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Fate of DHS funding uncertain as US Congress Republicans decide next steps

2026-04-02T17:24:00.407Z / Reuters

By Richard Cowan and David Morgan

April 2, 2026 5:24 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal is displayed ahead of an expected press conference held by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the FEMA National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 24, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard. Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• House Republicans’ stance on Senate bill murky
• No House vote yet scheduled on Senate-passed DHS funding bill
• Democrats fail on new ICE restrictions but block more 2026 funds

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – Federal funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland ​Security remained in limbo on Thursday despite the Senate clearing the way for the House of Representatives to pass legislation that ‌would end a nearly seven-week partial shutdown.

Meanwhile, lawmakers got some breathing room, after President Donald Trump announced that he will use his executive powers to temporarily pay all DHS workers while Congress searches for a way to pass a bill with funding through September 30, the end of this fiscal year.

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This follows Trump’s action last week to temporarily pay ​Transportation Security Administration airport passenger screeners.

The Senate bill awaiting House action provides no additional funding for immigration law enforcement activities that already are robustly ​funded.

The House held a brief session without acting upon legislation that was passed by the Senate late last week. It is ⁠next scheduled to meet on Monday.

Also, House Speaker Mike Johnson was set to hold a call with his rank-and-file on Thursday to discuss next steps.

Senate ​Majority Leader John Thune, speaking to a near-empty chamber early on Thursday, cleared the way for progress on ending the DHS funding fight by formally killing a 60-day, ​stopgap bill that had been passed by the House but had no chance of passing the Senate.

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Senate and House Republican leaders announced on Wednesday that they had reached a deal to finally end the DHS shutdown. But it was unclear whether House Republican rank-and-file would support that agreement.

House passage of the Senate bill would send it to President Donald Trump ​for signing into law.

Even with Trump’s temporary payments to all DHS workers, Congress still has to figure out a way to fund DHS operations for ​workers at an array of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Coast Guard.

Two problems remain at the heart of this ‌spending fight, ⁠which has been raging almost since the start of Trump’s second term that began on January 20, 2025.

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House, want to ensure that large amounts of federal dollars will be available through the end of Trump’s presidency to execute his aggressive migrant deportation program.

That requires significant funding for immigration law enforcement agencies at DHS, including money for additional detention facilities for the migrants Trump wants to have under arrest ​while awaiting deportation or possible release.

Senate ​Leader Thune told reporters Republicans will ⁠try to accomplish this through a rarely-used and complicated procedure that would circumvent any Democratic opposition.

It is unclear whether this foray will be allowed under Senate rules for multi-year funding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and ​Border Protection.

Democrats have demanded new constraints on ICE and CBP agents carrying out Trump’s aggressive migrant deportation program.

Republicans ​who control Congress and ⁠the White House have refused to allow any of those constraints to be written into law.

Those included requirements that immigration agents shed masks that conceal their identities, wear body cameras and obtain judicial warrants to enter private homes. Democrats also want to end agents’ practice of lurking at churches, hospitals and schools in an ⁠effort to ​find migrants and their children.

Democrats mounted this initiative after two U.S. citizens were shot dead ​in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents earlier this year and protests over the Trump administration’s deportation policy escalated in cities throughout the United States.

Aides to Johnson were not immediately available for comment ​on next steps the House will take to break the DHS funding logjam.

Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Chizu Nomiyama

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Trump-backed wife of RNC chair launches bid for Congress as GOP defends slim House majority

2026-04-02T13:12:03-04:00 / Fox News

Sydney Gruters is considered the clear frontrunner to succeed retiring Rep Vern Buchanan in Florida’s 16th Congressional District

By Paul SteinhauserFox News

Published April 2, 2026 1:12pm EDT

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters tells Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump will be the GOP’s ‘secret weapon’ in the midterm elections.

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A week after President Donald Trump urged Sydney Gruters to run for an open GOP-held congressional seat in Florida, the former executive director of the state’s New College Foundation and wife of Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters declared her candidacy.

“As a working mother of three, I see firsthand how much pressure rising prices are putting on families across Southwest Florida,” Sydney Gruters said as she launched her campaign on Thursday. “From groceries and gas to housing and insurance, too many families, seniors and veterans are being stretched thin. I’m running for Congress to protect our conservative values and fight for the people of this district and give them a strong voice in Washington.”

