Politics

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN The United States is “cautiously optimistic” that there will be an agreement to allow humanitarian aid to get into Sudan, a top State Department official said Wednesday amid ongoing talks between the warring Sudanese military factions. However, the US is also prepared to apply economic pressure to the parties “depending upon

By Sydney Kashiwagi, Devon Sayers and Rebekah Riess, CNN Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill Wednesday out of the state’s Republican-controlled state legislature that aims to enhance school safety across the state following the deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville earlier this year. The March shooting claimed the lives of three

By CNN staff The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed 13 federal charges against Rep. George Santos and the New York Republican is in custody, a spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York said. Santos has been charged on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public

By Nikki Carvajal and Katie Lobosco, CNN When President Joe Biden speaks at a community college in New York on Wednesday, he’s expected to hit Republicans hard for budget cuts they are demanding as part of their bill to raise the debt ceiling. Many of the programs Biden will warn about aren’t actually singled out

By Kristen Holmes, CNN Former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign is pursuing a strategy of expanding his appeal by reaching out to audiences beyond friendly conservative media outlets, multiple advisers familiar with the strategy said, including a CNN town hall this week. The town hall event in New Hampshire Wednesday evening, Trump’s first appearance on

By Arlette Saenz, CNN President Joe Biden took his case for raising the debt ceiling without conditions on the road to Valhalla, New York, Wednesday as he seeks to ramp up the public pressure campaign on lawmakers with the threat of default — and potential economic catastrophe — just over three weeks away. In his

By Haley Britzky, CNN Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote a letter strongly criticizing an ongoing hold on senior military promotions and nominations in the Senate led by Republican lawmakers, saying it would create a “perilous precedent” for the military and impose “unconscionable” burdens on military families. The letter, sent on May 5 in response to

By Kevin Dotson and Jack Forrest, CNN The Georgia Bulldogs football team declined an invitation to visit the White House next month to celebrate their second consecutive national championship, according to a statement from the University of Georgia Athletic Association. “The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation for the Bulldog football

By Morgan Rimmer Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California has returned to the Capitol after an extended absence while recovering from shingles. Feinstein, 89, issued a statement Wednesday saying she has been advised by her doctors to work a “lighter schedule.” “Even though I’ve made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I’m

By Betsy Klein, CNN President Joe Biden will travel to Papua New Guinea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific region this month, the White House announced Tuesday, marking the first visit of a sitting US president to the Pacific country. The visit will take place between stops in Japan and Australia, according to White House

By Ariane de Vogue, Shawna Mizelle, Lauren Fox and Tierney Sneed, CNN Harlan Crow, the GOP megadonor who paid for luxury travel for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, declined to answer questions raised by a key Democratic senator who is examining whether those trips and a private real estate deal could have triggered violations of

By Maegan Vazquez, CNN President Joe Biden and top congressional leadership will meet again on Friday after they emerged from their hour-long meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday with little to show that they’re moving toward a deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default that would have catastrophic economic consequences. House

By Lauren del Valle, CNN E. Jean Carroll has prevailed in her civil trial against Donald Trump with a federal jury finding the former president liable for battery and defamation and awarding the writer $5 million. The panel in a Manhattan federal courtroom considered Carroll’s allegations that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman lingerie

By Tami Luhby, CNN Two new analyses are backing Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s forecast that the nation could default on its debt — and unleash economic chaos — as soon as early June if Congress doesn’t act. The projections, which are roughly in line with those issued last week by Yellen and the Congressional Budget

By Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky, CNN The US has announced a $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine intended to “bolster its air defenses” and “sustain its artillery ammunition needs,” with Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces looming. The package includes 155mm artillery rounds, additional air defense systems and munitions, and drone ammunition, as well as

By Manu Raju, CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell should be brimming with confidence. Republicans are in the driver’s seat to take the Senate majority: with 23 seats held by Democrats, compared to just 11 for Republicans. There are likely just two GOP incumbents whose seats Democrats may try to flip —

