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Dem plot to limit Trump war powers on Cuba fails as GOP falls in line with military action abroad

April 28, 2026 5:59pm EDT / Fox News

Republicans stifled Senate Democrats’ attempt to prevent President Donald Trump from bringing military action close to home before any action has actually been taken by the administration.

Democrats failed to advance a forward-looking war powers resolution that would handcuff Trump’s ability to use military force against Cuba, which lies roughly 90 miles from the coast of Florida.

The move was spurred by his recent comments that once the U.S. was finished in Iran, it would make moves on the island nation.

REPUBLICANS SCRAMBLE TO FUND SECRET SERVICE AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AMID RECORD-BREAKING SHUTDOWN

Supporters of President Donald Trump hold signs and Cuban flags during a protest against Cuba’s government in Miami on Feb. 28, 2026.(Marco Bello/Reuters)

“All my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba — when will the United States do it? I do believe I’ll be the honor, having the honor of taking Cuba,” Trump said in March.

The resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., would require the removal of forces from within or around Cuba and considers the “use of the United States Coast Guard and other components of the Armed Forces to conduct a blockade or quarantine of Cuba” a hostile act that would require Congress’ approval.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., moved to block the bill from getting a full vote on the floor. His gamble was successful, though Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined nearly every Senate Democrat to force the vote. Only Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., broke ranks to support tanking the resolution.

Still, Trump has not taken action on Cuba while the U.S. is engaged in the war in Iran.

SENATE GOP BLOCKS FIFTH DEM BID TO END TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AS DIVISIONS GROW

President Donald Trump makes a fist upon arrival at Miami International Airport in Miami, on April 11, 2026.(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Kaine’s war powers resolution marked a momentary departure from Democrats’ quest to rein in Trump’s authority in the Middle East. Republicans have so far batted down five attempts to cease hostilities in the region.

When asked by Fox News Digital if he was surprised that most Republicans had stayed in line, save for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Kaine said, “You gotta ask Republicans about their position.”

“There are many saying that the 60-day time frame is relevant to them,” Kaine said. “We’ll see that because we’ll have an Iran war vote close to the 60-day deadline by the end of this week.”

‘ILLEGALS FIRST’: SENATE REPUBLICANS BLAST SCHUMER’S GAMBIT TO FORCE VOTE ON PROTECTING HAITIAN MIGRANTS

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks to reporters as he walks into the Senate chamber in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 11, 2025.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Support for that conflict, while still holding out among most Senate Republicans, is growing strained by the day as the 60-day deadline for Congress to weigh in under the War Powers Resolution Act is set to hit this week.

At least three Senate Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and John Curtis of Utah — said they wouldn’t extend Trump’s war in the region after 60 days. And Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is working on an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for lawmakers to weigh in on the conflict.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argued that Republicans should “do Trump a favor” by joining Democrats to block future engagements with Cuba without congressional approval.

“The last thing working Americans need right now is another war, let alone one that’s 90 miles south of the United States,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Republicans must get out in front of a looming catastrophe in Cuba before it gets even worse, as they should have done with Trump’s war in Iran.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

State Department planning new passport design with Trump’s portrait

April 28, 2026 / 4:22 PM EDT / CBS News

The State Department is planning a limited-edition redesign of the American passport to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary in July, with new artwork that features a portrait of President Trump, according to a department official.

The redesign places the president’s portrait and signature over text from the U.S. Declaration of Independence on interior visa pages, marking a departure from passport artwork that had traditionally featured historical scenes, cultural symbols and iconic landmarks.

The redesigned versions will be the default passport option at the Washington Passport Agency, once available, and will not incur any additional fee, a State Department official said. Online options or other passport-issuing locations will maintain the existing U.S. passport design.

An image obtained by CBS News shows a new 250th anniversary passport design, featuring a portrait of President Trump. U.S. State Department

“As the United States celebrates America’s 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed U.S. passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. “These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. passport among the most secure documents in the world.”

Plans for the redesign were first reported by Fox News Digital and The Bulwark, which said an initial 25,000 copies would be issued. A department official called that figure “fake news,” without specifying how many of the commemorative passports will be issued.

The current “Next Generation” passport, introduced in 2021, includes illustrations of American landscapes and historical events across its pages. A prior redesign in 2007 added electronic technologies to prevent counterfeiting and inspirational quotations from former U.S. presidents.

Mr. Trump’s name and likeness have been attached to a range of public institutions and programs during his second administration, including a planned renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and the United States Institute of Peace as the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.” The administration previously announced a “Trump gold card” visa program that would allow non-U.S. citizens to gain a valid visa to live and work in the U.S. for $5 million.

The Treasury Department also previously announced that Mr. Trump’s signature will appear on paper currency, an unprecedented move for a sitting president, to honor the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The U.S. Mint is planning to issue a 24-karat gold commemorative coin that features Mr. Trump’s image.

WATCH: Cornyn tears into Dems for holding DHS ‘hostage’ and failing the No. 1 ‘non-negotiable’ for America

2026-04-28T16:00:42-04:00 / Fox News

Sen Cornyn cited the killing of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray by illegal immigrants as evidence of failed Democratic policies

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Published April 28, 2026 4:00pm EDT

Texas senator calls out Democrats over DHS funding, sanctuary fights amid homeland chaos

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called out Democrats over Homeland Security funding and sanctuary policy fights amid threats to national security.

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Longtime Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn accused Democrats of jeopardizing American lives amid heightened threats by supporting sanctuary policies and allowing the Department of Homeland Security to remain unfunded.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Cornyn decried the Democrats, saying, “This is just another manifestation of the sort of defund police mentality on the left.”

The comments come amid heightened national concern over public safety threats following what appeared to be another attempted assassination targeting President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday.

There is also widespread concern over violent crimes involving illegal immigrants in communities across the country. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is experiencing the longest funding lapse in its history, further straining its ability to respond to threats.

RO KHANNA SAYS DHS MUST BE FUNDED AFTER PRESSED ON WHCD SHOOTING FALLOUT

“We know there are dangerous people here,” he said. “People with criminal records and others who are a threat to public safety. And if there’s one job that is No. 1, non-negotiable, when it comes to our citizens, it’s public safety.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, right, is calling out Democrats for jeopardizing Americans’ lives through the DHS funding lapse.(Apu Gomes/Getty Images; Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Cornyn, one of the most senior members of the Senate who chairs the Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee, introduced the Sanctuary City Elimination Act last week to ensure local police comply with ICE detainers by barring sanctuary cities from accessing federal funding.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Cornyn also accused Democrats of holding DHS “hostage” to “avoid funding immigration enforcement.” He added that “this is just another manifestation of the sort of defund police mentality on the left, specifically now in the context of illegal immigration.”

Cornyn ripped into Democrats, pointing to deaths such as that of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, a U.S. citizen living in Houston who was killed by two illegal immigrants during the Biden administration in 2024.

“Folks in Texas remember names like Jocelyn Nungaray and others who have been victims of the unlimited open borders immigration that the Biden administration allowed during his four years in office,” he said. “Now that we have safe, secure borders under President Trump, [Democrats] are saying they don’t want to support the Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE.”

Cornyn is locked in a bitter primary runoff with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The attorney general is challenging Cornyn for the Senate seat he has held since 2002. While Paxton has received endorsements from the likes of Turning Point USA, Cornyn has been endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council. President Donald Trump has not issued an endorsement in the race, which will be decided by voters in late May.

WHCD SHOOTING SHOWS DEMS ARE ‘PLAYING’ WITH AMERICANS’ SAFETY BY WITHHOLDING DHS FUNDING, GOP LAWMAKER SAYS

Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, is holds a musical instrument. Her mother said she loved music and animals.(The American Border Story)

Cornyn’s Sanctuary City Elimination Act is cosponsored by Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

If passed, the measure would bar sanctuary cities and states from receiving certain federal funds and grants, including arts, education, environmental and community development block grants, according to Cornyn’s office. The bill would also seek to shield state and local law enforcement officers who comply with ICE detainers from prosecution by treating them as federal officers.

Additionally, the bill allows state governments “harmed by criminal aliens released by sanctuary jurisdictions” to sue those jurisdictions and the federal government to enforce the prohibition on funding to that sanctuary jurisdiction.

The same week Cornyn introduced the bill, the Houston City Council backed off a sanctuary-type policy amid threats of legal action from state officials.

Cornyn believes his bill can accomplish a similar result across the country. He noted that even if Democrats stymie progress on his bill, “We can certainly try to pass this using the same reconciliation process that we’ll use to fund ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.”

“This is a battleground that we should not shy away from,” he said.

SECURITY UNDER SCRUTINY AS WHCD ATTENDEES CITE INCONSISTENT SCREENING BEFORE SHOOTING

The Department of Homeland Security logo(Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Alluding to the upcoming midterm elections, Cornyn expressed confidence the issue will continue to resonate with voters in November.

“They don’t care about public safety. … We do care about public safety,” he said, adding that “is a pretty good contrast and one that we may need to just take to the voters.”

Addressing the weekend shooting, Cornyn told Fox News Digital, “Democrats cannot feign concern for President Trump’s life while also refusing to fund the very Department that houses Secret Service and other agencies sworn to protect him.

“I hope that, finally, the events of this past weekend will serve as a wake-up call for Democrats to fund DHS.”

Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for former President Joe Biden and to Paxton for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for comment.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

King Charles tells Congress that U.S.-U.K. alliance is “more important today than it has ever been”

April 28, 2026 / 4:53 PM EDT / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

Read Full Bio

Washington — Saying he felt the “weight of history” on his shoulders, King Charles became the first British monarch in 35 years to address Congress on Tuesday, where he urged lawmakers to rededicate their commitment to the transatlantic U.S.-U.K. alliance and resist “clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking.”

“America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more. President Lincoln understood this so well, with his reflection in the magisterial Gettysburg Address that the world may little note what we say, but will never forget what we do,” the king told a packed House chamber on the second day of his state visit to the U.S. “And so, to the United States of America, on your 250th birthday, let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world.”

This week’s visit from the king and Queen Camilla comes as the relationship between President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been strained over the war in Iran and other issues. In his nearly 30-minute speech, Charles highlighted the centuries-long relationship between the U.S. and U.K.

“The modern relationship between our two nations and our own peoples spans not merely 250 years, but over four centuries. It is extraordinary to think that I am the nineteenth in our line of sovereigns to study, with daily attention, the affairs of America,” he said. “So I come here today with the highest respect for the United States Congress, this citadel of democracy created to represent the voice of all American people to advance sacred rights and freedoms.”

King Charles III addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2026. Chris Jackson / Getty Images

The king noted that the speech came “in times of great uncertainty, in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East which pose immense challenges for the international community and whose impact is felt in communities the length and breadth of our own countries.”

Charles said that the two nations “do not always agree”but his remarks largely focused on their partnership, referring to it as “one of the most consequential alliances in human history.”

“Our two countries have always found ways to come together,” he said, calling the U.S.-U.K. alliance “truly unique.” “That partnership … is more important today than it has ever been.”

“The story of the United Kingdom and the United States is, at its heart, a story of reconciliation, renewal and remarkable partnership,” he added.

He said that “the challenges we face are too great for any one nation to bear alone.”

“But in this unpredictable environment, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements, or assume that foundational principles simply endure,” he continued. “As my prime minister said last month: ‘Ours is an indispensable partnership. We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last eighty years. Instead, we must build on it.’”

The king briefly mentioned Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, where the president and some members of Congress were present, declaring that “such acts of violence will never succeed.” The line was one of several that received a standing ovation from lawmakers.

“Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries,” he said of Saturday’s incident.

The king referenced NATO, an alliance Mr. Trump has threatened to leave, saying “our defense, intelligence and security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in years, but in decades.” He also mentioned several ways in which the nations have partnered on defense, including building F-35s and a submarine partnership between the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

“We do not embark on these remarkable endeavors together out of sentiment. We do so because they build greater shared resilience for the future, so making our citizens safer for generations to come,” he said.

King Charles III addresses a joint meeting of Congress as Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson look on. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

He said the same “unyielding resolve” that the U.S. and U.K. showed in World War II, the Cold War and after 9/11 “is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people, in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace,” a line that got a bipartisan standing ovation from those in the chamber.

It was the second time ever that a British monarch has addressed Congress. Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, was the first in 1991, which Charles noted.

“Speaking in this renowned chamber of debate and deliberation, I cannot help but think of my late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who, in 1991, was also afforded this signal honor and similarly spoke under the watchful eye of the statue of freedom above us,” he said.

Before addressing lawmakers, the king met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed the king and queen to the White House earlier Tuesday with a formal arrival ceremony. Mr. Trump referenced the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, saying “we hope it will always remain that way.”

中国商务部：有序放宽服务领域准入限制

2026年4月29日 07:12 / 联合早报

2025年，中国服务贸易进出口总额历史性地突破8万亿元人民币。图为2025年服贸会举办地北京首钢园区。 （新华社）

中国商务部部长助理张力说，官方将有序放宽服务领域准入限制，破除跨境服务贸易壁垒。

据中新社报道，张力星期二（4月28日）在国务院政策例行吹风会上说，中国已是服务贸易大国，服务贸易规模稳居世界前列。

他说，2025年，中国服务贸易进出口总额历史性地突破8万亿元（人民币，下同，约1.5万亿新元），达到8.08万亿元，同比增长7.4%。其中服务出口同比增加14.2%，远远快于服务进口，成为中国外贸增长的新动能、新引擎。

张力说，官方将进一步完善跨境服务贸易负面清单管理制度，主动对接国际高标准经贸规则，有序放宽服务领域准入限制，破除跨境服务贸易壁垒，推动与服务贸易密切相关的资金、人员、数据等要素跨境便利安全流动。

他说，中国将推动服务贸易国际合作。实施服务贸易全球合作伙伴网络计划，依托多双边经贸合作平台，加强与重点服务贸易伙伴的机制化合作，与更多国家商签服务贸易合作协定，创新合作方式，深挖合作潜力。搭建各类服务贸易促进平台，帮助建立国际对接渠道，助力服务企业更大范围参与国际竞争与合作。

Senate Republicans block Democrats’ attempt to force Cuba war powers vote

April 28, 2026 / 6:05 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Senate Democrats on Tuesday tried to force a vote on a measure to prevent President Trump from launching a military attack on Cuba, as he repeatedly threatens action against the island.

But Republicans blocked the procedural vote from moving forward, arguing that the U.S. isn’t engaged in hostilities with Cuba. The issue is “moot,” GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said.

Democrats are seeking to get ahead of the president on Cuba after he took unilateral action against Venezuela and Iran.

The resolution was introduced in March by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who has also spearheaded the efforts in the Senate to rein in Mr. Trump on Venezuela and Iran. More than half a dozen votes related to military action in those countries have yielded similar results, with most Republicans voting down restrictions on military action and defending the president’s broad authority to use military force.

“I’ve never heard the suggestion that Cuba poses an imminent security threat to the United States,” Kaine said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote.

Since the U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Mr. Trump has warned that he has had his sights set on Cuba. He has said that he believed he would have “the honor of taking Cuba” and that “Cuba’s going to be next.”

Earlier this month, Mr. Trump said military action against Cuba is still on the table.

“We may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this,” he said, referring to the Iran war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been more direct about the administration’s possible goals in Cuba, testifying to Congress in January that “we would love to see the regime there change.” He said it would be of “great benefit” to the U.S. and has also called for economic reforms. The administration has said it is looking to resolve its concerns with Cuba through diplomacy, but has not ruled out some kind of military action.

Kaine argued the U.S. is already engaged in hostilities with Cuba, citing the Trump administration’s oil blockade on the island that has had devastating effects on civilians. Kaine said the U.S. would consider the blockade an act of war if the tables were turned.

“The U.S. is using force to block energy from going to Cuba,” he said.

Cuban leadership has said the country is ready to fight any U.S. aggression.

As tensions remain high, the two countries have engaged in diplomatic talks. A delegation of senior State Department representatives traveled to Cuba earlier this month, marking the first time a U.S. government plane has landed in Cuba since President Barack Obama traveled to the island in 2016.

A State Department official told CBS News that Mr. Trump is open to resolving the United States’ concerns through diplomacy, but he “will not let the island collapse into a major national security threat if Cuba’s leaders are unwilling or unable to act.”

READ: Indictment of James Comey

2026-04-28 4:40 PM ET / CNN

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of making a threat against President Donald Trump and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

The indictment, which marks the administration’s second attempt to prosecute the longtime Trump rival, centers on a photo of seashells Comey posted on social media last year that officials say threatened the president.

Read the full indictment below:

US to produce passports bearing Trump’s image

2026-04-28T21:01:31.193Z / Reuters

By Simon Lewis

April 28, 2026 9:01 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it would produce a limited number of commemorative passports ​bearing a portrait of Donald Trump, the latest example of the ‌administration attaching the president’s likeness or name to official property.

The passports will be released as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the ​U.S. Declaration of Independence in July, State Department spokesperson ​Tommy Pigott said in a statement, which did not ⁠mention that the passports would contain Trump’s image.

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Renderings provided by ​the State Department showed Trump’s portrait displayed on a page inside ​the passport, opposite an image of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

“These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining ​the same security features that make the U.S. passport the ​most secure documents in the world,” Pigott said.

It was unclear whether U.S. citizens ‌will ⁠be able to opt out of receiving the commemorative passport, but a State Department official said there would be no extra fee charged to receive one of the limited run of ​commemorative passports.

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The U.S. ​Mint has also ⁠announced plans for a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s image to mark the anniversary of the country’s ​founding, and the Treasury Department has said paper ​currency will bear ⁠Trump’s signature, the first time a sitting president has signed U.S. money.

Since he returned to office early last year, Trump’s administration has ⁠also affixed ​his name to prominent Washington buildings, a ​planned class of Navy warships, a visa program for wealthy foreigners, a government-run prescription drug website, and ​federal savings accounts for children.

Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Daniel Wallis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Kennedy’s US advisory board puts focus on ‘profound autism’, improved medical care

2026-04-28 11:14 PM UTC / Reuters

By Robin Respaut

April 28, 2026 11:14 PM UTC Updated 45 mins ago

节点运行失败

Item 1 of 2 U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. discusses the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey, during a press conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

[1/2]U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. discusses the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey, during a press conference at the Department of Health and Human… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

• Summary

• Federal panel recommends US agencies use term ‘profound autism’ for those with highest support needs
• Committee urges improved medical care and safety for autistic individuals
• Tuesday’s meeting was the first IACC meeting since Kennedy remade the panel in January

April 28 (Reuters) – A U.S. advisory committee appointed by Health ​Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended on Tuesday that the government adopt the term “profound autism” for those with the ‌highest support needs, and improve gaps in medical care for people with autism.

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee helps guide federal autism research spending, worth about $2 billion annually, and coordinates efforts among government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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In January, Kennedy appointed a new chairperson ​and all 20 public members on the board. Another 22 members represent federal agencies.

More than a third of the health ​secretary’s newly appointed members have promoted the debunked link between vaccines and autism that Kennedy has championed, contrary to ⁠established science, alarming some autism researchers. Most of the committee’s public members are parents of autistic children or people with autism.

Kennedy has made autism ​a signature issue of his tenure and highlighted the plight of autistic individuals with the highest need for support throughout the course of ​their lives.

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In 2021, the Lancet Commission, an international expert panel that assesses autism research and services, designated people with profound autism as those with severe intellectual impairment or minimal verbal communication, and the need for full-time access to a caregiver. In 2023, the CDC estimated that 26.7% of 8-year-olds with autism qualified as profound.

The ​spotlight on high needs has been welcomed by some advocates who say those with profound autism were left behind as the definition and ​diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder expanded in recent years to include many high-functioning individuals. Others in the autism community oppose the designation as unnecessary and stigmatizing.

“Individuals ‌with ⁠the greatest medical complexity and functional support needs are the most excluded from the research designed to help them,” said IACC Chair Dr. Sylvia Fogel, a psychiatry instructor at Harvard Medical School and parent of a child with autism.

“Existing systems do not reliably capture individuals with the highest support needs, and it’s why a functional designation of profound autism, in my opinion, is needed.”

UNDIAGNOSED CONDITIONS

The committee also prioritized improving medical care ​for autistic patients who suffer from ​other health conditions, such as ⁠gastrointestinal, sleep, neurological, autoimmune and metabolic disorders. Such illnesses are sometimes undiagnosed by medical providers or assumed to be symptoms of autism, leaving patients without critical care, they said.

“Many in the autism community are facing ​intense daily hardship driven by undiagnosed conditions, safety risks, and increased mortality,” said Fogel.

“Some experience physical pain ​that they can’t ⁠communicate, from conditions such as gastrointestinal disorders, dental issues, or chronic headaches or migraines. Pain that leads to behaviors that are too often dismissed as just part of autism,” said Fogel. “I have witnessed this repeatedly in my two decades of practice. It is unacceptable.”

The public members of the committee, ⁠those appointed ​by Kennedy to represent the autism community, voted on Tuesday largely in support of ​making recommendations to him. Many of the federal members, those who represent relevant government bodies, voted to abstain, arguing that the agencies needed more time to review the proposals.

The ​panel’s recommendations passed and will be sent to Kennedy.

Reporting by Robin Respaut, additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; editing by Michele Gershberg and Bill Berkrot

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董军：上合组织应当坚定维护国际秩序

2026年4月29日 07:42 / 联合早报

上海合作组织成员国国防部长会议星期二（4月28日）在吉尔吉斯斯坦比什凯克举行，中国国防部长董军（左六）出席。 （上合组织官网）

上海合作组织成员国国防部长会议星期二（4月28日）在吉尔吉斯斯坦比什凯克举行，中国国防部长董军（左六）出席。 （上合组织官网）

中国国防部长董军出席上海合作组织成员国国防部长会议时说，上合组织应当坚定维护国际秩序，共同捍卫公平正义。

据新华社报道，上海合作组织成员国国防部长会议星期二（4月28日）在吉尔吉斯斯坦比什凯克举行，董军率团出席并发言。

董军说，中国国家主席习近平提出的全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议、全球文明倡议、全球治理倡议，为动荡不安的世界注入宝贵的稳定性确定性。

他说，上合组织作为践行多边主义的典范，应当坚定维护国际秩序，共同捍卫公平正义，协力推动完善安全治理，以共同发展消弭动荡冲突土壤，为实现本次会议倡导的“可持续和平、发展和繁荣”贡献“上合力量”。站在上合组织25周年新起点，应当做深防务安全合作，推动上合组织实现更加团结、更重协作、更富活力、更有作为的高质量发展。

会上，各国防务部门领导表示要加强战略沟通，推进务实合作，维护地区和平安宁。会前吉尔吉斯斯坦总统扎帕罗夫集体会见各国防务部门领导。

此次访问和会议期间，董军同俄罗斯、吉尔吉斯斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、伊朗、巴基斯坦、白俄罗斯等国防务部门领导会见会谈。