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How the shutdown has become a political stress test as tempers flare and the stakes rise

By Camila DeChalus, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Frustration in Washington and on Capitol Hill has reached a boiling point amid the government shutdown. What began as a standoff over spending priorities around enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies has turned into a full-blown political stress test — revealing cracks within party ranks, fiery exchanges across

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When Biden visited Israel, wounds were fresh and tension was mounting. Two years later, Trump arrives with prospect of peace

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The last time an American president traveled to Israel, 11 days after the October 7 terror attacks, passengers aboard Air Force One received pocket-sized notecards describing how to behave should the motorcade come under rocket fire (“Do not exit the vehicle,” the tiny print helpfully read). Ultimately, the air-raid

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Federal prosecutors meeting this weekend to finalize potential Bolton indictment

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Federal prosecutors are meeting on Saturday to finalize the details of a potential indictment against former national security adviser John Bolton, who has been under criminal investigation for years related to his handling of national security information, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Prosecutors in the Maryland

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3 African countries say they won’t accept Kilmar Abrego Garcia as battle plays out in two courts over his fate

By Devan Cole, Angelica Franganillo Diaz, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Officials from three different African nations have said they won’t let the US deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to their countries, potentially frustrating the Trump administration’s plans to keep him in custody. The rejections – two of which were revealed by a senior Immigration and

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Obama’s warnings about democracy fading sound increasingly directed toward the US

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Speaking with democracy activists recently from Hungary and Poland, former President Barack Obama warned about the “rising wave of authoritarianism sweeping the globe,” even in countries once believed unsusceptible to an erosion of liberties. “We’re seeing politicians target civil society, undermine freedom of the press, weaponize the justice system,”

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US President Donald Trump makes an announcement at the White House

Trump received Covid vaccine and flu shot during second physical of the year

By Samantha Waldenberg, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump received a Covid vaccine and flu shot during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, his physician said in a memo released by the White House. “In preparation for upcoming international travel, President Trump also received preventive health screenings and immunizations, including annual influenza

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What to know about the Letitia James case and what happens next

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment Thursday was the second major achievement in the aggressive pressure campaign by the White House to prosecute President Donald Trump’s political foes. The five-page indictment accuses James of making false statements on a loan application to receive favorable terms, allegations

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In this screengrab taken from a video

Conservative influencer Benny Johnson accuses Democratic Party of violence as Pam Bondi announces arrest in his death threat

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — A conservative influencer railed against the Democratic Party for having “mainstreamed violence as a political tool” during a Justice Department press conference where Attorney General Pam Bondi discussed a death threat against him. At the event in Florida, Content creator Benny Johnson said he received a graphic letter threatening

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First lady Melania Trump delivers remarks in the Grand Foyer at the White House on October 10.

Melania Trump says she has an ‘open channel’ to Putin on Ukrainian children, and some have been reunited with family

CNN By Adam Cancryn, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — First lady Melania Trump said Friday that Russia has allowed eight Ukrainian children to reunite with their parents, following months of private discussions between Russian officials and the first lady’s office centered on children separated from their families during the war. The first lady revealed that

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Pentagon orders ‘white glove’ treatment for those returning to military service after Covid-19 vaccine refusal

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — Former troops kicked out of military service for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine will receive “special category VIP or ‘white glove’ treatment” if they rejoin, the Pentagon said Thursday in conjunction with the release of a memo to military service leaders. The changes follow criticism from some social

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First lady Melania Trump delivers remarks in the Grand Foyer at the White House on October 10.

Melania Trump says she has an ‘open channel’ to Putin on Ukrainian children, and some have been reunited with family

By Adam Cancryn, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — First lady Melania Trump said Friday that Russia has allowed eight Ukrainian children to reunite with their parents, following months of private discussions between Russian officials and the first lady’s office centered on children separated from their families during the war. The first lady revealed that she

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Trump says he’ll impose new 100% tariff on China ‘over and above’ current rates, massively escalating trade war

By Donald Judd, Kylie Atwood, Phil Mattingly, David Goldman, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Friday he would impose a 100% tariff on China “over and above any Tariff they are currently paying” effective November 1 – massively escalating his trade war amid a heated dispute over export controls on rare earths. In a

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Lindsey Halligan didn’t coordinate NY AG Letitia James indictment with Pam Bondi’s DOJ

By Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Attorney General Pam Bondi was caught off guard Thursday when President Donald Trump’s handpicked US attorney, Lindsey Halligan, secured New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment from a grand jury, two sources familiar with what happened told CNN. Halligan, who has been running

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A US Army patch on the sleeve of an American soldier participating in the celebrations of Land Forces Day in Krakow

US Army accepting roughly $1 million donation to bring senior leaders to DC conference as troops brace for missed paycheck

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The US Army is accepting a donation of roughly $1 million for the travel and lodging of senior leaders to a professional development conference in Washington, DC, next week, as active duty forces are bracing for a missed paycheck amid the government shutdown, multiple US officials told CNN. Many

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Attorney General Letitia James sits in the courtroom during the civil fraud trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump at New York Supreme Court in January 2024 in New York City.

Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department

CNN By Kristen Holmes, Hannah Rabinowitz, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as President Donald Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents. James has been under investigation since May over a 2023 mortgage she took out to buy a home

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Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department

By Kristen Holmes, Hannah Rabinowitz, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as President Donald Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents. James has been under investigation since May over a 2023 mortgage she took out to buy a home in

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Former GOP election official buys Dominion Voting Systems, says he’ll push for paper ballots

By Alayna Treene, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Dominion Voting Systems, the election vendor that was falsely accused of rigging the 2020 election, is being sold and rebranded as Liberty Vote effective immediately. Scott Leiendecker, the founder of a Missouri-based election technology company who previously served as the Republican director for the St. Louis City

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Democrats give Trump credit for Gaza deal but stop short of backing GOP calls to award him Nobel Peace Prize

By Alison Main, Manu Raju, Arlette Saenz, Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — Democratic senators on Thursday gave some credit to President Donald Trump for brokering phase one of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas but warned of potential challenges in enacting the plan. Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he’s “waiting to exhale” and

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In this screengrab taken from a video posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on October 3

White House rebukes Colombian president’s claim that boat US struck off Venezuela coast was carrying Colombians

By Alejandra Jaramillo, Michael Rios, CNN (CNN) — The White House on Thursday dismissed Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s allegation that the most recent US strike in the Caribbean may have targeted a Colombian vessel, saying the claim is “baseless and reprehensible.” “The United States looks forward to President Petro publicly retracting his baseless and reprehensible

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Comey’s challenge of Lindsey Halligan is the latest bid to derail Trump’s top prosecutors

By Katelyn Polantz, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Before FBI Director James Comey heads to trial in January over charges of lying to Congress, his team plans to put the prosecutors — and specifically President Donald Trump’s handpicked interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan — on the defensive. Comey’s strategy, as outlined in court on Wednesday,

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Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion legalizing same-sex marriage. Here’s why he says it won’t be overturned

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the Supreme Court’s 2015 opinion declaring a right to same-sex marriage, recalled on Wednesday one of the poignant realities that influenced him – and why he believes the decision would never be overturned. “A large part of the reasoning in

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Fact check: Trump’s absurd claim that he saved 100,000 lives by attacking alleged Venezuelan drug boats

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has been using fictional figures to justify his controversial military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean near Venezuela. “Every boat kills about 25,000 people,” Trump said in a speech last week. “Every one of those boats is responsible for the death of 25,000 American

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‘Everyone’s just getting destroyed’: MTG calls on Johnson to bring House back to DC and rails on GOP handling of health care

By Manu Raju, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene broke sharply with her party leaders on Wednesday as they tried to project a united front in the deepening standoff with Democrats over health care and the government shutdown, calling on Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the House back into session and

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Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego confront House Speaker Mike Johnson outside his office in the US Capitol on October 8.

Tempers flare between Democratic senators and Speaker Johnson over Grijalva’s swearing in and shutdown strategy

CNN By Annie Grayer, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — Arizona’s Democratic senators got into a hallway confrontation with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday as the government shutdown’s eighth day dragged on. The clash between Johnson and Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego centered on the speaker’s decision not to swear in Democrats’ newest

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Tempers flare between Democratic senators and Speaker Johnson over Grijalva’s swearing in and shutdown strategy

By Annie Grayer, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — Arizona’s Democratic senators got into a hallway confrontation with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday as the government shutdown’s eighth day dragged on. The clash between Johnson and Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego centered on the speaker’s decision not to swear in Democrats’ newest congresswoman-elect

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Katie Porter ahead of the California Democratic Party's 2025 State Convention in Anaheim

Katie Porter, famous for grilling opponents, is criticized for demanding a reporter be more ‘pleasant’

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Katie Porter became a national figure among Democrats for her sharp questioning of Trump administration figures, often holding a whiteboard, in House Oversight Committee hearings. The confrontations she sparked often went viral when she posted them online. That made her recent demand that a local CBS reporter have a

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‘There is no sanctuary here’: Meet the Border Patrol chief in charge of Trump’s Chicago crackdown

By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN Chicago (CNN) — The heavily armed agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement push in Chicago are often masked. The man leading them is not. Nearly three decades into his career with the US Border Patrol, Gregory Bovino has become the on-the-ground face of Trump’s effort to

