作者： root

Floodwaters submerge Midwest neighborhoods still bracing for more severe storms

August 13, 2026 / 11:17 AM EDT / CBS News

By Emily Mae Czachor News Editor
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and climate. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

Read Full Bio

Meg Oliver Correspondent
Meg Oliver is a correspondent for CBS News based in New York City. Oliver is a veteran journalist with more than two decades of reporting and anchoring experience.

Read Full Bio

Flooding submerged Indiana neighborhoods in water for the second day in a row, as parts of the state saw Wednesday the highest daily rainfall totals ever recorded in their areas.

Some braced for more severe weather still ahead, as meteorologists warned Thursday that Indianapolis faced the greatest threats of storms slated to bring heavy rain to the Midwest throughout the rest of the week.

Upwards of 36 million people were under flood alerts Thursday across the region, according to the National Weather Service. Its forecast offices in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee warned that rainfall across each state could be persistent and widespread, potentially drenching parts of each state with another 4 inches or more.

The expected round of rainfall could bring strong winds, large hail, and additional flash flooding to communities recovering from extreme weather that has already wreaked havoc in recent days.

This photo provided by AEP Ohio shows flooding in the Crooksville, Ohio, area on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. AEP Ohio via AP

Since Monday, 277 flash flooding incidents have been reported across the Ohio Valley, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan, as deadly storms and tornadoes slammed the region. Since Tuesday, leaders in the region have declared seven different flash flood emergencies, and a quarter of a million people in Indiana and Illinois woke Thursday to power outages caused by the storms.

“The rain never stopped”

Many people had to be rescued by boat in Cambridge City, Indiana, after catastrophic floods on Wednesday left them stranded. Water filled city streets, rising several feet in the hardest-hit places and seeping into, at best, the ground floors of local homes. Some residents faced harsher conditions, with the deluge completely covering the roofs of their cars or crashing into their homes through doors and windows.

One man desperately clung to a light pole in Cambridge City as muddy, brown water swirled around him, before he was eventually rescued. Another, Christian Corder, of nearby New Castle, Indiana, evacuated his home after it flooded and told “CBS Mornings” that dealing with the aftermath has been “very overwhelming.”

“A lot of stuff is ruined,” Corder said, recalling how “the rain never stopped — it just kept coming and coming.”

New Castle received more than 11 inches of rain in just over a day. Such a high rainfall rate is extremely rare, with only a 1 in 1,000, or 0.1%, chance of it happening in any given year.

CBS News’ Meg Oliver said she encountered several washed-out roads and detours along a five-hour drive across Indiana on Wednesday that was supposed to take three. Even the region’s major interstate highway, I-70, was partly shut down after a section of it buckled under the weight of pounding rain.

Cambridge City streets remained submerged in water Thursday or were otherwise caked in mud, said Oliver.

And the destruction hasn’t been limited to Indiana: Wednesday’s flash flooding swept as far south as Knoxville, Tennessee, where fire trucks blocked off waterlogged streets. It came on the heels of an initial bout of severe weather that blasted parts of Ohio a day earlier. That storm left a trail of damage described as “historic” by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

Remaining floodwater covers a portion of Roseville, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Flooding risks still ahead

Forecasters warned the worst may not yet be over for some Midwesterners, as rivers continued to swell Thursday in states previously struck by this week’s floods. Rising water levels could challenge records in some areas, potentially reaching levels not seen in more than a century.

In addition to Indianapolis, the oncoming storms could impact multiple metropolitan centers, including Des Moines, Louisville and Nashville, where most flood warnings and watches weren’t scheduled to lift before Friday.

“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of creeks, streams, and other low lying and flood prone locations,” said the weather service office in Jackson, Kentucky, on Thursday, in an alert issued for a vast portion of the state.

Although forecasters have said Illinois would likely be spared from the strongest and most destructive storms, a flood watch for the Chicago area was set to take effect Thursday evening and last until Friday morning, CBS Chicago reported.

