Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions from Senate Democrats during a hearing about President Trump’s approach to Iran, the proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget, and the idea of sending troops to polling stations. The hearing lasted nearly three hours and showed disagreements between the Pentagon and lawmakers.
Key Facts
Pete Hegseth is the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
The hearing took place before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).
Senate Democrats questioned Hegseth about President Trump’s handling of tensions with Iran.
The Pentagon has requested a $1.5 trillion budget for defense spending.
There was debate about the possibility of deploying troops to polling places during elections.
The hearing lasted just under three hours.
There were clear disagreements between the Defense Department and some Senate members.
This was Hegseth’s second day of hearings on Capitol Hill.
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President Donald Trump announced he will remove certain tariffs on Scotch whisky following a visit to the White House by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The tariffs relate to the materials used in making whisky, particularly the wooden barrels used for aging Scotch and bourbon.
Key Facts
President Trump said he is lifting some tariffs on Scotch whisky.
The announcement came after King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the White House.
Trump posted about the change on social media.
The tariffs involve wooden barrels used to age Scotch whisky and bourbon.
It is unclear if the removal affects finished bottles of Scotch or just the materials to produce it.
The change aims to help Scotland and Kentucky cooperate on whisky and bourbon production.
President Trump said no one else had managed to get this change done before.
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A former Department of Justice official criticized the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. The official said the case is without merit and harms the reputation of the Justice Department and those involved.
Key Facts
James Comey, former FBI Director, has been indicted.
A former DOJ official called the indictment "makes no sense."
The official said the case has no valid basis.
The indictment is seen by the official as bringing dishonor to the DOJ.
The criticism includes the department’s leadership and prosecutors connected to the case.
The official was previously a federal prosecutor.
The article does not provide details about the charges against Comey.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine testified before the Senate about the ongoing war with Iran. They defended the U.S. military actions, discussed costs and stockpile status, and addressed questions about legal limits and foreign involvement.
Key Facts
Hegseth and Caine appeared before the Senate Armed Forces Committee after previous testimony to the House.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, starting the current conflict.
Pentagon officials say the war has cost the U.S. at least $25 billion so far.
Hegseth claimed U.S. munitions stockpiles remain "in good shape," despite reports suggesting depletion.
Caine acknowledged that Russia has provided some assistance to Iran but gave no details.
President Trump notified Congress 60 days ago about the attacks, which starts a legal timer under the War Powers Act.
Hegseth argued the 60-day limit "pauses" during a pause in fighting, a view questioned by lawmakers.
Senators raised concerns about civilian casualties and the reduction of Pentagon offices that oversee civilian protection.
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Louisiana has paused its May 16 congressional primaries after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's current district map. This ruling could allow several southern states to redraw their voting maps, potentially increasing the number of Republican-friendly seats in Congress for future elections.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court invalidated Louisiana's congressional district map on Wednesday.
Louisiana suspended its House primaries scheduled for May 16 but will continue other primaries as planned.
Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, urged the state legislature to redraw new district maps quickly.
The old map favored Republicans in five districts and Democrats in one.
Redrawing districts could increase Republican seats by breaking up majority Black districts.
The ruling weakens parts of the Voting Rights Act that protect majority-minority districts.
Time constraints and legal challenges make redrawing districts before the 2026 elections difficult for many states.
Other southern states like Georgia and South Carolina may also try to redraw maps, with potential to add several Republican seats in coming elections.
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Spencer Pratt, known for the reality TV show "The Hills," is running for mayor of Los Angeles. He recently released a new campaign advertisement that has attracted attention online.
Key Facts
Spencer Pratt was a star on the mid-2000s reality TV show "The Hills."
He is currently a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles.
Pratt released a new campaign ad that is getting noticed on the internet.
CBS News political director Fin Gómez provided analysis of Pratt’s candidacy.
The article focuses on Pratt’s unexpected rise as a serious contender in the mayor's race.
The campaign and coverage are based in Los Angeles, a major U.S. city.
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President Donald Trump signed a bill that provides money to the Department of Homeland Security, ending a 76-day government shutdown. In addition, Louisiana delayed its House primary elections after a decision by the Supreme Court.
Key Facts
The government shutdown lasted 76 days.
President Trump approved funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
This funding bill ended the shutdown.
Louisiana postponed its House primary elections.
The postponement followed a ruling by the Supreme Court.
The news was covered on CBS News program "The Takeout with Major Garrett."
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Britney Spears was charged with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs in California. She was arrested in March after driving erratically, has since entered substance abuse treatment, and will face arraignment soon.
Key Facts
Britney Spears was charged with driving under the influence of both alcohol and at least one drug.
The arrest happened on March 4 after she was stopped for driving fast and erratically on a California highway.
