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Trump working to clean ‘filthy’ Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, blames Biden for maintenance delays

April 1, 2026 2:41pm EDT / Fox News

Trump admin new beautification push for National Mall as America 250 celebrations begin

By Louis Casiano Fox News

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was working to clean up the “filthy” Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, blaming the Biden administration for neglecting the Washington, D.C., landmark.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was working with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on the project, the latest in a series of beautification initiatives targeted by the Trump administration.

SEWAGE SPILL SENDS E COLI SURGING IN THE POTOMAC RIVER NEAR DC

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at the Reflecting Pool in Washington D.C. President Donald Trump has vowed to clean the pool.(Interior Secretary Doug Burgum)

“Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and I are working on fixing the absolutely filthy Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument,” Trump wrote.

“This work was supposed to be done by the Biden Administration, but Sleepy Joe doesn’t know what ‘CLEAN’ or proper maintenance is — The President and Secretary do!” he added.

Burgum confirmed the project on X.

TRUMP TELLS MEXICO TO FIX CROSS-BORDER SEWAGE PROBLEM FLOWING INTO US COMMUNITIES ‘IMMEDIATELY’

The “Super-Scrubber” at the Reflecting Pool in Washington D.C.(National Parks Service)

“Unlike the Biden administration, @POTUS knows how to get things done! @Interior is working to Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful! Proud to work with you on this important task, Mr. President,” he wrote in a post accompanied by images of himself at the pool.

In 2022, the National Parks Service posted a video on X showing a “Super-Scrubber” and vacuum cleaning the pool area.

“Our facilities team cleaning up a year’s worth of trash, algae, and goose poop in the Reflecting Pool,” the post read.

People join hands as they pose for a photo in the Reflecting Pool in the shadow of the Washington Monument.(AP)

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The pool is drained and cleaned once per year before being refilled with water. Fox News Digital has reached out to the NPS and Interior Department.

On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered Trump to halt construction of his ambitious White House ballroom project. The ruling came amid a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued the project required congressional authorization before moving forward.

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.

US farmers to plant less corn as Iran war spikes fertilizer prices

2026-04-01 16:47:11 UTC / Reuters

By Tom Polansek

April 1, 2026 4:47 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

节点运行失败

Corn is harvested from a field in Roachdale, Indiana, U.S. October 29, 2019. REUTERS/Bryan Woolston/File Photo

• USDA publishes first survey-based US plantings estimates
• Iran war hikes prices for fertilizer needed for planting corn
• Analysts say survey does not fully reflect war impact
• USDA may cut corn planting estimate later, analysts say

CHICAGO, March 31 (Reuters) – U.S. farmers plan to plant less corn and more soybeans in 2026 than ​last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, as the Iran war drives up fertilizer and fuel prices in the latest blow to ‌the struggling agricultural sector.

The agency published on Tuesday its first survey-based crop acreage estimate of the year in a prospective plantings report, along with quarterly U.S. grain stocks data.

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

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Analysts cautioned that plantings estimates, gleaned from farmer surveys conducted in the first half of March, could not fully account for disruptions and price impacts caused by the war. As a result, the agency may further reduce its ​estimate for corn acreage, they said.

USDA, which has struggled for years to get farmers to respond to surveys, faced criticism over the reliability of its data ​this year after making unprecedented increases to corn acreage estimates for the 2025 crop. The response rate to its March agricultural ⁠survey was 37.6%, down from 44.3% last year and the lowest for that survey, the agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said on X.

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“Because of what’s happening in ​the fertilizer market, and the timing of when the survey went out, this is probably the highest number in planted acreage we’ll see in corn this year,” said Jake ​Hanley, managing director and senior portfolio specialist at Teucrium Trading.

Corn and wheat require more costly fertilizer, making them less attractive for growers to plant than soybeans with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran cutting off critical nitrogen supplies from the Gulf to the world’s farmers.

