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Maps show forecast for extreme heat wave scorching the West

2026-03-18T14:24:00-0400 / CBS News

A long-duration heat wave is taking shape over the western half of the U.S. and forecast to stick around in the days ahead.

A high pressure system in place over the West is keeping precipitation out, which is also allowing for record heat across a large region. Triple-digit temperatures are forecast in the Desert Southwest but cities even closer to the Pacific Ocean could see unseasonably high temperatures.

A heat wave is taking shape over the western U.S. CBS News

More than 600 record-breaking temperatures are expected through the first half of next week for daily highs and overnight lows. Some daily temperatures are forecast to break century-old records in some major cities like in Phoenix.

A heat wave is taking shape over the western U.S. CBS News

For Wednesday, Phoenix is forecast to see its earliest 100-degree day on record. The current such record was set on March 26, 1988.

A heat wave is taking shape over the western U.S. CBS News

Record keeping in the “Valley of the Sun” has been reported since 1896.

What is a heat wave, technically?

A heat wave is defined as a period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days. The temperatures also must be outside the historical average for a given area. For instance, a 100-degree temperature is pretty typical in Phoenix during the summer but before the official start to spring would be classified as a heat wave.

Extreme heat warnings and heat advisories are in effect through at least Sunday across the Southwest and could possibly be extended. These alerts are in effect for major cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson.

A heat wave is taking shape over the western U.S. CBS News

Heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer compared to all of other weather phenomena combined (tornadoes, flooding, lightning, etc). If you have to be outside for extended periods of time, drink plenty of water, take breaks in shade or inside an air-conditioned building, and limit any strenuous activities.

Hot car deaths of young children also rise during heat waves and this could be a cause for concern well before the summer months when it is more common.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/heat-wave-hits-southwest-and-west-as-dozens-of-record-highs-are-set/

House GOP slams Democrats for reviving ‘defund the police’ at border amid shutdown | Fox News

By Elizabeth Elkind, Adam Pack | Fox News
Published March 18, 2026 3:00pm EDT

EXCLUSIVE: A senior House GOP leader is accusing Democrats of reviving their controversial push to “defund the police” with their latest bid to circumvent funding for law enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., called the progressive slogan “one of the dumbest ideas in the history of politics” in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“The American people lambasted them, and they moved on for a little while, but they came back to it, and they’re trying it again,” Scalise said. “We’re not going to let them do it. And by the way, we’re at a heightened level of threat — this is when everybody should be coming together and making sure that the Department of Homeland Security has all the tools they need to keep Americans safe.”

[Image 43: placeholder]

Democratic leaders announced on Wednesday that they would move to force a vote on legislation to fund all of DHS except for agencies that aid in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. It comes as the ongoing partial government shutdown, only affecting DHS, has gone on for over a month with no end in sight.

[DEM SENATORS IN THE HOT SEAT AS REPUBLICANS RIP THEIR DHS VOTE AMID TERROR THREATS: ‘UNDER ATTACK’]

[Image 44: Steve Scalise and Hakeem Jeffries]

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is accusing Democrats of trying to defund the police again.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

“If you look, they fund everything except the law enforcement side, which is defunding the police. So here they go again. Democrats, for some reason, just hate law enforcement,” Scalise said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Democrats are filing a discharge petition on a bill to fund all of DHS except immigration enforcement on Wednesday. A discharge petition is a mechanism to force a vote on legislation over the objections of House leadership, provided the measure in question has support from a majority of House lawmakers.

“We can fund [the Transportation Security Administration], fund the Coast Guard, fund our cybersecurity professionals or continue to allow ICE to brutalize and in some cases kill American citizens or to violently target law-abiding immigrant families,” Jeffries told reporters.

It would need some GOP support to reach that threshold under current numbers. Scalise would not say whether he anticipated it getting that support, but he was skeptical that it would unite all House Democrats.

“Frankly, there should be Democrats that don’t want to be a part of that, that don’t wanna be associated with defunding the police again. They touched the stove and got burned a few years ago. Are they really gonna be stupid enough to make that same mistake again?” he said.

