CNN – US Politics

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Bettina Anderson officially became part of the country’s first family this weekend – her new name an American political brand. “I feel honored to join your family and to fight by your side, Don, through whatever life brings us. And to become your wife is the greatest honor, and

By Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department wants to interview some poll workers and ballot counters who participated in the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, in a new effort to dig up details about the ballot-processing, prosecutors revealed at a court hearing last week. A prosecutor working with a grand

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The White House is preparing a government-wide nondisclosure agreement aimed at curtailing federal workers’ sharing of “confidential government information,” as it seeks to stop internal leaks to media organizations. The draft notice, posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday by the Office of Personnel Management, says the NDA is

By John Fritze, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to take up an appeal from the National Football League in a class action lawsuit from Brian Flores and other Black coaches who have claimed racial discrimination. By passing on the appeal, the court’s decision leaves in place an appeals court ruling

By Marshall Cohen, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Former US Capitol riot prosecutors, fired federal officials and journalists who say they were past targets of President Donald Trump’s retribution tell CNN they may seek compensation from the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Some Trump critics have already sent letters to the DOJ outlining their

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — As President Donald Trump departed the hospital Tuesday after his physical exam, he declared on his way back to the White House that everything had checked out “PERFECTLY.” But that is likely to do little to quiet questions about Trump’s health. And even the president himself has begun making

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s uphill battle for renomination from his party reaches its conclusion Tuesday as voters head to the polls in the Texas primary runoffs. Cornyn’s race against state Attorney General Ken Paxton was considered highly competitive until a week ago, when President Donald Trump abruptly backed Paxton

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — Two months into his new role, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin finds himself trying to solve a puzzle: How does he deliver on the deportation mandate expected of him by President Donald Trump, while avoiding some of the same pitfalls that led to the ouster of his predecessor? The

By Patrick Svitek, CNN Katy, Texas (CNN) — In one of his first rallies since winning President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his Senate race, Ken Paxton told the crowd he wanted to try something new. The Democratic nominee, James Talarico, Paxton said, would be the “most radical US senator from Texas, maybe in the whole

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Like all good lawyers, Supreme Court justices can argue over anything — including, it turns out, how best to argue. Quiet grumbling for years over how the court conducts its oral argument sessions has increasingly slipped into public view during a series of appearances by some of the justices.

CNN By Alejandra Jaramillo, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Josh Campbell, Julia Benbrook, CNN (CNN) — Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint Saturday near the White House and fired at them. Shortly before 6 p.m. ET, an individual approached a checkpoint just outside the White House

By Alejandra Jaramillo, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Josh Campbell, Julia Benbrook, CNN (CNN) — Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint Saturday near the White House and fired at them. Shortly before 6 p.m. ET, an individual approached a checkpoint just outside the White House complex

By Jeremy Herb, Zachary Cohen, Kristen Holmes, Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump selected Tulsi Gabbard as his top intelligence official thanks to her non-interventionist, “America First” ideology that had pushed her away from the Democratic Party and into the MAGA fold. But as Trump’s director of national intelligence, Gabbard’s isolationist tendencies quickly

By Kristen Holmes, Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Palm Beach socialite and model Bettina Anderson celebrated her marriage to President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on a tropical island Saturday. It wasn’t the affair the bride had originally envisioned. Anderson had initially expressed interest in getting married at the White House, multiple sources

By Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s relationship with Senate Republicans has hit a new low after a revolt over his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund surfaced deep divisions over the direction of the party and its priorities. Trump and his close allies were fuming over the rebuke on Friday, while on Capitol Hill,

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — There is so much going on in the news that it can be easy to overlook the fact that the president continues to tell a whole lot of lies. President Donald Trump delivered a dizzying variety of false claims in his public remarks over the past week. They included

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump met Friday with top US national security officials as he weighs a path forward on the war with Iran, a person familiar with the meeting said. The White House session — which Trump holds routinely — came as diplomacy grinds ahead in an attempt to secure

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration will now require people seeking green cards to leave the United States during the application process — a sweeping change that could upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of people seeking the right to legally and permanently live and work in the US. In a

By Annie Grayer, Jake Tapper, Nicky Robertson, CNN (CNN) — Lawmakers investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are turning their attention to three men who Epstein’s longtime assistant accused of sexual abuse in closed-door testimony this week, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. In an interview with the House Oversight Committee on

CNN By Holmes Lybrand, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man the Trump administration deported to El Salvador last year despite a judge’s order barring his removal to the country – have been dismissed by a federal judge in Tennessee, who cited a “tainted investigation” by now-acting

