Author: Alex Smith

More than 2 million federal employees face a looming deadline: By midnight Eastern time on Thursday, they must decide whether to accept a “deferred resignation” offer from the Trump administration. If workers accept, according to a White House plan, they would continue getting paid through September but would be excused from reporting for duty. But if they opt to keep their jobs, they could get fired.That decision, one affecting the careers and livelihoods of Americans around the U.S., is fraught, employment attorneys and government watchdogs said. The offer, from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), includes a number of provisions…

The CIA confirmed Wednesday that it offered buyouts to employees who volunteer to resign, the latest group of federal workers to receive such a proposal as President Trump pushes to transform the federal government.A CIA spokesperson declined to say how many people received the offers or whether they face any deadline to decide. However, the buyout offered to CIA employees differs from the “fork in the road” offer extended to other federal employees and includes Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, known as VERA, and resignation options. And it will not be available to all CIA staff, CBS News has learned. VERA enables agencies…

At least four cattle herds in Nevada have tested positive for a strain of H5N1 bird flu never before seen in cows, state agriculture officials confirmed Wednesday, and respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing have been reported.That bird flu strain, called D1.1 by scientists, was also linked to a fatal human case in Louisiana last year after exposure to sick birds. The D1.1 strain has emerged in recent months to dominate infections in wild birds and poultry flocks across North America.Symptoms seen in humans infected by D1.1 have been more severe than the previous bird flu strain that has been…

The security detail for former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, which was provided by the Defense Department, was revoked Tuesday night, a U.S. official and a Defense Department official told CBS News. The Defense Department has not yet responded to a request for comment. File: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on ‘Department of Defense Authorities and Roles Related to Civilian Law Enforcement’, July 9, 2020 on Capitol Hill. Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images Esper is one of the former officials from President Trump’s first administration who has received threats from Iran over the 2020 U.S.…

Police are seeking a man they say shot one person to death and wounded five others late Tuesday night in a warehouse in a Columbus, Ohio suburb.New Albany, Ohio said in a statement early Wednesday that authorities are looking for Bruce Reginald Foster.Police Chief Greg Jones told reporters “we are working to locate” and catch Foster, adding that it wasn’t clear if he was an employee but that the shooting may have been “targeted.” Bruce Reginald Foster III in an undated photo provided by the city of New Albany, Ohio. New Albany, Ohio He said there was no known motive…

The United States Postal Service announced Tuesday night that it is temporarily suspending accepting packages sent from China and Hong Kong until further notice.The suspension is effective immediately, the USPS said. Letters and flats are not included in the suspension, it said.The postal service did not provide a reason for the suspension or say how long it expects it to last.Earlier Tuesday, Beijing announced it would counter President Trump’s new 10% tariff on Chinese goods with retaliatory tariffs of its own. China said starting next Monday it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products along…

Washington — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is releasing some migrant detainees, in some cases dozens per day, as space in its detention system has exceeded maximum capacity amid a spike in arrests by the agency under President Trump, internal government statistics obtained by CBS News show.On Tuesday morning, space inside ICE detention facilities was at 109% capacity, with the agency holding close to 42,000 migrant detainees, despite having, on paper, a 38,521-bed capacity in its network of for-profit prisons and county jails, according to the internal Department of Homeland Security data. More than half of those in ICE custody…

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio released from prison after Trump pardon Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio released from prison after Trump pardon 02:10 The ownership of the Proud Boys’ trademark is now in the hands of a Black church that the White supremacist group vandalized in 2020. The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., was granted ownership of the group’s trademark in a Feb. 3 ruling from Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The decision also gives the Metropolitan AME Church a lien on the trademark and the power to block…

Washington — Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, faces a crucial vote on Tuesday that could doom or propel her nomination. The Senate Intelligence Committee will vote on her nomination in a closed session, according to a committee aide. Republicans have a one-seat majority on the panel, meaning Gabbard cannot afford to lose a single GOP vote if all members are present. The committee could still vote to advance her nomination without a favorable recommendation if she falls short, but she also risks not having enough Republican support in a floor vote. Just four Republicans would need…

Former USAID Global Health director Dr. Atul Gawande criticized the Trump administration’s plan to merge the United States Agency for International Development into the State Department and the funding freezes that are putting key aid programs in jeopardy, saying the decisions aren’t an “overhaul” but rather a “destruction.” Gawande, a surgeon and medical professor, told CBS News on Monday that the “destruction” began a week ago after the White House Office of Management and Budget released a memo that ordered a freeze on federal assistance. The memo was walked back days later and the ordered freeze has been halted by a…