Spiking fertilizer costs are the latest hurdle for farmers grappling with weak grain prices, rising bills for other inputs and uncertainty over ​China’s demand for U.S. crops. A trade war launched by the Trump administration last year dramatically disrupted U.S. soybean export sales to China, the world’s largest importer.

HURDLES ​FOR FARMERS

Farmers intend to plant 95.338 million acres of corn this year, down from 98.788 million acres in 2025, and 84.7 million acres of soybeans, up from 81.215 million acres last ‌year, USDA ⁠said.

Analysts expected disruptions from the Iran conflict to curb corn acreage even further. They pegged corn plantings at 94.371 million acres in a Reuters poll and soybean plantings at 85.549 million acres.

USDA’s lower-than-expected estimate for soy acres rallied soybean futures .

For wheat, farmers planted 43.775 million acres for harvest this year, which was down from 45.328 million acres last year and the lowest since records began in 1919, USDA data showed. Analysts expected 44.786 million acres.

Most Midwest farmers grow corn and soybeans, alternating what is planted on each ​field every year to preserve soil ​health. Some acres can break from the ⁠traditional rotation if growers see an opportunity to turn a better profit or lose less money.

U.S. net farm income is forecast to turn lower this year despite near-record government aid payments, marking the fourth straight year of tight margins, high production costs ​and low commodity prices.

GRAIN STOCKS RISE

Farm groups have urged Congress to approve additional aid for crop growers as the repercussions ​of the Iran war ⁠rattle the broader economy. President Donald Trump’s administration is already distributing $12 billion to farmers after his trade dispute with China hurt U.S. soybean sales.

U.S. stocks of corn, soybeans and wheat as of March 1 were up from a year ago, USDA said, reflecting ample supplies after bumper harvests and trade disruptions last year.

U.S. corn stocks reached 9.024 billion bushels ⁠as of ​March 1, compared to 8.147 billion bushels a year earlier and analysts’ expectations of 9.104 billion bushels.

Plentiful ​inventories weigh on prices for crop farmers and ease costs for livestock producers and biofuel manufacturers.

“There’s plenty of corn right now to be had,” Hanley said. “But all the elements right now are building that ​the risk is to the upside here.”

Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago, Additional reporting by PJ Huffstutter and Heather Schlitz in Chicago, Editing by Deepa Babington and Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

American commandos join Ecuadorian troops in mission targeting alleged narco-terrorists

2026-04-01T13:14:00-0400 / CBS News

Washington — American commandos in recent days joined Ecuadorian troops in a joint mission aimed at dismantling a suspected criminal hub operated by an alleged narco-terrorist organization along the country’s coast.

The operation, dubbed Lanza Marina, focused on a compound believed to serve as a staging ground for high-speed boats linked to Los Choneros, a powerful Ecuadorian criminal organization, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The two U.S. officials said the American forces worked in advisory roles, assisting and accompanying their Ecuadorian counterparts as they moved against the site, part of a broader effort to curb trafficking networks that rely on fast-moving maritime routes.

U.S. Southern Command did not immediately respond to a CBS News request for comment.

The Defense Department has historically used several authorities such as security cooperation agreements and train-and-equip programs to allow U.S. special operation forces to support foreign forces. For instance, “127 Echo missions,” referring to 10 U.S.C. § 127e, are commonplace. 127e is the legal authority that allows for the U.S. military to support foreign forces to combat terrorism. While these types of missions are overseen by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, the defense secretary has historically been required to approve these missions and to sign congressional notification letters, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

CBS News exclusively reported last year that President Trump rolled back constraints on American commanders to authorize airstrikes and special operation raids outside conventional battlefields, broadening the range of people who could be targeted. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the reporting by CBS News was accurate.

In early March, the United States and Ecuador launched joint military operations against “designated terrorist organizations” in the South American country amid the U.S. military’s unilateral strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific accused by the Trump administration of smuggling drugs.Strikes against suspected drug smuggling boats began in September 2025 resulting in at least 47 strikes killing about 163 people.

