Automatic military draft registration takes effect in December. Here’s how it would work

2026-04-09T19:25:46.847Z / CNN

By Kaanita Iyer

34 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 3:25 PM ET

Congressional news

US Army soldiers raise their right hands as President Donald Trump conducts during a re-enlistment ceremony in Washington, DC, in June 2025.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/File

Young, eligible men will be automatically registered for the military draft pool starting in December as part of a measure tucked into the annual defense policy bill Congress signed into law late last year.

Men ages 18 to 26 must already register for selective service in case a draft is required. The last time a draft was in effect was February 1973, during the Vietnam War.

Automatic registration is already in place in 46 states and territories, according to the Selective Service System’s 2024 report. The SSS proposed a rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs late last month to implement the practice nationwide.

The nationwide measure has no connection to the ongoing war with Iran and was passed with bipartisan support months before the current conflict with the country. But the Trump administration has declined to rule out the possibility of putting US troops on the ground, and the war has led to renewed attention on the draft policy.

CNN has reached out to the Selective Service for more information about the proposed rule.

Here’s what you need to know about automatic Selective Service registration.

Who will be registered and how will it work?

According to the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in December, the automatic registration will apply to male US citizens and “every other male person” in the country between the ages of 18 and 26.

The mandatory registration applies to green-card holders, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented men. Those on a nonimmigrant visas are exempt.

Currently, in states that haven’t enacted automatic registration, men must register “within 30 days of (their) 18th birthday,” according to the SSS website. The agency “accepts late registrations up until” a man’s 26th birthday.

It is a felony to not register for selective service and can result in the loss of certain benefits, like some student loans and federal jobs. It’s also a violation of the Military Selective Service Act, which could lead to imprisonment up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000.

Some places, like Arizona and Delaware, and Washington, DC, automatically register eligible men when they apply for driver’s license or another form of state identification. Meanwhile, in New York, the application for driver’s license includes a section that allows eligible men to register for selective service.

According to the SSS’ 2023 report, over 60% of registration came from state motor vehicle departments.

Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who sponsored the automatic selective service language, told CNN in a statement, “Making registration automatic, not only saves taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need to advertise but finally ensures that young men are not unknowingly penalized.”

In the statement, Houlahan stressed that the measure has bipartisan support.

The NDAA passed with bipartisan votes in the House and Senate.

What happens in a draft?

Congress would have to approve of a draft before one ever took place. And not all registered men would be enlisted to serve. There would be a lottery, in which birthdays and numbers are randomly chosen.

People whose 20th birthdays fall in the year of the draft would be the first to get induction orders, followed, in order, by the following age groups: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 19 and those who are more than six months past their 18th birthday.

People who are selected would be allowed to make a request for exemption or deferment. All men remaining would then go through “physical, mental, and moral evaluation” and those who demonstrate that they are fit to serve will be selected for service, according to SSS.

Arrests made in California fraud crackdown targeting LA hospice ring allegedly behind $267 million in bogus charges

2026-04-09 1:00 PM EDT / CBS News

By Laura Geller, Laura Geller National Investigative Producer, Laura Geller, Rachel Gold, Rachel Gold Investigative Data Reporter, Rachel Gold, Adam Yamaguchi, Adam Yamaguchi Correspondent, Adam Yamaguchi

The California Department of Justice and several state agencies arrested five people Wednesday in a crackdown on an alleged hospice fraud ring, and officials said more arrests will come. Several suspects received “notices to appear” in court and will face arrest warrants if they don’t show. In total, the state filed charges against 21 suspects.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta said the scheme defrauded California of $267 million through bogus charges to Medi-Cal, the state-administered Medicaid program. Americans pay into Medicare through taxes and premiums, so defrauding it would be essentially stealing from all American taxpayers.

“What will address fraud is us doing the hard work — heads down, sleeves rolled up, doing the investigation, doing the arrests, doing the prosecutions, holding folks accountable,” Bonta told CBS News.

Bonta said the defendants collected money without providing a single legitimate hospice service. The law enforcement effort, called Operation Skip Trace, targeted ten locations in Southern California.