Spears took field sobriety tests and was then arrested and taken to jail.
She was released on bail the next day.
Prosecutors received the full police report on March 23.
Spears voluntarily entered substance abuse treatment about a month after the arrest.
Her arraignment is scheduled for Monday, and she does not have to appear in court because it is a misdemeanor charge.
Spears was under a court conservatorship from 2008 to 2021, which controlled her personal and financial decisions.
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The US Congress passed a 45-day extension of a law called section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows intelligence agencies to spy without a warrant on some communications. Lawmakers remain divided over how to reform the law to protect Americans' privacy, and no long-term agreement has been reached yet.
Key Facts
Congress extended section 702 of FISA for 45 days to continue warrantless spying powers.
Section 702 allows spying on foreigners outside the US without a warrant, but Americans’ communications can also be collected if they talk to those foreigners.
There is disagreement in Congress, especially among Republicans and Democrats, about adding reforms to protect Americans’ privacy.
Some lawmakers want a warrant requirement to search Americans’ communications to comply with the 14th Amendment.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to include key reforms suggested by both party hardliners and progressive Democrats.
The extension is the second short-term renewal in one month due to difficulties reaching a deal.
Intelligence agencies say they need these powers to prevent terrorist attacks, while privacy advocates say the law is abused to spy on Americans unlawfully.
President Donald Trump supports the clean extension without adding a warrant requirement.
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The sister-in-law of Prime Minister Keir Starmer said she feared for her family’s safety after her home was deliberately set on fire in May last year. Three men with connections to Ukraine and Romania are on trial, accused of targeting properties linked to Starmer in a series of arson attacks.
Key Facts
Judith Alexander, Starmer’s sister-in-law, woke to find her front door on fire in early May 2023.
Alexander called the fire brigade and tried to alert her sister Victoria, Starmer’s wife.
The fire caused smoke to fill the house; Alexander has asthma and her daughter’s room was near the fire.
Three men—Roman Lavrynovych (22), Petro Pochynok (35), and Stanislav Carpiuc (27)—are accused of setting the fires.
Lavrynovych was arrested in south London, and petrol cans with his DNA were found.
He denied involvement at first but later allegedly admitted someone asked him to start the fires.
Police found messages on Telegram showing Lavrynovych was promised payment in cryptocurrency to set the fires.
The men are accused of targeting a car and two houses linked to Starmer through a Russian-speaking contact called “El Money.”
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Congress passed a 45-day short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows warrantless government surveillance. This extension prevents the program from ending on Thursday night but delays a longer-term decision. The bill now awaits President Trump's signature.
Key Facts
The House passed a 45-day clean extension of Section 702 of FISA.
Section 702 allows the government to conduct surveillance without a warrant in certain cases.
The Senate rejected the House’s proposal for a longer, three-year extension.
The short-term extension was approved with a vote of 261-111 in the House.
Earlier attempts to pass longer renewals (five years or 18 months) were blocked by some House Republicans.
The House had added a ban on a central bank digital currency to the longer extension, which caused bipartisan opposition in the Senate.
Lawmakers have 45 more days to resolve disagreements and pass a longer extension.
The bill is now on President Trump’s desk for signing.
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Britney Spears has been charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence in California. She was arrested on March 4 for driving her car erratically and at high speed on a southern California highway.
Key Facts
Britney Spears was arrested on March 4 in California.
She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The arrest happened after she drove her BMW in a dangerous way on a highway.
Spears is 44 years old.
She entered a rehabilitation treatment facility after the arrest.
Her court arraignment is scheduled for next Monday morning.
Spears does not have to attend the court hearing in person because it is a minor charge.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office filed the charge.
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Several FEMA staff members who signed a public letter critical of President Trump's administration, called the "Katrina Declaration," have been allowed to return to their jobs. One of the signers, Abby McIlraith, confirmed their reinstatement and expressed mixed feelings about the situation.
Key Facts
The "Katrina Declaration" is an open letter written by FEMA staff.
The letter criticized the Trump administration's handling of disaster response.
Staffers who signed the letter were previously removed or suspended from their jobs.
These staffers have now been reinstated to FEMA.
Abby McIlraith is one of the staff members who signed the letter.
McIlraith communicated the reinstatement through a messaging app called Signal.
She said she feels "vindicated" but noted the difficult time during their removal.
FEMA is a U.S. government agency responsible for disaster management and emergency response.
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The U.S. national debt has grown to more than 100 percent of the country’s total economy, called gross domestic product (GDP). This means the debt is now larger than the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S. in one year.
Key Facts
The national debt reached 100.2 percent of GDP at the end of March.
This level of debt surpasses the total annual economic output of the U.S.
The last time debt was this high was right after World War II, at 106 percent of GDP.
