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Democrats fail to shatter Republicans’ resolve on eve of crucial Iran deadline

2026-04-30T15:11:25-04:00 / Fox News

Top Pentagon official revealed the Iran war has cost $25B

By Alex Miller Fox News

Published April 30, 2026 3:11pm EDT

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393112638112

Democrats push for new Iran war powers vote

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on Democrats’ push to force a vote to end the Iran war and the ongoing DHS funding battle on ‘Special Report.’

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Senate Democrats again failed to splinter Republicans’ unified support for President Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran amid the looming Friday deadline to curb his war powers.

The vote marks the sixth time Republicans have rejected a Democrat-led resolution aimed at handcuffing the president’s authority and halting the conflict. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., made one final push to limit Trump ahead of the deadline requiring Congress to decide whether the U.S. should or should not continue fighting in the Middle East.

Sixty days after Trump’s first notification to Congress of his strikes in Iran is when lawmakers are supposed to either authorize or halt the war. That deadline hits Friday, May 1, when lawmakers are expected to be gone from Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess.

HEGSETH TESTIFIES AT SENATE AS IRAN WAR’S $25B PRICE TAG AND 60-DAY WAR POWERS DEADLINE LOOM

U.S. President Donald Trump waves after landing at Joint Base Andrews as he returns to Washington on April 25, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.(Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

While some Republicans have raised issue with extending the conflict past the 60-day mark, and are mulling an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), Schiff said that side effort was “too late.

“The mere introduction of one is not sufficient,” Schiff said. “And there’s no way that’s going to pass both houses and get signed by the president today.”

Meanwhile, Republicans argue that Trump has unilateral authority, without Congress’ explicit say-so, to continue the war for 30 more days. However, that window is meant to be a drawdown period to pull out military assets and prevent a sudden and possibly chaotic exit rather than continue a raging and active conflict.

So far, Trump’s move to indefinitely extend the ceasefire in the region has held.

AFTER THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, DEBATE GROWS OVER WHETHER TRUMP ATTACK WARRANTS ANOTHER INVESTIGATION

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2025.(Shannon Finney/NBC)

For now, it appears there isn’t a desire to put an authorization vote on the floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D., has deferred that decision to his Republican colleagues, rather than unilaterally force the issue.

“At this point, I don’t see that,” Thune said. “I mean, I think they’re, you know, obviously getting readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis that, I think, will be helpful in terms of shaping the views of our members about how comfortable they are with … everything that’s happening there and the direction heading forward. But as of right now, I’m not hearing that.”

The decision to punt Congress’ authority comes as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth this week made his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the war began.

REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with Senate Republican leaders following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Though his hearings before the House and Senate Armed Services committees were billed as an opportunity to dig into the Pentagon’s eye-popping $1.5 trillion budget request, lawmakers instead used their time to grill Hegseth on the Iran war.

One made-for-TV back-and-forth included the revelation that the war has so far cost taxpayers $25 billion.

Democrats contend that figure doesn’t add up and argue that the money could be spent elsewhere to combat rising costs for Americans.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was past time for Republicans to break from the administration, and he blamed Trump and Hegseth for the ongoing war.

“Our greatest challenge in Iran is Donald Trump and Secretary Hegseth, and Americans know it,” Schumer said. “The war is unpopular. They blame Trump for it, of course.”

“The greatest obstacle to peace is the incompetence of the Secretary of Defense and of the President of the United States,” he continued.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

FISA: What to know about the government’s key spy powers on the verge of expiration

2026-04-30 1:58 PM ET / CNN

By Annie Grayer

A visitor captures a cell phone image of the Washington Monument, near the US Capitol on September 29, 2021.

Tom Brenner/Reuters/File

The deadline to renew a powerful surveillance law has exposed deep divisions in the Republican Party and left US national security officials scrambling as the potential for blind spots in intelligence collection becomes an ever increasing possibility.

For months, House Republicans have been trying to find a path forward to reauthorize the controversial spy powers. The law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allows authorized US officials to gather phone calls and text messages of foreign targets, but can also scoop up the data of Americans in the process.

Here’s what to know as lawmakers face a midnight deadline to re-up the authority.

How does the government use FISA?

