May 20, 2025 - Donald Trump presidency news

Our live coverage has moved. Follow the latest here on Trump’s presidency and the House Rules Committee meeting on his agenda bill.

The House Rules Committee is continuing to meet and debate, hours after it first convened around 1 a.m. ET on President Trump’s agenda bill, but so far there is no indication that GOP leaders are close to reaching a deal for final changes to the bill – as key sticking points remain between conservatives and moderates.

Frustrated Democrats have pointed out that some GOP members have not even spent much time in the committee room as negotiations among Republicans to try to reach a deal for final text continue.

Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said at one point during the committee meeting, “Some of our members here aren’t here right now. They’re out there trying to cut some more deals with the Speaker and the White House.”

Later, Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez called out conservative Rep. Chip Roy specifically, saying, that he “hasn’t been here much tonight.”

Once the full House takes up the bill, it would next need to go to the Senate, where Republicans have signaled they intend to make further changes.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez speaks during a House Rules Committee meeting, early on Wednesday.

Democrats have criticized Republicans over an analysis that projects the sweeping GOP bill will add to the budget deficit – with Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez saying she is worried about GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who has a wearable badge that tracks the debt. “Once you guys pass this bill that thing is just going to go so fast it is going to burn a hole through his suit,” she said.

“Representative Massie has that little ticker, right? Everybody sees his ticker. You know that goes up? I am so worried about him. Because once you guys pass this bill that thing is just going to go so fast it is going to burn a hole through his suit,” she said during the Rules Committee meeting.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary analysis of the impacts of President Trump’s massive policy bill and found that it would increase the budget deficit by $3.8 trillion between 2026-2034.

The analysis, which was requested by House Democratic leaders, reviewed the bill that was approved by the House Budget Committee on Sunday night. It does not include late changes now being negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson and a group of holdouts in his conference. Those changes have yet to be formally unveiled.

Democrats on the House Rules Committee have repeatedly highlighted that it’s still not yet clear what will be in the final version of President Trump’s sweeping agenda bill even as GOP leaders push for a floor vote in the chamber. Key sticking points remain amid contentious divides over policy between moderates and conservatives in the GOP conference.

“After months of debate and deliberation in the Republican caucus … House Republicans still don’t have an agreement,” Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said during the Rules committee meeting in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“What have you been doing all this time?” she said, saying that Republicans “haven’t even drafted or shared some of the most critical parts of the bill.”

“Most importantly, you haven’t shared them with half the American people,” she said.

House GOP leaders are working to try to reach a deal on the remaining sticking points to be able to pass the bill out of their chamber. Senate Republicans have also signaled they plan to make changes of their own to the bill when it reaches their chamber.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern later argued that there was a lack of attendance on the GOP side in the Rules committee room as negotiations continued behind the scenes.

“I hope that your members, since you called this meeting, will actually be here,” McGovern said. “We will feel obligated to move to adjourn again if that continues.”

Committee Chair Virginia Foxx dismissed McGovern’s stated concerns. “Our members are in and out,” she said. “Just like your members are in and out … we always allow people to move in and out at meetings.”

Rep. Jim McGovern speaks during a House Rules Committee meeting in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, criticized Republicans for convening the panel at 1 a.m. ET in an effort to advance president Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill.

“What the hell are Republicans so afraid of? What the hell are you so scared of that you guys are holding this hearing at 1 o’clock in the morning?”

“If Republicans are so proud of what is in this bill, then why are you trying to ram it through in the dead of night?,” he said.

House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx argued that Republicans have been putting in long hours as they work hard to advance the President’s agenda, and said that, in the past, Democrats have also convened hearings in the early hours of the morning.

“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” she said.

Foxx noted “there will be a manager’s amendment,” — referring to a highly anticipated, expected package of changes to the legislative text — but said that she “can’t control the time that it will be ready,” as it remains uncertain when it will be unveiled.

People shop at a grocery store in Brooklyn, New York, on May 13.

President Donald Trump’s rating on economic issues continues to stand well below his overall numbers for handling the presidency, a new Marquette Law School poll finds, even as economic concerns remain at the forefront of many Americans’ minds.

