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House Oversight chair says Biden aide’s testimony raises questions about efforts to shield the former president

By Ted Barrett, CNN (CNN) — Another senior aide to former President Joe Biden testified Thursday before the House Oversight Committee as part of the GOP-led panel’s investigation into what it charges was a “cover-up” of Biden’s mental decline. House Oversight Chair James Comer said Ian Sams, who served as a special assistant to the

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Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum in Chicago in December 2024.

Obama calls Newsom’s redistricting plan ‘a responsible approach’ in response to Texas Republicans redrawing maps

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he supported a proposal by California Democrats to redraw congressional lines in response to a Republican-led push in Texas to gain additional US House seats but expressed unease with the broader effects of political gerrymandering. “On this California issue, I want to

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Judge rejects Trump administration request to release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents

By Kara Scannell, Casey Gannon, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge said he would not unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein – rejecting the Justice Department’s request to make them public. Judge Richard Berman said the Justice Department did not overcome long-standing precedent to keep grand jury materials sealed

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New US citizens use handheld fans to take shade from the sun during a naturalization ceremony at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia

Trump administration expands ‘good moral character’ requirement to become naturalized citizen

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is expanding the requirement for immigrants who are hoping to become US citizens to display “good moral character,” in a move that some immigration lawyers denounced as a troubling change that adds uncertainty to the naturalization process. US Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within the

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Southern border wall will be painted black to deter people from climbing it during hot weather, DHS secretary says

By Hanna Park, CNN (CNN) — The wall along the southern border will be painted black in an effort to make the structure too hot to climb, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday, saying the suggestion came from President Donald Trump. “It’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost

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Katheryn Millwee holds a portrait of Kilmar Abrego Garcia outside the federal courthouse on June 25

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers urge judge to drop his criminal case, alleging ‘vindictive and selective prosecution’

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia are asking the federal judge overseeing his criminal case to throw out the human smuggling charges he’s facing, alleging the Justice Department singled him out for prosecution after he challenged his wrongful deportation to El Salvador earlier this year. The request made Tuesday to

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White House Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 23 in Washington

Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials

By Josh Campbell, Katie Bo Lillis, CNN (CNN) — The US government security clearances of at least 37 current and former national security officials have been revoked by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to a memo obtained by CNN. Those impacted include people who were involved in conducting an assessment of Russia’s efforts

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Some Texas Democrats rip up agreements to leave House floor under police escort and will spend night in chamber in protest

By Arlette Saenz, CNN Austin, Texas (CNN) — Several Texas state House Democrats ripped up the written agreements that allowed them to leave the chamber with a police escort and returned to the House floor Tuesday night, the caucus announced. The lawmakers will spend the night on the House floor with state Rep. Nicole Collier,

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An exhibit of a slave cabin is seen at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Trump escalates attacks against Smithsonian museums, says there’s too much focus on ‘how bad slavery was’

By Kit Maher, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump escalated his campaign to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with his political directives on Tuesday, alleging museums were too focused on highlighting negative aspects of American history, including “how bad slavery was.” In a Truth Social post, Trump directed his attorneys

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NY Attorney General Letitia James and Ed Martin are pictured in a split image.

DOJ prosecutor investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James seen posing for photos outside of her home

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s Justice Department weaponization chief, called for the resignation of New York Attorney General Letitia James and posed for photos outside of her Brooklyn home last week – all as he is conducting investigations into her conduct. His investigation of James, whose office brought civil

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Members of the National Guard patrol the Lincoln Memorial in Washington

National Guard troops from GOP-led states begin arriving in DC as part of Trump’s crime crackdown

By Haley Britzky, Brian Todd, CNN (CNN) — West Virginia National Guard troops have begun to arrive in Washington, DC, to assist with President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, a defense official told CNN on Tuesday. The troops could begin assisting the DC National Guard operationally as soon as Wednesday after they

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Progressive veterans group seeks to boost Spanberger in Virginia governor’s race with $500,000 ad campaign

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — VoteVets, a liberal organization that supports veterans who run for office, is launching a half-million-dollar ad campaign to boost the Democratic nominee in the race for Virginia governor by attacking her GOP opponent on cost-of-living concerns, a significant investment ahead of the key off-year election this November. The race

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Trump wants DC to charge 14-year-olds as adults. Here’s where the district’s laws stand

By Ethan Schenker, CNN (CNN) — As hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops descend on Washington as part of President Donald Trump’s public display of force against crime in the nation’s capital, the president and his allies have increasingly directed their ire toward the city’s juvenile crime laws. More than two

