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Ex-FBI informant Smirnov will remain in jail while he awaits trial, judge rules

By Cheri Mossburg and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — A former FBI informant charged with falsely telling his handler that the Bidens accepted multimillion-dollar bribes will remain in jail while he awaits trial, a federal judge ruled Monday. US District Judge Otis Wright said that “there is nothing garden variety” about the criminal case involving former informant

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Exclusive: Key figure in fake electors plot concealed damning posts on secret Twitter account from investigators

CNN By Em Steck, Andrew Kaczynski, Marshall Cohen and Allison Gordon, CNN (CNN) — Kenneth Chesebro, the right-wing attorney who helped devise the Trump campaign’s fake electors plot in 2020, concealed a secret Twitter account from Michigan prosecutors, hiding dozens of damning posts that undercut his statements to investigators about his role in the election subversion scheme,

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Exclusive: Key figure in fake electors plot concealed damning posts on secret Twitter account from investigators

By Em Steck, Andrew Kaczynski, Marshall Cohen and Allison Gordon, CNN (CNN) — Kenneth Chesebro, the right-wing attorney who helped devise the Trump campaign’s fake electors plot in 2020, concealed a secret Twitter account from Michigan prosecutors, hiding dozens of damning posts that undercut his statements to investigators about his role in the election subversion scheme, a

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Arab American Democrats push for ‘uncommitted’ vote in Michigan primary to send message to Biden about Gaza

By Arit John and Dianne Gallagher, CNN Dearborn, Michigan (CNN) — Layla Elabed isn’t ready to think about November. In 2020, the Palestinian American activist and longtime Michigan Democrat backed Joe Biden for president. But like many Arab Americans, she feels betrayed by his response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the rising civilian

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Trump’s plan to use Judge Cannon to block Judge Chutkan and avoid trial

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers see a major opportunity this week to use his criminal document mishandling case in Florida to create an impasse on his calendar for the two federal judges overseeing his major criminal cases. Juggling his campaign and court calendar and playing his cases off one another is a key part of Trump’s legal

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Former consultant for Dean Phillips’ campaign admits to role in fake Biden robocall

By Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — A political consultant previously employed by Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign acknowledged Sunday that he was behind the robocall that used an AI-generated voice of President Joe Biden to urge New Hampshire voters not to participate in the state’s January 23 primary. “The evening of Sunday, January 20th,

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Fact check: Haley falsely claims Biden calls everyone who doesn’t support him fascist

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley falsely claimed on Saturday that President Joe Biden refers to anyone who doesn’t support him as “fascist.” Haley sought to lump Biden with former President Donald Trump, who pledged in a speech last fall to “root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical

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Migrant crisis looms over governors’ gathering at the White House

By Priscilla Alvarez, Camila DeChalus and Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — The record level of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border loomed over a gathering of governors at the White House this weekend, revealing how the issue has become prominent in states nationwide and across the political spectrum. The National Governors Association holds a gathering of governors at the

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First on CNN: Top US humanitarian official to travel to Middle East this week

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The US government’s top humanitarian aid official will travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan this week in an effort to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that is veering into catastrophe. US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power will meet with Israeli, Palestinian Authority and Jordanian

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Trump wins South Carolina primary, as he closes in on the Republican nomination

By Gregory Krieg, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump won South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary Saturday, further tightening his grip on the nomination and leaving his last remaining major rival, Nikki Haley, to consider her dwindling options. The former president has swept all GOP nominating contests to date, first beating the field by large margins in Iowa and

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Trump declares himself a ‘political dissident’ at CPAC, capping a conference catered to conspiracies

By Steve Contorno, Aaron Pellish and Kit Maher, CNN Oxon Hill, Maryland (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump declared himself a “proud political dissident” on Saturday, telling a conservative gathering that his reelection would be “liberation day” for his supporters and “judgement day” for his political enemies. The striking choice of words, delivered in a

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What South Carolina exit polling tells us about Haley’s home-state loss

By Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN (CNN) — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s pitch to her home state’s primary voters – including arguments about her relative fitness for the presidency and her electability in November – largely failed to win over the conservative, MAGA-friendly electorate, according to the results of CNN’s exit poll for South Carolina’s Republican presidential

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RNC circulates resolutions that would slow Trump takeover of party and committee

By Kristen Holmes and Daniel Strauss, CNN (CNN) — As former President Donald Trump seeks to reshape the structure of the Republican National Committee, there are two resolutions circulating within the RNC that would potentially, if passed by members, slow the process down, according to a draft of the resolutions obtained by CNN. The first resolution would

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Wisconsin ethics panel recommends criminal prosecution for a Trump fundraising committee

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — A Wisconsin ethics panel is recommending that local prosecutors pursue criminal charges against one of Donald Trump’s fundraising arms and several other Republican committees that it alleges violated state campaign finance law in an effort to topple a powerful lawmaker who had run afoul of the former president. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission

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2 National Guardsmen killed in military helicopter crash in Mississippi

