Politics

By Haley Talbot and Shania Shelton, CNN (CNN) — US Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a New Jersey Democrat, has died, Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday. “We are saddened to be informed of the passing today of congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.,” Johnson said in a post on X. New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy

By Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The US delivered long-range missiles to Ukraine earlier this month that the Biden administration had previously refused to send following a directive from President Joe Biden, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Biden secretly approved the transfer of the long-range ATACMS missiles in February for use inside Ukrainian territory. The

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — An email Monday night from Donald Trump – subject line: “My farewell message” – carried a fateful warning to his backers. “Tomorrow is my GAG ORDER hearing,” it read. “If things don’t go our way, I could be thrown in jail.” Ominous? Certainly. Dubious? Yes, that too. Trump faced little

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden has revived a debunked tale about his past – his fictional claim that he used to drive an 18-wheeler truck. Biden has repeatedly embellished or invented biographical tidbits. In 2021, he claimed during a tour of a Mack Trucks facility: “I used to drive an 18-wheeler, man,” then added, “I got

By Arit John, Natasha Chen, Jason Kravarik and Shania Shelton, CNN (CNN) — The Arizona House of Representatives voted Wednesday to overturn the state’s 160-year-old abortion ban, setting the stage for a repeal that would leave the state’s 15-week restriction on the procedure in place. The vote comes after two failed attempts by lawmakers in the Republican-controlled

By Rebekah Riess, CNN (CNN) — The man charged in connection with an alleged arson at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office in Vermont pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, court records show. Shant Soghomonian, 35, was charged earlier this month with using fire to damage the building in Burlington. During his arraignment on Tuesday, Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered

By Alayna Treene and Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump no longer commands the trappings of White House state dinners to host foreign dignitaries or the flight itinerary of Air Force One to meet them abroad, but that hasn’t stopped the former president from huddling with world leaders eager to bolster their relationship with

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — For the fourth time since she became the federal government’s top Supreme Court advocate, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar is arguing an abortion-related case. The dispute before the high court on Wednesday, about whether federal mandates for hospitals override strict state abortion bans in medical emergencies, shows how legal fights

By Arlette Saenz, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Senate’s vote on Tuesday to approve new aid for Ukraine capped off six months of public pressure and private overtures by the White House to build support, including the not-insignificant task of winning over House Speaker Mike Johnson. For months, President Joe Biden and his team pressed the case for

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood and Nectar Gan, CNN (CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in China on Wednesday where he is expected to issue a strong warning to Chinese leaders about the country’s support for Russia’s efforts to ramp up weapons production as the war in Ukraine continues. The top US

By Annie Grayer and Melanie Zanona, CNN Washington (CNN) — House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer was eager to take the reins of a high-stakes investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, seen as central to the House Republican agenda – a coveted perch that brought the added benefit of elevating his national profile. But

By Matt Stiles, CNN (CNN) — The US Senate on Tuesday passed a $95 billion foreign aid package aimed at bolstering support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, ending months of legislative wrangling among lawmakers over extending help to the American allies. The package, which passed on a 79-18 bipartisan vote, combined four bills approved by

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Joe Biden landed a major union endorsement Wednesday from North America’s Building Trades Unions, whose leaders say the president has his infrastructure bill largely to thank for it. In making one of their earliest ever presidential endorsements, NABTU leaders are kickstarting an eight-figure organizing program to try to deliver their 250,000 members in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin