National Politics

By Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel walked into his new office on the seventh floor of the bureau’s headquarters last week and made an immediate order – he wanted new carpeting and window coverings, calling the office “dingy.” Patel’s plans to remake the FBI go well beyond redecorating. He wants to

By Steve Contorno and Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is already exerting his influence over the 2026 midterm elections, endorsing two close allies in open gubernatorial contests in the past week and privately signaling plans to shape the Republican ticket in more key races next year, according to people familiar with the

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon plans to kick out currently serving transgender service members who don’t meet specific requirements under its new policy, according to official guidance made public in a Wednesday court filing. “Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will

By Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Wednesday that Republicans will not make cuts to Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security as they work to pass – and pay for – President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda. “The White House has made a commitment. The president said over and over and over,

CNN By Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Wednesday that Republicans will not make cuts to Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security as they work to pass – and pay for – President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda. “The White House has made a commitment. The president said over and over and

By John Fritze and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a court-imposed midnight deadline that would have required the Trump administration to release $2 billion in frozen foreign aid, a goal that the government has claimed it is unable to meet. The emergency appeal marks the first time President

By Devan Cole and Joan Biskupic, CNN (CNN) — Two of President Donald Trump’s nominees for senior Justice Department positions – including his former personal attorney – deflected questions Wednesday from senators on whether they would adhere to all court orders against the administration. An overriding question of the Trump administration, already facing a raft of

By Kevin Liptak and Jeff Zeleny, CNN (CNN) — If anyone was still in doubt where the power lies in President Donald Trump’s new administration, Wednesday’s first Cabinet meeting made clear it wasn’t in the actual Cabinet. Most of the Senate-confirmed, top-ranking agency heads sat around the table mostly silent during the more than an

CNN By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump made numerous false claims in remarks at the first Cabinet meeting of his new administration. The falsehoods spanned a wide variety of topics, including aid to Ukraine, trade with the European Union, the history of the EU, inflation, mail-in voting, drug overdose deaths, and

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump made numerous false claims in remarks at the first Cabinet meeting of his new administration. The falsehoods spanned a wide variety of topics, including aid to Ukraine, trade with the European Union, the history of the EU, inflation, mail-in voting, drug overdose deaths, and where

By Sarah Ferris, Lauren Fox and Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans are signaling they’re ready to take a buzzsaw to the House’s plans for President Donald Trump’s first major legislative package in a high-stakes clash that is likely just the start of the obstacles Hill Republicans will face this spring. Just hours after

CNN By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration moved forward Wednesday with its plans to conduct large-scale layoffs across agencies, the latest move to downsize the federal workforce. The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo to agency leaders with guidance on how to conduct their

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration moved forward Wednesday with its plans to conduct large-scale layoffs across agencies, the latest move to downsize the federal workforce. The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo to agency leaders with guidance on how to conduct their reductions

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court appeared virtually certain to side with an Ohio woman who lost a “reverse discrimination” suit against her employer when her gay boss declined to promote her, a decision that will likely make it easier for some White and straight employees to win similar claims. At a

By Priscilla Alvarez and Alayna Treene, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Trump administration is preparing to invoke a sweeping wartime authority to speed up the president’s mass deportation pledge, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions. In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump said that he planned to invoke a little-known, 18th-century law, the

By Annette Choi, Danya Gainor and Kate Carroll, CNN (CNN) — Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or issued immediate termination notifications as part of the Trump administration’s plan to cut spending and downsize the federal government. In recent months, however, hundreds of employees have had their firings rescinded or, in some departments,

CNN By Sarah Ferris, Lauren Fox and Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Speaker Mike Johnson pulled off a stunning turnaround Tuesday night to rescue a critical vote to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda that had seemed doomed just moments earlier. Surprising even some of his critics, Johnson and his leadership team capped hours of drama

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is set to convene his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday – a gathering of agency leaders who’ve taken different approaches to proving their loyalty to Trump in public and private. Cabinet meetings, typically staid affairs with brief photo opportunities at their start, morphed into something much

By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s new point man for dealings with the Department of Homeland Security is a former far-right podcast host and election denier who once shared an article calling for “martial law” to keep Donald Trump in office following his loss in the 2020 election. Paul