According to the California Department of Justice, individuals purchased identifying information for non-California residents from the dark web and used them to enroll in Medi-Cal. Then, straw owners bought 14 hospice companies and billers began billing the government for hospice care for the stolen identities.

“There were no actual services, no hospice centers or any real paperwork, it was all made up as part of this fraudulent criminal activity,” Bonta told CBS News.

The charges include conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Defendants also face an aggravated white collar crime enhancement and an aggravated money laundering enhancement.

All of the hospice companies named in the complaints were state-licensed and approved by the California Health and Human Services Agency to bill Medi-Cal.The initial allegation of fraud came from the California Department of Health Care Services.

Tyler Sadwith, DHCS’ chief deputy director of health care programs and California state Medicaid director, told CBS News the state is currently investigating over 300 hospices for possible license revocation.

“Taxpayers have an absolute right to expect that the administrators of this program are really prioritizing program integrity,” he said. “That continues to be part of our core mission. That continues to be the top priority.”

For months, CBS News has examined the business and financial records of every hospice currently operating in LA County, and applied the same indicators of potential fraud identified in a state audit. The CBS News analysis revealed that over 700 of the roughly 1,800 hospices in LA County, trigger multiple red flags for fraud as defined by the state.

On April 2, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that authorities arrested and federally charged eight people in connection with a health care and hospice fraud investigation. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the defendants, including three nurses, a chiropractor and a psychologist, were charged with defrauding the health care system out of more than $50 million.

Fraud in public services has become a thorny political issue as the Republican-led federal government focuses most attention on cases in Democratic states.

“We are upholding as a priority, making sure that taxpayer dollars are going to healthcare services for the Medi-Cal members who rely on them,” Sadwith said. “That requires partnership with the federal government. Right now, it is a challenging time between some states like California and our federal partners.”

Bonta said fraud is a problem that crosses partisan lines.

“It happens across all 50 states, red and blue, happens at the federal level, happens at the state level. California is not immune, and we are the biggest state, and we have some of the biggest levels of funding,” he said.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said California Gov. Gavin Newsom is not a target, but “forty-nine states do not have the kinds of problems that Los Angeles County has.” CBS News has requested interviews with Newsom on multiple occasions.

In a statement, Newsom said: “For years, California has led the charge to protect public programs from fraud and abuse. We hold accountable to the fullest extent of the law anyone who tries to rip off taxpayers and take advantage of public programs, particularly those as sensitive as hospice care. I thank the Department of Health Care Services and the California DOJ’s Department of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse for their swift work to bring these charges forward.”

Sadwith said the state continues to seek partnership with federal agencies “prioritizing this, allocating our resources, strengthening our systems, putting new safeguards in place to learn from what happened here and protect the program. So this never happens again.”

Senate GOP vows to ‘go it alone’ on ICE funding as Dems double down on shutdown

April 9, 2026 2:58pm EDT / Fox News

Trump has set a June 1 deadline as John Barrasso and Lindsey Graham prepare the reconciliation framework

By Alex Miller, Fox News

Senate Republicans are meeting with President Donald Trump Friday to crystallize a plan to fund immigration operations that would cut out Democrats altogether.

Congressional Republicans are turning to the party-line budget reconciliation process to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for years to come in a move that can’t be blocked by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Republicans have a short timetable to get the job done given that Trump has set a deadline for the bill to be on his desk by June 1.

‘WE DIDN’T CAVE’: THUNE HIGHLIGHTS SCHUMER, DEMS’ LOSSES IN DHS FUNDING DEAL

Senate Republicans are meeting with President Donald Trump Friday to crystallize a plan to fund immigration operations that would cut out Democrats altogether.(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said he and Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are meeting with Trump on Friday to prepare the framework of the package.

“We’re going to have to go it alone because Democrats aren’t interested in funding national security at a time of increased concerns around the world,” Barrasso said.

Republicans will first have to produce a budget resolution to provide guardrails for the forthcoming package. Barrasso said Senate Republicans plan to do it in a “targeted way, focused and get it done fast.”