“We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country,” said Marine Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command in a statement last month.

An Ecuadorian soldier looks on during a visit of special envoy of the U.S. Shield of the Americas Program Kristi Noem outside the Carondelet Palace in Quito on March 25, 2026. Rodrigo BUENDIA /AFP via Getty Images

Last year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Los Choneros had been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

The first designation, conferred by the State Department, carries the weight of criminal law and national security doctrine as well as immigration consequences. By contrast, the second designation, which is administered by the Treasury Department, is rooted in financial warfare that targets the economic lifelines of organizations and individuals.

For decades, Los Choneros has exerted a profound influence over the country’s escalating violence, evolving from a regional gang into a sprawling network with international reach.

Formed in the 1990s, the group adopted a decentralized structure more akin to a franchise than a traditional hierarchy, according to the National Counter Terrorism Center. Loosely aligned factions have operated under its name, allowing the organization to expand and adapt even as authorities targeted its leadership.

Beyond the country’s borders, Los Choneros has forged ties with powerful transnational networks, including Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and criminal groups from Albania, enabling it to play a role in global drug trafficking routes. The National Counter Terrorism Center assesses that the organization has approximately 12,000 members and while it primarily operates in Manabi, Ecuador, they also have a presence in at least 10 other Ecuadorian provinces as well as Colombia and Peru.

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

Booker urges Supreme Court to allow Roundup cancer lawsuits to proceed

April 1, 2026 / 2:00 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Democratic Sen. Cory Booker filed a legal brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday backing cancer patients in a high-stakes case that could determine whether thousands of lawsuits over the weedkiller Roundup can proceed — and drawing a direct contrast with the Trump administration’s position.

The filing, known as an amicus brief, supports a plaintiff who alleges Monsanto failed to warn consumers about cancer risks tied to Roundup, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.

The case — Monsanto Company v. John L. Durnell — centers on whether federal law governing pesticide labeling overrides state-level claims that the company did not adequately warn users about potential health risks.

If the court sides with Monsanto, it could significantly limit or block many of the lawsuits brought by people who say long-term exposure to Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. A ruling against the company would allow those cases to continue moving through state courts.

Bayer, Monsanto’s parent company, has paid more than $10 billion to resolve earlier Roundup-related claims and is now pursuing a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to address additional cases.

Monsanto has denied a link between the active ingredient in glyphosate and cancer, saying hundreds of studies have established that glyphosate is safe.

In his brief, Booker argued Monsanto is seeking a “broad federal shield from liability” that it has “repeatedly failed to obtain from elected representatives,” warning the court against stepping in on an issue lawmakers have debated but not resolved.

He also said federal pesticide law, known as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, was designed to set minimum safety standards, not to block state-level lawsuits.

Booker argued those lawsuits serve as a critical mechanism for holding companies accountable, particularly as scientific understanding of potential risks evolves over time.

Booker has also pushed the issue in Congress. In recent years, he has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening accountability for pesticide manufacturers, including a bill that would allow people harmed by pesticides to sue in federal court and another targeting the use of certain harmful chemicals. Both efforts would amend the same federal law at the center of the Supreme Court case.

The case has also drawn in the Trump administration. The Justice Department filed its own brief backing Monsanto, arguing that federal law should preempt state-level failure-to-warn claims because federal regulators have already approved the product’s labeling.

In a statement to CBS News, Monsanto said federal law was designed to create a “uniform, nationwide framework” for pesticide labeling and argued that allowing lawsuits to proceed would create conflicting state standards.

“The security and affordability of the nation’s food supply depend on farmers’ and manufacturers’ ability to rely on the science-based judgments of federal regulators. Clarification from the Court is essential to restore uniformity, certainty, and the rule of law,” Monsanto said.

At the same time, President Trump has moved to boost domestic production of glyphosate, calling it critical to national security and the U.S. food supply, even as litigation over its safety continues.