Roughly half of US adults pick either inflation and the cost of living (36%) or the economy more broadly (13%) as the issue that currently matters most to them, the survey finds, with 19% picking threats to democracy, 10% Medicare and Social Security, and 9% immigration and border security. Fewer than 5% choose the size of the federal deficit, health care, abortion policy, or foreign policy, respectively, as their biggest issue.

Most, 63%, say they expect inflation and the cost of living to increase over the next 12 months.

Trump’s approval rating stands at 42% on the economy, 37% on tariffs and just 34% on inflation and the cost of living. By contrast, the survey finds the public evenly split on his handling of immigration, with a 56% majority approving of his handling of border security.

The poll finds that 46% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of his job overall, while 54% disapprove, among the more positive recent readings on his presidency. In CNN’s Poll of Polls average of four surveys conducted in May, including the Marquette survey, Trump’s approval rating stands at 42%, with 55% disapproving. The latest Poll of Polls average, as well as a chart of Trump’s average approval rating over time, is available here.

The Marquette Law School Poll surveyed 1,004 US adults on May 5-15, using the nationally representative SSRS Opinion Panel to conduct online interviews. Results among the full sample have a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points.

The House Rules Committee has convened, with its members starting work in the early hours of Wednesday morning as Republicans push to advance President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy agenda bill.

The committee meeting is a critical step that must take place before GOP leaders can bring the legislation to a floor vote in the House, but sticking points over contentious policy issues remain.

President Donald Trump arrives with House Speaker Mike Johnson for a House Republican meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary analysis of the impacts of President Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill and found that it would increase the budget deficit by $3.8 trillion between 2026-2034.

It also found that the bill would cut federal support for Medicaid by $698 billion and reduce federal funding for food stamps, also known as SNAP, by $267 billion.

The analysis, which was requested by House Democratic leaders, reviewed the bill that was approved by the House Budget Committee on Sunday night.

It does not include late changes now being negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson and a group of holdouts in his conference who are demanding further revisions.

The bill has not yet been passed by the House. Senate Republicans are expected to make further changes when it comes to their chamber for consideration.

A group of moderate Republicans from high-tax districts and GOP leadership are considering a potential plan to increase the state and local tax deduction. It’s a critical issue for a number of blue state Republicans in the House and among the most contentious issues still left on the negotiating table.

While sources caution there is no “deal” until everyone signs off, the proposal under consideration would bring the state and local tax deduction up from $10,000 to $40,000 for people making less than $500,000 a year. It would be a 10-year deal.

For people making between $500,000 to about $800,000, there would be a more modest deduction than $40,000 on a sliding scale. After about $800,000, families and individuals would just get the $10,000 SALT deduction.

One of the key questions, however, is if leadership strikes a deal over the contentious issue, what that could do to conservative support. Several conservatives have warned they want steeper cuts and have argued against any major increase in SALT, which many conservatives view as the federal government subsidizing bad policy and decision making from Democratic governors.

James Comey speaks onstage in New York on May 30, 2023.

Former Director of the FBI James Comey said today took down an Instagram post of seashells spelling out the numbers “86 47” once he saw that some people associated the phrase “86” with violence.

“I don’t want any part of it, and so that’s why I took it down,” Comey told CNN.

The number 86 can often refer to getting rid of or tossing something out, while 47 corresponds to President Donald Trump’s current term in office as the 47th president.

Comey recalled being at the beach with his wife, a former server, who noted that “86” was a “kitchen phrase … to get it off the menu.”

“And I thought, well, that’s a clever political message,” he said. “It never occurred to me — actually, still doesn’t — that it’s associated with violence.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a social media post last week that DHS and the Secret Service were investigating an alleged threat made against Trump by Comey.

When asked about his interview with the Secret Service about the post, Comey said: “They’re total pros. I’ve worked with Secret Service for many, many years, and they asked the right questions trying to understand why I did it.”

Tim Cook attends the inauguration of President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20.

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with President Donald Trump at the White House today, an administration official told CNN.

The official did not divulge the subject matter of the meeting. However last week Trump said he told Cook he didn’t want Apple making products in India and urged Cook to build out his manufacturing in America.

The president’s comments followed Apple’s decision to shift production of iPhones sold in the United States from China to India so it could avoid paying higher tariffs.