[Image 45: Defund the Police painted on road]

People walk in Washington, D.C., after “Defund The Police” was painted on the street near the White House on June 8, 2020.(Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

[Image 46: placeholder]

The infamous three-word slogan made headlines in 2020 amid nationwide racial justice protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis.

Progressives across the country demanded that their governments withhold funding from police departments if they did not radically change their standards, while some on the far-left called to abolish law enforcement altogether.

But it quickly became unpopular with the majority of Americans, who were concerned it would lead to nationwide policies that led to more crime across towns and cities.

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., famously said the movement was “dead” in 2022 and said “defund the police” is “not the position of the Democratic Party.”

[CORNYN BLASTS ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ DEMOCRAT FOR HOLDING TSA AGENTS ‘HOSTAGE’ DURING AIRPORT CLASH]

Democrats faced significant losses in the midterms that year, with Republicans winning back control of the House of Representatives.

But Republicans are arguing that Democratic leaders are mounting that push once more in their efforts to partially fund DHS.

[Image 47: placeholder]

Their proposal would mean that both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are both left unfunded, agencies that Republicans argue are responsible for law enforcement that’s critical to national security.

[Image 48: U.S. Capitol building]

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2024.(Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed out during a Tuesday press conference that CBP is the largest federal law enforcement agency in the country.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

“Customs and Border Protection plays an irreplaceable role in our national security framework. This is not a game. Our CBP agents stand on the front lines. They protect our nation against transnational crime, drug and child trafficking, and terrorist threats before they reach our communities,” Johnson said.

“The law enforcement agencies that are part of the Department of Homeland Security are what they’re targeting. Democrats refuse to [reopen TSA and FEMA] and the Coast Guard and these other critical functions of government unless they can reopen our borders to illegal aliens.”

Both ICE and CBP’s responsibilities extend beyond border security as well.

ICE is responsible for investigating transnational crimes, including terrorism, narcotics smuggling, and international gang activity. CBP also has its own counterterrorism responsibilities, along with its duties to facilitate lawful travel into the U.S. and combat transnational crime.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

Vance to meet with oil trade group, acknowledges ‘rough road ahead’ on gas prices

March 18, 2026 5:35 PM UTC / Reuters

By Bo Erickson and Jarrett Renshaw

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U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to mebers of the media as he travels to Michigan, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Elizabeth Frantz/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Energy Secretary Chris ​Wright will meet on Thursday with the American Petroleum Institute, the ‌nation’s largest oil trade group, as the Trump administration looks to ease rising gas prices.

In the third week of the Iran war, Vance told reporters in Michigan on Wednesday the administration ​will announce a “couple of things” in the next 24 to 48 hours ​to address gas prices, now up 92 cents on average nationwide compared ⁠to last month, according to travel analyst AAA.

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At a manufacturing facility in Auburn ​Hills, Michigan, Vance spoke about higher gas prices and said there is a “rough ​road ahead of us for the next few weeks, but it’s temporary.”

An API spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that Vance, Wright, lawmakers and governors would meet on Thursday to discuss energy markets amid ​rising global volatility.

“Our industry is focused on providing insight into market dynamics and ​strengthening American energy leadership and resilience for the long term,” the spokesperson said.

Oil prices surged ‌higher after ⁠Iran’s major gas field, Pars, was hit on Wednesday in the first reported strikes on Iran’s Gulf energy infrastructure. Markets have also been rattled by threats to shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane near Iran, where tankers face ​the risk of mines.

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Tehran ​said it would ⁠retaliate throughout the Gulf for the gas field strike, which could potentially cause prices to go even higher for consumers.

The Trump ​administration is acutely aware that higher costs for Americans at ​the pump ⁠could hurt Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections, when the party hopes to keep control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress.

“We know they’re up, and we ⁠know that ​people are hurting because of it, and we’re ​doing everything that we can to ensure that they stay lower,” Vance told the Michigan crowd.

