分类： 未分类

De La Hoya, Ali’s grandson warn US lawmakers against boxing law overhaul

2026-04-22 17:51:40 UTC / Reuters

节点运行失败

Boxing promoter and former boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya attends a U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on federal boxing laws, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 22, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

[1/2]Boxing promoter and former boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya attends a U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on federal boxing laws, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 22, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Purchase Licensing Rights

April 22 (Reuters) – Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya appeared before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday and argued against a potential transformation of the current system governed by the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act that, since ​2000, has aimed to protect fighters from exploitative practices.

The hearing — titled “Return to Your Corners: Have Federal Boxing ‌Laws Gone the Distance or Slipped the Jab?” — was held a month after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act which, if it becomes law, would allow for the creation of a single entity to combine promotion, rankings, titles and sanctioning under one roof.

The Reuters Inside Track newsletter is your essential guide to the biggest events in global sport. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

“This ​is a fundamental shift in power that, if enacted, would put corporate profits first and fighters second,” De La ​Hoya told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “We should be clear about who benefits ⁠from this.”

Thirty years ago, Congress set federal boxing standards by passing the Professional Boxing Safety Act. Four years later, Congress tightened ​those standards by enacting the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Together known as the Ali Act, the federal framework for professional ​boxing was designed to address conflicts of interest in the boxing market and strengthen boxers’ bargaining power.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Last month the House passed the Revival Act to make it easier for boxing to be organized in the same manner as other professional sports leagues.

‘FIGHTERS WILL HAVE FEWER CHOICES’

De La Hoya told ​the hearing that, like him, many fighters enter the sport young, trusting and without resources, and that once they are locked ​into the wrong deal, it is very difficult to get out. That is, he argued, exactly why the Reform Act exists.

“Fighters deserve real protection ‌and real ⁠opportunity — not to have to fight the system as well,” said De La Hoya. “If this bill passes, fighters will have fewer choices, less leverage, and less control over their careers. And when that happens, it will not be the sport that failed them. It will be us.”

Nico Ali Walsh, a professional boxer and grandson of former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, also argued to ​preserve the current Reform Act.

Walsh told ​the hearing the Reform ⁠Act was built on a simple principle: the people controlling fighters should not also control the entire marketplace those fighters depend on.

“That separation exists to prevent conflicts of interest and exploitation,” said Walsh. “The ​new Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act would undermine that principle.

“If this bill is passed in ​its current form, ⁠it should not have my grandfather’s name on it, as it would betray the principles his Act was created to protect.”

WWE President and TKO Group board member Nick Khan spoke in support of the Revival Act, which would allow for the creation of a new, ⁠centralized, alternative ​professional boxing system called Unified Boxing Organizations.

“The existing Act, as it currently stands, ​would remain in place,” said Khan. “This is an added option. It creates the framework for Unified Boxing Organizations, otherwise known as UBOs, that can do what ​major sports do — promote competition, develop talent, and enforce consistent standards under one roof.”

(This story has been corrected to fix the day to Wednesday, from Tuesday, in paragraph 1)

Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto Editing by Toby Davis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

White House pushes imminent easing of controls on marijuana

2026-04-22T17:06:05.150Z / The Washington Post

Under an administration plan, marijuana would be moved to Schedule III, like some common prescription painkillers. It now has the same Schedule I classification as heroin.

Updated

April 22, 2026 at 1:14 p.m. EDT today at 1:14 p.m. EDT

4 min

92

President Donald Trump on Dec. 18 holds an executive order on loosening federal regulations covering marijuana. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

By Dan Diamond

The White House has told federal agencies to prepare to imminently loosen restrictions on marijuana, days after President Donald Trump appeared to express frustration with the pace of easing federal restrictions on illegal drugs.

Iran seizes ships in Hormuz as US talks falter after ceasefire extension

2026-04-22T12:10:03-04:00 / Fox News

Trump said Iran’s navy was ‘laying at the bottom of the sea,’ but fast-attack boats continue to disrupt shipping lanes

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

Published April 22, 2026 12:10pm EDT | Updated April 22, 2026 2:15pm EDT

VP Vance’s Pakistan trip suspended as Trump weighs diplomacy vs force on Iran

Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reports on the U.S.-Iran peace talks as a ceasefire deadline looms on ‘The Story.’

