Lutnick testified he knew little about Epstein, his next-door neighbor

May 13, 2026 / 6:41 PM EDT / CBS News

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he was unaware for years that his next-door neighbor Jeffrey Epstein was a registered sex offender, according to a transcript of testimony released Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee.

Lutnick also described a “crude” remark Epstein once made about getting “the right kind of massage.”

“He said it to me, and my wife is standing next to me, and we looked at each other, and we left,” Lutnick said.

Lutnick recounted that conversation as he voluntarily testified before the committee behind closed doors on May 6. He faced questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his evolving statements about their history.

That day, Democrats on the committee accused Lutnick of being evasive, saying he “made a farce of the English language” in order to mislead the public, and calling on him to resign over his changing accounts of his interactions with the late sex offender.

But GOP Rep. James Comer, the Oversight Committee’s chairman, said Democrats were twisting Lutnick’s words and had come into the interview to push a “narrative” to damage President Trump.

“It’s never about holding people accountable that should have prosecuted Epstein years ago. It’s always about Donald Trump,” Comer told reporters on May 6.

The files revealed that Epstein and Lutnick were in business together as recently as 2014, investing simultaneously in a now-shuttered advertising company called Adfin.

Lutnick said during the deposition that he was unaware Epstein was also an early investor in the company.

Lutnick has for years insisted he had little relationship with Epstein, who was his neighbor in New York City, but has more recently acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island with his family in 2012 — after the files documenting the trip were made public.

Lutnick, his wife, Allison, and their children visited Little St. James, Epstein’s Caribbean island, not long before Epstein and Lutnick invested in Adfin. An undated photo from the files shows Epstein and Lutnick among a group of men on the island.

An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Howard Lutnick (in blue shirt) on Epstein’s island. U.S. Department of Justice / Internet Archive

Lutnick, the former chairman of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has previously said he cut ties with Epstein in 2005, three years before Epstein entered a guilty plea to state prostitution charges in Florida.

Lutnick told the committee he purchased the property next to Epstein’s home on New York’s Upper East Side in 1997, but didn’t move in until after renovations were complete in 2005. Lutnick said he met Epstein just three times, including his family’s island visit.

During the 2005 visit, a coffee and tour of Epstein’s townhouse that Lutnick said his wife also joined, he said he was turned off by a crude comment related to a massage table in the home, and he concluded he didn’t want a relationship with Epstein. He also described one other meeting, a discussion about Epstein’s foyer.

Lutnick was the latest in a parade of powerful people to testify for the committee after their names or pictures appeared in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files. Others who testified include the executors of Epstein’s estate, as well as former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire businessman Les Wexner. They have not been accused of wrongdoing and denied any knowledge of Epstein’s abuses.

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has agreed to testify before the panel later this month.

It never ends: GOP moves to fund border, Democrats blast Trump spending

May 13, 2026 7:18pm EDT / Fox News

Republicans are using a special process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats

By Chad Pergram Fox News

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on Congress facing a June 1 deadline for I.C.E. and Border Patrol funding on ‘Special Report.’

This story never ends.

The government is still not fully funded for the rest of the fiscal year – meaning September 30.

Yes. The House and Senate approved a bipartisan bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security in late April. It’s similar to what the Senate approved unilaterally in late March. But the House never took it up until just before a recent Congressional recess.

Now the GOP is trying to go around Democrats and pass a three-year bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol. Democrats never secured reforms at ICE. So they aren’t willing to help out. That’s why Republicans are using a special process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats.

President Donald Trump holds a design of a proposed presidential ballroom at the White House.(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

The only hitch is that it takes a while. The goal is to pass this bill by June 1.

House GOP pushes back on Senate’s ‘skinny’ plan to end record-breaking DHS shutdown

Republican Congressional leaders initially wanted to make this bill rather spare, just funding ICE and Border Patrol. But they expanded that measure to include $1 billion for President Trump’s ballroom security after the recent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

So Democrats are launching a blitz about the ballroom.