Reporting by ​Bo Erickson and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Michelle Nichols, Colleen Jenkins and Diane Craft

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Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady, citing elevated economic uncertainty

2026-03-18T14:03:00-0400 / CBS News

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, marking the central bank’s second consecutive pause in 2026. In its policy statement, the Fed said U.S. economic uncertainty remains elevated, adding that the impact of the Iran war also remains unclear.

The Fed maintained the federal funds rate — what banks charge each other for short-term loans — in its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. The decision to keep rates steady was widely expected by investors.

Rate cuts still on the table?

Fed officials indicated they still expect to cut their key rate once in 2026, the same projection as in December. By keeping their forecast for a rate cut this year and next, policymakers appear to expect that the spike in energy prices from the Iran war will have a transitory effect on inflation and the economy.

The central bank is facing a murkier economic outlook for the U.S., with the Iran war causing energy prices to spike and threatening to drive up inflation. Before the start of the war on February 28, economists had penciled in the next rate cut for the Fed’s June meeting, but the probability of that happening is now seen as slim, according to CME FedWatch, which monitors trader sentiment.

“The Fed is choosing to look through the fog of conflict, for now. A dual mandate Federal Reserve is not going to rock the interest rate boat during a supply shock,” said Jamie Cox, managing partner for Harris Financial Group, in an email after the Fed’s decision.

Maintaining the projection of one additional cut in 2026 is a “positive note,” said Matt Stucky, chief portfolio manager, equities at Northwestern Mutual, in an email. He added, “The Fed seems willing to tolerate some ‘transitory’ energy inflation and resume cuts later in the year.”

Inflation expected to rise

The Fed, which also released fresh economic forecasts on Wednesday, said it now expects slightly hotter inflation this year than when it last made its projections in December. Officials now expect inflation to reach an annual rate of 2.7% by the end of 2026, up from its prior estimate of 2.4%.

Fed officials expect core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, to also finish the year at 2.7%, up from a previous forecast of 2.5%.

In a Wednesday afternoon press conference to discuss the rate decision, Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that the economic hit from the Iran war remains unclear, including the impact on consumers, who are now facing sharply higher gas prices and who could eventually cut back spending on other areas.

“The thing I want to emphasize is nobody knows,” Powell said. “If we have a long period of much higher gas prices, that will weigh on consumption, but we don’t know if that will happen.”

Signals suggest that inflation remained sticky even before the Iran war drove up energy prices this month. On Wednesday, the Labor Department reported that its producer price index, which measures inflation before it hits consumers, rose 3.4% in February on an annual basis. That increase — the largest in a year — was hotter than expected by economists.

“This isn’t the kind of PPI report the Fed wants to see,” Nationwide Financial Markets economist Oren Klachkin said in an email. “This report suggests inflation was going to accelerate even before the Iranian conflict hit.”

At the same time, the labor market is also facing headwinds. The U.S. shed 92,000 jobs in February, a sharp and unexpected setback after economists had forecast a gain of 60,000 jobs.

Powell’s outlook

At his press conference, Powell noted that the economy has sailed through recent headwinds with resilience, and added that he believes the economy is “doing pretty well,” despite the uncertainty around inflation, the Iran war and the job market.

Powell added that he intends to remain on the Fed’s board of governors until a Department of Justice investigation is resolved. Powell’s term as Fed chair ends in May, although he can continue as an FOMC member through January 2028.

“I have no intention of leaving the board until the investigation is well and fully over,” he said.

Last week, a judge quashed a pair of grand jury subpoenas sent to the Fed as part of a criminal probe into building renovations by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office, saying they were a pretext to pressure Powell into supporting lower interest rates or resigning. Pirro said she would appeal the decision.

President Trump has repeatedly called on Powell to cut rates, a sentiment he again voiced on Wednesday in a social media post asking, “When is “Too Late” Powell lowering INTEREST RATES?”

In January, Mr. Trump nominated former Fed official Kevin Warsh to replace Powell as chair. Warsh still requires Senate confirmation to step into the role, and Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, has said he will oppose any Fed nominees while the DOJ continues its investigation.