By Holmes Lybrand, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man the Trump administration deported to El Salvador last year despite a judge’s order barring his removal to the country – have been dismissed by a federal judge in Tennessee, who cited a “tainted investigation” by now-acting Attorney

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s newly created nearly $1.8 billion fund for allies of President Donald Trump who say they were wrongly targeted by the government was hit with a second lawsuit on Friday, adding to the growing legal and political backlash facing the White House. Friday, a diverse group of

CNN By Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes, Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she’s resigning at the end of June, citing her husband’s diagnosis with cancer. “Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” she wrote in a letter President Donald Trump. “My husband,

By Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes, Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she’s resigning at the end of June, citing her husband’s diagnosis with cancer. “Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” she wrote in a letter President Donald Trump. “My husband, Abraham,

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — Iranian hackers have posed as job recruiters to target software engineers in the aviation sector as part of an elaborate espionage scheme during the US and Israeli war with Iran, cybersecurity researchers told CNN on Friday. The Iranian operatives also targeted a US oil and gas firm as well

By Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck, CNN (CNN) — Years after mayors from Democratic cities reversed course on calls to defund police departments, one of the leading Democratic candidates for governor of Wisconsin is running with a starkly different record: she didn’t just back defunding police — she called to abolish them. And unlike many in

By Lex Harvey, Kit Maher, Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump declared Thursday the United States will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, an apparent reversal following recent moves by his administration to reduce the number of US troops in Europe. The announcement comes one week after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stopped

By Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson will hold a wedding celebration on a small island in the Bahamas this weekend, two people familiar with the plans told CNN. One person who is not expected to attend the intimate affair? President Donald Trump

By Annie Grayer, MJ Lee, CNN (CNN) — Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant gave the House Oversight Committee three new names of alleged abusers in the convicted sex offender’s network — a revelation that committee chairman James Comer described as a promising lead in his panel’s investigation into Epstein’s misdeeds. The assistant, Sarah Kellen, provided the

By Manu Raju, Camila DeChalus, Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — House GOP leaders abruptly canceled a vote Thursday on a resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran just as Republicans were on the verge of losing the vote due to absences. Democrats have repeatedly forced votes to limit Trump’s war powers in

By Julia Benbrook, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Thursday the price tag for his Reflecting Pool renovations in Washington, DC, will be “less than $20 million” after he decided the exterior needed more work. “I originally thought I’d do it for $2 or $3 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval

By Adam Cancryn, Paula Reid, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — As Donald Trump plotted his return to the White House in late 2023, a group of campaign advisers began working on a plan to compensate political allies they believed were unfairly targeted by the federal government, two people familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s quest to have the tallest arch in the world took one step closer to being realized on Thursday after a key agency approved a revised design of the structure. However, the overall height of the monument will be lower than previously proposed. While the arch remains

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance made a false claim about manufacturing jobs in a speech on Monday. Then, he made a misleading claim on the same subject while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. On Monday, Vance said last quarter had the biggest growth in manufacturing employment since Trump’s first presidency.

By Ted Barrett, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s push for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund derailed Senate Republicans’ plans to pass the president’s priority immigration enforcement package Thursday. Senators left Washington for their Memorial Day recess with Republicans saying they were blindsided by the Justice Department’s announcement of the fund and at

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Thursday let stand an appeals court decision that barred Alabama from executing a man that lower courts found is likely intellectually disabled. The Supreme Court, in an unsigned opinion, took the unusual step of dismissing an appeal, filed by Alabama, after it heard arguments in

By Alayna Treene, David Goldman, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump announced new measures on Thursday to roll back Biden-era regulations on refrigerants in a move his administration argues will help lower grocery prices. Trump, who was joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and executives from major grocery chains for the Oval Office

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court subjected the world’s largest cruise ship companies to a stiff headwind on Thursday, reviving a claim that alleged they trafficked in property confiscated by the Cuban government when they docked their ships in Havana. The court’s decision is a loss for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Carnival Corporation

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — James Talarico, Texas Democrats’ US Senate nominee, has thrown his support behind Johnny Garcia in the state’s 35th Congressional District, where Democrats are ramping up their efforts to block a rival candidate who made antisemitic comments ahead of a runoff election next week. “Born and raised in a working

By Tami Luhby, Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump made a big promise to Americans seeking fertility care to start or expand their families. “Under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with

By Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, one sign it is rapidly rebuilding certain military capabilities degraded by US-Israeli strikes, according to two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments. Four sources told CNN that US intelligence