Under updates to the FISA law enacted in 2008, the government has the ability to compel US phone companies and internet providers to provide access to communications across the “backbone” of the internet. The government can also compel access to phone information that can allow it to obtain the content of calls and also require email providers and others to provide communications from a specific address.

And according to a September 2023 public oversight report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board – which was formed to periodically assess the program – in addition to the above methods of collecting data, the board refers to an additional “highly sensitive technique” that was only authorized in 2022.

The trove of data, including a large portion of US internet traffic, is meant to provide US intelligence agencies with quick access to data regarding foreigners in other countries.

As CNN has reported, a good portion what what appears in the Presidential Daily Brief has some data that comes from the 702 program, according to the National Security Agency.

What’s at risk if it expires?

It depends who you ask.

Senior national security officials have for years said Section 702 is critical to thwarting terror attacks, stemming the flow of fentanyl into the US and stopping ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure.

The authority is now more critical than ever, officials say, amid the delicate ceasefire in the US war with Iran and a heightened threat environment.

Civil liberties groups on the left and the right, meanwhile, argue the surveillance authority risks infringing on Americans’ privacy. The program is currently warrantless, in large part because it is aimed at foreigners not Americans, but US citizens do get swept up in the surveillance when they are interacting with targets abroad.

The law, which is on the verge of expiration, has in recent months become embroiled in the broader Republican battle over the reach of the government’s surveillance powers.

And some Democrats who have previously supported the spy program are now concerned about renewing the it under a Trump administration that they do not trust, making the margins Republicans have to rely on even smaller.

At first, the Trump administration did not weigh in on how they wanted Republican lawmakers to handle the renewal of the law, allowing divisions to build and fester. The president and his supporters have previously conflated the law with other legal methods used to investigate Russian interference in US elections and allegations that people associated with the Trump campaign in 2016 were connected to those Russian efforts.

But earlier this month, President Donald Trump called for a clean reauthorization of the law for 18 months. That did not sway conservative Republicans who have insisted that the bill include reforms like warrants before querying Americans’ communications.

How long could the law be extended?

After countless meetings and listening sessions failed, House Speaker Mike Johnson put forward a proposed three-year extension of the law.

Conservatives stood firm and withheld their votes until the speaker obliged and attached on an unrelated crypto measure to the must-pass spy powers bill that made it dead on arrival in the Senate.

Senate leaders, who looked on from across the US Capitol, were left scrambling and ultimately suggested another short-term extension, which will only prolong the drama since they do not want the crypto provision attached.

Congress has until midnight to clear that extension.

That will serve as a temporary patch, but the problem isn’t going away because in 45 days lawmakers will be right back where they started.

CNN’s Zachary Wolf contributed to this report.

Louisiana suspends House primaries for May 16 following Supreme Court ruling, other races will go on scheduled

2026-04-30 14:59 EDT / CBS News

By Aaron Navarro

Aaron Navarro Digital Reporter

Aaron Navarro is a CBS News digital reporter. He covered the 2024 elections and was previously an associate producer for the CBS News political unit in the 2021 and 2022 election cycles.

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Aaron Navarro

Updated on: April 30, 2026 / 3:17 PM EDT / CBS News

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Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said Thursday that the state will suspend the House primaries for the upcoming elections on May 16 in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down the state’s Congressional map.

Landry said that while the U.S. House races will remain on voters’ ballots, “any votes cast in those races will not be counted.”

“Pursuant to 18:401.1(B), I have certified the emergency in light of the Supreme Court ruling. This is a mandatory step prior to the Governor issuing an executive order suspending the upcoming Louisiana U.S. House races,” Landry said in a statement on social media.

The other races, including the Senate primaries, are set to go on as planned, Landry said. She said her office will post noises at early voting sites.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that found Louisiana mapmakers relied too heavily on race when they redrew the state’s voting boundaries to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority found that compliance with Section 2 could not justify the state’s use of race in redrawing its House district lines.

Florida Republicans earlier this week approved a new congressional map pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had redrawn a Hispanic-minority district in central Florida. State attorneys also argued the recent Supreme Court ruling means provisions in the state’s Fair Districts Amendment are unconstitutional.

Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/supreme-court-strikes-down-louisianas-congressional-map-weakening-voting-rights-act/

Trump pulls controversial surgeon general pick and makes third nomination for the role

Apr 30, 2026, 1:06 PM ET / CNN

By Alejandra Jaramillo

Updated Apr 30, 2026, 2:24 PM ET

Dr. Nicole Saphier appears on FOX Nation’s “Love Mom The Live Show” at Fox News Channel Studios in New York, on April 3, 2024.

John Lamparski/Getty Images/File

President Donald Trump on Thursday pulled his embattled surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means amid questions over her vaccine views and announced his third pick for the role in Dr. Nicole Saphier.

“Nicole is a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment while tirelessly advocating to increase early cancer detection and prevention, while at the same time working with men and women on all other forms of cancer diagnoses and treatments,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“She is also an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR, who makes complicated health issues more easily understood by all Americans,” he added.

Saphier, a longtime Fox News contributor, is a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

This is Trump’s third nominee for surgeon general in his second term. His first, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a New York family physician and former Fox News medical contributor, saw her nomination pulled just days before her Senate confirmation hearing was set to begin last year.

Means’ nomination had languished since her tense confirmation hearing in February. A Stanford-educated medical doctor, she’s well-connected to the “Make America Healthy Again” movement as the author of a best-selling book, “Good Energy,” and a close ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Even among MAHA and Trump supporters, she faced skepticism. Some in the MAHA sphere lamented her noncommittal stance on vaccines, while Laura Loomer, Trump’s self described “loyalty enforcer” frequently questioned Means’ support for the president.

And increasingly, the Means vote had looked like a proxy battle over Kennedy, who over the past year has plunged ahead on vaccine policy changes that have rankled some Republicans across the spectrum.

Shortly before announcing Saphier as Means’ replacement, Trump took to Truth Social to blast Sen. Bill Cassidy, who pressed Means on vaccine policy during her confirmation hearing before the committee he chairs.

Trump accused the Louisiana Republican, whom he’s endorsed against in his Senate reelection campaign, of standing in the way of Means, whose nomination had been championed by Kennedy.

“I nominated Casey, a strong MAHA Warrior, at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy, who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone, with perhaps the possible exception of ME!” Trump wrote.

“Nevertheless, despite Senator Cassidy’s intransigence and political games, Casey will continue to fight for MAHA on the many important Health issues facing our Country, such as the rising childhood disease epidemic, increased autism rates, poor nutrition, over-medicalization, and researching the root causes of infertility, and many other difficult medical problems,” he added.

But from the beginning, her nomination was trailed by criticisms of her policy positions and questions about her credentials: She did not complete her residency, and her medical license has lapsed.

CNN previously reported that prior to being withdrawn, Means had for more than a month, sought private meetings with the two Republican senators threatening to sink her nomination.

But as of earlier this month, the meetings with Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins hadn’t happened. Murkowski told CNN in mid-March she was “not enthusiastic about her.”

The surgeon general, known as “the nation’s doctor,” is a physician who focuses on educating and advising Americans on how to improve their health by issuing advisories, reports and calls to action to offer the best available scientific information on crucial issues.

The surgeon general also serves in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, overseeing this group of uniformed officers who seek to promote the nation’s health.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht, Adam Cancryn and Sarah Owermohle contributed to this report.

Hegseth fires back at Warren’s insider trading comments tied to Iran war: ‘No one owns me’

April 30, 2026 3:54pm EDT / Fox News

‘No one owns me. No one owns this department, no one owns this president,’ Hegseth said

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

War Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully denied allegations that he or others may have profited from the war with Iran during a heated Senate exchange Thursday, telling Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that “no one owns me” as she pressed him on what she said was suspicious trading activity tied to the conflict.

Warren pointed to what she described as a pattern of large, well-timed oil trades occurring minutes before public announcements by President Donald Trump related to the war, suggesting the possibility that insiders were using nonpublic information to profit.

The exchange reflects growing scrutiny in Washington over whether sensitive information tied to the Iran conflict could be used for financial gain, as well as broader concerns about ethics rules governing senior officials and lawmakers.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully denied allegations that he or others may have profited from the war with Iran during a heated Senate exchange Thursday.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“In just the space of minutes, it looks like insiders have been making out like bandits, using secret information about the war,” Warren said.

She pressed Hegseth repeatedly on whether he had any explanation for the activity “other than insider trading.”

