Political Headlines
Adams backs Cuomo in NYC mayoral race as Cuomo attacks Mamdani with controversial comments
New York Mayor Eric Adams poses with mayoral candidate, Andrew Cuomo during the NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, October 22, 2025, in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Less than a month after dropping out of the mayor's race, embattled incumbentEric Adams on Thursday endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been ramping up his attacks against Democratic nominee state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.Adams, who stepped aside due to low poll numbers and scandals involving a federal indictment that was later dismissed, made the announcement the day after he and Cuomo sat courtside together for the New York Knicks NBA home opener at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, right after ... Read More
White House East Wing demolished, new images appear to show
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- New images available Thursday appear to show the entire White House East Wing has been demolished to make way for President Donald Trump's $300 million ballroom.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the demolition as she faced questions from reporters at Thursday's briefing.President Trump initially said in July that the project would not interfere with the existing White House structure. Then this week, as crews began to raze the East Wing, an official said the "entirety of the East Wing will be modernized" as the massive 90,000 square foot ballroom is built.By Thursday, satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed the East Wing reduced to rubble."This is the People's House. Why not inform the public of ... Read More
Trump pardons billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao leaves the U.S. District Court on November 21, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. Zhao pleaded guilty to a money-laundering charge. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump has pardoned Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to ABC News on Thursday.Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to a money laundering charge.The pardon comes as Zhao made recent moves to boost World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company that Trump's sons, Eric and Donald Jr., launched earlier this year.Leavitt said in a statement that Trump "exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency.""In their desire to punish the cryptocurrency industry, the ... Read More
Top House Democrats launch investigation into Trump’s $230 million DOJ settlement demand
In this Jan. 4, 2024, file photo, Rep. Robert Garcia looks on as Ranking member of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Jamie Raskin speaks during a media briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Drew (Angerer/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Top House Democrats asked President Donald Trump on Thursday to provide documents -- including correspondence between his lawyers and his Justice Department -- as they investigate his demand for the DOJ to pay roughly $230 million as a settlement for investigations he faced during the Biden administration and in his first term in office. Reps. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia, the ranking members on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, respectively, sent a letter directly to Trump requesting that he provide documents and information to ... Read More
Senate fails to advance GOP bill that would have provided pay for some federal workers during shutdown
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on October 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Senate on Thursday failed to advance Sen. Ron Johnson's bill that would have provided pay to some federal workers during the shutdown.The "Shutdown Fairness Act" -- put forward by Johnson -- failed by a vote of 55-45. It would have needed 60 votes to advance.Democratic Sens. John Fetterman, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock voted with all Republicans to advance the bill. All other Democrats voted against it, effectively blocking it from advancing.While the bill would not have ended the shutdown, it would allow some federal employees to get paid.Johnson's bill would have provided appropriations to pay the troops ... Read More
New York City mayoral debate: Sharp attacks as Mamdani, Cuomo, Sliwa face off a final time
Hiroko Masuike-Pool/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The knives came out during Wednesday night's second and final New York City mayoral debate.While answering questions on policy issues such as housing and education, the candidates onstage -- Democratic candidate and state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Republican candidate and "Guardian Angels" founder Curtis Sliwa, and independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo -- relentlessly attacked each other over what they said were each others' shortcomings.Some of the most acrimonious moments came during what were ostensibly meant to be discussions on policy.Cuomo said that the number of homeless people in New York City had "more than doubled" since he stepped down as governor, criticizing what he claimed was Mamdani's lack of action on the issue as ... Read More
Months after Trump’s pardon, Larry Hoover pushes for Pritzker clemency: EXCLUSIVE
Larry Hoover, in prison since 1973, faces the parole board with his wife, Winndye Jenkins, at the Dixon Correctional Center on on Feb. 7, 1995, in Dixon, Illinois. John Dziekan/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- For 23 hours a day, Larry Hoover, the founder of notorious street gang Gangster Disciples, had been sitting in a 7-by-12-foot concrete cell at the ADX Florence federal supermax facility in Colorado, where he spent 27 years in almost complete isolation, according to his attorneys.Earlier this year, President Donald Trump commuted his federal life sentence, ending nearly three decades of federal confinement.Hoover, 74, remains imprisoned under a separate Illinois state sentence, an up-to-200-year term stemming from a 1973 murder conviction.Since that transfer to the ... Read More
Democratic Sen. Merkley in marathon floor speech to protest Trump’s ‘growing authoritarianism’
