Breaking News

  • Government watchdog group requests records on Mnuchin trip

    By Randi Kaye and Leinz Vales, CNN
    A government watchdog group is looking into a trip that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made recently with his wife, Louise Linton, aboard a government plane. On the trip, Mnuchin attended a luncheon for a local chamber of commerce and took a tour of Fort Knox, where he was joined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

  • Columnist Kirsten Powers: 'How was Sen. Harris hysterical?'

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers pushed back against former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller on Tuesday for calling California Sen. Kamala Harris "hysterical" during her questioning of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
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    Anderson Cooper questions Trump's 'biggest story'

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    CNN's Anderson Cooper questioned Wednesday how President Donald Trump could say Susan Rice is the biggest story of the moment, just one day after the deadliest chemical gas attack Syria has seen in years.
  • WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Van Jones speaks during #JusticReformNow Capitol Hill Advocacy Day at Russell Senate Office Building on April 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images)

    Van Jones: We need to try to understand President Trump

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    It's only been five days since the inauguration of President Donald Trump and it's been a week filled with executive actions and demonstrations. In the CNN series "The Messy Truth," airing Wednesday night, host Van Jones asks whether it's week one of a Trump presidency or week one of anti-Trump resistance.
  • michael moore doj fbi clinton email probe cnn tonight_00002001.jpg

    Michael Moore: Democrats need to look beyond email probe

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    Filmmaker Michael Moore said Thursday that Democrats should not focus solely on the FBI's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server as the reason why they lost the White House.
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    Glenn Beck: The alt-right is truly terrifying

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    Nationally syndicated radio host Glenn Beck said Tuesday that the alt-right movement is "truly terrifying," adding that while leading Breitbart News, Stephen Bannon gave a voice to white nationalists.
  • Jonathan Dalton who lost friends visits a makeshift memorial outside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the mass shooting victims at the Pulse nightclub June 13, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The American gunman who launched a murderous assault on a gay nightclub in Orlando was radicalized by Islamist propaganda, officials said Monday, as they grappled with the worst terror attack on US soil since 9/11. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

    Anderson Cooper's emotional tribute to victims

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    On Monday evening, less than 48 hours after the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11, Anderson Cooper began his prime time program with a tribute to the 49 lives lost in the Orlando, Florida, nightclub shooting.

  • Lady Gaga gets David Bowie tattoo ahead of Grammys tribute

    By Leinz Vales, CNN
    Fame may be fleeting, but Lady Gaga is honoring David Bowie in a way that is very permanent. She went under the needle to get a tattoo of the late rock legend just before performing a tribute to him at this year's 58th annual Grammy Awards.

About 

  • Leinz Vales is a digital producer for CNN's Social TV team.

    Prior to CNN, Vales taught public speaking in Mercer County Community College, New Jersey. He also had the opportunity to work for various news agencies, such as New Jersey Network, New York 1 and News 12, as a freelancer. His career in journalism had its humble beginnings in the education field, assisting at-risk high school students and success coaching college students.

    Vales's passion for being an agent of change has led him across the globe in Beijing, China and Moscow, Russia where he participated in youth empowerment summits. While in Croatia and Bosnia, he also facilitated workshops on important global issues like sustainable development, power of citizenry and democracy. As a first-generation Haitian-American, he went back to Haiti in the midst of the January 2010 earthquake as a volunteer, helping orphans and affected communities.

    Vales received his Bachelor's degree in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey and a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.