CNN – US Politics

By Eric Bradner, Eva McKend, Pamela Brown and Allison Gordon, CNN Records that Rep.-elect George Santos‘ campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission show 37 expenditures, on office supplies, hotels, ride-share app Uber, restaurants and more, for the exact same amount: $199.99. Campaign finance experts say those expenditures the New York representative-elect reported stood out

By Dianne Gallagher, CNN The North Carolina Department of Justice announced Friday that there was “not sufficient evidence” to bring charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and his wife, Debra Meadows, over allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election. “My office has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to

By Tami Luhby, CNN Senior citizens and other Social Security recipients will start getting a heftier monthly benefit next month due to an 8.7% annual cost-of-living adjustment aimed at helping them cope with high inflation. The increase, the largest in more than 40 years, will boost retirees’ monthly payments by more than $140 to an

By Eric Bradner, CNN House Democrats are set to release former President Donald Trump’s federal tax returns Friday morning, ushering in a charged new era of presidential oversight. The release comes days before Republicans, who won a majority in November’s midterm elections, take control of the House and begin a series of promised investigations into

By Melanie Zanona, CNN House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has offered a key concession to critics of his bid for the House speakership during private conversations this week: reducing the threshold that is required to force a floor vote on ousting the sitting speaker, according to six Republican sources familiar with the internal discussions. McCarthy

By Nikki Carvajal, CNN President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion federal spending bill that includes a number of administration priorities and officially avoids a government shutdown, ending what he called a “year of historic progress.” “It’ll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, (Violence Against Women Act) funding —

By Gregory Wallace, CNN The US Department of Transportation formally warned Southwest Airlines on Thursday that it will face consequences if it fails to do right by stranded and inconvenienced passengers. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote in a letter to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan that officials will take action against the airline if it does

By Oren Liebermann, CNN A Chinese fighter jet intercepted a US reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea last week and performed an “unsafe maneuver,” forcing the US aircraft to take evasive action, according to Indo-Pacific Command, the command responsible for overseeing US military operations in the region. On December 21, a Chinese Navy J-11

By Kyle Blaine and Em Steck, CNN As Rep.-elect George Santos continues to face scrutiny for false claims the New York Republican has made about his biography, another story is being questioned: that his mother was at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and that the incident played a role in her death.

By Katelyn Polantz, Jeremy Herb and Tierney Sneed, CNN House Democrats’ historic decision to release former President Donald Trump’s tax returns this week is the culmination of a nearly four-year legal battle orchestrated by a little-known government lawyer who rewrote the playbook for congressional investigations. Outgoing House General Counsel Douglas Letter, a 69-year-old government lawyer

By Jennifer Hansler and Jack Forrest, CNN The Biden administration has approved a potential $180 million arms sale to Taiwan amid ongoing tensions between the island and Beijing, the State Department announced Wednesday. The administration informed Congress Wednesday of its approval of the possible sale of vehicle-launched anti-tank munition-laying systems, and related equipment, to the

By Sara Murray, CNN The House January 6 committee is withdrawing its subpoena of former President Donald Trump as it concludes its work. “In light of the imminent end of our investigation, the Select Committee can no longer pursue the specific information covered by the subpoena,” Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, wrote in a

By Annie Grayer, CNN Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland announced on Wednesday that he has a “serious but curable form of cancer” and will begin outpatient treatment. In a statement, Raskin said, “After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form

By Pamela Brown, Carolyn Sung and Jack Forrest, CNN Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating the finances of Rep.-elect George Santos, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The news of the probe, being undertaken by the US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York, comes as the Republican has admitted

By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN Rep.-elect George Santos made additional false claims over the years about his family history, work history and education in campaign appearances over the years, a review of statements made in two of his campaigns for Congress found. CNN’s KFile uncovered more falsehoods from Santos, including claims he was

By CNN The House January 6 committee released another batch of transcripts Tuesday, including two more of its interviews with blockbuster witness Cassidy Hutchinson. The transcripts shed new light on how then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows regularly burned documents during the presidential transition period, according to Hutchinson, a top Meadows aide, who was

