Politics

By Dan Berman (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday struck back at Donald Trump’s attempt to dismiss his federal election interference case based on “presidential immunity,” saying no such protection from criminal liability exists for former presidents. Trump, Smith wrote, is trying to put himself on Mt. Rushmore. “In staking his claim, he

CNN Opinion by David Mark (CNN) — Recent Democratic presidents have sought reelection by limiting overt campaigning and instead making sure they’re seen focusing on the nuts and bolts of their job. President Bill Clinton, in his successful 1996 reelection bid, spent the late months of his campaign negotiating legislative deals with a Republican-majority Congress. And President Barack

By Kyle Blaine and Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler of California said Thursday that she would not run for a full term next year. “I’ve spent the past 16 days pursuing my clarity – what kind of life I want to have, what kind of service I want to offer and

By Marshall Cohen (CNN) — Former Donald Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell’s stunning plea deal in the Georgia election subversion case on the eve of her trial will significantly change the landscape of the ongoing state and federal prosecutions against the former president. As recently as Tuesday, Powell was still posting false claims on social

CNN By Melanie Zanona, Clare Foran, Manu Raju, Haley Talbot, Annie Grayer and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Anger and frustration are boiling over among House Republicans as Rep. Jim Jordan vows to stay in the race for the speaker’s gavel despite steep opposition and growing pressure from within the GOP conference to drop out.

By Marshall Cohen (CNN) — One of the pro-Donald Trump fake electors charged in Michigan has agreed to cooperate with state prosecutors in exchange for getting his case dismissed. James Renner, 76, is the first defendant to strike a deal with prosecutors. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, charged the group of 16 fake electors

By Ariane de Vogue and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to intervene in a Louisiana congressional map dispute, potentially delaying the implementation of a new map that could create a district that boosts the power of Black voters in the state. The brief order will come as a disappointment

By Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — The Senate passed a resolution affirming their support for Israel, its right to self-defense and condemning Hamas’s attacks on civilians. The final vote count was 97-0. An initial copy of the resolution put out by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee listed ninety-nine of the 100 senators co-sponsored the resolution,

By Jim Sciutto, Oren Liebermann and Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — A US Navy warship operating in the Middle East intercepted multiple projectiles near the coast of Yemen on Thursday, two US officials told CNN. One of the officials said the missiles were fired by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who are engaged in an ongoing conflict

By Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — The US intelligence community assesses that there likely were between 100 to 300 people killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, and there was “only light structural damage at the hospital,” according to an unclassified intelligence assessment obtained by CNN that adds more detail to

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — The US military believes that China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, surpassing earlier projections and it may be exploring the development of conventionally-armed long-range missiles that could reach the United States, according to a major Pentagon report on Beijing’s military prowess. China is rapidly modernizing its military

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The US State Department on Thursday advised all US citizens worldwide “to exercise increased caution” due to “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, (and) demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” The issuance of the worldwide caution alert is a

CNN Opinion by Jennifer Rodgers (CNN) — When Sidney Powell famously threatened to “release the kraken,” she surely meant something different than what has come to pass. Having failed to keep former President Donald Trump in the White House through allegedly illegal schemes to overturn the 2020 election results, leading to criminal charges in Georgia, Powell has

By Marshall Cohen, Morayo Ogunbayo and Nick Valencia, CNN (CNN) — Former Donald Trump attorney Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case, one day before her trial was set to start. As part of her guilty plea, Powell is admitting her role in the January 2021 breach of election systems in

By Shania Shelton, CNN Washington (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump is backing West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice in the state’s Republican Senate primary, the latest sign that Trump remains mostly aligned with Senate GOP leaders in regard to candidate selection as the party seeks to avoid the pitfalls of the 2022 midterms. “Big Jim

By Sharif Paget, CNN (CNN) — A State Department official has resigned from the agency over the Biden administration’s approach to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the official announced on LinkedIn Wednesday. Josh Paul, who said he has worked in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for more than 11 years, said in his

By Melanie Zanona, Clare Foran, Manu Raju, Haley Talbot, Annie Grayer and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — Anger and frustration are boiling over among House Republicans as Rep. Jim Jordan vows to stay in the race for the speaker’s gavel despite steep opposition and growing pressure from within the GOP conference to drop out. Jordan’s

By Betsy Klein, Kayla Tausche and Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden tied the wars in Ukraine and Israel together during a primetime Oval Office address Thursday, making an impassioned appeal to the American people to support two fellow democracies that he says are facing existential threats. The president has often cast this

CNN By Melanie Zanona, Haley Talbot and Sam Fossum, CNN (CNN) — Several Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan’s House speakership bid said they are experiencing angry calls, menacing messages and even death threats since casting their votes, increasing the already tense and chaotic atmosphere in the GOP as they struggle to elect a speaker.