Politics

By Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, acknowledged Tuesday he is “not a perfect person” but was defiant in the face of multiple allegations surrounding his past conduct during a contentious confirmation hearing. Hegseth dismissed the allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 as false

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN Washington (CNN) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his most detailed picture yet of his long-awaited plans for post-war Gaza on Tuesday as he stressed the importance of not leaving a power vacuum in the decimated enclave. Blinken presented the “core elements” in a speech at the Atlantic Council just

By Dan Berman, Marshall Cohen, Katelyn Polantz and Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — The evidence was there to convict Donald Trump. That’s the simple and powerful conclusion from former special counsel Jack Smith in his final report on Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election culminating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the

By Kevin Liptak, CNN Washington (CNN) — Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, her office said Tuesday, without providing an explanation for her decision. “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” a

By CNN staff (CNN) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Defense Department, plans to tell the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would like to restore a “warrior culture” to the Pentagon, according to his opening statement that was obtained by CNN. Read his expected remarks here: The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025

CNN By Kaanita Iyer, CNN Washington (CNN) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, will face a Senate panel Tuesday for his confirmation hearing as he is expected to be questioned over allegations ranging from sexual assault to excessive drinking in the workplace. Hegseth has denied all accusations and made several

By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — Tech-entrepreneur David Sacks, the incoming White House czar for AI and cryptocurrency, has a reputation for staunchly defending online free speech, including when he criticized tech companies for silencing conservative voices in the run-up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. But there’s one person whose

By CNN staff (CNN) — The Department of Justice early Tuesday released special counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into Donald Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Read the report: The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN Washington (CNN) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, will face a Senate panel Tuesday for his confirmation hearing as he is expected to be questioned over allegations ranging from sexual assault to excessive drinking in the workplace. Hegseth has denied all accusations and made several trips

By Tierney Sneed, Marshall Cohen, Holmes Lybrand and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith and his team believed they could have secured a conviction against Donald Trump over his attempt to subvert the 2020 election, according to a report released early Tuesday that details the president-elect’s “criminal efforts to retain power.” The

By Kayla Tausche, Alex Marquardt, Jennifer Hansler and Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — With just days left before handing over the keys to the US government, the Biden administration is making a last-ditch effort to seize hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian assets as future negotiating leverage for Ukraine, according to two senior administration

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department special counsel whose six-year case into Hunter Biden was short-circuited last month by the unconditional pardon President Joe Biden granted to his son, criticized the outgoing president in his final report Monday. Special counsel David Weiss chastised President Biden as part of the 280-page report for

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump keeps making false claims about Canada. Trump has spoken repeatedly in the past month about somehow turning the independent country to the north into the 51st US state. It is not clear whether Trump’s self-proclaimed “great idea” is mere trolling, a serious desire or an

By Kate Sullivan, Alayna Treene and Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN (CNN) — Country music star Carrie Underwood is slated to perform “America the Beautiful” at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to a copy of the program obtained by CNN and confirmed by a spokesperson for the inaugural committee. “I love our country and am honored to