RELATED: REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP BALLROOM FUNDING IN DHS BILL

“Republicans say let them eat cake and demand American taxpayers build Trump a palace while they’re at it,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “These ‘ballroom Republicans’ have a constituency of one: Donald Trump’s ego.”

“The president just plowed down the East Wing of the White House. And it sits there as a gaping hole waiting to be filled. It was going to be his billionaire buddies filling it. Now it’s the American taxpayers,” complained Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Senate Republican leaders initially insisted that the latest funding bill only stick to funding Border Patrol and ICE.

“While my personal preference is to put as much as you possibly can in this reconciliation vehicle, there may only be an appetite for Border Patrol or ICE,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.)

But the decision by GOP leaders to shove $1 billion into the bill opens the floor for other Republicans to stuff additional priorities into this budget reconciliation measure.

“I’d love to see the SAVE Act in some form or fashion,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) on Fox, referring to the bill which requires proof of citizenship to vote.

“There are a lot of good conservative wins that we can put forth for the American people,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) on Fox Business.

Some pro-life Republicans are pushing an extension of a ban on money for Planned Parenthood. The prohibition expires later this year.

“It’s been a very thorny issue. It’s all under negotiation right now,” said President Trump.

Meantime, Republicans accuse Democrats of returning to their mantra to defund the police as they fight Border Patrol and ICE funding. Democrats remain opposed because they never secured the safeguards they wanted for ICE after what happened this winter in Minnesota.

“My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as Democrats criticize a DHS funding proposal.(Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo)

Efforts to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security emerged as a flashpoint in recent years. There are too many controversial policy areas fused together under one federal roof. That’s why there’s now a bipartisan plan to permanently split up DHS.

“It’s just become too big. It’s become too bureaucratic,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), one of the chief sponsors of the bill.

The legislation would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) its own cabinet-level department. The Secret Service would report directly to the President. And the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) would head to the Department of Transportation.

Consider the consternation by travelers with the government not paying TSA during the 43-day comprehensive government shutdown. The same thing happened over the winter and into the spring as DHS remained unfunded.

Moskowitz believes his legislation would curb some government shutdowns. And, it would shield tourists from fiscal fallout.

“The American people’s travel cannot be held up in the political dysfunction of Washington,” said Moskowitz.

But that debate is for another day. The immediate question is if the Republican-led House and Senate can advance the package to finish off funding for ICE and CBP.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran met with Senate Republicans over lunch Tuesday to defend the $1 billion request.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was skeptical after she emerged from the meeting, noting that the Administration needed to provide “justifications” and “details,” not “just toplines.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) as he defends a DHS funding proposal on Capitol Hill.(Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended the spending request.

“You’ve got a President with three assassination attempts just in the last two years. And obviously the money that’s in there is about securing the building. And the Secret Service has a job to protect the president. We need to make sure they have the tools to do it,” said Thune.

After the meeting, Thune said Curran “did a very good job of laying it out and developing the case for why these resources need to be used.”

Other lawmakers need to hear more.

House lawmakers sit in the chamber on Capitol Hill.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I don’t know if they’re talking about infrastructure dollars or other kind of technology,” said Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio). “I need to see the details before I pass judgment on whether or not the request is reasonable.”

Remember that Republicans want to support the President. But they also don’t want anything attached which will hold up ICE and Border Patrol funding. Especially this late in the game.

“Members are diving in a little bit. They want to understand how much of this is really related to security,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) “Obviously, we have to keep the President and his guests safe. But when you’re talking about $1 billion, members are going to ask a lot of questions. They’re digging into details. I don’t think we know exactly how this shakes out yet.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Here’s what we do know: The Senate Budget Committee won’t meet until late next week to prep its version of the bill – regardless of what’s in or out of it.

The Senate must then conduct a “vote-a-rama” which goes around the clock to adopt the measure. Then whatever the Senate adopts goes to the House.