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN Hackers accessed the personal data of nearly 270,000 patients in an attempted ransomware attack on a Louisiana health care system in October, a spokesperson for the system told CNN Wednesday. Lake Charles Memorial Health System, which includes a 314-bed hospital, thwarted the hackers’ attempt to encrypt its computers and prevented any

By Veronica Miracle and Paul LeBlanc, CNN The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband entered a second not guilty plea to state charges Wednesday and waived his right to a speedy trial. David DePape — who is charged with a litany of crimes, including assault and attempted murder — made the plea

By Kate Bennett and Kevin Liptak, CNN President Joe Biden this week returns to St. Croix, one of his and first lady Jill Biden’s beloved vacation spots, seeking a final opportunity for rest before what is expected to be a contentious 2023 and reelection run. As Biden unwinds in a familiar spot — the first

By Phil Mattingly, CNN President Joe Biden spent hours during his first foreign trip behind closed doors, attempting to reassure a shaken group of US allies that America was back. It was clear, he later told advisers, just how much work remained to convince them of the durability of that commitment. Eighteen months after those

By Jeremy Herb, Marshall Cohen, Hannah Rabinowitz, Geneva Sands, Veronica Stracqualursi, Kate Sullivan and Kristen Holmes, CNN The January 6 committee released another batch of transcripts Tuesday, including two more of its interviews with blockbuster witness Cassidy Hutchinson and testimony from several other Trump White House officials. The transcripts shed new light on how then-White

By Kate Sullivan and Melanie Zanona, CNN GOP Rep.-elect George Santos is facing growing condemnation from House Democrats, some of whom have called on him to step aside, and even from some corners of the GOP, with at least one of his fellow incoming Republicans calling for him to face an ethics investigation. House GOP

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN Hackers stole data belonging to multiple electric utilities in an October ransomware attack on a US government contractor that handles critical infrastructure projects across the country, according to a memo describing the hack obtained by CNN. Federal officials have closely monitored the incident for any potential broader impact on the US

By Sarah Fortinsky and Shawna Mizelle, CNN Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the House January 6 select committee, said reforming the Electoral College to ensure the presidential winner reflects the outcome of the popular vote would be the next step to safeguard democracy. “The Electoral College now — which has given us five popular-vote

By Noah Gray, CNN Several busloads of migrants were dropped off in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, DC, on Christmas Eve in 18 degree weather late Saturday. An initial two busloads were taken to local shelters, according to an administration official. More buses arrived outside the vice president’s residence later Saturday

By Gregory Clary, Marshall Cohen, Sonnet Swire and Eric Bradner, CNN An Arizona judge on Saturday rejected Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s lawsuit attempting to overturn her defeat, concluding that there wasn’t clear or convincing evidence of misconduct, and affirming the victory of Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs. Lake, who lost to Hobbs by about 17,000

By Brianna Keilar, CNN Twenty-two-month-old Leo hits me playfully with his pillow. “Daddy pillow!” he says proudly. Daddy pillows — or mommy pillows, if it’s mom who’s deployed — are depictions of mom or dad in portable, squeezable and, most importantly, washable form. My kids have one — lots of military kids do — because

By Zachary Cohen, Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz and Marshall Cohen, CNN The story of January 6 has largely focused on a cast of very prominent characters, including former President Donald Trump and members of his inner circle who have become household names, like his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and his White House chief of staff

By Tierney Sneed, Marshall Cohen and Zachary Cohen, CNN In December 2020, after then-Attorney General William Barr publicly refuted President Donald Trump’s claims that the election was rigged, White House staffers drafted a press release that would’ve called for the firing of anyone who disagreed with Trump’s claims, according to a new transcript from the

By Chandelis Duster, CNN Former President Barack Obama stuck to an annual tradition Friday, releasing a list of his favorites for the year of 2022, including movies and books. “I always look forward to sharing my lists of favorite books, movies, and music with all of you,” Obama tweeted. “First up, here are some of

By Evan Perez, Donie O’Sullivan and Brian Fung, CNN Internal Twitter communications released by the company’s new owner and CEO, Elon Musk, are fueling intense scrutiny of the FBI’s efforts alongside social media companies to thwart foreign disinformation in the run-up to the 2020 election. At the heart of the controversy is Twitter’s decision in

