CNN – US Politics

By Steve Contorno and Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — Through blunt conversations and terse texting exchanges, Steve Bannon, the populist strategist and nationalist firebrand, tries to keep tabs on the inner workings of the White House. His inquiries fan out across the top rungs of President Donald Trump’s administration, and one official said they often

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Amid Democrats’ shock and bickering over how much to respond to President Donald Trump is a deeper question rippling through leaders across the Capitol and across the country: How much should they rely on the same institutional and procedural maneuvers they used during the first Trump term, and how

By Betsy Klein, Samantha Waldenberg, Jennifer Hansler and Mariya Knight, CNN (CNN) — Top Trump administration officials are set to meet with senior Russian officials to begin talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to multiple sources. National security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff

By Zachary B. Wolf, CNN Washington (CNN) — When we asked you, readers of CNN.com and the What Matters newsletter, for your questions about the whirlwind of news that has been Trump 2.0, thousands rolled in. I’ve taken a sampling of the questions and either tried to answer them or gotten input from CNN reporters

By Tierney Sneed and Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — “I don’t know.” That’s the answer that Justice Department attorneys, when asked basic questions by judges about President Donald Trump’s dramatic overhaul of the federal government, have been forced to offer in multiple court hearings as the legal challenges move at lightning speed. The government attorneys

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — In less than a month in office the Trump administration has simultaneously dismantled foreign aid programs that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.

By Eric Bradner and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Mitch McConnell was a generational force for the Republican Party — using procedural tactics and political will to stymie much of former President Barack Obama’s agenda, hand President Donald Trump key first-term political victories and deliver a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority. Now he’s the

By Jamie Gangel, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is forcing out senior leadership at the National Archives and Records Administration in a major shakeup, according to a source familiar. President Donald Trump has been highly critical of the archives since the agency asked the Department of Justice to investigate Trump’s mishandling of classified documents

By Priscilla Alvarez and Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — One week into the Trump administration, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a directive that the Federal Emergency Management Agency should stop sending money to non-governmental organizations that she characterized as helping “illegal aliens.” But the memo didn’t address money that flowed to state and local

By Kara Scannell, Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz and Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — The morning after the mass resignation of prosecutors sparked a crisis inside the Trump Justice Department, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove led a meeting with the Justice Department’s public integrity section. His message: They had to choose one career lawyer to

CNN By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN (CNN) — Could a hit TV show with a catchy theme transform an entire industry? “The Love Boat,” which has been described as “the greatest product placement” ever, is arguably the catalyst for the modern cruising boom and the massive ships that invite you to “come aboard

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez and Paula Reid, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has gutted the federal government’s ability to fight public corruption in a matter of weeks. Since Inauguration Day, the Justice Department has paused all investigations into corporate foreign bribery, curtailed enforcement of a foreign agent registration law and deemphasized the criminal

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The swift succession of dignitaries visiting President Donald Trump in the Oval Office over the past two weeks well exceeds the start of most recent presidencies — with only his first administration as the exception. The meetings so far have not resulted in major new announcements, as is sometimes

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — After accruing immense governmental power over the past month, tech billionaire Elon Musk got his biggest boost yet this week when President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving him broad authorities over the hiring and firing of federal workers. Musk heads into the weekend not only as the

By Tami Luhby, Rene Marsh, Matt Egan and Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration broadened its effort to terminate thousands of probationary workers on Thursday, instructing agencies on a call to move forward with the layoffs. Officials have set their sights on probationary workers, who have typically been employed for less than a

By Jessie Yeung, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance warned on Thursday that the United States could hit Russia with economic and military “tools of leverage” if Russian leader Vladimir Putin doesn’t negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine in good faith. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Vance said the option of

By Pamela Brown, CNN (CNN) — At least one member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team visited the Internal Revenue Service offices in Washington on Thursday as part of its mission to evaluate and potentially downsize government agencies, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. The DOGE member, Gavin Kliger, made a

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Danielle Sassoon, who resigned from her position as Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, oversaw all investigations into federal crimes in the Southern District of New York, including the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams that the Trump administration has directed be dropped. Sassoon, the acting US attorney

CNN By Hannah Rabinowitz, Kara Scannell and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — A federal prosecutor assigned to the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned Friday in a blistering letter that accused top leaders at the Justice Department of looking for a “fool” to dismiss the criminal charges. The attorney, Hagan Scotten,