Politics

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The seventh US service member killed in the conflict with Iran — a 26-year-old from Kentucky — was brought home Monday evening in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, from Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after sustaining injuries the week prior in an

By Sydney Kashiwagi, CNN (CNN) — Alexander Butterfield, a former top aide to President Richard Nixon whose disclosure of a secret taping system in the White House dramatically shaped the Watergate scandal, ultimately leading to Nixon’s resignation, has died. He was 99. His wife, Kim, along with John Dean, who served as White House counsel

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration on Monday designated Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention – a move meant to deter the Taliban from abducting Americans. It is the second country to be designated as such, and the announcement comes on Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. The administration designated Iran

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday said the Supreme Court’s handling of emergency cases has created a “warped” process that effectively signaled the outcome of high-profile controversies prematurely, describing that as an “unfortunate” departure from how the justices handled short-fuse appeals just a few decades ago. “This uptick in

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, Avery Schmitz, CNN (CNN) — Recovering Iran’s remaining highly enriched uranium stockpile believed to be sitting in a storage facility deep underground, an objective the Trump administration has been discussing, would require a significant number of US ground troops beyond a small special operations footprint, seven current and

By Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has started to panic about the spiking price of oil. While senior Trump aides had anticipated some brief surge in oil prices in the first days of the war with Iran, the size and sustainability of the market reaction caught them off guard, people familiar with

By Aileen Graef, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Kevin Kiley has announced he is leaving the Republican Party effective immediately, making him the only independent member of the US House of Representatives. The move comes as the California lawmaker is facing a tough bid for reelection in the wake of redistricting in the state

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Arizona state Senate complied with a federal subpoena about its review of the 2020 presidential election in the Phoenix area, according to the Senate president. That review of the election confirmed Joe Biden’s win in the state. “Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — As Speaker Mike Johnson and his team have navigated the House’s slimmest margin since before World War II, they’ve seen it all. Once, Republicans were headed for a second, embarrassing failed attempt to impeach then-President Joe Biden’s Homeland Security chief because of internal disputes — unless they could round

By Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — When President Donald Trump first raised the prospect of war with Iran, some of the most serious reservations came from his second in command. A former Marine who rose to political prominence as a critic of foreign wars, Vice President JD Vance counseled against the perils of launching another

By Jeremy Herb, Tierney Sneed, Kristen Holmes, Sean Lyngaas, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Kurt Olsen became a key player in some of President Donald Trump’s most far-fetched 2020 election reversal schemes because he believed “that something was not right” in how he saw election officials handle the presidential count in Fulton County, Georgia, and

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The families of the six US Army Reserve soldiers who were killed this week in Kuwait watched as their loved ones were brought home during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance

By Kaanita Iyer, Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — A plaque honoring the heroism of police officers during the January 6, 2021, attack by a mob supportive of President Donald Trump has quietly been installed at the US Capitol after years of delay. The installation of the plaque early Saturday morning, which was first reported by

CNN By Kevin Liptak, Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — Inside the Oval Office this week, after a crowd of jostling reporters departed into the Rose Garden, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz tried to get an answer from President Donald Trump: how, exactly, did he envision the war with Iran ending? Despite some

By Kevin Liptak, Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — Inside the Oval Office this week, after a crowd of jostling reporters departed into the Rose Garden, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz tried to get an answer from President Donald Trump: how, exactly, did he envision the war with Iran ending? Despite some pressing

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — As the United States and Israel prepared for war and later launched strikes against Iran, traders on online prediction markets wagered over $1 billion on every aspect of the conflict, drawing a wave of scrutiny. One week after the attacks began, traders are still betting millions of dollars on

By Natasha Bertrand, Jim Sciutto, Zachary Cohen, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Russia is providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue, the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war. Much

By Dana Bash, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump told CNN Friday that Iran’s leadership has been “neutered” and that he’s looking for new leadership that will treat the United States and Israel well, even if that’s a religious leader and it’s not a democratic state. “Iran is not the same country it was a

CNN By Dana Bash, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump told CNN Friday that Iran’s leadership has been “neutered” and that he’s looking for new leadership that will treat the United States and Israel well, even if that’s a religious leader and it’s not a democratic state. “Iran is not the same country it was

By Dana Bash, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump told CNN Friday morning that Cuba “is going to fall pretty soon.” “Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon, by the way, unrelated, but Cuba is gonna fall too. They want to make a deal so badly,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash in a phone interview when

