Politics

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — Congressional Republicans are taking a major political gamble this week, laying out a GOP health care agenda that ignores the soon-to-expire enhanced subsidies that help tens of millions of Americans afford Obamacare — despite pleas from some in their own party. Top Republicans didn’t come to the decision easily.

By Samantha Waldenberg, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday officially launched his “gold card” visa, a new immigration pathway that will allow foreigners to pay $1 million to expedite their visa application, or have companies pay $2 million to sponsor a foreign worker they want to bring into the US. “Very excitingly, for

By Jennifer Hansler, Jim Sciutto, Kevin Liptak, and Victoria Butenko (CNN) — Ukraine delivered its response to the latest US-drafted peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia to the Trump administration on Wednesday, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN, as the contours of a tenuous potential deal take shape and the US president

By Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — A task force created by President Donald Trump plans to recommend the most sweeping overhaul of FEMA in decades, dramatically reducing the federal agency’s role in disaster response by cutting its workforce in half and rolling out a new block grant system designed to get aid to communities faster

CNN By Adam Cancryn, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, escalating US pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s regime. “As you probably know we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “Large tanker, very large,

By Adam Cancryn, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, escalating US pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s regime. “As you probably know we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “Large tanker, very large, largest

By Gabe Cohen, CNN (CNN) — After years of promoting baseless claims of voter fraud that President Donald Trump has frequently touted, a conservative activist has landed a top position at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The activist Gregg Phillips shot to fame after launching the narrative that millions of illegal votes were cast in

By Ellis Kim, Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — The House on Wednesday advanced the National Defense Authorization Act for the next fiscal year, sending the massive defense policy bill to the Senate for final passage. Both Democrats and Republicans voted overwhelmingly to approve the measure, which sets out the nation’s defense policy agenda

By Haley Britzky, Brianna Keilar, CNN (CNN) — Another 81 women who say they were “subjected to invasive, unnecessary, and degrading touching, voyeurism, and covert filming” are joining a lawsuit originally filed in November against Army Maj. Blaine McGraw, a gynecologist who was charged this week with secretly recording his patients during exams. The new

By Gloria Pazmino, CNN (CNN) — New York City Comptroller Brad Lander launched his bid for New York’s 10th Congressional District on Wednesday, challenging Rep. Dan Goldman in what is expected to be a heated primary in one of the city’s most left-leaning districts. The race will serve as a test for the city’s left-leaning

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Kamala Harris is extending her book tour into 2026 – but now it’s going to be about more than selling books. The former vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee on Wednesday morning announced a slate of stops starting in January and going every week through April, taking her

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the rise of political violence during a joint interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, calling on politicians, including President Donald Trump, to help lower the temperature in the country. The two responded on Tuesday to the president’s comments

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — It was an international controversy during President Donald Trump’s first term. Media outlets including CNN reported that, at a closed-door January 2018 meeting with senators about immigration policy, Trump had asked why the US should accept immigrants from “shithole countries” such as some in Africa. Trump’s White House spokesperson

By Sarah Ferris, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — A number of endangered GOP lawmakers on Wednesday privately pressed Republican leaders to address expiring Covid-era health care subsidies — but faced sharp pushback from the right flank of their party. And House Republican leaders remained adamant that they did not support a short-term fix, making it

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — The US has indicted a Ukrainian woman for her alleged involvement with Russia-backed cybercriminal groups that have caused disruptions at American water and meat processing facilities, the Justice Department has said. The case against Victoria Dubranova, 33, who was extradited to the US earlier this year and pleaded not

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Wednesday approved the unsealing of documents from the investigation and criminal prosecution of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The decision from Manhattan judge Richard M. Berman comes one day after a different New York judge approved the release of records in the case against Epstein’s

By Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Pennsylvania next week to deliver remarks on the economy and the cost of living, continuing the administration’s newfound push to convince voters that the White House is focused on affordability concerns, a spokesperson said. Vance will speak at an event