Melanie Zanona - Capitol Hill Reporter
Melanie Zanona
Capitol Hill Reporter
Melanie Zanona is a CNN Capitol Hill reporter.
Latest
How the House GOP’s Biden impeachment effort fell apart
Apr 24, 2024
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer was eager to take the reins of a high-stakes investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, seen as central to the House Republican agenda – a coveted perch that brought the added benefit of elevating his national profile.
How Johnson came to embrace Ukraine aid and defy his right flank
Apr 21, 2024
The day after Iran attacked Israel, House Speaker Mike Johnson was on the phone with a man who suddenly held the keys to his legislative agenda and potentially his own future: House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Gosar becomes third House GOP member to back effort to oust Johnson from speakership
Apr 19, 2024
GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona has signed on to the motion to vacate the speakership, he announced in a press release, becoming the third member to do so.
Johnson won’t change rules over removing him from speakership after hardliners revolt
Apr 18, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson announced he will not change the procedure for removing him from the speakership, after hardliners reacted with fury to a proposed change to House rules.
Johnson moving forward with Ukraine aid bill despite pressure from hardliners
Apr 18, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he is sticking with his plan to put a series of foreign aid bills on the floor including funding for Ukraine after facing significant pressure from hardliners.
Revolt against Johnson opens up fresh talk over House GOP leadership’s future
Apr 17, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson’s weakened position inside the House GOP conference has sparked delicate internal discussions about who could potentially replace him if he can’t hang on to the job – whether it’s in this Congress or the next one, according to interviews with over a dozen Republican lawmakers and aides.
Mike Johnson says he won’t resign amid right-wing backlash over foreign aid to Ukraine
Apr 16, 2024
A defiant House Speaker Mike Johnson, facing growing threats to his speakership, said Tuesday he is not resigning and dismissed threats to his gavel as “absurd” after a second Republican member of Congress threatened to oust Johnson for his handling of legislation to send foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Johnson makes his long-awaited move on Ukraine as House plans to vote on separate aid packages
Apr 16, 2024
House Republican leaders will try to pass four separate bills this week to provide aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, according to three sources familiar, heeding demands from the far right to keep the issues separate and not put a Senate-passed bill on the floor.
Congressional leaders at odds over Israel aid next steps as conservatives warn Johnson against including Ukraine funding
Apr 15, 2024
Congressional leaders from both parties were quick to condemn Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel this Saturday but still remain at odds on how to pass additional Israel funding in wake of the attacks.
Trump says he thinks Speaker Mike Johnson is ‘doing a very good job’ amid ouster threat from Marjorie Taylor Greene
Apr 13, 2024
Former President Donald Trump on Friday expressed support for House Speaker Mike Johnson when asked about GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to oust the Louisiana Republican from his speakership.
Conservatives warm to proposed changes in FISA reauthorization bill
Apr 12, 2024
Conservative holdouts on Thursday appear to be warming to modifications proposed to the legislation reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, one day after 19 of them tanked a procedural vote related to the bill delivering another embarrassing defeat to House Republican leadership.
Trump looms over fight to oust Speaker Johnson
Apr 11, 2024
As Mike Johnson stares down a serious threat to his speakership, he’s taking steps to show alignment with the most powerful Republican figure: Donald Trump.
Conservatives deal another blow to Speaker Johnson, defeating FISA rule after Trump push
Apr 11, 2024
House conservatives revolted against GOP leadership and defeated a FISA rule vote on the floor Wednesday, the latest blow to Speaker Mike Johnson that comes after former President Donald Trump called on Republicans to kill the bill.
House to delay sending Mayorkas impeachment articles to the Senate until next week
Apr 9, 2024
The House will send impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate next week – a delay that comes as Senate Republicans seek more time to develop a strategy to deal with the effort.
Hogan shakes up Maryland Senate race as Democrats wrestle over their nominee
Apr 7, 2024
Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan passed on a bid for a Maryland Senate seat last cycle, insisting he had no ambitions to serve in higher office. And even up until early this year, Hogan was still signaling he wasn’t interested.
Boebert continues stoking controversy amid intense battle to keep her job
Apr 5, 2024
Three months after Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized for disruptive conduct at a Denver theater, the Colorado Republican attended a glitzy Republican gala headlined by former President Donald Trump in Manhattan, where her behavior once again raised eyebrows.
About
Melanie Zanona is a CNN Capitol Hill reporter. Prior to joining the network, Zanona was a congressional reporter at POLITICO and authored the “Huddle” newsletter, a daily tipsheet on all things Capitol Hill.
She has written extensively about the GOP and their relationship with President Donald Trump, including close coverage of two presidential impeachments and the January 6 insurrection. Zanona was the first to report that Trump’s Hill allies were planning to challenge the 2020 election results in Congress; she broke the news that House conservatives were agitating against Rep. Liz Cheney; and she was part of the team that first uncovered that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made a trove of racist Facebook videos.
Zanona has previously worked for CQ Roll Call and The Hill, where she won a dateline award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her work on an in-depth series about how Trump and the GOP passed tax reform in 2017. She is a proud Chicago native and University of Illinois graduate, where she earned her degree in news-editorial journalism.
