Analysis byLink Copied!Ad Feedback — When the next Congress is sworn in to office in January 2021, there’s a high likelihood it will have among its Republican members someone who is sympathetic to a wild, unsubstantiated conspiracy theory .Although the theory is nebulous enough to invite all kinds of interpretations from its adherents, at its core QAnon claims that Donald Trump has been secretly fighting to bring down a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles that has infiltrated all levels of the US government and other elite institutions.The latest Republican office-seeker to talk...…Analysis byLink Copied!Ad Feedback — When the next Congress is sworn in to office in January 2021, there’s a high likelihood it will have among its Republican members someone who is sympathetic to a wild, unsubstantiated conspiracy theory .Although the theory is nebulous enough to invite all kinds of interpretations from its adherents, at its core QAnon claims that Donald Trump has been secretly fighting to bring down a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles that has infiltrated all levels of the US government and other elite institutions.The latest Republican office-seeker to talk...WW…

By , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Miles Taylor, a former senior Trump administration official, endorsed presidential campaign on Monday, becoming one of the highest-ranking former Trump administration officials to do so.Taylor, who served as chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, also accused of repeatedly using his office for political purposes, including directing officials to cut wildfire relief funding to California because voters there overwhelmingly opposed him in 2016.Taylor, a longtime Republican and political appointee at DHS from 2017 to...…By , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Miles Taylor, a former senior Trump administration official, endorsed presidential campaign on Monday, becoming one of the highest-ranking former Trump administration officials to do so.Taylor, who served as chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, also accused of repeatedly using his office for political purposes, including directing officials to cut wildfire relief funding to California because voters there overwhelmingly opposed him in 2016.Taylor, a longtime Republican and political appointee at DHS from 2017 to...WW…

By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Former President Donald Trump repeated familiar lies about the 2020 election and insulted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Saturday when speaking to Republican National Committee donors gathered for the first time since Trump’s defeat, a person in the room told CNN.Donors assembled just down the road from his Mar-a-Lago home – a sign that the institutions of the party remain centered around the former President as it looks to regain power in 2022.The bulk of the RNC’s spring retreat took place a 10-minute drive south of Trump’s club, at...…By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Former President Donald Trump repeated familiar lies about the 2020 election and insulted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Saturday when speaking to Republican National Committee donors gathered for the first time since Trump’s defeat, a person in the room told CNN.Donors assembled just down the road from his Mar-a-Lago home – a sign that the institutions of the party remain centered around the former President as it looks to regain power in 2022.The bulk of the RNC’s spring retreat took place a 10-minute drive south of Trump’s club, at...WW…

The United States Constitution is not some musty piece of parchment, written in barely legible calligraphy and irrelevant to our lives. To the contrary, it is a governing document of profound significance that all Americans should revere. If you don’t believe that, here are five reasons why you should change your mind.1) A Written Constitution. Nearly all scholars agree that the Constitution was the first written document that established a major nation’s government. For thousands of years, mankind had been ruled by some combination of fear, force, custom, and tradition. Having a...…The United States Constitution is not some musty piece of parchment, written in barely legible calligraphy and irrelevant to our lives. To the contrary, it is a governing document of profound significance that all Americans should revere. If you don’t believe that, here are five reasons why you should change your mind.1) A Written Constitution. Nearly all scholars agree that the Constitution was the first written document that established a major nation’s government. For thousands of years, mankind had been ruled by some combination of fear, force, custom, and tradition. Having a...WW…

Orlando, Florida (CNN)With the first full day of the underway, there's already an indisputable star: an outrageously golden statue of wearing shorts and flip-flops.The more than 6-foot-tall statue turned heads as it was wheeled into the Hyatt Regency Thursday evening while CPAC attendees picked up their registration and milled about the hotel. The statue was on its way to the conference's exhibit hall, where it found a home in a booth for a conservative nonprofit called Look Ahead America.Tommy Zegan, a California-based artist, created the Trump statue in response to the multiple pieces of...…Orlando, Florida (CNN)With the first full day of the underway, there's already an indisputable star: an outrageously golden statue of wearing shorts and flip-flops.The more than 6-foot-tall statue turned heads as it was wheeled into the Hyatt Regency Thursday evening while CPAC attendees picked up their registration and milled about the hotel. The statue was on its way to the conference's exhibit hall, where it found a home in a booth for a conservative nonprofit called Look Ahead America.Tommy Zegan, a California-based artist, created the Trump statue in response to the multiple pieces of...WW…

