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Rep. Thomas Massie questions  Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday.

5 takeaways from Pam Bondi’s fiery testimony

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday was some of the tensest and most combative testimony we’ve seen to date from a Trump Cabinet official.

Bondi came into the hearing with the administration and DOJ facing a series of problems, including their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the newly reported failed indictments of six Democratic lawmakers, and the killing of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

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Three House Republicans cross party lines to block effort to shield Trump from challenges to his tariffs

By Veronica Stracqualursi, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Speaker Mike Johnson failed to reinstate a ban on lawmakers’ ability to challenge President Donald Trump’s tariffs when three Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democrats. The House sank a procedural vote on Tuesday that contained language blocking votes in the chamber that object to Trump’s

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Grand jury declines to indict Democratic lawmakers who urged service members to disobey illegal Trump orders

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — A federal grand jury on Tuesday declined to indict Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey any illegal orders from the Trump administration, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department’s case focused on a

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Justice Department un-redacts more names in Epstein files after pressure from lawmakers

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department on Monday un-redacted more names in the Jeffrey Epstein files after pressure from lawmakers who reviewed unredacted versions of several records. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, said the Justice Department had previously redacted the identities of several people

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Takeaways from a tense House hearing with Trump immigration officials

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — With the Trump administration’s mass deportation push under intense scrutiny, the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services faced tough questions during a congressional committee hearing on Tuesday. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott and USCIS Director

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach

Trump told police in mid 2000s ‘everyone has known’ about Epstein’s misconduct

By Samantha Waldenberg, Kevin Liptak, Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — Shortly after the law enforcement investigation into Jeffrey Epstein became public in the mid-2000s, Donald Trump called the Palm Beach, Florida, Police Department to express gratitude, according to a newly released document. “Thank goodness you’re stopping him,” Trump said, according to the document. “Everyone has

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Judges are regularly threatening contempt charges against the DOJ in immigration cases

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — In some two dozen cases stemming from President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota that CNN has reviewed, federal judges appointed to the bench by Democrats and Republicans have had to use terms like “contempt” and “noncompliance” to get the government’s attention to respond to court orders. To date,

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Judge gives Trump administration more time to unfreeze billions in funding for NY tunnel project

By Piper HudspethBlackburn, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration will need to unfreeze more than $16 billion earmarked for a major New York infrastructure project by Thursday unless a federal appeals court allows the government to continue withholding the funds, a federal judge ruled Monday. Judge Jeannette Vargas in the Southern District of New York

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As pressure mounted to release Epstein files, FBI employees compiled allegations against other men

By Michael Williams, Aileen Graef, CNN (CNN) — As the Justice Department faced mounting pressure to release the Epstein files last year, FBI employees were compiling what one described as “salacious” allegations against men in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit and putting together a presentation that included a list of “prominent names” in the investigative files. The

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Federal judge blocks California’s law enforcement mask ban

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge in California on Monday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on most law enforcement officers from wearing masks during operations. US District Judge Christina Snyder in Los Angeles granted the Trump administration’s request for a preliminary injunction, finding that the ban “unlawfully discriminates”

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Classified hearing erupted in frustration as officials refused to say whether Trump wants to renew powerful surveillance law

By Evan Perez, Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — For two hours inside a classified Congressional hearing last week, Republican and Democrat Senators grew increasingly exasperated as officials from the FBI, the National Security Agency and other agencies refused to say whether the Trump administration wants Congress to renew a powerful foreign surveillance law that is

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Trump calls Olympic skier ‘real loser’ after athlete expresses ‘mixed emotions’ representing the US

By Kit Maher, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump called Olympic skier Hunter Hess a “real loser” on Sunday after the athlete expressed “mixed emotions representing the US right now” in the Winter Olympic Games. “U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,”

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US plans inaugural meeting of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as questions remain over group’s mandate

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is planning its first meeting of the “Board of Peace” this month in Washington, according to a US official and a diplomat from an invited country, as the multinational organization tasked with resolving global conflicts faces lingering questions about its broader mission. The US sent invites

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A rift between Trump’s favorite lawyers exposes a broader MAGA divide in the administration

By Paula Reid, Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — A rift between two of President Donald Trump’s favorite prosecutors came to a head at the start of the year, when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal lawyer, removed MAGA firebrand Ed Martin from a key post investigating the president’s political enemies.