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

6 min

Iran seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz hours after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire, as confrontations at sea continued under the truce.

Both ships were managed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the vessels, identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, were operating without proper authorization and had tampered with navigation systems, accusations that could not be independently verified. The ships had earlier reported coming under fire near the strait, underscoring the increasingly volatile conditions in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

The Guard attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported.

IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS

In a turn of events Tuesday, Trump announced he would extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran. For how long is unclear, but a White House official told Fox News it would be several days.

Despite heavy U.S. strikes that officials say severely degraded Iran’s conventional navy, Tehran maintains maritime capability through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ fleet of fast-attack boats used for harassment and boarding operations in the narrow strait.

“We should think in the thousands,” Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Fox News Digital. “If you include very small boats up to more capable fast-attack craft, the total could reach 3,000 to 4,000 vessels.”

Those forces have been used to harass commercial ships, force them to stop, and take them into custody. Iranian state media said similar tactics were used when Revolutionary Guard units attacked multiple vessels before escorting at least two into Iranian waters.

Despite heavy U.S. strikes that officials say severely degraded Iran’s conventional navy, Tehran maintains maritime capability through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ fleet of fast-attack boats.(Yalda Moaiery/AFP via Getty Images)

The continued attacks highlight a gap between battlefield claims and reality.

In a Truth Social post April 13, Trump said, “Iran’s Navy is obliterated. It is laying at the bottom of the sea,” adding that U.S. forces did not need to target Iran’s “little fast-attack boats” because they were not a threat.

TRUMP WATCHES STRIKE ON IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN NEW WHITE HOUSE PICS AS LARGE-SCALE OP CONTINUES

But those smaller vessels, long a cornerstone of Iran’s asymmetric strategy, are now central to its ability to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The seizures mark the latest escalation in a widening maritime standoff between Iran and Washington.

Both sides have targeted commercial and cargo vessels as part of a broader pressure campaign tied to stalled negotiations. U.S. forces have also moved to seize at least one Iranian-linked vessel in the region, with each side accusing the other of violating the terms of a fragile ceasefire.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for global oil shipments, with roughly 20% of the world’s supply passing through it. Traffic has slowed dramatically as ships reroute or avoid the area amid gunfire, seizures and conflicting directives from both militaries.

In a series of Truth Social posts Tuesday night, Trump claimed Iran privately wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened despite public threats to close it.

“Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!),” he wrote.

The Iranian-flagged Touska cargo ship pours smoke out after U.S. forces launched missiles at its control room following its violation of the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.(U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM))

“But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!”

Trump said he agreed to extend the ceasefire at the request of Pakistani officials while waiting for Iran’s leadership to present a unified position in negotiations.

“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he added.

Plans for renewed peace talks remain in limbo, with Iran signaling it may not participate in a second round of negotiations while the U.S. maintains its naval blockade. The blockade remains a key sticking point driving the confrontation at sea.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the naval blockade an “act of war,” accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire.

“Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire. Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,” he wrote on X.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the naval blockade an “act of war,” accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire.(Vahid Salemi/AP)

The comments came after U.S. forces moved to seize Iran’s M/V Touska vessel Monday, which Araghchi described as “an act of piracy.”

The seizures come as U.S.-Iran diplomacy appears increasingly uncertain, with a planned second round of talks in Islamabad thrown into doubt. Vice President JD Vance, who had been expected to lead the U.S. delegation, remained in Washington after Iran signaled it would not participate, scrapping plans for the delegation to travel to Pakistan.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The abrupt shift followed a day of mixed signals from Trump, who said Tuesday morning he did not want to extend the ceasefire as its deadline approached, warning time for negotiations was running out. By the afternoon, however, he reversed course and announced he would extend the truce to allow more time for diplomacy.

The reversal has further clouded fragile negotiations.

No date has been set for renewed talks, and Iranian officials continue to insist they will not engage while the U.S. maintains its naval blockade. The confrontation has increasingly shifted from the negotiating table to the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, where the risk of miscalculation is rising.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.

