Author: Alex Smith

The Trump administration invoked a state secrets privilege Monday and refused to give a federal judge any additional information about the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under war authorities. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is weighing whether the government defied his order to turn around planes carrying migrants after he blocked deportations of people alleged to be gang members without due process. It’s a case that has become a flashpoint in the rising tension between the administration and the federal courts.Boasberg, the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, has asked for details about when the planes…

What to know about Trump’s targeting of law firms – CBS News / Watch CBS News In an executive memo issued late Friday night, President Trump authorized the Justice and Homeland Security Departments to seek sanctions against law firms or lawyers abusing the legal system. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson joins to unpack the move. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

President Trump has decided to pick Dr. Susan Monarez to be the new nominee to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sources familiar with the decision tell CBS News, making permanent the acting role she has served at the public health agency in recent months.Monarez would be named in place of Dr. David Weldon, a former Florida congressman whose nomination was withdrawn by the White House earlier this month over concerns that he didn’t have the votes to clear the Senate confirmation process. Spokespeople for the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services didn’t immediately comment. Monarez…

23andMe, a formerly high-flying genetic testing company, announced Sunday that it was declaring bankruptcy and that it would seek a buyer. The company also said CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki is resigning immediately and will be replaced by Chief Financial and Accounting Officer Joe Selsavage as interim chief executive.23andMe moved in November to slash 40% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan, a step that came roughly two months after its entire board resigned.”We expect the court-supervised process will advance our efforts to address the operational and financial challenges we face, including further cost reductions and the resolution of…

Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love of Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants who became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, died Sunday.She was 49. Love’s family posted news of her death on Love’s X account.She had undergone recent treatment for brain cancer and received immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at Duke University’s brain tumor center. Her daughter said earlier this month that the former lawmaker was no longer responding to treatment.Love died at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, according to a statement posted by the family. “With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound…

Decorated Navy SEAL Ryan Larkin’s death was put down to mental illness, but his father — once a SEAL himself — didn’t buy it. With four decades of government service behind him, Frank Larkin started hunting for answers after his son’s suicide. Larkin suspected his son’s military service resulted in an invisible brain injury, a kind of wound not yet known to science.”Ryan died from his combat injuries from his service to this nation,” Frank Larkin said. “He just didn’t die right away.”What happened to Ryan Larkin?Ryan Larkin was 13 in September 2001 when his dad was assigned to the New…

The following is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on March 23, 2025.MARGARET BRENNAN: And we turn now to Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul. He is the chair of the Homeland Security Committee, and he joins us this morning from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Good morning to you, Senator.SEN. RAND PAUL: Good morning. Thanks for having me.MARGARET BRENNAN: Sure, because of your role in Homeland Security, I want to follow up where we left off with National Security Adviser Waltz. There are legal questions around using…

Pope Francis waved to hundreds of people gathered outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Sunday as the pontiff left the hospital after surviving a life-threatening bout of pneumonia.In his first public appearance in five weeks, he 88-year-old pope said “Thank you, everyone,” as he gave a thumbs up and acknowledged the crowd after he was wheeled out onto a hospital balcony overlooking the main entry of the building.Chants of “Viva il papa!” and “Papa Francesco” erupted from the crowd. Pope Francis waves from a window of the Gemelli hospital before to be discharge after a five weeks hospitalization for pneumonia, in…

Israel launched a strike on Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets on Israeli targets, killing six people in the heaviest exchange of fire since its ceasefire with the militant group Hezbollah began nearly four months ago. The exchange sparked concern about whether the ceasefire would hold, days after Israel relaunched its war with another Iran-backed militant group, Hamas, in Gaza. In a statement, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the attack, saying it was committed to the truce.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it instructed the army to respond forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah…

A former federal prosecutor was found dead Saturday morning at a home in Alexandria, Virginia, authorities said. Officers with the Alexandria Police Department were dispatched to the home at 9:18 a.m. Eastern Time on a report of an unresponsive woman. They arrived to find 43-year-old Jessica Aber, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, dead at the scene, police reported. It was not immediately clear if the home belonged to Aber, or who had contacted police. Her cause of death will be determined by the Virginia medical examiner’s office. No further details were provided.Police said in a statement…