A key hurdle in the process, however, is getting both House and Senate Republicans aligned on a plan. Senate Republicans want to keep a reconciliation package as narrow as possible, while some in the House are eyeing funding the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in one massive bill.

GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘S— SANDWICH’ DEAL AS ALL EYES TURN TO HOUSE TO END DHS SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said he and Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are meeting with Trump to prepare the framework of the package.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Graham said recently that he envisions two reconciliation bills in 2026, one targeting ICE and CBP and another serving as a vehicle for several GOP priorities, including portions of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and provisions to tackle fraud.

“Reconciliation has limits, but we’re going to make a down payment on the SAVE Act in reconciliation in the fall,” Graham said Monday on a South Carolina radio show, “Straight Talk with Bill Frady.”

But a key House GOP voice won’t be there.

A source told Fox News Digital House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, Graham’s counterpart in the process, will not attend the White House meeting Friday.

Barrasso said there would likely be discussions on a “number of topics” for reconciliation, but the end goal for Senate Republicans remains funding ICE and CBP.

GOP RACES TO PASS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING BILL AS PRIORITIES PILE UP, DIVISIONS EMERGE

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., argued that, as with the creation of the 2025 “big, beautiful bill,” Republicans will likely look for areas to cut spending to fund ICE and CBP.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

“What I’m telling you today is we’re moving ahead in spite of incredible obstruction by the Democrats,” Barrasso said. “We’re focusing immigration and funding, immigration custom enforcement and border patrol, with Republican votes alone using reconciliation.”

Senate Democrats aren’t backing down from their shutdown position. Their demand for reforms to immigration operations, like requiring judicial warrants to search people’s homes and unmasking DHS agents in exchange for funding ICE and CBP has led the ongoing shutdown to stretch beyond 50 days.

Despite being cut out of the funding process altogether under Republicans’ reconciliation plan, Democrats still view their position as a winning strategy.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., argued that, as with the creation of the 2025 “big, beautiful bill,” Republicans will likely look for areas to cut spending to fund ICE and CBP, a move that could come back to bite them in the midterm elections.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Kim told Fox News Digital Republicans bypassing Democrats to fund immigration operations does not make their shutdown posture “moot.”

“We’re trying to make sure we’re standing up for the voice of the American people. If Republicans want to go around the American people, then they will answer to voters in November,” Kim said.

“And the Democrats, we will find our way back into gavels and power, and we will do what we can at that point to do what the American people wanted from the start, which is to focus on their concerns and not have this, you know, army of masked ICE agents without identification, without judicial warrants, terrorizing our neighborhoods.”

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

By David Shepardson

April 9, 2026 4:24 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

节点运行失败

An American Airlines Airbus A321 plane takes off from Los Angeles International airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, U.S. March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) – American Airlines said on Thursday it aims to resume flights ​to Venezuela as soon as April 30 after winning ‌approval from the U.S. Transportation Department last month.

The airline said it plans to resume services to Venezuela for the first time in more than ​six years, offering a daily service between Miami and Caracas ​on an Embraer 175 through Envoy, its wholly owned ⁠regional subsidiary, pending additional government approvals.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ​lifted a 2019 order in January that had barred U.S. ​airlines from flying to Venezuela, after President Donald Trump directed him to make the move, and approved American’s request for flights in March.

The Transportation Security ​Administration was in Caracas about a month ago to review ​airport security procedures, sources told Reuters, a necessary step to resume flights.

American announced ‌plans ⁠to resume service ‍just weeks after the U.S. military seized the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump in January asked the Transportation Department to lift restrictions that currently bar U.S. flights after a discussion with ​the country’s acting ​President Delcy ⁠Rodríguez.

American, which started operating in Venezuela in 1987, was the largest U.S. airline in the country ​before it suspended the service in 2019 after ​the U.S. ⁠ban. It said the planned daily flights will provide the opportunity for business, leisure and humanitarian travel.

