Capitol Hill Reporter
Melanie Zanona is a CNN Capitol Hill reporter.
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Ronen Zvulun/Pool/Reuters Netanyahu set to address Congress on July 24 Jun 7, 2024 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, congressional leaders said Thursday.
Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images In fractured GOP majority, Jeffries amasses unusual amount of power as minority leader May 22, 2024 When House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries negotiated a pair of major government funding bills with Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this year, he also quietly secured a significant victory for his own party: a considerable bump in money for transportation, housing and urban development projects back in House Democrats’ home districts.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images Crockett slams Greene as ‘racist’ following contentious House committee meeting May 18, 2024 Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett criticizedRepublican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her “racist,” following a tense House Oversight markup Thursday evening that quickly devolved into personal attacks.
Curtis Means/Pool/Getty Images Trump’s Hill allies descend on hush money trial in new GOP litmus test May 17, 2024 When his hush money trial first got underway in April, former President Donald Trump privately complained that not enough of his allies were inside or outside the courtroom to defend him, according to multiple GOP sources familiar with his thinking.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images House passes bill to prevent Biden from withholding weapons to Israel asGOP ramps up pressure on Democrats May 16, 2024 The House voted on Thursday to pass a GOP-led billto compel the delivery of defensive weapons to Israel as Republicans ramp up pressure on President Joe Biden over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Hill watchdog says GOP Rep. Nehls may have misused campaign funds for personal use May 10, 2024 The Office of Congressional Ethics, a nonpartisan Capitol Hill watchdog, said there is “probable cause” to believe GOP Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas misused campaign funds for personal use – which he denies.
Allision Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images House votes to block Greene’s effort to oust Johnson from speakership May 8, 2024 The House has voted to kill Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resolution to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership post.
CQ Roll Call/Sipa House GOP embroiled in escalating primary feuds with majority on the line May 5, 2024 GOP Rep. Don Bacon has had it with the far-right of his conference.
Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP Johnson looks to unify GOP with crackdown on college campus protests May 2, 2024 Speaker Mike Johnson is zeroing in on the wave of pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked college campuses across the country as he looks to unify his fractured House Republican conference that has been bitterly splintered for months – all whileexposing divisions within the House Democratic caucus.
Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Redux How the House GOP’s Biden impeachment effort fell apart Apr 24, 2024 House Oversight Committee ChairmanJames 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.
Drew Angerer/AFP/Getty Images 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.
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/File) 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.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP 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.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP 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.
Win McNamee/Getty Images 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.
Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images 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.
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.