Booker has also criticized the administration’s approach. In February, he condemned an executive order directing federal agencies to boost production of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, as lawsuits over its potential health risks continue.

Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, has been at the center of a long-running scientific debate. The World Health Organization has classified it as a probable carcinogen, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is not likely to cause cancer when used as directed.

That divide has fueled years of lawsuits, including cases where juries found Monsanto failed to adequately warn users about potential risks. Before serving as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully represented a man dying of cancer in a 2018 lawsuit against Monsanto in which the jury awarded $289 million to the plaintiff.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments April 27, with a decision expected later this term that could shape the future of Roundup litigation and determine whether thousands of claims can move forward.

Trump calls for second ‘big, beautiful bill’ to fund ICE on his desk by June 1

April 1, 2026 2:30pm EDT / Fox News

Sen John Hoeven said Monday the move could lock in immigration enforcement funding for the next 3 years

By Adam Pack Fox News

Rep Jeff Van Drew slams Congress amid DHS shutdown

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., criticized the congressional recess amid the ongoing DHS shutdown and spoke out against Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s proposed reparations for illegal immigrants.

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For 47 days, Democrats have refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without sweeping reforms. President Donald Trump is now considering a move that could make both agencies shutdown-proof for the rest of his second term.

The president is asking top Republicans to draft a budget reconciliation package funding ICE and CBP that could pass both chambers without any Democratic support.

“We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will not allow them to hurt the families of these Great Patriots by defunding them.”

The president added that he wants the legislation on his desk by June 1.

Congressional Republicans are eying their own fixes to Obamacare subsidies, but the Senate and House are diverging in their approaches. Ultimately, President Donald Trump will be the deciding factor.(Getty Images)

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES ERUPT OVER SENATE GOP, WHITE HOUSE DEAL AMID SAVE ACT FIGHT

The budget reconciliation push comes as Republican efforts to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through regular order have stalled in the Senate due to widespread opposition from Democrats.

With the Senate’s 60-vote legislative threshold in place, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., effectively has veto power over DHS appropriations if he keeps his caucus in line.

The budget reconciliation process would allow Republicans to steer around Democratic opposition and pass a DHS funding bill at a simple majority threshold. Republicans narrowly passed Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act using reconciliation in June 2025 after months of intraparty squabbling.

The feat could prove more difficult in an election year when lawmakers will have to identify pay-for spending cuts. The strategy could also extend the funding lapse for several more months.

It is not clear how long Republicans would seek to fund immigration enforcement or whether they would also include funding for non-immigration-related DHS agencies in a forthcoming budget reconciliation bill.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392274000112

The U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Secret Service have seen a lapse in appropriations, though Trump took executive action to provide back pay to TSA agents reporting to work during the shutdown.

A Senate bill funding those DHS subagencies was immediately rejected by House Republican leadership on Friday for failing to fund immigration enforcement.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASS RIVAL DHS PLAN, SETTING UP SENATE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN SET TO BECOME LONGEST IN HISTORY

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters Monday that Senate Republicans are considering a budget reconciliation package that would fund Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown efforts for the next three years.

“The Democrats can’t create another shutdown like they did this time,” Hoeven said, if the bill were to be signed into law.

The North Dakota lawmaker also disputed that a budget reconciliation bill would take several months to put together.

“We’ll get it done as quick as you can,” Hoeven said. “I hope it’s certainly not months.”

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Republicans are considering a budget reconciliation package making Immigration and Customs Enforcement shutdown-proof.(Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo)

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Amid both chambers’ planned two-week recesses, Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday he is considering calling Congress back to Washington to find a solution to the DHS shutdown.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday that a “skinny reconciliation bill” funding the department would pass both chambers once Congress resumes session in mid-April if a deal has not been reached.

House GOP leadership has previously voiced skepticism about funding immigration enforcement through a budget reconciliation package. Some conservatives have also complained about the precedent of letting Democrats decide which agencies receive funding through the normal appropriations process.

