Politics

ZOOM| CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama urged voters to back California Democrats’ redistricting effort during a virtual event with Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday, framing the proposed constitutional amendment as a way to counter President Donald Trump’s efforts to skew the 2026 midterm elections in Republicans’ favor.

By Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama urged voters to back California Democrats’ redistricting effort during a virtual event with Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday, framing the proposed constitutional amendment as a way to counter President Donald Trump’s efforts to skew the 2026 midterm elections in Republicans’ favor. The measure, Proposition 50, would

By Natasha Bertrand, Rashard Rose, CNN (CNN) — The US military conducted lethal strikes against two boats in the eastern Pacific this week, killing all people on board each vessel, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The two strikes on vessels in the Pacific — the eighth and ninth known strikes by the US

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — The president keeps claiming a major American city is burning down. Even though that is not even close to true. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday: “I looked at Portland over the weekend. The place is burning down, just burning down.” Trump noted that an

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has reached an agreement with the University of Virginia, according to an announcement from the Department of Justice, marking the first public university to reach a deal with the White House after months of turmoil. The university has signed on to Justice Department guidelines on federal

CNN By Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett and Rashard Rose, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley now holds the record for third longest Senate floor speech in modern history, after delivering remarks for more than 22 hours. Merkley began speaking on the Senate floor after announcing he would protest what he called President Donald Trump’s

By Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett and Rashard Rose, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley now holds the record for third longest Senate floor speech in modern history, after delivering remarks for more than 22 hours. Merkley began speaking on the Senate floor after announcing he would protest what he called President Donald Trump’s “grave

By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee for mayor of New York, can hardly believe the position he finds himself in. “In the past few weeks, I feel like I’m watching an Eddie Murphy movie, ‘Trading Places,’” he said during a fiery appearance Wednesday morning on the New York radio station

By Abby Phillip, CNN (CNN) — Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., a civil rights leader and political outsider, ran for president in two groundbreaking campaigns that changed American politics. A son of the segregated South who went from nothing to eventually becoming one of the most well-known public figures in America, Jackson’s outsider political campaigns challenged

By Betsy Klein, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — While praising first lady Melania Trump’s work to return Ukrainian children from Russian captivity, President Donald Trump last week seemed to downplay the estimates of the number of children allegedly abducted since the war began. Seated across the table in the White House Cabinet Room, Ukrainian President

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Federal workers are bearing the brunt of the government shutdown, with more than 1 million of them going unpaid while Democrats and Republicans in Congress argue over funding federal agencies for the current fiscal year. Many will miss their first full paychecks on Friday, while others will feel the

By Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — The Pentagon is barring nearly all Defense Department personnel, including military commanders, from talking to Congress or state lawmakers unless they have received prior approval from the agency’s office of legislative affairs, according to a memo signed this month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and obtained by CNN. “Unauthorized

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — One of the nation’s premier historic preservation groups on Tuesday urged the Trump administration to pause demolition of the White House East Wing, which excavators began tearing into this week to make way for President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Congressionally chartered non-profit

CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN More than a million federal workers are missing paychecks as the government shutdown stretches into its third week. Find out which workers are still being paid, who’s stuck in limbo — and who faces the possibility of losing compensation altogether. Here’s what else you need to know to get up

CNN By Kit Maher, Kristen Holmes, Aileen Graef, CNN (CNN) — Paul Ingrassia is no longer the nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, two White House officials told CNN on Tuesday, after his chances of getting through the Senate confirmation imploded following reports of racist text messages that he allegedly sent to a

By Kit Maher, Kristen Holmes, Aileen Graef, CNN (CNN) — Paul Ingrassia is no longer the nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, two White House officials told CNN on Tuesday, after his chances of getting through the Senate confirmation imploded following reports of racist text messages that he allegedly sent to a group

CNN By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Arizona’s attorney general has sued the US House of Representatives over Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to seat an Arizona member of Congress – who was elected in late September – due to the government shutdown. “This case is about whether someone duly elected to the House,” Kris

By Kaanita Iyer, Jeremy Moorhead, CNN (CNN) — Summer Kerksick waited in line for two hours Tuesday to receive a box of canned and dry goods at a food bank event for federal workers amid the ongoing government shutdown. “With my rent due next week, I can take anything I can get,” Kerksick, a federal

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he “could be” seeking $230 million from his own Justice Department as compensation for past investigations into him, though he professed to have little knowledge of the specifics and said he would give the money to charity. “It could be,” Trump responded when