By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was censured by his own party Wednesday night for his decision to grant clemency to election denier Tina Peters. The Colorado Democratic Party voted to rebuke the governor over his decision to free Peters. “Reducing her sentence now, under pressure from Donald Trump,

By Paula Reid, Casey Gannon, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear Wednesday that the conduct of January 6, 2021, rioters who attacked law enforcement will be factored when the soon-to-be-set-up commission reviews applications to the anti-weaponization fund. “One of the factors the commissioners have to consider is what the

By Alayna Treene, Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — US President Donald Trump had a tense conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that reflected their different views on how to proceed with the Iran war, a US official told CNN. It wasn’t their first conversation in recent days. When

By Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge said Wednesday that White House staff must preserve their official records, including communications that they send via non-official text message services, pushing back on attempts to free President Donald Trump from record-keeping obligations that were set by Congress. The 54-page opinion from Judge John

By Ellis Kim, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — One Republican congressman says he is exploring ways to end the Trump Justice Department’s move to establish a tax-payer fueled “anti-weaponization” fund, a move likely to draw the ire of President Donald Trump. Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick told reporters he “100%” wants to prevent the nearly

By Davis Winkie, CNN (CNN) — A US military surveillance blimp operated by contractors near Laredo, Texas, broke free from its tether on Monday evening and later crashed in Mexico. The blimp did not carry a crew when in the air, and no ground personnel were injured in the incident. The 66-foot surveillance blimp’s tether

By Marshall Cohen, Holmes Lybrand, Donie O’Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Supporters of President Donald Trump who tried to overturn the 2020 election are among those eager to potentially cash in from the $1.8 billion compensation fund for people the Trump administration believes were victims of government “weaponization and lawfare.” In interviews with CNN, convicted US

By Casey Gannon, Paula Reid, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A former managing assistant US attorney in the Southern District of Florida has been charged with emailing herself the most sought-after, confidential Justice Department records in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump, masquerading them as dessert recipes. Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, faces

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Law enforcement officers who protected the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, sued the Trump administration on Wednesday to block implementation of a newly created $1.8 billion fund for allies of President Donald Trump who say they were unfairly investigated by previous administrations. The lawsuit brought in federal court

By Michael Williams, Jeanne Sahadi, CNN (CNN) — Barney Frank, the barrier-breaking former Massachusetts congressman who helped draft reforms that sought to rein in an unruly financial industry in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, has died. He was 86. His sister Doris Breay confirmed his death to CNN, saying, “he was a

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A retired Tennessee law enforcement officer who was held in jail for more than a month after police arrested him over a Facebook post of a meme related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk has settled a “unlawful incarceration” lawsuit for $835,000. Under the deal announced Wednesday, Larry Bushart,

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — In 2019, Paige Cognetti launched her campaign for mayor of Scranton, where the incumbent had resigned from office before pleading guilty to federal corruption charges. Wary of the county Democratic Party’s closed nominating process, she ran as an independent. That fall, she found herself in a courtroom with her

CNN By Eric Bradner, Arit John, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign steamrolled another Republican rival on Tuesday, with a Trump-backed challenger ousting one of the president’s leading intra-party antagonists, Rep. Thomas Massie, in a Kentucky primary. Former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein’s win over Massie continued a May political payback tour that has

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will win the Democratic primary for Georgia governor in her quest to become nation’s first Black woman elected governor. If she wins in November, Lance Bottoms also would become the first woman and African American to serve as Georgia’s chief executive. Bottoms, who

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN Hebron, Kentucky (CNN) — For the next seven months, Rep. Thomas Massie will hold something that even President Donald Trump can’t take away: His seat in Congress. The question is what comes next. As Massie becomes the latest Republican added to Trump’s growing list of revenge and retribution, his concession speech

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — House Democratic leaders condemned efforts Tuesday by a newly registered political action committee to boost a Democratic congressional candidate who made antisemitic comments ahead of a runoff election next week. Leaders in both parties have denounced recent remarks by Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist who won first place in

By Eric Bradner, Arit John, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign steamrolled another Republican rival on Tuesday, with a Trump-backed challenger ousting one of the president’s leading intra-party antagonists, Rep. Thomas Massie, in a Kentucky primary. Former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein’s win over Massie continued a May political payback tour that has seen

By Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — In President Donald Trump’s telling, he was an hour away from ordering new strikes on Iran when he abruptly announced on social media Monday that he would allow more time for diplomacy. “They’re loaded to the brim,” he said Tuesday of his armada

