National Politics

By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent An area in eastern Syria where some US troops are based came under an “indirect fire attack” Saturday but no casualties were reported, according to a US defense official. The attack happened near a location containing oil and gas fields known as Conoco, where US troops are deployed. “I

By Rachel Janfaza Former President Barack Obama released his summer reading list on Friday, continuing a tradition from his time in the White House. “While we were still in the White House, I began sharing my summer favorites — and now, it’s become a little tradition that I look forward to sharing with you all.

By Jason Hanna, CNN It’s summertime — and the 44th President once again has a few tunes for your consideration. Former President Barack Obama kicked out a characteristically wide-ranging list of what he’s been listening to this summer — a collection including J. Cole, SZA, The Rolling Stones, Drake and Bob Dylan. “With so many

By Tami Luhby, CNN The controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, Aduhelm, is priced at $56,000 a year for treatment — but Alzheimer’s patients won’t be the only ones shouldering the cost. All of Medicare’s roughly 60 million enrollees will likely see their premiums rise to cover the new medication, experts say — and the

By Kara Scannell and Erica Orden, CNN A Mercedes-Benz for his wife, an apartment for his son and school tuition for his grandchildren. Prosecutors described all three as evidence in a sweeping 15-count indictment alleging that Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was part of a 15-year scheme to defraud

By Lauren Dezenski, CNN With Congress on recess, all eyes were on President Joe Biden in Washington this week. Biden defended the US troop departure from Afghanistan and sought to boost Covid-19 vaccination efforts at home and abroad. Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes negotiations continued over the bipartisan infrastructure package. Monday America’s partisan fireworks will be hard for

By Geneva Sands, CNN Homeland Security official John Cohen will take over leadership of the department’s intelligence branch, an office that is still trying to find its footing after a series of controversies during the Trump administration. In a letter to the DHS workforce, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday that Cohen will serve

By Jeff Zeleny and Rachel Janfaza, CNN President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul after he refused to submit his resignation as the President had requested, a White House official told CNN. Biden had asked for the top two officials at the Social Security Administration to submit their resignations, the White

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Marshall Cohen, CNN The Justice Department released new police body camera footage Friday showing one of the most disturbing assaults during the Capitol insurrection — where three officers waded into the crowd to save a pro-Trump rioter who was trampled, only to be stripped of their protective gear, dragged down a

By Kate Sullivan, CNN White House officials have begun laying out the contents of President Joe Biden’s sweeping plan to expand the social safety net for its allies inside and outside of Congress as they get ready to move on Capitol Hill without Republican support. A memo obtained by CNN shows top Biden officials sketching

By Natasha Bertrand The Biden administration scored a key diplomatic victory Friday after Russia agreed to keep a crucial border crossing open in Syria for another year, allowing the United Nations to continue delivering crucial humanitarian aid to millions of Syrians who have been displaced by the decade-long civil war. Friday’s vote at the U.N.

By Daniel Dale He keeps saying it. It’s still wrong. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Thursday about his new lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, former President Donald Trump argued that it is “unconstitutional” for social media companies to prevent specific people from posting or to block specific kinds of statements. The op-ed

By Dan Merica and Michael Warren, CNN Glenn Youngkin is doing everything he can to run as a Republican outsider in Virginia’s gubernatorial election. But former President Donald Trump is muddling that strategy. This problem for Youngkin was highlighted on Friday when the former President — who handily lost Virginia in both 2016 and 2020

By Kaitlan Collins and Rachel Janfaza, CNN President Joe Biden is set to announce he’s selecting Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as his ambassador to India, pending Senate confirmation, according to a White House official. Garcetti’s selection, which has long been anticipated, is one of four picks in the latest round of ambassadors coming from

By Betsy Klein, CNN President Joe Biden is set to give an anticipated major speech on voting rights Tuesday in Philadelphia, the White House announced Friday. Biden, the White House said, will deliver “remarks on actions to protect the sacred, constitutional right to vote.” It remains unclear how much his administration can accomplish in protecting

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN Four state attorneys general are examining the fundraising practices of the main online platforms used by the Republican and Democratic parties. The inquiries by the attorneys general of New York, Connecticut, Maryland and Minnesota probe the use of pre-checked donation boxes to lock in contributions to candidates and committees on a