By Haley Britzky, Sharif Paget and Raja Razek, CNN (CNN) — Two Mississippi National Guardsmen were killed Friday in a military helicopter crash that is under investigation, the Mississippi National Guard said in a news release. The National Guard AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during a “routine training flight” around 2 p.m. near Booneville, Mississippi, according

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Judge formally says Trump owes $454 million in civil fraud case, countdown starts for him to put up the money for appeal

By Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle, CNN (CNN) — A New York judge on Friday formally ordered Donald Trump to pay $454 million, including interest, a move that will give the former president one month to post nearly half a billion dollars to appeal the fraud verdict. Judge Arthur Engoron’s signed judgment was posted to

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Indicted ex-FBI informant’s lawyers may be trying to help him flee the US, judge says

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge in California said Friday that he believes defense attorneys for Alexander Smirnov may be trying to “facilitate his absconding from the United States.” Smirnov, the former FBI informant indicted for lying about President Joe Biden’s family and their alleged dealings in Ukraine, was released from custody by

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Concern grows within Biden administration as Houthis continue attacks despite US strikes

By Natasha Bertrand and Katie Bo Lillis, CNN (CNN) — The Biden administration is struggling to stop the ongoing attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis against ships in the Red Sea and the group is continuing to fortify its weapons stockpile inside Yemen, even though the US has carried out significant strikes on the group in recent weeks, US officials told CNN. “We know

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Trump expresses support for IVF as he calls on Alabama to find solution to issue that has GOP scrambling

By Daniel Strauss and Brian Rokus, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump said Friday that he supports women having access to in vitro fertilization in response to the Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling and called on Alabama lawmakers to “act quickly to find an immediate solution” to keep the procedure available in the state.

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Fulton County DA’s office rejects Trump claims that cell phone data undercuts Georgia prosecutors’ testimony

By Zachary Cohen, Holmes Lybrand, Nick Valencia and Jason Morris, CNN (CNN) — Lawyers representing the Fulton County district attorney’s office are forcefully pushing back on allegations from former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants that cellphone data suggests the relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her top prosecutor in the Georgia

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Blinken says any expansion of West Bank settlements would be inconsistent with international law

By Jennifer Hansler, Haley Britzky and Donald Judd, CNN (CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday declared that any expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank would be inconsistent with international law – reversing a Trump era position that broke with longstanding US policy. “It’s been longstanding US policy, under Republican and Democratic

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GOP lawmakers and candidates race to distance themselves from Alabama court decision

By Lauren Fox, Melanie Zanona and Haley Talbot, CNN A number of congressional Republicans running in 2024 are swiftly distancing themselves from a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling seen as infringing on IVF, the latest obstacle for GOP candidates in the post-Roe era. From House to Senate races, new candidates and incumbents alike are aggressively

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Phillips campaign distances itself from consultant who allegedly commissioned fake Biden robocall

By Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips is distancing itself from a consultant who allegedly commissioned a robocall that used artificial intelligence to impersonate President Joe Biden during the New Hampshire primary election. “I’m disgusted that a consultant hired to assist my campaign with ballot access is alleged

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Biden administration imposes sanctions aimed at Russia on more than 500 targets for Navalny death and ongoing war in Ukraine

By Sam Fossum, Priscilla Alvarez, Kevin Liptak and Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The Biden administration imposed a fresh slate of sanctions on more than 500 targets on Friday in response to the death of Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny and Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions on the eve of Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine mark the latest move by the administration to

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Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens is re-arrested as prosecutors fight to keep him behind bars

CNN By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant indicted for lying about President Joe Biden’s family and their alleged dealings in Ukraine, has been re-arrested in Nevada. Though prosecutors fought to keep him behind bars, Smirnov was released by Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts in Nevada on Tuesday with several conditions, including GPS

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Tim Scott takes center stage in Trump-Haley battle as South Carolina primary approaches

By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump’s campaign released this week a new ad attacking former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley ahead of Saturday’s South Carolina GOP primary. But instead of featuring Trump’s voice, it highlighted attacks against Haley levied by Sen. Tim Scott. The ad, which featured Trump’s most prominent surrogate

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While eyes are on Trump, Supreme Court conservatives prepare to rewrite the rulebook

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Contentious Supreme Court oral arguments this week offered a reminder that while the public focuses on the Donald Trump election cases, the court’s actions this spring will be equally consequential for an array of rules set in Washington governing American life. Supreme Court conservatives are accelerating their moves to overhaul the way

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Democrats say they’ll campaign with Biden – if he’s pitching tangible results for their states

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Democrats in tight races across the country are already dreading and carefully wording their answers to the question of whether they’d campaign alongside President Joe Biden. In CNN’s conversations with two dozen candidates and campaign strategists, the level of enthusiasm was mixed. But even with the president at about 40% job approval in

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US officials combing leaked documents from Chinese tech firm for clues about Chinese hacking campaigns

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — US officials have been scouring a trove of newly leaked documents from a Chinese tech firm for clues on how the government in Beijing allegedly uses the company in extensive hacking campaigns, multiple US cybersecurity officials familiar with the matter told CNN. The Biden administration’s study of the leak is ongoing, but private experts told CNN it offers

