National Politics

By John King, CNN Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Pat Levin, 95 years young, is wrestling daily with something new and depressing. “It’s left me very afraid,” she said of the 2024 election. “Afraid of the future. Afraid of everything.” That Donald Trump will be president in her twilight is by far the biggest slice of

By Priscilla Alvarez, Ashley Killough and Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Texas is quickly becoming the blueprint for how incoming Trump officials expect to work with states on border security – a stark pivot from recent years when it was the epicenter of a bitter feud between state and federal officials. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — The morning after Donald Trump was reelected president, Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan began jousting more than usual. They personify the ideological and political gulf on America’s highest court. Alito, a 74-year-old Trenton, New Jersey, native is prepared to tear through decades-old landmarks, while Kagan,

CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Starbucks is being forced to pay its baristas manually after a ransomware attack disrupted a software system it uses to track manage employees’ schedules. The coffee chain joins a growing list of companies affected by the hack of Blue Yonder, a cloud services provider that serves grocery stores

By David Goldman, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China starting on the first day of his administration, a policy that could sharply increase costs for American businesses and consumers. The move, Trump said, will be in retaliation for illegal immigration

By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — Republican Rep. Nancy Mace as recently as last year called herself “pro-transgender rights” and said she supported children exploring gender identities with different hairstyles, clothing and preferred pronouns, a stark contrast to more recent comments that have put her in the national spotlight. Last week, the South Carolina Republican

CNN By Tierney Sneed, Devan Cole and John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Even before special counsel Jack Smith formally asked that his criminal cases against Donald Trump be dismissed, it was already guaranteed the president-elect would never see a jury. Smith on Monday dropped both the 2020 election subversion prosecution against Trump and the charges

By Tierney Sneed, Devan Cole and John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Even before special counsel Jack Smith formally asked that his criminal cases against Donald Trump be dismissed, it was already guaranteed the president-elect would never see a jury. Smith on Monday dropped both the 2020 election subversion prosecution against Trump and the charges accusing

By Oren Liebermann and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — A Republican senator has blocked the promotion of a general who oversaw the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a source familiar with the matter, as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to go after the officials involved in the withdrawal. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma blocked

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith set out to prove in the United States of America v. Donald J. Trump that even presidents are not above the law. Instead, his failed prosecutions ended up making Trump even more powerful as the ebullient president-elect prepares to return to office on

By Sara Murray, Kristen Holmes and Kate Sullivan, CNN (CNN) — Attorneys for Donald Trump conducted an internal investigation into allegations that one of his top aides, Boris Epshteyn, has sought to gain financially from his influence with Trump and others in the president-elect’s orbit, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The internal

By Betsy Klein, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden tapped into his presidential pardon power in the waning days of his tenure Monday, granting clemency to a pair of lucky turkeys and kicking off the holiday season. “Based on their temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a challenge from major tobacco companies to the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that they place graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and in advertisements. The FDA issued a rule in 2020 that requires health warnings on cigarette packages and in advertisements,

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Despite his campaign promises to leave the issue to the states, President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will shape the national landscape around abortion and reproductive health. Trump leaned into the abortion issue in the 2016 campaign and made good on his promises to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn

CNN By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are determined to force federal employees to return to the office in hopes that some will opt to quit instead. That effort is going to affect some agencies — and workers — much more than others. How much time federal staffers spend telecommuting

By Katie Lobosco, CNN Washington (CNN) — With much of President Joe Biden’s student loan agenda tied up in court, the incoming Trump administration could have a significant impact on millions of borrowers. President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t made specific promises on student loans or other forms of college financial aid, but delivering student loan forgiveness

CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden is set to pardon two Thanksgiving turkeys at the White House today, an interesting tradition that dates back to President John F. Kennedy in 1963. This year’s birds — “Peach” and “Blossom” — will be spared a fowl fate and live out their days at

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are determined to force federal employees to return to the office in hopes that some will opt to quit instead. That effort is going to affect some agencies — and workers — much more than others. How much time federal staffers spend telecommuting differs