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Donald Trump Jr.’s engagement to Bettina Anderson announced at Trump’s White House holiday party

By Alejandra Jaramillo, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is engaged to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. confirmed to CNN. President Donald Trump announced the engagement on Monday night at a White House holiday party. The announcement brought fresh attention to a relationship that

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Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles says president ‘has an alcoholic’s personality’ and much more in candid interviews

By Kevin Liptak, Alejandra Jaramillo, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — The White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, delivered a series of unusually candid and at times unflattering assessments of President Donald Trump, his second-term agenda and some of his closest allies in a series of wide-ranging interviews with Vanity Fair published Tuesday. Across more

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Trump administration takes its economic message to Pennsylvania again as Vance heads to swing state

By Adam Cancryn, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump bragged to Pennsylvanians last week that he’d delivered an “unbelievable” economy. Now, it’s up to Vice President JD Vance to explain why they’re not yet feeling the benefits. Vance will return to the swing state on Tuesday to tout Trump’s economic agenda, marking the

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Erika Kirk and Candace Owens meet amid an escalating feud over Charlie Kirk’s assassination

By Steve Contorno, Elle Reeve, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, met Monday with podcaster Candace Owens amid an intensifying public feud over Owens’ promotion of conspiracy theories surrounding Kirk’s death. Both women described the meeting as “productive” in social media posts Monday night. Owens wrote

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House Oversight chair offers Clintons new deposition dates in Epstein investigation, threatens contempt if they don’t comply

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — The House Oversight Committee is offering former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton new deposition dates in January as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein – and threatening the possibility of contempt proceedings if they do not comply. In a letter obtained by

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More redistricting bad news for Republicans: Texas may not net five GOP seats like they planned

By Edward Wu, Molly English, CNN (CNN) — The Republican plans to pick off five Democratic-held congressional seats in Texas once seemed like a sure thing. Not anymore. President Donald Trump’s flagging approval ratings, particularly among Latinos, and strong Democratic performance in this year’s special elections have changed both parties’ assumptions. Now, the cushion the

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As DOJ seeks to recharge Comey, judge deprives prosecutors from accessing key evidence for now

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — In a major win for former FBI Director James Comey in the Justice Department’s continued attempts to prosecute him, a judge is depriving federal investigators from accessing central evidence in the case for the foreseeable future. The federal judge’s ruling late Friday says investigators must return electronic data they

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Guardsman wounded in shooting can now breathe on his own as doctors hail ‘miraculous’ recovery

By Brian Todd, CNN (CNN) — More than two weeks after being shot in the head in Washington, DC, National Guard Staff Sargent Andrew Wolfe, 24, is breathing on his own and can stand with assistance, according to MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Those are “important milestones that reflect his strength and determination,” said Dr. Jeffrey

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Democrats celebrated Indiana Republicans refusing to redistrict. They’re still moving ahead with their own push

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — One day after Indiana Republicans decided to forego political gains by rejecting a new US House map, key Democrats made clear Friday they would still aim to redistrict in states their party controls. “Donald Trump launched this unprecedented effort to gerrymander congressional maps all across the country as part

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Justice Department sues Fulton County, Georgia, for 2020 ballot stubs and other election records

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department sued Fulton County, Georgia, on Friday, seeking records related to the 2020 election as efforts continue to prove President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him. In the lawsuit, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division alleges that the Atlanta-area county did not

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Commander in charge of US military operations in the Caribbean retires after clashes with Hegseth over boat strikes

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander of US Southern Command who reportedly clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the legality of US military strikes in the Caribbean, officially retired on Friday in a ceremony in Florida where he handed the reins of the command to his deputy. Holsey thanked

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Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released images from Jeffrey Epstein's email on Friday

New photos released from Epstein’s estate showing Trump, Bannon, Bill Clinton and other high-profile people

CNN By Kaitlan Collins, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate Friday showing the many powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others. Many of the men have

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An excavator works to clear rubble after the demolition of the East Wing of the White House

Historic preservation group sues over Trump’s White House ballroom plans

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The nation’s top historic preservation group is suing the Trump administration to block construction of President Donald Trump’s plans for a massive new White House ballroom until review boards weigh in on the project. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered non-profit tasked with preserving historic buildings,

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Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released images from Jeffrey Epstein's email on Friday

New photos released from Epstein’s estate showing Trump, Bannon, Bill Clinton and other high-profile people

By Kaitlan Collins, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate Friday showing the many powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others. Many of the men have been

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The Justice Department can keep trying to reindict Letitia James, but is it worth the risks?

