Kristen Holmes

NEW: While Jay Clayton is likely to be sworn in as DNI next week, Acting DNI Bill Pulte isn't going anywhere-yet. Sources said the two men’s tenures will overlap for at least two weeks (though timing could shift). Comes after Pulte made a case to President Trump directly that he wasn’t finished with the job and wanted to stay on to complete what he had set out to do, multiple sources told CNN. cnn.com/2026/07/30/pol…

President Trump pledges to forcefully respond to Iran’s attempted attack on US military positions, saying it was “our turn. “We’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them. They know it’s coming,” he told reporters.

Todd Blanche just arrived at the White House as his nomination to be attorney general hangs in the balance

Blanche arrives in the Capitol (not to meet with Cornyn), but no response to our questions on Cornyn’s demands

John Cornyn’s demands for written language to kill $1.8B anti-weaponization fund have NOT been met as meeting with Todd Blanche scrapped ahead of key committee vote tomorrow. Blanche has til 4p to respond, or vote could be delayed. “I’m not prepared to vote yes,” Cornyn told us

Jay Clayton has been confirmed as Trump’s new DNI. New reporting below involving about what he’s walking into: In a debate over the release of classified documents related to foreign interference in the 2020 election last week, Pulte & CIA Director John Ratcliffe got into a heated dispute over the scope of redactions in the material the White House planned to release, four sources familiar tell @KristenhCNN, @KatieBoLillis & me. cnn.com/2026/07/28/pol…

I was honored to present my @cnn colleague @kaitlancollins with the White House Correspondents Association “Excellence Under Deadline Pressure” award last night. I pointed out the judges were “awed” by the “depth of knowledge, access and context” that she brought to the news.

New on the Saudi deal: President Trump was already angry over the unveiling of the deal, which Wright had not told Trump he would be announcing, a source told CNN. Trump’s frustration was then exacerbated after a flurry of criticism— incl skeptical coverage on Fox News, and on editorial page of the WSJ that questioned why deal was made absent normalization agreement-something both outlets pointedly noted President Biden had been seeking. cnn.com/2026/07/23/pol…

A Secret Service agent on VP @JDVance's security detail "has been put on administrative leave after being suspected of leaking information for a news story that included details about Vance's travel," @joshscampbell and @KristenhCNN report cnn.com/2026/07/22/pol…

About 6,600 people in New Jersey who said they were not U.S. citizens had been incorrectly registered to vote due to a technical error, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday. abcnews.link/UZKL7wl

RNC tells Newsmax that it has $128.5 million in cash on hand. newsmax.com/politics/rnc-f…

As of now, President Trump is not expected to get involved the extradition case of Andrew and Tristan Tate, multiple sources tell me. One source said allies of the Tate brothers had been reaching out to people in Trump’s orbit in hopes of building a campaign in support of them.

WSJ report on the stunning amount of money Israel is spending on propaganda includes this: Brad Parscale works for Israel AND is chief strategy officer at Salem media. His contract for Israel involved “integration of narrative messaging into Salem Media Network properties”(!!)

Officials asked to turn over phones at the White House as Wiles, Patel lead intensifying leak probe cnn.com/2026/07/15/pol… With @HBRabinowitz @HolmesLybrand

News — Gov. Henry McMaster appoints Lindsey Graham’s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill out his term until January

I think anyone who has lost someone, especially in such a tragic and abrupt way, wants to find answers, and will look wherever they possibly can to find them. It’s part of the grieving and healing process.

One day after Trump signed the MOU with Iran, his top envoy Steve Witkoff got on the phone with skeptical Republican leaders to reassure them that talks with Iran were making real progress — confidently telling lawmakers he expected negotiations on “the toughest issue” — Iran’s nuclear program — to begin immediately, per source. Three weeks later, technical talks have only barely begun & the MOU itself appears to be in tatters … New reporting w/ @Rene_MarshCNN & @jmhansler cnn.com/2026/07/09/pol…

President Trump says he has "no idea" how Sen. Mitch McConnell is doing.   Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One if he's spoken with McConnell since his hospitalization three weeks ago, Trump replied: "No, I haven't."  "I have no idea how he's doing," Trump said firmly.

At least four oil and gas tankers have turned back from attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz since Iran launched attacks on three vessels near the vital waterway on Tuesday, according to data reported by Reuters. #cmrbzkk1e0000356ullwpt3i6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">cnn.com/2026/07/08/wor…

Hegseth's visit to Israel cancelled this morning, two Israeli sources say