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — Over the last year, four of Kristen Schoettle’s students have been detained by ICE and taken roughly 1,500 miles from Detroit to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. “The most emotional moment for me personally is the first time it happened,” she said, recalling how she

By Annie Grayer, Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Republicans on Capitol Hill are asking the Justice Department to consider bringing criminal charges against Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide in President Donald Trump’s first administration who became a star congressional witness about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to two sources familiar with

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Days into the war with Iran and with no clear end in sight, questions have emerged about just how much Operation Epic Fury will cost US taxpayers. The Pentagon hasn’t shared an estimate, and it has yet to ask Congress for a supplemental spending bill for the operation. “This

By Michael Williams, Priscilla Alvarez, Lauren Fox, Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — After a year of controversies, Kristi Noem’s fate was sealed over just a few days. It started with a heads-up from the Hill. Sen. John Kennedy let the White House know Sunday that he was not going to go easy on the Homeland

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was ousting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and that GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma would replace her. Mullin, a first-term senator who has served in that role since 2023, is a former mixed-martial artist and business owner who is

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Paula Reid, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department is still investigating whether people around former President Joe Biden broke the law with their use of an autopen, according to a senior Justice Department official. Biden is not under investigation himself, the official said, as he is afforded broad protection under the Supreme

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Republican Rep. Warren Davidson, a West Point graduate who served in the Army, remembers when the US went to war in Kosovo without congressional authorization. It was part of the reason he decided to run for the US Congress. On Thursday, Davidson was one of just two Republicans to

By Curt Merrill, Annette Choi, CNN (CNN) — The House rejected a war powers resolution on Thursday that would have required the Trump administration to seek congressional approval before continuing military action in Iran. President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Tehran on February 28 and called for the overthrow of the current regime. The conflict

By Priscilla Alvarez, Kristen Holmes, Annie Grayer, Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Thursday on social media he was firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and would name Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her. Trump thanked Noem for her service, saying in his Truth Social post she “has had numerous and

By Sarah Ferris, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — GOP Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales said he is ending his reelection bid after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide. “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out

By Paula Reid, Sean Lyngaas, Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The FBI has identified a suspected cybersecurity incident on a sensitive network used to manage wiretaps and intelligence surveillance warrants, and officials are working to determine the seriousness of the incident, according to an FBI statement and a source familiar with the investigation.

By Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — GOP Sen. Steve Daines made the last-minute decision to abruptly pull out of his Senate race to prevent Democrats from fielding a top recruit for the open Montana seat, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Daines was aware that if he withdrew too soon then Democrats would

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama on Thursday threw his support behind a redistricting effort in Virginia that aims to flip four Republican-held US House seats ahead of November’s midterm elections. In a video endorsement, Obama urged Virginians to support a referendum on a new map to ensure “your voting power

By Betsy Klein, Sunlen Serfaty, Casey Tolan, CNN (CNN) — Approval for President Donald Trump’s massive East Wing ballroom project – from a government commission that oversees planning for federal buildings and land in the nation’s capital – is delayed after it received over 32,000 comments from the public overwhelmingly opposing the construction. The National

By Lauren Fox, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Eugene Vindman is among a generation of young Democrats who ran for Congress, in part, because of their experience fighting a forever war in the Middle East. These Democrats are some of the earliest and most vocal critics of President Donald Trump’s decision to enter the

CNN By Lauren Fox, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Eugene Vindman is among a generation of young Democrats who ran for Congress, in part, because of their experience fighting a forever war in the Middle East. These Democrats are some of the earliest and most vocal critics of President Donald Trump’s decision to enter

CNN By Alisha Ebrahimji, Emma Tucker, Hanna Park, Taylor Romine, CNN (CNN) — A soldier who “made you feel important,” a mother just days from returning home, and a son known to be the life of the party were among the group of six service members killed after an Iranian strike on a makeshift operation

By Annette Choi, CNN (CNN) — Republican senators rejected a war powers resolution on Wednesday that would have required the Trump administration to seek congressional approval before continuing military action against Iran. One Republican, Kentucky’s Sen. Rand Paul, joined Democrats in voting for the resolution. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined Republicans to vote

By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump unveiled a voluntary pledge with major tech companies on Wednesday that the administration said will protect consumers from rising electricity costs spurred by artificial intelligence development. At a White House roundtable — another attempt to assuage voters’ affordability concerns ahead of the 2026 midterms — Trump