If his successor isn’t confirmed before the end of his term in May, Powell said he will serve as pro tem chair until Warsh can step into the role.

“That is what the law calls for,” he said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-rising-diesel-price-may-affect-inflation-amid-iran-war/

Labor leader Dolores Huerta says she was assaulted by Cesar Chavez as allegations of abuse emerge

March 18, 2026 / 1:11 PM EDT / CBS News

[Labor leader Dolores Huerta] appeared to corroborate allegations of abuse against young women or minors by the late Cesar Chavez on Wednesday, [writing in a statement] that she had two non-consensual “sexual encounters” with him that ended in pregnancy.

The allegations of abuse by Chavez, himself a union and civil rights leader, were [first reported by the New York Times] on Wednesday morning. Chavez and Huerta were co-founders of the National Farm Workers Association in the 1960s. The group later became the United Farm Workers union, which still represents nearly 5,000 farm workers. Chavez died in 1993. Huerta remains active in politics.

Huerta, 95, [wrote] that she kept the assaults secret because she “believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.” The investigation and the allegations shared within it inspired her to share her experiences, she said.

“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to achieve and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way,” Huerta wrote. “I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights.”

Cesar Chavez in September 1974. Les Lee / Express / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Huerta said that she was “manipulated and pressured into having sex” with Chavez, and felt she could not say no “because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to.”

“The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped,” Huerta wrote. “I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret.”

Huerta did not specify when the encounters occurred, except to describe herself as a “young mother in the 1960s,” when she would have been in her 30s.

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Huerta said both instances led to pregnancies, which she carried and delivered in secret. She “arranged for (the children) to be raised by other families that could give them stable lives” after they were born, she said. Huerta said that she has developed a relationship with those children, but that “no one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.”

Huerta said that the allegations against Chavez sicken her and that her “heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years.” She also wrote that “there are no words strong enough to condemn” Chavez’s “deplorable actions.”

Dolores Huerta outside the Texas Capitol on August 16, 2025. Brandon Bell / Getty Images

“I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control. … I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.”

Huerta said that the allegations against Chavez “do not reflect the values of our community and our movement” and said that she believed the “farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual.” The Dolores Huerta Foundation website includes resources for sexual assault survivors.

The UFW said that it is distancing itself from Chavez, and abstaining from participating in Cesar Chavez Day activities, which celebrate his birthday. It is a [formal holiday in California], Utah, Arizona and Washington. The union called the allegations against him “crushing,” [CBS Sacramento reported].

The Cesar Chavez Foundation said that it is “deeply shocked and saddened” by the allegations, and working with the UFW to respond, according to CBS Sacramento.

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned Wednesday that a projectile strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant risked crossing the “reddest line” of nuclear safety, as fighting between the U.S., Israel and Iran intensifies.

A direct hit on an operating nuclear reactor like Bushehr could trigger a severe radiological incident, even as a recent strike caused no apparent damage to the plant’s core systems, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said.

“An accident on an operating nuclear power plant would be something very, very serious,” Grossi told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “This is the reddest line of all that you have in nuclear safety.”

“The possibility of dispersion in the atmosphere of radioactivity is very high if you get to the core of the reactor,” he added.

A projectile struck part of the Bushehr nuclear power plant complex in recent days, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, marking the closest known impact on an operating reactor since the conflict began. It remains unclear what caused the strike or who was responsible.

Grossi said the impact appears to have hit a smaller structure within the facility’s broader premises — possibly a laboratory or auxiliary building — and did not affect the reactor itself or cause any reported casualties.

He noted that nuclear power plants are large compounds that include administrative buildings and support infrastructure beyond the reactor itself, increasing the likelihood that a strike could hit the site without directly damaging the core.

Grossi said the agency has not conducted an on-site inspection, noting that “independent” verification would require being physically present, but said available imagery suggests the damage is not significant.

But he stressed the risks would be far more severe if the reactor were struck.