By Patrick Svitek, Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — It seemed like the end of the road for Ken Paxton. The Texas attorney general had underperformed expectations in the state’s March 3 Republican primary for Senate, narrowly trailing long-endangered incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Trump was on the verge of endorsing Cornyn, promising to make

CNN By Tierney Sneed and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Internal Revenue Service can’t bring claims against President Donald Trump, his family or businesses for past tax issues, according to additional terms added Tuesday to the settlement the Justice Department reached with Trump to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. The additional

By Tierney Sneed and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Internal Revenue Service can’t bring claims against President Donald Trump, his family or businesses for past tax issues, according to additional terms added Tuesday to the settlement the Justice Department reached with Trump to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. The additional terms,

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Tierney Sneed, Holmes Lybrand, Devan Cole, Paula Reid, CNN (CNN) — Todd Blanche vociferously defended the Justice Department’s newly established anti-weaponization fund as not limited to President Donald Trump’s allies in the acting attorney general’s first appearance before Congress since assuming his position. Though the arrangement is “unusual,” Blanche conceded Tuesday, anyone

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his primary challenge to Sen. John Cornyn, dealing a massive blow to the incumbent with major implications in the fight for the Senate majority. Cornyn has spent over a year courting Trump’s support, while Paxton has run

By Logan Schiciano, CNN (CNN) — The Defense Department’s internal watchdog has said it is evaluating US Southern Command’s operations that have included strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. It comes as the strikes, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and killed over 190 people since they began last

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Conservative Justices Sarah Warren and Charlie Bethel will win reelection to the Georgia Supreme Court, handing Democrats a pair of defeats in their attempt to claw out of an 8-1 minority. No incumbent justice on the court had lost reelection in over a century going into Tuesday. But the

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN Hebron, Kentucky (CNN) — The race against Rep. Thomas Massie has overshadowed the campaign for Ed Gallrein, the farmer and former Navy SEAL recruited to run against him. Yet Massie and Gallrein are the actual choices facing Republican voters Tuesday in a Kentucky primary, despite President Donald Trump looming large over

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson offered a blistering critique Monday of the Supreme Court’s handling of a recent high-profile redistricting case, asserting that the court needed to be “really, really careful” in the churn of an election year to avoid appearing political and suggesting it had failed to do so

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is proposing increasing the refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026 to 17,500 for White South Africans, according to an emergency determination sent to Congress and obtained by CNN. Last year, the administration restricted the number of refugees allowed to enter the country annually to 7,500,

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis justified his decision to release election denier Tina Peters from prison with a series of false and misleading claims, inaccurately distancing her case from efforts to undermine the 2020 election. The former Mesa County clerk is set to be freed from state prison in two

By Tierney Sneed, Devan Cole, CNN The unprecedented lawsuit President Donald Trump brought against the Internal Revenue Service over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax returns years ago has led to an unprecedented arrangement that will make nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds available to allies of the president who say they were unfairly investigated

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Nancy Pelosi is officially wading into the race to replace her in Congress, endorsing San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan after weeks of more subtly expressing her support. “Connie understands San Francisco — our values, our diversity, our communities, and our responsibility to lead with both compassion and strength. She’s

By Jeff Zeleny, David Wright, CNN Hebron, Kentucky (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a rare wartime visit to the campaign trail on Monday, imploring Republicans in Kentucky to defeat GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and send President Donald Trump “reinforcements” who pledge to support his agenda. Rallying alongside Ed Gallrein, Massie’s Republican challenger, on

By Kit Maher, Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he will “hold off” on a Tuesday plan to attack Iran, citing a request from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as he said negotiations to end the war grow more “serious.” Trump added

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Two new projects at the White House aim to resolve a common problem: where to park. In one case, the parking spot in question is for Marine One, the green-and-white helicopter whose designated space is on the South Lawn grass. The other is for administration staffers, whose rank can

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to review a sex discrimination case from former NCAA basketball coach MaChelle Joseph, who alleged that Georgia Tech violated federal anti-discrimination laws by providing more resources for the men’s basketball team than for the women’s program. Joseph, who was fired as head coach in

By John Fritze, Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected a series of appeals from several of the nation’s largest drugmakers challenging a program that is expected to save taxpayers and the federal government billions of dollars by requiring the companies to negotiate with Medicare on the prices for some

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Tierney Sneed, Casey Gannon, Paula Reid, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department on Monday announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund to compensate President Donald Trump’s allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by the previous administration. It’s an unprecedented move that would allow the president’s administration to pay

By Arlette Saenz, CNN Milton, Georgia (CNN) — Brian Kemp may not be running for US Senate — but the Georgia governor is campaigning like his name is on the ballot. “I want to win our Senate seat back,” Kemp told voters at a bike and coffee shop here just days ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