With Trump’s support, Gruters is considered the clear frontrunner to succeed retiring longtime GOP Rep. Vern Buchanan, her former boss, in Florida’s right-leaning 16th Congressional District, which stretches from Tampa’s eastern suburbs south to Bradenton. Republicans currently control the House 218-214 and will be defending their fragile majority in this year’s midterm elections.

Trump, in a social media post on March 24, emphasized that Gruters would “fight tirelessly.”

RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES

Now-President Donald Trump is joined by Sydney Gruters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2022.(Sydney Gruters campaign)

“Should she decide to enter this Race, Sydney Gruters has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, SYDNEY, RUN!” the president declared.

While her husband, a Florida state senator and top Trump supporter in the Sunshine State, is well known nationally as he steers the RNC, the 44-year-old Sydney Gruters is well known in her district and very familiar with Congress.

SCOOP: HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES ‘MAGA MAJORITY’ PROGRAM TO BOOST TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES

Gruters served as Buchanan’s operation director for a decade (2007-2017) and later as district director to GOP Rep. Greg Steube (2019-2023) in the neighboring 17th Congressional District.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, seen attending a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on May 13, 2025, is retiring instead of seeking re-election in the 2026 midterms.(Bill Clark/Getty Images)

In-between her two congressional stints, she served in Trump’s first administration as state director for Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Department of Agriculture.

Prior to launching her congressional campaign, Gruters finished up her tenure as vice president of advancement and executive director of the New College Foundation.

Gruters took her position at the small liberal arts state college in Sarasota soon after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis installed a conservative board of trustees at the school. The one-time progressive-minded college subsequently created a classical education curriculum, which emphasizes liberal arts and Western teachings. Last autumn, the college was among the first to sign on to Trump’s education compact, which offers schools federal funding for backing his education priorities.

Newly elected Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the RNC summer meeting, on Aug. 22, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

As she launches her congressional bid, Gruters is also backed by Maggie’s List, a political group that works to elect conservative women to Congress.

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Three other Republicans, as well as three Democrats, are also running to succeed Buchanan.

Joe Gruters, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said he’s “incredibly proud of Sydney as she launches her campaign, and it’s an honor to see her earn President Trump’s support. As always, the RNC remains neutral in Republican primaries, so any support I offer will be purely in my personal capacity.”

Trump won 57% of the vote in the district in his 2024 presidential election victory. And Buchanan grabbed nearly 60% of the vote as he won re-election. But the seat may be refigured ahead of this year’s midterms, as the GOP-dominated Florida legislature meets in a special session later this month to deal with congressional redistricting in the red-leaning state.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

Harris ripped over video previewing Trump speech she claims she wouldn’t watch: ‘Sit this one out’

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital Harris should ‘crawl under a coconut tree and go away’

April 2, 2026 2:38pm EDT / Fox News

By Andrew Mark Miller

Former Vice President Kamala Harris drew a sharp rebuke from conservatives on social media Wednesday where she previewed President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Iran.

“He brought America into a war that people don’t want, he has put American troops in harm’s way, costs are rising by the day, and meanwhile he has done nothing to address the needs of the people of America,” Harris posted on X before Trump’s Wednesday night speech to the nation, a speech Harris says in the video she “won’t be able” to watch.

Harris predicted Trump would attempt to “claim victory” in Iran but the “reality is we’re watching what he does instead of listening to what he says.”

The video, viewed almost 3 million times on X, was widely panned by conservatives who pointed to high prices during the Biden administration, other criticisms of the administration, and Harris’ political ambitions.

KAMALA HARRIS HARSHLY CRITIQUES PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SOTU SPEECH WHICH TRIGGERS RESPONSE FROM WHITE HOUSE

Former Vice President Kamala Harris in conversation with Rep. Lateefah Simon discussing her book, “107 Days” at the Henry J. Kaiser Center For The Performing Arts in Oakland, California.(Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

“It’s pretty disgraceful for you to claim President Trump has done nothing to meet the needs of the American people,” Republican Rep. Tom Emmer posted on X. “Here’s the truth: He’s cleaning up the chaos YOU caused here in the United States and across the globe, and is making America great again. On top of that, he has the guts to confront the Iranian regime, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world!”

“The time off hasn’t made her any smarter,” America First Legal senior adviser Ian Prior posted on X.

“She wants to run for President,” former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows posted on X.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S IRAN ADDRESS

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“Bullet dodged,” conservative radio host Larry O’Connor posted on X.