Hegseth declined to engage directly with the premise, saying the department had operated “completely aboveboard” and emphasizing that his focus remained on military operations rather than financial markets. He added that safeguarding sensitive information is taken “very seriously.”

“What happens in markets … is not something we’re involved in,” Hegseth said.

The exchange escalated when Warren referenced reporting about Hegseth’s own financial dealings, including a claim that a broker attempted to invest in a defense-related fund ahead of the conflict.

“That entire story is false,” Hegseth responded. “Any insinuation that I have ever profited … I don’t do it for money. I don’t do it for profit. I don’t do it for stocks.”

He added: “No one owns me. No one owns this department, no one owns this president.”

Warren’s line of questioning follows recent reporting that raised questions about Hegseth’s financial dealings ahead of the Iran conflict. The Financial Times reported that a broker working on Hegseth’s behalf contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in a fund tied to major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, in the weeks before military action began.

According to the report, the investment ultimately did not take place because the fund was not available to the broker at the time.

The Pentagon has strongly denied the reporting, calling it “entirely false and fabricated,” and Hegseth reiterated that denial during Thursday’s hearing.

Hegseth and Warren(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“In just the space of minutes, it looks like insiders have been making out like bandits, using secret information about the war,” Warren claimed.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Federal law places strict limits on defense officials’ investments to prevent conflicts of interest. Presidential appointees at the Pentagon generally are barred from owning or buying stock in top defense contractors that receive the largest government contracts, with narrow exceptions such as diversified funds. Ethics rules also require senior officials to avoid even the appearance of self-dealing and to disclose or seek approval for certain financial activity.

Warren’s comments come amid a recent high-profile case involving a U.S. service member accused of profiting from nonpublic military information.

Federal prosecutors charged Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke with using classified intelligence about a covert operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to place bets on a prediction market, allegedly earning more than $400,000.

Authorities allege Van Dyke was involved in planning the operation and used that knowledge to wager on its outcome before it became public, prompting charges including wire fraud and unlawful use of government information.

Critics have pointed to a perceived double standard, noting that while a U.S. service member faces potential prison time for insider trading, enforcement of similar rules governing members of Congress historically has been less aggressive.

Federal prosecutors charged Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke with using classified intelligence about a covert operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to place bets on a prediction market, allegedly earning more than $400,000.(Gannon Ken Van Dyke/AP)

“This man is facing decades in prison,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News’ Ingraham Angle Saturday. “Meanwhile, every single day on Capitol Hill, there are many members of Congress on both sides that are currently engaging in insider trading.”

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Trump weighed in Saturday, comparing the case to baseball legend Pete Rose.

“That’s a little like Pete Rose,” Trump said when asked about the case. “Pete Rose, they kept him out of the Hall of Fame for betting on his own team. Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team. I’ll look into it.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Warren and Hegseth for comment.

Senate rejects Democrats’ 6th Iran war powers resolution ahead of 60-day deadline

April 30, 2026 / 3:13 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Senate rejected Democrats’ sixth attempt to limit President Trump’s authority to wage war on Iran, with Republicans continuing to stand behind the administration as the conflict approaches a key 60-day deadline.

A procedural vote to advance a war powers resolution brought by California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff failed 47 to 50 on Thursday. The measure would have directed the president to remove American forces from hostilities with Iran.

Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine voted in favor of the measure. Collins had voted against prior Iran war powers resolutions. The only Democrat to vote against the measure was Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 says the president must remove armed forces from hostilities after 60 days if Congress has not authorized the war. The 60-day clock starts once the president sends formal notification to Congress. Mr. Trump notified lawmakers of the hostilities with Iran in a letter on March 2, meaning the 60-day window closes on Friday, May 1. The president can extend the deadline by 30 days to allow for the removal of troops.

Democrats in both the House and Senate have said they plan to keep forcing votes on the Iran war and have introduced a wave of resolutions in recent weeks in preparation. Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus have been rolling out one each day since last week.

The fighting between the U.S. and Iran has been mostly paused for weeks during an ongoing ceasefire, but Democrats have continued to bring votes on whether to limit the president’s authority to wage war. Most Republicans have declined to join their efforts, but some have indicated that they might change their tune at the end of 60 days. A handful of GOP senators have said they are working on drafting legislation that would explicitly authorize the use of force against Iran, which would bypass the war powers debate entirely.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee at a hearing on Thursday that the administration considers the 60-day window to be paused given the cessation of active fighting.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which in our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” he said.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine cast doubt on that assertion, saying, “I do not believe the statute would support that.”

