Politics

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has chosen John Ratcliffe to serve as his CIA director. Ratcliffe had been high on the list of potential attorney general candidates, sources told CNN. He currently serves as co-chair at the Center for American Security

By MJ Lee and Arlette Saenz, CNN Washington (CNN) — The families of US hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain in agony, waiting for any sign that their loved ones might finally come home to them. Now, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas conflict and on the heels of last week’s

By Kit Maher and Kevin Liptak, CNN Washington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as United States ambassador to Israel, a strong defender of Israel who once argued that there was “no such thing as a Palestinian.” “Mike has been a great public

CNN By Katie Lobosco, CNN Washington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to abolish the Department of Education. On the campaign trail, he repeatedly pointed to the agency as a symbol of federal overreach into the everyday lives of American families. “I say it all the time, I’m dying to get back to do

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away an appeal from John Nassif, a January 6 defendant who challenged a law that bans “parading, picketing, and demonstrating” at the US Capitol as a violation of the First Amendment. Nassif, who was sentenced to seven months in prison for his role

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to let Mark Meadows move his Georgia election subversion case to federal court, effectively barring the former chief of staff during Donald Trump’s first term from claiming immunity from those charges. Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman who served as White House chief of

By Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Brussels Tuesday as President-elect Donald Trump’s possible moves on support for Ukraine, NATO and tariffs raise serious questions and concerns among European officials. The trip comes a week after the US presidential election and as European leaders brace

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Plenty of House Republicans are privately jockeying for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet. There’s one big problem: Speaker Mike Johnson can’t afford to lose their votes in the next Congress. GOP leaders in Congress are signaling that Trump can’t poach more of their members after Trump on Monday named long-time

By Sarah Ferris, Lauren Fox and Clare Foran, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump won’t arrive back at the White House until January. But the president-elect will have fingerprints over every piece of the lame-duck session of Congress. A week after Election Day, lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill to the fast-approaching threat of a government

By Kayla Tausche, CNN (CNN) — Less than a week into the Trump transition – with some of the most critical personnel decisions still underway – the president-elect has elevated a new class of candidates: the czars. Discussions about a future role for North Dakota governor-turned-Trump-ally Doug Burgum have evolved into that of an “energy

By Kaitlan Collins, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to two people familiar with the selection. “Kristi has been very strong on Border Security,” Trump said in a statement officially announcing the pick later Tuesday. “She will

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Biden administration has not assessed that Israel is in violation of US law and will not change its policy at this time, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday on the US-mandated 30-day deadline for the Netanyahu government to take specific steps to improve the humanitarian situation in

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego will win a closely watched US Senate seat in Arizona, CNN projects, defeating Republican Kari Lake to become the state’s first Latino senator. Gallego will succeed retiring independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat, as he joins the soon-to-be-GOP-controlled chamber in January. His win is

CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Elon Musk wants to radically reshape who controls America’s money supply. The billionaire is among several people in Donald Trump’s inner circle calling for sweeping changes to the Federal Reserve. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. 1.

By Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes and Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump is likely to pick Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, two people familiar with his thinking told CNN, as he rounds out his national security team in a second term. It was not clear as of Monday night

CNN By Kristen Holmes and Betsy Klein, CNN Washington (CNN) — Melania Trump is not expected to attend the traditional White House meeting with first lady Jill Biden, sources familiar with her plans said. It’s a decision that underscores Melania Trump’s long-held willingness to buck tradition as she prepares to retake the high-profile – but

By Kaitlan Collins and Jack Forrest, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida to serve as his national security adviser, according to a source familiar. In the role, Waltz would have to navigate a number of geopolitical conflicts that Trump’s administration will assume as part of his second term,