Politics

By Annie Grayer, CNN Washington (CNN) — A high-ranking Internal Revenue Service official has disputed claims by a whistleblower whose allegations about political interference into the Hunter Biden tax investigation are central to House Republican impeachment inquiries against President Joe Biden. In closed-door testimony obtained by CNN, IRS Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf told

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A federal magistrate judge has denied Hunter Biden’s request to appear virtually for his first court hearing in the federal gun case against him and set his arraignment for October 3. The initial court appearance and arraignment for President Joe Biden’s son will be before Magistrate Judge Christopher J.

By Manu Raju, Haley Talbot and Melanie Zanona, CNN (CNN) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy, facing growing unrest in the GOP conference, is moving on a new plan to keep the government open for another month – but he is again encountering resistance from conservative hardliners who are threatening to derail the effort and oust him

By Zachary Cohen and Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has revealed parts of her trial strategy for the Georgia election subversion case in a new court filing Wednesday that identified some of her key witnesses. Pro-Donald Trump lawyer Lin Wood is a “witness for the state” in the Georgia

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon is launching a new outreach campaign to help LGBTQ service members who feel they “suffered an error or injustice” before the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy to correct their military records. “For decades, our LGBTQ+ service members were forced to hide or were prevented

By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — The Biden administration on Wednesday announced new competitive grants totaling $4.6 billion that states, cities and tribes can apply for to reduce the planet-warming pollution that is fueling the climate crisis. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will be managed through the Environmental Protection Agency, is a second

CNN By Jack Forrest, CNN (CNN) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the five Americans freed this week from Iranian detention were released with “purely humanitarian motives.” “There was an opportunity for this exchange to take place. And this exchange was, as I said, prompted by purely humanitarian motives, and I do think that the

By Morgan Rimmer and Shania Shelton, CNN (CNN) — Nearly every Senate Republican signed a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday asking him to continue enforcing the Senate’s previous, more formal unwritten dress code. Axios reported earlier this week that Schumer recently asked the Senate sergeant-at-arms to no longer enforce the

By Ella Nilsen and Donald Judd, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden’s administration will launch the first-ever American Climate Corps Wednesday, the White House said, a workforce training and service initiative aimed at preparing American youth for jobs in clean energy and climate resilience. “The American Climate Corps, just in its first year of recruitment,

By Betsy Klein and Donald Judd, CNN (CNN) — US President Joe Biden extended a delayed invitation to Washington to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday as they leaned into their four-decade friendship and highlighted areas of common ground Wednesday, but also discussed the issues that have divided them at a long-anticipated meeting in

By Steve Contorno, Kit Maher and Jessica Dean, CNN (CNN) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday shared a vision for America’s energy sector, leading with a pledge to unravel President Joe Biden’s ongoing efforts to fight climate change while dismissing threats from intensifying weather events as “fear tactics.” Speaking in Midland, Texas, the Republican

By Daniel Strauss, Kate Sullivan and Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump is shifting gears as the Iowa caucuses draw closer, taking a more active approach to campaigning in the Hawkeye State in order to quash any possibility that one of his primary rivals could catch up to him there. At the same time,

By Marshall Cohen Atlanta (CNN) — Fulton County prosecutors pushed back against what they called “borderline offensive” claims that their 2020 election subversion case was fueled by anti-Donald Trump bias at a court hearing Wednesday for three indicted fake GOP electors. “That’s an accusation that, 100%, the state rejects,” prosecutor Anna Cross said, adding that

By Donald Judd and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — The White House issued a stark warning Wednesday that a looming government shutdown could threaten crucial federal programs, blasting “extreme House Republicans” as lawmakers struggle to reach consensus on a funding plan. “While President Biden has been in New York this week showcasing America’s global

By Jedd Rosche and Christopher Hickey, CNN House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is overseeing one of the narrowest congressional majorities in decades – tied with two other time periods for the fifth-smallest majority in US history, according to the Pew Research Center. With control of 221 seats, McCarthy’s party controls just 9 more seats than Democrats’

By Jeremy Herb and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Attorney General Merrick Garland forcefully rebuked congressional Republicans who have accused the Justice Department of political bias as he opened a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday. “I am not the president’s lawyer,” Garland said in his opening statement. “I will also add

By Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and a group of his fellow GOP senators are plotting a new tactic to break the Senate’s gridlock on stalled military nominees: they may force a procedural vote on the Marine Corps commandant nominee, in a breach of Senate protocol.