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Ali Moustafa/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Senate Democrats are again making a run at a Senate floor marathon, this time led by Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon. Merkley has been speaking on the Senate floor about the President Donald Trump's "growing authoritarianism" since 6:24 p.m. Tuesday with no indication that he'll end any time soon. He's been standing in front of a lectern at his desk for the entirety of the time.He began the night standing next to a poster board that said, "Ring the alarm bells: Authoritarianism is here now."Merkley is still short of eclipsing the 25 hour, 5 minute record set earlier this year by Sen. Cory Booker. In similar fashion to Booker's record-breaking speech, Merkley is ... Read More
Republicans pass new congressional map in North Carolina that could net GOP a new seat
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger looks on as Rep. Destin Hall speaks during a press conference at the North Carolina Republican Party headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)(RALEIGH, N.C.) -- The North Carolina House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to pass a new congressional map into law, two days after the state Senate approved it, giving the Republican Party the chance to net a new seat in the 2026 midterms. Republican legislators said they want to adopt the new map to bolster President Donald Trump and the effort comes as the White House continues encouraging Republicans to redraw their state maps ahead of the midterm elections in ... Read More
‘Entirety’ of East Wing to be ‘modernized’ to build Trump ballroom: White House official
Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Demolition continued Wednesday at the White House to make way for President Donald Trump's $250 million ballroom, but the renovation is far more extensive than he has let on.While Trump had said back in July that the ballroom would not "interfere" with the existing building -- would be "near it but not touching it" -- a White House official confirmed to ABC News that the "entirety of the East Wing will be modernized."The extent of the demolition was first reported by The Washington Post, which published new photographs on Tuesday showing bulldozers razing most of the East Wing ... Read More
Biden rings the bell after completing course of radiation therapy for cancer
Joe Biden is seen at Janssen's Market, Sept. 7, 2025, in Wilmington, Del. Mega/GC Images/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Former President Joe Biden has completed his current course of radiation therapy, a spokesperson told ABC News on Monday. It's unclear at this time if any additional radiation therapy will be needed, the spokesperson added. A short video of the former president ringing a bell to signify the completion of his course of radiation was posted on Ashley Biden's Instagram story, with the caption: "Rung the bell! Thank you to the incredible doctors, nurses, and staff at Penn Medicine. We are so grateful!"It was reported on Oct. 11 that Biden had been undergoing radiation therapy in addition to hormone treatment. A source familiar with his ... Read More
Thune indicates Paul Ingrassia’s nomination in serious trouble: ‘He’s not going to pass’
Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The nomination of Paul Ingrassia, a former far-right podcast host and President Donald Trump's pick to serve as the lead of the Office of Special Counsel, appears to be in jeopardy with Senate Majority Leader John Thune casting doubt that the embattled nominee will be confirmed.Ingrassia, whom Trump nominated in May to lead the independent watchdog agency empowered to investigate federal employees and oversee complaints from whistleblowers, has his scheduled confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday. It comes just days after a Politico report alleges Ingrassia sent racist text messages -- including reports that he said that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle ... Read More
Now Trump won’t meet with Putin on Ukraine, White House official says
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- There are no plans for President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet "in the immediate future," a White House official said on Tuesday -- calling off a summit that was expected in Hungary in the coming weeks.Trump announced on Thursday that he and Putin planned to meet again, and predicted it would occur "within two weeks or so."First, he said, discussions would take place among senior advisers on both sides.Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, held a phone call on Monday. It's ... Read More
‘That punk’ is ‘going to want a security guarantee’: How Steve Bannon influenced Trump’s combative meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
"Retribution," a new book by Jonathan Karl. Penguin Random House(WASHINGTON) -- Steve Bannon hasn't worked in the White House for years, but he played a pivotal, and previously unreported, role in the explosive meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year that changed the course of U.S. policy toward Ukraine.The story is first reported in an excerpt in The Atlantic magazine from ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl's upcoming book, "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America."Karl reports on a meeting of Trump's national security team shortly before Zelenskyy's visit to Washington in February where Trump stopped the meeting and asked then-national security adviser Michael Waltz to "get Steve Bannon" on the ... Read More
SNAP benefits to halt in some states amid government shutdown
The U.S. Capitol building is seen from Freedom Plaza during the 20th day of the ongoing federal government shutdown in Washington, D.C., United States, on October 20, 2025. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- One of the biggest impacts of the government shutdown is about to hit tens of millions of the poorest Americans hard: the halting of a critical food assistance program.Several states are now warning they will be forced to suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits come Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues. SNAP, often referred to as "food stamps," serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans. The program, run by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food.Texas is now warning its millions ... Read More
