Politics

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The US’ top general made a secret, rushed visit to US Central Command headquarters in Florida late last month to be briefed in person on plans for the US military to send ground troops into Iran to forcibly seize its highly enriched uranium, the key component necessary

By Katie Bo Lillis, CNN (CNN) — In what is expected to be among her final acts as the nation’s top spymaster, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has rescinded a pair of Biden-era intelligence assessments that took a skeptical position on the existence of a mysterious ailment known as “Havana Syndrome” that has sickened

By Katelyn Polantz, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Friday said she doesn’t believe President Donald Trump’s plan for a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” is fully dead, and issued an order indefinitely blocking the proposal. Judge Leonie Brinkema in the Eastern District of Virginia said she has decided to block the fund

By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — A growing number of Hill Republicans say they are frustrated with President Donald Trump’s ever-changing strategy in Iran — dangling a ground invasion one day, touting progress in peace talks the next — in a conflict many fear will cost them their majority this fall. Hours after

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Alabama from executing a man using nitrogen hypoxia, a relatively new method of carrying out the death penalty that experts say causes “air hunger” and that a federal court ruled violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. As is often

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — After President Donald Trump unveiled his signature Trump Accounts earlier this year, child welfare advocates realized it would be challenging, if not impossible, for one eligible group of children to access the IRA-style savings accounts. The accounts must be opened by an “authorized individual,” who is most typically a

By Betsy Klein, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Friday denied a last-minute effort by the Kennedy Center to avoid pulling President Donald Trump’s name off the historic performing arts venue while its appeals play out. Late Thursday, the center asked US District Judge Casey Cooper to pause a ruling he issued

By Jake Tapper, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — A group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors came out in opposition to Todd Blanche’s nomination as President Donald Trump’s permanent attorney general, citing his participation in secret White House meetings on how to contain the political fallout from the Epstein files. In a new statement obtained by CNN,

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extolled the virtues of the Ultimate Fighting Championship as being intrinsically American, likening its creation to putting the first man on the moon. In remarks that at times took on the tone of a campaign speech, Rubio commended the convening power of mixed

By Adam Cancryn, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be his next director of national intelligence. “Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth

CNN By Haley Britzky, Pamela Brown, Davis Winkie, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon was locked down and partially evacuated on Thursday due to a false alarm by a hazardous materials sensor, two sources familiar told CNN. Multiple floors and corridors inside the building had been locked down and others were evacuated due to

By Michael Williams, CNN Washington (CNN) — The numbers “8647” — a phrase generally used to signal opposition to President Donald Trump — appeared etched into the grass on the National Mall on Thursday, days before massive crowds are expected in the area for a UFC match on Trump’s birthday on Sunday. Live webcam images

By Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck, CNN (CNN) — Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon is facing new scrutiny from congressional Democrats over his reported effort to retain the bank’s top lawyer months after she said she would resign over revelations about her ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter sent Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth

CNN By Haley Britzky, Pamela Brown, Davis Winkie, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon was locked down and partially evacuated on Thursday due to a false alarm by a hazardous materials sensor, two sources familiar told CNN. Multiple floors and corridors inside the building had been locked down and others were evacuated due to

By Haley Britzky, Pamela Brown, Davis Winkie, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon was locked down and partially evacuated on Thursday due to a false alarm by a hazardous materials sensor, two sources familiar told CNN. Multiple floors and corridors inside the building had been locked down and others were evacuated due to a

CNN By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Building a televised sporting event accommodating more than 100,000 people without any existing arena infrastructure is a massive production. Doing so at the White House adds significant logistical complications. Court documents submitted by the Trump administration on Wednesday show the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events scheduled this week

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has billed the “Great American State Fair” as a patriotic World’s Fair featuring pavilions created by every US state and territory – but several US states will not participate. Officials from Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina and Connecticut told CNN they declined an invitation

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has spent days heavily promoting the finished renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, crediting the president with making Washington, DC, look “better than ever.” But a day after the reservoir was filled post renovations, there was already quite a bit of algae visible from the

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Building a televised sporting event accommodating more than 100,000 people without any existing arena infrastructure is a massive production. Doing so at the White House adds significant logistical complications. Court documents submitted by the Trump administration on Wednesday show the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events scheduled this week and

By Tierney Sneed, Paula Reid, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — When President Donald Trump made claims of Democratic vote-rigging in the Los Angeles election, his top appointed prosecutor in the city took to the cameras to validate those beliefs while hinting his office may never be able prove that kind of grand conspiracy. The Justice

