Politics

By Evan Perez, Zachary Cohen and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Years before he was Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel was a midlevel Justice Department lawyer who once drew the ire of a Texas judge who described Patel as being precisely the kind of federal bureaucrat he has vowed to weed

CNN By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump in a television interview that aired Sunday previewed a sweeping agenda for his first days in office, outlining how his administration will prioritize deporting migrants with criminal records, vowing to pursue pardons for January 6 defendants on his first day, and raising the possibility that

By Betsy Klein, Aileen Graef, Kayla Tausche, Jack Forrest and Isabelle D’Antonio, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden on Sunday called the extraordinary fall of the Assad regime in Syria “a moment of risk” and “historic opportunity” while offering a blueprint for how the US plans to support the region. Speaking at the White House

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump repeated numerous false claims during an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” – including his old lie that the US is the world’s only country with birthright citizenship. Trump reiterated his intention to try to end birthright citizenship, in which, under the

By Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump in a television interview that aired Sunday previewed a sweeping agenda for his first days in office, outlining how his administration will prioritize deporting migrants with criminal records, vowing to pursue pardons for January 6 defendants on his first day, and raising the possibility that former

By Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris and Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — For more on the GOP agenda in the new Congress, watch CNN’s “Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju” this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET and 11 a.m ET. Republicans from Capitol Hill to the White House are battling internally over the basic tenets of

CNN By Alex Marquardt, Katie Bo Lillis and Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — Biden administration officials, watching the remarkable speed of the Syrian rebel advance, increasingly see the possibility of the regime of Bashar al-Assad falling within days, five US officials told CNN. If the American analysis proves true, it would represent a spectacularly fast

By Oren Liebermann, CNN Simi Valley, California (CNN) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday announced a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine as he forcefully argued for US leadership around the world. “The troubles of our times will only grow worse without strong and steady American leadership,” Austin said in his fourth consecutive

CNN By Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN Washington (CNN) — “Get Pete Hegseth on the phone!” It was March 2018, and then-President Donald Trump was meeting with his Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin, about how to reform veteran health care. But it was Hegseth, then a Fox News personality, whose opinion

By Alex Marquardt, Katie Bo Lillis and Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — Biden administration officials, watching the remarkable speed of the Syrian rebel advance, increasingly see the possibility of the regime of Bashar al-Assad falling within days, five US officials told CNN. If the American analysis proves true, it would represent a spectacularly fast fall

By Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN Washington (CNN) — “Get Pete Hegseth on the phone!” It was March 2018, and then-President Donald Trump was meeting with his Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin, about how to reform veteran health care. But it was Hegseth, then a Fox News personality, whose opinion Trump

By Gregory Krieg, Kristen Holmes and Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — The Notre Dame Cathedral provided the luminous backdrop for President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the geopolitical stage Saturday, when French officials put an ornate line under the five-year project to restore the soaring landmark with a reopening ceremony featuring dozens of world leaders. Trump,

By Evan Perez and Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — While President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is beginning the process to undergo an FBI background check, the intensive review may not provide the answers that either Democrats or Republicans are seeking. That’s because a nominee doesn’t “pass” a background check, and

By Michael Conte and Alex Marquardt, CNN Washington (CNN) — The family of Austin Tice, a freelance journalist held in Syria since 2012, said they have new confirmation that he remains alive and well. In a news conference, the family also expressed deep frustration with the Biden administration for telling them in a meeting Friday

CNN By Michael Conte and Alex Marquardt, CNN Washington (CNN) — The family of Austin Tice, a freelance journalist held in Syria since 2012, said they have new confirmation that he remains alive and well. In a news conference, the family also expressed deep frustration with the Biden administration for telling them in a meeting

By Fredreka Schouten and David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Democrats emerged from their bruising election losses in November with a decidedly mixed financial picture, new federal filings show. The Democratic National Committee appeared flush with cash, despite recent post-election staff cuts, and a leading liberal super PAC appeared to have tens of millions of dollars

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has revealed many Americans’ fury and frustrations with their health insurance coverage. They have taken to social media to relay their stories, even as others have said they like their coverage. CNN would like to talk to readers about their experiences

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether the families of victims of terrorist attacks in Israel may sue the Palestinian Authority in federal court for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases: one from family members who sued the Palestinian

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A January 6 defendant on Friday taunted a federal judge’s decision to send him immediately to prison for one year for his role in the US Capitol riot, shouting as he was being handcuffed that President-elect Donald Trump would pardon him. The rioter, Philip Sean Grillo of New York