Politics

By Betsy Klein, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — Dogged by questions on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal even from Scotland, President Donald Trump again sought to put distance between himself and the sex offender — offering one of his most thorough personal explanations to date on his former relationship with the disgraced financier. While sitting next

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — Twenty states are suing the Trump administration, alleging that the Department of Agriculture is improperly attempting to gather sensitive personal information of low-income families across the country who use food stamps. The USDA has demanded information, including Social Security numbers and home addresses, from people who get credits from

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Paul Dans, the main force behind the polarizing conservative blueprint Project 2025, is planning to challenge South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in next year’s Republican primary. Dans told CNN he will formally launch his campaign with a prayer breakfast Wednesday in Charleston. Graham, a close friend of President Donald

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, urged the Supreme Court on Monday to take up her pending appeal and overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, claiming she was covered by an agreement Epstein made with federal authorities that shielded her from prosecution. “This case is about what the government

By Gloria Pazmino, Sabrina Souza, CNN New York (CNN) — Andrew Cuomo made his way across New York City’s five boroughs over the weekend stopping into public housing cookouts in Harlem, pouring rum behind a bar in Brooklyn and walking in the Colombian Day Parade in Queens. It’s all part of a new campaign strategy

CNN By Gloria Pazmino, Sabrina Souza, CNN New York (CNN) — Andrew Cuomo made his way across New York City’s five boroughs over the weekend stopping into public housing cookouts in Harlem, pouring rum behind a bar in Brooklyn and walking in the Colombian Day Parade in Queens. It’s all part of a new campaign

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Julia Benbrook, CNN (CNN) — Division between Republican lawmakers over the Jeffrey Epstein files continued to intensify even as President Donald Trump and his administration seeks to redirect scrutiny toward the president’s political foes and the 2016 election. Signs of mounting pressure to respond to calls for transparency appeared last week

By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart have signed an agreement outlining the terms of Qatar’s “unconditional donation” of a Boeing jet to the Pentagon, confirming that the US will pay nothing to Qatar for the plane, according to a copy of the memorandum of understanding reviewed by

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump over the weekend called for the prosecution of music superstar Beyoncé – based on something that did not actually happen. Trump claimed in a social media post that Beyoncé broke the law by supposedly getting paid $11 million for her endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Dave Min was chatting with reporters at the US Capitol when the California Democrat was asked about whether he wants Kamala Harris to run for governor. Suddenly, Min no longer had time to talk. “I have no comment,” he said. Asked what he thought a Harris run would

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A Supreme Court decision last month limiting the use of nationwide injunctions appeared to pave the way for President Donald Trump to begin enforcing his plan to end birthright citizenship on Sunday — until lower courts stalled the effort. The president could have begun enforcement if lower courts had

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Another whistleblower has made claims to the Justice Department’s watchdog that Emil Bove — a top agency official who is now nominated for a judgeship — suggested others in the department could ignore court orders during a contentious legal battle in an immigration case. The whistleblower, a former DOJ

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Thirty minutes into a routine appearance Thursday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis abruptly turned his fire on a fellow Republican, accusing a veteran state lawmaker of betraying the party’s voters. Hours later, President Donald Trump endorsed that same lawmaker, Joe Gruters, to become the next chairman of

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Retired CIA official Susan Miller, an author of the agency’s 2017 intelligence report on Russian election meddling, is vowing to fight any potential criminal charges brought by the Trump administration. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused the Obama administration of manufacturing the intelligence report, which assessed that

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Darren Beattie — a top State Department official who was fired as a speechwriter during President Donald Trump’s first term after CNN revealed that he spoke at a conference attended by White nationalists — will now serve as the acting president of the US Institute of Peace, according to

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Democrats running in next year’s midterms are pumping out videos of themselves pumping iron. In one video, Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred stands in his home gym after a workout and, still in a sweat, criticizes President Donald Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. In another, Cait Conley,

By Annette Choi, CNN (CNN) — The US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender identity care for transgender minors earlier this summer has fueled ongoing polarization around LGBTQ issues and controversial policies across the nation. The high court has also agreed to take on more cases dealing with trans rights in its

By Jeff Zeleny, Kevin Liptak, CNN Edinburgh, Scotland (CNN) — Fleeing Washington’s oppressive humidity and nonstop questions over heated controversies, President Donald Trump is once again taking weekend refuge at his golf clubs — this time more than 3,000 miles away in Scotland. While the White House has called his five-day trip a “working visit,”

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has decided to release the rest of the nearly $7 billion in funding for public schools that it had frozen, with little notice, earlier this month. A senior administration official told CNN they have finished a programmatic review, and the additional funds will be released to