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance suggested last summer that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson should interview Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to clear the president’s name, a new book reveals. The suggestion from the vice president came during a Situation Room meeting of top administration officials on July 17,

By Tierney Sneed, Jeremy Herb, Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — State election officials could soon face a stark choice: Hand over voter lists to the Trump administration or risk losing Postal Service delivery for mail-in ballots. That dilemma stems from newly proposed USPS rules that seek to comply with an executive order President Donald Trump

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Ripple effects from the war in Iran are threatening millions more of the most vulnerable people with crisis levels of hunger or worse, World Food Programme (WFP) acting Executive Director Carl Skau told CNN. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up the cost of fuel exponentially,

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Graham Platner was all but certain to win Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday. But the swirl of controversies over Platner’s past personal behavior had raised a slew of questions about the outcome: Would there be a significant number of protest votes lodged for Gov. Janet Mills, whose name

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is urging a federal judge to reject a bid to stop an upcoming UFC fight at the White House, arguing that a lawsuit from two Virginia residents against the event was brought too late to justify judicial intervention now. Justice Department lawyers told US District Judge

By Kristen Holmes, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump indicated to House Speaker Mike Johnson during a meeting Tuesday that he wouldn’t back down on his decision to elevate Bill Pulte to acting director of national intelligence, despite threats from Democrats to let a key surveillance power lapse over the appointment, two sources

By Kaanita Iyer, Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the November election in California’s gubernatorial race, CNN’s Decision Desk projects. Hilton, a former Fox News host who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, will face former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat. Hilton and Becerra were among a

By Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — As President Donald Trump prepares to host a UFC fight at the White House this week, his family is promoting a venture aimed at profiting off the spectacle by selling gold coins priced as high as $12,000. The “Freedom 250”-themed silver and gold medallions feature Trump’s face and are

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Some grand jurors in Chicago told the Justice Department in October they were skeptical of a proposed indictment of six Democratic politicians and activists who had protested outside a federal immigration detention center outside Chicago, according to newly released transcripts of the October grand jury sessions. “Do you have

By Sarah Ferris, Dugald McConnell, CNN (CNN) — House Republicans on Tuesday sent a $70 billion immigration enforcement package to President Donald Trump’s desk, ending a months-long fight that exposed major cracks in the party. The move will now fully fund the Department of Homeland Security — specifically, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The Southern Poverty Law Center’s interim president and CEO faced tough questions from Republican lawmakers during a hearing Tuesday over the organization’s former program of running informants in racist groups. The hearing comes as the group faces criminal charges over the program, including allegations that it misused donor money

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Chicks are flocking to the vice presidential residence. Vice President JD Vance and his family are welcoming a dozen chickens to their growing brood, installing a new custom coop at the US Naval Observatory. And while the coop might look like it belongs on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Waco,

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump made this claim Tuesday morning about gasoline prices: “If you notice, the price is not very high, relatively speaking. I mean, it’s lower than during the Biden administration.” Referring to the war with Iran, Trump also told reporters that the price of gas is “lower during

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — Earlier this year, Ishant Jawali, a 16-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, was scrolling on Instagram when he stumbled upon a little-known way to win money for college: The Trump administration was putting on a national civics contest for America’s 250th birthday. He signed up, becoming one

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Tens of millions of retirees and other Americans could see smaller monthly Social Security checks in six years if lawmakers don’t act to shore up the program’s finances, according to an annual report released Tuesday by Social Security’s trustees. Social Security’s retirement trust fund — which helps support payments

By Terence Burlij, Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Primaries in four states on Tuesday will offer clues about how much tolerance voters have for candidates embroiled in controversies, while testing President Donald Trump’s sway in a crowded Republican primary and setting up a key race for governor in one of the country’s premier presidential battleground

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance, who leads the White House anti-fraud task force, has referred allegations of complicity surrounding fraud in Minnesota, including against Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation. The criminal referral stems from a House Oversight Committee

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Nithya Raman will advance to the November election in the Los Angeles mayoral race after overtaking Spencer Pratt for second place as more votes were counted in the days after the June 2 primary. Raman will face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who CNN projected on election night would advance

CNN By Kit Maher, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has formally tapped acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to take on the top law enforcement job on a more permanent basis, sending his nomination to the Senate on Monday. Blanche – formerly one of Trump’s personal lawyers – would succeed Pam Bondi, who