Prosecutors not ruling out state charges for commuted ex-Rep. George Santos
Former Congressman George Santos leaves court after being sentenced to 87 months in prison at the Alfonse D'Amato Federal Court House in Central Islip, New York, on April 25, 2025. J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was freed from prison last week thanks to his federal fraud sentence being commuted by President Donald Trump -- but he may not be free from criminal prosecution on the local level.The district attorney’s office in Nassau County, which is home to part of the district Santos represented, declined to say what, if anything, prosecutors might be investigating that could warrant state charges."Since first learning of George Santos' actions, I have been at the forefront of bringing ... Read More
Johnson defends calling anti-Trump protests ‘hate America’ rallies
ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended labeling this weekend's "No Kings" rallies opposing President Donald Trump as "hate America" rallies, arguing that he was not referring to Democrats themselves but the message of the protesters."Just on this notion that these are, 'hate America' rallies -- and you not only talked about anarchists, antifa advocates, pro-Hamas wing -- you said this is the modern Democratic Party," ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked, referring to comments Johnson made last week. "But I remember not that long ago what you said after the murder of Charlie Kirk when you said that we should view fellow Americans, not as our enemies, but as our fellow countrymen.""I've never called ... Read More
What to know about nationwide ‘No Kings’ rallies protesting Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Activists and advocacy groups are staging a second round of "No Kings" protests across the country on Saturday in response to what they call abuse of power by President Donald Trump and his administration, including his immigration crackdown and his sending troops into American cities.Organizers predict millions will take part.Republicans are trying to brand the protests as "hate America" rallies and claim they're prolonging the federal government shutdown.Here’s what to know.What are the "No Kings" protests?The daylong "No Kings" protests set for Oct. 18 follow up on the thousands held in mid-June. They are being run by a coalition of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Indivisible, 50501 and others. Organizers say there are ... Read More
Zelenskyy, at White House, says Trump has ‘big chance’ to end Russia’s war on Ukraine
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, with Zelenskyy in Washington to make his case for procuring American Tomahawk cruise missiles and other military assets. "President Trump has a big chance now to finish this war," Zelenskyy said during a working lunch in the Cabinet Room with officials.The Ukrainian leader highlighted Trump's brokering of a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East, and said he believed there was momentum to do the same to bring Russia's three-and-a-half year invasion to an end."That's why I hope that he will do this, and we will also have such big success for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.Trump, who spoke with Russian President ... Read More
At least 2 survivors of a US attack on alleged drug smugglers in American custody
U.S. President Donald Trump steps off Marine One upon his arrival at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Sept. 30, 2025. Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- At least two survivors from a deadly U.S. military strike in the Caribbean Sea are now in custody aboard an American vessel after being rescued by helicopter, according to a person familiar with details of the incident.The person said the survivors were aboard a semi-submersible vessel when they were hit in the attack.President Donald Trump confirmed the strike to reporters on Friday, saying the military hit a “drug-carrying submarine.”"We attacked a submarine," he said, describing the vessel as designed to transport "massive amounts" of drugs."Just so you understand. This was ... Read More
What to know about nationwide ‘No Kings’ rallies set to protest Trump
Protestors march during an anti-Trump "No Kings Day" demonstration in a city that has been the focus of protests against Trump's immigration raids on June 14, 2025 in downtown Los Angeles, California. Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Activists and advocacy groups are staging a second round of "No Kings" protests across the country on Saturday in response to what they call abuse of power by President Donald Trump and his administration, including his immigration crackdown.Organizers predict millions will take part.Republicans are trying to brand the protests as "hate America" rallies and claim they're prolonging the federal government shutdown.Here’s what to know.What are the "No Kings" protests?The daylong "No Kings" protests set for Oct. 18 follow up on the thousands held in ... Read More
Obama endorses New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill
Democratic candidate for New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill speaks to a crowd alongside Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, in Westville New Jersey on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Sherrill is set to square off against Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli on November 4 for the position as New Jersey's 57th Governor. (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Former President Barack Obama formally endorsed New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, in a new ad first reported by ABC News. "Mikie’s integrity, grit, and commitment to service are what we need right now in our leaders. Mikie Sherrill is the right choice for your next governor,” Obama said in the spot, released Friday morning. Obama highlights Sherrill’s veteran status and argues she’s best suited to lower prices, as ... Read More
Trump to host Zelenskyy at White House with Tomahawks, Putin call on agenda
