CNN-opinion

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Christopher Wray’s resignation announcement was the latest, and inevitable, step in the accumulation of massive and unusual power around President-elect Donald Trump. Wray said Wednesday he would step down at the end of the Biden administration next month to save the bureau from becoming sucked even

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Two New York tragedies gripping America show how politics is failing to address some of the most fundamental economic and societal problems and reflect the nation’s mood ahead of Donald Trump’s second presidency. The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, captured on surveillance footage, became a shared moment

Analysis by Allison Morrow, CNN New York (CNN) — 2024 may not have been the best or worst year ever for McDonald’s — but it was certainly a memorable one. It seemed no matter where the news spotlight landed, the golden arches were always shining somewhere off to the side, at times an unwitting set

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has for years been railing against the concept of birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment. During the 2024 presidential campaign, he promised that, on Day One of his second term, he would issue an executive order ending the current policy, which he said in

Analysis by Mostafa Salem, CNN (CNN) — The sound of celebratory gunfire filled the streets of Damascus in the hours following the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. But the jubilant scenes at the weekend that greeted the end of half a century of tyranny could not mask the scale of the challenge facing the

Analysis by Allison Morrow, CNN New York (CNN) — It’s impossible to describe Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which had its final show Sunday, without mentioning its economic superlatives: the highest-grossing tour of all time; a force that gave tourism a shot in the arm around the world; a core memory for millions of fans, some

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — The Cabinet confirmation drama around Donald Trump’s most provocative picks isn’t only about Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It’s mostly about Trump himself, and the kind of presidency he wants, the one he will end up getting, and the hopes of his

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — The Cabinet confirmation drama around Donald Trump’s most provocative picks isn’t only about Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It’s mostly about Trump himself, and the kind of presidency he wants, the one he will end up getting, and the hopes of

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump has made bold claims about his plans for when he takes office next month, from drastic action at the border to ending birthright citizenship and pardoning January 6 insurrectionists. When he sat down for his first postelection interview with a mainstream journalist, Kristen Welker of

Analysis by Peter Bergen, CNN (CNN) — The US State Department is advertising an up to $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who the agency first designated as a terrorist more than a decade ago, saying his group had “carried out multiple terrorist attacks throughout Syria.” Yet, Jolani

Analysis by Nathan Hodge, CNN (CNN) — The world now knows the colors of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s parachute: the Russian tricolor. Assad’s flight to Moscow following the swift collapse of his regime means more than just the loss of a client state for the Kremlin. The fall of the House of Assad deals a

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Even the normally brash Donald Trump seems disconcerted by the volatile international situation he’ll inherit as the new president next month and to which he’s certain to inject new unpredictability. “It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now,” the president-elect said Saturday when

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Even the normally brash Donald Trump seems disconcerted by the volatile international situation he’ll inherit as the new president next month and to which he’s certain to inject new unpredictability. “It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now,” the president-elect said Saturday

CNN Analysis by Nic Robertson, CNN (CNN) — Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s road to Damascus has been long. He has talked openly about his change along the way. From young al Qaeda fighter two decades ago, to rebel commander espousing sectarian tolerance. It’s a journey along which he has had plenty of time to plan where

Analysis by Nic Robertson, CNN (CNN) — Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s road to Damascus has been long. He has talked openly about his change along the way. From young al Qaeda fighter two decades ago, to rebel commander espousing sectarian tolerance. It’s a journey along which he has had plenty of time to plan where and

Analysis by Kara Alaimo, CNN (CNN) — Balancing work deadlines with the needs of her 5- and 8-year-old boys isn’t easy for Terri Huggins. Then the holiday season rolls in, with a slew of performances, parties, gift obligations, and questions about which family members they’ll visit this year and whether to let the kids use

Analysis by Mick Krever, CNN (CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria was a “direct result” of Israel’s military campaign against Iran and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. “This is a historic day in the history of the Middle East,” he said. But

Analysis by Nick Paton Walsh, CNN (CNN) — In every crisis lies opportunity, and in every opportunity lurks crisis. The startling advance of Syria’s opposition in a week is the unintended consequence of two other conflicts, one near and one far. It leaves several key US allies with a new and largely unknown Islamist-led force,

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN (CNN) — On top of maintaining the House, Republicans will take control of the Senate and the White House in January, handing them complete control of Washington for the first time since early 2019. While the incoming Trump administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill have big ideas about how

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN (CNN) — The last 140 years have been littered with promises by presidents to fix the federal bureaucracy. Back in the late 1880s, when unqualified political appointees were wasting taxpayer dollars, there was a move to professionalize government workers in a merit-based bureaucracy. The effort gained momentum after then-President