This won’t play out until the final days of next week, just before the Memorial Day recess. President Trump established June 1 as a deadline for finishing this bill.

The House just adjusted its schedule for next week. The House won’t meet for votes until next Wednesday, May 20. That means there’s a chance the House may need to hang around Washington for part of Memorial Day weekend to pass the bill. The House and Senate are both scheduled to be out of session for Memorial Day week itself.

If lawmakers pass this bill, the fight over all government funding for Fiscal Year 2026 will finally conclude. That’s sixteen months after House and Senate committees were hearing testimony from cabinet departments and agencies about what they needed for last fall.

RELATED: SENATE TAKES MAJOR FIRST STEP TO PREVENT FUTURE SHUTDOWNS WITH PAINFUL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAY

And yet this story continues.

Even if they pass this final tranche of funding for DHS, lawmakers have to start again on the spending hamster wheel for this fall. Otherwise, there’s another government shutdown on October 1.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

鉴于美国总统特朗普力推宽松货币政策，人们普遍预期沃什会更倾向于降息，但他将面临来自美联储内部的挑战。图为沃什4月21日在国会出席参议院银行委员会的确认听证会。 （路透社档案照片）

美国参议院周三以54票赞成、45票反对的投票结果，正式确认特朗普总统提名的沃什出任美国联邦储备局下一任主席，任期四年。

参议院已在一天前，即5月12日投票确认沃什（Kevin Warsh）出任美联储理事。

沃什2006年至2011年曾担任美联储理事，近年来对美联储持批评态度，主张调整美联储沟通策略和通胀衡量指标。

美联储现任主席鲍威尔的任期将于5月15日到期。由于联邦检察官1月初就美联储办公楼翻新项目发起刑事调查，对美联储“独立性”遭政治干预的担忧导致沃什出任美联储理事和主席提名的确认在参议院银行、住房和城市事务委员会一度遇阻。

沃什此前承诺，将对美联储进行“体制变革”。但由于通胀率仍高于美联储2%的长期目标，且由于特朗普发动的伊朗战争而持续攀升，沃什不太可能说服美联储利率决策委员会的其他成员立即降息。这可能会让他容易受到特朗普的攻击，特朗普曾多次就利率决策抨击鲍威尔。

布鲁金斯学会高级研究员韦塞尔告诉法新社：“沃什面临的最大挑战很可能是与特朗普总统打交道。总统不尊重美联储的独立性，他希望利率走低。”

哥伦比亚大学法学教授贾奇认为，尽管沃什是特朗普钦点的人选，就像九年前的鲍威尔一样，但没有理由相信美联储面对的降息压力会减轻。

她说：“美联储官员已经意识到，这位总统愿意动用一切可用手段胁迫他们屈服于他的要求。”

民主党人反对沃什的任命，认为鉴于特朗普的立场，沃什无法维护美联储在货币政策上的独立性。特朗普已明确表示，他期待沃什降低利率。

NAACP says Tennessee redistricting intentionally discriminates on basis of race

May 13, 2026 11:44 PM UTC / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

Demonstrators protest inside the Tennessee state Capitol on the final day of a special session in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Seth Herald/File Photo

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) – U.S. civil rights group NAACP said on Wednesday the new congressional map approved last week by Tennessee ​Republicans intentionally discriminated on the basis of race against Black ‌voters.