Unlike other nuclear facilities, an operating reactor contains a live core undergoing nuclear fission, meaning a direct strike could release large amounts of radioactive material into the environment.

Grossi said there is broad international understanding that nuclear power plants should not be targeted during conflict, even as recent strikes have come dangerously close to sensitive nuclear infrastructure.

Iran blamed the United States and Israel for the strike, though the claim has not been independently verified.

U.S. officials have not confirmed involvement, and Israel’s military said it was not aware of any such strike.

Trump hasn’t made up his mind on sending Americans into Iran to seize nuclear material, sources say

March 18, 2026 / 1:40 PM EDT / CBS News

President Trump hasn’t made up his mind yet on whether he wants to send American forces into Iran and seize the country’s nuclear material, which would be a very dangerous operation, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

In private conversations, he has told people close to him: “I have a lot of decisions to make.”

The Pentagon has prepared multiple options for the president as potential next steps in the Iran war.

After the U.S. military strikes on three nuclear sites last summer, the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog, said it could not account for an estimated 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium Iran had before the strikes.

Mr. Trump believes Iran’s military assets are dramatically degraded — with their navy and air force essentially gone — but he is concerned about Iran’s capability to plant mines, two of the sources told CBS News. He thinks Iranians can gum up oil shipping in the Strait of Hormuz because the mine-laying operations take only three or so people.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said it was unclear if Iran had begun laying mines or not. He told reporters, “We don’t even know if there are any mines there, but if there are, you know, we’d like to have a little help in finding them.”

Another problem: The White House doesn’t know who is currently in primary Iranian leadership roles. Mr. Trump has said it’s essentially a “rogue” situation, the sources said.

Asked if the White House can declare the war effort a success if the U.S. doesn’t retrieve Iran’s nuclear material, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday: “Look, that’s something the president has refused to comment on. It’s an option on the table for him, but I’m not going to comment on it or take it off the table.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said Wednesday he doubts the nuclear program can be destroyed militarily – because it’s a vast program built over the decades and scattered across a number of facilities. “Iran is a very big country with sophisticated industrial base,” Grossi told reporters.

Grossi also emphasized that after combat ends it would be in all parties’ interest to resume diplomatic negotiations to address concerns about the nuclear program.

Satellite imagery appears to show Iran has covered the tunnel entrances to one of the nuclear sites with large amounts of dirt, according to David Albright, a nuclear expert and head of the Institute for Science and International Security. That means any military operation to get to the highly enriched uranium could require more time on the ground.

The weight of the thick cylinders holding the highly enriched uranium could vary depending on how much each one holds, Albright said during a presentation he gave last week on the institute’s work. If it holds 25 kilograms, the cylinder could weigh about 100 pounds with the solid casing to prevent any leaks.

In the meantime, Iran continues to threaten attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. A British Maritime Security agency has received reports of 15 attacks since the start of the mission, primarily from “unknown projectiles.” Tankers passing through the strait have to weigh the risk of missiles, drones, and potentially explosive naval sea mines.

The U.S. Navy began to decommission some of its ships specifically designed to counter mines a few years ago in favor of repackaging its littoral combat ships with mine countermeasure systems.

Recently, four of the decommissioned ships were transported out of the Middle East. In response to a question about whether the service is considering recommissioning those ships, a Navy official told CBS News that there are no plans to bring them back.

“The Navy’s current surface platform for executing counter-mine warfare operations is the Littoral Combat Ship equipped with the mine countermeasures mission package,” the official said. The package has “manned and unmanned systems designed to locate, identify, and neutralize sea mines, at a safer distance from minefields” than the older minesweeping ships.

Other countries, including in Europe, have designated minesweepers, which Mr. Trump pointed out this week when he criticized them for not joining a coalition to open the strait.

“You would have thought they would have said, we’d love to send a couple of minesweepers,” Mr. Trump said on Tuesday. “It’s not a big deal. Doesn’t cost very much money, but they didn’t do that.”

Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.

