National Politics

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Federal prosecutors announced charges Friday against a contractor with the Internal Revenue Service who allegedly stole the tax returns of a high-ranking government official. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that official is former President Donald Trump. The man, 38-year-old Charles Edward Littlejohn, worked

By Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer, Lauren Fox and Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — With the clock ticking down toward a government shutdown, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz approached a Democratic lawmaker on the House floor this week with a surprising pitch. Gaetz, who has been threatening Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s speakership almost daily, explained that his rebellion

CNN By Zachary Cohen, Jason Morris and Nick Valencia, CNN (CNN) — One of former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants has pleaded guilty to five counts in the 2020 election subversion case in Georgia. Bail bondsman Scott Hall, 59, is the first defendant in the case brought by the Fulton County district attorney’s office to take

By Zachary Cohen, Jason Morris and Nick Valencia, CNN (CNN) — One of former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants has pleaded guilty to five counts in the 2020 election subversion case in Georgia. Bail bondsman Scott Hall, 59, is the first defendant in the case brought by the Fulton County district attorney’s office to take a

By Marshall Cohen (CNN) — Trump-era Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark cannot move his Georgia election subversion case from state to federal court, a judge ruled Friday. The ruling from US District Judge Steve Jones is the latest blow to the Georgia defendants who are trying to move their state prosecutions into the federal system,

By Jonny Hallam, Kristen Holmes and Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump is suing retired British intelligence officer Christopher Steele over the controversial dossier he compiled which shook Washington with its unverified and salacious allegations about Trump. The lawsuit – which brings a data protection claim against Steele and his business, Orbis

By Katie Bo Lillis, CNN (CNN) — In an impassioned and at times furious speech, departing Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley defiantly proclaimed that the US military does not swear an oath to a “wannabe dictator.” It was a bitter and pointed swipe that appeared unmistakably targeted at former President Donald Trump, who has

By Gregory Krieg, CNN (CNN) — The death of pioneering Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has put California Gov. Gavin Newsom under immediate pressure over whom he picks as her replacement, with Democrats clinging to a narrow Senate majority and Congress likely nearing crucial votes over government funding. Newsom’s decision will attract heavy scrutiny, both on

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Fulton County prosecutors on Friday signaled they may soon extend a plea deal to one or both defendants headed to trial next month in the 2020 election subversion case in Georgia. The revelation came during a procedural hearing for former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, the

By Kevin Liptak and MJ Lee, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden hailed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein as a “pioneering American” and a “true trailblazer” in a statement Friday following her death. “Dianne made her mark on everything from national security to the environment to protecting civil liberties. She’s made history in so many

By Brian Fung, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Supreme Court will leap into online moderation debate for the second year running after the justices on Friday agreed to decide whether states can essentially control how social media companies operate. The decision to consider laws passed in 2021 by Texas and Florida could have nationwide repercussions

CNN, KRON, KCRA By Clare Foran and Paul LeBlanc, CNN Washington (CNN) — Dianne Feinstein, whose three decades in the Senate made her the longest-serving female US senator in history, has died following months of declining health. She was 90. Feinstein, a Democrat, died Thursday night at her home in Washington, her office said in

By Clare Foran and Paul LeBlanc, CNN Washington (CNN) — Dianne Feinstein, whose three decades in the Senate made her the longest-serving female US senator in history, has died following months of declining health. She was 90. Feinstein, a Democrat, died Thursday night at her home in Washington, her office said in a statement. Her

CNN By Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — The trial in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump, his eldest sons, their companies and several executives, remains on track to begin Monday after a state appellate court denied Trump’s motion to stay the trial. The denial comes in

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN Stafford, Virginia (CNN) — On a rainy weekday afternoon, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin bounded onto a makeshift stage at a local firehouse here to rally turnout for legislative elections that could deliver his party full control of Virginia and cement his reputation as a national GOP leader. He spoke scornfully of

By John King, CNN Chief National Correspondent (CNN) — Jaclyn Taylor’s search for a candidate got a little more complicated Wednesday night. Chris Mudd, on the other hand, ended the night exactly where he began. So score the second Republican debate as a win of sorts for the candidate who was not on stage: former

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — A California Republican showdown featuring Donald Trump was playing out Friday – two days after the former president skipped his party’s second 2024 primary debate in Simi Valley. Trump was among several Republican presidential contenders who traveled to Anaheim to address the California GOP’s fall convention. Florida Gov. Ron

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — The National Park Service is warning that it will close most US national parks if Congress fails to come to an agreement to avoid a government shutdown this weekend, and a popular social media campaign celebrating fat bears will be canceled. The parks will close as the agency applies

By Amy O’Kruk and Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The Senate on Wednesday passed a stopgap bill to keep the government open, averting a shutdown for now. The bill was approved by the House on Tuesday and will now be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Here’s a guide to what

By Christopher Hickey, CNN Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson may have averted a government shutdown this week, but Congress has teed up another shutdown threat in the new year with funding deadlines looming on January 19 and February 2 in 2024. The last government shutdown, from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, lasted 35 days