By Devan Cole, Hannah Rabinowitz, Casey Gannon, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department’s mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James is on life support after a grand jury, for the second time, rejected an indictment that would have revived charges against her. Lindsey Halligan, appointed by President Donald Trump to run the

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‘It’s a black hole’: Civil rights office at Department of Education veers from original mission

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — A little-known civil rights office in the Department of Education that helps resolve complaints from students across the country about discrimination and accommodating disabilities has been gutted by the Trump administration and is now facing a ballooning backlog, a workforce that’s in flux and an unclear mandate. Even those

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Trump announces pardon for Tina Peters, increasing pressure to free her though he can’t erase state charges

By Samantha Waldenberg, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday he is granting Tina Peters a full federal pardon, which is likely to increase the pressure campaign to free the former Colorado clerk from state prison even though he cannot erase her state charges. “Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends an event with supporters

Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody after judge’s ruling

CNN By Priscilla Alvarez, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Thursday afternoon following a federal judge’s order. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia’s release from ICE custody “immediately,” Thursday in a court filing, a significant development in the case concerning the Salvadoran man

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U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly speaks at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on December 1

Navy delivers report to Hegseth on potential of punishment for Sen. Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video

By Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The US Navy has submitted its recommendations on potential punishments, if any, for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over his participation in a video that reminded US troops they have a duty to refuse illegal orders, a Pentagon official told CNN on Thursday. Those recommendations have been submitted to the

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Trump takes steps toward demolishing four federal buildings, preservationist alleges

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — After demolishing the White House’s East Wing, President Donald Trump is now eying four federal buildings for the same treatment and is circumventing a key government agency with his plans, according to a historic preservationist raising the alarm. Mydelle “Mina” Wright, a former senior official at the General Services

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends an event with supporters

Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody after judge’s ruling

By Priscilla Alvarez, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Thursday afternoon following a federal judge’s order. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia’s release from ICE custody “immediately,” Thursday in a court filing, a significant development in the case concerning the El Salvadoran man

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Pentagon did not conduct routine investigation on whether Hegseth damaged national security by sharing strike plans on Signal

By Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon did not conduct a routine investigation into the impact of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s disclosure of sensitive military information in a group chat on Signal earlier this year and whether it damaged national security – in part because Hegseth never authorized it, according to multiple

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Trump’s face will replace images of national parks on some annual passes, environmental group sues to stop change

By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is ruffling more feathers with some fans of America’s national parks — this time by replacing images of the picturesque parks on some annual passes with an image of President Donald Trump’s face. An environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity, is suing the administration

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A divided GOP forges ahead on health care message — without plan to address spiking premiums

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Congressional Republicans are taking a major political gamble this week, laying out a GOP health care agenda that ignores the soon-to-expire enhanced subsidies that help tens of millions of Americans afford Obamacare — despite pleas from some in their own party. Top Republicans didn’t come to the decision easily.

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A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster recovery center in Pasadena

Exclusive: Trump’s FEMA council to recommend dramatic downsizing and overhaul – but not elimination – of the agency

By Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — A task force created by President Donald Trump plans to recommend the most sweeping overhaul of FEMA in decades, dramatically reducing the federal agency’s role in disaster response by cutting its workforce in half and rolling out a new block grant system designed to get aid to communities faster

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President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington

US seizes oil tanker off Venezuelan coast

CNN By Adam Cancryn, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, escalating US pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s regime. “As you probably know we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “Large tanker, very large,

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In CNN interview, Govs. Spencer Cox of Utah and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania condemn political violence

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the rise of political violence during a joint interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, calling on politicians, including President Donald Trump, to help lower the temperature in the country. The two responded on Tuesday to the president’s comments

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President Donald Trump speaks in Mount Pocono

Almost eight years later, Trump confirms he used the phrase ‘shithole countries’

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — It was an international controversy during President Donald Trump’s first term. Media outlets including CNN reported that, at a closed-door January 2018 meeting with senators about immigration policy, Trump had asked why the US should accept immigrants from “shithole countries” such as some in Africa. Trump’s White House spokesperson

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Battleground Republicans clash with hard-liners over Obamacare subsidies as party talks health care strategy