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Trump seeks to dismiss Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, citing in part presidential immunity

By Holmes Lybrand and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — In four expansive filings Thursday evening, Donald Trump moved to dismiss the criminal indictment he faces for keeping classified information at his Mar-a-Lago residence, arguing that the charges, as well as the special counsel, lack legitimacy. The filings put forth an array of arguments that go to

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Trump co-defendant asks judge to dismiss charges against him in Mar-a-Lago classified documents case

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Carlos De Oliveira, one of former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants in the classified documents criminal case, asked a judge to dismiss the charges against him Thursday because he had “no clue” what was in the boxes he moved around Mar-a-Lago. Lawyers for De Oliveira, who was the property manager

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Four charged in connection with trying to smuggle Iranian missile components to Houthis

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — Four mariners who were caught by Navy sailors while attempting to deliver Iranian-made missile components to the Houthis are now facing federal charges, according to a new indictment unsealed Thursday. In a nighttime operation last month, the US Navy seized ballistic missile and cruise missile components from a vessel

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Fact check: How House Republicans put now-debunked Biden bribery claim at the center of impeachment push

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — Now that a former FBI informant’s claim about President Joe Biden having supposedly received a bribe from a Ukrainian businessman has been debunked, with ex-informant Alexander Smirnov facing federal charges for lying to the FBI, House Republicans are playing down the importance of the bribery tale to their effort

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Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens is re-arrested as prosecutors fight to keep him behind bars

CNN By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant indicted for lying about President Joe Biden’s family and their alleged dealings in Ukraine, has been re-arrested in Nevada. Though prosecutors fought to keep him behind bars, Smirnov was released by Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts in Nevada on Tuesday with several conditions, including GPS

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Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens is re-arrested as prosecutors fight to keep him behind bars

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant indicted for lying about President Joe Biden’s family and their alleged dealings in Ukraine, has been re-arrested in Nevada. Though prosecutors fought to keep him behind bars, Smirnov was released by Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts in Nevada on Tuesday with several conditions, including GPS monitoring

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Judge rejects Trump’s request to delay finalizing the $355 million civil fraud order

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — The judge overseeing the $355 million civil fraud case has denied Donald Trump’s request to delay the judgment for a month. Judge Arthur Engoron told lawyers for Trump and the New York attorney general of his intentions in an email sent Thursday. Once the judgment is officially entered, it will start the 30-day clock

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Republican congressman says Biden impeachment unlikely but highlighting inquiry will continue ahead of election

By Aaron Pellish and Haley Talbot, CNN GOP Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said Thursday he doesn’t believe impeaching President Joe Biden is likely given House Republicans’ slim majority, but he and other conservative members will continue to push claims of Biden’s wrongdoing to force Biden to “explain this to the people that he wants

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Blinken says US intends to provide $200M for Haiti multinational security support mission

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN Rio de Janeiro (CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced the US intends to provide $200 million to the multinational security support mission in Haiti. Blinken said that funding will go to support the Haitian national police “with planning, with intelligence, with airlift capacity, communications, and medical equipment

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Justice Department announces criminal and civil actions against sanctioned Russian oligarchs

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department on Thursday announced a sweeping set of criminal and civil enforcement actions targeting sanctioned Russian oligarchs and others accused of working to support the Kremlin and its military. The announcement, made by the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, comes days before the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion

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Biden says Republicans in Congress are worse than former segregationist senator

By Shania Shelton and Samantha Waldenberg, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden called out Republicans in Congress as “the party of chaos and division” and said they are “worse” than Strom Thurmond, a former South Carolina senator who ran for president as a segregationist in 1948. “I’ve been a senator since ‘72. I’ve served with real racists. I’ve served

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US Army survey results underline ongoing struggles to combat extremism after Pentagon made it top priority

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — An internal US Army survey illustrates the challenges the military is facing to combat extremism in the ranks even after the Pentagon made it a top priority at the beginning of the Biden administration. The internal survey, carried out last year and obtained by the Project on Government Oversight through a Freedom of Information Act

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Gov. Greg Abbott’s border tactics force Democrats to confront migrant crisis in their own backyards

By Priscilla Alvarez and Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s escalating border tactics have brought the migrant crisis to the doorsteps of Democratic-led cities and states, placing the issue at the forefront in a heated election cycle and forcing Democrats to answer to it. President Joe Biden and Abbott have sparred over

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USDA commission releases final recommendations to remedy discrimination and inequity across agency

By Chandelis Duster, CNN (CNN) — The US Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission presented nearly 70 recommendations Thursday that the agency hopes will “further advance equity at USDA” and help resolve longstanding discriminatory practices, according to a copy of the report obtained by CNN. The commission said the changes outlined in its final report “seek

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Two charged in connection with break-in of Secret Service vehicle used by detail assigned to Biden’s granddaughter

By Adrienne Winston, CNN (CNN) — A 19-year-old Washington, DC, man and a minor have been charged in connection with a break-in last November of a US Secret Service vehicle used by the detail assigned to President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden. The Secret Service arrested Robert Kemp, 19, earlier this month and later also charged the minor. “On Feb. 7,

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