“That’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration,” Kaine said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News that Congress doesn’t need to act because the U.S. is “not at war.”

“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” Johnson said. “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”

Hegseth spars with lawmakers about Iran, Pentagon policies
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/hegseth-spars-with-lawmakers-about-iran-pentagon-policies/

FEMA reinstates whistleblowers as Trump administration reverses Noem’s policies

2026-04-30T19:13:29.516Z / CNN

By Gabe Cohen

16 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 30, 2026, 3:13 PM ET

Federal agencies Donald Trump Hurricanes Storms

Then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference in the National Response Coordination Center at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, DC, on January 24.

Al Drago/Getty Images

FEMA has reinstated a group of whistleblowers who signed an open letter to Congress last August warning that the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal agency was setting the stage for a disaster-response breakdown on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, according to five FEMA officials with knowledge of the matter.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which it oversees, also brought back multiple senior officials who were polygraphed and placed on paid administrative leave more than a year ago, three of the officials told CNN.

The reversals are part of a broader reset unfolding just weeks into Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s tenure at DHS, partly in an effort to stabilize the agency ahead of hurricane season. He has been rolling back some of the most contentious changes made under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump last month.

Trump floated eliminating FEMA early in his term, and Noem embraced the idea — vowing to dismantle the agency and shift more responsibility for disaster response to the states.

Noem’s heavy-handed overhaul – which gutted the senior leadership, drove out more than 20% of the workforce, and sent morale into a sleep slide – left many inside FEMA warning the agency was increasingly unprepared for a major, multi-state disaster. Her rhetoric softened in the months before her ouster when it became clear many Republicans — including GOP lawmakers — did not support abolishing FEMA.

But in a striking pivot, Mullin, as Trump’s new pick to run the department, has begun unwinding staffing cuts and easing strict spending approval processes that slowed disaster operations. During a trip to North Carolina this month, Mullin praised FEMA and said he would get aid out more quickly and cut red tape that can bog down recovery.

In another remarkable twist, Trump is expected to nominate Cameron Hamilton to serve as FEMA administrator less than a year after he was abruptly fired from that role — which he held in an acting capacity — after breaking from the administration’s script and telling Congress he did not support eliminating the agency.

“As we approach the 2026 hurricane season and the FIFA World Cup, FEMA is taking targeted steps to stabilize our workforce and strengthen readiness,” a FEMA spokesperson told CNN in a statement. “Under new leadership, FEMA is addressing outstanding personnel actions to ensure workforce stability and a strong, deployable surge force for upcoming national events and potential disasters.”

Whistleblower staffers reinstated

More than 180 current and former FEMA staffers signed the open letter to Congress last August, warning of the growing turmoil inside the agency, though most did so anonymously. Fourteen current FEMA staffers put their names on the document, and Noem’s team promptly placed them on administrative leave and opened an investigation into their conduct.

In December, CNN learned FEMA had cleared the workers to return — but after CNN asked about it, DHS reversed course and put them back on leave.

“Once alerted, the unauthorized reinstatement was swiftly corrected by senior leadership,” a DHS spokesperson wrote at the time. “This Administration will not tolerate rogue conduct, unauthorized actions, or entrenched bureaucrats resisting change.”

Democratic lawmakers and whistleblower rights attorneys argued the employees were being illegally targeted. During Mullin’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, pressed Mullin to reinstate the workers, calling Noem’s actions “unlawful.”

“There are already laws in place to protect whistleblowers, and I’ve said multiple times, I’ll work within the law and the requirements of me as Secretary,” Mullin responded.

The 14 staffers were directed to return to work on Thursday**.

“The past eight months have not been easy, and being able to come back to this work means a great deal to me,” Virginia Case, a reinstated external affairs officer, told CNN. “Moving forward, I hope our agency will address the concerns we raised in the Katrina Declaration. My focus now is getting back to work and doing everything I can to support communities impacted by disaster.”