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — When Judge Jeffrey Bryan took the bench Tuesday at his courtroom in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, he had serious questions for the Trump administration: What happened to the personal property of some two dozen immigrant detainees, and why shouldn’t officials be held in contempt as a way of ensuring

By Danya Gainor, CNN (CNN) — The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena US Attorney General Pam Bondi for testimony about her role in the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files as part of the committee’s probe into the late convicted sex offender. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace moved to subpoena the attorney general and

By Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju, Morgan Rimmer, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would be endorsing in Texas’ Republican primary for US Senate between incumbent John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton – and demanding that the candidate he doesn’t choose drop out. “IT

CNN By Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship, in international waters – killing more than 80 crew according to authorities in Sri Lanka who launched a rescue mission. Iran identified the vessel as the Iris Dena and vowed

By Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship, in international waters – killing more than 80 crew according to authorities in Sri Lanka who launched a rescue mission. Iran identified the vessel as the Iris Dena and vowed vengeance

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — Two of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet secretaries claimed Tuesday that their comments on high-profile subjects were being described inaccurately. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem denied she had previously called Alex Pretti, the nurse killed by the Border Patrol in Minneapolis in January, a domestic terrorist; she claimed she had

By Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump insists he’s willing to wage war on Iran “forever.” But just days into the fight, many of those around him are already itching to get out. The US assault on Iran has stoked fears among Trump’s aides and advisers about the political consequences of being drawn

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Iranian intelligence has sent word to the United States it could be prepared to open talks on how to end the war, according to people familiar with the indirect messages, but US officials say there are no negotiations underway and that potential “off-ramps” are unlikely to materialize in the

By Aileen Graef, Manu Raju, Alison Main, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — Embattled GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales is acknowledging an affair with a former staffer, a violation of House rules, but said Wednesday he will stay in the race to hold onto his seat in Texas. “I made a mistake, and I had a lapse

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — In the latest mark of how much the conversation among Democratic leaders around Israel is shifting, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday night blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for pushing the US into war with Iran and said the United States must reconsider future military aid to its longtime

By Molly English, CNN (CNN) — Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee will head to a Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ redrawn 18th District, according to a projection from CNN’s Decision Desk. Neither Green nor Menefee got more than 50% of the vote required to win outright on Tuesday. The runoff between Green and Menefee

By Ethan Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Democratic turnout in Tuesday’s Texas primary reached record levels, as more voters participated in the party’s primary than in the Republican one. While more votes are still to be counted, more than 2.2 million votes have already been tallied in the Democratic primary for US Senate, a competitive race

By Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood, Sarah Ferris, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — Trump administration officials told lawmakers during a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill Tuesday that Iran’s Shahed attack drones represent a major challenge and US air defenses will not be able to intercept them all, according to a source in the briefing. The

By Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — To hear Thom Tillis tell it, there was a world where he might not have decided to retire from the US Senate. At least not in that exact moment. He had been thinking for a while about retiring and had a late phone call with the president after deciding

By Katherine Koretski, Mark Morales, CNN (CNN) — Shortly after President Donald Trump announced that the US and Israel had carried out military strikes in Iran, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighed in. “A catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” he said in a post on X. “Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening

By Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — State Rep. James Talarico has won the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas, placing a once little-known state legislator at the top of the party’s ticket for the general election in November. The 36-year-old defeats US Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a fiery 44-year-old Democrat from the Dallas area, in a contentious

By Arit John and Molly English, CNN (CNN) — State Rep. Steve Toth will defeat US Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary for Texas’ 2nd District, a stunning upset in a race that tested whether the incumbent was deemed sufficiently loyal to the president. Crenshaw, a four-term congressman and former Navy SEAL, has had

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — US Rep. Tony Gonzales and conservative activist Brandon Herrera will advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for Texas’ 23rd District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, prolonging a contentious campaign in which Gonzales denied allegations that he had an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide. It’s a rematch

By Arit John and Gustavo Valdés, CNN Pharr, Texas (CNN) — Tejano singer Bobby Pulido will win the Democratic primary for Texas’ 15th Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating emergency room physician Ada Cuellar. Pulido will face two-term GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz in November in his bid to flip control of a deeply Republican

By Rocio Muñoz-Ledo, CNN (CNN) — The US military began conducting operations with Ecuador targeting “designated terrorist organizations” in the Latin American country, the Pentagon announced Tuesday, marking a new front in the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail drug trafficking. US Southern Command said in a statement that the actions represent “a powerful example of