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• The United States’ largest civil rights group said it filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
• The lawsuit ​alleges Tennessee lawmakers “intentionally redrew Congressional District 9 – a district anchored ​in Memphis for more than 50 years – to crack ⁠the majority-Black district across multiple districts, with the intent of eliminating ​Black voting power and depriving them of a meaningful opportunity to ​elect candidates of their choice,” the NAACP said.
• Tennessee Republicans approved a new congressional map last week, as several other Southern states seek to leverage a U.S. Supreme ​Court decision from late April that severely weakened the landmark Voting Rights ​Act.
• The redistricting plan “violates the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by ‌intentionally ⁠discriminating on the basis of race,” NAACP said.
• Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and the state Election Commission had no immediate comment on the suit in which their offices were named as defendants.
• Republican ​President Donald Trump launched a national ​mid-decade redistricting ⁠battle between Democrats and Republicans last year ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
• The Republican Party is aiming ​in the elections to retain its current thin ​majorities in ⁠the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
• Republican-led states are moving to test new limits of minority-vote protections following the Supreme Court’s April 29 ⁠decision.
• Civil ​rights groups have sued to challenge the ​redrawing of districts that have a significant population of communities of color.

Reporting by Kanishka ​Singh in Washington; additional reporting by Bianca Flowers; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Sen. Rand Paul’s son confronted Rep. Mike Lawler in drunken, antisemitic rant

2026-05-13T18:56:00-0400 / CBS News

Washington — Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said he was approached at a bar by GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s “inebriated” son, who made antisemitic comments toward him.

Lawler said he was at the Tune Inn in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night having dinner with a friend and a reporter for the news outlet NOTUS, who first reported the interaction, when he was approached by William Paul.

“Paul decided to interject into the conversation and start accosting me about if Thomas Massie loses, it’s because of my people,” Lawler recounted Wednesday, referring to a Kentucky Republican who is in a tight primary against a Trump-backed challenger. Rand Paul and his son are also from Kentucky.

Lawler said he asked Paul, “Who is ‘my people’?”

“And he yelled out, ‘Jews,’” Lawler told reporters. “And I asked him, ‘You think I’m Jewish?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’”

Lawler said he told Paul he was not Jewish and that Paul responded, “Oh, I’m sorry to accuse you of that.”

The congressman said Paul then went on a “10-minute diatribe about Israel, about Jews, about Paul Singer and accusing Jews of being responsible for so many things, playing right into the typical antisemitic tropes that so many people rely on.” Paul also said he “hates Jews, hates gays and doesn’t care if they die,” according to Lawler.

Lawler said the interaction ended shortly afterward and Paul gave him the middle finger before tripping on his way out of the door.

Lawler said he had not spoken to the GOP senator and had never met his son before.

When asked about the story later Wednesday, the senator told reporters, “I don’t have anything for you on that.” He did not respond when asked if he would reach out to Lawler.

In a post on X, William Paul apologized to the congressman.

“I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem,” he said.

Patrick Maguire and Alan He contributed to this report.

Previously unaccounted for case shows taxpayers bankrolled more than $550,000 in congressional sexual harassment settlements

2026-05-13 07:08 PM ET / CNN

By Annie Grayer

Updated May 13, 2026, 7:17 PM ET
PUBLISHED May 13, 2026, 7:08 PM ET

The US Capitol is seen, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Washington.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Taxpayers paid over half a million dollars in confidential congressional sexual harassment settlements dating back decades – a total higher than previously made public, newly released documents reviewed by CNN show.

Documents initially shared with Congress revealed that taxpayers had paid more than $300,000 on behalf of six former members of the US House of Representatives or their offices.

But the total amount was far higher.

In its initial production to Congress, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights had missed a $220,0000 payment on behalf of former Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in 2021. The payment marks the single biggest congressional sexual harassment settlement known to date and nearly doubles the tax-payer funded total for such cases disclosed last week. Hastings previously called the allegations “ludicrous.”

The office explained in a letter to House Oversight Chair James Comer that the payment did not meet the office’s initial search criteria, which was just targeting settlements made on behalf of the office of a lawmaker, according to the letter reviewed by CNN. In Hastings’ case, the settlement involved the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which Hastings chaired at the time.

An employee who had worked for the commission, whose name is redacted in the files reviewed by CNN, initially filed a complaint in 2010, but did not receive the payment until 2014.

Throughout the case, the employee alleged multiple instances of sexual harassment by Hastings and claimed that she was faced retaliation for bringing her claims forward.

