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Fact check: It wasn’t ‘in jest.’ Here are 53 times Trump said he’d end Ukraine war within 24 hours or before taking office

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — He wasn’t joking. When President Donald Trump was reminded in an interview with Time magazine this week that he had said he would end the Russian war on Ukraine on “day one,” he claimed he hadn’t been speaking literally or seriously. “Well, I said that figuratively, and I

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Trump backs down in legal fight over canceling international students’ status records for now

By Tierney Sneed, Gloria Pazmino and Kristin Chapman, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is backing down from a multi-state legal fight over sweeping actions taken by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement that potentially terminated the immigration status of thousands of international students studying in the United States. The dramatic shift was announced in court

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DOGE is building a master database for immigration enforcement, sources say

By Priscilla Alvarez, Sunlen Serfaty, Marshall Cohen and Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are building a master database to speed-up immigration enforcement and deportations by combining sensitive data from across the federal government, multiple sources familiar with the plans tell CNN. The goal is to create a

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Wisconsin judge arrested and charged in federal court for allegedly obstructing immigration agents

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Michael Williams and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A Milwaukee County Circuit judge was arrested by the FBI Friday and charged in federal court for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest. Judge Hannah Dugan is facing two charges for obstruction and concealing the individual from arrest. She made an initial appearance

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Trump officials discuss making it much harder to qualify for federal disaster assistance, starting this hurricane season

By Gabe Cohen and Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — Trump emergency management officials are discussing reforms that would make it much harder for communities to qualify for federal disaster assistance, honoring President Donald Trump’s executive order to shift more responsibility for disaster response and recovery to states rather than the federal government. A memo from

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Houthis’ successful targeting of US drones is hampering Trump’s mission to kill group’s senior leadership

By Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — In the month since the US launched a major military campaign targeting the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, the militants have successfully shot down at least seven multi-million-dollar American drones, hindering the US’ ability to move into “phase two” of the operation, multiple US

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US allies express alarm at Trump’s plan to let Russia keep most of the land it seized from Ukraine

By Jennifer Hansler, Alex Marquardt and Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — Some US allies are highly alarmed by the framework the Trump administration is pushing to end the Ukraine war and Europeans are bracing for the outcome of another round of high-level talks between the US and Russia, multiple diplomatic sources told CNN. The administration’s

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Judge blocks Trump effort to expand proof of citizenship requirement for voter registration

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge has halted parts of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that sought to boost requirements that Americans show documents proving their citizenship when registering to vote. Senior District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked a Trump directive in the order that the requirement be added to

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Justice Department axes hundreds of grants that help crime victims and fight opioid abuse

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Danny Freeman, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department terminated hundreds of grants this week, effectively slashing the budgets for organizations across the country that assist crime victims and fight both gun violence and opioid abuse. The cancellations, which claimed that the more than 350 already-distributed grants “no longer effectuates the program

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Three judges, including two Trump appointees, rule against the Department of Education’s anti-DEI policy

By Tierney Sneed, Kristin Chapman and Shania Shelton, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s efforts to crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs suffered a major legal blow Thursday as three separate judges – two of them appointed by the president – ruled against a Department of Education policy that threatened to withhold federal funding

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DNC pushes back on David Hogg’s plans to support primary challenges against Democratic incumbents

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — The Democratic National Committee is cracking down on gun control advocate and DNC vice chair David Hogg’s plans to spend millions primarying incumbents in safe seats that he deems “ineffective.” Under a proposal unveiled Thursday afternoon, national Democratic officials would be required to pledge neutrality in all primaries. During

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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let it enforce ban on transgender service members for now

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to let it begin enforcing a ban on transgender service members, escalating a fight over a controversial policy that has faced numerous legal setbacks in recent weeks. The emergency appeal thrusts the high court into another politically charged dispute over

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‘He gets him what he needs’: Hegseth’s new favorite adviser helped set up Signal on one of secretary’s computers at Pentagon

By Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky and Jake Tapper, CNN (CNN) — Last month, after news broke that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was using Signal to discuss sensitive military operations in violation of Pentagon policy, one of his closest military aides made an unusual inquiry to the Defense Department’s chief information officer: Would they grant

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What to know about the Trump administration task force targeting Harvard

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s aggressive aim at Harvard University and other higher education institutions is being quietly spearheaded by a Justice Department-led task force under the leadership of former Fox News personality and civil rights lawyer Leo Terrell, in conjunction with top Trump official Stephen Miller and others. The administration

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Attorney general directs Justice Department employees to enforce policies targeting care for transgender minors

By Casey Gannon and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday issued a memo of directives to Justice Department employees to enforce the Trump administration’s policies targeting gender-affirming care for minors, according to a copy of the memo obtained by CNN. The memo comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive

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FEMA losing roughly 20% of permanent staff, including longtime leaders, ahead of hurricane season

By Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The agency tasked with delivering billions of dollars in assistance to communities devastated by natural disasters is about to lose a huge portion of its workforce, including some of its most experienced and knowledgeable leaders who manage disaster response. With hurricane season just weeks away, about 20% of FEMA’s

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Foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation to shut down as part of DOGE efforts

By Kaanita Iyer and Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — A federal agency that focuses on fostering economic growth in developing countries is being effectively shut down as part of efforts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce federal spending, sources told CNN. On Tuesday, the agency’s employees were notified via email that “there

