Inside Trump’s latest flurry of controversial Cabinet picks
CNN
In the days after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, allies described his transition effort as far more disciplined than his first post-victory period in 2016.
In the days after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, allies described his transition effort as far more disciplined than his first post-victory period in 2016. Then, a 24-hour stretch — that started with Trump’s selection of Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary on Tuesday night, included tapping former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence on Wednesday, and culminated with his selection of bomb-throwing Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general later that day — turned that perception on its head. Their selections — which followed Trump finding the other candidates he’d interviewed boring, and searching for firebrands — represented the ascendancy of the president-elect’s “Make America Great Again” orbit over the more traditional Republican establishment. And they underscored the quality the president-elect values most as he prepares to return to the Oval Office: Loyalty. Trump’s latest round of Cabinet announcements stunned much of Washington. But the hair-raising nature of Trump’s picks was intended to be a feature, not a bug, say people briefed by the team. “People being in a state of shock was the goal, that’s exactly what the MAGA gang wants,” said one Trump ally, requesting anonymity to discuss private deliberations with the president-elect’s team. “They want people who are a total challenge to the system.”
The state rested its case against Adrian Gonzales, the former Uvalde school police officer who was first on scene at the Robb Elementary massacre in 2022 but Texas prosecutors say failed to delay or stop the killer.
Republican Rep. Julia Letlow has launched a run for US Senate in Louisiana, taking advantage of President Donald Trump’s endorsement to launch a primary battle against incumbent GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, a source familiar with the matter said.
It’s been one year of the second Trump administration. In that time, the government has mastered memes. Happy anniversary!
From an explosive sit-down with the leader of war-torn Ukraine to an unexpectedly friendly meeting with a Democratic socialist mayor-elect, the Oval Office has hosted some of the most dramatic moments of President Donald Trump’s first year back in office.
Welts, watery eyes, temporary blindness: Zoom in on crowd control tactics used against protesters
Before the stealth bombers streaked through the Middle Eastern night, or the missiles rained down on suspected terrorists in Africa, or commandos snatched a South American president from his bedroom, or the icy slopes of Greenland braced for the threat of invasion, there was an idea at the White House.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over a Hawaii law that bars people from carrying guns onto private property without the explicit approval of the property owner, a measure intended to reduce guns in retail stores and other businesses open to the public.
An Indiana state court judge and his wife were in stable condition Monday as authorities continued to search for suspects who shot the couple the day before at their Lafayette home.
A giant reproduction of a birthday message bearing Donald Trump’s name that was included in a collection of letters gifted to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein decades ago has been erected on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Flying home this month from an extended Christmas vacation in Palm Beach, President Donald Trump was momentarily taken aback when a reporter asked him about the ice-covered island he’s openly trying to annex.
A military recruiter in Minnesota, pointing to fears over the ongoing ICE operations in Minneapolis, promoted joining the National Guard to high school students highlighting a program that can offer the immediate family of service members some protection against deportation.
More than two weeks after the stunning US raid on Caracas that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the political confrontation over the future of Venezuela is rapidly coalescing around two leaders, both women, who represent different visions for their country: the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, who stands for continuity, and opposition leader María Corina Machado, who seeks the restoration of democracy.
President Donald Trump is one day away from the one-year mark of his second term. Over the past week, CNN has rolled out a series of poll findings on where Americans stand on his performance so far.