National Politics

By Kaanita Iyer, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has quietly moved into a new role at the State Department after her special envoy status expired last month. President Donald Trump fired her from his Cabinet earlier this year after multiple controversies while she ran the Department of Homeland Security.

By Jeff Zeleny, David Wright, CNN (CNN) — An open Senate seat in Minnesota. A massive GOP spending advantage in almost every battleground. A lingering sense of unease that polling could be underestimating Republican support. With many Democrats awash in optimism, those are just some of the potential obstacles facing the party as it seeks

By Bob Ortega, CNN (CNN) — When voters in Tarrant County, part of a key swing district in Texas, prepare to cast ballots for the midterms, they’ll encounter a whole new set of rules. Those allowed to send mail-in ballots will now need to provide a Social Security or state ID number. And in-person voters

By David Wright, Kaanita Iyer, Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — New filings with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday are shedding light on tech billionaire Elon Musk’s heavy influence on the 2026 midterm elections, especially the blockbuster Senate race in Texas. After contributing more than a quarter of a billion dollars to support President Donald

CNN By Patrick Svitek, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Candidates faced off in heated debates Thursday night in two of the country’s most competitive Senate races, showing how bitter — and personal — each contest has become. In Maine, Democratic nominee Troy Jackson told GOP Sen. Susan Collins to “shut up” after she suggested a

By Patrick Svitek, Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — Candidates faced off in heated debates Thursday night in two of the country’s most competitive Senate races, showing how bitter — and personal — each contest has become. In Maine, Democratic nominee Troy Jackson told GOP Sen. Susan Collins to “shut up” after she suggested a protester

By Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — Tech billionaire and Republican megadonor Elon Musk on Thursday settled the two remaining lawsuits stemming from his $1 million giveaways to voters during the 2024 election, according to court filings, bringing a two-year legal saga to an end. During the final stretch of the 2024 presidential race, Musk’s super

By Sean Lyngaas, Marshall Cohen, CNN (CNN) — US intelligence officials had to postpone a much-anticipated classified briefing for election officials about foreign threats because the video call was plagued by technical difficulties, according to six people familiar with the matter. Election officials from across the country, who rearranged their schedules on short notice less

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN (CNN) — A group of attorneys filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the accelerated immigration process for unaccompanied migrant children, saying the Trump administration’s policies are unlawful. Under President Donald Trump, unaccompanied migrant children have been increasingly forced to navigate a complicated and accelerated immigration process with dwindling help after the administration

By Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, CNN (CNN) — A political appointee with deep ties to the Trump family has been removed from his special envoy role following a report of a feud with a top State Department official. Paolo Zampolli, who served as US special envoy for global partnerships, “was notified today that his status

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration made good on threats that it would sue California over unvetted non-citizen voter claims, with a lawsuit legal experts are describing as a “long shot” and “a press release masquerading as litigation.” The new lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles seeks to block state election officials

By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN (CNN) — New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia shared at least 15 social media posts identifying her as an “attorney” over the past two years, despite having failed the California bar exam and acknowledging publicly she had been advised not to use that term. The posts, published to Zacharia’s X

By Whitney Wild, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — Federal investigators in Minnesota abruptly stopped sharing evidence last month with state authorities investigating the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The move — which could hamper the state’s probe of the two killings by ICE agents — is the latest in a series

By Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution will not be livestreamed, reversing an announcement from the Pentagon last week. “I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals

By Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — When House Speaker Mike Johnson decided in September to send lawmakers home early to their districts ahead of the midterm elections, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan quietly made clear that he would have handled the situation differently, according to a source close to Jordan. In a private conversation with

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Fewer health insurance plans. Higher out-of-pocket costs. Skimpier supplemental benefits. This upheaval is what senior citizens will have to contend with during Medicare Advantage’s open enrollment period for 2027 coverage, which runs through December 7. That’s why it’s even more important that enrollees review their plan options so they

By Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called “mother of all bombs” to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according

By Eric Bradner, Patrick Svitek, CNN (CNN) — Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico appealed face-to-face to skeptical Republicans and independents Wednesday night in a joint town hall hosted by CNN and Jubilee, framing the election in populist terms and insisting he is willing to break with his own party if doing so benefits the

By Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez, Jake Tapper, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration pushed for an unusually aggressive search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s house in recent days in an immigration fraud probe that targets the congresswoman, possible false statements made on government documents, and a potential conspiracy, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.

By Jeremy Herb, Tierney Sneed, Evan Perez, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration threatened to take legal action against California election officials if they did not review a list of alleged noncitizens on Los Angeles’ voter rolls within 48 hours, according to Tuesday letters from the Justice Department obtained by CNN. The letters, signed by