At least two senior officials who were swept up in Noem’s hunt for leakers are also back on the job. They were polygraphed last spring, then abruptly put on administrative leave without explanation, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. This week, after more than a year on the sidelines collecting a paycheck, they were told to report back to work.

“There’s your tax dollars at work,” a senior FEMA official told CNN in response to the reinstatements.

This week, FEMA also reinstated a staffer who was put on leave in September for a social media post criticizing Charlie Kirk after his murder.

Staffing cuts and spending rules

In addition, FEMA is reversing staffing cuts first reported by CNN in January, when DHS began terminating disaster workers as their contracts expired, the agency confirmed.

Roughly 200 workers were pushed out before a major winter storm prompted Noem’s team to pause the cuts and start extending workers for 90 days. Some of the cut staff will now have a chance to get their jobs back, three sources said. And going forward, most expiring contracts will be extended for one year — a stopgap move as FEMA braces for hurricane season with staffing already stretched thin.

After a yearlong hiring freeze, DHS is planning to greenlight FEMA to fill another 400 vacant disaster-worker jobs, two sources told CNN – a fraction of the thousands of staffers who left over that time.

“Don’t oversell it,” another senior official said. “It’s simply not possible to hire that many that quickly given the losses to our human capital staffing. And hurricane season is 30 days away.”

Thousands of temporary disaster responders who deploy during catastrophic storms were also offered extensions with their contracts set to expire in the coming weeks.

Mullin has already eliminated one of the most consequential Noem-era policies: a spending rule requiring her personal approval for any expenditure over $100,000. Noem said it was meant to root out waste, fraud and abuse. But it created a major bottleneck and a massive backlog — billions of dollars in contracts, grants and disaster-related spending that stalled inside FEMA.

The policy also triggered blowback from Republicans. North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, at one point, blocked DHS nominees, accusing Noem of withholding aid needed for communities hit by Hurricane Helene in 2024.

In his confirmation hearing, Mullin told lawmakers he planned to scrap the $100,000 rule, calling it “micromanagement.” On his first trip as DHS secretary, he went to North Carolina, where Sen. Budd joined him for a roundtable and praised the rollback — saying it was already helping get money flowing to the state faster.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House on March 26.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Concerns remain heading into a high-risk season

The rollbacks are unfolding as FEMA insiders remain deeply concerned about the agency’s response capabilities with a demanding stretch ahead: hurricane season, widespread drought conditions that could worsen wildfire risk, and preparations tied to the World Cup — planning that was slowed by delayed funding during Noem’s tenure, even as officials raised national security concerns.

FEMA still isn’t allowing travel for hurricane readiness training and exercises, according to two senior officials. While DHS leaders have cited the recent shutdown, that work is typically funded through the unaffected Disaster Relief Fund.

Senior officials warn FEMA is not the same agency it was at the start of Trump’s second term. The leadership exodus and staffing losses could take years to rebuild. Noem-era policies also disrupted training and strained communication with state and local partners.

“It’s all new people in new positions that haven’t been properly exercised, so everyone is going to be just figuring things out mid-disaster when efficiency and effectiveness are critical,” another high-ranking official said. “We are completely screwed if there is a bad disaster.”

Trump names Nicole Saphier as Surgeon General pick, withdraws Means

April 30, 2026 4:41 PM UTC / Reuters

节点运行失败

Casey Means, nominated to serve as the next U.S. Surgeon General, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 25, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Withdrawing Means deals a setback to Health Secretary Kennedy
• Trump attacks Cassidy for blocking Means’ nomination
• Saphier known for breast cancer advocacy, Fox ​News contributions

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump named radiologist and Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier as his pick ‌for U.S. Surgeon General on Thursday, his third nominee for the post, after withdrawing the nomination of Casey Means.

The move sets up a standoff between Trump and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, whom he accused of blocking Means’ nomination and called “a very disloyal person.”

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Means was a key ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. but lacked the ​votes to advance from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which Cassidy chairs.

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She is not a practicing doctor and is ​an integral part of the Make America Healthy Again movement that has undermined vaccines. Her brother Calley Means works ⁠for the White House.

Cassidy’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s accusation or Saphier’s nomination.

Means was not immediately reachable.

FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR ​TAPPED FOR ROLE

As the nation’s doctor, the surgeon general provides Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce ​risk of illness and injury.