“The problem is that what they’re doing is they’re placing the burden on the Republican Party entirely to make sure that we have border security funding and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, because they’re going to try to force it into a reconciliation bill,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday. “That’s a very difficult task. It is a high risk gamble for us to assume that we could do that.”

DHS scraps Noem policy requiring secretary’s review of all contracts above $100,000

2026-04-01 3:00 PM EDT / CBS News

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Camilo Montoya-Galvez Immigration Correspondent
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, where his reporting is featured across multiple programs and platforms, including national broadcast shows, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and the organization’s social media accounts.

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The Department of Homeland Security, now led by Secretary Markwayne Mullin, on Wednesday reversed a policy put in place by former Secretary Kristi Noem that required the secretary to approve contracts and grants worth more than $100,000. There were thousands of contracts in this range.

The directive lifts the requirement across all DHS components, including its major immigration enforcement agencies: U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a statement to CBS News, DHS said Mullin “re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently.”

“Today, the Secretary rescinded the $100,000 contract review memo,” DHS added. “This will streamline the contract process and empower components to carry out their mission to protect the homeland and make America safe again.”

A Homeland Security official said contracts worth more than $25 million would still be reviewed by the secretary.

Congressional Democrats found that by late September last year, Noem’s personal approval provision had delayed over a thousand Federal Emergency Management contracts alone.

DHS indicated that the department continued to be hampered by the partial government shutdown, calling on “Democrats to stop holding DHS hostage.” Congressional Democrats have declined to fully fund DHS — mainly ICE and CBP — unless the Trump administration agrees to make certain immigration enforcement reforms, including barring federal agents from wearing masks during operations.

While Transportation Security Agency officers and other DHS employees have been working without pay, law enforcement agents at CBP and ICE have not been directly affected by the shutdown, due to the billions of dollars the agencies received through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.

Mullin alluded to the contract review change during his confirmation hearing earlier this month.

“I’m not a micromanager,” Mullin said when asked about Noem’s policy. “We put people in, we empower them to make decisions. What is required to come up to my level, we’ll make decisions.”

“We will have a very clear line of communication with every one of our agencies’ heads on their authority that you gave to them within their parameters, and we’ll discuss,” Mullin added, “but we’re also going to be very responsible for the taxpayer dollars.”

Mullin’s directive is one of several changes he’s expected to make at DHS. Since he was sworn in, ICE has also started reevaluating plans to convert warehouses throughout the U.S. into detention facilities to hold people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, DHS officials told CBS News.

Noem’s controversial memo, first signed on June 11, 2025, required the secretary to personally approve any DHS contract or grant above $100,000, inserting the secretary’s office into thousands of procurement decisions that had previously been handled below the Cabinet level. Acquisition officials warned at the time that the policy risked slowing down routine purchasing and urgent buys alike, especially during DHS’s busiest contracting period.

A department as large and operationally diverse as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security relies on contracts to carry out many of its core missions, with many of those agreements routinely exceeding $100,000. At U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, some of the largest contracts involve immigration detention, including agreements with private companies and local governments to operate facilities offering detention, security, medical care and transportation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection depends on contractors for border enforcement infrastructure such as surveillance aircraft, drones, sensors and vehicle fleets, as well as facility maintenance and logistics support.

At FEMA, the approval requirement had some of its most visible operational effects, according to congressional investigators and reporting. The delays affected a range of disaster-response functions, including housing inspections, temporary sheltering and crisis counseling, and slowed the distribution of aid tied to major events such as the July 2025 Texas floods and Hurricane Helene.

Last month, Democratic staff on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found that the directive created “extraordinary bureaucratic gridlock,” delaying or leaving pending 1,034 FEMA contracts, grants, or disaster-assistance awards as of September 8, 2025.

That review found that the average request took three weeks to approve, delaying assistance tied to the Texas flash floods, Hurricane Helene, housing inspections, temporary housing, crisis counseling and other disaster-response functions.

