Politics

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has suggested federal agencies may stop working with the Smithsonian Institution if its leadership does not change, ramping up a monthslong pressure campaign to align the world’s largest museum complex with its views.In an August 28 letter to the Smithsonian’s governing body that was recently

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — It’s a question President Donald Trump has privately been asking his national security team for months: Why aren’t the Iranian people toppling their leaders?It was an outcome he seemed relatively certain of at the start of the war, convinced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that street protests would

By Zachary Cohen, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — The US military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, marking a wartime high as Iran and the US exchanged a new round strikes on Tuesday, two US officials familiar with the operations told CNN.Prior to the launch of

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s renewed attempt to limit birthright citizenship, partially halting an executive order the president issued after the Supreme Court struck down his more sweeping effort last year.US District Judge Deborah Boardman said the administration could not enforce the new, more limited

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Newly unsealed court transcripts reveal behind the scenes discussions taking place weeks before Luigi Mangione ultimately pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges tied to the murder of the chief executive of United Healthcare.The transcripts of two court hearings confirm that Mangione was on the cusp of pleading guilty to

By Priscilla Alvarez, Tami Luhby, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department moved Wednesday to require states to provide information on undocumented immigrants or lose federal funding for two key public assistance programs, issuing a sweeping revision of a long-standing legal opinion.It’s the latest move by the Trump administration to force states to cooperate

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — New $1 coins featuring President Donald Trump appeared to be out of stock Wednesday afternoon, hours after they went on sale from the US Mint at noon.One side of the coin shows Trump’s presidential portrait with the inscription “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “LIBERTY.” On the other side is

By Kaanita Iyer, Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has nominated acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for the permanent position — a move that, if confirmed by the Senate, would elevate a former GOP Senate candidate who once said that the US military needs “alpha males and alpha females.”“I am pleased to nominate

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — New Jersey on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to shut down prediction markets in the state, teeing up a potential landmark case where the justices could decide if the highly popular but controversial industry can survive in its current form.This is the first time the nationwide legal battle over

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — The Kennedy Center has taken down a stick figure sculpture on the grounds as President Donald Trump has aimed to reshape the performing arts institution, including with new art.A CNN affiliate observed cranes removing pieces of the large statue on Wednesday morning. The National Park Service temporarily closed a

By Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — In the aftermath of the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, multiple sources told CNN they believe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is damaging the Army’s efforts to adapt to the modern battlefield as he focuses on culture wars and prioritizing his own image of the “American warfighter,”

By David Wright, Katie Doran, Rashell Marthans, CNN (CNN) — Sen. Ed Markey will win the Democratic nomination for US Senate in Massachusetts, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, fending off a primary challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton as he seeks a third full term.In a year that has seen the ouster of several veteran Democrats at

By Sarah Ferris, Lauren Fox, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — The House on Tuesday took the rare step of punishing one of its members — GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards — over allegations of inappropriate behavior toward two female staffers that prompted them to quit his office.Edwards had already been forced to abandon his reelection bid

By Sarah Ferris, Morgan Rimmer, CNN (CNN) — Speaker Mike Johnson nearly lost control of the House floor — again — because of a group of disgruntled conservatives.Then a pair of Democrats stepped in to help.Two centrist Democrats, Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, took the unusual step Tuesday of

By Annie Grayer, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — The House passed a bill on Tuesday to extend government funding to December 11, clearing a path to avert a shutdown ahead of the midterm elections.The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law.By extending government

By Zachary Cohen, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Adam Cancryn, Jessie Yeung, CNN (CNN) — The US military carried out additional strikes Tuesday on Iran, prompting Tehran to attack Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait in defiance of a warning from President Donald Trump that Iran would be “hit much harder” if it retaliated.The latest round of tit-for-tat strikes began

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the field are expected to have body cameras by the end of September, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at a press conference in New York on Tuesday.Asked by CNN whether the administration was still on track to distribute body cameras to the

By Patrick Svitek, CNN Las Vegas (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance has in recent months given voice to a rising skepticism in America toward Israel, leaving some Jewish Republicans uncomfortable, if not openly concerned, about the expected GOP frontrunner in the next presidential election.Some Jewish GOP activists have expressed a preference for Secretary of

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — The US Postal Service effort to develop a sweeping new system for verifying mail ballots has invited a host of IT concerns among agency officials, with some describing the process internally as a “sh*t show,” according to a new whistleblower report released Tuesday by a Democratic senator.The unnamed whistleblower

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — “The White House is not just any building.”So said Chief Justice John Roberts, who has often deferred to Donald Trump’s executive authority, but on Monday separated himself from the president and fellow Supreme Court conservatives to protest the colossal ballroom project.It was a rare dissent and

CNN By Haley Britzky, Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN. One source said the decision was unsurprising given tension between Driscoll and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. A second source familiar said that in

By Haley Britzky, Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.One source said the decision was unsurprising given tension between Driscoll and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.A second source familiar said that in his resignation, Driscoll

By Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — Vice President JD Vance said in Michigan on Monday that “there’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very, evil,” arguing that the state’s Democratic Senate nominee is symptomatic of a growing trend in America of fighting “for one group at the expense of others.”His sharp criticism of El-Sayed

By Lauren Fox, CNN (CNN) — GOP Rep. Max Miller spent Monday morning not on the campaign trail, but Zooming into an Ohio courtroom in a dispute with ex-girlfriend and former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, the second time the embattled congressman has been forced to appear in county court in less than a

CNN By Devan Cole, Betsy Klein, John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for President Donald Trump to continue construction of a massive new ballroom at the White House, rejecting a challenge from a preservation group that was seeking to indefinitely halt the controversial project. The ruling was 5-4, with

By Aaron Blake, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is doing plenty of things that must be making his party nervous ahead of the midterm elections. But high on that list is his rah-rah advocacy for much-derided AI data centers.And his and Vice President JD Vance’s very different comments about the subject Monday underscored the