“‘Don’t. Your plan to handle Iran was letting them spend Obama’s pallets of cash on missiles and nukes,” Republican candidate for Oklahoma Lt. Gov. T.W. Shannon posted on X.

“You let in 15M illegal aliens into this country,”Gokhshtein Media CEO David Gokhshtein posted on X. “Sit this one out.”

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392354078112

Houthi spokesperson threatens US, Israel as Iran conflict intensifies

In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “Kamala Harris oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and ushered in an invasion of migrant criminals into our homeland. She should listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans who want her to crawl under a coconut tree and go away.”

Trump delivered his address to the nation later that night declaring Iran is “essentially really no longer a threat” after a 32-day U.S. military campaign, telling Americans that the country has been “eviscerated” following weeks of strikes.

Even so, Trump said the United States is preparing additional attacks in the coming weeks even as diplomatic discussions continue.

“I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly. Very shortly, we are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said. “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.”

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

Trump fires Pam Bondi as US attorney general

2026-04-02 5:06 PM UTC / Reuters

By Nandita Bose, Andrew Goudsward and Jana Winter

April 2, 2026 5:06 PM UTC Updated 3 mins ago

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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

• Summary

• Bondi faced criticism over handling of Epstein files and DOJ independence
• Trump frustrated by Bondi’s pace prosecuting critics, appoints Todd Blanche as interim AG
• Calling role ‘honor of a lifetime,’ Bondi says she is taking private-sector job

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday after mounting frustration with her performance, especially over the release of files ​on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump also felt Bondi was not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries whom he wanted to face criminal charges, according to sources.

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Deputy Attorney General Todd ‌Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump, will lead the Justice Department temporarily, Trump said in a social media post.

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In the post, Trump praised Bondi as a “Great American Patriot and a loyal friend” who had overseen a “massive crackdown in Crime.” Trump said she will soon move to a job in the private sector, but he gave no details.

In her own social media post, Bondi said: “Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime.”

She said she would spend the next month transitioning the ​role to Blanche. On social media, Blanche thanked Trump and praised Bondi, promising to do “everything in our power to keep America safe.”

During her tenure as the top U.S. law enforcement official, Bondi was a combative champion of ​Trump’s agenda and dismantled the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of independence from the White House in its investigations.

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But it was repeated criticism over the Epstein files, including from Trump ⁠allies and some Republican lawmakers, that came to dominate her tenure. Bondi was accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of records on the DOJ’s sex-trafficking investigations into Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties to wealthy and powerful figures.

Trump informed ​Bondi at a White House meeting on Wednesday that he was looking to replace her as attorney general, according to a source familiar with the matter. Trump allies had encouraged the president in recent days to “rip off the Band-Aid” and fire ​her, according to the source and one other person familiar with the matter.

Trump told Bondi multiple times over the past several months that he was unhappy with her performance, a senior White House official told Reuters. The official said Trump has contemplated replacing her with Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, but has also discussed other candidates.

Bondi spent much of Wednesday with Trump, riding with him to the U.S. Supreme Court in the morning, attending an Easter lunch where he spoke and later watching his address to ​the nation on the Iran war. At the Supreme Court, Trump observed as one of Bondi’s top officials, Solicitor General D. John Sauer, was grilled by justices about the administration’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship.

POLITICAL HEADACHE

The Epstein files created political headaches ​for Trump and drew renewed scrutiny of his past friendship with Epstein, which he has said ended decades ago.

Bondi’s firing could lead to a shake-up in strategy at the Justice Department and potentially a renewed push to deploy the U.S. legal system against Trump’s ‌targets.

Bondi is ⁠the second senior Trump official to be ousted recently. Trump removed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5 following criticism of her management of the agency and Trump’s immigration agenda.

Bondi, a former Republican state attorney general in Florida, said she worked on restoring the Justice Department’s focus on violent crime and rebuilding trust with Trump’s supporters after federal prosecutors twice criminally charged Trump during his years out of power.

Bondi also faced criticism over the removal of dozens of career prosecutors who worked on investigations that Trump opposed, with critics accusing her of abandoning the DOJ’s traditional focus on even-handed justice.

“Pam Bondi took a sledgehammer to the Justice Department and its workforce,” said Stacey Young, a former DOJ lawyer and the head of Justice Connection, an advocacy organization formed ​to aid career staff who were expelled or resigned.