In a 2013 letter, the employee described feeling the system was designed to benefit the employer throughout the process.

“The mediator’s attempt to define for me ‘what is in my best interest’ before I have had the opportunity to meet with the court-appointed attorney completely oversteps the boundaries of her responsibilities and demonstrates a clear disregard of my rights to counsel,” the employee wrote. “Her conduct further underlines my belief throughout this case that the Office of Compliance is primarily designed to serve as a tool for members of congress who violate the Congressional Accountability Act and undermine the rights of the victims.”

The confidential settlement reviewed by CNN imposed restrictions and penalties, barring the employee from ever speaking out about the case, but did not put those same limitations on the employer.

Roll Call reported on the existence of the $220,000 settlement in 2017. The report stated that Hastings said that he never sexually harassed the employee and called the allegations “ludicrous.” In a statement at the time, Hastings said that he did not know until after the fact that a settlement had been made.

At the time, Roll Call named the accuser as Winsome Packer. CNN spoke with Packer, who confirmed that she is the employee whose name is redacted in the documents. Packer told CNN that her life has been severely impacted since coming forward and that she has not been able to find work or career opportunities since. She also said that after taxes, her settlement was much lower than $220,000.

“People don’t talk about what happens after you file a claim. I have never been able to find work,” Packer told CNN.

CNN has attempted to reach out to family members of Hastings to request comment

The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights was compelled to turn over the settlement documents to Congress following a subpoena from GOP Rep. Nancy Mace. She has helped lead an effort on Capitol Hill to push for transparency and accountability following recent sexual misconduct allegations that led to a pair of high-profile resignations.

A CNN review of over 1,000 pages of case files, including counsel notes, settlement documents and formal complaints, offers a window into allegations that certain members leveraged their positions of power to mistreat their staff.

The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights is involved with a range of complaints against members, not exclusively sexual harassment claims.

From January 1, 1996, through December 12, 2018, the office approved 349 awards or settlements “to resolve complaints against legislative branch offices,” its general counsel said in a letter sent to House Oversight Chair James Comer obtained by CNN. Eighty of those cases were settled by a House or Senate office for a host of different reasons. From that subset, seven cases led to payments to address allegations of sexual harassment. The payments referenced in the letter used taxpayer money from a Treasury account that no longer exists as an option for lawmakers.

Twenty-three case files of settlements in the jurisdiction of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights were destroyed pursuant to the office’s record retention policy.

“This ‘OCWR Record Retention Policy’ was put in place in 2013 to align OCWR with regular government-wide record retention practices,” General Counsel John N. Ohlweiler wrote.

The general language of the settlement contracts reviewed by CNN do not show the accused office admitting to any wrongdoing. Rather, they state the office is agreeing to the settlement “to avoid the inconvenience of protracted litigation and the expense to the parties and the taxpayers of such litigation,” as one settlement read. The settlement agreements also lay out how the office is meant to handle questions related to the terms or conditions of the claimant’s termination of employment.

Following policy changes made in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo Movement, members can no longer rely on taxpayer dollars for settlements. The House Ethics Committee announced in a recent statement that since the enactment of the new law, “the Committee has not been notified of any awards or settlements relating to allegations of sexual harassment by a member.”

The gerrymandering wars are here to stay

May 13, 2026 at 4:18 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

What happens next

By Amber Phillips

Democrats are fast losing the gerrymandering wars.

Despite President Donald Trump’s unpopularity and polling showing voters favor Democrats to control Congress next year, Republicans could hold their narrow House majority in November because they’ve tipped the scales before a single vote has been cast.

