Politics

By Jeff Zeleny, Kristen Holmes, Fredreka Schouten, Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Charlie Kirk was a proud college dropout with a direct line to President Donald Trump like few others. A frequent visitor to the White House, Kirk was far more than a loyal fan and admirer of the president; he had a finger on

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined for now to let South Carolina enforce a ban on transgender students using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity. The court denied an emergency request from the state that sought to block a decision from a federal appeals court that barred

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN Bensenville, Illinois (CNN) — Federal agents raided vape retailers and distributors nationwide Wednesday, seizing over $86 million worth of illegal vapes the Justice Department says are targeted to children or members of the military. “The Department of Justice today is conducting a nationwide operation today to remove illicit vaping products that

By Aileen Graef, CNN (CNN) — A resolution offered by Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego to prevent the US Air Force from providing military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt failed Wednesday after an objection from Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville. The Air Force reversed their decision to deny military honors for Babbitt in August. Babbitt

CNN By Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Trump ally Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter says. The extent of Kirk’s injuries were not immediately clear. Kirk is one of the most prominent pro-Trump activists and conservative media personalities in the United States. He has

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — A trial date has been set for November 3 in the case against the man accused of throwing a sub-style sandwich at a law enforcement officer in the early days of President Donald Trump’s federal anti-crime surge in Washington, DC. The man, Sean Charles Dunn, pleaded not guilty to

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Top House Democrats have privately coalesced around a strategy in this month’s high stakes government funding fight: A public battle with President Donald Trump to extract health care wins, even if it means a government shutdown. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries plans to formally articulate their stance to Senate

By Randi Kaye, CNN Fort Pierce, Florida (CNN) — Twelve jurors and four alternates have been chosen in the trial of Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump last September at a Florida golf course. Routh is defending himself at the trial, sitting alone at the defense table in a

By Betsy Klein, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN (CNN) — Catherine, Princess of Wales is set to host US first lady Melania Trump for a special joint appearance at Windsor Castle’s Frogmore Gardens to highlight scouting next week, underscoring a broader diplomatic effort by the United Kingdom to cultivate close ties with the Trump administration. The princess

By Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Three former senior FBI officials summarily fired last month are suing FBI Director Kash Patel and the Trump administration, alleging that their terminations were part of a White House-directed purge driven at least in part by social media bullying from MAGA loyalists. Brian Driscoll, the former acting

By Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju, Arlette Saenz, Ted Barrett, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Republican senators are ratcheting up their demands for President Donald Trump to put new sanctions on Russia, as the White House has signaled an openness toward a second phase of sanctions against Moscow. “I think Russia is playing, they’re really playing

By Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer, Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked Chuck Schumer’s attempt to compel the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, hours after the Democratic leader made a bold procedural move to force a vote on the issue. The Senate voted 51-49 to block the measure, with GOP

By Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump reacted Wednesday with a degree of bemusement toward Russia’s drone incursion into Poland, a NATO member that Trump has previously vowed to defend amid heightened tensions with Moscow. “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones?” Trump asked in a short post on Truth

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from replacing the US’ top copyright official as the fight over executive branch firings and President Donald Trump’s use of executive power continues. Shira Perlmutter, who had been the register of copyrights since the Librarian of Congress appointed her

By Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump doesn’t mind letting his 30-day takeover of Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department lapse on Wednesday, White House officials told CNN — mainly because he feels the city has taken steps to cooperate. Those officials argued the executive order signed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser last week,

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — As public outrage grew over last month’s killing on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Vi Lyles focused her initial statement on addressing mental health issues, warning that “we will never arrest our way” out of some of the underlying causes of crime. A day later,

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — “In retrospect,” Kamala Harris writes of letting Joe and Jill Biden decide on their own whether the then-president should have tried to run for re-election, “I think it was recklessness.” That is the assessment that the former vice president makes in her forthcoming memoir of her abbreviated 2024 run,