Bondi ​presided over a mass exodus of career lawyers from many crucial ⁠DOJ units and a near-total alignment between the Justice Department and Trump, whose image now adorns its Washington headquarters.

DOJ has pursued a slew of investigations against Trump antagonists, including bringing criminal charges last year against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The cases encountered obstacles in court and were thrown out by a judge who found the Trump-nominated prosecutor ​who brought them, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed.

“Pam Bondi’s legacy will be the weaponization of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency for Donald Trump’s personal benefit, but apparently ​even she didn’t go far ⁠enough to appease him,” Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.

SPARRING WITH LAWMAKERS

Bondi defended the rollout of the Epstein files, saying the Trump administration had been more transparent than previous presidents and that DOJ lawyers quickly reviewed reams of material.

At a House of Representatives committee hearing in February, Bondi responded to criticism with political attacks on lawmakers.

Bondi early last year played into fevered speculation about the Epstein files, saying a client list was on her desk for review. But after an ⁠initial release included ​material that was largely already public, the DOJ and FBI declared in July that the case was closed and no further disclosures were warranted.

That prompted an eruption ​of criticism and eventually a bipartisan law passed in November requiring the Justice Department to release nearly all its files.

The release of roughly 3 million pages still did not quell the controversy, as lawmakers criticized redactions and the disclosure of some Epstein victims’ identities.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted to ​subpoena Bondi and she was set to testify on April 14.

Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Nandita Bose, additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Jana Winter, Bhargav Acharya, Doina Chiacu, Bo Erickson and Steve Holland; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump says he fired Bondi, appoints Blanche as acting US attorney general

2026-04-02 17:25:47 UTC / Reuters

By Reuters

April 2, 2026 5:25 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

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U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche participates in the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, U.S. March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Callaghan O’Hare Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

April 2 (Reuters) – President Donald ​Trump ‌on Thursday confirmed ​U.S. ​Attorney General ⁠Pam ​Bondi was ​removed from her ​post ​and said she ‌was ⁠being replaced by ​deputy ​Attorney ⁠General Todd ​Blanche ​in ⁠an acting ⁠capacity.

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

Reporting ​by ​Bhargav Acharya ​in Toronto;

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Man charged in connection with deaths of 2 women found in “Texas Killing Fields”

April 2, 2026 / 12:57 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Prosecutors have charged a man allegedly connected to some of the deaths linked to the “Texas Killing Fields,” an area near Houston where the bodies of dozens of women were found beginning in the 1970s, saying they have solved a piece of a tragic mystery that has inspired a Netflix documentary and been featured on CBS News’ “48 Hours.”

A Galveston grand jury has indicted 61-year-old James Dolphs Elmore Jr. for his alleged role in the deaths of 16-year-old Laura Miller and 30-year-old Audrey Cook, whose bodies were found in the infamous area off a desolate dirt road in League City in 1986, Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick said Wednesday.

Tim Miller, the father of Laura Miller, said that he has met with Elmore 30 times in the last four years. He said Elmore had shared information but declined to elaborate out of fear of jeopardizing the case.

Elmore made his first appearance before a judge on Thursday morning, CBS affiliate KHOU reported. He has been charged with manslaughter and felony tampering with evidence in Miller’s death, and with tampering with evidence in Cook’s killing. His bond was set at $3 million, KHOU reported, including $1.5 million for the manslaughter charge and $750,000 for each tampering with evidence charge.

This photo provided by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office shows James Dolphs Elmore Jr. Galveston County Sheriff’s Office via AP

Elmore is being held in the Galveston County Jail. At Thursday’s hearing, he was assigned a court-appointed attorney, KHOU reported.

A trial date is set for August 31.

“A perfect place (for) killing”

Since the 1970s, over 30 young women and girls have disappeared or been found murdered in the 50-mile stretch of land that has been nicknamed the “Texas Killing Fields.” Federal agent Don Ferrarone told “48 Hours” that the region is “a perfect place (for) killing somebody and getting away with it.”

Cook and Miller were two of four bodies found in the same area between 1984 and 1991. All four sets of remains were found in a field off a dirt road, according to KHOU.

The first victim found was Heidi Fye-Villareal, a 25-year-old bartender who disappeared in 1983 and whose body was found in 1984, according to KHOU. Miller’s remains were found at the site in 1986, two years after her disappearance. Another unidentified body was found in the field at the same time. A second unidentified woman was found there in 1991, KHOU reported.

