CNN – US Politics

By Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood, Sarah Ferris, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — Trump administration officials told lawmakers during a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill Tuesday that Iran’s Shahed attack drones represent a major challenge and US air defenses will not be able to intercept them all, according to a source in the briefing. The

By Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — To hear Thom Tillis tell it, there was a world where he might not have decided to retire from the US Senate. At least not in that exact moment. He had been thinking for a while about retiring and had a late phone call with the president after deciding

By Katherine Koretski, Mark Morales, CNN (CNN) — Shortly after President Donald Trump announced that the US and Israel had carried out military strikes in Iran, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighed in. “A catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” he said in a post on X. “Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening

By Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — State Rep. James Talarico has won the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas, placing a once little-known state legislator at the top of the party’s ticket for the general election in November. The 36-year-old defeats US Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a fiery 44-year-old Democrat from the Dallas area, in a contentious

By Arit John and Molly English, CNN (CNN) — State Rep. Steve Toth will defeat US Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary for Texas’ 2nd District, a stunning upset in a race that tested whether the incumbent was deemed sufficiently loyal to the president. Crenshaw, a four-term congressman and former Navy SEAL, has had

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — US Rep. Tony Gonzales and conservative activist Brandon Herrera will advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for Texas’ 23rd District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, prolonging a contentious campaign in which Gonzales denied allegations that he had an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide. It’s a rematch

By Arit John and Gustavo Valdés, CNN Pharr, Texas (CNN) — Tejano singer Bobby Pulido will win the Democratic primary for Texas’ 15th Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating emergency room physician Ada Cuellar. Pulido will face two-term GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz in November in his bid to flip control of a deeply Republican

By Rocio Muñoz-Ledo, CNN (CNN) — The US military began conducting operations with Ecuador targeting “designated terrorist organizations” in the Latin American country, the Pentagon announced Tuesday, marking a new front in the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail drug trafficking. US Southern Command said in a statement that the actions represent “a powerful example of

CNN By Alisha Ebrahimji, Emma Tucker, Hanna Park, Taylor Romine, CNN (CNN) — A soldier who “made you feel important,” a mother just days from returning home, and a son known to be the life of the party were among the group of six service members killed after an Iranian strike on a makeshift operation

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a May 26 runoff in the state’s Republican primary for US Senate, extending an expensive and divisive clash that has drawn wide national attention. As he seeks a fifth term in the Senate, Cornyn is facing the

By Dianne Gallagher, CNN (CNN) — Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley will advance to November’s general election for an open US Senate seat in North Carolina, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, setting up a marquee contest critical for both parties. Cooper, a former two-term North Carolina governor, and Whatley, who served as Republican National

By Fredreka Schouten, Arlette Saenz, Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Changes to Election Day voting procedures in two Texas counties on Tuesday led to hundreds of voters being turned away from polling places, angry recriminations from candidates and an 11th hour scramble to delay poll closings. In a rollercoaster day, Democratic voters in the Dallas

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — Americans stranded in the Middle East as the war in the region escalates are speaking out about their frustration and fears as the Trump administration seeks to reassure them that they are working to get them home. “I feel just like a sitting duck,” one stranded American

By Natasha Bertrand, Alayna Treene, Zachary Cohen, Clarissa Ward, Vasco Cotovio, CNN Washington and Erbil, Iraq (CNN) — The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN. The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to appear voluntarily before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as the panel issued a raft of new requests for testimony from people once associated with the late convicted sex offender. Lutnick’s expected appearance sets up a clash between

By Holmes Lybrand, Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced tough questions from Democrats and some Republicans during a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Senators grilled Noem about her early descriptions of two US citizens who were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, her

By Katelyn Polantz, Kaitlan Collins, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has told four large law firms targeted by President Donald Trump that its decision to withdraw from court fights with them is being reversed, according to people familiar with the change on Tuesday morning. That decision came after the announcement about dropping the cases

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Just days before the United States launched a major military operation in Iran, FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen agents and staff members from a counterintelligence unit tasked with monitoring threats from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter. They were ousted for a simple reason:

By Kathryn Squyres, CNN (CNN) — Troy Nehls decided he wouldn’t seek a fourth term to the US House after spending extra time at home in Texas during last year’s government shutdown. He walked next door to the home of his identical twin brother, Trever Nehls, to tell him the news. Then he asked if