CNN Politics

Bringing you the quirky and quotable side of politics.

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Two Salvation Army canteen workers churn out dozens of doughnuts for Canadian troops stationed in Brighton, England, in 1941. 

Friday marks the 80th National Donut Day. “Doughnut Girls” served along the front lines during WWI and WWII, giving soldiers free coffee and doughnuts to boost morale. 

National Donut Day was created by the Salvation Army in 1938 to raise funds for the organization and to honor the women's service in the first World War. The commemoration is celebrated annually on the first Friday in June. 

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Ray Chavez is the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor that launched America's entry into World War II in 1941. At 106, the indefatigable veteran has been traveling around the country for years, attending memorial services and commemorations. This week, he met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office while in Washington for a series of Memorial Day events. Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, Chavez reflected on his service, and recounted his experience on the day that President Franklin Roosevelt declared would "live in infamy."

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Singing legend Smokey Robinson appeared on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to testify in support of the Music Modernization Act. The legislation, which passed unanimously in the House in late April, would update copyright protections and the ways that artists are compensated for their work.

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White House national security adviser John Bolton defended the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

“The rationale for getting out of the deal is it was contrary to American national security interests when we got into it, and it hadn’t gotten any better with age,” Bolton said. He also said that “it’s possible” there will be secondary sanctions imposed on European companies as a result of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. “I think the Europeans will see that’s in their interest ultimately to go along with this,” he said.

Fore more: https://cnn.it/2rEihqD

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Net neutrality is set to end on June 11

The end of net neutrality is now scheduled for next month.

The Federal Communications Commission said in a notice filed Thursday that new rules repealing the net neutrality protections are set to take effect 30 days from this Friday, or June 11.

The new timeline comes as net neutrality advocates make a last ditch effort to undo the repeal.

Senate Democrats are currently pushing for a vote on a bill to overturn the decision as soon as next week. Even if the resolution passes the Senate, it still faces an uphill battle in the House.

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Under an American flag and dark night sky, US President Donald Trump personally welcomed home three American detainees Thursday morning after they were released from North Korea. The Americans — Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk, also known as Tony Kim — were freed Wednesday while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on a visit to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Speaking to the media on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base, Kim Dong Chul said his release felt "like a dream."

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“I am here for refugee and immigrant students, for the kids in the Gay-Straight Alliance, and for all the girls I’ve coached over the years, to send them the message that they are wanted, they are loved, they are enough, and they matter.”

National Teacher of the Year award winner Mandy Manning reads part of her remarks from the White House ceremony on CNN’s “The Van Jones Show.” Manning, a teacher from Spokane, Washington, met President Donald Trump on Wednesday and said she gave him handwritten letters from her students — all of whom are refugees and immigrants. 

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Former first lady Barbara Bush’s funeral brought together approximately 1,500 mourners, including these former and current US leaders from both sides of the political aisle. 📸 @paulmorsephoto — Office of George H.W. Bush

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Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth makes history on Thursday as the first US senator to cast a vote on the Senate floor with her newborn by her side. 10-day-old Maile’s Senate debut comes a day after senators changed longstanding rules to allow newborns — for the first time — onto the Senate floor during votes. 

Senators with newborn babies are now able to bring a child under the age of 1 onto the Senate floor and breastfeed them during votes.

When asked how she felt after casting her vote on the NASA administrator, Duckworth said, “It’s amazing, and it’s about time.” Duckworth, who is taking her maternity leave in Washington, DC, spearheaded the push for the rule change.

Read more: https://cnn.it/2K0WKAv

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Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty and a first lady who elevated the cause of literacy, died Tuesday, a family spokesman said. She was 92.

She became a major political figure as her husband, George H. W. Bush, rose to become Vice President and president. After she left the White House, she was a potent spokeswoman for two of her sons — George W. and Jeb — as they campaigned for office. https://cnn.it/2H8Zez0

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The week in politics

Take a look at the week in politics from April 1 through 7.

Take a look at the week in politics from April 1 through 7.

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Washington, DC's iconic cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on Thursday.  The trees arrived in the nation's capital in 1912 as replacements from Japan after the trees from the first gift were destroyed by disease. The first Cherry Blossom Festival was held 1935.

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President Donald Trump throws out his prepared remarks in West Virginia: "To hell with it ... that would have been a little boring" 

Read more about Trump at a West Virginia tax reform event: https://cnn.it/2q950Wd

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New book alleges Conway is the 'No.1 leaker'

The author of the new book, "The Trump White House: Changing the rules of the game, claims among other things, that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is the "number one leaker" in President Donald Trump's White House.

Ronald Kessler, the author of “The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game,” says Conway forgot that they were on-the-record as she ripped into her fellow colleagues. According to Kessler, Conway said some of the most “mean, cutting and honestly untrue” things about former chief of staff Reince Priebus, and also “dissed” Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

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Exclusive: Mark Zuckerberg has decided to testify before Congress

After repeated calls for him to do so, Mark Zuckerberg has decided he will testify before Congress.

Facebook sources tell CNNMoney that Facebook is currently planning the strategy for his testimony. Zuckerberg's willingness to testify will also put pressure on Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to do the same, the Facebook sources say. 

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has officially invited all three CEOs to a hearing on data privacy on April 10.

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President Donald Trump's advice to his younger self: "Don't run for president" 

Read more: http://cnn.it/2uaENMl

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg is bringing scrunchies back

Scrunchies, the quintessential 90s accessory found holding up the hair of sitcom stars and pop princesses, are making a comeback on fashion runways and have the longtime backing of one of the most influential women in Washington: Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"My best scrunchies come from Zurich. Next best, London, and third best, Rome.”