The White House is seen in Washington, DC, on February 27.

Attorneys for Vietnamese and Burmese migrants alleged in a new emergency motion today that the Trump administration deported their clients to South Sudan in violation of a previous court order.

The motion is part of an ongoing case about the removal of migrants to third countries as the Trump administration pushes forward with its mass deportation plans.

At least a dozen migrants were abruptly removed to South Sudan this week, according to attorneys who argued in today’s filing that some of them didn’t receive proper notice or the opportunity to contest their deportation to a third country.

One of those attorneys, Jaqueline Brown, described the events leading up to her client, a Burmese national who speaks limited English, being removed. Yesterday, her client, referred to as N.M., was notified he’d be removed to South Sudan without an interpreter, raising alarm among attorneys. Brown scheduled a video meeting with her client for this morning, but when she checked online, he was no longer in the detention system.

The lawyers said that a Vietnamese national “appears to have suffered the same fate” and that there were likely at least 10 additional class members on the same flight.

Earlier this year, US District Judge Brian Murphy blocked the Trump administration from deporting migrants to countries other than their own without prior written notice and a chance to contest the removal. Attorneys argue that order was violated with the removal of migrants to South Sudan and are asking the court to order their return, as well as block further deportations to third countries unless they comply with Murphy’s preliminary injunction.

The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t publicly confirmed deportations to South Sudan, which is on the cusp of another civil war. The US has issued a do not travel advisory to the country given ongoing armed conflict.

CNN reached out to DHS for comment.

Republican senators are continuing to demand changes to the House’s draft of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy bill, including greater spending cuts as well as permanent tax cuts.

It comes after Speaker Mike Johnson attended their conference lunch to brief them on House progress. As he was leaving, Johnson told CNN he met with the Senate GOP to “give an update and encourage them to stick with us. We’re going to land this plane.”

Pressed on the Senate wanting changes, and how that would affect final passage in the House, Johnson insisted, “We’ll work it out together.”

Here’s what some senators are saying:

Former President Joe Biden’s “last known” PSA test, used to screen for prostate cancer, was conducted in 2014 and he was never diagnosed with the disease until last Friday, a Biden spokesperson said today.

The PSA test checks the blood for levels of a protein called prostate-specific antigen that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

“President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014. Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer” the spokesperson said.

Many medical associations say that whether to have the PSA test should be a shared decision between a man and his doctor, but even then, it’s not recommended for all ages. Independent experts who review screening studies for the US Preventive Services Task Force recommend against screening for prostate cancer for men 70 and older.

The new disclosure from the Biden spokesperson comes as President Donald Trump and some of his allies have questioned why Biden’s cancer diagnosis wasn’t revealed earlier.

Biden, 82, was diagnosed Friday with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his personal office announced this week. Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options with physicians.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt looks on from behind a chart on prescription drug costs and posters depicting a "Golden Dome for America" as President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump said that he believes his Golden Dome missile defense project will be complete by the end of his term – an estimate that runs contrary to what military officials have previously told CNN.

Trump said that $25 billion will be allocated from his sweeping spending cut and tax bill, which he’s currently pushing House Republicans to pass, to help fund the defense project that he said will cost about $175 billion in total to construct.

Those estimates run contrary to some given by other military officials. Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery previously told CNN he believes creating a ballistic missile defense system may be possible in 7-10 years, but even then, it will have severe limitations, potentially capable of protecting only critical federal buildings and major cities. Others have said projecting the total cost of such a project is essentially impossible.

More on the dome: “Golden Dome” is the Trump administration’s attempt to rebrand vague plans for developing a missile defense system akin to Israel’s Iron Dome.

At a time the Pentagon is looking to cut budgets, the Trump administration has ordered military officials to ensure future funding for “Golden Dome” is reflected in new budget estimates for 2026 to 2030 — but the system itself remains undefined beyond a name, the sources said.

House Republicans pointed fingers at each other today as sticking points leave both moderates and hardliners declining to say if they’ll ultimately vote for President Donald Trump’s major policy bill, even after the president came to Capitol Hill to rally support and urge unity in the conference.