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Supreme Court signals it will let fuel producers sue over California emission standards

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court indicated Wednesday that it will revive a lawsuit from fuel producers challenging California’s strict vehicle emission rules, with both conservative and liberal justices signaling that the companies have standing to sue. Several of the justices suggested a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, erred when it

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One thing the modern Supreme Court can agree on is disagreeing over religion

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Alliances among the nine Supreme Court justices can shift back and forth, as in recent cases over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation of migrants. But religion is different. The fundamental irreconcilable conflict on today’s Supreme Court was laid bare during an intense courtroom drama Tuesday over

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‘That ends now’: Judge overseeing Abrego Garcia case knocks Trump administration for repeated stonewalling

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is not acting in “good faith” as part of the expedited fact-finding process unfolding in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the federal judge overseeing the matter ruled Tuesday, accusing officials of intentional noncompliance with their obligation to produce information. The 8-page order from US District

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Supreme Court’s conservatives are poised to strike down elementary school policy denying opt-outs for LGBTQ+ books

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday signaled it will require schools to provide opt-outs for parents who have religious objections to LGBTQ+ books read in elementary schools, an outcome that would continue the court’s years-long push to expand religious rights. During more than two hours of feisty oral

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When billions in emergency funds were stalled, the Trump administration sped FEMA money to some GOP-led states

By Gabe Cohen and Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — At a time when critical funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has slowed to a crawl, some states — with Republican governors — have been luckier than others in prying money loose. The Trump administration directed FEMA to prioritize payments to GOP-led Missouri and Virginia

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Donald Trump raised nearly $240 million for his inauguration — more than double the previous record, new filings show

By Fredreka Schouten, David Wright and Alex Leeds Matthews, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee collected a staggering $239 million for the festivities surrounding his swearing-in this year — with some of the nation’s wealthiest people and biggest companies writing large checks as they sought to ingratiate themselves with the Republican ahead of

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Sen. Chris Van Hollen argues Trump administration’s actions in Abrego Garcia case ‘threaten everybody’s rights’

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who recently met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, slammed the Trump administration for its handling of the Maryland man’s mistaken deportation, telling CNN it poses a threat to “the constitutional rights of everybody in America.” Van Hollen, in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN, argued

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Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Abrego Garcia described being ‘traumatized’ at CECOT, has been moved to different detention center

CNN By Lauren Fox and Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Friday detailed his recent meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying the Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador described being “traumatized” by his time at the country’s notorious CECOT prison and has since been moved. “He said he was not

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Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Abrego Garcia described being ‘traumatized’ at CECOT, has been moved to different detention center

By Lauren Fox and Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Friday detailed his recent meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying the Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador described being “traumatized” by his time at the country’s notorious CECOT prison and has since been moved. “He said he was not afraid

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YouTube, Amazon and Meta sign up to sponsor White House Easter Egg Roll

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — This year’s White House Easter Egg roll will feature high-dollar partnerships with YouTube, Meta and Amazon, among others, underscoring the close relationships the leaders of those tech companies have sought to cultivate with the Trump administration. The White House, through an outside production company called Harbinger, solicited corporate sponsors

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Judge pauses mass firings at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as she considers whether layoffs violated court order

By Tierney Sneed and Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge paused the Trump administration’s efforts to lay off nearly 1,500 of the 1,700 employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as she considers whether the mass firing violated a court order halting the dismantling of the agency. Judge Amy Berman Jackson will scrutinize

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Trump’s ‘lone ranger’: How Steve Witkoff became the de facto point man on America’s foreign policy challenges

By Kylie Atwood, Alayna Treene and Alex Marquardt, CNN (CNN) — Last month a private jet belonging to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff winged its way from Abu Dhabi to Doha to Moscow and Baku, before finally flying to Florida, where Witkoff briefed President Donald Trump on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin —

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Trump’s pick to be DC’s top prosecutor failed to report nearly 200 appearances on far-right media outlets to Senate

By Em Steck, Annie Grayer and Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — Ed Martin, the Trump administration’s nominee to serve as US attorney for Washington, DC, failed to report hundreds of media appearances he’s made in the past few years, including many on far-right outlets and Russian-state media, when he first filed his mandated disclosure forms

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‘Breathtaking in its audacity’: Trump’s conflict with judges has escalated to new heights

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Judge James Boasberg – who ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration showed “willful disregard” for his mid-March order halting deportation flights amid dispute over the legality of the removals – is the first judge to find “probable cause exists” to hold administration officials in criminal contempt. But the legal

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Internal Trump administration document reveals massive budget cut proposal for federal health agencies

By Sarah Owermohle and Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is formulating plans to cut roughly a third of the federal health budget, eliminate dozens of programs and vastly whittle down health agencies, according to an internal document reviewed by CNN. The preliminary memo, sent from White House budget officials to the Department

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Boasberg finds ‘probable cause exists’ to hold Trump administration in contempt for violating orders on deportation flights

By Devan Cole and Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — US District Judge James Boasberg ruled Wednesday that “probable cause exists” to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for violating his orders in mid-March halting the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. The long-awaited decision on Wednesday from a

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Trump DOJ sues Maine over refusing to comply with ban on transgender athletes in high school sports

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department is suing Maine over its refusal to comply with President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender athletes in high school sports, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday. The lawsuit, which alleges that Maine is violating Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools that

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