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — All hope is not dead for Donald Trump’s Republican rivals, but anyone seeking to emerge as a genuine challenger must soon begin to coalesce opposition to the ex-president to slow his chase toward a third straight GOP nomination. A new CNN/SSRS poll showing the ex-president’s big lead

CNN By Alexandra Meeks, CNN (CNN) — A Danish artist received $76,000 from a museum to create two works of art, but instead submitted blank canvases entitled “Take the Money and Run.” The bold move has reignited debate about the value of conceptual art after a court ruled this week that the artist must return

By Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to share his peace plans publicly if the former US president has a way to end the war between Ukraine and Russia – but the Ukrainian president cautioned in an interview Tuesday that any peace plan where Ukraine gives up territory would be unacceptable.

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges, he said in a court filing Tuesday. He is also asking for his initial court appearance to be held remotely. In a letter to Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke, attorney Abbe Lowell said Hunter Biden

By Arlette Saenz (CNN) — Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House senior adviser Gene Sperling are no longer deploying to Detroit this week, a White House official said, and instead will engage with United Auto Workers leadership and the automakers from Washington, DC. Sperling and Su had previously planned on traveling to Detroit

By Danny Freeman, CNN (CNN) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that the state will now automatically register eligible Pennsylvanians to vote when they obtain or renew identification cards and driver licenses. “I’m committed to ensuring free and fair elections that allow every eligible voter to make their voice heard,” the Democratic governor said

By Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Some swing district Republican lawmakers are signaling they could cross the aisle and work with Democrats to try to avert or shorten a looming government shutdown, as the House GOP conference struggles to coalesce around a negotiated spending bill of their own that would fund the government for a

By Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — US military aid and training for Ukrainian forces could be disrupted in the event of a US government shutdown, a Pentagon spokesperson warned on Tuesday. The Pentagon will still be able to access equipment from its own stockpiles, which is where the majority of equipment sent

By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — Apoorva Ramaswamy, wife of Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, said she does not regret taking the Covid-19 vaccine, breaking with her husband on a central issue of the biotech entrepreneur’s outsider campaign thus far. Ramaswamy, a throat cancer surgeon at Ohio State University, told NBC News that said she

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Ray Epps, who became the focus of right-wing conspiracy theories that law enforcement coerced Trump supporters into storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, has been charged with a single misdemeanor related to the riot. Federal prosecutors filed the charge – disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds

By Annie Grayer and Jeremy Herb, CNN Washington (CNN) — New testimony from a number of FBI and Internal Revenue Service officials casts doubt on key claims from an IRS whistleblower who alleges there was political interference in the federal criminal investigation of Hunter Biden’s taxes. According to transcripts provided to CNN, several FBI and

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — House Republicans are taking their next official steps in their impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden by preparing a hearing and subpoenas to members of the Biden family, as well as scheduling the first hearing in the investigation for September 28. A committee spokesperson told CNN that the hearing

By David Goldman, CNN New York (CNN) — The head of the United Auto Workers union is publicly denouncing former President Donald Trump ahead of his visit next week to Detroit as part of a plea to current and former union members. “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand, CNN Washington (CNN) — A federal judge on Tuesday upheld two federal convictions against a Navy veteran and Oath Keeper associate accused of helping the far-right group stash weapons outside Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021. In November, Thomas Caldwell – who was tried along with leaders of the

CNN By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Five Americans freed from Iranian detention this week returned to US soil early Tuesday following an initial stop in Doha, Qatar, two US officials told CNN. Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi, along with two Americans who have not been publicly named arrived at Fort Belvoir’s Davison

By Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden took harsh aim at Donald Trump as “determined to destroy democracy” at a campaign fundraiser Monday, launching some of his fiercest condemnation to date of his predecessor in a preview of next year’s election rematch. Biden also sought to rebut chronic questions

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Five Americans freed from Iranian detention this week returned to US soil early Tuesday following an initial stop in Doha, Qatar, two US officials told CNN. Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi, along with two Americans who have not been publicly named arrived at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army

By Betsy Klein, Kayla Tausche and Kevin Liptak, CNN New York (CNN) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday made a forceful call for the world to stand up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling for leaders to stand firm in their support of President Volodymyr Zelensky and his nation as the war heads toward its

By Katelyn Polantz, Senior Reporter, Crime and Justice (CNN) — A law firm that represented Rudy Giuliani during recent years of investigations and lawsuits is now suing him for more than $1.3 million in unpaid legal fees, as the former New York City mayor is facing growing bills related to fallout for his actions around

By Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump drew condemnation Monday after sharing, during celebrations of the Jewish New Year, a flier on his Truth Social platform asserting that liberal Jews who did not support him “voted to destroy America & Israel.” The flier that Trump shared on Truth Social on Sunday evening

CNN By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — Donald Trump is testing the resilience of his evangelical support in Iowa, a key constituency that could solidify – or slow – his march to the Republican presidential nomination. The former president’s latest comments on abortion, in which he called Florida’s six-week

By Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A New York Supreme Court judge ruled that 2018 communications with adult film star Stormy Daniels should not sideline defense attorney Joe Tacopina from representing former President Donald Trump in his criminal trial related to an alleged hush money scheme to silence Daniels. Daniels’ communications

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — The Marine Corps ordered a pause in flight operations following three crashes in the last six weeks, including Sunday’s incident in which an F-35B fighter jet went missing after the pilot ejected. The pause, ordered by Acting Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith, will last two days,

CNN By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, describing the Republican majority’s actions as “student government” in an interview with CNN. Still, Newsom told CNN’s Dana Bash on Monday that he doesn’t “love” the use of family

By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — Donald Trump is testing the resilience of his evangelical support in Iowa, a key constituency that could solidify – or slow – his march to the Republican presidential nomination. The former president’s latest comments on abortion, in which he called Florida’s six-week ban

By Devan Cole, CNN Washington (CNN) — Indiana’s Republican attorney general is facing three professional ethics charges stemming from public statements he made last year about a state doctor he sought to punish for providing abortion services to a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim. In a 56-page complaint filed Monday with Indiana’s Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission,

By Melanie Zanona, Haley Talbot and Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Tensions are flaring inside the House Republican conference as it barrels toward a government shutdown, with the infighting spilling out into public view and growing increasingly nasty. “This is stupidity,” New York Rep. Mike Lawler said of GOP hardliners’ demands on spending, prompting the

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — A Colorado judge said Monday she hopes to decide by Thanksgiving whether the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding office means former President Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on the state’s presidential ballot in 2024. Judge Sarah Wallace made the comments at a hearing in

By Shawna Mizelle, CNN Washington (CNN) — The release on Monday of the Americans who were wrongfully detained in Iran ends a years-long saga that included lengthy detentions in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, which is known for its long record of human rights abuses. Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi are among the five

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Hunter Biden’s attorneys are seeking to have his initial court appearance handled remotely over a video link, a federal judge said Monday. A federal magistrate judge asked prosecutors and defense attorneys to weigh in by Wednesday about how to handle the initial appearance for Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s

By Kristen Holmes and Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump will skip the second Republican presidential primary debate in California next week and instead will travel to Detroit to deliver a speech to an audience that will include current and former union members, according to a source familiar with his plans. His

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, describing the Republican majority’s actions as “student government” in an interview with CNN. Still, Newsom told CNN’s Dana Bash on Monday that he doesn’t “love” the use of family connections

By Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he is not ready to abandon the short-term government funding deal negotiated by members of the House Freedom Caucus and Main Street Caucus, despite warnings from multiple conservative members that they will oppose the deal. “Have they read it? One thing I always

By Kyle Feldscher and Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Iranian government now has access to $6 billion of their funds to be used for humanitarian purposes as a part of a wider deal that allowed five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran to go free. The money – which had been held in

CNN By Kyle Feldscher and Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Iranian government now has access to $6 billion of their funds to be used for humanitarian purposes as a part of a wider deal that allowed five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran to go free. The money – which had been held

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has long been a pointed critic of former President Donald Trump’s conduct on a January 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump told numerous lies about supposed election fraud and pressured Raffensperger to somehow “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in

By Melanie Zanona, CNN (CNN) — In 2020, every single Republican who flipped a Democratic House seat was either a woman, veteran or minority. Now, House Republicans are looking to replicate that same playbook in 2024 – when Donald Trump could once again be at the top of the ticket. GOP officials have put a

By Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump plans to ramp up his campaign in Iowa over the next several weeks as he looks to solidify his lead over GOP 2024 field in the state that will hold the first presidential nominating contest, according to a Trump campaign spokesperson.  Trump plans to make

By Marshall Cohen, Katelyn Polantz and Devan Cole, CNN Atlanta (CNN) — A federal judge was skeptical Monday of former Trump-era Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark’s efforts to move his Georgia election subversion case to federal court. The case stems from Clark’s efforts to use his senior role at the Justice Department to help former

CNN Opinion by Peter Bergen, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s note: Peter Bergen is CNN’s national security analyst, a vice president at New America, a professor of practice at Arizona State University and the host of the Audible podcast “In the Room With Peter Bergen,” also on Apple and Spotify. Bergen is on the advisory council

By Jennifer Hansler, Mostafa Salem, Becky Anderson and Rob Picheta, CNN Doha and Washington (CNN) — Five Americans freed from Iranian detention on Monday are on their way back to the United States after initially stopping in Doha, Qatar, according to a US official and a source familiar with the matter. The five, all of

By Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump acknowledged in a new interview that, despite receiving counsel from multiple people that the 2020 election was not stolen, he pushed ahead anyway with his false claims to try and overturn the results. The comments to NBC’s “Meet the Press” directly address a central premise

CNN By Jennifer Hansler, Mostafa Salem, Becky Anderson and Rob Picheta, CNN Doha and Washington (CNN) — Five Americans freed from Iranian detention on Monday are on their way back to the United States after initially stopping in Doha, Qatar, according to a US official and a source familiar with the matter. The five, all

CNN By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Hunter Biden sued the Internal Revenue Service on Monday, alleging its agents illegally released his tax information and that the agency failed to protect his private records. President Joe Biden’s son alleges the IRS unlawfully disclosed his tax return information and did not establish safeguards to ensure the

CNN By Jennifer Hansler, Mostafa Salem, Becky Anderson and Rob Picheta, CNN Doha and Washington (CNN) — Five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran have been freed and are on a flight out of the country, a senior Biden administration official and a Qatari official briefed on the matter told CNN, as part of

CNN, POOL, FOX NEWS, HOUSE TV, ABC’S THIS WEEK By Melanie Zanona and Lauren Fox, CNN Washington (CNN) — House Republicans are moving ahead with a plan to temporarily fund the government while beefing up border security – a proposal that is dead on arrival in the Senate and even faces difficulties in the House,

By Melanie Zanona and Lauren Fox, CNN Washington (CNN) — House Republicans are moving ahead with a plan to temporarily fund the government while beefing up border security – a proposal that is dead on arrival in the Senate and could even face difficulties in the House, raising the likelihood of a government shutdown at

CNN By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump, who paved the way for the undoing of federal abortion rights protections, said that some Republicans “speak very inarticulately” about the issue and have pursued “terrible” state-level restrictions that could alienate much of the country. While avoiding taking specific positions himself, Trump said in

CNN By Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump said that he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but that it was his decision to push the false claim he won the presidency and try to overturn the results. “It was my decision, but I listened to some people,”

By Veronica Stracqualursi, Ebony Davis and Kit Maher, CNN Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — With roughly four months until the Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential hopefuls spent Saturday courting the state’s conservative evangelical activists, an influential voting bloc in the Hawkeye State. Nearly all the major GOP candidates spoke at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s

CNN, KTRK By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN (CNN) — Today is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day — a time to commemorate the signing of the US Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Take a little time today to familiarize yourself with the Constitution and reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

By Kayla Tausche, CNN (CNN) — Senior White House aides huddled multiple times this week to discuss policy options to keep a lid on gasoline prices, officials told CNN, as prices continued rising steadily in recent weeks amid strong economic demand, refinery issues, extreme weather, and geopolitical tensions. In the meetings – which included national

By Jessica Dean and Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist and longtime supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis, approached the Florida Republican in July with a frank suggestion: Talk more about yourself. More specifically, talk more about your military service. “I literally said, ‘Why haven’t you told anybody,’” Iarossi said. “He kind of

By Whitney Wild and Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Assembly has voted to change how the state’s legislative maps are drawn – a major shift in strategy as Republicans face the possibility that the new liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court could throw out the current electoral maps, which give

CNN By Katelyn Polantz and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Justice Department prosecutors want US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to reel in Donald Trump’s public statements in the federal 2020 election interference case against him, asking her to place a court order limiting what he can say, according to a newly released filing. The request

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The North Carolina man who live-streamed threats in 2021 to detonate alleged explosives in his truck parked on a sidewalk blocks from the US Capitol was sentenced to five years probation Friday after a judge found the man had been suffering from a significant psychiatric episode at the time.

