CNN US Politics

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — It took 150 volunteers working for one week, with 25,000 feet of ribbon, 120 pounds of gingerbread, more than 10,000 butterflies and a 6,000-piece Lego portrait of President Donald Trump’s likeness to deck the White House halls this year. The theme for first lady Melania Trump’s fifth holiday season:

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of David Gentile, a private equity executive who was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for a fraud scheme, according to a White House official. Gentile, the former CEO and owner of GPB Capital Holdings, and Jeffry Schneider of Ascendant Capital,

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court on Monday found Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, is serving unlawfully as US attorney for New Jersey, dealing a legal blow to the Trump administration that could have far-reaching consequences on other appointments across the country. A panel of three appellate judges

CNN By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court on Monday found Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, is serving unlawfully as US attorney for New Jersey, dealing a legal blow to the Trump administration that could have far-reaching consequences on other appointments across the country. A panel of three appellate

By Kit Maher, Samantha Waldenberg, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s doctor said in a memo released by the White House on Monday that his October medical imaging was of his cardiovascular and abdominal systems and that both showed “perfectly normal” results. “President Trump’s cardiovascular imaging is perfectly normal. There is no evidence of arterial

By Natasha Bertrand, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump and top national security officials huddled at the White House Monday to discuss next steps on Venezuela, as the administration faces renewed called from lawmakers to release more information – particularly about a controversial decision in September to strike a boat in the Caribbean

CNN By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle voiced serious concerns over the weekend over reports on a follow-up strike that killed survivors on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean, with some suggesting it could constitute a “war crime.” Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who serves

By Kristen Holmes, Alejandra Jaramillo, Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Palm Beach, Florida (CNN) — The United States continued its pressure campaign against Venezuela on Saturday as President Donald Trump issued a broad directive on social media, warning airlines, pilots and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace. “Please consider the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is doubling down on the aggressive anti-immigration policies that helped deliver him a second term, launching an interagency federal investigation into the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, while also directing his administration to take steps to stem migration into the US. In

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — The US military carried out a follow–up strike on a suspected drug vessel operating in the Caribbean on September 2 after an initial attack did not kill everyone on board, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. That September strike was the first in what became a regular series

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — The US will reexamine all green cards issued to people from 19 countries “of concern” at President Donald Trump’s direction, as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC. “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full

CNN By Casey Tolan, Karina Tsui, CNN (CNN) — Bruna Ferreira came to the US from Brazil as a child, and by all accounts, lived a life like any American: playing on the high school tennis team, getting married and divorced, building a small business and helping raise her son. When she was taken into

By Casey Tolan, Karina Tsui, CNN (CNN) — Bruna Ferreira came to the US from Brazil as a child, and by all accounts, lived a life like any American: playing on the high school tennis team, getting married and divorced, building a small business and helping raise her son. When she was taken into custody

CNN By Zachary Cohen, Kaanita Iyer, Holmes Lybrand, Gabe Cohen, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect involved in the Wednesday shooting of two National Guard members, who remain in critical condition. The suspect is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who came to the US from Afghanistan in 2021, DHS said

By Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — A coalition of 21 attorneys general have sued to block new guidance from the US Department of Agriculture that declares some immigrants, including refugees and those granted asylum, ineligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the coalition of other

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department asked a judge for permission Wednesday to publicly release financial records, travel documents, and notes of victim interviews obtained during the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to comply with a new law. In a letter to the judge overseeing the Maxwell case,

CNN By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump brushed off concerns about his special envoy Steve Witkoff’s engagements with the Kremlin after a new phone call transcript provided rare insight into how the president’s top negotiator advised his Russian counterpart. In the October 14 audio recording reviewed and transcribed by Bloomberg, Witkoff counsels

CNN By Dan Berman, Holmes Lybrand, Jason Morris, CNN (CNN) — A Georgia prosecutor on Wednesday officially dropped the historic racketeering case against President Donald Trump and others for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, closing the chapter in a legal effort once seen as a grave threat to Trump’s political future. The move

Dan Berman, Holmes Lybrand (CNN) — A Georgia prosecutor has dropped the sprawling racketeering indictment case against President Donald Trump and his allies over attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Here are key lines from the court filing from the prosecutor, Peter Skandalakis, the director of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia. Read his

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump from replacing a top official at the Library of Congress for now, deferring a decision on his emergency appeal until it resolves a pair of related cases. The move, which came weeks after the appeal was filed and included little

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration will not invite South Africa to take part in G20 events hosted in the United States next year and will “immediately” stop payments to the African nation, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, “At my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026

By Dan Berman, CNN (CNN) — A Georgia prosecutor on Wednesday officially dropped the historic racketeering case against President Donald Trump and others for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, closing the chapter in a legal effort once seen as a grave threat to Trump’s political future. The historic state racketeering charges were filed

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump brushed off concerns about his special envoy Steve Witkoff’s engagements with the Kremlin after a new phone call transcript provided rare insight into how the president’s top negotiator advised his Russian counterpart. In the October 14 audio recording reviewed and transcribed by Bloomberg, Witkoff counsels top

By Edward Wu, Kathryn Squyres, CNN (CNN) — Democrats started this year in the doldrums, having lost both the White House and control of Congress and with their party heading toward record-low approval ratings. They’re in a position to end it riding a wave of momentum, with one more chance to over-perform expectations and make

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Medicare will save approximately $12 billion, or 44%, on 15 high-cost medications as a result of the second round of the program’s drug price negotiations, the Trump administration announced Tuesday evening. The savings are estimated based on what Medicare spent on the medicines last year. Medicare enrollees are expected

By Casey Gannon, Holmes Lybrand, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A day after a federal judge dismissed indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, federal prosecutors in Virginia are still in the dark on how to proceed with the tossed cases. A judge decided Monday that interim US

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday she will not run for reelection after 10 years leading the nation’s capital and walking a fine line with the Trump administration in recent months as she sought to protect the city’s autonomy during a federal law enforcement surge. “It has

By Holmes Lybrand, Kristen Holmes, Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — The FBI is seeking to schedule interviews with the six Democratic lawmakers who, in a controversial video posted last week, urged service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders. The six – Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, and Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio,

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was at the White House earlier this month preparing for a trip to Kyiv to discuss drone technology when he received an unexpected assignment from President Donald Trump: push Ukraine to come back to the table for peace talks with the Russia —

By Jake Tapper, Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday filed a civil lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, alleging violations of the Privacy Act and First Amendment over Pulte’s criminal referral of him to the Justice Department for alleged mortgage fraud violations. In the suit, filed in federal