By Kit Maher, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has formally tapped acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to take on the top law enforcement job on a more permanent basis, sending his nomination to the Senate on Monday. Blanche – formerly one of Trump’s personal lawyers – would succeed Pam Bondi, who was

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — The Kennedy Center website logo no longer includes “Trump” after a federal judge ruled President Donald Trump’s name had to be removed from the institution’s branding. For now, the large lettering on the building’s facade still features “Donald J. Trump.” But the Kennedy Center’s general counsel said in a

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Monday voided President Donald Trump’s requirement of a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas, ruling that he lacked authority to impose the new policy for a program used by companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers in specialized fields. US District Judge Leo Sorokin said

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon has updated its list of verified religious affiliations for service members used in HR systems and removed the “Christian” designation from several faiths after facing backlash over the weekend that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not designated as Christian. A list shared online

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department announced Monday that it will move to revoke citizenship from 17 people nationwide, marking the latest move in the Trump administration’s unprecedented push to target naturalized citizens. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, his administration has doubled down on its denaturalization campaign, targeting foreign-born American

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump told a bunch of lies before he abruptly walked out of an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” One of them was about what he had promised Americans about war. While discussing the Iran war Trump started this year, NBC anchor Kristen Welker pressed

By Ethan Cohen, Jennifer Agiesta, CNN (CNN) — Nithya Raman pulled ahead of former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the race for the second spot in the November election for Los Angeles mayor after a vote update Sunday evening. Raman, a city councilmember, won about 40% of the nearly 48,000 votes Los Angeles County

By Aileen Graef, Julia Benbrook, CNN (CNN) — Two Virginia residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the UFC fight President Donald Trump is holding at the White House as part of celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday. The lawsuit, filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of a Vietnam War veteran

By Manu Raju, Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — It was three days before the filing deadline when Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan learned of an eleventh-hour Republican challenger in his high-stakes reelection race. The challenger’s name: Dan J. Sullivan. Sen. Sullivan says it’s not a joke. The two-term Republican incumbent, and the GOP’s Senate campaign arm,

CNN By Manu Raju, Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — It was three days before the filing deadline when Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan learned of an eleventh-hour Republican challenger in his high-stakes reelection race. The challenger’s name: Dan J. Sullivan. Sen. Sullivan says it’s not a joke. The two-term Republican incumbent, and the GOP’s Senate campaign

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump uses a lot of fictional statistics. He usually deploys them with a breezy confidence. At an event in Wisconsin on Friday, though, he made a statistical claim that sounded so clearly dubious that he wondered aloud where it had come from. “And we’ve also had huge

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — A Los Angeles-based Justice Department official late Friday debunked a baseless claim of a discrepancy in the vote count of the city’s mayoral race that has circulated on social media. The claim, which has been pushed by several right-wing figures on X, including billionaire Elon Musk, alleges a vote-count

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Millions of sick Americans could have a tougher time retaining — or even signing up for — Medicaid coverage after the first-ever federal work requirement begins in January in most states. That’s because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a new rule this week that takes a

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — After two weeks of turmoil at the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois, the acting attorney general has jumped in to publicly defend his leader on the ground in Chicago, Andrew Boutros. Boutros, an ambitious, boastful, longtime line prosecutor-turned-defense attorney in a city filled with storied

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — For the better part of four decades, a member of the Bush family held office somewhere in the United States, a run that seemed to end in 2023 when former Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush left office. But Jonathan Bush, running for governor of Maine, hopes to restore

By Sarah Ferris, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump remains the clear leader of the Republican party. Yet his grip is weakening among Republicans on Capitol Hill who’ve grown frustrated by what they view as increasingly brazen decisions in his second term. Republicans are still on track to muscle through a top party

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday said President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch” less than two miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport would likely pose no risks to air travel but recommended red obstruction lights be added. The FAA released a feasibility study concluding that the arch

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, will advance to the November election in California’s governor’s race, CNN’s Decision Desk projects. It’s not yet clear who he’ll face. Becerra’s advancement guarantees a Democrat will be in the general election after some feared that their wide field

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (CNN) — As President Donald Trump took his seat Friday for a roundtable conversation on agriculture, speaking beneath a green sign with a giant slogan, “Fighting for American Farmers,” he quickly moved on to other matters on his mind. “We’re very proud of Washington,” Trump said. “We had