By Katelyn Polantz and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Justice Department prosecutors want US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to reel in Donald Trump’s public statements in the federal 2020 election interference case against him, asking her to place a court order limiting what he can say, according to a newly released filing. The request for

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The senior US general for the Middle East has ordered additional interviews be conducted regarding the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 13 US service members during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US military announced Friday. The additional interviews are the result of an internal

CNN By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden remains focused on his work after a week that saw the launch of an impeachment inquiry and the indictment of his son, according to aides, even as the developments pose new challenges heading into next year’s campaign. Hunter Biden was indicted Thursday by special counsel

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden remains focused on his work after a week that saw the launch of an impeachment inquiry and the indictment of his son, according to aides, even as the developments pose new challenges heading into next year’s campaign. Hunter Biden was indicted Thursday by special counsel David

By Donald Judd (CNN) — President Joe Biden next week will hold his first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the Israeli leader came back into office. Biden will meet Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington later in the week.

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump made false claims about a variety of people and subjects, notably including Florida governor and Republican presidential primary rival Ron DeSantis, in an interview this week with conservative host Megyn Kelly. Trump claimed that Florida under DeSantis “sort of had a mandate” on Covid-19

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday implored Americans to “own even the darkest parts of our past” in a speech commemorating 60 years since the deadly 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. “History is also our best teacher. Yes, our past is filled with too much violence, too

By Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer and Haley Talbot, CNN (CNN) — A chaotic week on Capitol Hill yielded no serious progress as Congress stares down a spending deadline at the end of the month with lawmakers acknowledging a government shutdown is not only possible at this point, but may soon be inevitable. That’s particularly true

By Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz and Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Twitter turned over at least 32 direct messages from former President Donald Trump’s account – @realDonaldTrump – to special counsel Jack Smith earlier this year as part of the federal election subversion investigation, according to newly unsealed court filings. In seeking the messages, prosecutors

By Gregory Krieg, Daniel Strauss and Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Republican Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund executive and Gulf War veteran, is expected to launch a second bid for US Senate in Pennsylvania, according to two sources familiar with his plans, seeking to challenge three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey more than a year

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s political fate is now in the hands of the state Senate, which began private deliberations in Paxton’s impeachment trial just before noon Central time Friday after House impeachment managers and the attorney general’s defense attorneys delivered their closing arguments. It’s not yet clear when

By Lauren del Valle, CNN (CNN) — Three men were acquitted Friday on all charges against them in connection to allegations that they were involved in a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Eric Molitor, William Null and Michael Null were each acquitted on one count of providing material support for a terrorist

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — The presidential campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will clash out in the open and behind closed doors on Friday as their fight for the future of the GOP intensifies. The two leading presidential candidates are expected in Washington, D.C., for a pair of

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on more than two dozen Iranian individuals and entities tied to the violent suppression of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini one year ago. The new sanctions are the latest tranche in response to Tehran’s brutal crackdown on the protestors who

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden on Friday called on major American automakers to improve their offer to workers as a strike of the United Auto Workers poses a political and economic test for the White House. Speaking as walkouts began at three plants in the Midwest, Biden said he “respected” workers’

By Katie Bo Lillis and Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — China appears to have suspended its surveillance balloon program following a major diplomatic incident earlier this year, when one of the country’s high-altitude spy balloons transited the United States, multiple sources familiar with US intelligence assessments told CNN. US officials believe that Chinese leaders have

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith argued against Donald Trump’s request that US District Judge Tanya Chutkan recuse herself from the federal election subversion case against the former president, saying in a new filing that Trump had taken the judge’s comments in Capitol rioter cases “out of context in order to

CNN By Kit Maher and Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Donald Trump for claiming he doesn’t know who gave Dr. Anthony Fauci a presidential commendation that the former president awarded him. “It literally says President Trump awards commendation. Is this the immaculate commendation or something like that? Did this just

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A New York state appellate court judge has put the civil fraud trial involving the New York attorney general’s office and former President Donald Trump on temporary hold, raising questions about whether the trial will begin next month as planned, according to three people familiar with the court ruling.

CNN By Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Facing renewed threats to his speakership, Kevin McCarthy is making a strategic bet: his critics don’t have the votes to oust him – and if they do, he’ll grind it out on the floor again as he did back in January. The speaker

CNN By Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he discussed pardoning himself in the final days of his presidency but dismissed the option to do so. “I could’ve pardoned myself. Do you know what? I was given an option to pardon myself. I could’ve pardoned myself when I left.

By Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he discussed pardoning himself in the final days of his presidency but dismissed the option to do so. “I could’ve pardoned myself. Do you know what? I was given an option to pardon myself. I could’ve pardoned myself when I left. People

By Kit Maher and Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Donald Trump for claiming he doesn’t know who gave Dr. Anthony Fauci a presidential commendation that the former president awarded him. “It literally says President Trump awards commendation. Is this the immaculate commendation or something like that? Did this just happen