Kalshi prediction site suspends three political candidates for betting on their own races

2026-04-22T18:32:11.581Z / CNN

By Marshall Cohen

1 hr 28 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 22, 2026, 2:32 PM ET

Investing Federal agencies

See all topics

Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads

Link Copied!

In this photo illustration, an app for the online prediction market Kalshi is shown in Chicago, on February 25.

Scott Olson/Getty Images/File

Washington—

The prediction market Kalshi suspended three political candidates from its platform on Wednesday for “political insider trading” after an internal probe found that they bet on their own campaigns.

These suspensions and fines, reported first by CNN, are the most aggressive enforcement actions taken to date by a prediction site against political candidates, with primaries for the 2026 midterms already underway.

The announcement comes as lawmakers from both parties have steadily raised concerns about how the rapidly expanding prediction market industry could potentially undermine the integrity of US elections.

On prediction sites, users can bet on nearly everything from elections to sports, entertainment, or even the daily high temperature. (CNN has a partnership with Kalshi and uses its data to cover major events. However, editorial employees are not allowed to participate in prediction markets.)

Robert DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement, said in a statement announcing the suspensions that these cases are “political insider trading” and violated Kalshi’s rules as approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates prediction platforms.

The statement didn’t identify the three users facing punishments. A source familiar with the matter said they were candidates for federal offices.

“When a trader violates our exchange rules, they will be subject to exchange discipline,” DeNault said. “For more serious matters, we refer cases to the CFTC or DOJ for further investigation and prosecution, which didn’t happen here.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how much money these candidates wagered on their own campaigns, though DeNault suggested they might be small trades.

“Regardless of the size of a trade, political candidates who can influence a market based on whether they stay in or out of a race violate our rules,” DeNault said. “No matter how small the size of the trade, any trade that is found to have violated our exchange rules will be punished.”

The Biden-era CFTC tried to prohibit election-related prediction markets, but two federal courts later cleared the way before the 2024 presidential election. The Trump-appointed CFTC chair, Michael Selig, has embraced these markets and withdrew the agency’s proposed ban earlier this year.

This is Kalshi’s second round of major enforcement actions this year. In February, it suspended an employee of YouTube star MrBeast and a little-known candidate for California governor who bet $200 on his own race.

A source familiar with the matter says Kalshi, as it did in prior cases, is expected to donate the fines from Wednesday’s enforcement actions to a nonprofit organization that educates consumers about financial markets.

Legal gray area

Over the past year, Kalshi and its main rival, Polymarket, have exploded in popularity. Both sides now see billions of dollars in weekly total volume.

A bipartisan array of lawmakers have expressed alarm about the risks of insider trading. These criticisms grew after reports from CNN and other outlets about well-timed and highly lucrative trades on Polymarket regarding the US-Israeli war in Iran and US military actions in Venezuela.

But not all insider activity on prediction markets is automatically illegal.

Federal laws focus on whether the trader has an existing legal obligation to keep information secret. This leaves a gray area with political campaigns, according to Noah Solowiejczyk, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York who often partnered with the CFTC on financial cases.

“If it was a campaign employee who has a duty to keep campaign information confidential, that might be different scenario, violating existing law,” Solowiejczyk said. “But the candidate themselves, trading on their own information, isn’t breaching a duty to anyone. It’s their own campaign.”

Lawmakers have proposed at least two bills this year to stop CFTC regulated companies like Kalshi from offering election contracts in the first place.

Rep. Blake Moore, a Utah Republican, said in a statement last month announcing his bipartisan bill that “under-regulated prediction markets have exposed America to needless public safety and national security risks” by letting users trade on “sensitive matters,” including elections.

Prediction sites are federally regulated by the CFTC. But about 40 states have argued in court that prediction platforms offer products that are nearly identical to gambling and therefore must comply with state gaming laws.

One state, Arizona, filed criminal charges against Kalshi for allegedly operating an unlicensed casino and violating state bans against election bets. Kalshi denies wrongdoing, and a federal judge recently halted the state case.

Investing Federal agencies

See all topics

Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads

Link Copied!