By Eric Bradner, Patrick Svitek, Jeff Simon, Danny Freeman, CNN Portland, Maine (CNN) — Graham Platner is still likely to win Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination in Tuesday’s primary — but some voters in the state who once were excited by his campaign now say they’ll hold their noses while casting their ballots after a series

By Tierney Sneed, Ethan Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department sent one of its attorneys to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles Friday morning, the county’s elections office told CNN, after President Donald Trump claimed earlier this week the US Attorney’s office there was investigating the vote counting. A spokesperson for the county registrar-recorder

By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Thursday said he could not explain why a former girlfriend was describing his controversial chest tattoo as a Nazi symbol months before he said he learned of its meaning. Appearing on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” Platner was asked about text

By Devan Cole, Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department told two federal judges on Friday that cases challenging President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund” are moot because the administration has abandoned the program. The filings represent the first time the Trump administration has said in writing that it was no longer pursuing the fund,

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s push to construct a massive ballroom at the White House without congressional approval was sharply questioned by a federal appeals court on Friday during a high-stakes hearing in a case testing the president’s power. The two-hour-long hearing before a three-judge panel of the US DC Circuit

By Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The chief of staff for Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican, was charged Wednesday with bringing a firearm into the US Capitol complex, according to court documents obtained by CNN. Luis Angel Vega appeared in DC Superior Court Friday on the charges, which stem from

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge struck down a series of Trump administration policies targeting asylum seekers and immigrants seeking benefits in a scathing court ruling Friday. Last year, the administration indefinitely suspended asylum adjudications and froze immigration applications for people who fell under the travel ban, among other measures, leaving millions

By Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — A former senior CIA official whose case made headlines after FBI agents found over $40 million in gold bars in his Virginia home will remain in prison pending a trial in the case, a federal judge ruled Friday. During Friday’s detention hearing for David Rush, who allegedly

By Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Before he was announced as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US intelligence community, Bill Pulte did not have a security clearance granting him access to highly-classified information – meaning he lacked what has long been considered a basic prerequisite for the job he

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s demands for sensitive medical records of transgender minors are facing fresh scrutiny in court as it ramps up its efforts by using a grand jury in Texas to force providers of gender-affirming care to comply. The initial use of so-called administrative subpoenas to get the information

By Sarah Ferris, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — More than a dozen GOP lawmakers defied their own leadership — and President Donald Trump — by voting with Democrats to approve a major bill to deliver billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine while imposing steep sanctions on Russia. The House voted 226 to 195 to

By Andrew Kaczynski, Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing allegations of unsettling and in at least one case physically threatening behavior toward women he dated, according to a report published Thursday by The New York Times. The report, which is based on interviews with six women who previously

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as it seeks to further ratchet up pressure on the government in Havana. The sanctions also target former President Raul Castro’s son and grandson, Díaz-Canel’s wife and stepson, as well as the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed

By Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that a new walkway will be built connecting the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, to the Potomac River. “We’re going to call it the promenade,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “They want to call it the Trump Promenade,” the president said. “But

By Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is vetting a first-term health official to lead the Food and Drug Administration who has criticized vaccine policies championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Dr. Norman “Ned” Sharpless, who ran the National Cancer Institute during President Donald Trump’s first

By Alejandra Jaramillo, Mark Morales, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is planning to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on Monday at Madison Square Garden. If he does attend, he’d be the first sitting US president to watch an NBA

By Brian Todd, Sean Lyngaas, Jim Sciutto, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — When a fire burned aboard the world’s biggest aircraft carrier in March as it took part in operations against Iran, the US Navy released a short statement saying the blaze had been “contained,” that two sailors had received medical treatment for “non-life-threatening injuries”

By Betsy Klein, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Kennedy Center’s general counsel ordered staff on Thursday to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the building by June 12, according to a memo obtained by CNN, in order to comply with a recent court order. Staff were also instructed to immediately update some Kennedy Center

By Annie Grayer, MJ Lee, Paula Reid, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, was responsible for overseeing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, former Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a closed-door interview with lawmakers last month. According to a transcript of her interview

By Sarah Ferris, Ted Barrett, Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans overcame deep internal divisions to pass a massive $70 billion immigration enforcement package early Friday, delivering a major political win to President Donald Trump after weeks of struggling to pass the bill. The bill – which funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement

By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Hours after President Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche to permanently lead the DOJ, the top Senate Republican could not say whether Blanche could survive a nomination fight on Capitol Hill. Asked about whether Blanche would have difficulty being confirmed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was

