National Politics

By Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed US military leaders to verify that every member of the department watched the speech he delivered at an unusual gathering of senior officers in Quantico, Virginia, last month and reviews the policy changes he announced in the wake of that event, according to

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — At least one US military strike in the Caribbean over the last two months targeted Colombian nationals on a boat that had left from Colombia, according to two people briefed by the Pentagon about the strikes. The deliberate targeting of Colombians, which has not been previously reported,

By Arit John, David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s name isn’t on the ballot this year, but California’s upcoming special election will likely hinge on how voters view him. Newsom has made himself the face of California Democrats’ efforts to redraw their congressional maps in response to Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting, investing

Emily R. Condon (CNN) — California governor candidate Katie Porter responded to two viral videos of her abruptly ending an interview with a journalist and another of her cursing at a staffer, saying that she takes responsibility and has apologized to the staffer. “When I look at those videos, I want people to know that

By Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat and South Texas native, is launching a run for Texas governor, entering a crowded Democratic primary to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2026. “Our fight right now is against the billionaires and the corporations who are driving up prices, closing our

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Invoking the specter of Joe Biden and decrying Democrats whom he says have “clung to the status quo, insisted on using the same old playbook – and isn’t fighting hard enough,” Rep. Seth Moulton launched a primary challenge on Wednesday against Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey. Moulton, a 46-year-old six-term

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — For weeks earlier this year, the Army’s top uniformed lawyer had been raising legal concerns inside the Pentagon about some of the new policies being rolled out dictating how the military can be used and staffed. In late January, Lt. Gen. Joe Berger, who had taken the top posting

CNN By Eric Bradner, Sarah Ferris, CNN Washington (CNN) — As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Republicans of refusing to work to end the government shutdown and referred to House Speaker Mike Johnson as focusing on “inane and silly” things, the White House’s rapid response account was calling her and fellow progressive Bernie Sanders “not serious people.”

By Eric Bradner, Sarah Ferris, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — In March, six days after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and nine of his colleagues voted with Republicans to keep the government open, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vented their frustrations in Las Vegas before thousands of people. “This isn’t just about Republicans. We need

By Veronica Stracqualursi and Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — GOP Rep. Cory Mills has been ordered by a Florida judge not to have any contact with his ex-girlfriend, the reigning Miss United States Lindsey Langston. CNN previously reported that the Langston had accused the Florida congressman of having threatened to release sexually explicit images and

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — The US State Department said it has revoked visas from at least six individuals who allegedly “celebrated” Charlie Kirk’s murder. In a post on X Tuesday – which would have been Kirk’s birthday – the agency cataloged “just a few examples” of people who had their visas

By Casey Gannon, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Former special counsel Jack Smith, whose historic prosecution of Donald Trump was upended by the president’s reelection last year, insisted that the pair of criminal cases he brought against Trump were untainted by politics. But the current Trump Justice Department is different, Smith said in a recent

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Residents of the nation’s capital voiced their increased opposition and distrust of federal officers — especially around the administration’s deportation efforts — during jury selection Tuesday in the trial of an anti-ICE protester accused of assaulting an officer. For about three hours, attorneys questioned potential jurors about their ability

CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN CNN will host a live town hall tonight with progressive lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will make their case for the Democrats’ government shutdown strategy. The event airs at 9 p.m. ET and will be moderated by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins from Washington, DC. Here’s what else

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying he was entering the late conservative activist’s name “into the roster of true American heroes.” Erika Kirk, Kirk’s widow and now the CEO of Turning Point USA, accepted the award on her husband’s behalf

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — When former FBI Director James Comey was charged last month, prosecutors weren’t ready or willing to turn over the criminal case file to his lawyers. As of Tuesday, after days of disputing what case documents they have to provide, prosecutors handed his lawyers what they needed to, a person

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Part of the Justice Department’s investigation of John Bolton centers around notes he was making to himself in an AOL email account — at times writing summaries of his activities like diary entries — when he was President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, and whether they contained classified information,

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — If President Donald Trump is worried the $20 billion economic lifeline he’s sending to Argentina in the middle of a US government shutdown might cause him political headaches, he didn’t show it Tuesday. Instead, as he sat for lunch with his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, Trump said in no

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Federal prosecutors seized $15 billion in cryptocurrency from an investment scheme known as “pig butchering” that they allege emanated from forced labor camps in Cambodia. The Justice Department said it’s the largest forfeiture action in its history. Prosecutors unsealed an indictment Tuesday charging Chen Zhi, a Chinese émigré who