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Today’s top stories
Stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz
The Trump administration faces a legal deadline under the War Powers Resolution: within 60 days Congress must declare war or authorize continued use of force, or the president can ask for a 30-day extension and Congress has 90 days to act. The administration does not appear to be seeking congressional authorization. Defense officials say the current ceasefire shouldn’t count toward that 60-day clock. Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and negotiating nuclear restrictions later; the White House convened its national security team to review that offer but insists any deal must include nuclear terms. Former White House officials argue the U.S. blockade aims to apply maximum leverage; critics note heavy economic pressure on Tehran has not produced the hoped-for capitulation.
Record-breaking DHS shutdown ends
The House voted yesterday to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending what had become the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history. The bill funds DHS but excludes money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The measure passed by voice vote on the 76th day of the shutdown. Democrats had earlier withdrawn support for a large bipartisan spending package after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in January, pushing for reforms to how agents operate.
The Senate had approved a funding plan weeks earlier that left immigration enforcement divisions out of immediate funding. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially criticized that Senate bill but later reached an agreement with conservative members who had pushed for full DHS funding. Republicans are working on a reconciliation vehicle that would fund immigration enforcement for the remainder of the administration; Johnson shifted his stance as that process advanced.
Trump nominates Nicole Saphier as surgeon general
President Trump nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist at a leading cancer center who specializes in breast imaging, to be the next U.S. surgeon general. The surgeon general is responsible for public health messaging and promoting science-based measures to keep people healthy. Saphier authored a 2020 book titled Make America Healthy Again and is seen as a pick more likely to win Republican support after the last nominee faced resistance from some GOP senators over vaccine-related views.
May Day demonstrations across the U.S.
May Day events are expected nationwide, with organizers calling for a boycott of work, school and shopping to protest the administration’s policies and what activists call a billionaire takeover of government. The “May Day Strong” actions commemorate International Workers’ Day and follow other large anti-Trump mobilizations under banners like “No Kings.” Unlike the U.S. Labor Day in September, May 1 is traditionally a global day of protest.
Today’s listen
Fourteen-year-old Dean Roy is running for Vermont governor, the first under-18 candidate to appear on the state’s general election ballot. Vermont has no minimum age to hold the governor’s office, and Roy launched a new party, Freedom and Unity, aiming to get more young people involved in politics. He does not expect to win but hopes the campaign sparks continued civic engagement.
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 that tangles with the mob, shifting from frolicsome to farce.
– Books: Cartoonist Gemma Correll’s graphic memoir Anxietyland uses theme-park metaphors to explore living 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: Representation of South Asians in games is rising; PlayStation’s short roguelike Saros features British actor Rahul Kohli.
Quiz
This week brought a makeover to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a presidential commemorative item featuring the president’s face, and a record-breaking run. Test your memory with the news quiz.
3 things to know before you go
1) Three octogenarian Austrian nuns who fled their care home and later returned to their old convent traveled to Rome for a general audience with the pope.
2) J. Craig Venter, a key figure in sequencing the human genome, has died at 79.
3) A Montana teen whose spirits were lifted by a stranger’s thumbs-up at a stoplight has made that small kindness a guiding principle she now pays forward.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.