With Rep. David Scott’s death, 5 members of 119th Congress have died in office

April 22, 2026 / 3:14 PM EDT / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

Read Full Bio

Washington — Democratic Rep. David Scott, who represented Georgia in the House for more than two decades, has become the fifth member of the 119th Congress to die in office. He was 80.

All five members who died since the start of the current Congress in January 2025 were between the ages of 65 and 87.

The deaths come against the backdrop of a narrow House GOP majority, where just one or two absences, vacancies or defections can play a role in whether legislation passes. Scott’s death means Democrats now have 212 seats, compared to 218 for Republicans, including one GOP-leaning independent.

During the 118th Congress, four members died in office, all between the ages of 65 and 90. The eldest was the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, whose determination to remain in office despite her evident decline frustrated many Democrats.

When the 119th Congress began in January 2025, 117 House and Senate members were over the age of 70, according to the Pew Research Center, and 19 were over 80.

These are the members who have died in office during the 119th Congress:

Rep. David Scott, 80

Rep. David Scott of Georgia speaks during a House Agriculture Committee hearing titled The Future of Digital Assets in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Ting Shen / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Scott, who represented the Atlanta suburbs, was seeking his 13th term in office when he died. A lifelong champion of civil rights, he was elected to the Georgia State House in 1974 and to the Georgia State Senate in 1982 before he was elected to Congress in 2002. Scott was the first Black member to chair the House Agriculture Committee, and prioritized strengthening access to nutrition, particularly for children from low-income families.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, 65

Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa died at 65 in January 2026 during surgery necessitated by a medical emergency. He represented California for over a decade in the northern part of the state. LaMalfa was a fourth-generation rice farmer and a businessman who championed rural and agricultural issues in the House.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, 75

Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia questions witnesses at a House Oversight Committee hearing on March 5, 2025. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia died on May 21, 2025. Weeks earlier, he announced he would not seek reelection in 2026 and would step back from his role as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee because his cancer had returned. He had served in Congress since 2009.

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, 77

Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona died March 13, 2025, after battling cancer. Grijalva, who had served in Congress since 2003, had been absent for votes since the start of the 119th Congress.

Rep. Sylvester Turner, 70

Sylvester Turner speaks in Houston, Texas, on July 28, 2023. Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas died on March 4, 2025, weeks after taking office. He had served as Houston’s mayor from 2016 until 2024, before joining the House. Turner won the House seat after Democratic Rep. Sheila Lee Jackson died in office from cancer in July 2024 at the age of 74.

Georgia Congressman David Scott dies

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/georgia-congressman-david-scott-dies/

Georgia Congressman David Scott dies

(03:16)

Senator presses RFK Jr. over his promotional videos

2026-04-22 3:07 PM EDT / CNN

Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about videos that were posted online featuring Kennedy with Kid Rock, as a professional wrestler, and as a video game character.

1:26 • Source: CNN

EXCLUSIVE: Planned Parenthood set for massive taxpayer windfall if Senate fails to act

2026-04-22 1:46pm EDT / Fox News

‘Taxpayers should never be forced to subsidize an industry that distributes cross sex hormones to vulnerable kids and kills millions,’ said Lila Rose

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Published April 22, 2026 1:46pm EDT | Updated April 22, 2026 2:02pm EDT

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6372909079112

Founder of Live Action says Trump admin’s move to pull Planned Parenthood funding ‘positive step’

Founder of Live Action, Lila Rose, told Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump’s move to pull funding from Planned Parenthood is a “positive step” but a “small step forward,” as the nonprofit receives hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

EXCLUSIVE: A coalition of pro-life groups, including Lila Rose’s Live Action, Students for Life, CatholicVote and others, is urging the Senate to take urgent action to enact a decade-long ban on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers before a July 4 deadline.

Senate Republicans hope to nail down the first step of their party-line funding package for immigration operations this week.

The current prohibition on federal tax dollar funding for abortion businesses, which President Donald Trump signed as part of last year’s budget bill, is set to expire this Independence Day. With the deadline fast approaching and congressional majorities subject to change this November, the groups stressed in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune that the lives of unborn children — and hundreds of millions in annual tax dollars — are at stake.

