Politics

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN (CNN) — Elon Musk is emerging as a new star in Democratic ads and fundraising appeals, as politicians from Virginia to Wisconsin try to seize on the tech billionaire’s role in slashing the federal government to motivate their voters and donors. A leading Democratic outside group recently launched ads in nearly

By Jeff Zeleny and Kevin Liptak, CNN Washington (CNN) — Unpredictability has long been one of President Donald Trump’s strongest assets. The uncertainty that follows is one of his most confounding. From the financial markets to foreign capitals, a fresh sense of Trump-inspired whiplash reverberated across the globe this week, raising questions about whether his

By Tami Luhby and Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — Millions of Americans could soon feel the impact of the deep staffing cuts being planned at the Social Security Administration, which is undergoing a massive reorganization that the acting commissioner has acknowledged is being steered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The loss of experienced

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — The dean of Georgetown University Law Center on Thursday rebuked a threat from the acting US attorney in Washington, DC, that he would not hire the law school’s students if it does not remove diversity, equity and inclusion from its curriculum. Dean William Treanor accused Ed Martin, a Trump

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The US State Department is “undertaking a full review of all visa programs,” a department spokesperson confirmed amid reports of an impending new travel ban, and a US official familiar with the situation told CNN that Afghanistan could be among the countries included. The official said the ban could

By John Fritze, CNN Washington (CNN) — Prominent legal conservatives on Friday sought to tamp down a wave of sudden criticism directed at Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett over her vote to reject President Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid. Barrett, a former appeals court judge and law professor

By Associated Press (AP) — References to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and the first women to pass Marine infantry training are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A small federal agency that sends money to help communities in Africa became a flashpoint Thursday in the Trump administration’s efforts to shut down foreign aid and reduce the size of the federal government. A Trump-backed government official, staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency and federal law enforcement

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday slammed Rep. Andy Ogles’ proposal to kick some Democrats off their committee assignments, calling the Tennessee Republican “a fraud.” “That resolution is going nowhere,” Jeffries said in a video posted on X Thursday evening, later adding, “Andy Ogles is a fraud. A

CNN By Kayla Tausche, CNN (CNN) — As President Donald Trump prepares to order the dismantling of the Department of Education, the financial arm of the agency – which makes loans directly to borrowers and manages trillions of dollars in student debt – faces an uncertain future, with steep staff cuts and lack of communication

By Kayla Tausche, CNN (CNN) — As President Donald Trump prepares to order the dismantling of the Department of Education, the financial arm of the agency – which makes loans directly to borrowers and manages trillions of dollars in student debt – faces an uncertain future, with steep staff cuts and lack of communication exacerbating

By Samantha Waldenberg, Katelyn Polantz and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday suspending the security clearances of employees at Perkins Coie, citing the law firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices. “This is an absolute honor to sign,” the president said in the Oval Office. Perkins Coie has long

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is taking a shot at the onslaught of emergency lawsuits being filed against it by invoking a rarely used rule that can force people who challenge the government to post money at the start of a court case, according to a White House memo. In theory,

By Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny, CNN Washington (CNN) — One week after Elon Musk held court before the cameras during President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, many of the Senate-confirmed leaders of government departments and agencies reconvened in the Cabinet Room on Thursday for a different kind of discussion. During a nearly

By Shania Shelton and David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said transgender athletes playing in women’s sports is “an issue of fairness” in a break from most Democrats’ position on the topic. “Well, I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue