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By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Amid government spending negotiations, President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders are accusing Democrats of demanding free health care for “illegal aliens” in return for their support of a federal funding bill. “The Democrats want Illegal Aliens, many of them VIOLENT CRIMINALS, to receive FREE Healthcare,” Trump wrote in

By Josh Campbell, Jamie Gangel, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel has fired a longtime bureau employee who displayed a Pride flag in his workspace during a past assignment, according to multiple people familiar with the termination. The employee was undergoing new agent training at the FBI’s academy in Quantico, Virginia, when he received

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has determined that the US is in an “armed conflict” with the drug cartels his administration has designated as terrorist organizations, according to a notice the Pentagon provided to Congress on Wednesday obtained by CNN. The notice also says the president has determined that smugglers for

By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans and top GOP donors still plan to attend a major fundraiser at a coastal resort in Georgia this weekend despite the government shutdown, a move that puts an awkward spotlight on the underbelly of political campaigns as federal workers are being furloughed across the country.

By Sunlen Serfaty, René Marsh, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — Multiple furloughed workers from the Department of Education had out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown automatically sent from their email accounts without their consent or knowledge, according to four sources familiar with the situation. The sources, who currently work at the department and

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — The White House is asking nine major colleges and universities to sign onto a series of demands in return for expanded access to federal funding. The letters sent to schools on Wednesday mark an unprecedented effort by the Trump administration to employ the power of the federal government to

CNN, POOL, SEE PREFONTS By Tami Luhby, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — A self-described national park fanatic, Lucas Wall was excited to start a weeklong trip to visit seven National Park Service sites in Virginia on Thursday. The Washington, DC, resident prepaid for a rental car to drive to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park,

By Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration fired the top national security prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia after a social media post by a right-wing activist and writer falsely tied him to the case of FBI Director James Comey, two people familiar with the

By Sarah Ferris, Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Congress left town Wednesday without a solution to break its bitter impasse over government funding, with the shutdown now set to last until at least Friday when members return for more votes. But with both parties dug in, many believe it could last

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Not since the years before the Civil War had a trial-level federal judge signed off on an opinion simply as “Judge of the United States.” But Senior Judge William Young, a nearly 50-year veteran trial-level judge in Massachusetts, decided the time is now, and then some. In a book-length

By Alejandra Jaramillo, Abbas Al Lawati, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order for the US to guarantee the security of Qatar — a significant commitment to a non-NATO, Arab ally. “The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar

By Eric Bradner, Eva McKend, CNN Chantilly, Virginia (CNN) — The federal government shutdown — and the escalating battle over which party bears the most blame — has injected a major new question mark into the governor’s race in Virginia, home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Early voting is already underway in the

CNN, POOL, SEE PREFONTS By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The federal government has shut down as congressional lawmakers remain at odds over funding the government beyond September 30. Although Republicans control Capitol Hill and the White House, they need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to join them to pass a spending package

By Manu Raju, Alison Main, Nicky Robertson, Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean confronted Speaker Mike Johnson right off the House floor on Tuesday over their parties’ funding standoff hours before the government shut down. Dean could be heard criticizing Johnson multiple times over health care and calling him out for not

By Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — In a memo to FBI employees, Director Kash Patel announced that some officials would be returning to the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, to reexamine the agency’s intelligence work, marking a stark shift for Patel, who has previously celebrated cutting the number of agents in the nation’s

By Evan Perez, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Lindsey Halligan, President Donald Trump’s handpicked U.S. attorney in one of the country’s most important federal prosecutor shops, was effectively set up to fail last Thursday, sources said, when in her first ever presentation before a grand jury, she convinced the panel to indict former FBI Director

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday previewed a $500 million deal on trade schools with Harvard University, following months of talks about a potential settlement amid a broader fight between the Trump administration and the school. “I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today, so we’ll see. What you

By Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — Before a captive audience of hundreds of senior military officers on Tuesday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted his vision for how the US military will physically look and act, and offered a stark conclusion: If you don’t agree, resign. “The sooner we have the

By Devan Cole, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Tuesday delivered an extraordinary 161-page rebuke of President Donald Trump, ruling that the administration impermissibly chilled the protected political speech of university professors and students by targeting non-citizens on college campuses who have spoken out in support of Palestinians. Judge William G. Young

By Tami Luhby, Kristen Holmes, Samantha Waldenberg, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a multipronged effort aimed at lowering drug costs in the United States, including the creation of a “TrumpRx” direct-to-consumer website where Americans can buy medicine at discounted prices and a sweeping deal with Pfizer to reduce the

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump made numerous false claims in a rambling Tuesday speech to hundreds of generals and admirals who were summoned to a military base in Virginia to listen to addresses by the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Some of Trump’s false claims were about the military itself.

By Sean Lyngaas, Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — An unidentified hacker stole sensitive data from Customs and Border Protection and Federal Emergency Management Agency employees in a “widespread” breach this summer that lasted several weeks, according to an internal FEMA assessment reviewed by CNN. The incident led to an urgent cleanup operation by senior Department

CNN, POOL, NYSE By Jeanne Bonner, Tami Luhby, Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — US congressional lawmakers have failed to agree on a spending package for the new fiscal year, triggering a federal government shutdown. That could mean significant travel disruptions for travelers in the US and for visitors from overseas. Impacts could be felt in

By Adam Cancryn, Sarah Ferris, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Top Democrats emerged from a White House meeting believing that President Donald Trump may eventually cut a deal on their biggest demand — even if it first requires shutting down the government to get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Trump expressed

By Gloria Pazmino, CNN (CNN) — Andrew Cuomo’s allies are hoping Eric Adams’ exit from the New York City mayoral race will breathe new life into their struggling campaign. Zohran Mamdani is confident that won’t happen. Mamdani on Monday dismissed Adams’ decision to end his reelection bid as inconsequential. Speaking to CNN’s Erin Burnett, Mamdani

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — On what otherwise would have been her 247th day in the White House, Kamala Harris was in New York to finish the first stops of the tour for her book about the 107 days of the campaign that didn’t get her there. Outside the venue, a collection of bouncers

CNN By Sarah Ferris, Aileen Graef, Adam Cancryn, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans believe there is only one way to avert a shutdown at midnight on Tuesday: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has to change his mind. GOP leaders still need critical votes from Schumer and his party to

By Kevin Liptak, Donie O’Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Saturday shared an apparently artificially created video of himself promoting a cure-all bed with origins in conspiratorial corners of the internet. The video, which has since been deleted, was intended to resemble a Fox News segment on the show hosted by the president’s

By Gloria Pazmino, CNN (CNN) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is ending his reelection bid, a move long sought by rivals of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani who have wanted to consolidate the opposition against him. Adams announced his decision Sunday in a video posted to X, saying “despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot

By Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump plans to attend a surprise gathering of top generals and admirals this week, two sources familiar with the matter said, adding a new dynamic to a meeting that’s been described as a “pep rally” for top military brass. The gathering, set for