National Politics

By Kristen Holmes, Adam Cancryn, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is weighing relying again on a rotating cast of Cabinet officials to handle press briefings for an indefinite period following the departure of press secretary Karoline Leavitt later this month, three sources familiar with the planning told CNN. The tentative plan comes

By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away President Donald Trump’s longshot effort to deny a $5.6 million payment he was ordered to make three years after a jury found he sexually abused and defamed the former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll. The court’s decision is the latest legal loss

By Julia Benbrook, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, an increasingly sharp critic of President Donald Trump, on Sunday called the president’s vaccine order to separate injections for measles, mumps and rubella “wrong on so many levels” because, among other things, it would require children to receive more shots. “Let’s just take

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN Austin, Texas (CNN) — Democrats on Saturday adopted a 2028 presidential primary schedule that moves states with sought-after diverse populations to the front of a calendar that will shape their party’s fight to win the White House. Democratic National Committee members gave final approval to six early voting states, with South

By Alayna Treene, Adam Cancryn, Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has finally given the green light to pour millions of dollars from his personal PAC toward boosting vulnerable Republicans in November, two people familiar with the plans told CNN, as some top campaign advisers privately acknowledge that Republicans’ chances of keeping control

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump, surrounded by his top law enforcement officials, touted Friday the significant drop in murder and other crimes following the FBI’s 2025 crime report. The murder rate is now at lows not seen since the 1950s, according to the agency’s report, following a downward trend since the

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has directed the US Navy to scrap the modern electromagnetic launch system on an upcoming aircraft carrier and instead revert to an older, steam-powered catapult method — potentially adding billions to its price tag and delaying its deployment into the late 2030s. The directive, outlined in

By Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed claims that families of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have concerns about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, which has been deployed for nearly nine months supporting operations in the Middle East. Instead, Trump claimed the ship’s lengthy deployment had in fact

By Devan Cole, Tierney Sneed, Betsy Klein, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow him to build a ballroom at the White House, citing previous threats to Trump’s life, national security needs and architectural values. The emergency request filed Friday comes after lower courts repeatedly ruled that Trump needed

By Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — After years of battling fellow Republicans and helping lead the culture wars in Texas, Ken Paxton is campaigning on tax deductions, appearing with state lawmakers who once voted to impeach him, and openly appealing to the Washington establishment for financial help. It’s all part of Paxton’s efforts to unify

By Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Confusion has ensued after the Justice Department decided to, at least for now, not challenge a federal court ruling that struck down federal registration requirements for firearm suppressors, short-barreled rifles and other weapons. The August 5 ruling from the US District Court in the Northern District of Texas is

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge gave a chilling warning to Justice Department lawyers fighting the further releases of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein: If they don’t comply with court orders, contempt proceedings could ruin their futures. Judge Emmet Sullivan of the DC District Court has demanded answers from the Justice Department

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is enlisting private companies to conduct cyberattacks on foreign cybercriminals in a major policy shift that experts say could come with legal risk for the companies. The move gives vetted companies a prominent role in hacking operations that have historically been the dominion of US law

By Kit Maher, Holmes Lybrand, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A woman has been arrested and charged for vandalizing the World War II memorial in Washington, DC. Melissa L. Farris made her first appearance on the felony charges in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday. The Justice Department wants to keep Farris detained as

By Kevin Liptak, Alayna Treene, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — By the time President Donald Trump walked onstage at the end of last month’s NATO summit in Turkey, the plan to spirit him out of the country was already in motion. Earlier that day, American officials had come to the president with alarming information. The

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board of the Kennedy Center has voted a second time to close the performing arts institution for a two-year renovation, according to two people who were briefed on the decision. The board on Thursday also voted to add an inscription below the Kennedy Center’s sign,

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — In his inaugural address to the Justice Department workforce on Thursday, Attorney General Todd Blanche pledged to make the department “more faithful to its highest ideals than when I found it.” Blanche’s speech, delivered in the great hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, was meant