By Sunlen Serfaty, Devan Cole, Dugald McConnell, CNN (CNN) — Workers with boots dyed an “American Flag Blue” have painted over about two-thirds of the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, covering the dull gray with bright azure following a directive by President Donald Trump to expedite the pace of the project. Trump earlier this month

By Alayna Treene, Paula Reid, CNN (CNN) — Trump administration officials are considering establishing a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate those who feel they have been unfairly investigated under previous administrations, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. The idea was floated as part of ongoing talks between President Donald Trump’s lawyers and

By Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump met with top members of his national security team over the weekend to discuss the path forward on the Iran war and is expected to meet again with the team early this week, a source familiar with the meeting told CNN. A day after the weekend

By Manu Raju, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Sherrod Brown stood in front of dozens of supporters at a suburban watering hole, talking glowingly about his final day in the US Senate in 2024. Then he caught himself. “Well, I thought it was my last night,” said Brown, eliciting applause in the room. “There are

By Steve Contorno, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — James Blair has six months to defend Republican power in Congress — but first he needed to send a message to his party. Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff, spent weeks plotting to crush a group of Republican lawmakers in Indiana who defied the president’s

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — An all-day prayer event on the National Mall on Sunday — backed by the White House through a mix of taxpayer funds and private donations — marked the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration blurring separation of church and state. The event, dubbed “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy wanted his reelection campaign to be about the “present and the future.” President Donald Trump had other plans. Five years after Cassidy voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment, the senator lost his primary for reelection to a Trump-endorsed challenger – and a

By Lauren Fox, Sarah Ferris, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — The push to secure federal dollars for President Donald Trump’s ballroom security just got more difficult on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats said Saturday the provision that funds Trump’s ballroom in the GOP’s latest budget bill has been deemed out of order by the Senate parliamentarian,

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Amid ongoing foreign policy crises around the globe and as the Trump administration struggles to reach a deal to end the war with Iran, the State Department last week finalized the firings of nearly 250 foreign service officers in a brief, impersonal email. “Your reduction in force separation will

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Spencer Pratt might be a candidate uniquely suited for the moment: An elder millennial with everywhere-all-the-time social media instincts, bluntly spelling out Los Angeles’ challenges with homelessness, crime and mismanagement and laying blame at the feet of its entrenched Democratic establishment. The 42-year-old former reality television star’s willingness to

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, has lost his bid for a third term in a remarkable defeat, after two primary challengers — including one backed by President Donald Trump — finished ahead of him in Saturday’s primary and headed to a runoff for his seat. Rep. Julia Letlow,

By René Marsh, Audrey Ash, CNN (CNN) — A long-abandoned proposal at the Department of Homeland Security – one so ambitious the agency had never gone through with it before – was revived under the leadership of then-Secretary Kristi Noem. Officials spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to buy the department its own fleet

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — The USS Gerald R. Ford, America’s largest and newest aircraft carrier, returned to port in Virginia on Saturday after nearly a year at sea that included participating in the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Iran war, a shipboard fire and repeated plumbing issues. It goes down

By Alayna Treene, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — As Donald Trump grew increasingly frustrated with diplomatic efforts to end the war with Iran, administration officials were closely watching whether the president’s trip to China — a nation with close ties to Tehran — would yield a significant breakthrough. But Trump landed stateside Friday with seemingly

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Friday tossed out an emergency request from Virginia officials to reinstate a congressional map that would have benefited Democrats in this year’s midterm election, a widely expected decision that represented the court’s latest foray into a nationwide redistricting war. The decision thwarts Democratic plans to

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Tina Peters, the Republican former election clerk imprisoned for crimes related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, will receive clemency from Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and soon be released from custody, Polis exclusively told CNN. The decision followed a statement in Peters’ clemency application, obtained

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — It was two years ago when a pregnant teenager first reached out to a Tennessee couple on Instagram who had desperately been trying to adopt a baby for nearly a decade. Their relationship would eventually devolve from designing a nursery over the phone to threats of murder and a

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — The US Justice Department is working to secure criminal charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro, according to sources familiar with the matter. The scope of the investigation is unclear. But federal prosecutors have examined a number of possible charges, including some related to the Cuban military’s

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — US officials suspect Iranian hackers are behind a series of breaches of systems that monitor the amount of fuel in storage tanks serving gas stations in multiple states, according to multiple sources briefed on the activity. The hackers responsible have exploited automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems that were sitting