The State Department lifted Venezuela from ⁠its “Do ​Not Travel” list for Americans in ​March, issuing a less serious “Reconsider Travel” advisory due to risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, ​and poor health infrastructure.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Independence Arch, or so-called “Arc de Trump,” plans include taxpayer funds

2026-04-09 1:28 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— American taxpayers will help fund the construction of President Trump’s planned triumphal arch in Arlington, Virginia, according to the spending plan for the National Endowment for the Humanities released by the administration this week.

According to the endowment’s spending plan approved by the Office of Management and Budget in September, $2 million in special initiative funds and $13 million in matching funds “are reserved for the arch.” NEH, an independent federal agency, often funds projects through a combination of federal dollars and matching private contributions. NOTUS first reported that taxpayer funds are expected to be used for the arch.

It’s not yet clear what private funds may go toward Independence Arch, though the president previously indicated that leftover private funds from his White House ballroom addition could be used. The White House has not yet disclosed an estimated cost for the arch. The president has said the massive ballroom he’s building at the White House at a cost of $300 million to $400 million will be funded entirely by private donors, in contrast to the arch.

OMB and NEH did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The president says the arch will commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, and he’s previously displayed a model in the Oval Office. The renderings and model show an arc resembling France’s Arc de Triomphe sitting across from the Lincoln Memorial on the Virginia side of the Potomac River by Washington, D.C. The president said he wants the arch to be the “biggest one of all” in the world, even though the proposed site is situated along a flight path for nearby Reagan National Airport.

“It’s the only city in the world that’s of great importance that doesn’t have a triumphal arc,” the president said in December. “… And this one is going to blow them all away. The one that people know mostly is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. And we’re going to top it by I think a lot.”

When CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe asked the president in October whom the arch is for, he responded, “Me. Going to be beautiful.” After the president said the arch was for him, some nicknamed it the “Arc de Trump.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-says-proposed-arch-to-commemorate-u-s-250th-anniversary-is-for-him/

Melania Trump blasts ‘lies’ linking her to Epstein and calls on Congress to hold hearing for victims

2026-04-09T18:43:59.489Z / CNN

By Betsy Klein, MJ Lee

Updated 6 min ago
Updated Apr 9, 2026, 3:57 PM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 2:43 PM ET

Epstein files Congressional news Trump family Donald Trump

Melania Trump says ‘lies’ linking her to Epstein ‘need to end’

First lady Melania Trump blasted “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein” in extraordinary and rare remarks from the White House Thursday, attempting to distance herself from the convicted sex offender while calling on Congress to hold public hearings allowing his victims to testify on Capitol Hill.

That call for action directly undercut ongoing messaging from her husband and the West Wing, renewing attention on a topic that was fading from public discourse amid the war with Iran. President Donald Trump and his top lieutenants have sought to downplay Epstein and his victims, repeatedly and publicly stating that the country is ready to move on.

Donald Trump was aware his wife planned to make Thursday’s statement, a person familiar with the matter said.

“I’ve never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach,” the first lady said in remarks to reporters. “To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.”

She called on Congress to provide a forum for Epstein’s victims to testify on Capitol Hill.

“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors, give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony,” Trump said.

“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record.”

Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in February 2000.

Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images

Former Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who was fired in part over her handling of the Epstein files, was asked to apologize to Epstein survivors during a February congressional hearing and declined to do so.

Melania Trump also sought to downplay her relationship with Maxwell, Epstein’s associate who was convicted of sex trafficking. CNN had inquired with her office in February about a friendly 2002 email exchange between the two women — which was released as part of a tranche of documents pertaining to the Epstein investigation — but did not receive a response. Trump signed that email, “Love, Melania” and Maxwell responded, calling her “sweet pea.”

On Thursday, Trump characterized the email as “casual” and a “polite reply.”

Several Epstein survivors were surprised to see — if not totally unaware of — Trump’s remarks Thursday. Sources on Capitol Hill echoed that confusion, saying they were unsure what had prompted the first lady’s unusual remarks.

The House Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia, said in a statement shortly after: “We agree with First Lady Melania Trump’s call for a public hearing with the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. We encourage Chairman Comer to respond to the First Lady’s request and schedule a public hearing immediately.” CNN has reached out to GOP Rep. James Comer’s office for comment.