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Appeals court greenlights Trump admin policy of detaining undocumented immigrants without opportunity to seek release

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A divided federal appeals court on Friday ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s policy of detaining millions of undocumented immigrants, even those who have been living in the US for decades, without the opportunity to challenge their detention, handing President Donald Trump a major win as he seeks

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States’ mistrust of Trump’s fraud crusade could hinder fight against foreign influence in elections, federal officials fear

By Sean Lyngaas, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — State and local election administrators’ growing suspicion of the Trump administration’s motives has triggered concerns among some federal officials that distrust of even routine moves by the FBI could hinder cooperation with states and give an opening for US adversaries trying to influence elections. An FBI official

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Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama appear on stage on the second night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on August 20

Trump shares racist video depicting Obamas as apes on Truth Social, then removes it amid bipartisan outrage

CNN By Adam Cancryn, Alayna Treene, Alejandra Jaramillo, Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump shared a racist video on his social media platform Thursday night that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, then removed it hours later amid bipartisan outrage, including from a

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Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama appear on stage on the second night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on August 20

Trump won’t apologize for sharing since-deleted racist video depicting Obamas as apes on Truth Social

By Kevin Liptak, Adam Cancryn, Alayna Treene, Alejandra Jaramillo, Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump refused to apologize Friday after posting and then deleting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, insisting he hadn’t seen the final frames containing the offensive

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Voting booths at Public School 160 in the Brooklyn borough of New York

Fact check: Trump repeats lies about inflation, immigration and elections in NBC interview

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — When President Donald Trump claimed to NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas in a Wednesday interview that “I’m getting – starting to get great polls on the economy,” Llamas quickly pushed back by noting that Trump’s polling on the economy is “not great.” Trump immediately backed off his assertion, retreating to

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Celebrity coaches and video applications: Here’s what we’re learning about Trump’s ‘Patriot Games’

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is planning to match teen competitors with celebrity coaches for the televised “Patriot Games” athletic contest, one of the events marking the United States’ 250th anniversary. A spokesperson for Freedom 250, the non-profit group leading the administration’s celebrations, provided new details to CNN after President

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Justice Department under scrutiny for revealing victim info and concealing possible enablers in Epstein files

By Jeremy Herb, MJ Lee, Nicky Robertson, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department failed to black out identifying information about many of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and redacted the details of individuals who may have aided the convicted sex offender, prompting an outcry from survivors who accuse DOJ of botching the release of more than 3

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What does Tulsi Gabbard’s job as director of national intelligence have to do with elections?

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — After intense criticism from some election officials after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during an FBI search of an elections office in Georgia last week, Gabbard defended her actions by pointing to a slew of intelligence laws and policies. “My presence was requested by the President

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Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard’s office obtained and tested voting machines in Puerto Rico

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence obtained voting machines from Puerto Rico and probed them for security vulnerabilities, the office said in a statement to CNN Wednesday. The extraordinary move comes amid Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s broader search for voter fraud at the behest of

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Melania Trump referenced her documentary at a White House event with former hostages. She says it’s ‘not promotion’

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — One of the more emotional moments in first lady Melania Trump’s new documentary comes when she meets Aviva Siegel, a former hostage held by Hamas who’s advocating for the release of her husband, in January 2025. On Wednesday, Trump welcomed the couple to the White House, and told observers

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Judge to Trump lawyers trying to move hush money appeal to federal court: ‘You sought two bites at the apple’

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge was skeptical of President Donald Trump’s argument to try to move the appeal of his hush money conviction to federal court — after lawyers already took their shot in two other courts. Judge Alvin Hellerstein suggested Trump’s attorneys missed their chance by first taking the US

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Whistleblower complaint centers on sharing of classified intelligence and reporting of a potential crime, watchdog says

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — A complaint filed last year by a US intelligence community whistleblower that is now being scrutinized by lawmakers includes claims that the distribution of a highly classified intelligence report had been “restricted for political purposes” and that an intelligence agency lawyer had failed to report a potential crime to