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House, Aug. 18, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump, just days after celebrating an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement he helped broker in the Middle East, turns his attention Friday to the Russia-Ukraine war, hosting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.Ukraine's request for American-made Tomahawk missiles is expected to be a focus of the talks."They want to go offensive," Trump said of Kyiv earlier this week. "I'll make a determination on that."The long-range weapons would give Ukraine the ability to strike deep inside Russia, and Zelenskyy described them as a difference-maker in a conflict that has dragged three-and-a-half years. Moscow, though, warned that Tomahawk deliveries ... Read More
Trump announces deal to reduce cost of specific IVF medication
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House on October 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel provided an update on the Trump administration’s progress in reducing violent crime. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump announced a deal on Thursday between his administration and pharmaceutical company EMD Serono to reduce the cost of some fertility medications.Senior administration officials have said this deal will help millions of American women struggling to conceive with their ability to afford the expensive treatment. Trump pledged to expand IVF access for Americans struggling to start families -- making it a point of his presidential campaign. In ... Read More
B-52s fly off coast of Venezuela in show of force by Trump
B-52-Bomber in the blue sky. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an eight-engine long-range bomber of the US Air Force.(BOSSIER PARISH, La.) -- Three B-52 bombers took off from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana on Wednesday and flew for hours near the coast of Venezuela, according to flight tracking data, in what appears to be a major show of force by President Donald Trump.The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that has been used in conventional warfare in such places as Iraq and Syria. But it’s also capable of carrying nuclear weapons.Trump confirmed on Wednesday that had authorized CIA action in Venezuela because of the flow of migrants and drugs from the country, and indicated his administration is exploring land strikes inside Venezuela.Asked ... Read More
Sen. Mitch McConnell falls in Capitol hallway
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., attends the Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the "Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act," and other bills in Dirksen building on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, 83, fell to the ground in a Capitol hallway Thursday afternoon as he made his way to Senate votes.McConnell, who announced in February that he would not seek reelection, fell to the floor while two volunteers from the environmental advocacy group Sunrise Movement approached the senator and asked him a question about Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. He did not respond to the question.The senator seemed unsteady, but got up and kept walking with the help of ... Read More
Thune says he offered Democrats a vote on Obamacare subsidies to end government shutdown
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters as Senate Republican leaders hold a press conference following their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 15, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he offered Democrats an opportunity to address their biggest priority in an effort to end the government shutdown -- but it was not enough to end the stalemate.Thune, during an interview on MSNBC that aired Thursday morning, said he has offered Democrats a vote on extending the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, but that he couldn't guarantee an outcome. Thune said he won't negotiate on the details of an Obamacare subsidies deal until the government reopens."I've told them. I said, and I've said, ... Read More
US-China rare Earth minerals fight explained
Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty(WASHINGTON) -- Just weeks before the planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, China dramatically expanded its restrictions on rare earth minerals, a move the Trump administration sees as a sharp escalation in China's efforts to tighten its grip on global manufacturing.China's new rules, which apply to all countries, are set to take effect in phases on Nov. 8, then Dec. 1."It is an exercise in economic coercion on every country in the world," Ambassador Jameison Greer said Wednesday during a press conference alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "This will give China control over basically the entire global economy and the technology supply chain."The move prompted Trump to threaten 100% ... Read More
Trump vows federal ‘surge’ in more American cities to combat crime
U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House following a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump traveled to Walter Reed to visit with troops and receive a medical check up. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, said his administration is going to "go into other cities" to combat crime."We're going to have a surge of strong, good people, patriots. And they’re going to go in, they straighten it all out," Trump said.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. ... Read More
Democratic senators want investigation into Noem’s TSA video that blamed Democrats for the shutdown
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a roundtable discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House on October 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump’s administration held the roundtable to discuss the anti-fascist Antifa movement after signing an executive order designating it as a “domestic terrorist organization”. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Democratic senators are alleging that the Department of Homeland Security potentially violated the Hatch Act by asking airports across the country to play a video featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the impacts of the government shutdown."This appears to be a flagrant violation of Sec. 715, which states 'No part of any funds appropriated in this or any other act shall be used ... Read More
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