One advocate for the victims said that while Trump’s acknowledgement of the harm Epstein wrought was a positive step, they needed legal mechanisms to pursue the truth that wouldn’t harm survivors.

The first lady has never spoken publicly on the issue prior to Thursday’s remarks, ignoring a shouted question about Maxwell during an unrelated event in February. She has, however, filed lawsuits over past efforts to tie her to Epstein, countering what she characterized Thursday as “smears” that were “mean-spirited and politically-motivated.”

Trump has successfully received retractions and apologies from HarperCollins Publishers, Democratic strategist James Carville and The Daily Beast.

She also emphasized Thursday that she was unaware of Epstein’s crimes despite their social connection.

“I have never had any knowledge of (Epstein’s) abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant. I was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island,” she said, describing his actions as “repulsive.”

The first lady has kept a relatively low profile in her second term, largely splitting her time between Palm Beach and New York, promoting her eponymous documentary, focusing her efforts on responsible AI use for children, reunifying children allegedly abducted by Russia with their families in Ukraine, and legislation protecting Americans from deepfake and revenge pornography. Her office advised a “statement” from the first lady on Wednesday, but declined to provide any details, with a senior adviser telling the New York Post that the news would “spread internationally.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

Kevin Liptak and Donald Judd contributed to this report.

Melania Trump denies relationship with Epstein, urges Congress to hold hearing with his victims

April 9, 2026 3:21 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— First lady Melania Trump on Thursday delivered remarks denying any friendship or relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and she called on Congress to hold a public hearing with Epstein’s victims.

In a six-minute livestreamed statement from the White House, the first lady for the first time following the Justice Department’s release of troves of Epstein records publicly addressed the Epstein matter and directly. The first lady said “now is the time for Congress to act.”

“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,” the first lady told a group of gathered reporters at the White House. “Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record. Then and only then, we will have the truth. Thank you.”

It’s unclear why the first lady delivered her statement on Thursday, instead of immediately following the release of specific records. Old photos of the Trumps with Epstein and Maxwell have been publicly available, and the Justice Department emails revealed the first lady and Maxwell corresponded at least once over email.

Melania Trump said Epstein did not introduce her to Donald Trump, and the brief email exchange released in the DOJ records between her and Maxwell was merely a “polite,” “casual” reply.

“I am not Epstein’s victim,” the first lady said. “Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in detail in my book Melania. The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000 at an event Donald and I attended together. At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.”

“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims,” she added. “I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant. Was never on Epstein’s plane. And never visited his private island.”

Asylum to be stripped from fraudsters who vacation in countries they ‘fled’ if GOP lawmaker’s bill passes

April 9, 2026 12:11pm EDT / Fox News

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar was arrested by ICE after reportedly returning to Iran at least four times since gaining asylum

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican moved Thursday to block asylum claims from foreigners who return to their home countries, introducing legislation after family members of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani were found to be living in Los Angeles.

Soleimani’s niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and her daughter were arrested by ICE last weekend, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted Afshar’s “outspoken support [for] the Iranian regime” and DHS reporting that her 2019 asylum claim was fraudulent, due in part to several trips back to the country she purported to flee.

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who is also running for the GOP nomination for governor of the Badger State, echoed DHS’ characterization of Afshar’s asylum claim as fraudulent in introducing the SAFER Act, or the “Stopping Asylum Fraudsters Enforcement and Removal Act.”

Tiffany said the bill ensures the federal asylum system is reserved only for foreigners with legitimate claims of persecution.

GOP WHIP: ‘AMERICA-HATING TERRORISTS’ SHOULD LOSE CITIZENSHIP UNDER SCAM ACT

IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani participates in a meeting with leaders in Tehran.a(Press office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei/Getty Images)

The secretary of Homeland Security and the attorney general would be prohibited from granting asylum to anyone who returns to their home country, while also being empowered to terminate asylum status and denaturalize asylees who voluntarily return while living in the U.S.

“If someone claims they are fleeing danger and seeking asylum in the U.S., they should not be turning around and vacationing in the very country they said they had to escape,” Tiffany told Fox News Digital.