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Trump admin attorney leaves Minnesota after telling judge her job ‘sucks’ amid crush of immigration cases

By Devan Cole, Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorney detailed to Minnesota to help handle the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities has been removed from her post after telling a judge that the job “sucks” because of the crushing workload and the government’s apparent inability

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White House "border czar" Tom Homan speaks during a press conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis

DHS withdrawing 700 personnel in Minnesota “immediately,” border czar says

By Michael Williams, Jennifer Sherwood and Rebekah Riess Minneapolis (CNN) — White House border czar Tom Homan on Wednesday announced that the Department of Homeland Security would be withdrawing 700 personnel from Minneapolis “effective immediately.” Roughly 3,000 DHS personnel had been deployed to Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge, the immigration crackdown that began

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Justice Department review found Trump ally Ed Martin improperly leaked grand jury material in probe of president’s foes

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Paula Reid, CNN (CNN) — A Justice Department review found that Ed Martin improperly handled grand jury materials that were part of an investigation targeting Donald Trump’s political enemies, at least two sources familiar with the review told CNN. It was at least part of the reason Martin was pushed

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Trump wants Republicans to ‘nationalize’ US elections. The Constitution might get in the way

By Marshall Cohen, Michael Williams, CNN Washington, DC (CNN) — A wide array of election experts say President Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to “nationalize the voting” is an alarming and potentially dangerous escalation of his continued efforts to transform how US elections are administered. Trump’s remarks were notable both for their ambiguity and for

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Sen. Mark Kelly takes his seat during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill

Judge appears likely to side with Mark Kelly in case challenging Pentagon’s efforts to punish him over ‘illegal orders’ video

CNN By Devan Cole, Austin Culpepper, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge appears likely to side with Mark Kelly in the Democratic senator’s case alleging the Pentagon is violating his First Amendment rights through its effort to punish him over his urging of US service members to refuse illegal orders. During a high-stakes hearing in

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Judge appears likely to side with Mark Kelly in case challenging Pentagon’s efforts to punish him over ‘illegal orders’ video

By Devan Cole, Austin Culpepper, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge appears likely to side with Mark Kelly in the Democratic senator’s case alleging the Pentagon is violating his First Amendment rights through its effort to punish him over his urging of US service members to refuse illegal orders. During a high-stakes hearing in Washington,

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US carrier shoots down Iranian drone as tensions escalate and diplomatic talks hit a snag

By Natasha Bertrand, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — A US aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively approached” the ship in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday hours before two gunboats operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to

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Madeleine Albright Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at the life of former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Personal Birth date: May 15, 1937 Death date: March 23, 2022 Birth place: Prague, Czechoslovakia Birth name: Marie Jana Korbelova Father: Josef Korbel, diplomat Mother: Mandula Korbel Marriage: Joseph Albright (1959-1983, divorced) Children: Katharine, Anne

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Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick walk on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on March 14

There are many famous names in the Epstein files

CNN By Zachary B. Wolf, Michael Williams, Austin Culpepper, CNN (CNN) — The major headlines from the latest dump of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein focus on President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the former Prince Andrew, among others. And rightly so. Those names are sprinkled

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The Kennedy Center in Washington DC

Trump hints at dramatic Kennedy Center renovations that will leave steel ‘fully exposed’

By Betsy Klein, Kristen Holmes, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the Kennedy Center’s two-year renovation project could be dramatic — a demolition effort short of a complete teardown, but one so severe that it would leave the Washington building’s steel “fully exposed.” A source close to the center said

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Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign roiled as he denies referring to ex-rival as ‘mediocre Black man’

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — With now just a month to go until Election Day, the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas has become so fraught that a TikToker’s accusations have roiled the race and prompted a major endorsement in the backlash. The incident started Sunday night when Morgan Thompson posted a video

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Committee Chairman James Comer

Clintons agree to in-person depositions in 11th-hour offer to avoid contempt vote in Jeffrey Epstein investigation

CNN By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to appear for in-person depositions in Washington, DC, in the congressional Jeffrey Epstein probe, caving in hopes of avoiding a looming House contempt of Congress vote. It was not immediately clear whether the last-minute acquiescence would work, as GOP leaders indicated Tuesday

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