By Michelle Shen, CNN Washington (CNN) — The election of Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as the next leader of his party in the chamber – putting him on track to become Senate majority leader next year – tasks a key ally of Mitch McConnell with shepherding the agenda of President-elect Donald Trump
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CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Several major retailers earned a grade of “F” for failing to protect consumers from toxic chemicals in the products they sell, a new report says. Before you start your holiday shopping, see which stores have removed harmful plastics and replaced them with safer alternatives. Here’s what else you
Continue ReadingBy Curt Merrill, Way Mullery, Lou Robinson, Henrik Pettersson, Gillian Roberts, Janie Boschma and Annette Choi, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has moved swiftly to announce his selections for his next Cabinet and key administration posts. Since CNN projected on November 6 that Trump would win election for a second term, the incoming president
Continue ReadingBy Katie Bo Lillis, CNN (CNN) — Inside the US intelligence community, a deep wariness about a second Trump administration has set in, stoked by memories of the antagonistic relationship the nation’s spy agencies had with Donald Trump the last time he was president. But when news broke Tuesday evening that Trump had selected as
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By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Though President-elect Donald Trump has often promised to protect Social Security, he has not explained exactly how he would save the beloved – but financially troubled – entitlement program. Nor did he take any meaningful steps to shore up Social Security during his first term in the White House.
Continue ReadingBy Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department has charged a man for allegedly leaking highly classified US intelligence about Israel’s plans for retaliation against Iran, according to court documents and a person familiar with the case. Asif W. Rahman was indicted last Thursday for willfully retaining and transmitting national defense
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By Paula Reid, Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz and Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith intends to step down before President-elect Donald Trump takes office and is discussing the mechanics of winding down the federal prosecutions against him with Justice Department leadership, a DOJ official familiar with the discussions said. Trump has threatened
Continue ReadingBy Eric Bradner, CNN (CNN) — In choosing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his homeland security secretary, President-elect Donald Trump is tapping a long-time loyalist to helm an agency that’s expected to play a central role in his immigration crackdown. She will work closely with two immigration hardliners, incoming deputy chief of staff for
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CNN Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN) — It was a night of MAGA shock and awe that even Donald Trump’s most devoted fans might not have dreamed possible. But the president-elect’s blizzard of Cabinet and staff picks on Tuesday, each one more unorthodox than the last, only bolstered fears among his critics that his
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By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Tami Luhby, Aaron Pellish and Matt Egan, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess
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CNN By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday was his pick to serve as US ambassador to Israel, previously argued that there was “no such thing as a Palestinian.” Huckabee, who has been a strong defender of Israel throughout his career, made the statement during
Continue ReadingBy Jeremy Herb, Haley Britzky, Oren Liebermann, Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene and Jack Forrest, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army veteran, to serve as his secretary of defense. Hegseth’s selection was a surprise, as he was not among those considered as a likely pick by
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CNN By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has chosen John Ratcliffe to serve as his CIA director. Ratcliffe had been high on the list of potential attorney general candidates, sources told CNN. He currently serves as co-chair at the Center for American
Continue ReadingBy Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that veteran Republican lawyer Bill McGinley will serve as his White House counsel. “Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement,” Trump said in
Continue ReadingBy Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday was his pick to serve as US ambassador to Israel, previously argued that there was “no such thing as a Palestinian.” Huckabee, who has been a strong defender of Israel throughout his career, made the statement during his
Continue ReadingBy Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has chosen John Ratcliffe to serve as his CIA director. Ratcliffe had been high on the list of potential attorney general candidates, sources told CNN. He currently serves as co-chair at the Center for American Security
Continue ReadingBy MJ Lee and Arlette Saenz, CNN Washington (CNN) — The families of US hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain in agony, waiting for any sign that their loved ones might finally come home to them. Now, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas conflict and on the heels of last week’s
Continue ReadingBy Kit Maher and Kevin Liptak, CNN Washington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as United States ambassador to Israel, a strong defender of Israel who once argued that there was “no such thing as a Palestinian.” “Mike has been a great public
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CNN By Katie Lobosco, CNN Washington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to abolish the Department of Education. On the campaign trail, he repeatedly pointed to the agency as a symbol of federal overreach into the everyday lives of American families. “I say it all the time, I’m dying to get back to do
Continue ReadingBy Paula Reid, Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle and Jeremy Herb, CNN (CNN) — New York Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday agreed to give Manhattan prosecutors and Donald Trump’s lawyers a week to hash out how to proceed in Trump’s hush money case now that Trump has been reelected, raising new questions of whether Trump
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