By Katelyn Polantz, Kaitlan Collins, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser-turned-adversary, has reached a plea deal over mishandling sensitive national security information, according to three sources familiar with the matter. He intends to plead guilty to one felony count of illegal retention of sensitive national security information,

By Annie Grayer, Nicky Robertson, CNN (CNN) — House Oversight Chair James Comer and other Republican lawmakers are calling on the Justice Department to investigate allegations involving two men accused of sexually abusing Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant, according to a letter provided first to CNN. The new pressure from the Republican lawmakers stems from testimony the panel received last month from the assistant, Sarah

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is fighting back against states that refuse to aid his immigration agenda after a wave of court losses, with a series of new lawsuits that tee up untested legal questions about the power of state and federal governments. The Justice Department last week filed four lawsuits

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that wipes away civil service protections from roughly 8,000 high-level federal workers by making them at-will employees. The move is the president’s latest effort to overhaul the federal workforce, which he views as an impediment to carrying out his policies.

By Ethan Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The high-profile primary for California governor remains too early to call. Three candidates, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, remain in the race for two slots in the general election. Hilton continues to lead the pack following the first set of post-election night results, but

By Kristen Holmes, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump announced at a private dinner at the White House Wednesday night he will nominate Todd Blanche to be attorney general. Trump adviser Dan Scavino posted a video on X of Trump announcing the decision at the dinner in the Rose Garden. “Tomorrow I’m instructing

By Camila DeChalus, Sarah Ferris, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — The House passed a resolution on Wednesday to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran, a significant rebuke to Trump and his handling of the conflict. Democrats have repeatedly forced votes to limit Trump’s war powers in both the House and the Senate –

By Lauren Fox and Morgan Leason, CNN (CNN) — Republican lawmakers blasted a homophobic post that appeared on GOP Rep. Andy Ogles’ X account on Tuesday, saying it was “gross,” “disgusting,” a distraction and had no place in their party. Ogles has said that a staffer was to blame for posting on his X account,

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — Another softball interview. Another series of obvious lies from the president. President Donald Trump’s conversation with conservative New York Post columnist and podcaster Miranda Devine, released on Wednesday morning, featured some of Trump’s longest-debunked false claims about elections, the economy and immigration. As with his inaccurate comments in a

By Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — One of the key sticking points remaining in negotiations between the US and Iran centers on monetary compensation, as President Donald Trump is eager to strike a deal that will be viewed as superior to a prior agreement inked during the Obama administration, a US official familiar

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Alabama has repeatedly come to the US Supreme Court to defend a racially discriminatory congressional map, asserting dubious claims and employing questionable tactics. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against Alabama. Late Tuesday night, the emboldened conservative majority did the opposite, endorsing a state plan that

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans have formally removed funding for President Donald Trump’s ballroom security as part of their sprawling immigration funding package, according to revised legislative text released Wednesday. The decision to drop the ballroom funding, which had sparked significant debate among lawmakers, is not a complete surprise, though it is

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump suggested that the UFC lighting grid, known as “The Claw,” will stay on the White House South Lawn well beyond the fight there later this month. In a video on TikTok posted Tuesday, Trump compared the structure to the Eiffel Tower, which was supposed to be

By Sarah Ferris, Aileen Graef, Alison Main, Manu Raju, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump declined to commit to permanently scrapping a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund on Wednesday, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins he still considered the controversial initiative “a beautiful thing” The comments inject fresh uncertainty into the Senate’s effort to pass $70

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court is facing an extraordinary showdown with Donald Trump as the justices scramble to finish nearly two dozen opinions before the end of the month — with a president who will lash out if any decisions don’t go his way. Pending decisions on executive power, immigration, mail

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — California’s elections are never quite over on Election Day, and this year is no different. The state’s big population and its universal vote-by-mail system add to the time it takes to count the large volume of ballots counties will receive. In the 2024 general election, for instance, mail ballots

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Adam Hamawy, a retired US Army combat surgeon and sharp Israel critic, will win the crowded Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects. Hamawy led a field of roughly a dozen Democrats, including some state and local elected officials, in the solidly blue seat

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Spencer Pratt has spent months waging a guerilla campaign against incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, riding the buzz generated by AI-generated videos, viral moments and some big-name supporters as he seeks to capitalize on dissatisfaction with the way the city is being run. He may now have five

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Alabama to use a congressional map that will benefit Republicans in this year’s midterm elections, permitting the state to ditch one of two House districts represented by a Black member of Congress who is also a Democrat. The court dealt with the case