CNN – US Politics

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Taxpayers paid over half a million dollars in confidential congressional sexual harassment settlements dating back decades – a total higher than previously made public, newly released documents reviewed by CNN show. Documents initially shared with Congress revealed that taxpayers had paid more than $300,000 on behalf of six former

By Annie Grayer, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick downplayed three in-person encounters he said he had with Jeffrey Epstein over the years, telling the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview last week that his interactions with the convicted late sex offender were “virtually nonexistent,” according to a

By Paula Reid, Alayna Treene, Casey Gannon, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department is discussing whether to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in the coming days, according to two sources familiar. Among the options being discussed internally is whether a settlement would include a provision on the IRS

By Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — A small bloc of GOP lawmakers defied their leadership — and President Donald Trump — by forcing the House to soon take up a major bill to deliver US military support to Ukraine while imposing steep sanctions on Russia. The GOP-led House is now on track to vote in

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — After newly released Consumer Price Index figures showed that the year-over-year inflation rate was 3.8% in April, the highest in nearly three years, President Donald Trump tried to reassure Americans about rising prices – in part by falsely claiming the inflation rate was just 1.7% prior to the war

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — In its latest effort to crack down on fraud in federal healthcare programs, the Trump administration is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California, Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday. The measure, which follows the deferral of more than $350 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota earlier this

By Jennifer Hansler, Zachary Cohen, Isabelle Khurshudyan, CNN (CNN) — As President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, Taiwan will be nervously monitoring from afar to ascertain whether its political status and critical arms purchases come up in discussions between the two leaders. While Taiwanese officials have publicly expressed confidence in

By Priscilla Alvarez, Aleena Fayaz, CNN (CNN) — Longtime immigration official David Venturella is expected to serve as the next acting ICE director, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. The former private prison firm executive will assume leadership of the agency as the Trump administration tries to take a different approach to its

By Lauren Fox, Ellis Kim, CNN (CNN) — Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards denied having any inappropriate relationship with staff and told CNN in an interview Tuesday that an investigation by the House Ethics Committee will eventually clear him of any wrongdoing. “No,” Edwards told CNN when asked if he had any inappropriate relationship with staff.

By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has asked the FAA to evaluate the risks of building the president’s “triumphal arch” less than two miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the busiest in the nation. According to documents obtained by CNN, the Department of Interior has requested a formal aeronautical

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez, Mauricio Torres, CNN (CNN) — Earlier this spring, a mysterious explosion blew up a car carrying an alleged cartel operative in broad daylight on one of Mexico’s busiest highways just outside of its capital city. Francisco Beltran was killed instantly along with his driver, their bodies found slumped

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel sparred with a lawmaker briefly during a Tuesday afternoon hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee when asked about media reports alleging he drinks to excess. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, was especially pointed in his opening statement and questioning — raising concerns about

By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump was at it again. On Monday night, Trump embarked on one of his periodic late-night social media posting sprees. As usual, his dozens of posts and reposts were littered with debunked conspiracy theories and other wildly inaccurate claims – many of them about past presidential elections

CNN By Kaitlan Collins, Ben Tinker, Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is leaving the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the situation, after President Donald Trump signed off on a plan to fire him last week. The FDA chief had come under intense and

By Michael Williams, Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump has made clear on social media and in interviews that he thinks Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs a rebrand — more specifically, a new name: National Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or NICE. Whether that change will move forward, in the form of an executive

By Kaitlan Collins, Ben Tinker, Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is leaving the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the situation, after President Donald Trump signed off on a plan to fire him last week. The FDA chief had come under intense and sustained

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Two years after a container ship rammed into and collapsed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Justice Department has announced criminal charges against two companies and the ship’s technical superintendent. The crash killed six highway workers and cut off traffic to one of the US’ largest shipping ports, officials

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — A Republican congresswoman from Virginia is defending herself amid calls for her to resign after she agreed with a radio host’s remark referring to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ “cotton-picking hands.” The comment was made during Rep. Jen Kiggans’ appearance on “Richmond’s Morning News” on Monday to talk about