN (CNN) — The US Navy is pulling the world’s largest warship, sent to the eastern Mediterranean Sea after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, back to the United States as it reevaluates its global force requirements, the US Sixth Fleet said in a statement Monday. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will head back to

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The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024

CNN By Simone Pathe, CNN (CNN) — The high-stakes presidential election has taken on increased significance for Democrats’ precarious path to holding power in the Senate. Why? Because of the map. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s decision not to run for reelection in West Virginia underscored how advantageous the 2024 playing field is for Republicans. But President Joe

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The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024

By Simone Pathe, CNN (CNN) — The high-stakes presidential election has taken on increased significance for Democrats’ precarious path to holding power in the Senate. Why? Because of the map. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s decision not to run for reelection in West Virginia underscored how advantageous the 2024 playing field is for Republicans. But President Joe Biden

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Roberts warns of AI ‘dehumanizing the law’ in year-end report but avoids Trump legal disputes, Supreme Court ethics reform

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts raised concerns about the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in the US judicial system in an annual report released Sunday, warning that the emerging technology could risk “dehumanizing the law” and imperiling fair treatment in the justice system. “AI obviously has great potential

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New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu suggests Chris Christie should drop White House bid

By Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu suggested Sunday that Chris Christie should drop out of the 2024 presidential race before his state’s primary, declaring the former New Jersey governor has reached a “dead end.” Sununu, who has endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the Republican primary, told CNN’s Dana Bash on

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From gender-affirming care bans to minimum wage increases, these new laws take effect January 1

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Several states saw a polarizing legislative session last year as lawmakers tackled high-profile measures, some of which take effect this year. While many Democratic- and Republican-led states passed measures to ease the effects of inflation as the economy remains a top concern for voters ahead of the 2024 election,

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Michael Cohen says he unwittingly sent attorney non-existent case citations generated by AI

By Nicki Brown, CNN (CNN) — Michael Cohen unwittingly sent his then-attorney non-existent case citations generated by artificial intelligence, he said in a court document unsealed Friday. Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered Cohen’s former attorney, David Schwartz, to explain where he came up with the court cases cited in Cohen’s request for early termination of supervised release, saying

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What to know about the 14th Amendment and efforts to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot

CNN, KOAT By Marshall Cohen and Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Anti-Trump challengers have succeeded at using the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban” to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot in Colorado and Maine, though those decisions have been paused pending potential appeals. Other major challenges have been rejected on procedural grounds in Minnesota, Michigan and some

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