CNN – US Politics

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s push to construct a massive ballroom at the White House without congressional approval was sharply questioned by a federal appeals court on Friday during a high-stakes hearing in a case testing the president’s power. The two-hour-long hearing before a three-judge panel of the US DC Circuit

By Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The chief of staff for Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican, was charged Wednesday with bringing a firearm into the US Capitol complex, according to court documents obtained by CNN. Luis Angel Vega appeared in DC Superior Court Friday on the charges, which stem from

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge struck down a series of Trump administration policies targeting asylum seekers and immigrants seeking benefits in a scathing court ruling Friday. Last year, the administration indefinitely suspended asylum adjudications and froze immigration applications for people who fell under the travel ban, among other measures, leaving millions

By Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN (CNN) — A former senior CIA official whose case made headlines after FBI agents found over $40 million in gold bars in his Virginia home will remain in prison pending a trial in the case, a federal judge ruled Friday. During Friday’s detention hearing for David Rush, who allegedly

By Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, Kristen Holmes, CNN (CNN) — Before he was announced as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US intelligence community, Bill Pulte did not have a security clearance granting him access to highly-classified information – meaning he lacked what has long been considered a basic prerequisite for the job he

By Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration’s demands for sensitive medical records of transgender minors are facing fresh scrutiny in court as it ramps up its efforts by using a grand jury in Texas to force providers of gender-affirming care to comply. The initial use of so-called administrative subpoenas to get the information

By Sarah Ferris, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — More than a dozen GOP lawmakers defied their own leadership — and President Donald Trump — by voting with Democrats to approve a major bill to deliver billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine while imposing steep sanctions on Russia. The House voted 226 to 195 to

By Andrew Kaczynski, Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing allegations of unsettling and in at least one case physically threatening behavior toward women he dated, according to a report published Thursday by The New York Times. The report, which is based on interviews with six women who previously

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as it seeks to further ratchet up pressure on the government in Havana. The sanctions also target former President Raul Castro’s son and grandson, Díaz-Canel’s wife and stepson, as well as the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed

By Alejandra Jaramillo, Mark Morales, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is planning to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on Monday at Madison Square Garden. If he does attend, he’d be the first sitting US president to watch an NBA

By Betsy Klein, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Kennedy Center’s general counsel ordered staff on Thursday to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the building by June 12, according to a memo obtained by CNN, in order to comply with a recent court order. Staff were also instructed to immediately update some Kennedy Center

By Annie Grayer, MJ Lee, Paula Reid, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, was responsible for overseeing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, former Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a closed-door interview with lawmakers last month. According to a transcript of her interview

By Sarah Ferris, Ted Barrett, Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Senate Republicans overcame deep internal divisions to pass a massive $70 billion immigration enforcement package early Friday, delivering a major political win to President Donald Trump after weeks of struggling to pass the bill. The bill – which funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement

By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Hours after President Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche to permanently lead the DOJ, the top Senate Republican could not say whether Blanche could survive a nomination fight on Capitol Hill. Asked about whether Blanche would have difficulty being confirmed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was

By Katelyn Polantz, Kaitlan Collins, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser-turned-adversary, has reached a plea deal over mishandling sensitive national security information, according to three sources familiar with the matter. He intends to plead guilty to one felony count of illegal retention of sensitive national

By Annie Grayer, Nicky Robertson, CNN (CNN) — House Oversight Chair James Comer and other Republican lawmakers are calling on the Justice Department to investigate allegations involving two men accused of sexually abusing Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant, according to a letter provided first to CNN. The new pressure from the Republican lawmakers stems from testimony the panel received last month from the assistant, Sarah

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is fighting back against states that refuse to aid his immigration agenda after a wave of court losses, with a series of new lawsuits that tee up untested legal questions about the power of state and federal governments. The Justice Department last week filed four lawsuits