Nikki Nolan contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/road-buckles-and-homes-flood-in-midwest-after-severe-flooding/

Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in federal case over insurance CEO killing, NYT reports

2026-08-13 2:35 PM UTC / Reuters

By Jack Queen

August 13, 2026 2:35 PM UTC Updated 1 min ago

Item 1 of 3 Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court, in New York City, U.S., August 11, 2026. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/Pool

[1/3]Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court, in New York City, U.S., August 11, 2026. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/Pool Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 13 (Reuters) – Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, is ​expected to plead guilty in a federal case charging him with stalking, the New ‌York Times reported on Thursday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

A guilty plea would avert a trial in the closely watched case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a brazen crime that ​was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of Americans’ frustration with health insurance ​industry practices. It could also delay Mangione’s trial next month on state murder charges.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Representatives ⁠for Mangione and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for ​comment.

A federal judge would need to accept Mangione’s guilty plea. He previously pleaded not guilty in April ​2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, who is overseeing the case, threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in a surprise ruling in January. The ​decision eliminated the possibility that Mangione would face the death penalty, though he still faces a ​possible sentence of life without parole if convicted on the remaining stalking charges.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

His federal trial was most recently set ‌for ⁠January.

Mangione separately pleaded not guilty in December 2024 to state terrorism, murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The terrorism charges were thrown out by a judge in September 2025.

A trial in that case is scheduled for September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan.

If he ​pleads guilty in the federal ​case, Mangione is ⁠likely to seek dismissal of the murder charge under New York’s double jeopardy law, which protects people from being prosecuted twice for the same ​conduct. Bragg’s office would oppose the move, arguing that the murder charge ​is legally ⁠distinct from the federal charges. Whoever loses would likely seek an emergency appeal.

Thompson led UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH.N), opens new tab insurance unit before he was shot dead in the early morning outside a hotel where an investor ⁠conference was ​taking place.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/0733ad8b-e7a6-4342-b9c5-b9c63ce83084

Graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt ​for a suspect made the case a media fixture and social media sensation. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in ​Toronto and Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter, Michelle Nichols and Amy Stevens

No English content available

No English content available

为破中国稀土桎梏 日本拟与美国开采全球最深海底矿产

2026年8月13日 23:23 / 联合早报

AI摘要

• 日美拟合作开采日本南鸟岛约6公里深海底稀土矿，以削弱中国在稀土领域的主导地位。
• 南鸟岛稀土储量或可满足数世纪工业需求，但商业化开采尚无先例，技术与成本挑战巨大。
• 项目计划2028年前制定商业化方案，美国企业已初步参与，但目前由日本主导深海勘探作业。
• 中国近年频繁在南鸟岛附近海域勘测，引发日美对资源竞争的关切。
• 高市早苗与特朗普均将此视为摆脱对华依赖、构建自主稀土供应链的关键举措。

本摘要由AI辅助生成，仅供参考

日本海洋技术研究组织（JAMSTEC）于1月12日拍摄、7月24日发布图片显示，深海钻探船“地球号”（Chikyu）正驶往距离东京约2000公里的珊瑚环礁南鸟岛。 （AFP）

日本与美国拟针对在日本南鸟岛（Minamitorishima）约6公里深的海底开采稀土矿产进行合作，试图削弱中国在稀土领域的主导地位，但外界对此普遍持怀疑态度。

彭博社报道，今年3月，美国总统特朗普在白宫会见了日本首相高市早苗，当时，两人就这个太平洋上日本小岛的讨论没有引发什么关注。这个岛屿面积很小，几乎容不下游客，却栖息着危险的蜗牛。

南鸟岛位于东京东南方向1000多英里处，地势如饼一般平坦，面积仅有几个街区那么大，除了一个气象站和一条跑道外基本什么也没有。但它底下蕴藏着深海稀土宝藏 —— 根据美日峰会后发表的关于合作开采的声明，这些矿藏或能“满足几个世纪的工业需求”。

外界对此普遍持怀疑态度。尽管全球海底勘探和测绘已开展了数十年，但迄今尚无此类采矿项目达到商业化规模，国际准则也仍在讨论之中。南鸟岛的资源埋在泥里，深度约在海面以下6公里，是目前有考虑开采的最深矿藏之一。