In 2019, the two unidentified sets of remains were determined to belong to Cook, a mechanic who disappeared in 1985 before her body was found in 1986, and Donna Prudhomme, 34, a young mother who vanished in 1989.

Elmore has not been charged in the deaths of Villareal or Prudhomme.

Tim Miller, father of Laura Miller, hugs his wife Georgeann as they look at one of 50 billboards dedicated to unidentified murder victims along Highway 3 in League City, Texas, on May 11, 1998. Buster Dean/Houston Chronicle via AP

Alleged accomplice dies by suicide

Cusick said prosecutors had also presented evidence to a grand jury seeking indictments against Clyde Hedrick, who authorities allege was the person responsible for the deaths of the four women and had been Elmore’s longtime friend. But Hedrick, 72, died by suicide before the grand jury came back with a decision in his case.

Hedrick was previously convicted of manslaughter in 2014 in the death of Ellen Beason, a young woman who vanished in 1984 and whose body was found in 1985. He was released on parole in 2022, and was still on parole at the time of his death, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Miller, who founded a nonprofit missing persons organization called EquuSearch, said it was “inexcusable that Clyde Hedrick had the opportunity to die without never been indicted, convicted.”

Nina Jager, the niece of Fye-Villareal, celebrated Elmore’s indictment but said it was “bittersweet” because her grandfather had long suspected Hedrick was responsible for the killings. He had long investigated the case, but she said his efforts were ignored by authorities.

Tim Miller in his office in Dickinson, Texas, on April 2, 2012. Steve Ueckert/Houston Chronicle via AP

“Maybe today is a result of all the work that he put in, all the searching the fields, going and talking to people and doing his own investigation because he just didn’t feel supported,” she said.

Most cases remain unsolved

Most of the deaths associated with the “Texas Killing Fields” remain unsolved. Investigators believe multiple perpetrators may be responsible for the killings. The remains found in the area have mostly been that of young women and girls.

In 2022, William Reece, an Oklahoma death row inmate, pleaded guilty to three murders in Texas, including those of 12-year-old Laura Smither and 17-year-old Jessica Cain in Galveston County, and 20-year-old Kelli Cox, who was from Denton in North Texas but whose body was found hundreds of miles away in Brazoria County, located next to Galveston County. He received life sentences for all three murders.

Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick holds a news conference, in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Jennifer Reynolds /The Galveston County Daily News via AP

After his appointment as district attorney, Cusick said he would take a harder look at cases linked to the area. He said work was slowed by how much time has passed since the killings, but said he is committed to working on the case. He also said there are active leads that can be pursued “to bring to justice some people who may have escaped justice thus far.”

“Due to the concerted efforts of the law enforcement agencies in this county, this 40-year cycle of violence by these defendants against women, we’re trying to make headway on it, and I think we made significant headway yesterday in getting a charge against Mr. Elmore and having him arrested,” he said.

HHS announces $144 million program to study effect of microplastics on the human body

April 2, 2026 / 3:41 PM EDT / CBS News

By Kerry Breen News Editor
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

Read Full Bio

The Department of Health and Human Services will is introducing a first-of-its-kind program to study microplastics and the effect they have on the human body, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday.

Kennedy said the $144 million national program will be called STOMP, which stands for “Systemic Targeting of MicroPlastics.” The program will bring toxicologists, data scientists and other experts together to create standardized tools capable of detecting and quantifying microplastics in the human body, research the effect they have on humans, and develop targeted strategies to remove them from the body, Kennedy said.

“We are not dealing with a distant or theoretical risk. We are dealing with a measurable, growing presence inside the human body,” Kennedy said, after citing research that showed microplastics present in human organs, blood and the placenta. The program’s research will prioritize those at greatest risk, he said, including pregnant people, children and workers with high exposure rates.

Microplastics are tiny particles from larger plastic items that have been detected in the human body and external sources. They enter the water supply through littering, storm runoff, and more. The particles, which are less than five millimeters in size, cannot be fully removed by traditional water filtration methods, according to the World Health Organization.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin also announced that the agency has added microplastics to its contaminant candidate list for the first time, opening the door for future regulations.

