Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker
CNN
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is announcing on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is announcing on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, chose his 83rd birthday to share his decision not to run for another term in Kentucky and to retire when his current term ends. He informed The Associated Press of his decision before he was set to address colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor. This story is breaking and will be updated.
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will appear in court on Friday to face murder and terror charges in his New York state case.
A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy was convicted of criminally negligent homicide Thursday in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in distress who called 911 for help after his car got stuck in a small mountain community.
A plane carrying more than 170 Venezuelan migrants who were held in Guantanamo Bay after being deported from the US arrived in Venezuela on Thursday, according to CNN sources.
The US Marshals Service has deputized members of Elon Musk’s private security detail, giving them certain rights and protections of federal law enforcement agents, three law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
A diplomatic back-and-forth is underway among Group of Seven members over a joint statement marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the United States resisting a reference to “Russian aggression” in the document.
Senate Republicans kicked off a marathon vote series Thursday evening in a bid to adopt a budget blueprint, taking the first step to advance President Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda and setting up a clash with the House.
CNN’s 5 Things PM brings you the stories you might have missed during your busy day.
The US Senate on Thursday voted to approve Kash Patel as FBI director in a mostly party-line vote, clearing the way for one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial appointments.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she’ll propose reforms to the country’s constitution aiming to reinforce the nation’s sovereignty, after the US designated several Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations – a move that could potentially lay the groundwork for direct US strikes inside Mexican territory.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to announce Thursday that she will not use her executive powers to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office at least for now, two sources briefed on the decision told CNN.
The Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel as FBI director, installing a staunch loyalist of President Donald Trump and conservative firebrand at the head of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
The Trump administration’s swift, sweeping cuts to the federal workforce is set to derail the livelihoods of potentially thousands of military families.
According to an unsealed federal criminal complaint filed against seven Chilean men allegedly involved in the crime spree, investigators used cell phone records, GPS and iCloud data to link the suspects to the theft of almost $3 million in luxury goods from professional athletes.