By Sarah Ferris, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — A number of endangered GOP lawmakers on Wednesday privately pressed Republican leaders to address expiring Covid-era health care subsidies — but faced sharp pushback from the right flank of their party. And House Republican leaders remained adamant that they did not support a short-term fix, making it

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3 separate US strikes on alleged drug boats have initially left survivors. Each time they’ve been treated differently

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — As the US military has undertaken a campaign of attacks against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, at least five people have survived initial strikes ending up in the water after explosions killed fellow crew members and disabled their ships. But what happened next

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Maj. Blaine McGraw

Fort Hood doctor accused of sexual misconduct charged with secretly recording his patients

By Haley Britzky, Brianna Keilar, CNN (CNN) — An Army gynecologist accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of his former patients is officially charged with allegedly recording his patients, along with several other related charges, the Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel said Tuesday. Maj. Blaine McGraw, a doctor at Fort Hood, Texas, was charged

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As Trump states Ukraine is losing the war with Russia, officials say the battlefield situation hasn’t changed significantly

By Jim Sciutto, CNN (CNN) — Following President Donald Trump’s claim that Ukraine is “losing” the war against Russia’s ongoing invasion and that Moscow now has the “upper hand,” multiple officials told CNN there are no new US or European assessments suggesting there have been significant changes on the battlefield and they don’t see any

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Senate to vote on GOP health care bill that does not extend expiring Obamacare tax credits

By Morgan Rimmer, Alison Main, Ted Barrett, CNN (CNN) — Majority Leader John Thune announced that the Senate will vote Thursday on a Republican-led alternative to Democrats’ three-year extension of soon-to-expire enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits. Neither bill, however, is expected to get the 60 votes needed to advance. Republicans have accused Democrats of

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Judge says Ghislaine Maxwell court documents can be released as part of the push for information on Jeffrey Epstein

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday granted the Justice Department’s request to unseal records from the investigation and criminal prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell. The ruling from Judge Paul Engelmayer opens the door for the department to publicly release evidence it had gathered against Maxwell, an associate of

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Trump administration quietly builds plans for what would happen if Maduro were ousted in Venezuela

By Kylie Atwood, Alayna Treene, Jennifer Hansler, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Months into a pressure campaign that has seen the US military move thousands of troops and a carrier strike group into the Caribbean and President Donald Trump issue repeated threats against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration is working on day-after plans in the

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Trump’s lawyer pushed for more executive power; Supreme Court justices seem eager to comply

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s lawyer argued on Monday for far-reaching power that would go well beyond his ability to fire officials at the Federal Trade Commission and other independent agencies. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan warned US Solicitor General D. John Sauer, “Once you’re down this road, it’s

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Exclusive: Migrant families paint grim picture of life in Texas ICE detention facility, new court documents show

By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — Immigrant families held at a detention facility in Texas describe prolonged stays, despondent children, limited access to potable water and agents offering money for families to voluntarily leave the country, according to new court declarations filed early Tuesday morning. The filings paint a portrait of the inside

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Judge expands criminal contempt probe over deportation flights, saying Kristi Noem failed to provide answers

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Days after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided little information about her actions in a high-stakes deportation case, a federal judge on Monday expanded his criminal contempt probe into the matter, ordering a top Justice Department attorney to testify under oath about the episode. US District Judge James Boasberg

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Mace voices frustration with House GOP leaders in NYT op-ed, arguing they’re marginalizing rank-and-file members and women

By Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — Republican Rep. Nancy Mace criticized House GOP leaders, arguing they have marginalized rank-and file members, including women, in a New York Times op-ed published Monday. “Speaker Mike Johnson is better than his predecessor. But the frustrations of being a rank-and-file House member are compounded as certain individuals or groups

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Congress will vote on limiting Hegseth’s travel budget unless he releases unedited video of boat strikes

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Tucked into Congress’ massive defense policy bill is a provision that would limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless he provides the House and Senate Armed Services committees with unedited video of US military strikes in the Caribbean. The mandate in the must-pass piece of legislation – known

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Lindsey Halligan in the Oval Office

Bondi says judges are engaging in an ‘unconscionable campaign of bias’ against Lindsey Halligan

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Attorney General Pam Bondi denounced federal judges in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday, saying that they had launched an “unconscionable campaign of bias and hostility” against Lindsey Halligan, who was recently stripped of her US attorney title. The statement from Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, posted on X,

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