Politics

By Kaitlan Collins, CNN (CNN) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, told Republicans on a prayer call Tuesday that “the battle is just beginning,” as he faces questions about his confirmation after a past sexual assault allegation surfaced that he denies. Hegseth’s comments made during the call, which was hosted by

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Two women who claim they were paid for sex by former Rep. Matt Gaetz provided House ethics investigators with “numerous” photos related to time they spent with the Florida Republican, a lawyer for the women said Tuesday, including from an alleged 2019 trip to New York. The women said

CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Thanksgiving dinner will cost less this year amid reduced demand for turkeys, an annual survey found. The average price of a 16-pound turkey — typically the star of the holiday meal — is $25.67, or 6% less than last year. Here’s what else you need to know to

By Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins and John Towfighi, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has named his transition co-chair Linda McMahon as his pick to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Education. The decision, which Trump announced Tuesday night confirming CNN’s earlier reporting, took shape after it became clear that McMahon would

CNN By Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins and Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump announced Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as his pick for secretary of the Department of Commerce on Tuesday, selecting his transition co-chair for a key role in an administration that the president-elect has promised will enact sweeping tariffs. “He will lead

CNN By John King, CNN Kellerton, Iowa (CNN) — Shanen Ebersole believes if people better understood her life they would better understand her unapologetic vote for Donald Trump. “The majority of people who voted for Trump are not the far-right crazies,” Ebersole said in an interview. “That is not who we are. We are simple

By John King, CNN Kellerton, Iowa (CNN) — Shanen Ebersole believes if people better understood her life they would better understand her unapologetic vote for Donald Trump. “The majority of people who voted for Trump are not the far-right crazies,” Ebersole said in an interview. “That is not who we are. We are simple Americans

By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is quietly urging GOP senators to give him a chance to prove himself suitable to be attorney general amid growing calls from top Republicans to access a House Ethics Committee report expected to detail allegations of sexual misconduct involving the

By Kayla Tausche and Kevin Liptak, CNN Rio de Janeiro (CNN) — A major decision by the United States to allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles deeper inside Russian territory has complicated a potential western diplomatic thaw with Russia as dozens of world leaders gather this week. Sunday’s decision was viewed by many western leaders

By Paula Reid, Kara Scannell, Jeremy Herb and Lauren del Valle, CNN (CNN) — The Manhattan district attorney’s office said Tuesday it would agree to postpone Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case to give prosecutors time to litigate the president-elect’s expected motion to dismiss the case. In a letter to Judge Juan Merchan,

By Kevin Liptak and Kayla Tausche, CNN Rio de Janeiro (CNN) — President Joe Biden’s exit from the world stage this week was less of a dramatic mic drop and more of a slow fade from view, a low-key conclusion to a lengthy foreign policy career whose legacy is now under threat by Donald Trump.

By Haley Britzky and Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — China rejected a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a conference in southeast Asia this week, marking the latest turn in a tumultuous relationship between the two countries’ defense leaders. Austin sought to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, at the ASEAN Defense Ministers’

CNN By Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju and Haley Talbot, CNN (CNN) — A House Republican is pushing to ban transgender women from women’s restrooms at the US Capitol, two weeks after history was made with the election of America’s first out transgender person to Congress. South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace on Monday introduced a resolution

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Attorney General Merrick Garland, nearing the end of his tenure leading the Justice Department, told career prosecutors Monday that they are the “backbone” of the Justice Department and urged them to continue to “uphold the rule of law.” In his first public comments since President-elect Donald

CNN By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN (CNN) — The former Federal Emergency Management Agency employee who was fired earlier this month after being accused of skipping homes of Donald Trump supporters while providing relief in Florida after Hurricane Milton told CNN on Monday night that she was simply following FEMA protocol. “What I’d like for

By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN (CNN) — The former Federal Emergency Management Agency employee who was fired earlier this month after being accused of skipping homes of Donald Trump supporters while providing relief in Florida after Hurricane Milton told CNN on Monday night that she was simply following FEMA protocol. “What I’d like for the