7月24日发布的照片显示，日本深海钻探船“地球号”正在作业，图为船上的大型钻头。（法新社）

哈德逊研究所（Hudson Institute）高级研究员William Chou说：“南鸟岛项目志向宏大，但它可以让日本和美国拥有一个完全闭环、从矿产到磁体的稀土供应链，从而有助于打破中国的桎梏。”

围绕南鸟岛项目可能如何推进的计划如今似乎正在成形。日本内阁府最近公布了今年采集的测试样本结果，显示钇（yttrium ）、钆（gadolinium）和镝（dysprosium）的含量很高 —— 中国产量在这些重稀土领域占据的主导地位尤其显著。进一步试钻工作已经列入计划，目标是到2028年制定商业化方案。

据知情人士透露，包括总部位于休斯敦的“深海技术公司”（Deep Reach Technology）在内，数家北美公司已对南鸟岛开采项目表示出兴趣，但相关洽谈尚处于非常早期的阶段。目前，该项目的所有工作均由拥有先进深海勘探能力的日本进行，但美国公司的丰富油气钻探经验有望成为解决方案的一部分。

随着中国也对这些海底矿藏表现出兴趣，美国的支持已变得愈发重要。中国的海洋调查船曾多次造访南鸟岛附近海域，彭博新闻社分析一艘中国科考船的商业追踪数据后发现，近年来，该船已在日本专属经济区边缘进行了海底勘测。专属经济区是从一国海岸线向外扩展200海里范围内的海域，各国对专属经济区内的资源拥有独家勘探和开发权。

2月拍摄的照片显示，一名工作人员正在查看从在南鸟岛海岸附近作业的深海钻探船“地球号”取来的样本。（法新社）

对北京和东京而言，挑战都将十分艰巨。迄今为止的海上石油钻探项目仅达到南鸟岛海床所处深度的一半左右。那里的水压是海平面的600倍左右，而且人们对商业采矿的可能生物影响知之甚少。根据一项私营部门估测值，如果该项目取得成功，可能需要在十余年间投资数十亿美元，然后以约为中国陆地开采成本三倍的水平生产稀土。

几十年前，中国从国际海底管理局（联合国下属机构，负责管理国家管辖范围以外海底矿产资源）获得了南鸟岛和美国关岛附近海域区块的深海勘探专属权。东京大学教授中村谦太郎认为，近期勘测船的活动表明，北京对该地区的矿产勘探兴趣日益浓厚，同时，中国发表的关于该地区的研究论文数量也在不断增加。中村所在的研究团队曾对该地区进行过研究。

考虑到成本、复杂性且漫长开发周期，换作其他日本首相，这个项目可能就停留在愿景层面了。但对于高市早苗而言，该项目已成为她推动日本摆脱对华依赖计划的核心内容。而且在担任日本经济安全保障担当部长直至2024年的两年时间里，她就一直热衷于此。

她还找到了一个志同道合的伙伴：特朗普。特朗普同样希望削弱中国在稀土领域对美国的影响力，并为美国企业打开海底矿产勘探和开采空间。今年4月，他命令联邦机构快速审查并颁发美国境内外项目的许可证和执照。

No English content available

为破中国稀土桎梏 日本拟与美国开采全球最深海底矿产

2026年8月13日 23:23 / 联合早报

日本海洋技术研究组织（JAMSTEC）于1月12日拍摄、7月24日发布图片显示，深海钻探船“地球号”（Chikyu）正驶往距离东京约2000公里的珊瑚环礁南鸟岛。 （AFP）

日本与美国拟针对在日本南鸟岛（Minamitorishima）约6公里深的海底开采稀土矿产进行合作，试图削弱中国在稀土领域的主导地位，但外界对此普遍持怀疑态度。

彭博社报道，今年3月，美国总统特朗普在白宫会见了日本首相高市早苗，当时，两人就这个太平洋上日本小岛的讨论没有引发什么关注。这个岛屿面积很小，几乎容不下游客，却栖息着危险的蜗牛。