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Democratic states sue to force Trump to hand over crime grant money in immigration fight

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Twenty states and Washington, DC, sued the Trump administration on Monday, alleging that it is improperly withholding hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help victims of crimes in order to force states into cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts. The states, all of which have Democratic attorneys general,

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Trump uses FBI and Justice Department to escalate his long-standing feud with Adam Schiff

By Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — In the first Trump administration, then-Rep. Adam Schiff led the House’s investigations into Donald Trump, first as the top Democrat on the intelligence committee’s probe into Russian election interference and then as the lead investigator of the withholding of Ukraine aid that led to the president’s first impeachment. When

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US suspends visitor visas for Gazans

By Alison Main, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the State Department suspended visitor visas for Gazans because it received “evidence” that some organizations facilitating the visas to the US “have strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas,” without providing further details. The State Department announced in a

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White House signals strong momentum toward peace in Ukraine but many questions linger

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff — one of three American participants in Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — described on Sunday several major agreements reached during the Alaska talks that he said created strong momentum toward a peace agreement with Ukraine. Witkoff told CNN that

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Six GOP-led states to send hundreds of National Guard troops to DC as White House escalates police takeover

By Shania Shelton, Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — The Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee announced they will send National Guard troops to Washington, DC, in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s efforts to federally take over law enforcement in the city. Louisiana’s governor Jeff Landry said Monday he

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Exclusive: Oklahoma to begin controversial test to weed out ‘woke’ teacher applicants today

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — Teachers from “liberal” states who have relocated to Oklahoma and are seeking to work there must take a controversial new assessment, to be given for the first time today, that “keeps away woke indoctrinators,” according to Oklahoma’s top education official. Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent for public instruction, told CNN

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Federal agents gather in DC to enforce Trump-directed crackdown on homeless encampments

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Small groups of federal agents gathered throughout Washington, DC, on Thursday night to clear out homeless encampments as part of President Donald Trump’s takeover of law enforcement in the nation’s capital. In Washington Circle – an area in northwest DC close to George Washington University –

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Obama praises Texas Democrats and calls state redistricting effort ‘a systematic assault on democracy’

By Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama waded into the debate over redistricting in a zoom call with Texas House Democrats on Thursday, warning of a “systematic assault on democracy” spurred by Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps in Texas. In a video of the 30-minute conversation obtained by CNN, Obama praised

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Texas Democrats signal they are ready to end redistricting standoff and return to state

By Arlette Saenz, Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Texas Democratic lawmakers signaled their intention on Thursday to end their redistricting standoff and return to Austin, paving the way for Republicans there to pass a redrawing of congressional lines backed by President Donald Trump. In a release Thursday, Texas House Democrats set conditions for heading back

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‘Chaos, fear and confusion’: Trump-backed crackdown hits DC’s homeless population

By Marshall Cohen, CNN Washington (CNN) — Fear and confusion are spreading among Washington, DC’s homeless population at the start of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on encampments. Leaders from three prominent advocacy groups in the nation’s capital — where about 800 people live on the streets on any given night — told CNN they’re bracing

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Trump told Melania to ‘go forward’ with legal action against Hunter Biden over Epstein relationship comments

By Shania Shelton, Aileen Graef, Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday morning that Melania Trump’s attorneys are threatening legal action against Hunter Biden, saying he told her to “go forward.” “You know, I’ve done pretty well on these lawsuits lately. And I said, go forward. Jeffrey Epstein has nothing to do

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Republicans pitch Trump’s domestic policy agenda in Iowa, but some entrepreneurs aren’t yet sold

By Annie Grayer, CNN Ames, Iowa (CNN) — When Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler touted that her agency guarantees approximately 2,000 small business loans every week, Laura Pager, a small business contractor who says she has lost out on millions of dollars in work this year in the wake of the Department of Government Efficiency’s

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20 officers came to arrest man charged with throwing sandwich at a police officer in DC, his lawyer says

By Holmes Lybrand, Kaanita Iyer, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — A man who worked for the Department of Justice was charged after allegedly throwing a sandwich at a federal law enforcement officer in Washington, DC, amid President Donald Trump’s takeover of the city’s police and increase in federal law enforcement presence. The man, Sean Charles

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Spanberger and Earle-Sears still at odds over when to debate in Virginia governor’s race