The contaminant candidate list is a list of substances that are not subject to proposed or existing drinking water regulations, but are “known or anticipated to occur in public water systems,” according to the EPA’s website. Adding a substance to the list does nothing to regulate it or limit its use, but prioritizes funding, research and information collection to learn more about how these products affect drinking water.

“This is a direct response to the concern of millions of Americans who have long demanded answers about what they and their families are drinking every day,” Zeldin said.

Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and KFF editor-at-large for public health, said adding microplastics to the CCL is “the beginning of a long timeline, not the end of one.”

“Researchers have found that microplastics are widespread in water and the human body, which suggests potential health risks, but we don’t yet have the kind of evidence regulators require to set legal limits,” Gounder said.

Complicating efforts to set legal limits is a lack of standardized measuring system for microplastics, and no national data showing how much microplastics are actually affecting drinking water. Gounder said there also needs to be “clearer evidence linking typical exposure levels to specific health outcomes.”

The contaminant candidate list that Zeldin announced, or CCL 6, is a draft. There will be a 60-day public comment period before it is finalized. The CCL is updated every five years.

Pharmaceuticals are also set to be added to the contaminant candidate list, Zeldin said. Medications enter the water supply through human waste and improper disposal, Zeldin said. The EPA has also released human health benchmarks for 374 pharmaceuticals, giving authorities a “critical new tool to assess risk and take action when drug residues are found at concerning levels,” Zeldin said.

The existing list, CCL 5, includes 66 chemicals, 12 microbes and three chemical groups: Pre- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, disinfection byproducts and cyanotoxins. The draft list for CCL 6 includes 75 chemicals, nine microbes and four chemical groups: PFAS, disinfection byproducts, pharmaceuticals and microplastics. CCL 6 removes cyanotoxins, or compounds produced by some algae, as a chemical group.

CCL 6 is expected to be signed by November 17, 2026, after the public comment period ends and after the EPA consults with its independent Science Advisory Board.

To reduce exposure to microplastics, Gounder recommends avoiding bottled water, not heating food in plastic containers, and improving indoor air quality, since water and air are the major exposure routes. But it is impossible to entirely avoid microplastics because of their prevalence, Gounder said.

Edited by Stephen Smith

Markwayne Mullin has started making policy changes at DHS. Some GOP lawmakers want him to do more

2026-04-02 19:09:16 UTC / CNN

By Annie Grayer, Michael Williams

28 min ago
PUBLISHED Apr 2, 2026, 3:09 PM ET

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on March 26, 2026.

Alex Brandon/AP

During his confirmation hearing last month, Markwayne Mullin promised to make changes at the Department of Homeland Security if he were to be confirmed as its next secretary.

He called the controversial policy under outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem that required her approval of contracts exceeding $100,000 “micromanaging.” He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would be taken off the “front lines” and revert to relying on more restrictive judicial warrants to enter someone’s home or a private business. Ideally, he said, DHS would not be in the headlines nearly every day as it was under Noem’s leadership.

Nine days after being sworn in, Mullin has delivered on some of those promises.

But some lawmakers, including Republicans who broadly support President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, want Mullin to go further as he attempts to right an agency that experienced a year of chaos under his predecessor.

Changes for contracts, detention centers and ICE tactics

The $100,000 contract-review policy, which under Noem was blamed for creating a bottleneck of funding during several natural disasters last year and causing bipartisan resentment in states which were seeking much-needed disaster relief, was rescinded on Wednesday, according to a copy of a new memo signed by Mullin and reviewed by CNN.

The new policy now requires all contracts exceeding $25 million be approved by the DHS deputy secretary. Leaders of individual components within DHS are now responsible for greenlighting contracts below $25 million.

Mullin’s team is also reviewing all immigration detention warehouse projects across the country, a source familiar told CNN. The effort to install mega warehouses for migrant detention is being paused pending further review, the source added.

An exterior view of a warehouse that is the site for a planned US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Williamsport, Maryland, on March 23, 2026.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The move comes after significant pushback from local leaders and even some Republican lawmakers who supported the detention effort in theory, but were concerned about the strain such massive facilities would put on local infrastructure and communities.

Some of those local leaders told CNN that meetings that had previously been scheduled with DHS officials about those warehouses have been paused due to the review of DHS processes under the new leadership.

While they’ve expressed some optimism about how a Mullin-led DHS would change how it interacts with local communities where the agency wanted to place these warehouses, the local leaders remain cautious considering their experiences with DHS under Noem.

