Author: Alex Smith

Over 3,500 Internal Revenue Service employees are expected to be terminated by the end of this week, according to the text of an email obtained by CBS News and shared by an IRS employee. The email was sent to managers of the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Division Wednesday, and it says that the affected SBSE employees will be notified Thursday by the IRS Human Capital Office. The email, signed by SBSE commissioner Lia Colbert and SBSE deputy commissioner Maha Williams, says that “while details are still developing, we understand that over 3,500 SB/SE probationary hires will be terminated by the end of this…

Millions of Americans under extreme cold warnings – CBS News/ Watch CBS News More than 87 million people are under extreme cold warnings across the United States. CBS News correspondent Nicole Valdes has the latest from Clarksville, Tennessee, where residents are enduring brutal winter weather while still recovering from severe flooding. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

In January, during a congressional hearing on his way to becoming secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got basic details wrong about Medicaid — a program he now oversees.He said that Medicaid is fully funded by the federal government (it’s not) and that many enrollees are unsatisfied with high out-of-pocket costs (enrollees pay limited, if any, out-of-pocket costs).Medicaid is complex. The $880 billion-a-year state-federal program offers health coverage to millions of disabled and low-income Americans. The program covers different services for different people in different parts of the country — and enrollees may interact with private insurance…

The Trump administration has enacted a pause on all immigration applications filed by migrants from Latin America and Ukraine allowed into the U.S. under certain Biden-era programs, citing fraud and security concerns, according to two U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by CBS News.The application freeze will remain in place indefinitely while government officials work to identify potential cases of fraud and enhance vetting procedures to mitigate concerns related to national security and public safety, according to the directive.The move, which had not been previously reported, threatens to cast a cloud of uncertainty over many migrants who were in…

Washington — President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that directs his administration to find ways to reduce the high costs of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, for Americans struggling with fertility. At an event at Mar-a-Lago, White House staff secretary Will Scharf told reporters that the order directs the Domestic Policy Council “to make IVF and other fertility treatments more affordable for more Americans.” The order requests that the council make policy recommendations within 90 days to protect access to IVF and “aggressively” reduce costs for the treatment. “These are treatments that have become unaffordable for many Americans or been…

Nine ships sunk by German torpedoes during World War I have been found off the coast of Morocco, experts announced Monday, marking the latest in a string of shipwrecks from the war to be found in recent months.The nine wrecks — which include Japanese, Norwegian, French, British, Portuguese and Italian vessels — are all located along the coast of southern Morocco, according to the Assalam Association for the Protection of Maritime Heritage, a nonprofit focused on preserving underwater archaeological sites in the region.The association did not say whether it was able to identify the ships but it posted a video on…

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Senior officials from Russia and the U.S. met in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to begin talks on improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.Delegations led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh. The meeting marks another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia and is meant to pave the way for a meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security…

Caroline Connor’s concerns about her son Mason’s development began around his first birthday, when she noticed he wasn’t talking or using any words. Their pediatrician didn’t seem worried, but the speech delay persisted. At 2 and a half, Mason was diagnosed with autism.The Connors went on a mission, searching for anything that would help.”We just started researching on our own. And that’s when my husband Joe came across Dr. Frye in a research study he was doing,” Caroline said.Dr. Richard Frye, a pediatric neurologist, is one of many doctors searching for treatments that can help kids with autism. He’s studying…

CBS News Minnesota Live Emergency crews are responding to a crash involving a Delta Air Lines plane that arrived Monday at Toronto Pearson Airport from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.CP24 in Canada reports as many as eight people were hurt in the emergency, though the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA confirmed that the flight was Delta Air Lines Endeavor flight 4819, and issued the following statement: “AFA crew were working this flight. Reports are there are no fatalities. Please do not speculate on this incident as everyone works to gather information and support those involved.”Airport officials…

Washington — President Trump’s firings of the members of independent agencies and boards have prompted a string of legal fights that could set the Supreme Court up to reconsider and potentially overturn a 90-year-old decision that shields certain executive branch officials from being removed after political shifts in the White House.Since returning to the presidency, Mr. Trump has terminated the heads of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board, as well as the director of the Office of Government Ethics and the special counsel, Hampton Dellinger, who oversees the office that investigates whistleblower complaints.The officials learned…