MJ Lee is a Senior National Enterprise correspondent for CNN based in Washington, DC, reporting on a range of human impact stories across the country.

Since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, Lee has been reporting on the real-world ramifications of the administration’s new policies, including tariffs, the decimation of the United States Agency for International Development, and cuts at major agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Prior to becoming CNN’s Senior National Enterprise correspondent, Lee was a Senior White House correspondent for the network. She began covering the White House in 2021, and most recently helped lead the CNN’s coverage of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaigns. She has broken news on some of the Biden administration’s most consequential policy decisions, including those related to the Israel-Hamas war, the nationwide baby formula shortage, the White House’s student loan debt forgiveness plan and public health emergencies like monkeypox and COVID. Lee was part of the CNN team that won an Emmy Award in 2024 for its breaking news coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Lee was previously based in CNN’s New York bureau and covered the 2020 presidential election as a political correspondent for the network, focusing on Elizabeth Warren’s campaign during the primaries before reporting on Biden’s general election campaign and the transition. She has also covered the national #MeToo movement – particularly, its implications on Capitol Hill and in government – and broke news on major misconduct allegations involving elected officials and political figures.

Before joining CNN in 2015, Lee was a finance and politics reporter at Politico. She was born in South Korea and grew up in Hong Kong, and has a bachelor’s degree in government and Chinese from Georgetown University. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and is currently based in Washington, DC, where she lives with her husband Alex, children Penelope and Jamie and dog Bandit.