Saphier, who works at Memorial Sloan Kettering, is the author of books including “Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion Dollar Crisis.”

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“Nicole is a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment while tirelessly advocating to increase early cancer detection and ​prevention,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He said in an earlier post that Means would continue to fight for the Kennedy-led Make America ​Healthy Again movement despite Cassidy’s opposition to her nomination.

“Despite Senator Cassidy’s intransigence and political games, Casey will continue to fight for MAHA on the many important Health issues ‌facing our ⁠Country,” Trump said.

Kennedy praised Means as one of his movement’s “most powerful evangelist” in a post on X and accused Cassidy of “doing the dirty work for entrenched interests” by stalling her nomination. He said Means would remain a close partner.

THIRD ATTEMPT TO FILL POST

Means was Trump’s second nominee for the role after he withdrew his prior pick, Janette Nesheiwat, in May. Both nominations faced opposition from far-right activists, including Laura Loomer, who is known to have Trump’s ear.

Means ​faced pointed questioning from Democrats and some ​Republicans, including Cassidy, at a contentious ⁠February confirmation hearing over her views on vaccines, birth control and other areas of public health policy, as well as potential financial conflicts of interest.

She said vaccines are “a key part of any infectious disease public health strategy” but ​declined to directly reject a long-discredited claim linking vaccines to autism promoted by Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist.

​Lisa Gilbert, co-president of ⁠watchdog Public Citizen, called the withdrawal of Means’ nomination a “clear-cut victory for public health.”

“Casey Means is unqualified and unfit to be Surgeon General and the withdrawal of her nomination is a win for the American public,” she said in an emailed statement.

Saphier, unlike Means, holds an active medical license. She is director of ⁠breast imaging ​at Memorial Sloan Kettering, with a doctor of medicine degree from Ross University School of ​Medicine in Barbados and fellowships at the Mayo Clinic.

She shares some commonalities with the Kennedy-led movement; her book discusses preventing chronic diseases through lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.

Reporting by ​Ahmed Aboulenein; Additional reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Susan Heavey and Ryan Patrick Jones in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber, Caroline Humer and Andrea Ricci

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Senate passes another short-term FISA extension, hours before deadline

April 30, 2026 / 3:23 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— The Senate on Thursday passed an extension of a key surveillance authority that allows U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on foreigners without a warrant, the latest in a back-and-forth with the House over the expiring program.

The program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, is set to expire at 12 a.m. Friday without an extension by both chambers. The Trump administration and members of both parties in Congress argue that Section 702 is a key national security tool, and that its lapse would leave intelligence agencies in the dark about threats around the world.

Senators unanimously approved a bill that would extend the program for 45 days. The extension now goes to the House.

Section 702 was initially set to expire on April 20, but both chambers agreed to push the deadline back 10 days shortly before the authority lapsed.

The House passed a three-year extension on Wednesday, but the bill included a provision that would ban a central bank digital currency. House leaders added that language to placate conservative holdouts, many of whom oppose extending Section 702 without reforms to the program. Proponents of reforms have demanded a requirement that law enforcement obtain a warrant to search U.S. citizens’ communications that get swept up in foreign intelligence collection.

But the ban on a central bank digital currency is a nonstarter in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune has called it a “poison pill.” Instead, the upper chamber moved forward with the 45-day extension to buy time to reach a broader agreement.

The Senate’s move means the House must also approve the short-term extension before midnight to prevent Section 702 from lapsing. Both chambers are on recess next week, adding to the pressure to get a deal done.

House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated earlier in the day that the lower chamber would wait to see what the Senate produces.

“We have done our job. The Senate needs to do theirs,” Johnson said, while acknowledging attendance could become difficult as lawmakers leave town. “This is our last legislative day,” he added, warning that he “will have a jailbreak” if the issue isn’t resolved before the end of the day.

Patrick Maguire and Alan He contributed to this report.

Biden admin used abortion group dossiers, including photos of minors, to target Christians, DOJ report reveals

Report alleges abortion groups sent DOJ personal addresses, drivers’ license numbers, and photos of activists’ children

2026-04-30T14:13:29-04:00 / Fox News

By Elaine Mallon, Fox News

Published April 30, 2026 2:13pm EDT | Updated April 30, 2026 2:32pm EDT

Kash Patel: A FACE Act violation is a federal charge

FBI Director Kash Patel details ongoing investigations into Minneapolis and new arrests on ‘Hannity.’