Data was released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The rising debt could approach or exceed the post-WWII record soon.
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Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry stopped the May 16 primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives after the Supreme Court said that creating a second majority-Black voting district in Louisiana was unconstitutional. Landry used an executive order to delay the elections, which were about to start early voting.
Key Facts
The May 16 primary elections for Louisiana’s U.S. House were suspended.
Governor Jeff Landry signed an executive order to stop the elections.
The suspension came after a Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana’s voting districts.
The Court decided that making a second majority-Black district was racial gerrymandering, which is illegal.
Early voting for these elections was planned but paused due to the suspension.
This ruling affects how districts are drawn for voting in Louisiana.
The decision could change the way future elections are organized in the state.
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President Donald Trump made a joke about possibly needing to wear a bulletproof vest after three assassination attempts. He said he is unsure if he could handle the vest because it would make him look 20 pounds heavier. This comment was made during a press event in the Oval Office.
Key Facts
President Trump mentioned the possibility of wearing a bulletproof vest for protection.
The reason for the vest is due to three assassination attempts against him.
He joked about not wanting to look heavier by 20 pounds because of the vest.
The comment was made in the Oval Office while answering questions from reporters.
The tone of the comment was light, and it caused laughter in the room.
This event happened recently after the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) shooting incident.
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to resume funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), aiming to end an 11-week partial government shutdown. The bill excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but has President Donald Trump’s support.
Key Facts
The House passed the bill by voice vote after Senate approval and sent it to President Trump to sign.
The bill funds DHS agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) but does not include ICE or CBP.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson initially opposed the bill due to excluding ICE and CBP but later allowed the vote after Trump supported it.
The shutdown began on February 14 and caused problems such as TSA agents working without pay and concerns about FEMA’s disaster response.
Democrats demanded reforms for ICE, including banning agents from wearing masks and stopping raids on sensitive places, and threatened to block funding without these changes.
Republicans rejected these reform demands, calling them unreasonable.
The filibuster rule in the Senate requires 60 votes to pass major laws, slowing down the process.
Republican senators are trying to fund ICE and DHS through a special budget process called reconciliation, which bypasses the filibuster.
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The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement helped remove protections for pesticide makers from lawsuits in a House farm bill vote. However, the White House withdrew the nomination of MAHA supporter Casey Means for surgeon general and replaced her with Nicole Saphier, who has different views and experience.
Key Facts
MAHA-aligned House Republicans and Democrats voted 280-142 to remove language protecting pesticide makers from certain lawsuits.
The removed language would have blocked lawsuits about health effects of pesticides beyond what the EPA recognizes.
The Supreme Court is considering a case involving Bayer and lawsuits about its weedkiller Roundup causing cancer.
Casey Means, a nutrition influencer and MAHA ally, was nominated for surgeon general but faced doubts over her vaccine stance.
The White House pulled Means' nomination and named Nicole Saphier, a doctor and former Fox News contributor, as the new nominee.
President Trump praised Means for her work on childhood diseases and Saphier for her ability to explain health topics clearly.
Saphier wrote a book advocating for health prevention through individual choices but previously shared a false claim about COVID-19 vaccine mandates for schoolchildren.
The Senate still needs to review the farm bill and hold hearings on Saphier’s nomination.
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President Donald Trump answered reporters' questions in the Oval Office after signing an executive order about retirement planning. He discussed topics including foreign investments in the United States and negotiations related to the war in Iran.
Key Facts
President Trump held a press session in the Oval Office on Thursday.
He signed an executive order focused on improving retirement planning.
During the session, he answered reporters’ questions.
Topics covered included foreign investments in the U.S.
He also spoke about ongoing negotiations regarding the war in Iran.
CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe reported from the White House.
The event was broadcast on CBS News and available on their app.
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The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais that congressional districts cannot be drawn primarily based on race, calling it unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. This decision changes how the Voting Rights Act’s Section 2 is applied, making it much harder to challenge maps that reduce minority voting power unless there is clear evidence of intentional racial discrimination.
Key Facts
The case involved Louisiana’s congressional maps, which included two majority-Black districts out of six, matching the state’s roughly one-third Black population.
White voters sued, arguing that creating districts based on race was illegal discrimination; the Supreme Court agreed.
The ruling means states cannot consider race when drawing district maps, even to protect minority voting strength.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act now requires proof of intentional racial discrimination, a very difficult standard to meet.
The decision removes a key legal tool that helped protect minority voting rights for nearly 60 years.
This is part of a series of conservative Supreme Court rulings weakening the Voting Rights Act since 2013.
President Donald Trump said he supports states redrawing maps following the ruling.
Because most Black voters support the Democratic Party, states can claim their maps are based on political reasons, avoiding racial discrimination claims.
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