CNN – US Politics

By Laura Sharman, Isabelle D’Antonio, Christopher Lamb, Antonia Mortensen, CNN (CNN) — Pope Leo XIV on Monday strongly pushed back against criticism from US President Donald Trump, defending his position of seeking peace and rejecting violence amid the Iran war. “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message

By Eric Bradner, Arit John, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Eric Swalwell said Sunday he would withdraw from the California governor’s race in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct that led to a nearly immediate campaign collapse, as staffers quit and prominent Democratic supporters urged him to drop out. “I am suspending my campaign for

By Michael Williams, Allison Gordon, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Even as Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped his campaign for California governor, the Democratic lawmaker still faces significant jeopardy. A number of Democrats and Republicans in Congress have called for Swalwell’s resignation and have said they will force a vote to expel him if he does

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Entering this weekend’s high-stakes talks with Iran in Pakistan, US officials identified a number of key areas where they would need to see progress to declare success. After hours of talks stretching into the early morning Sunday, US and Iranian negotiating teams had reached an impasse on several of

By Eric Bradner, Arit John, CNN (CNN) — The sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell are damaging his hopes of winning the California governor’s race, with former allies revoking their endorsements and a growing list of prominent Democrats telling him to withdraw. Less clear is who can claim the support he had amassed —

By Sean Lyngaas, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — In mid-March, a fire tore through a compartment of the United States’ largest and most powerful aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. The ship was floating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, launching aircraft as part of the weeks-old war with Iran, when the blaze broke out

By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — On a recent April morning, Stephen Miller led a multiagency call with a question: Why were countries not accepting more deportees from the United States? In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the architect of his immigration agenda had overseen a deportation machine that

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump privately advocated for painting an ornate federal office building next to the White House with a “magic paint with silicate,” CNN has learned. But ahead of a key vote on exterior changes to the sprawling Gilded Age structure, a panel of experts is warning the so-called

CNN By Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — US intelligence indicates that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments. It would be a provocative move considering Beijing said it helped broker the fragile ceasefire agreement that paused the war

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Saturday it is investigating an allegation of sexual assault against Rep. Eric Swalwell, a day after CNN reported that a former staffer for the California Democrat accused him of having sex with her when she was unable to consent. “We urge survivors and

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A federal appeals court said Saturday that President Donald Trump can move ahead for another week with construction of a massive new White House ballroom while judges consider the project. The 2-1 order from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is a temporary win for Trump in a protracted

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Running in a contentious race to keep his seat, Sen. John Cornyn put out an ad vowing to fight “radical Islam.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Cornyn’s opponent in the May 26 runoff, accused his rival of helping “radical Islamic Afghans invade Texas.” Rep. Chip Roy, running to replace

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — As Todd Blanche takes the reins at the Justice Department, a federal judge is set to decide whether controversial remarks made last year by the now-acting attorney general should lead to the unravelling of one of the Trump administration’s marquee criminal cases. Blanche’s public statements about human smuggling charges

By Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — US intelligence indicates that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments. It would be a provocative move considering Beijing said it helped broker the fragile ceasefire agreement that paused the war between

By Adam Cancryn, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — With war raging in the Middle East and midterms on the horizon, the White House seemed to have finally shaken the Jeffrey Epstein saga that plagued the first year of Donald Trump’s second term. Inside the White House, officials had started to move on. But for first

By Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Eric Swalwell’s bid for the California governor’s office was reeling Friday as his campaign was halted on the main Democratic fundraising platform and top Democratic supporters withdrew their endorsements and urged him to drop out of the race in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct. Former House

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Paul Dans, the architect of the controversial conservative blueprint known as Project 2025, has ended his bid to challenge South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary this summer. Dans announced his decision to drop out of the race Friday — the last day to remove his name

By Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — Designs for a towering, gold-accented triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery were revealed by the White House on Friday – providing more insight into the latest iteration of President Donald Trump’s desire to mold the physical footprint of Washington, DC, into his own vision. The proposed 250-foot arch, pictured

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Jamie Raskin is calling on the White House physician to conduct a cognitive test of President Donald Trump amid his heightened rhetoric about the US war with Iran. The Maryland Democrat joins a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers – and some right-wing personalities – who have expressed concern

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — The White House recently warned staff not to engage in insider trading on prediction markets and other platforms, according to a White House official. The internal warning came amid a flurry of controversial trades on prediction sites and in oil futures markets, mostly related to the Iran war. There

By David Wright, Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed Friday that she is “thinking about” running for president in 2028 at the 2026 National Action Network Convention – in her most open public remarks to date about her political future. “Listen, I might, I might. I’m thinking about it. I’m

By Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — The right-wing media ecosystem that has long served as a useful bullhorn for President Donald Trump unraveled into disarray this week, as deepening fears over his management of the war — and fragile ceasefire — with Iran spilled into public infighting among some of his most prominent allies. From

By Adam Cancryn, Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance spent the last month largely out of the limelight as the US waged a war with Iran that he’d privately worried would spiral out of control. Yet with President Donald Trump now eager to broker an end to the conflict, he’s

By René Marsh, CNN (CNN) — A “Christ is Risen” Easter message sent by the secretary of agriculture has sparked backlash inside the department, angering some of its nearly 100,000 employees and prompting a formal complaint against the secretary for the religious message. Employees at the department’s 4,500 offices across the country received an email

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Pentagon’s latest bid to limit press access, tearing into the Department of Defense in a stinging ruling that warned “suppression of political speech is the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy.” US District Judge Paul Friedman blasted the department for attempting

CNN By Betsy Klein, MJ Lee, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — First lady Melania Trump blasted “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein” in extraordinary and rare remarks from the White House Thursday, attempting to distance herself from the convicted sex offender while calling on Congress to hold public hearings allowing his victims to

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Young, eligible men will be automatically registered for the military draft pool starting in December as part of a measure tucked into the annual defense policy bill Congress signed into law late last year. Men ages 18 to 26 must already register for selective service in case a draft

By Betsy Klein, MJ Lee, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — First lady Melania Trump blasted “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein” in extraordinary and rare remarks from the White House Thursday, attempting to distance herself from the convicted sex offender while calling on Congress to hold public hearings allowing his victims to testify

By Paula Reid, CNN (CNN) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a series of memos to Justice Department staffers Thursday marking his first official day running the agency. In a memo to the staff obtained by CNN, he wrote, “Our mission here at the Department remains the same today as it was yesterday. President

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — Sen. Elissa Slotkin knows how to win in Trump country. She’s trying to show her fellow Democrats the way. “We don’t help ourselves by pretending we don’t have a problem, OK?” Slotkin told Democrats at a party dinner here Tuesday night. “Staying on defense only doesn’t