“Those who are truly fleeing danger don’t book round-trip tickets back to it.”

Afshar was granted asylum in 2019 during the first Trump administration and was later given a green card by the Biden administration, despite returning to Iran at least four times in the interim.

Under the bill, an asylee could legally return to their home country without risk of federal consequences only if the State Department certifies that a legitimate transfer of power has occurred and the original threat prompting that person’s asylum claim has been resolved.

FAMILIES OF IRAN’S ELITE LIVE LAVISHLY ABROAD WHILE ORDINARY CITIZENS SUFFER AT HOME

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., cheers as Donald Trump is announced as the winner of Wisconsin’s electoral college votes during a joint session of Congress in the House chamber on Monday, January 6, 2025(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)

In the case that a migrant or asylee has no nationality, their claim will be analyzed based on their most recent “habitual residence.”

“The SAFER Act stops asylum fraudsters from exploiting the system and ensures they are removed from the United States,”Tiffany said.

Earlier this month, the State Department terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of a former senior Iranian official, and her husband.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Both are no longer in the U.S. and are barred from reentry.

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6359254362112

Acting AG Todd Blanche sends series of memos to staff marking his first official day

2026-04-09 1:48 PM ET / CNN

By Paula Reid
Updated Apr 9, 2026, 1:51 PM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 1:48 PM ET

US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a news conference about the Trump administration’s anti-fraud efforts at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 7.

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a series of memos to Justice Department staffers Thursday marking his first official day running the agency.

In a memo to the staff obtained by CNN, he wrote, “Our mission here at the Department remains the same today as it was yesterday. President Trump has promised a safe American and will continue to deliver on that promise.”

He also thanked former Attorney General Pam Bondi “for her friendship, service, and selfless dedication to our department and country.”

In a separate memo to his staff in the deputy attorney general’s office he revealed he will officially move into the attorney general’s fifth floor office on Monday.

Blanche also on Thursday announced several staffing changes in his office — tapping two loyal staffers to key roles. The acting attorney general posted on X that Trent McCotter will now serve as principal associate deputy attorney general and that Colin McDonald, who currently serves as assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s new fraud division, will also continue to help in the deputy attorney general’s office while continuing his work in his other role.

Bondi was informed by President Donald Trump last Wednesday, during the short drive from the White House to the Supreme Court, that she was being removed as attorney general, CNN reported.

“Nobody has any idea why the attorney general is no longer the attorney general and I’m the acting attorney general except for President Trump,” Blanche said at his first public press conference Tuesday.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

What’s in the Iran war ceasefire? The two sides can’t seem to even agree on that.

2026-04-09T18:00:21.834Z / CNN

Analysis by

Aaron Blake

PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 2:00 PM ET

The Middle East Donald Trump Asia

Demonstrators outside the White House protest against military action in Iran after President Donald Trump said that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

Nathan Howard/Reuters

This weekend’s talks to end the war with Iran are some of the most high-stakes negotiations not just of Donald Trump’s presidencies, but of recent American history.

One big problem, though: The US can’t even seem to agree with Iran on what they agreed to for the ceasefire.

The two-week truce seemed to come together rapidly on Tuesday, just hours before Trump’s 8 p.m. ET deadline for Iran to make a deal or else face the death of its “whole civilization.”

And if the ceasefire seemed a bit hasty on Tuesday, it looks a lot more so today.

The first two days of the truce not only haven’t gone smoothly — the Strait of Hormuz has remained a logjam, and attacks are still raining in the region — but they’ve also been marked by major disagreements about the terms of the agreement.

All of which would seem to augur quite poorly for negotiations over a more permanent peace.

Let’s recap.

Lebanon

People inspect the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut on Thursday.

Marwan Naamani/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Perhaps the biggest problem looming over the ceasefire isn’t what’s happening in Iran. It’s the fact that Israel unleashed extensive attacks against Iran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon on Wednesday.

Iran says this violates the ceasefire; the United States and Israel say Lebanon wasn’t part of the deal.

When Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif first announced the ceasefire on Tuesday, he specified that Lebanon was a part of it.

He wrote on X that all parties had “agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere [including Lebanon and elsewhere], EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.”

But Israel resumed its offensive in Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire was announced and disputed that Lebanon was part of the deal.

Wednesday morning, Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire. “Because of Hezbollah, they were not included in the deal,” he said, calling what was happening in Lebanon a “separate skirmish.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that “Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire” from the briefing room podium that afternoon.

But Tehran is still insisting that what Pakistan’s prime minister said was right, with multiple high-ranking Iranian officials saying Israel is violating the ceasefire.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday called the Lebanon strikes “a flagrant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement and a dangerous indicator of deceit and lack of commitment to potential accords.”

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday tried to chalk up the dispute to “a legitimate misunderstanding.”

But importantly, Iran is getting some backup from Pakistan — the intermediary the United States chose to work through. Pakistan is standing by the claim that Lebanon was part of the deal. And it continued to do so Thursday morning.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cast what’s happening in Lebanon as “serious violations of the ceasefire.”

And the plot has thickened even more. CNN confirmed Thursday morning that top Trump administration officials had been in contact with Pakistan throughout the day Tuesday about what the US wanted to see from a ceasefire and had largely signed off on specific elements of Sharif’s post.

Some had speculated that one of Sharif’s posts was drafted by the United States, given it was initially posted with the header “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X.” The White House denies it was involved in writing the post and said the president didn’t see it until it was released.

There are two main possible explanations. One is that Lebanon was originally supposed to be part of the deal, but Israel didn’t want that. The other is that Vance is right that this is a mix-up.

One interesting development: CNN reported Thursday that Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday, during which the US president asked the Israeli prime minister to scale back attacks in Lebanon and enter into negotiations with Lebanon about disarming Hezbollah.

The Strait of Hormuz

Vessels and boats are off the coast of Musandam governorate in Oman, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, on Wednesday.

Reuters

One of the most striking aspects of the ceasefire was that it seemed to give Iran something it never had before the war: control of the Strait of Hormuz (at least temporarily).

As CNN’s Fareed Zakaria noted, that would be a very big deal. Iran has shown just how much leverage it has by holding the world economy hostage in the critical waterway.

Iran said in a statement Tuesday night that passage through the strait “will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”

And Trump seemed to agree to that. He posted Iran’s statement to Truth Social Tuesday night. And while he said in his initial announcement of the ceasefire that it was conditional on the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the strait, he notably didn’t demand that Iran relinquish control.

Indeed, in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday morning, he spoke about “a joint venture” in which the US and Iran would charge tolls for ships to pass.

But by Wednesday afternoon, after it became clear that the strait was anything but free-flowing, Leavitt seemed to suggest the deal was that it be completely open. She said the US would negotiate “so long as the Strait of Hormuz remains open with no limitations or delays,” while also disputing that the strait wasn’t open.

The 10-point plan

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House on Monday.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump in his statement Tuesday night cited “a 10-point proposal from Iran,” which he called “a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

But then Iran began sharing a 10-point list that looked a whole lot like a grab bag of Iranian demands — the kinds of things the United States could never agree to.

By Wednesday afternoon, Leavitt said Trump had been referring to a different 10-point proposal from Iran that was more serious.

“They put forward a more reasonable and entirely different and condensed plan to the president and his team,” Leavitt said. “President Trump and the team determined the new modified plan was a workable basis on which to negotiate and to align it with our own 15-point proposal.”

But Leavitt and the White House have not offered details about what is supposedly in this updated proposal.

And meanwhile, Iran keeps making clear it believes the 10 points it shared publicly are what Trump was referring to. On Wednesday afternoon, it pointed to supposed violations of the 10-point proposal, including via Israel’s strikes in Lebanon and the Trump administration saying Iran will have no right to enrich uranium.

“Now, the very ‘workable basis on which to negotiate’ has been openly and clearly violated,” read a message posted by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday, “even before the negotiations began.”

Indeed, it’s looking more like the supposed “workable basis” for a big deal to end the war wasn’t very workable at all.