Politics

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of hedge fund executive and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Personal Birth date: August 21, 1962 Birth place: Conway, South Carolina Birth name: Scott Kenneth Homer Bessent Father: Homer Gaston Bessent Jr., real estate developer Mother: Barbara McLeod Bessent Marriage: John Freeman (2011-present) Children: Cole

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is heading to the Supreme Court for the first time in his second term, using an emergency appeal to call on the justices to let him fire the head of a government ethics watchdog agency. The case, Bessent v. Dellinger, could eventually help clarify whether Congress

By Alayna Treene and David Goldman, CNN (CNN) — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to the Internal Revenue Service’s highly sensitive taxpayer data system, a source familiar with the move told CNN. The IRS, which contains private data on millions of Americans’ tax returns, Social Security numbers and banking information, is

By Jeff Zeleny and Kevin Liptak, CNN Washington (CNN) — Joe Biden left the White House nearly a month ago, but he’s never far from Donald Trump’s mind. The former president has been a recurring punchline – and punching bag – in nearly every appearance Trump has made since returning to power. With Republicans in

By Curt Devine, Majlie de Puy Kamp and Audrey Ash, CNN (CNN) — Canceled meetings, blocked webpages and limited updates on life-threatening diseases spreading across the country. These are some of the real-world implications caused by the vague and sweeping mandates President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed on federal health agencies in recent weeks amid

By Edward-Isaac Dovere and Gloria Pazmino, CNN New York (CNN) — Eric Adams has united Democrats in New York City. From across the boroughs and otherwise warring ideological factions, there is widespread agreement that the mayor has little to no chance of winning the Democratic primary in June — and that he shouldn’t even try.

By Pete Muntean, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has started firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, according to their union. An exact number of firings is not yet known, but the head of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, said that “several hundred” workers started

CNN By Betsy Klein, Katelyn Polantz and Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Saturday offered a cryptic, one-sentence insight into what appears to be the guiding philosophy behind the first weeks of his presidency — and his expansive and unprecedented efforts to reshape the use of executive authority. “He who saves his

By Betsy Klein, Katelyn Polantz and Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Saturday offered a cryptic, one-sentence insight into what appears to be the guiding philosophy behind the first weeks of his presidency — and his expansive and unprecedented efforts to reshape the use of executive authority. “He who saves his Country

By Aileen Graef and Isabelle D’Antonio, CNN (CNN) — The Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter Friday threatening the federal funding of any academic institution that considers race in most aspects of student life. The letter — geared toward all preschool, elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump will ask the Supreme Court to allow him to fire the head of a government ethics watchdog agency in the first appeal from his litigious second term to reach the nation’s highest court. At the center of the appeal is Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — In his nearly four weeks in office, President Donald Trump has unveiled a constant stream of policy priorities in quick succession, from shrinking government, to cutting taxes, to waging a war on diversity initiatives, illegal immigration and transgender rights. His allies in the states are rushing to keep up.

By Steve Contorno and Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — Through blunt conversations and terse texting exchanges, Steve Bannon, the populist strategist and nationalist firebrand, tries to keep tabs on the inner workings of the White House. His inquiries fan out across the top rungs of President Donald Trump’s administration, and one official said they often

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Amid Democrats’ shock and bickering over how much to respond to President Donald Trump is a deeper question rippling through leaders across the Capitol and across the country: How much should they rely on the same institutional and procedural maneuvers they used during the first Trump term, and how

By Betsy Klein, Samantha Waldenberg, Jennifer Hansler and Mariya Knight, CNN (CNN) — Top Trump administration officials are set to meet with senior Russian officials to begin talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to multiple sources. National security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff

By Zachary B. Wolf, CNN Washington (CNN) — When we asked you, readers of CNN.com and the What Matters newsletter, for your questions about the whirlwind of news that has been Trump 2.0, thousands rolled in. I’ve taken a sampling of the questions and either tried to answer them or gotten input from CNN reporters

By Tierney Sneed and Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — “I don’t know.” That’s the answer that Justice Department attorneys, when asked basic questions by judges about President Donald Trump’s dramatic overhaul of the federal government, have been forced to offer in multiple court hearings as the legal challenges move at lightning speed. The government attorneys

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — In less than a month in office the Trump administration has simultaneously dismantled foreign aid programs that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.

By Eric Bradner and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Mitch McConnell was a generational force for the Republican Party — using procedural tactics and political will to stymie much of former President Barack Obama’s agenda, hand President Donald Trump key first-term political victories and deliver a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority. Now he’s the