以色列总理办公室周三发表声明说，总理内坦亚胡在伊朗战争期间曾秘访阿联酋，并称此次访问促成两国外交关系“历史性突破”。 （路透社档案照片）

以色列总理办公室周三宣称，总理内坦亚胡在以色列对伊朗发动大规模军事行动期间曾秘密访问阿联酋，并与阿联酋总统穆罕默德举行会晤。

阿联酋外交部星期三（5月13日）发声明否认有关报道。声明说，阿联酋与以色列的关系是公开的，且建立在“亚伯拉罕协议”框架内，不存在秘密安排。除非阿联酋官方主管部门正式发布消息，否则任何有关秘密访问或私下安排的说法均没有事实依据。

周三早些时候，以色列总理办公室发表声明，称内坦亚胡在伊朗战争期间曾秘访阿联酋，并称此次访问促成两国外交关系“历史性突破”。

此前一天，美国驻以色列大使赫卡比在特拉维夫大学举行的一场会议上说，以色列已在阿联酋部署“铁穹”防空系统及相关操作人员。

美国驻联合国代表沃尔茨同日证实，以色列已在阿联酋部署“铁穹”防空系统，并在近期冲突中帮助阿联酋拦截伊朗导弹。

DHS chief Mullin says agency has no plan to shut down “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center

May 13, 2026 / 7:31 PM EDT / CBS News

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said the department has no near-term plan to shut down Alligator Alcatraz, even as he acknowledged the soft-sided Florida immigration detention facility is vulnerable to natural disasters.

“I don’t think we’ve said we’re shutting it down,” Mullin said. “That’s not been an announcement we’ve made.” The secretary told CBS News in an exclusive interview that DHS understands “there’s vulnerabilities” around the soft-sided facility in the middle of the Everglades, adding that “we have fires that are within 20 miles of it” and “Florida is pretty susceptible to hurricanes.”

Mullin’s comments follow reports that companies hired by the state of Florida to operate Alligator Alcatraz were notified Tuesday that the facility is being shut down, with roughly 1,400 remaining detainees expected to be removed in the coming weeks. One source told CBS News Miami that “the last detainee will leave in June,” amid escalating operating costs that are now estimated to total nearly $1 billion.

Pressed on whether there are any near-term plans to close the site, Mullin said DHS has contingency plans in the event of a natural disaster, but no plans to close the facility permanently.

“We have plans in case of a natural emergency such as a wildfire or hurricane, to have to be able to bring it down and pull the individuals out,” he said. But he added that DHS still needs the ability “to flex when we have a big influx” of migrants, calling the facility part of the department’s needed “surge capacity.”

On Wednesday, Gov. Ron Desantis said Florida has not received definitive notice from the federal government about whether the facility will close — or the road ahead.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie told reporters Wednesday, “We have received zero communication formally saying, ‘Hey, this is the path going forward. Here’s how we’re going to try to get there.’ That has not happened.”

The facility opened on a largely abandoned Florida airstrip last year. The Trump administration cast it as a cost-effective way of holding immigration detainees as it sought to ramp up arrests and deportations, but activist groups have criticized conditions at the facility, and it has drawn legal challenges from environmental groups and a Native American tribe.

A shift from warehouses to abandoned facilities

At the same time, Mullin said DHS is looking to reshape its strategy of expanding detention capacity, amid scrutiny of warehouse-style detention centers. Asked about the DHS inspector general’s probe of $38 billion in warehouse detention space within ICE, Mullin noted that some states are blocking DHS from using existing detention facilities, forcing the department to find its own space.

“We don’t have a choice but to continue that,” Mullin said, adding the department is “going to change the focus a little bit.” Instead of only looking to convert warehouses into immigration detention facilities, Mullin said DHS is exploring use of county jails as well as shuttered state and local facilities that can be purchased, repaired and brought online more quickly.

“Rather than just looking at warehouses, we’re going to look at county jails that may be in default on their grants. We’re going to be looking at facilities that have been shut down because they were too expensive to operate, because states or counties didn’t have the budget to do maintenance… where we purchase them, bring them up and immediately have beds available,” he said.

The secretary, citing his former background in construction, noted that converted warehouses can require permitting, utilities, water, gas and major build-outs — meaning some could take “18 to 24 months to bring online.” That timeline, Mullin said, “doesn’t fit today’s need.”

A temporary leader for ICE

The secretary also confirmed DHS is moving to put a temporary leader in place at ICE while continuing its search for a permanent director. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is planning on leaving the federal government at the end of the month, CBS News previously reported.

Asked about CBS News’ reporting that David Venturello will be the next acting ICE director, Mullin said he and Venturello have had “long conversations,” but that DHS is “still actually looking for a permanent position for the director.”

“We want to put somebody there that’s permanent,” Mullin said. “David is great. David is going to be a good placeholder, but he’ll be our deputy once we find someone to take the director’s position.”

DHS acknowledges debts owed to State, Pentagon, Interior after shutdown

The DHS secretary also addressed unpaid DHS bills to other federal agencies after a prolonged 76-day shutdown, acknowledging the department owes collective billions to the State Department, Pentagon and Department of Interior because they helped keep DHS operations running.

Earlier this week, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned at a congressional hearing that the Army is facing a $2 billion readiness shortfall tied to DHS’ failure to reimburse the service branch for operations along the border.

“We owe money to the State Department. We owe money to the Department of War. We owe money to the Interior because they were all keeping us afloat,” Mullin conceded. He said that “as the money comes in, we’re writing the checks and sending them out the door.”

Mullin pointed specifically to the U.S. Coast Guard, noting its operations were affected by unpaid fuel and utility bills, forcing reliance on the Defense Department.

“Our gas card, literally, for the Coast Guard, got shut off,” Mullin said. “We hadn’t paid our gas bill or electricity bill or the fuel bill since February. So DOW helped the Coast Guard stand up.”

Bear kills worker at uranium mining company’s facility in Canada, forcing operations to shut down

May 13, 2026 / 12:52 PM EDT / CBS News

Toronto — A 27-year-old man was killed in a black bear attack over the weekend in northern Saskatchewan, according to local authorities and his employer.

The attack happened about 53 miles northeast of Points North Landing in central Saskatchewan, the province’s Ministry of Community Safety confirmed in a statement to CBS News.

The ministry said the regional conservation service’s Wildlife Human Attack Response Team was investigating the incident, adding: “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The victim was an independent contractor working at a facility belonging to the Vancouver-based UraniumX Discovery Corp. He encountered the bear over the weekend at a remote uranium exploration site, the company said in a statement on its website.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased. The safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and all personnel working on our projects is, and will always remain, our highest priority,” said UraniumX CEO Esen Boldkhuu in the statement.

As a precaution, all field operations at the company’s Zoo Bay property have been paused since the incident, while the investigation is underway.

An American black bear walks through a meadow at Cameron Cove, in Barnard Harbor, Princess Royal Island, British Columbia, Canada, in a file photo. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty

CBS News’ Canadian partner CBC News, citing the victim’s brother, reported that he had come to Canada from India three years ago.

“The black bear involved in the incident was euthanized by a civilian on scene prior to officers arriving,” the provincial Ministry of Community Safety said in its statement to CBS News. The animal was then transported to a regional veterinary college for a necropsy.

On the same day as the bear attack, the government of Saskatchewan had issued a reminder to residents to be wary of hungry bears seeking easy food near homes and campsites.

“Black bears are intelligent and ruled by their stomachs. Limiting attractants is the most effective way to reduce these interactions,” the authorities warned.

Fatal bear attacks in Saskatchewan are rare, Douglas Clark, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability, who specializes in human-bear interactions, told Canada’s public broadcaster CBC.

“The last one was six years ago,” Clark told CBC, “and you have to go quite a few years earlier before you find the next ones in the record.”

Last week, authorities said a missing hiker’s death in Montana’s Glacier National Park was likely caused by a bear attack.

As humans spread deeper into bears’ natural habitats around the world, encounters are becoming more common in some places. A Japanese company that makes ferocious-looking robotic wolves has been swamped by orders after a record number of fatal bear attacks last year.