CNN By Alisha Ebrahimji, Emma Tucker, Hanna Park, Taylor Romine, CNN (CNN) — A soldier who “made you feel important,” a mother just days from returning home, and a son known to be the life of the party were among the group of six service members killed after an Iranian strike on a makeshift operation

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a May 26 runoff in the state’s Republican primary for US Senate, extending an expensive and divisive clash that has drawn wide national attention. As he seeks a fifth term in the Senate, Cornyn is facing the

By Dianne Gallagher, CNN (CNN) — Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley will advance to November’s general election for an open US Senate seat in North Carolina, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, setting up a marquee contest critical for both parties. Cooper, a former two-term North Carolina governor, and Whatley, who served as Republican National

By Fredreka Schouten, Arlette Saenz, Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Changes to Election Day voting procedures in two Texas counties on Tuesday led to hundreds of voters being turned away from polling places, angry recriminations from candidates and an 11th hour scramble to delay poll closings. In a rollercoaster day, Democratic voters in the Dallas

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — Americans stranded in the Middle East as the war in the region escalates are speaking out about their frustration and fears as the Trump administration seeks to reassure them that they are working to get them home. “I feel just like a sitting duck,” one stranded American

By Natasha Bertrand, Alayna Treene, Zachary Cohen, Clarissa Ward, Vasco Cotovio, CNN Washington and Erbil, Iraq (CNN) — The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN. The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to appear voluntarily before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as the panel issued a raft of new requests for testimony from people once associated with the late convicted sex offender. Lutnick’s expected appearance sets up a clash between

By Holmes Lybrand, Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced tough questions from Democrats and some Republicans during a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Senators grilled Noem about her early descriptions of two US citizens who were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, her

By Katelyn Polantz, Kaitlan Collins, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has told four large law firms targeted by President Donald Trump that its decision to withdraw from court fights with them is being reversed, according to people familiar with the change on Tuesday morning. That decision came after the announcement about dropping the cases

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Just days before the United States launched a major military operation in Iran, FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen agents and staff members from a counterintelligence unit tasked with monitoring threats from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter. They were ousted for a simple reason:

By Kathryn Squyres, CNN (CNN) — Troy Nehls decided he wouldn’t seek a fourth term to the US House after spending extra time at home in Texas during last year’s government shutdown. He walked next door to the home of his identical twin brother, Trever Nehls, to tell him the news. Then he asked if

By Ethan Cohen, CNN (CNN) — We’ll start to see the first votes from the crucial Texas primaries at 8 p.m. ET, when polls close in most of the state. However, the western edge of Texas, including El Paso, is in a different time zone, so polls there don’t close until 9 p.m. ET. CNN

By Jeremy Herb, Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — In the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran and in the frenetic days since, the president and his administration have offered several evolving explanations — at times exaggerated or at odds with US intelligence — to

CNN By Annie Grayer, MJ Lee, Aaron Blake, Emily Condon, Dugald McConnell, CNN (CNN) — The House Oversight Committee on Monday released video of the closed-door depositions of Bill and Hillary Clinton that occurred last week as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The former president and secretary of state each faced roughly

CNN By Annie Grayer, MJ Lee, Aaron Blake, Emily Condon, Dugald McConnell, CNN (CNN) — The House Oversight Committee on Monday released video of the closed-door depositions of Bill and Hillary Clinton that occurred last week as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The former president and secretary of state each faced roughly

By Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Monday he will attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a notable reversal after boycotting the annual event traditionally attended by presidents. “The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition

CNN By Jake Tapper, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump told CNN in a nine-minute phone interview Monday morning that the US military is “knocking the crap” out of Iran – but the “big wave” is yet to come. “We’re knocking the crap out of them,” Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I think it’s going

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a California education policy that restricts teachers from informing parents about a student’s gender expression, pausing an approach the state says is intended to protect trans minors from rejection and abuse at home. The emergency case raised fundamental questions about whether parents have

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — GOP Rep. Nancy Mace is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly attempting to profit off of a congressional program intended to defray housing costs for lawmakers’ Washington, DC, residences — a claim she has denied. According to a newly published report from the Office of Congressional

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The US Supreme Court on Monday approved an emergency appeal from a Republican congresswoman in New York who asked the justices to block a state court ruling that ordered her Staten Island-based district to be redrawn ahead of the midterm election. The high court’s three liberal justices dissented from