National Politics

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — At James Talarico’s first rally after Ken Paxton became his opponent in their US Senate race, one of Texas’ most prominent Black leaders, Rodney Ellis, acknowledged he had supported Talarico’s opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, in their hard-fought Democratic primary. “That was then, this is now,” Ellis said on Wednesday.

By Michael Williams, Alayna Treene, Alexandra Skores, CNN (CNN) — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has become preoccupied with an idea to punish cities and states that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement — cutting customs staffing at their airports and possibly stopping the processing of international travelers all together. But the

By Davis Winkie, CNN (CNN) — What happens to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, including the 970 pounds that it has highly concentrated to near-weapons grade, is one of the primary sticking points as the US and Iran have trudged through weeks of negotiations to potentially end the Iran war. President Donald Trump has insisted that

By Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck, CNN (CNN) — Years before Spencer Pratt emerged as a high-profile insurgent candidate in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, the former reality TV star immersed himself in the world of noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — telling Jones’ audience in 2009 that the September 11 attacks were “100%” an inside

By René Marsh, CNN (CNN) — For over a year, Lonnie Bunch III, the head of the storied Smithsonian Institution, has been at the center of a political tempest. Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, the world’s largest museum institution and a key voice in shaping the narrative of America’s history has been under pressure

CNN By Aileen Graef, CNN (CNN) — The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is planning to potentially print a commemorative $250 bill with the image of President Donald Trump to mark the country’s 250th anniversary. A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed the plans in a statement, saying it was conducting “appropriate planning and due diligence” in

By Aileen Graef, CNN (CNN) — The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is planning to potentially print a commemorative $250 bill with the image of President Donald Trump to mark the country’s 250th anniversary. A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed the plans in a statement, saying it was conducting “appropriate planning and due diligence” in response

By Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — A former CIA officer in Virginia has been charged with stealing tens of millions of dollars in gold bars and foreign currency from the very agency he worked for, according to an FBI affidavit and a source familiar with the matter. David Rush was arrested last week

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer threw cold water Thursday on the idea of a 2028 presidential bid, saying that while “there will be a robust group of people running for president, I will not be one of them.” Whitmer made the comments in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit while

By Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is asking a judge to vacate the Biden-era penalty that it imposed last year on a cryptocurrency exchange run by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — prominent donors to President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. The request, filed late Wednesday, marks an extraordinary reversal for

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has refiled his lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s publisher and two of its reporters over a July 2025 report on a lewd birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump’s name. Tuesday’s defamation lawsuit seeks $10 billion for damages and claims that the story had “glaring

By Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — When President Donald Trump promised, seemingly out of the blue, in late January that prosecutions would “soon” be coming for 2020 election rigging, the Justice Department was already mobilizing an effort behind the scenes to build out a portfolio of cases that would boost the

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Texas, raised more than $3 million in the first 24 hours after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton emerged as his Republican opponent, Talarico’s campaign first told CNN. The haul confirms Talarico’s status as a formidable fundraiser as he looks to

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — The coast-to-coast battle to gain an edge in November’s elections through partisan gerrymandering is racing to its conclusion – with Republicans poised to finish with as many as 10 seats ahead of Democrats through redistricting alone. The GOP kicked off the fight last year in Texas, changing boundaries for

CNN By Hannah Rabinowitz, Paula Reid, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The investigation is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Federal prosecutors in New York charged a Google software engineer with making roughly $1.2 million in profits from bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket by using confidential insider information he learned about the most searched people of 2025. Michele Spagnuolo, the Google software engineer, allegedly used an account

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Paula Reid, Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The investigation is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — Nearly three dozen former federal judges appointed by presidents from both parties have joined a growing legal effort to upend the Trump administration’s newly created $1.776 billion fund for people who say they were wrongly targeted by the government in the past. The retired jurists are asking a judge