Politics

By Matt Stiles, CNN (CNN) — The US Senate on Thursday voted to approve Kash Patel as FBI director in a mostly party-line vote, clearing the way for one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial appointments. Fifty-one Republicans voted for Patel, who in the past vowed to help dismantle the same organization he will now

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — The US Navy has relieved the commander of an aircraft carrier that collided with a mercantile vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near the entrance to the Suez Canal. Capt. Dave Snowden was serving as the commander of the USS Harry S. Truman when it collided with a ship near

By Gloria Pazmino and Mark Morales, CNN (CNN) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday she will not use her executive powers to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office, at least for now, instead opting to propose a set of guardrails that aim to severely limit the New York City mayor’s independence. “After careful

By Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth could soon move to fire more than half a dozen generals and flag officers, according to two sources familiar with the matter, part of an effort to purge the department of senior leaders perceived as either too political or too close

CNN By Jennifer Agiesta, CNN (CNN) — At the one-month mark of Donald Trump’s second term as president, his approval rating in a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS tilts negative but still lands above the level he reached at any point in his first four years in office. There are signs in the poll,

By Fredreka Schouten and Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election this spring will decide just one seat, but the contest already is shaping up as one of the most costly and contentious battles of the new year – with the control of the seven-member court and the fate of a 19th century

By Zachary Cohen, Ella Nilsen, Rene Marsh and Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration and Elon Musk have insisted that they are carefully purging the federal workforce by firing only low-performing employees serving in non-critical roles, or recent hires on probationary status. But interviews with more than a dozen recently laid-off federal workers,

CNN By Zachary Cohen, Ella Nilsen, Rene Marsh and Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration and Elon Musk have insisted that they are carefully purging the federal workforce by firing only low-performing employees serving in non-critical roles, or recent hires on probationary status. But interviews with more than a dozen recently laid-off federal

By Jennifer Agiesta, CNN (CNN) — At the one-month mark of Donald Trump’s second term as president, his approval rating in a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS tilts negative but still lands above the level he reached at any point in his first four years in office. There are signs in the poll, though,

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump moved at a blistering pace in his first month back in the White House. He lied fast and furious, too. In speeches, interviews, exchanges with reporters and posts on social media, the president filled his public statements not only with exaggerations but outright fabrications. As

CNN By Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny and Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — As the long-fraught relationship between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky ripped apart Wednesday, a question that lingered among allies of both men was whether the fight would dash hopes for a US-brokered peace — or, potentially, help it along.

By Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny and Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — As the long-fraught relationship between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky ripped apart Wednesday, a question that lingered among allies of both men was whether the fight would dash hopes for a US-brokered peace — or, potentially, help it along. Firing

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — An appeals court will not allow the Trump administration to end birthright citizenship for certain children of immigrants, in a ruling that could propel the issue to the Supreme Court. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined an emergency Justice Department request that it lift the

CNN By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to prepare plans to make drastic budget cuts over the next five years, with an exception for border security, according to a new memo obtained by CNN. The memo, dated Tuesday, calls for military leaders to provide a proposal for

By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to prepare plans to make drastic budget cuts over the next five years, with an exception for border security, according to a new memo obtained by CNN. The memo, dated Tuesday, calls for military leaders to provide a proposal for eight

By Sarah Ferris and Lauren Fox, CNN Washington (CNN) — Senate Republicans announced Wednesday they are muscling ahead with their preferred legislative strategy to jumpstart Donald Trump’s agenda — just hours after the president himself backed a much different approach. That power move by Senate Majority Leader John Thune is setting up a dramatic clash

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s executive order grasping far greater control over independent federal agencies embraces a constitutionally questionable theory that presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan have considered – and ultimately rejected. In a far-reaching executive order Tuesday, Trump demanded that the White House review regulations at the Securities and

By Daniel Dale, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump is on a lying spree about Ukraine. In remarks to reporters on Tuesday and in a social media post on Wednesday, Trump made numerous false claims about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian war on Ukraine – some of which echoed inaccurate talking points

By Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — Some defense officials responsible for drafting lists of civilian Pentagon employees to be terminated as soon as this week are raising concerns with their superiors that the summary firings could break the law and potentially harm US military readiness, a senior defense official told CNN. Title