Johnson removes Republican chair of House Intelligence Committee
CNN
House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Republican Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Republican Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress. While the speaker has the authority to appoint members of the committee, the move marks a significant change among the leadership of a key oversight panel just days before Donald Trump is sworn in as president for the second time. The speaker denied Wednesday that the president-elect urged him to remove Turner as the panel’s chair, telling reporters that they would learn Thursday who he would select as the Ohio Republican’s replacement. “This is not a President Trump decision. This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job,” Johnson said. “The intelligence community and everything related to (the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence), it needs a fresh start. And that’s what this is about. Nothing else.” A source familiar with Johnson’s thinking told CNN that the speaker wanted to bring in his own chairman of the committee, just as then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy did in initially naming Turner to the role. Turner was not told in the meeting that it was Trump’s decision to remove him, the source added. In a statement, Turner said he was “very proud to have served” as chairman.
President Joe Biden will leave office with his approval rating remaining at the lowest level of his term and his favorability rating close to his personal low, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. Americans broadly view Biden’s four years in office more as a failure than as a success, with his administration doing little to turn around persistent negativity about the state of the country generally or about its economy.
The secrecy surrounding Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalizations in late 2023 and early 2024 “increased unnecessarily” the risks to US national security, the Pentagon’s inspector general concluded in a report released on Wednesday.
First lady Jill Biden expressed her disappointment with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a new interview with The Washington Post, providing rare public comments about the fractured relationship between her husband, Joe Biden, and Pelosi following the president’s departure from the 2024 race.
CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.
For the MAGA faithful, Matt Gaetz might be the perfect pick for US attorney general.
Undocumented immigrants fear Trump’s promises of mass deportation
The most recent data available from the 10 largest US cities and other comparable departments shows the Los Angeles Fire Department is less staffed than almost any other major city, leaving it struggling to meet both daily emergencies and larger disasters such as wildfires.
President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for attorney general, secretary of state and several other key Cabinet posts are set to appear in front of Senate committees Wednesday for high-stakes confirmation hearings.
Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and top national security staff are expected to meet Wednesday with President Joe Biden’s National Security Council in the White House to walk through how the US government responds to a range of homeland security threats and scenarios, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
CNN’s 5 Things PM brings you the stories you might have missed during your busy day.
Antisemitism has surged around the globe over the past decade, according to the Anti-Defamation League, an alarming trend that has largely been led by younger generations.
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday it will remove Cuba from the state sponsor of terrorism list – a move taken in the twilight of the administration that is likely to reversed by the incoming team.
The House voted on Tuesday to pass a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.
Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, acknowledged Tuesday he is “not a perfect person” but was he defiant in the face of multiple allegations surrounding his past conduct during a contentious confirmation hearing.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his most detailed picture yet of his long-awaited plans for post-war Gaza on Tuesday as he stressed the importance of not leaving a power vacuum in the decimated Palestinian strip.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, her office said Tuesday, without providing an explanation for her decision.
Jack Smith’s 137-page report, released overnight less than one week before Trump will be sworn in for a second term as president, is a full-throated justification of his investigation and defense against his myriad critics.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a narrowly missed midair collision between a United flight and a Delta flight at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Saturday, the agency said.