南鸟岛位于东京东南方向1000多英里处，地势如饼一般平坦，面积仅有几个街区那么大，除了一个气象站和一条跑道外基本什么也没有。但它底下蕴藏着深海稀土宝藏 —— 根据美日峰会后发表的关于合作开采的声明，这些矿藏或能“满足几个世纪的工业需求”。

外界对此普遍持怀疑态度。尽管全球海底勘探和测绘已开展了数十年，但迄今尚无此类采矿项目达到商业化规模，国际准则也仍在讨论之中。南鸟岛的资源埋在泥里，深度约在海面以下6公里，是目前有考虑开采的最深矿藏之一。

7月24日发布的照片显示，日本深海钻探船“地球号”正在作业，图为船上的大型钻头。（法新社）

哈德逊研究所（Hudson Institute）高级研究员William Chou说：“南鸟岛项目志向宏大，但它可以让日本和美国拥有一个完全闭环、从矿产到磁体的稀土供应链，从而有助于打破中国的桎梏。”

延伸阅读

中国收紧稀土供应 日本启动稀土勘探行动日本6000米深海开采发现稀土 盼降低对中国依赖

围绕南鸟岛项目可能如何推进的计划如今似乎正在成形。日本内阁府最近公布了今年采集的测试样本结果，显示钇（yttrium ）、钆（gadolinium）和镝（dysprosium）的含量很高 —— 中国产量在这些重稀土领域占据的主导地位尤其显著。进一步试钻工作已经列入计划，目标是到2028年制定商业化方案。

据知情人士透露，包括总部位于休斯敦的“深海技术公司”（Deep Reach Technology）在内，数家北美公司已对南鸟岛开采项目表示出兴趣，但相关洽谈尚处于非常早期的阶段。目前，该项目的所有工作均由拥有先进深海勘探能力的日本进行，但美国公司的丰富油气钻探经验有望成为解决方案的一部分。

随着中国也对这些海底矿藏表现出兴趣，美国的支持已变得愈发重要。中国的海洋调查船曾多次造访南鸟岛附近海域，彭博新闻社分析一艘中国科考船的商业追踪数据后发现，近年来，该船已在日本专属经济区边缘进行了海底勘测。专属经济区是从一国海岸线向外扩展200海里范围内的海域，各国对专属经济区内的资源拥有独家勘探和开发权。

2月拍摄的照片显示，一名工作人员正在查看从在南鸟岛海岸附近作业的深海钻探船“地球号”取来的样本。（法新社）

对北京和东京而言，挑战都将十分艰巨。迄今为止的海上石油钻探项目仅达到南鸟岛海床所处深度的一半左右。那里的水压是海平面的600倍左右，而且人们对商业采矿的可能生物影响知之甚少。根据一项私营部门估测值，如果该项目取得成功，可能需要在十余年间投资数十亿美元，然后以约为中国陆地开采成本三倍的水平生产稀土。

几十年前，中国从国际海底管理局（联合国下属机构，负责管理国家管辖范围以外海底矿产资源）获得了南鸟岛和美国关岛附近海域区块的深海勘探专属权。东京大学教授中村谦太郎认为，近期勘测船的活动表明，北京对该地区的矿产勘探兴趣日益浓厚，同时，中国发表的关于该地区的研究论文数量也在不断增加。中村所在的研究团队曾对该地区进行过研究。

考虑到成本、复杂性且漫长开发周期，换作其他日本首相，这个项目可能就停留在愿景层面了。但对于高市早苗而言，该项目已成为她推动日本摆脱对华依赖计划的核心内容。而且在担任日本经济安全保障担当部长直至2024年的两年时间里，她就一直热衷于此。

她还找到了一个志同道合的伙伴：特朗普。特朗普同样希望削弱中国在稀土领域对美国的影响力，并为美国企业打开海底矿产勘探和开采空间。今年4月，他命令联邦机构快速审查并颁发美国境内外项目的许可证和执照。