(CNN)More than a dozen of former President Donald Trump's closest Republican allies in the House skipped Friday's votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote on their behalf, signing letters saying they can't attend "due to the ongoing public health emergency."But those members are actually in Orlando and listed as speakers at , an annual meeting aimed at energizing conservative activists and boosting their own profiles.The members include Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who addressed the conference on Friday, as well as others who were listed as scheduled speakers -- such as Reps. Paul Gosar of...…(CNN)More than a dozen of former President Donald Trump's closest Republican allies in the House skipped Friday's votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote on their behalf, signing letters saying they can't attend "due to the ongoing public health emergency."But those members are actually in Orlando and listed as speakers at , an annual meeting aimed at energizing conservative activists and boosting their own profiles.The members include Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who addressed the conference on Friday, as well as others who were listed as scheduled speakers -- such as Reps. Paul Gosar of...WW…

By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Senior Republicans are split over how to treat former President Donald Trump, with the No. 2 House Republican making a personal pilgrimage to visit him the day before the top Senate RepublicanRep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana met privately with Trump on Tuesday at the former President’s Mar-a-Lago estate, CNN has learned, the day before Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell vowed never to do so.The Kentucky Republican is “not going to bend the knee” and travel to Mar-a-Lago, a close McConnell associate told CNN, adding that McConnell will...…By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Senior Republicans are split over how to treat former President Donald Trump, with the No. 2 House Republican making a personal pilgrimage to visit him the day before the top Senate RepublicanRep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana met privately with Trump on Tuesday at the former President’s Mar-a-Lago estate, CNN has learned, the day before Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell vowed never to do so.The Kentucky Republican is “not going to bend the knee” and travel to Mar-a-Lago, a close McConnell associate told CNN, adding that McConnell will...WW…

By , , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — In an expletive-laced phone call with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy while , then-President Donald Trump said the rioters cared more about than McCarthy did.“Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” Trump said, according to lawmakers who were briefed on the call afterward by McCarthy.McCarthy insisted that the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged Trump to call them off.Trump’s comment set off what Republican lawmakers familiar with the call described as a shouting match between the...…By , , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — In an expletive-laced phone call with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy while , then-President Donald Trump said the rioters cared more about than McCarthy did.“Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” Trump said, according to lawmakers who were briefed on the call afterward by McCarthy.McCarthy insisted that the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged Trump to call them off.Trump’s comment set off what Republican lawmakers familiar with the call described as a shouting match between the...WW…

By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Donald Trump may be leaving the White House in a few days, but the umbrella of conspiracy theories he inspired is only just arriving in Washington.The chief theory known as – that the US government is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles only Trump can expose – began nearly four years ago as a fringe movement in the dark corners of the internet. Now QAnon has adherents in positions of power within the Republican Party and in the halls of Congress.on the US Capitol was the violent manifestation of that movement and its attendant theories...…By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Donald Trump may be leaving the White House in a few days, but the umbrella of conspiracy theories he inspired is only just arriving in Washington.The chief theory known as – that the US government is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles only Trump can expose – began nearly four years ago as a fringe movement in the dark corners of the internet. Now QAnon has adherents in positions of power within the Republican Party and in the halls of Congress.on the US Capitol was the violent manifestation of that movement and its attendant theories...WW…

By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — As the House prepares to to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans around Washington – including former top Trump administration officials – have been quietly lobbying GOP members of Congress to impeach and convict Donald Trump. The effort is not coordinated but reflects a wider battle inside the GOP between those loyal to Trump and those who want to sever ties and ensure he can never run for President again.The lobbying started in the House after and in the days leading up to . But it’s now more focused...…By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — As the House prepares to to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans around Washington – including former top Trump administration officials – have been quietly lobbying GOP members of Congress to impeach and convict Donald Trump. The effort is not coordinated but reflects a wider battle inside the GOP between those loyal to Trump and those who want to sever ties and ensure he can never run for President again.The lobbying started in the House after and in the days leading up to . But it’s now more focused...WW…