In their letter to Thune, the pro-life leaders wrote that extending the prohibition is a matter of urgent fiscal responsibility, saying the “financial stakes are significant” and that a 10-year extension “would represent one of the most meaningful pro-taxpayer reforms Congress can enact.”

PRO-LIFE GROUPS WARN TRUMP HYDE AMENDMENT IS ‘NON-NEGOTIABLE’ AFTER FLEXIBILITY REMARKS

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up a key test vote on a funding package to avert a partial government shutdown as Democratic resistance threatens to thrust Washington, D.C. into chaos.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Before the big, beautiful bill’s provision took effect, Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion business in America, received nearly $800 million annually in taxpayer funding, primarily through federal health programs.

The letter asserts that “at a time of historic federal debt and growing budgetary pressure, continuing to subsidize the abortion industry is neither fiscally responsible nor defensible.”

Though federal law bans taxpayer money from covering most abortions, many Republicans have long argued that abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood use Medicaid money for other health services to subsidize abortion. Under the tax provision in Trump’s 2025 spending bill, Medicaid payments are barred from going to abortion businesses, including Planned Parenthood.

The letter states that this prohibition “reflected longstanding concerns that many of the nation’s largest abortion businesses engage in activities that extend beyond traditional healthcare services.”

These services, the letter says, include “providing and promoting abortion as a core organizational activity,” offering or referring for gender transition interventions, including for minors, and delivering sex education programs that “promote inappropriate content to minors while denying parents meaningful transparency.”

The letter states that the budget reconciliation process “remains the appropriate and proven legislative vehicle to achieve this objective” and that “defunding provisions fall squarely within reconciliation’s fiscal and policy scope.”

“As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of American independence,” the pro-life leaders argue that “Congress has an obligation to ensure that federal spending reflects fiscal discipline, accountability, and respect for life.”

PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATION CALLS ON HHS AND FDA TO SUSPEND ABORTION PILL APPROVAL, TIGHTEN SAFETY RULES

Activists opposing funding for Planned Parenthood demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, via Getty)

They further framed a ten-year extension as consistent with longstanding bipartisan precedent separating abortion from federal spending. Such an extension, the letter says, would also “provide long-term policy stability, protect taxpayers, and prevent future administrations from restoring funding through executive action alone.”

In response, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood shared a statement in which the organization slammed Republicans for including a provision to make the prohibition permanent in a 2026 reconciliation package framework released by the Republican Study Committee.

Planned Parenthood has said that 23 of its health clinics have been forced to close due to Trump’s spending bill. More than 50 clinics closed in 18 states last year, with most located in the Midwest.

The organization called the 2025 budget bill’s bar on federal dollars for abortion businesses “unconstitutional,” adding that the closure of its locations has left “thousands of patients with fewer options, higher costs, and less freedom to make their own decisions about their lives, bodies, and futures.”

Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said that “any member of Congress who supports this proposal is choosing to sacrifice our health care system and Planned Parenthood health center patients who already struggle to get care, just so they can score points for their anti-abortion agenda,” adding that “people’s ability to get the health care they need is on the line.”

“President Trump and his backers in Congress have already caused irreparable harm when they passed a law ‘defunding’ Planned Parenthood,” said Johnson, concluding that “Planned Parenthood Action Fund will never stop fighting to protect everyone’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.”

SENATE GOP READYING PARTY-LINE FUNDING BILL DESPITE DIVISIONS, ANGER AT THE HOUSE

Left: Live Action President and founder Lila Rose. Right: Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill-Johnson(Live Action; Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Rose emphasized in a statement to Fox News Digital that “if Congress does not act, the abortion industry will once again have access to hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“This letter makes clear why that cannot be allowed to happen,” wrote Rose, adding, “Planned Parenthood’s core business is abortion. It exists to kill preborn children for profit. It has also become a major promoter of gender ideology, including puberty blockers and cross sex hormones for minors.”

“The Senate should use reconciliation again and enact the strongest defunding measure possible under the law,” she added. “American taxpayers should never be forced to subsidize an industry that distributes cross sex hormones to vulnerable kids and kills millions of preborn American babies through abortion every year.”