US airport security absences decline slightly as shutdown continues

March 18, 2026 7:42 PM UTC / Reuters

TSA agents work at a security checkpoint at Ronald Reagan International Airport in Arlington, Virginia., U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz/File Photo

• Summary
• Companies

• TSA absences at major airports remain high, impacting operations
• Airlines urge quick resolution as spring travel season begins
• Potential shutdown of smaller airports due to staff shortages
• TSA officer absences peaked at 10.2% on Tuesday
• Airlines face potential ​disruptions similar to last fall’s 43-day shutdown

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – Absences by Transportation Security Administration security officers at airports fell slightly on Tuesday to 9.9% as a partial government shutdown hit its 33rd day and long lines were reported at a number of major airports, the ​government said on Wednesday.

The funding standoff has forced 50,000 Transportation Security Administration airport security officers to ​work without pay for the last month, and since Sunday around 10% of them ⁠are failing to show for work daily.

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

On Tuesday, around 30% of TSA officers did not show up ​at New York JFK, Pittsburgh and Houston Bush and 40% at Houston Hobby, the Homeland Security Department said.

​The partial government shutdown has disrupted travel at times and prompted CEOs of the nation’s largest airlines to call for a quick end as spring break travel is in full swing.

Typically, under 2% of TSA workers call in sick or ​do not report to work, DHS said, and hit a high of 10.2% on Tuesday.

Some airports ​have closed a number of security checkpoints and others are working to raise money to help TSA workers buy food ‌or other ⁠essentials as they go without pay.

On Tuesday, a top TSA official warned the agency may be forced to shut down some smaller airports in the coming weeks owing to a shortage of security personnel.

“As the weeks continue, if this continues, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports – ​particularly smaller ones if callout ​rates go up,” Acting ⁠Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.”

DHS said 366 TSA officers have left during the shutdown. On Sunday and Monday, absences spiked over ​50% in Houston and more than 30% in New Orleans and Atlanta, with ​travelers sometimes ⁠enduring lines for two hours or longer.

Last fall, a 43-day government shutdown led to widespread flight disruptions and the FAA ordered a 10% flight cut at major airports. “Once again air travel is the political football amid another government ⁠shutdown,” the ​CEOs wrote.

DHS funding lapsed on February 13 after Congress failed to ​reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms demanded by Democrats.

Airlines are expecting a record-breaking spring travel period, with 171 million passengers expected ​to fly, up 4% from the same two-month period last year.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese

节点运行失败

House Democrats try to force vote to fund DHS, but not ICE and CBP

March 18, 2026 / 1:19 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — House Democrats are attempting to force a vote on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, but not federal immigration enforcement, as the partial government shutdown stretches into its second month.

Democrats introduced a discharge petition Wednesday to try to circumvent Republican leaders and bring legislation to the floor to fund the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Coast Guard and Secret Service through September.

The underlying bill, introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Office of the Secretary.

Federal workers at the agencies have missed paychecks and TSA has seen unscheduled absences more than double among airport security officers since the shutdown began.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, unveiled the strategy in a letter to his caucus on Monday, saying the party would continue to demand reforms to immigration enforcement.

It’s unclear if Democrats will be able to convince at least four Republicans to join their effort, though Jeffries was bullish. The discharge petition needs 218 signatures to force a floor vote.

“We’ve repeatedly won discharge petitions, and if it comes to it, we’re going to win this one as well,” Jeffries told reporters Monday, referencing forced votes on legislation to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, restore collective bargaining rights for federal workers and save the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits.

“Democrats are taking matters into our own hands,” DeLauro said at a news conference Wednesday, calling on Republicans to cross the aisle to support the discharge petition. “Please join us in this effort.”

House Republicans on Tuesday doubted Jeffries’ gambit would be successful, noting that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act pumped billions in additional funding into immigration-related agencies, which is expected to last through the remainder of President Trump’s term.

“I don’t think he’s going to get the Republicans to sign on to that,” GOP Rep. Keith Self of Texas said. “ICE is funded. That’s the ludicrousy of this.”

