Good morning. This is your Up First briefing.
Top stories
Stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz
The Trump administration faces a ticking War Powers Resolution clock: Congress must either declare war or authorize continued use of force within 60 days, or the president can request a 30-day extension while lawmakers have 90 days to act. Administration officials do not appear to be seeking new congressional authorization; defense officials argue the current ceasefire should not count against that 60-day period. Meanwhile Iran has floated re-opening the Strait of Hormuz and deferring detailed nuclear restrictions for later talks. The White House convened national security advisors to review the offer but has insisted any arrangement include explicit nuclear terms. Former officials say U.S. tactics aim to maximize leverage; critics counter that heavy economic pressure has yet to secure Tehran’s capitulation.
Record-breaking DHS shutdown ends
The House voted yesterday to restore funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending a shutdown that reached 76 days and became the longest in the agency’s history. The bill provides general DHS funding but leaves Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection without immediate money. Earlier this spring Democrats pulled their backing for a large bipartisan spending package after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in January, pressing for operational reforms.
The Senate had approved a funding plan weeks earlier that likewise excluded immigration-enforcement divisions from near-term funding. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially criticized that Senate measure but later struck a deal with conservative members who had demanded full DHS appropriations. Republicans are now pursuing a reconciliation vehicle intended to finance immigration enforcement through the remainder of the administration, and Johnson shifted his position as that process took shape.
Trump nominates Nicole Saphier for surgeon general
President Trump nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist who specializes in breast imaging at a major cancer center, to be the next U.S. surgeon general. The surgeon general leads public health messaging and promotes evidence-based measures to protect community health. Saphier, author of the 2020 book Make America Healthy Again, is viewed as a nominee more likely to secure Republican support after the last candidate drew resistance from some GOP senators over vaccine-related views.
May Day demonstrations across the U.S.
Organizers are planning May Day actions nationwide, urging participants to boycott work, school and shopping to protest administration policies and what they call a billionaire takeover of government. Branded as May Day Strong, the events mark International Workers Day and follow earlier mass anti-administration mobilizations under banners such as No Kings. Unlike the U.S. Labor Day in September, May 1 has long been observed globally as a day of protest and labor solidarity.
Today’s listen
Fourteen-year-old Dean Roy is running for governor of Vermont, the first under-18 candidate to appear on the state’s general election ballot. Vermont has no minimum age requirement for governor. Roy launched a new party, Freedom and Unity, seeking to draw more young people into politics. He says he does not expect to win but hopes the campaign will keep young voters engaged.
Weekend picks
– Movies: The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci two decades after the original.
– TV: Netflix’s crime comedy Big Mistakes follows an offbeat family as they collide with the mob, shifting between frolic and farce.
– Books: Cartoonist Gemma Correll’s graphic memoir Anxietyland uses theme-park metaphors to explore life with anxiety.
– Music: Olivia Rodrigo’s single drop dead debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; her album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love arrives in June.
– Gaming: South Asian representation in games is rising; PlayStation’s short roguelike Saros features British actor Rahul Kohli.
Quiz
This week’s news included a makeover of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a presidential commemorative item featuring a president’s face, and a record-breaking run. Test your recall with the news quiz.
3 things to know before you go
1) Three octogenarian Austrian nuns who fled a care home and later returned to their old convent were welcomed to Rome and met the pope.
2) J. Craig Venter, a pioneering scientist in sequencing the human genome, has died at 79.
3) A Montana teen who received an encouraging thumbs-up from a stranger at a stoplight has turned that small act of kindness into a way of paying it forward.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.