Can Donald Trump singlehandedly withdraw the US from NATO?

2026-04-01 19:28:05 UTC / CNN

By Lauren Chadwick and Catherine Nicholls

32 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 1, 2026, 3:28 PM ET

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

Evan Vucci/Reuters

For years President Donald Trump has been deeply critical of NATO, including a slew of statements since the beginning of the Iran war. In two recent interviews he has said he would consider taking the significant step of withdrawing the US from the alliance altogether.

Trump told the UK publication The Telegraph in an interview published Wednesday that he would reconsider the US’ NATO membership. He later doubled down, telling Reuters he was “absolutely” considering withdrawing from the alliance.

It comes as the president has heavily criticized European countries for not being more willing to help with the war in Iran and to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Yet despite Trump’s claims that he can withdraw the United States from the alliance, a law passed by Congress in 2023 says the move would require the advice and consent of the Senate, with two-thirds of senators in agreement, or an act of Congress.

The bill was co-sponsored by then-Sen. Marco Rubio, who is now the US secretary of state, and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. It was later passed as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

The requirement for congressional approval means that even if all Republicans voted with Trump to withdraw the United States from NATO, it would require several Democrats – at least 14 if all Republicans are present – to join with them to pass the legislation.

That’s unlikely to happen as Sen. Thom Tillis, the top Republican on the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, has warned against damaging the military alliance.

Tillis said in a March interview with ABC’s “This Week” that it is “factually not true” that Trump can pull out of NATO without Congress.

“The president of the United States cannot withdraw from NATO. Now, having said that, the president can poison the well. The president can make it functionally defunct if he wants to,” he said.

Tillis also defended NATO allies after Trump called them “cowards” for not assisting the United States. He said the president should ask his top generals if it would be a good idea to sever the relationship with NATO.

“You’d be hard pressed to find one, because that has enormous, enormous risk in it. American lives have been saved by the NATO alliance, and American lives will be lost in great numbers without it,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, said in a social media post on X Wednesday responding to Trump’s latest comments that the Senate “will not vote to leave NATO and abandon our allies just because Trump is upset they wouldn’t go along with his reckless war of choice.”

“Thank you to @SecRubio for sponsoring the bill in 2023 requiring a two thirds vote of the Senate to make sure clueless presidents couldn’t act on a whim,” Schumer added. He referred to Rubio’s social media post in 2023 celebrating the bill’s passage and declaring, “No U.S. President should be able to withdraw from NATO without Senate approval.”

Can Trump withdraw from NATO despite the 2023 law?

According to a Congressional Research Service report, if the president does attempt to withdraw the US unilaterally from NATO, the matter could end up in court.

A 2020 legal opinion from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel states that the president has exclusive authority over treaties.

“In practice, presidents have often acted unilaterally in withdrawing the United States from treaties, especially during the last fifty years or so,” Curtis A. Bradley, the Allen M. Singer Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago Law School, told CNN in an email.

But he pointed out that former President Joe Biden signed into law the 2023 statute stating that the president cannot withdraw from NATO without congressional approval.

“If Trump attempted to withdraw from NATO without obtaining Congress’s approval, he would be violating the statute,” Bradley added.

“His lawyers would likely argue that the statute is unconstitutional because, they would contend, it interferes with the President’s exclusive constitutional authority over foreign relations. I think that is a weak argument.”

“Congressional involvement is required under the Constitution in order for presidents to make treaties, which suggests that this is not an area of exclusive presidential power,” he said.

CNN’s Aileen Graef, Kaanita Iyer and Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report.

Alito invokes Scalia analogy in birthright citizenship fight over illegal immigration

2026-04-01T15:22:39-04:00 / Fox News

Alito said illegal immigration ‘was basically unknown’ when the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868

By Ashley Oliver Fox News

Published April 1, 2026 3:22pm EDT

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392371350112

Alito invokes Scalia analogy in birthright citizenship case over illegal immigration

Justice Samuel Alito invoked an analogy from the late Justice Antonin Scalia on Wednesday as the Supreme Court weighed whether birthright citizenship extended to children of illegal immigrants.