By Eva McKend, CNN (CNN) — Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor, formally accepted CNN’s invitation on Wednesday to participate in a fall debate. But her Democratic opponent, former US Rep. Abigail Spanberger, declined CNN’s invitation a day later. The election is one of two governor’s races across the nation in

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Federal judge questions if Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in the Los Angeles area is lawful

By Molly Reinmann, Julia Vargas Jones, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge in San Francisco seemed unconvinced after a three-day trial that the continued deployment of federalized members of California’s National Guard — who were originally deployed to Los Angeles in response to protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda — is lawful. US District

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US soldiers assigned to the 273rd Military Police Company

Crowd in DC outraged by federal law enforcement presence as cars stopped on busy street

By Brian Todd, Dan Berman, Michael Williams, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — A traffic checkpoint set up by Washington, DC, police and federal agents drew community outrage on Wednesday night as President Donald Trump’s takeover of the city’s police entered its third night. CNN’s team at the scene observed multiple cars being pulled over temporarily,

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Now-US District Judge Thomas Cullen appears before the US Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing on his nomination to join the federal bench on March 4

Judge is skeptical of Justice Department’s lawsuit against 15 federal judges as Trump tries to limit power of judiciary

By Devan Cole, Katelyn Polantz, CNN Baltimore (CNN) — A federal judge was skeptical at a hearing Wednesday of the Justice Department’s effort to sue all of Maryland’s federal court judges in a case testing the Trump administration’s effort to limit the power of the judiciary. The case raises major questions about ongoing power struggles

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The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is seen in Washington

White House orders review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to ensure alignment with Trump directive

CNN By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — The White House is conducting a comprehensive internal review of exhibits and materials at the Smithsonian Institution – the organization that runs the nation’s major public museums – in an effort to comply with President Donald Trump’s directive about what should and shouldn’t be displayed. The initiative, a

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On social media, the Department of Homeland Security appeals to nostalgia — with motifs of White identity

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — A recruitment poster recently shared on the Department of Homeland Security’s social media pages depicts Uncle Sam at a crossroads. In one direction point the words “homeland” and “opportunity.” Toward the other, “invasion” and “cultural decline.” In its caption, the agency overseeing the country’s immigration system presents these choices

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White House lands on Trump-Putin summit location as officials race to prepare for historic Alaska meeting

By Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, and David Brooks, CNN (CNN) — American officials scrambling this weekend to identify and lock down a venue for Friday’s summit between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart quickly discovered a major snag: summertime is peak tourist season in Alaska, and options both available and equipped to host the

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White House lands on Trump-Putin summit location as officials race to prepare for historic Alaska meeting

CNN By Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, and David Brooks, CNN (CNN) — American officials scrambling this weekend to identify and lock down a venue for Friday’s summit between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart quickly discovered a major snag: summertime is peak tourist season in Alaska, and options both available and equipped to host

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White House orders review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to ensure alignment with Trump directive

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — The White House is conducting a comprehensive internal review of exhibits and materials at the Smithsonian Institution – the organization that runs the nation’s major public museums – in an effort to comply with President Donald Trump’s directive about what should and shouldn’t be displayed. The initiative, a trio

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Anti-affirmative action group drops lawsuits against West Point and Air Force Academy after policy changes

By Devan Cole, John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Months after President Donald Trump ordered the nation’s military academies to scrap policies that allowed admissions officials to consider race, an anti-affirmative action group this week dropped a pair of lawsuits against West Point and the Air Force Academy. Students for Fair Admissions threw out the two

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State Department human rights report scaled back, omits details on abuses in politically allied countries

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN Washington (CNN) — The US State Department on Tuesday released a pared-down version of its annual report meant to catalogue human rights concerns in countries around the world. The report covers the 2024 calendar year – before the Trump administration took office – and sources told CNN it was

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A law enforcement vehicle stands in front of Union Station near the US Capitol in Washington

Trump deployed the National Guard and declared federal control of DC police. Here’s how he is able to do it

CNN, POOL, TRUTHSOCIAL, WUSA, THE WHITE HOUSE, CNN VIA WEBEX, DC METROPOLITAN POLICE By Hanna Park, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The DC National Guard began appearing in the nation’s capital on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier he is deploying guard troops and placing Washington, DC’s police department “under direct federal

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Trump has suggested a nationwide crime crackdown. Here’s what he can do outside of DC

By Hanna Park, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The DC National Guard began appearing in the nation’s capital on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier he is deploying guard troops and placing Washington, DC’s police department “under direct federal control,” citing a public safety emergency after an assault on a former government

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