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The Trump administration is accusing President Joe Biden’s Justice Department of colluding with pro-abortion organizations to create personal “dossiers” on Christian pro-life advocates that included personal information and photographs of their children as part of a wider campaign by Biden officials to prosecute them under the FACE Act.

The Justice Department published “The 2026 Report by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,” which details in more than 200 pages incidents that occurred under and policies from the Biden administration alleging that Biden Justice Department officials “zealously pursued” prosecuting Christians.

“The Biden Administration’s policies regularly clashed with a Christian worldview and burdened traditional religious practices,” the report stated. “These conflicts frequently arose over abortion, gender ideology, and sexual orientation. Ultimately, the Biden Administration penalized Christians who lived in accordance with their beliefs.”

The report, compiled based on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, alleged that former Attorney General Merrick Garland “weaponized” the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) against pro-life protesters and activists through the revival of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers.

FAITH RETURNS TO THE PUBLIC SQUARE DURING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, CHRISTIAN LEADER SAYS

Anti-abortion rights demonstrators march to the Supreme Court for the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025.(Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP)

The FACE Act makes it illegal to obstruct or block entrances to reproductive health care centers, including both pregnancy resource centers and abortion clinics, but the report alleged that Biden Justice officials worked closely with abortion clinics and advocacy groups to prosecute pro-life protesters.

The report alleged that Garland’s Task Force would ask abortion groups about the travels and advocacy work of pro-life individuals, which prompted a warning from the FBI. The bureau told the Justice Department that pro-choice groups were tracking pro-life activists engaged in “1st Amendment protected activity.”

Despite the warning, the Task Force “monitored” pro-life activists who were flagged by abortion groups, which alleged the activists were in violation of the FACE Act for participating in protests outside clinics.

CLINTON-ERA LAW ‘WEAPONIZED’ BY BIDEN AGAINST PRO-LIFERS MUST GO, PENCE GROUP URGES HOUSE GOP

Planned Parenthood is shown on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach on Thursday, April 24, 2025.(Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service)

Garland’s Task Force would monitor suspected FACE Act violators for years, and abortion groups allegedly sent the Justice Department “security reports” or “dossiers” detailing the activities of pro-life activists, including their addresses and their driver’s license numbers, as well as photos of their families and minor children.

In 2021, a pro-choice group sent the Task Force and the FBI a 137-page memorandum detailing a pro-life conference, including the schedule, lodging, and several dossiers on numerous “anti-choice individuals.” Many of the individuals included in the dossiers were later prosecuted by the Justice Department.

The report said abortion groups repeatedly complained to the task force about a particular female pro-life activist.

TRUMP’S ‘TWO SEXES’ EXECUTIVE ORDER COMES ON HEELS OF SCOTUS ACCEPTING ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO LGBT AGENDA

Anti-abortion demonstrators hold a banner in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building during the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025.(Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

“The Biden DOJ investigated this woman’s conduct around the country until one of the United States Attorney’s Offices brought charges,” the report stated. “After her conviction and lengthy sentence, the NGOs stopped complaining about her.”

The report alleged that the Task Force director would text with the National Abortion Federation’s security team and was in regular communication with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Feminist Majority Foundation. NAF’s security team was dubbed the “MVP” by the Task Force for its ability to flag protests for the Justice Department “often in real-time, which usually result[ed] in an investigation/prosecution.”

The report suggests that in many instances the Task Force was alerted before local law enforcement could respond.

DOJ TASK FORCE FINDS ‘NUMEROUS INSTANCES’ OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN GOVERNMENT BIAS UNDER BIDEN

President Joe Biden speaks in the White House Rose Garden as Attorney General Merrick Garland looks on during an event highlighting state and local leaders investing American Rescue Plan funds to improve community safety on May 13, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

In January 2025, Trump issued full and unconditional pardons to 23 pro-life activists and protesters who were prosecuted under the FACE Act.

The report comes just weeks after the Justice Department published an 800-page report revealing 700,000 internal records from the Biden administration that showed how the SAVE Act was unfairly used against conservative activists.

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“This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”

A source close to Biden declined to comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the National Abortion Federation for comment.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.