CNN US Politics

By Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Dick Durbin, the longtime second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, announced plans to retire at the end of next year, setting off a succession scramble to take his powerful leadership spot in the chamber and a likely crowded primary in Illinois for the seat. “The decision of whether to run

By Haley Britzky and Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — News over the weekend that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife Jennifer was included in a second group chat where he shared sensitive military operations details has focused attention on the prominent role she has occupied at the Pentagon without being formally employed during her husband’s short

CNN By Kaitlan Collins, Natasha Bertrand, Jake Tapper and Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — A defiant Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth booked himself on the television network where he used to work as a host Tuesday morning in a bid to address the fallout over revelations that he discussed military plans in a second Signal group

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

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 objections to LGBTQ+ books read in elementary schools, an outcome that would continue the court’s years-long push to expand religious rights. During a feisty oral argument in a high-profile case

By Arit John and Eva McKend, CNN (CNN) — Democrats’ efforts to land on a winning message against President Donald Trump have led the party to consider how fully to embrace a new, politically complex cause: pressuring the administration to follow a Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The party

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — The Department of Education announced on Monday that it will restart collecting federal student loans in default on May 5, ending a pandemic-era pause that began roughly five years ago. More than 5 million borrowers are in default, the department said in a news release. Federal student loans

By Betul Tuncer and Sylvie Kirsch, CNN (CNN) — GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida faced frequent shouting from the crowd at a contentious town hall on Monday with a number of attendees asking critical questions about the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency. The congressman repeatedly asked the crowd to let him

CNN By Betul Tuncer and Sylvie Kirsch, CNN (CNN) — GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida faced frequent shouting from the crowd at a contentious town hall on Monday with a number of attendees asking critical questions about the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency. The congressman repeatedly asked the crowd to let

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — When the newly elected Pope Francis returned to the front desk of his hotel in Rome to personally settle his bill a day after being introduced to cheering crowds in St. Peter’s Square in 2013, it was a first glimpse into the modesty that would come to define his

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear arguments in a case against the US Postal Service filed by a Texas woman who claims her carrier declined to deliver the mail to her rental properties because she is Black. Lebene Konan, a realtor and licensed insurance agent, alleged that the

By Josh Campbell and Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem fell victim to a thief while eating dinner at a downtown Washington, DC, restaurant Sunday night, two sources familiar with the incident, including a law enforcement source, told CNN. The Secret Service, which provides security for Noem, reviewed security

CNN By Natasha Bertrand, Jake Tapper, Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed plans about a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen on a second Signal group chat, this one on his personal phone and including his wife, lawyer and brother, three people familiar with the chat

By Tierney Sneed, Tami Luhby and Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is defending the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court – a notable contrast to his first term, when his administration sought to repeal the law in Congress and then refused to defend it in a major challenge brought

By John Fritze and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Less than two weeks after the Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump to use a controversial 18th century wartime authority to speed deportations, the issue has rocketed back to the justices in a second short-fuse appeal with enormous potential consequences. The situation was entirely foreseeable. After

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — The US Naval Academy canceled a lecture that author Ryan Holiday was scheduled to give to students there last week after he refused to remove slides from his planned presentation that criticized the academy’s decision to remove nearly 400 books from its main library. Holiday, a writer and philosopher

CNN By Kevin Liptak, Marshall Cohen and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Gary Shapley, whom President Donald Trump named acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service earlier this week with the support of Elon Musk, will no longer serve in the role, sources told CNN — a win for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s office, which

By Jennifer Hansler and Sophie Tanno, CNN (CNN) — A second round of high-level talks between US and Iranian delegations on Tehran’s nuclear program has concluded in Rome on Saturday, amid tempered optimism about a diplomatic way forward. Saturday’s negotiations came a week after an initial round was held in the Omani capital Muscat. Although

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