Here’s what some Republicans are saying:

Rep. Don Bacon: “We have to defend against it, because they’re, in a sense, putting poison pills in that won’t pass. That’s what the president’s saying. So I hope they heed the president, I hope they listen to him,” the swing district Republican told CNN, referring to changes to the federal-state cost sharing system and other provisions to roll back Medicaid.

Rep. Ralph Norman: A hardliner who sits on the House Rules Committee, would not say if he’s going to vote to advance the bill, calling his support “a moving target” and explaining that he wants to see changes to a state and local tax deductions (SALT) cap paid for if they’re included.

Rep. Andy Ogles told CNN: “I would say that if the vote were held right now, it dies a painful death.”

Rep. Keith Self: Asked if he’s still a “no” on the bill, the hardliner said, “we haven’t made the corrections yet.”

Rep. Troy Nehls: The Trump ally warned that opposing the bill could come back to haunt GOP members. “Here’s an opportunity under a unified government, meaning control, Republican control, to get the tax cuts, to get so many great things, and if there’s one or two issues that you don’t agree with, well I’m going to tank the bill. That’s not healthy,” Nehls said, adding that the constituents of the hardliner representatives may raise questions about this approach.

Rep. Thomas Massie: The Kentucky Republican, whom Trump threatened with a primary earlier in the day over his defiance to the bill, said he wasn’t worried that his voters would listen to Trump and that he had a “fairly cordial” interaction with the president. Asked if Trump’s threat would force him to fall in line to support the bill, Massie laughed and said, “no.”

Rep. Mike Lawler: The New York Republican accused House Speaker Mike Johnson and another key Republican committee leader of trying a last-minute maneuver to force lawmakers supportive of a higher cap on state and local tax deductions to support the bill. “I’m not going to sacrifice my constituents and throw them under the bus in a bad faith negotiation,” Lawler said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 20 in Washington, DC.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before two Senate committees today and touched on various topics, from visa revocations to sanctions on Russia.

He faced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier today for the first time since his confirmation hearing and he defended his overhaul of the State Department amid a proposed rescission of $20 billion in funding. Rubio also testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee this afternoon.

He is expected to testify before House committees over the next days as well.

Here’s what Rubio told the Senate committees :

The scope of the June 14 massive military parade is starting to come into focus, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning. It will include nearly 7,000 soldiers, 370 vehicles and 70 aircraft, according to a document reviewed by CNN.

The event will take place in Washington, DC, on the Army’s 250th birthday, which is also President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.

Trump is expected to watch the event from a review stand at the edge of the White House ellipse. He’s also set to deliver remarks and participate in an enlistment event as part of the pomp and circumstance Trump has been eager to put on display.

Nearly 7,000 soldiers will march the parade route alongside 370 vehicles, including both historic and modern-day machinery, according to a document seen by CNN. The Army’s Golden Knights will parachute over the Ellipse and nearly 70 aircraft will conduct flyovers at various parts of the event.

The parade will showcase vehicles, machinery and uniforms from every war. CNN has previously reported that the parade is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars.

For Trump, the event will be a test run for America 250, a planned yearlong celebration of America’s birthday in 2026 that Trump has taken steps to make a reality.

A new “special review panel” will conduct another review of the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced today.

Hegseth, who has repeatedly vowed accountability for the Afghanistan withdrawal, said he was appointing Sean Parnell, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs and Hegseth’s senior adviser, to lead the review panel. The panel will “thoroughly examine previous investigations,” Hegseth’s memo said.

More background: There have not been public senior-level firings over how the withdrawal was carried out, though the withdrawal has been the subject of multiple other reviews and investigations.

An investigation conducted by the US military into the ISIS bombing at Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, which left 13 US troops and 170 civilians dead, was released in February 2022. More than 100 people were interviewed in the investigation.

An administration-wide after-action review of the withdrawal was released in April 2023, and the State Department released their own damning after-action report in June 2023. The US military conducted an additional review of the Abbey Gate bombing, the results of which were released in 2024.

Conservatives left the House Republican conference meeting with President Donald Trump with different outlooks on the sweeping bill to enact the president’s agenda.

Some remained skeptical or outright against the bill but others, however, agreed with Trump it’s time for the party to put down their pens and vote for the bill.

Here’s what some of them said: