• 미 의회는 해외정보감시법(Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) Section 702에 따라 영장 없는 감시 권한을 부여하는 논란의 법안을 45일간 임시 연장하는 안을 통과시켰으며, 이로써 의원들이 대규모 데이터 수집 제한에 대해 논의할 수 있는 시간을 추가로 확보했습니다.
• 이번 연장안은 감시 체제의 자동 효력 상실 위기를 가까스로 넘겼으며, 정보 당국자들은 이 체제가 National Security Agency 대테러 및 방첩 작전의 약 절반가량을 뒷받침한다고 밝히고 있습니다.
• 시민 자유 단체들은 미국 정부가 개별 영장 없이 미국인들의 방대한 디지털 통신 정보를 계속 수집하고 있다고 주장하며 이번 임시 조치를 비판했으며, 한편 백악관은 의회에 Section 702 권한을 완전히 복구할 것을 촉구했습니다.
• Anthony Albanese 총리가 수요일 기존 가스 수출 계약에 대한 신규 세금 부과 가능성을 배제했음에도 불구하고, 최신 Guardian Essential 설문조사에 따르면 대다수의 호주인이 가스 수출 이익에 대한 과세와 연료 소비세 감면 연장을 지지하는 것으로 나타났습니다.
• 또한 이번 설문조사에서 연료 위기로 인해 화석 연료를 고수하기보다 재생 에너지로 전환하고자 하는 유권자가 늘어난 것으로 밝혀졌습니다.
• 호주인들은 글로벌 연료 불확실성 속에서 이미 여행을 줄이고, 대중교통으로 전환하며, 에어컨 및 난방기 사용을 줄이고 있다고 답했습니다.
U-turn comes after Trump said the US military was ‘raring to go’. Plus, Virginia voters pass new congressional maps in blow to presidentDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Donald Trump unilaterally announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday amid frantic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.How are Trump’s negotiating tactics being received? The president’s impatience and rough-house diplomatic style, including his frequent online posting, has been a key stumbling block to restarting peace talks, writes the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour.Is Tehran united on how to deal with Washington? Analysts say it is not, with fierce disagreement among Iranian leaders over how to respond to US pressure and whether to risk a new wave of bombing.Follow the latest updates with our liveblog.How much of a boost for the Democrats is Virginia’s referendum result? It could help them win four additional House seats in November’s midterms, which could prove pivotal in an evenly divided Congress. Continue reading...
• Silicon Valley-based Resolve AI secured $40M in Series A extension funding, boosting its valuation to $1.5B to establish Resolve AI Labs focused on AI models optimized for production environments.
• The funding supports development of reliable AI systems tailored for enterprise-scale deployment in US tech sectors.
• This round highlights investor confidence in Resolve AI's infrastructure for bridging research-to-production AI gaps amid booming demand.
• 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.