By Matt Egan and Maegan Vazquez, CNN As Wall Street and Main Street fret about a potential recession, White House officials are projecting confidence about the economy’s ability to weather the storm in 2023. “We’re feeling cautiously optimistic because we are starting to see some real concrete measurable signs of progress,” Aviva Aron-Dine, deputy director

By Clare Foran and Kristin Wilson, CNN The House voted Friday to pass a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill that would fund critical government operations across federal agencies and provide emergency aid for Ukraine and natural disaster relief. The bill will next go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Government funding is

By Jeremy Herb and Zachary Cohen, CNN The House select committee investigating January 6, 2021, laid out a damning case over 800-plus pages that former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election led to the violence at the US Capitol, documenting the ex-chief executive’s actions for the record and potentially for criminal investigators.

By Zachary Cohen and Katelyn Polantz, CNN The commander of the Washington, DC, National Guard, Major Gen. William Walker, “strongly” considered deploying troops to the US Capitol on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, without approval from his superiors even if it meant he would have to resign the next day, according to the final

By Zachary Cohen, Annie Grayer, Jeremy Herb, Tierney Sneed, Devan Cole, Geneva Sands, Katelyn Polantz and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection recommends barring former President Donald Trump from holding office again. The recommendation is among the conclusions of the panel’s final report, a comprehensive overview of the

By Haley Britzky A coalition of US veterans groups is calling on President Joe Biden to intervene in the case of an Afghan national who fought alongside US forces and is now facing deportation after being detained at the US-Mexico border. Abdul Wasi Safi, called Wasi, was apprehended by US Border Patrol in September after

By Eric Bradner, CNN Maricopa County elections officials pushed back on Republican Kari Lake’s claim of fraud in Arizona’s gubernatorial race in court Thursday, offering new details about printing problems that delayed the counting of some votes. Lake, who lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs by about 17,000 votes in November, sued in an effort to

By Julian Cummings, CNN Republican Rep.-elect George Santos of New York said in a tweet Thursday that he will address questions next week related to the scrutiny that uncovered inconsistencies on parts of his resume and biography as House GOP leadership continues to be silent about the issue. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would not

By Tami Luhby, CNN States would once again be able to terminate residents’ Medicaid coverage if the federal spending bill working its way through Congress becomes law. The legislation would phase out the requirement that prevents states from disenrolling Medicaid recipients as long as the national public health emergency is in effect in exchange for

By Jamie Gangel, Jake Tapper, Jeremy Herb and Elizabeth Stuart, CNN The final straw for former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson with her first attorney, paid through allies of former President Donald Trump, came when he told her to stop cooperating with the January 6 House select committee even if she risked a contempt

By Gregory Krieg, Ethan Cohen and Melissa Holzberg DePalo, CNN Jennifer McClellan has won the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District in the special election to succeed the late Rep. Donald McEachin, the commonwealth’s Democratic Party announced early Thursday morning in a news release, putting her in prime position to become the first Black

By Tierney Sneed Former President Donald Trump asked a federal court on Wednesday to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit, brought under a new state law in New York, that was filed by the ex-magazine columnist who has accused Trump of rape. Trump alleges in the motion to dismiss that the law, the Adult Survivors Act,

By CNN Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a joint meeting of Congress in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, marking his first visit outside of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February. Read his remarks as transcribed by CNN. Dear Americans in all states, cities, and communities, all those who value freedom and justice, who cheer

By Ali Zaslav, Ted Barrett and Clare Foran, CNN The Senate voted Thursday to pass a massive $1.7 trillion government spending bill that will fund critical government operations across federal agencies and provide emergency aid for Ukraine and natural disaster relief. The House must next pass the measure as lawmakers race the clock to avert

By Sonnet Swire and Rashard Rose, CNN Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress “extraordinary,” saying the country’s fight against Russian aggression has “proven that they are a really good investment for the United States.” The speech “connected the struggle of Ukrainian people to our own revolution, to

By Zachary Cohen, Sara Murray, Tierney Sneed and Annie Grayer, CNN The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection released more than 30 witness interview transcripts Wednesday from key figures who aided former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the likes of conservative attorney John Eastman and one-time national