The House has twice passed legislation to fund DHS through September, but the Senate has repeatedly failed to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the funding. Efforts by Senate Democrats to pass measures to fund DHS operations unrelated to immigration enforcement have been blocked by Republicans.

House Republicans say passing DHS funding is necessary, citing heightened security concerns stemming from the escalating war in Iran, as well as severe weather across the U.S., but they have opposed splitting immigration funding from the broader legislation.

Since federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January, Democrats have remained firm in their demands for reforms, which include requiring immigration agents to wear body cameras and identification, banning them from wearing masks and mandating judicial warrants for arrests on private property.

The White House and Senate Democrats have been going back and forth with counterproposals since early February, with Democrats sending their latest offer to the White House Monday.

In a letter Tuesday to Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Katie Britt of Alabama, who have been involved in the negotiations, the White House said it had made several proposals to Democrats in its previous counteroffer. The offer included expanded use of body cameras, limiting civil immigration enforcement activities at schools and hospitals and requiring officers to wear visible identification.

“The Democrats have once again responded with a counter offer that does not indicate the seriousness that this moment needs,” a White House official said in a call with reporters Tuesday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday that the White House hasn’t budged on masks and warrants.

“They’ve got to get serious,” he said.

Kaia Hubbard contributed to this report.

Trump waives Jones Act shipping restrictions in latest bid to ease gas prices

PUBLISHED Mar 18, 2026, 1:23 PM ET / CNN

By Adam Cancryn

1 hr 49 min ago

Oil tankers sit anchored off the coast of Seal Beach in California, on March 17.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The White House is temporarily lifting key limits on the shipping of oil, gas and other commodities throughout the United States, in its latest effort to counter rising energy prices sparked by its war with Iran.

The move to waive the Jones Act will allow foreign-flagged ships to transport the commodities between US ports for the next 60 days, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X. That could ease the flow of energy products throughout the country amid the US’ ongoing efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days,” Leavitt wrote on X.

The waiver of the act – which requires goods transported between US ports be carried by US-flagged ships – was among several options under consideration by Trump administration officials over the last week as they scrambled for ways to alleviate a supply crunch that has pushed global oil prices sharply higher and raised the cost of gasoline in the US.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the first days of the war, sealing off a critical waterway that handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Trump officials have offered no firm timeline for breaking the impasse, with the strait still considered too treacherous for ships to traverse even after days of attacks aimed at degrading Iran’s offensive capabilities.

A coalition of 32 nations, including the US, agreed last week to release a record amount of oil from their respective strategic reserves, in an effort to bolster global supplies. The US has also temporarily lifted certain sanctions on Russian oil that were imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, allowing countries to purchase oil that is already at sea without facing penalties.

The Jones Act waiver, which marks the administration’s latest effort to ease the situation, will allow a wider array of tankers to move oil around the country.

Yet while energy analysts have projected that the move could help ease the prices somewhat in the short term, it will have only limited effect compared with the size of the shock to the market triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“It represents a very small part of the energy distribution network, but any steps to help reduce prices right now are welcome,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

The waiver also prompted criticism from US shippers, with the American Maritime Partnership warning that it “will not reduce gas prices.”

“We are deeply concerned about this 60-day, broad waiver being abused and unnecessarily displacing American workers and American companies,” the partnership, which represents the US maritime industry, said in a statement.

The move didn’t shift sentiment in the oil market. US crude rose 1.5% to around $97 a barrel, and Brent crude, the international benchmark, gained 5% to nearly $109 a barrel.

US gas prices in the meantime have also spiked, increasing 86 cents per gallon on average since the war began, according to data from AAA. The surge has wiped out all the progress that the administration made to lower gas prices in its first year, further denting President Donald Trump’s efforts to alleviate voters’ anxiety over the cost of living.

“Gas prices are up, and we know they’re up, and we know that people are hurting because of it,” Vice President JD Vance said in Michigan on Wednesday, before downplaying it as a “temporary blip.”

“It’s not going to last forever,” he said. “We’re going to take care of business.”