CNN-opinion

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

Analysis by Allison Morrow and Matt Egan, CNN New York (CNN) — Once upon a time, a brash outsider entered the Oval Office with a promise to “drain the swamp.” He brought in a posse of businesspeople, led by a leading industrialist, to work like “tireless bloodhounds” to root out inefficiencies in Washington’s vast bureaucracy.

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Sen. John Kennedy’s folksy patter can be funny, often offensive and occasionally contrived. But the Louisiana Republican on Thursday put his finger on one of President-elect Donald Trump’s greatest challenges. Kennedy was considering the task facing Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in their project to cut the size

CNN Analysis by Allison Morrow and Matt Egan, CNN New York (CNN) — Once upon a time, a brash outsider entered the Oval Office with a promise to “drain the swamp.” He brought in a posse of businesspeople, led by a leading industrialist, to work like “tireless bloodhounds” to root out inefficiencies in Washington’s vast

Analysis by Brian Fung, CNN (CNN) — If it wasn’t clear before, it is now: President-elect Donald Trump plans to boost the cryptocurrency industry while continuing a broad antitrust crackdown on Big Tech giants such as Amazon, Meta and Google. That combination would appear to reward Trump’s wealthiest and most influential donors in Silicon Valley,

Analysis by Harry Enten, CNN (CNN) — I have been a Buffalo Bills fan for as long as I can remember. I have lived through a nearly 20-year playoff drought – I used to say the Bills haven’t made the playoffs since before my bar mitzvah. Now, the Bills are in the midst of a

Analysis by Joseph Ataman, CNN Paris (CNN) — It was a blow most saw coming but that can’t have softened the sting for French President Emmanuel Macron. Opposition lawmakers from both ends of France’s political spectrum joined forces Wednesday to vote to oust his government, which had been in office for just nine weeks, marking

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN (CNN) — There’s been a recent effort to brand the White House as “The People’s House,” which seems very wrong since the president is picked by the complicated Electoral College rather than directly by voters. It’s the House of Representatives that is closest to the American people and most

Analysis by Allison Morrow, CNN New York (CNN) — Sam Altman, the PT Barnum of the AI industry, has a message for the folks concerned about the technology he’s dedicated his life to advancing: Don’t worry, the nerds are on it. Let’s back up a bit. Altman, the 39-year-old venture capitalist and CEO of OpenAI,

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon is stuck in limbo, as he fiercely battles allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct and can’t be sure if President-elect Donald Trump really has his back. A top Trump transition source had described Wednesday as “absolutely critical” for the former Fox

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon is stuck in limbo, as he fiercely battles allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct and can’t be sure if President-elect Donald Trump really has his back. A top Trump transition source had described Wednesday as “absolutely critical” for the former

Analysis by Tim Lister, CNN (CNN) — The reach and credibility of international law is at its lowest in years as governments dismiss arrest warrants in some of the most high-profile cases to come before the International Criminal Court. In the past 18 months, the Hague-based court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir

Analysis by Simone McCarthy, CNN (CNN) — A night of political upheaval in South Korea has upended stability in a key democratic US ally – sending shock waves through the region and Washington at a moment of acute global tension. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night in a surprise

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump is in danger of losing another one of his provocative Cabinet picks in a further blow to his bid to shake up Washington in his second term. The president-elect is facing a decision about how much his heart is set on former Fox News anchor Pete

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump is in danger of losing another one of his provocative Cabinet picks in a further blow to his bid to shake up Washington in his second term. The president-elect is facing a decision about how much his heart is set on former Fox News anchor

CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — There’ll be a strong sense of déjà vu when French President Emmanuel Macron lays the flattery on thick for Donald Trump in Paris this weekend. Few foreign leaders did more to woo Trump when he was the 45th president. In fact, Macron treated him with such deference

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — There’ll be a strong sense of déjà vu when French President Emmanuel Macron lays the flattery on thick for Donald Trump in Paris this weekend. Few foreign leaders did more to woo Trump when he was the 45th president. In fact, Macron treated him with such deference at

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter deepened an entanglement of politics and the rule of law that has tarnished faith in American justice and is almost certain to worsen in Donald Trump’s second term. The Sunday evening move was a stunning development since Biden came to

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden made history Sunday when he granted a pardon to his son Hunter Biden for criminal convictions on gun and tax charges. The power to grant pardons for federal crimes is uniquely bestowed by the Constitution on only the US president: “… he shall have

Analysis by Jeff Zeleny, CNN (CNN) — In the end, President Joe Biden acted as a father. The decision to issue a blanket pardon for his son Hunter will forever be a part of the president’s legacy. Across an extraordinary five decades in public life, with a long rise from the Senate to the Oval