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Justice Samuel Alito invoked an analogy from the late Justice Antonin Scalia on Wednesday as the Supreme Court weighed whether birthright citizenship extended to children of illegal immigrants.

Alito said that Scalia had illustrated how to apply textualism to modern circumstances, a point he raised during high-stakes oral arguments over President Donald Trump’s effort to limit birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which grants most people born in the United States automatic citizenship. Textualism is a legal view that courts should read the Constitution according to its text and original meaning.

Alito suggested that illegal immigration, like modern technologies such as microwaves, was basically unknown when the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868. Alito acknowledged historical exceptions to the amendment, including children born to foreign diplomats and certain Native Americans, and he questioned whether illegal immigrants’ children could be considered a comparable modern-day exception.

“Justice Scalia had an example that dealt with this situation,” Alito said. “He imagined an old theft statute that was enacted well before anybody conceived of a microwave oven. And then afterwards, someone is charged with the crime of stealing a microwave oven. And this fellow says, ‘Well, I can’t be convicted under this because the microwave oven didn’t exist at that time.’ And he dismissed that. There’s a general rule there, and you apply it to future applications.”

HOW THE SUPREME COURT’S INJUNCTION RULING ADVANCES TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT

United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito on October 7, 2022 in Washington, D.C.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Alito said that illegal immigration “was basically unknown at the time when the 14th amendment was adopted.”

“So how did we deal with that situation when we have a general rule?” Alito asked, questioning if the rule was intended to “apply to later applications that might come up.”

SUPREME COURT PREPARES TO REVIEW TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

Justice Antonin Scalia(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Solicitor General John Sauer argued to the Supreme Court in support of Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order, which would end automatic citizenship for babies born in the United States to mothers who are illegal immigrants or legal temporary visitors.

“I strongly agree with the way that you framed it, that there is a general principle,” Sauer told Alito of the microwave analogy.

While Sauer appeared in sync with Alito, most of the justices voiced strong skepticism of Trump’s arguments.Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas appeared to be the most likely to back Trump’s position.

People demonstrate ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected arrival on April 01, 2026 in Washington, DC.(Al Drago/Getty Images)

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Justice Elena Kagan said Sauer could not argue in the way Alito suggested because the bulk of Sauer’s arguments had centered on people temporarily visiting the country, not illegal immigrants.

“Your whole theory of the case is built on that group … so you can’t really be going with Justice Alito’s theory,” Kagan said. “You must be saying that there is a principle that was there at the time of the 14th Amendment.”

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.

US Senate aims to pass Homeland Security bill Thursday to end shutdown, source says

2026-04-01 19:36:52 UTC / Reuters

By Reuters

April 1, 2026 7:36 PM UTC Updated 21 mins ago

节点运行失败

A view of the dome of the U.S. Capitol building, during a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on a stopgap spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown that would otherwise begin October 1, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. U.S., September 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled U.S. ​Senate on Thursday ‌plans to pass legislation ​that it ​unanimously approved last week ⁠to end ​the partial Department ​of Homeland Security shutdown since February ​14 and ​fund agency operations through ‌September ⁠30.

The House of Representatives would have to ​also ​pass ⁠the measure before ​sending it ​to ⁠President Donald Trump for signing ⁠into ​law.

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

Reporting ​by Richard Cowan; Editing ​by Katharine Jackson

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Why birthright citizenship is trending

2026-04-01T19:45:59.462Z / CNN Politics

Why birthright citizenship is trending

By Paula Reid and Mallory Thompson, CNN

Published 3:45 PM EDT, Wed April 1, 2026

The Supreme Court considered arguments in President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order case on Wednesday, with Trump watching from the gallery. CNN’s Paula Reid explains the high stakes arguments. Discover more videos, including live streams and exclusive storytelling, on our Watch page.

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