By Katie Lobosco, CNN Nearly 610,000 student loan borrowers have received debt relief from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program since October 2021, when the Biden administration temporarily expanded eligibility. The program promises to wipe away remaining federal student loan debt after an eligible government or nonprofit worker makes 10 years of monthly payments. Another

By Lauren del Valle, CNN E. Jean Carroll‘s civil battery and defamation trial against Donald Trump neared a close Monday with closing arguments as her attorney told a federal jury in New York that no one is above the law, while Trump’s lawyer said not to hold any negative feelings about the former president against

By Alayna Treene House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul is threatening to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress over his panel’s investigation into the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a letter the Texas Republican sent him Friday, a copy of which was obtained by CNN. The letter, the latest escalation

By Jack Forrest and Sam Fossum, CNN President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday will announce a proposal for a new rule that would examine mandating airlines to compensate and cover expenses for customers facing “controllable airline cancellations” or delays, according to a White House official. “When an airline causes a flight

By Kara Scannell, CNN Former President Donald Trump will not testify in the E. Jean Carroll civil battery and defamation trial after his attorney did not inform the court of any change in strategy before a judge-imposed deadline of 5 p.m. Sunday. While attorneys for Carroll and Trump rested their respective cases in the trial

By Kyle Blaine, CNN Ron DeSantis grappled with how not to “piss off” then-President Donald Trump’s voters during 2018 debate preparation sessions in his first campaign for Florida governor, according to videos obtained by ABC News. In the videos, which have not been independently reviewed by CNN, the then-congressman can be seen talking through how

By Alayna Treene, CNN The House will vote on Republicans’ wide-ranging border security package on Thursday — the same day the Covid-era Title 42 policy that has enabled the US to swiftly expel certain migrants is set to expire, GOP leadership sources told CNN. The bill, known as HR 2, would codify some of the

By Aileen Graef, CNN Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said Sunday that “everything is on the table” as the panel scrutinizes new ethics concerns around Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. “The bottom line is this: Everything is on the table. Day after day, week after week, more and more disclosures about Justice Thomas — we

By Haley Britzky, CNN About 2,100 Afghan refugees remain held in a sprawling compound in the United Arab Emirates more than 18 months after they were evacuated from Afghanistan largely by private groups working with the State Department. They are what’s left of as many as 20,000 Afghans who were hastily relocated to the camp

By Jasmine Wright, CNN President Joe Biden is expected to deliver the commencement speech at Howard University this month, a historically Black university in Washington. The commencement is scheduled for May 13. The White House confirmed to CNN that Biden will also give the keynote address at the United States Air Force Academy’s commencement in

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN Prosecutors asked a federal judge Friday to sentence Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes to 25 years in prison — the government’s first sentencing request for a person convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot. The Justice Department’s request provides insight — for the first time

By Paula Reid and Devan Cole, CNN The White House initially reacted with anxiety toward a decision by Hunter Biden’s lawyer to pursue an aggressive legal strategy against increasing Republican attacks on him, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Much of the tension centered around Kevin Morris, the lawyer, bringing on attorney Abbe Lowell,

By Sara Murray and Jason Morris, CNN At least eight of the Republican “fake electors” in Georgia have accepted immunity deals in an ongoing criminal investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election there, according to a new court filing. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had previously notified

By Oren Liebermann, CNN The Pentagon has begun implementing a law that requires they provide mental health services for troops seeking help after a delay of more than a year. On Friday, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert Cisneros signed a policy to implement the Brandon Act, requiring the military services to

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN A watchdog group is asking federal election regulators to investigate whether Republican Herschel Walker violated campaign finance laws during his unsuccessful 2022 US Senate bid in Georgia. The complaint, filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, includes emails published earlier this

