• Congress approved a temporary extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) ahead of the expiration deadline, avoiding a lapse in government surveillance authority.
• The temporary extension allows additional time for lawmakers to negotiate a longer-term reauthorization of the controversial surveillance program.
• The action reflects ongoing congressional debate over balancing national security needs with privacy protections in intelligence gathering operations.
• The U.S. Senate passed a 10-day extension of FISA authority on Friday, April 17, 2026, sending the bill to President Donald Trump's desk.
• The measure averts a lapse in surveillance powers set to expire Monday, providing temporary continuity for national security operations.
• This short-term fix highlights ongoing partisan debates over warrant requirements and reforms to Section 702 of FISA.
Trump repeatedly demanded that Republicans unify to pass a longer extension of the Fisa warrantless spying lawBoth chambers of Congress voted in quick succession Friday to pass a brief 10-day extension of a controversial warrantless surveillance law after Republican infighting tanked plans for a much longer renewal of the law with no changes.Donald Trump had repeatedly demanded that Republican holdouts “UNIFY” behind Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, in favor of an extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) without changes. But chaos ensued late Thursday as Republican leadership tried and failed twice in votes attempting to reauthorize the surveillance program, before resorting to a stopgap measure. Continue reading...
The decision to extend a warrantless security law until 30 April came after 20 Republicans worked with House Democrats to defeat attempts to pass five-year and 18-month renewalsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.The House of Representatives voted early on Friday to briefly extend an expiring and controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance.Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week.Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday. Mejia, who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is far more critical on Israel and was the only candidate in the Democratic primary to call Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza a genocide.Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general during his first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).Schwartz was under immediate pressure from critics of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to oppose his anti-vaccine ideology. At a heated oversight hearing, House Democrats grilled Kennedy over his vaccine rollbacks.Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump told supporters “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly, we can do whatever we want.” He did not explain why, then, the US military has been unable to stop Iran from closing the strait of Hormuz.The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.Police in Illinois responded Wednesday evening to the home of Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, after a bomb threat was made, NBC Chicago reported. Continue reading...
• The Kansas City Chiefs secured All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters with a three-year contract extension worth $45 million, keeping their secondary anchor through 2029.
• Peters recorded 8 interceptions and 22 passes defensed last season, maintaining his elite performance level at age 31.
• The move solidifies Kansas City's defense ahead of the 2026 NFL season after their Super Bowl LXII victory last February.
• NASA announced revisions to its lunar exploration plans, delaying the first crewed Artemis IV landing to early 2028 while pausing the Gateway lunar station to prioritize a surface base.
• The International Space Station's retirement is postponed to the mid-2030s, with plans to add detachable modules for a future standalone station, facing pushback from private space firms.
• NASA will launch Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a nuclear engine demonstration to Mars, scheduled for December 2028 to test advanced propulsion.
• The House passed legislation on Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security for 60 days at current levels through May 22, extending funding for all agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• The measure cleared the House 213–203, with three Democrats voting alongside Republicans, automatically passing once the rule was adopted without a separate floor vote.
• Senate Democrats rejected the House GOP proposal as "dead on arrival," having already passed their own bipartisan bill that excluded ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection funding.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson agreed with the Freedom Caucus to introduce a 60-day continuing resolution providing full DHS funding for ICE and CBP as a counter-proposal to the Senate-approved legislation.
• The Freedom Caucus demanded the inclusion of voter ID requirements, border patrol funding, and resources for investigations into child sex trafficking before supporting any DHS funding measure.
• The House proposal would require Senate reconsideration and further extend the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which has persisted for more than five weeks, with leadership uncertain whether to attempt passage today.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to commit Friday to passing the Senate-approved DHS funding bill, which excludes ICE and CBP funding amid ongoing agency shutdown.
• Conservative Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris opposes the deal, demanding restoration of immigration enforcement funds and attachment of SAVE America Act voter ID legislation before returning to Senate.
• Johnson faces challenges passing via party-line rule or two-thirds suspension vote, risking backlash from hard-liners and Democrats.