“Until DHS/ICE proves me wrong, I will work under the notion that their past behavior is an indication of their future performance,” said B.R. White, the city manager of Oakwood, Georgia, where DHS had planned to build a sprawling detention facility with little notice and no public hearings.

“I do desire to be proven wrong,” White added. “Just maybe the new DHS Secretary will logically discover the same flaws and issues with the program as the communities impacted by DHS purchases and proposed purchases.”

Mullin is also weighing further rule changes related to how ICE operates — a key sticking point as the funding standoff embroiling his agency nears its 50th day, one source familiar with the discussions told CNN.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about these policy changes.

Then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, on March 4, 2026.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

‘Review everything’

Taken together, these changes signify a broader effort from Mullin to pull back on some of Noem’s policies and rebuild trust with the public and key allies on the Hill, who under Noem’s tenure often felt in the dark on major developments happening in their own backyard and concerned about her priorities.

Republicans hope that they will find a more willing and accessible partner in Mullin, a former senator, to enter a new era of immigration enforcement that creates less controversy.

Some Republicans are pushing Mullin not to take a piecemeal approach and instead revisit everything Noem touched. They want a course correction to refocus the agency to only go after violent criminals and those with active deportation orders as the party has faced backlash against its sweeping crackdown on unauthorized immigration under Noem.

“Review everything that was being done under Secretary Noem” GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who serves on the House committee that oversees DHS, told CNN about his message to Mullin. “I think a lot of things need to change and hopefully he will be the agent of change.”

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who leads a bipartisan caucus of moderate House members, introduced a bill on Thursday with Democratic Rep. Thomas Suozzi to significantly change how the administration conducts removal operations, including mandating agents to remove their masks in most cases and requiring judicial warrants for criminal arrests— adopting some of the reforms that Democrats have been pushing for in negotiations over DHS funding.

Masked federal agents stand in a hallway at the New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York on March 6, 2026.

Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent who worked with Mullin when he was in the House, told CNN that he supports strong border security, but believes there has been an “over enforcement” of immigration laws in the US and wants Mullin to approach the job with more empathy and compassion.

“What has been lacking in immigration enforcement in recent months is empathy. And I think we need to approach the job with empathy. These are human beings, regardless of how you view immigration, we always need to treat human beings like human beings,” Fitzpatrick told CNN.

Fitzpatrick has discussed his bill with GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has been critical to DHS negotiations, but the path to this bill’s passage remains unclear.

Even before Mullin took over, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan had begun enacting changes to ICE amid the fallout of federal officers killing protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Upon arriving in that city, and replacing Greg Bovino, a controversial Border Patrol official whose tactics were widely blamed for ratcheting up tensions between federal officers and protesters, Homan ended roving patrols of agents and deployed body cameras for all ICE officers while working with local leaders to smooth tensions before pulling back on the agency’s foothold in the city.

Unlike Noem, Mullin has quickly formed a close relationship with Homan.

CNN’s Gabe Cohen and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

Trump to reduce steel, aluminum tariff rates for derivative products, sources say

2026-04-02T16:15:57.856Z / Reuters

By Reuters

April 2, 2026 4:15 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

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Aluminum cans are shown during a production run before being filled with craft beer at Black Plague Brewery in Oceanside, California, U.S., March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

April 2 (Reuters) – The Trump administration plans to reshape its steel and aluminum tariff regime, keeping a 50% tariff for commodity steel and aluminum imports while reducing duties ​on derivative products made from the metals to 15% or ‌25%, depending on the product, two sources familiar with the plans said.

The details could change and will be subject to a tariff proclamation from President Donald Trump, ​which is expected as early as Thursday.

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A White House spokesperson ​did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The ⁠tariff adjustment plan was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The ​sources told Reuters that the change is being made to simplify an overly ​complicated tariff regime put in place last year when Trump doubled the rate of his Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%.

That increase also added ​the tariffs to thousands of derivative products made with the metals to encourage ​domestic production, from tractor parts to stainless steel sinks and gas ranges. But the 50% ‌duty ⁠only applied to the steel and aluminum content of the product, creating a compliance headache for importers to calculate that figure.

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The latest change will apply the lower tariff on the total value of the imported derivative ​product, making it ​easier to comply, ⁠the sources said.

