Politics

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama commented on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during remarks Tuesday night in Erie, Pennsylvania, saying that “regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy.” “Look, obviously I didn’t know Charlie Kirk,” Obama

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s suggestion that protesters could be prosecuted for racketeering, as the administration continues to preview a plan to crack down on left-wing groups it claims are inciting violence. Trump on Monday suggested that protesters who interrupted his dinner at

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department said Tuesday that is suing two states over their refusal to turn over complete voters rolls to the Trump administration – escalating a conflict between the federal government and some state election officials that has been building for months. Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the Justice Department’s

By Veronica Stracqualursi and Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — The House has passed two bills that Republicans say would combat crime in Washington, DC, but that also limit the city’s self-governance as the GOP seeks to bolster President Donald Trump’s federal crackdown. The bills passed on Tuesday are among more than a dozen being considered

CNN By Holmes Lybrand, Hannah Rabinowitz, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday ran into several shouting matches with Democratic senators who pressed him on the bungling of the Epstein files, firings of agents for alleged political reasons and warnings that President Donald Trump, eventually, would turn on the director despite

By Holmes Lybrand, Hannah Rabinowitz, Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday ran into several shouting matches with Democratic senators who pressed him on the bungling of the Epstein files, firings of agents for alleged political reasons and warnings that President Donald Trump, eventually, would turn on the director despite his

By Katelyn Polantz, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Former Attorney General Bill Barr recounted in recent testimony with House investigators how he informed President Donald Trump of Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide in 2019. “I called [the president] up and said, ‘You better brace for this,’ and I told him words to that effect, and I told

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday ripped President Donald Trump as having failed both a “leadership test” and a “morality test” after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. “It should not be hard to stand up to some people who are celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk and say, ‘That’s wrong,’ and

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — House Republicans are discussing pumping tens of millions of dollars into security for lawmakers in the aftermath of the assassination of a prominent conservative activist, though some lawmakers say that is not enough in today’s rancorous political climate. In a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday, the GOP discussed attaching a

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday urged a greater emphasis on civic involvement and education, questioning whether some Americans had been clearly taught the difference between a president and a king. Speaking to the New York Law School in Manhattan, the Supreme Court’s senior liberal encouraged people to

By Casey Gannon, Jason Morris, CNN (CNN) — The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on her removal from the case prosecuting President Donald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The case against Trump and his co-defendants

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The State Department has “most certainly been denying visas” to people “celebrating” the murder of Charlie Kirk, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. The top US diplomat’s comments come amid broader threats by the Trump administration to punish alleged “hate speech” after the killing of the president’s ally

By Associated Press Minneapolis (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday he will seek a third term in 2026, hoping to beat the odds to become the longest-serving governor in a state where voters have usually said two terms were plenty. In a campaign video posted on YouTube, Walz said he’s running because his

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, announced Tuesday he will run for governor in 2026 as a Democrat, cementing a high-profile party switch and entering a key midterm contest. In a video announcing his campaign, Duncan says that “Georgia Republicans threw me out of their party,”

By Molly English, CNN (CNN) — Democrat Xp Lee will win a special election to fill the vacant seat of the late Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman, according to a call from the Associated Press, just over three months after she and her husband were fatally shot in what Gov. Tim Walz at the time

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — After months of slow burning controversies around his agency, from the handling of the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s murder to the bungled release of Epstein files, FBI Director Kash Patel will face Senate and House lawmakers at two highly anticipated hearings. Lawmakers are expected to push Patel, a Donald