By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Julia Benbrook, CNN (CNN) — Division between Republican lawmakers over the Jeffrey Epstein files continued to intensify even as President Donald Trump and his administration seeks to redirect scrutiny toward the president’s political foes and the 2016 election. Signs of mounting pressure to respond to calls for transparency appeared last week
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By Natasha Bertrand, CNN (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart have signed an agreement outlining the terms of Qatar’s “unconditional donation” of a Boeing jet to the Pentagon, confirming that the US will pay nothing to Qatar for the plane, according to a copy of the memorandum of understanding reviewed by
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By Daniel Dale, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump over the weekend called for the prosecution of music superstar Beyoncé – based on something that did not actually happen. Trump claimed in a social media post that Beyoncé broke the law by supposedly getting paid $11 million for her endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala
Continue ReadingBy Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN (CNN) — Rep. Dave Min was chatting with reporters at the US Capitol when the California Democrat was asked about whether he wants Kamala Harris to run for governor. Suddenly, Min no longer had time to talk. “I have no comment,” he said. Asked what he thought a Harris run would
Continue ReadingBy Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — A Supreme Court decision last month limiting the use of nationwide injunctions appeared to pave the way for President Donald Trump to begin enforcing his plan to end birthright citizenship on Sunday — until lower courts stalled the effort. The president could have begun enforcement if lower courts had
Continue ReadingBy Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Another whistleblower has made claims to the Justice Department’s watchdog that Emil Bove — a top agency official who is now nominated for a judgeship — suggested others in the department could ignore court orders during a contentious legal battle in an immigration case. The whistleblower, a former DOJ
Continue ReadingBy Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — Thirty minutes into a routine appearance Thursday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis abruptly turned his fire on a fellow Republican, accusing a veteran state lawmaker of betraying the party’s voters. Hours later, President Donald Trump endorsed that same lawmaker, Joe Gruters, to become the next chairman of
Continue ReadingBy Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Retired CIA official Susan Miller, an author of the agency’s 2017 intelligence report on Russian election meddling, is vowing to fight any potential criminal charges brought by the Trump administration. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused the Obama administration of manufacturing the intelligence report, which assessed that
Continue ReadingBy Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Darren Beattie — a top State Department official who was fired as a speechwriter during President Donald Trump’s first term after CNN revealed that he spoke at a conference attended by White nationalists — will now serve as the acting president of the US Institute of Peace, according to
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By David Wright, CNN (CNN) — Democrats running in next year’s midterms are pumping out videos of themselves pumping iron. In one video, Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred stands in his home gym after a workout and, still in a sweat, criticizes President Donald Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. In another, Cait Conley,
Continue ReadingBy Annette Choi, CNN (CNN) — The US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender identity care for transgender minors earlier this summer has fueled ongoing polarization around LGBTQ issues and controversial policies across the nation. The high court has also agreed to take on more cases dealing with trans rights in its
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By Jeff Zeleny, Kevin Liptak, CNN Edinburgh, Scotland (CNN) — Fleeing Washington’s oppressive humidity and nonstop questions over heated controversies, President Donald Trump is once again taking weekend refuge at his golf clubs — this time more than 3,000 miles away in Scotland. While the White House has called his five-day trip a “working visit,”
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By Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has decided to release the rest of the nearly $7 billion in funding for public schools that it had frozen, with little notice, earlier this month. A senior administration official told CNN they have finished a programmatic review, and the additional funds will be released to
Continue ReadingBy Haley Britzky, CNN Washington (CNN) — The US military killed a senior ISIS leader in a raid in Syria on Friday, as well as two of his ISIS-affiliated sons, according to a release from US Central Command. The senior leader, Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, as well as his two adult sons, Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani
Continue ReadingBy Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — The House Ethics Committee found that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “impermissibly accepted gifts” in connection with her 2021 appearance at the Met Gala, violating a House rule. The House “gift rule” prohibits lawmakers from knowingly accepting gifts, including favors, discounts, or services, with some exceptions. In a report released
Continue ReadingBy Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Only a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump seemed confident a deal was days away that would end the fighting in Gaza, secure the release of hostages and allow aid to flow into an enclave where people are starving to death. Now, Trump’s optimism seems to have vanished. The
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By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, contradicting the State Department’s claims that were used to justify backing a controversial private organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency
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By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is not done re-litigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. And neither are his allies on Capitol Hill. GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk announced this week he will be leading a select subcommittee to once again investigate the incident, re-scrutinizing the work of the
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By Donald Judd, Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday making it easier for local jurisdictions to remove homeless people from the streets. The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to “reverse judicial precedents and end consent decrees” that limit jurisdictions’ abilities to relocate homeless people. It also redirects
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By Kara Scannell, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — Federal prosecutors amassed millions of records during the sex trafficking investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The question of what is actually in those pages — and whether the public will ever see them — has become central to
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