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Trump calls for investigation into Blumenthal over allegations he lied about military service

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump called for Sen. Richard Blumenthal to be investigated in a Truth Social post late Tuesday night, hours after the Democratic senator sparred with Attorney General Pam Bondi during a contentious Senate hearing. Referencing decade-old allegations that Blumenthal “lied” about his military service in Vietnam, Trump said

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Trump calls for investigation into Blumenthal over allegations he lied about military service

CNN By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump called for Sen. Richard Blumenthal to be investigated in a Truth Social post late Tuesday night, hours after the Democratic senator sparred with Attorney General Pam Bondi during a contentious Senate hearing. Referencing decade-old allegations that Blumenthal “lied” about his military service in Vietnam, Trump

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White House draws out mass federal firings timeline as GOP grows squeamish in funding fight

By Alayna Treene, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s strategy to swiftly roll out mass layoffs of federal workers during the government shutdown has shifted in recent days, administration officials familiar with the talks told CNN, as an increasing number of Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials acknowledge the potential political perils of

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Speaker Johnson said he’d swear in new House Democrat ‘as soon as she wants.’ Now Republicans are backtracking

By Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Speaker Mike Johnson is not planning to allow Democrats’ newest congresswoman-elect to be sworn-in until her party agrees to end the government shutdown, despite telling CNN earlier Tuesday that he would swear her in “as soon as she wants.” “We will swear in Rep.-Elect [Adelita]

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Supreme Court to decide if states may ban attempts to ‘convert’ gay and transgender youth

Days after returning to Washington following its summer break, the Supreme Court will turn its attention to a six-year-old Colorado law that prohibits licensed counselors in the state from practicing conversion therapy on minors – one of a series of cases the 6-3 conservative court has heard, or soon will, that deal with gay and transgender young people.

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White House says it will use tariff revenue to fund federal food aid for mothers and young children

By Tami Luhby, Samantha Waldenberg, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s Note: The Trump administration has clarified that it will use Section 32 tariff revenue, which typically supports child nutrition programs, to extend funding for WIC during the shutdown — instead of using Section 232 revenue as initially announced. The Trump administration said Tuesday it will use

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A red tie and laughs about annexation: How Canada’s prime minister is trying to get in Trump’s good graces

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada wasn’t leaving anything to chance when he was packing for his visit to Washington this week — including, apparently, his neckwear. “I wore red for you,” he explained to US President Donald Trump, gesturing to his patterned tie colored to match typical Republican

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Suspected Chinese government operatives used ChatGPT to shape mass surveillance proposals, OpenAI says

By Sean Lyngaas, Jim Sciutto, CNN (CNN) — Suspected Chinese government operatives asked ChatGPT to help write proposal for a tool to conduct large-scale surveillance and to help promote another that allegedly scans social media accounts for “extremist speech,” ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said in a report published Tuesday. The report sounds the alarm about how a

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The making of an al Qaeda fighter: Spin Ghul’s journey from the streets of Saudi Arabia to jihadi training camps

By Jake Tapper, CNN Spin Ghul’s desire for jihad started when he was a child in Saudi Arabia, where his parents had remained after traveling from Niger on holy pilgrimage. From his elementary school days, he was determined to become a religious soldier, especially after learning about the Soviet-Afghan War, and how the Islamist holy

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Virginia Democrats criticize AG candidate Jay Jones for violent texts but aren’t demanding he quit race

By Eva McKend, Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Top Virginia Democrats have sharply criticized attorney general nominee Jay Jones but are stopping short of calling on him to leave the race after newly revealed text messages showed he suggested that a colleague be shot. Gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi called

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A swing-district Iowa Republican says she’ll hold town halls ‘when hell freezes over’

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks told Johnson County Republicans in an August meeting that she’ll hold town hall meetings “when hell freezes over.” The Republican, who represents one of the nation’s most competitive House districts in southeastern Iowa, has faced questions for months over when she’ll hold a public town

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Jack Smith investigation into January 6 obtained phone records of GOP lawmakers, Republicans say

By Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans announced Monday the FBI, as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s January 6 investigation, used court orders in 2023 to obtain the phone records of nine GOP lawmakers, a move the senators called “political weaponization.” It’s unclear what exactly investigators were seeking to determine by

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Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The opinion, which was produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel and

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Karin Immergut

Who is Karin Immergut, the Trump-appointed judge who ruled against his push to deploy troops in Oregon?

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The federal judge in Oregon who ruled against President Donald Trump by temporarily blocking his push to deploy troops to Portland has received bipartisan praise throughout her career and has issued rulings that could be viewed as benefiting both left- and right-wing causes. US District Judge Karin Immergut on

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