土耳其游船起火 百多人弃船跳海避险

2026年8月13日 23:46 / 联合早报

8月13日，游船皇帝号在土耳其西南部穆拉省费特希耶区起火燃烧，导致百多人弃船跳海避险。 （法新社）

一艘观光娱乐游船在土耳其西南部穆拉省费特希耶（Fethiye）附近起火，船上百多人弃船跳海避险。

新华社报道，当地时间星期四（8月13日）11时许，事故发生在旅游胜地费特希耶一处海湾附近。涉事游船当时正在航行，其厨房区域因不明原因起火，火势迅速蔓延。

报道说，事发时船上共有115人，火势扩大后，船上人员穿上救生衣跳海避险。土耳其海岸警卫队、海岸安全部门和医疗救援人员随后赶赴现场，附近船只也参与救援和人员转移。

法新社报道，当时，船上载着许多家庭，准备前往费特希耶附近的海滨度假胜地游玩。费特希耶尤其受到英国游客的欢迎。

官员说，这艘名为“皇帝”（Imparator）的游船，号称能为孩子们提供“难忘的冒险之旅”。船上的115名乘客和船员全部疏散到岸上，疏散工作主要由海岸警卫队执行。海岸警卫队说，他们疏散了107人，但没有透露其中有多少是孩童。

土耳其海事局在社交媒体X频道上说，11人因吸入浓烟送往医院，但据称均无“严重伤情”，但并未透露其中是否有儿童。

土耳其媒体发布的照片​​显示，游船已严重损毁。火灾原因正在调查中。

游船运营方在脸书上发表声明称：“我们的乘客和工作人员都安全无恙。”

土耳其游船起火 百多人弃船跳海避险

2026年8月13日 23:46 / 联合早报

8月13日，游船皇帝号在土耳其西南部穆拉省费特希耶区起火燃烧，导致百多人弃船跳海避险。 （法新社）

一艘观光娱乐游船在土耳其西南部穆拉省费特希耶（Fethiye）附近起火，船上百多人弃船跳海避险。

新华社报道，当地时间星期四（8月13日）11时许，事故发生在旅游胜地费特希耶一处海湾附近。涉事游船当时正在航行，其厨房区域因不明原因起火，火势迅速蔓延。

报道说，事发时船上共有115人，火势扩大后，船上人员穿上救生衣跳海避险。土耳其海岸警卫队、海岸安全部门和医疗救援人员随后赶赴现场，附近船只也参与救援和人员转移。

法新社报道，当时，船上载着许多家庭，准备前往费特希耶附近的海滨度假胜地游玩。费特希耶尤其受到英国游客的欢迎。

官员说，这艘名为“皇帝”（Imparator）的游船，号称能为孩子们提供“难忘的冒险之旅”。船上的115名乘客和船员全部疏散到岸上，疏散工作主要由海岸警卫队执行。海岸警卫队说，他们疏散了107人，但没有透露其中有多少是孩童。

土耳其海事局在社交媒体X频道上说，11人因吸入浓烟送往医院，但据称均无“严重伤情”，但并未透露其中是否有儿童。

土耳其媒体发布的照片​​显示，游船已严重损毁。火灾原因正在调查中。

游船运营方在脸书上发表声明称：“我们的乘客和工作人员都安全无恙。”

‘They don’t trust him anymore’:  How VA Secretary Doug Collins drew the ire of the White House and Republicans

2026-08-13T14:40:20.046Z / CNN

A month after House Republicans failed to pass a veterans health bill, lawmakers are meeting behind closed doors to try to get the legislation back on track. But there’s one key person they haven’t invited to the table: Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.

Collins and his team at the VA have been excluded from recent meetings on Capitol Hill because some senior congressional Republicans and Trump officials blamed him when the planned House vote was abruptly abandoned in July, according to multiple sources who were involved in crafting the legislation.

“His relationship with the Hill directly is garbage at this point,” said one person familiar with the dynamics surrounding Collins.

“They don’t trust him anymore,” another source familiar with the situation said.

The episode underscores how Collins’ standing in the administration has steadily deteriorated over the past several months. A longtime ally of President Donald Trump who previously served in the House before joining Trump’s Cabinet, Collins has confounded those around him with his lackluster engagement on issues like the veterans health bill, spurring widespread speculation over how much longer he’ll remain in the job.

Trump is unlikely to fire Collins, at least for now, amid efforts in the White House to minimize upheaval ahead of November’s midterm elections. But Trump officials have increasingly scrutinized Collins’ performance, including tracking his travel and examining the extent of his involvement in key departmental priorities, said the person familiar with the dynamics. Collins’ receding role has prompted speculation he may soon leave the administration of his own accord, the person added.

Resurrecting the legislation, called the “Take Care of America’s Veterans Act,” is also considered key to the midterms. The bill would expand benefits for tens of thousands of veterans – a key constituency for many Republicans in Congress – and passage would be viewed as an important legislative win ahead of the November vote.

The VA, in an email to CNN, denied that Collins worked against the bill’s passage. VA press secretary Quinn Slaven said: “The Trump administration, Secretary Collins and VA broadly support this bill, and while we believe it could benefit from some amendments, it contains many priorities of the administration.”

Slaven added: “Under the leadership of President Trump, Secretary Collins is proud to work every day to make VA benefits better, faster and easier to use than ever before.”

The White House did not address Collins’ role in GOP efforts to advance the veterans health bill.

In a statement, spokeswoman Olivia Wales said that the VA secretary “is doing a great job and works tirelessly to deliver for our heroic veterans.” Another White House official downplayed the focus on Collins’ travel, contending that Cabinet officials are encouraged to be on the road to “highlight the administration’s accomplishments.”

The White House also forwarded a statement of support from GOP Rep. Jack Bergman, who sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and insisted that Collins “has been great to work with” and has “taken action when we bring him difficult issues involving Veterans.”

The veterans health bill would cut billions of dollars in future disability benefits to some veterans suffering from tinnitus and sleep apnea. The money saved from those cuts would pay for another measure that would allow veterans to receive both their retirement benefits and combat injury-related benefits. Veterans are currently allowed to receive one, but not both, of those benefits.

The bill is also aimed at improving access to private sector care, working to cut down wait times for care and providing benefits for the spouses of deceased veterans, even if they re-marry.

Democrats oppose the bill, along with some veterans service organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, saying they disagree with the idea of taking away some veterans’ benefits to pay for other benefits.

Other veterans’ advocacy groups like The American Legion and Concerned Veterans for America are in favor of the bill, pointing to all the ways they say it would expand benefits for many of the roughly 9 million veterans enrolled with the VA as well as their families.

The House adjourned for summer recess not long after the legislation was pulled from the House floor ahead of a scheduled vote. But sources say House Republicans are continuing discussions about the bill – without input from Collins.

The VA secretary had initially indicated to Republican congressional leadership that he supported the measure, but then started to subtly work against it, according to two sources familiar with the interactions.

They said he would signal to some lawmakers he wasn’t entirely behind the bill, telling some GOP members he shared their concerns about the legislation. The tension between Collins and the White House and congressional Republicans was first reported by Politico.

Some of what the legislation aims to accomplish had been proposed during the Biden administration, through the rulemaking process. But a VA press secretary told the website Government Executive in June that that proposal “would need to undergo significant changes” – further baffling Hill staffers about where Collins stood on the issue.

Confusion over Collins’ stance continued into mid-July, sources say, at which point too many House Republicans started to waver in their support. When the bill was pulled, White House officials and Republican House members and staffers grew angry with Collins, the sources said.

“I’ve never seen them so mad,” one source said of some House Republicans. “Their anger was off the charts.”

Sources say senior Republicans complained to the White House about how Collins and Don Bergin, the VA’s assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs, dealt with the bill – and that those Republicans do not view Collins and Bergin as honest brokers moving forward.

After Collins’ handling of the legislation that the president and administration have prioritized, one of the sources said: “They can’t decipher or figure out what’s going on in his mind.”

In the midst of the fallout, Collins praised Trump on Fox Business. “He is providing the leadership over the country to say ‘Hey we want to put America first. We want to put our veterans first,’” Collins said.