Trump’s proclamation is expected to include a revised annex listing products subject to the tariffs and ​duty rates. The sources said that steelmaking equipment may ​qualify for ⁠the lower 15% rate, as the Trump administration imposed the higher tariff rates last year to encourage more investment in domestic steel production.

Such equipment is ⁠often ​imported from Germany and Italy, such as ​furnace ladles and rolling-mill machinery, and made from sophisticated heat-resistant alloys.

(This story has been refiled to change the headline)

Reporting by David Lawder in Washington ​and Carlos Méndez in Mexico City; Editing by Chris Reese and Andrea Ricci

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Mortgage rates are surging, foiling homebuyers’ best-laid plans

2026-04-02 15:32:06 EDT / CBS News

By

April 2, 2026 / 3:32 PM EDT / CBS News

Surging mortgage rates are threatening to wash out the spring homebuying season.

The rate on a conventional 30-year home loan rose to 6.46%, its highest level since September 2025, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Borrowing costs have jumped sharply in recent weeks after having dipped below 6% in late February. The Iran war is exerting further upward pressure on rates by stoking inflation concerns and driving up government bond yields, according to economists. Mortgage rates tend to track the 10-year Treasury bond.

For aspiring homeowners, the upsurge in borrowing costs is a major headache.

“Before this war, it was like, it could be a good buyer’s time now,” said Rachel Marks, a 41-year-old Brooklyn, New York, resident who recently started searching for a home. “Now it’s like, nope, stay away because everything is just going up, up, up.”

As of Thursday, the 10-year Treasury yield was 4.26%, up from 3.96% just before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

“When inflation goes up, investors in bonds — and that includes mortgage-backed securities — demand a higher return to compensate them for that increase,” explained Mike Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), a trade group.

The direction of monetary policy is also weighing on the housing market, Fratantoni said. With inflation seemingly stuck above the Federal Reserve’s 2% annual target, a growing number of economists and Wall Street analysts now predict that the central bank will refrain from lowering its benchmark rate for all of 2026.

“Mortgage rates will remain elevated, above 6%, in part because markets are pricing higher expected inflation into long-term rates,” economists with PNC Financial Services predicted in a report this week.

$84,000 difference

Prospective homebuyers are now grappling with the impact of an unexpected jump in mortgage rates.

Devan Post, a 36-year-old corporate controller in Minnesota who’s in the market for a home offering more space for her family, in February thought she had found a property that ticked all the boxes.

A lender initially quoted her a rate of 5.85% for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, she told CBS News. But before she and her husband could jump on the offer, the Iran war erupted. The lender’s latest quote: 6.49%.

Post and her husband recently put in an offer on another home. While they’re one step closer to buying, she said the additional mortgage costs they face are discouraging,

“You feel like you’re finally going to be entering the market when things are going your way. Like, rates are finally going down, we can actually afford a nice house,” she said. “And then it’s like, oh, wait, never mind.”

If the couple locks in at 6.49% and put 20% down, they would pay an extra $265 per month compared with the lower rate offer last month — that comes to $84,600 over the life of a 30-year loan, according to Realtor.com.

A weaker spring season?

Higher mortgage rates coincide with the start of the spring homebuying period, when demand normally starts to pick up. Experts had predicted a strong season, pointing to a modest increase in inventory, momentum in new construction and lower year-over-year listing prices.

The housing market was also eager to turn the page from last spring’s buying season, when President Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs sparked inflation and recession fears, according to Jake Krimmel, a senior economist at Realtor.com.

“This was going to be the year that the market rebounded in a noticeable way,” he told CBS News. “Conditions were forming for improved affordability.”

However, higher mortgage rates have muddied the picture, with Oxford Economics noting in a recent report that the Iran war’s effect on the housing market “will likely send many buyers and sellers to the sidelines.”

The Mortgage Bankers Association recently downgraded its outlook for home sales because of what it expects to be softer demand.

“A month ago, our forecast for 2026 was for an 8% increase in home sales compared to 2025. Now we’re looking for a 5% increase,” Fratantoni said.

Krimmel said it’s too soon to tell if higher mortgage rates will chill demand for housing, noting that “nothing is flashing red yet.” In some cases, rising mortgage rates could even encourage people to jump on an offer to lock in a better deal before costs rise, he added.

Still, some signs point to a slight slowdown in demand. The MBA’s seasonally adjusted purchase index, which tracks the volume of mortgage loan applications for new and existing homes, fell 3% on April 1 from a week earlier.

Edited by Alain Sherter