By Sara Murray, Annie Grayer and Jeremy Diamond, CNN House Oversight Chairman James Comer is once again taking aim at President Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents, demanding a transcribed interview and documents from former White House Counsel Dana Remus, the committee announced Friday. “The Committee has learned that you were a central figure in

By Jason Morris and Sydney Kashiwagi, CNN Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed legislation Friday that will create an oversight commission with the power to remove local prosecutors and district attorneys from their jobs. The measure has been heavily criticized by Democrats, including an Atlanta-area DA, who is seriously weighing charges in connection with

By Katie Lobosco, CNN President Joe Biden’s one-time student loan forgiveness program remains blocked by federal courts, but there are other ways to get debt relief. Some government workers, nonprofit employees and teachers may qualify for federal student debt cancellation. The Department of Education also wipes away student debt for permanently disabled borrowers and those

By Kara Scannell, Dan Berman and Nicki Brown, CNN The video deposition of Donald Trump played before the jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil battery and defamation trial was made public Friday, showing the former president discussing the accusations against him, the “Access Hollywood” tape and the Russia “hoax.” In the video, Trump confirms

By Tierney Sneed, CNN The US Supreme Court on Friday put on hold the execution of Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate whose capital conviction the state attorney general has said he could no longer support. The latest round of litigation was brought to the Supreme Court by Glossip, with the support of the

By Kit Maher and Steve Contorno, CNN Throughout this year’s session, the Republican-controlled Florida legislature has pushed through several pieces of legislation that are considered big policy wins for GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. As the session came to a close Friday — and as the countdown for DeSantis to jump into the 2024 presidential race

By Allie Malloy, CNN President Joe Biden will not be holding a news conference Friday afternoon, despite telling reporters he would be “holding a major press conference this afternoon.” A White House spokesperson told CNN that Biden was “referring to a previously announced interview.” MSNBC previously announced that Stephanie Ruhle will air a Biden interview

By Rebekah Riess and Kate Conerly, CNN Former Florida gubernatorial candidate and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was found not guilty of lying to the FBI on Thursday by a federal jury. Jurors were deadlocked and the court declared a mistrial for the other 18 counts — which included charges of wire fraud and conspiracy —

By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent President Joe Biden delivers a standard two-word answer whenever he is asked about his fitness to serve a second term, smiling as he declares with an air of boastful confidence: “Watch me.” That’s exactly what Kathi Harris is doing. So far, she is unbothered by it all. “Age

By Steve Contorno, CNN After 60 days of pushing through the priorities of Gov. Ron DeSantis — a contentious slate of policies that have established Florida as the vanguard of the conservative movement’s latest fascinations — state lawmakers concluded their annual legislative session Friday. Now, the countdown to DeSantis’ presidential campaign has begun. DeSantis put

By Betsy Klein and Arlette Saenz, CNN First lady Dr. Jill Biden attended the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom on Saturday and reflected on the significance of the historic ceremony moments after its conclusion. “I thought about, really, the importance of traditions, the importance of oath,” Biden said in a phone

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed on Wednesday a collection of bills restricting access to abortion, triggering legal action and challenging a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling on the procedure. While abortion remains legal in Montana, the legislation specifies that access to the procedure until viability is no longer protected under

By Alex Marquardt, Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen, CNN Russia has been thwarting US-made mobile rocket systems in Ukraine more frequently in recent months, using electronic jammers to throw off its GPS guided targeting system to cause rockets to miss their targets, multiple people briefed on the matter told CNN. Ukrainian military officials, with the

By Oren Liebermann, CNN President Joe Biden is expected to name Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chief of the Air Force, as his choice for the next top US general, according to a source familiar with the matter. If approved by the Senate, it would mark the first time in United States history that

By Andi Babineau, CNN Republican state senators in Oregon were absent from the chamber Thursday, denying a quorum for the second day in a row, during a week in which gun safety, reproductive health and gender-affirming care legislation were scheduled for discussion. Twenty members are required to reach a quorum and conduct Senate business, but