In addition to Rose, the letter was signed by Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, Catholic Vote President Kelsey Reinhardt, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser and 34 other pro-life leaders from across the country.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Becerra draws sharp contrast with billionaire Steyer in CA Governor’s race: ‘I’m not trying to buy the office’

2026-04-22T17:39:16.219Z / CNN Politics

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:39 PM EDT, Wed April 22, 2026

Becerra draws sharp contrast with billionaire Steyer in CA Governor’s race: ‘I’m not trying to buy the office’

Inside Politics

Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra joins CNN’s Dana Bash as his campaign for California governor surges in the wake of Eric Swalwell’s exit. Responding to massive ad spending from one of his opponents, Tom Steyer, Becerra said, “This race will come down to those who’ve earned it versus those who are trying to buy it.”

6:26 • Source: CNN

Wife of Army soldier to be released after being arrested by ICE

April 22, 2026 3:22 PM EDT / CBS News

The wife of an Army soldier who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after an immigration appointment last week is going to be released from federal custody, her husband, Sgt. First Class Jose Serrano, told CBS News Wednesday.

Serrano’s wife, El Salvador native Deisy Rivera Ortega, was arrested by ICE on April 14 during an appointment related to a pending application for an immigration program, known as Parole in Place, designed to protect military spouses and parents from deportation.

Serrano, who has served in the Army for 27 years, including three deployments in Afghanistan, first revealed to CBS News earlier this week that his wife had been arrested by ICE after living in the U.S. for a decade.

On Wednesday, Serrano said he was informed his wife would be released from an ICE detention center in El Paso.

“I’m really happy, sir,” he told CBS News. “I won’t sleep tonight.”

The Department of Homeland Security told CBS News at the time that Rivera Ortega had been arrested because of a deportation order dating back to 2019. DHS said she was convicted of entering the U.S. illegally, a federal misdemeanor.

Because Rivera Ortega was granted a legal protection in 2019 from being deported to El Salvador, Serrano said he was informed she could be sent to a third country, like Mexico, where she has no ties.

CBS News has reached out to representatives for the DHS for comment on Rivera Ortega’s release.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/active-duty-army-soldier-wife-facing-deportation-ice-out-control/

It’s not just gasoline. U.S.-Iran war could drive prices higher for many products derived from petroleum.

April 22, 2026 / 9:47 AM EDT / CBS/AP

It might be hard to imagine the Iran war weighing on stuffed toys with names like Snuggle Glove, Bizzikins and Wobblies, but even plush playthings aren’t immune when oil shipments from the Middle East are constrained.

Like many soft toys, the creatures developed by a manufacturer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are made with polyester and acrylic, synthetic fibers derived from petroleum. Three weeks after the war started, suppliers in China notified Aleni Brands that getting the materials already was costing them 10% to 15% more, CEO Ricardo Venegas said.

“I think this situation demonstrates how much oil permeates throughout our system, and we can’t get away from it,” said Venegas, who founded Aleni Brands last year and is in the process of adding product lines. “Who would have thought that the price of a toy would have a direct relationship with oil?”

Wide range of items affected

It’s not just toys. Petrochemicals derived from oil and natural gas go into making more than 6,000 consumer products, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Computer keyboards, lipstick, tennis rackets, pajamas, soft contact lenses, detergent, chewing gum, shoes, crayons, shaving cream, pillows, aspirin, dentures, tape, umbrellas and nylon guitar strings are just a few of them.

The war is also threatening the world’s supply of helium and aluminum, key materials used in products such as semiconductor chips, medical equipment and other everyday goods.

So far, the war’s most tangible and immediate effect for many people outside the conflict zone has been spiking gasoline prices. Travelers also are seeing higher airfares and flight fees as airlines respond to the rising cost of jet fuel. Consumers may find themselves paying more for food, furniture or any of the myriad of goods transported by trucks that run on diesel.

But crude oil isn’t just refined as fuel. It gets turned into chemicals, waxes, oils and other mixtures that appear in a vast array of everyday items, including most made with plastic and rubber. Petroleum derivatives also are used in a lot of packaging. With disruptions to global oil supplies now in their eighth week, higher production costs also could make things more expensive for shoppers, according to trade groups and some companies.

