National Politics

By Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett, CNN (CNN) — The Senate on Thursday moved to bar senators from being paid during government shutdowns. Pushed by Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy, the measure took on renewed significance in the wake of two history-making shutdowns in recent months: A 43-day federal government shutdown in 2025 and a record-breaking

By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks told CNN Thursday he was stepping down from his post, effective immediately, marking the latest senior immigration official to leave the Department of Homeland Security since Secretary Markwayne Mullin stepped into the top job. In a statement, Banks said he was

By Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — It was less than two weeks after Todd Blanche took on his role of deputy attorney general in March 2025 when the Justice Department’s top ethics lawyer delivered some straightforward yet inconvenient news: His recusal from legal cases that involved President Donald Trump in his

By Kaanita Iyer, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Washington, DC’s attorney disciplinary authorities following their recommendation to disbar Jeffrey Clark, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, over his efforts to “cast doubt” on the 2020 election results in support of the president. The lawsuit against DC’s Office

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is doubling down on its fraud-fighting crusade as it seeks to show Americans that it is an attentive steward of taxpayer funds ahead of November’s midterm election. Vice President JD Vance is set to highlight his anti-fraud task force’s efforts in Maine on Thursday, just a

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN Vanceburg, Kentucky (CNN) — Joni Pugh feels like she’s stuck in the middle of a bitter family feud between her president and her congressman. As a loyal Republican, she likes them both – and that is where her predicament begins. No Republican has infuriated President Donald Trump more than Rep. Thomas

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Judges in Chicago, Minneapolis and Washington, DC, have tried to hold the Trump administration accountable for questionable actions inside and outside of court over the past year, but their efforts have been repeatedly stymied through the appeals process, stonewalling and other tactics. But the federal bench in Rhode Island

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump hosting a televised competition to choose his successor? Doesn’t sound like him, joked Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, days after his boss polled a Rose Garden audience on whether Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio should head the 2028 presidential ticket. Unlike Trump, neither

By Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointed a bipartisan task force that will work to reform the way sexual harassment claims are handled in Congress. The effort will be lead by Republican Rep. Kat Cammack and Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez. Each of the women is

By Camila DeChalus, Aileen Graef, Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler told reporters Wednesday that a Senate colleague’s son verbally accosted him the night before, making antisemitic and homophobic remarks. Lawler gave his account to reporters of how events unfolded, saying that William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Taxpayers paid over half a million dollars in confidential congressional sexual harassment settlements dating back decades – a total higher than previously made public, newly released documents reviewed by CNN show. Documents initially shared with Congress revealed that taxpayers had paid more than $300,000 on behalf of six former

By Annie Grayer, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick downplayed three in-person encounters he said he had with Jeffrey Epstein over the years, telling the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview last week that his interactions with the convicted late sex offender were “virtually nonexistent,” according to a

By Paula Reid, Alayna Treene, Casey Gannon, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department is discussing whether to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in the coming days, according to two sources familiar. Among the options being discussed internally is whether a settlement would include a provision on the IRS

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — A small bloc of GOP lawmakers defied their leadership — and President Donald Trump — by forcing the House to soon take up a major bill to deliver US military support to Ukraine while imposing steep sanctions on Russia. The GOP-led House is now on track to vote in

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — A handful of South Florida residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the state from handing over a prime piece of Miami’s waterfront to the foundation tasked with building a legacy library for President Donald Trump. The lawsuit accuses Trump, the foundation, top Florida officials and Miami Dade

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — After newly released Consumer Price Index figures showed that the year-over-year inflation rate was 3.8% in April, the highest in nearly three years, President Donald Trump tried to reassure Americans about rising prices – in part by falsely claiming the inflation rate was just 1.7% prior to the war

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — In its latest effort to crack down on fraud in federal healthcare programs, the Trump administration is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California, Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday. The measure, which follows the deferral of more than $350 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota earlier this

By Jennifer Hansler, Zachary Cohen, Isabelle Khurshudyan, CNN (CNN) — As President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, Taiwan will be nervously monitoring from afar to ascertain whether its political status and critical arms purchases come up in discussions between the two leaders. While Taiwanese officials have publicly expressed confidence in

By Priscilla Alvarez, Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Longtime immigration official David Venturella is expected to serve as the next acting ICE director, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. The former private prison firm executive will assume leadership of the agency as the Trump administration tries to take a different approach to its