Venegas, a 30-year toy industry veteran, said he would absorb higher material costs for now but expects to increase prices for customers by early 2027 if the war goes on another three to six months.

While 85% of global oil consumption is in the form of fuel, the rest goes into a wide range of consumer products, according to Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia University’s School of Business.

The science involved

Crude oil is mostly a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, which are compounds made of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Refineries and chemical plants separate and break them down to convert them into smaller chemical building blocks known as petrochemicals.

Six petrochemicals – ethylene, propylene, butylene, benzene, toluene and xylenes – are the major foundations of plastics and synthetic materials like nylon and polyesters, which manufacturers in turn use to design and deliver products. More from the Department of Energy: Automobile parts, ballpoint pens, curtains, dice, eyeglasses, fertilizer, golf balls, hearing aids, insect repellant, kayaks, luggage, mops and nail polish.

Materials account for a big share of production costs for many manufacturers, including those that supply carpets, clothing and tires, according to Andrew Walberer, partner and global lead in the chemicals practice of global strategy and management consultancy Kearney.

Take a button-down shirt, for example. Walberer estimated that materials account for 27%-30% of how much it costs a manufacturer to make one. Labor costs contribute 10% to 30%. Business expenses tied to marketing, distribution and administration comprises the rest, he said.

Experts say if oil holds above $90 per barrel for the next several months, cost pressures will accelerate throughout the supply network.

Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America CEO Matt Priest said most of the trade organization’s members keep a two- to three-month inventory of finished products, providing a temporary cushion against higher materials costs.

Roughly 70% of the materials in synthetic shoes are petrochemical-based, and 30% of the costs for those materials are directly tied to oil price rate swings, according to a report the organization published last month on the U.S. footwear industry’s “exposure to oil prices & the impact on shoe costs.”

The FDRA analysis estimated that between materials, factory energy and transportation, companies paying more for petroleum could translate into a 1.5% to 3% increase in the price shoppers pay for a pair of shoes by late summer and the fall.

By the end of April, U.S. shoe and clothing manufacturers need to start signing contracts with suppliers, mostly outside the U.S., for orders of polyester staple fiber and polyester filament yarn to get their designs on retail shelves and online for the holiday shopping season, according to Nate Herman, executive vice president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association.

One kilogram, or a little over two pounds, of the materials used in polyester textiles, has increased in price from an average of 90 cents before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran to $1.33 per kilogram, Herman said. He estimated that each garment will cost 10 cents to 15 cents more to produce as a result.

Trying to shield consumers

Some businesses are looking for ways to offset rising costs.

Lisa Lane is the founder of Rinseroo, which sells portable shower head, bathtub and sink attachments for cleaning, pet grooming, and bathing. She recently tripled the number of the slip-on hoses she procures from China each month after her manufacturer said the cost would be 30% higher in another 30 days. She had a few days to decide whether to place a three-month advance order.

The components of Rinseroo’s products include petroleum derivatives like polyvinyl chloride, Lane said. After purchasing 240,000 units instead of her usual 80,000, she is also evaluating cost-cutting options.

Lane said she wants to hold off on increasing prices for retailers that sell the attachments since Rinseroo did that last year to offset higher U.S. tariffs on imports from China. For example, a hose for washing pets in a bathtub went up to $33.95 from $29.95 on retail websites, she said.

“We want to stay at that sweet spot where people want to continue to buy from us and feel like they’re getting a good value,” Lane said.

Another company, which sells wound care products like bandages, dressings, pads and sponges to nursing homes and other medical facilities, plans to raise its prices by 15% in a matter of weeks. Gentell CEO David Navazio noted that adhesives in the products rely on several petrochemicals.

Including energy for production and materials, Navazio estimated the company’s costs are going up by 20%.

Gentell, which is based in Yardley, Pennsylvania but has its main manufacturing location in Toronto, also makes private label products for other companies, including a medical technology firm that supplies retail stores like CVS.

Because bandages and dressings are necessities, Navazio said he doesn’t think his business will suffer if it raises customer prices. Less certain is whether prices will come down once the war ends and oil shipments stabilize.

“In the past, I’ve seen transportation costs come down, but I’ve never seen prices of raw material come down,” he said.