‘Illegals first’: Senate Republicans blast Schumer’s gambit to force vote on protecting Haitian migrants

April 22, 2026 9:49am EDT / Fox News

Sen Bernie Moreno says the bill has no chance as the legislation to extend Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Haitians heads to the upper chamber

By Alex Miller Fox News

Published April 22, 2026 9:49am EDT

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants to extend protections for Haitian migrants, and Republicans say it’s a perfect example of him putting the interests of illegal immigrants over Americans.

Schumer fast-tracked a House-passed bill that would extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of Haitian migrants for three years earlier this week onto the Senate schedule. Whether it actually makes it to the floor is ultimately up to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The top Senate Democrat’s desire to pass the legislation in the Senate comes at an inflection point for both the protected status of Haitian migrants and a funding battle started, in part, over immigration operations in the country.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., fast-tracked a House-passed bill to extend the protected status of Haitian migrants for another three years, but Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, say it’s the perfect example of Schumer prioritizing illegals over Americans.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP TO SHIELD HAITIANS FROM DEPORTATION

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who led negotiations for Senate Republicans to try to strike a compromise deal to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, told Fox News Digital, “I’m so glad that he is prioritizing people who are not American consistently.”

“What about the countless Americans that have died at the hands of illegal aliens? I mean, the fact that you’re literally trying to defund the organization that is tasked with keeping our streets safe, our borders secure, keeping Americans — allowing Americans to go home to their families at night,” Britt said. “It’s just totally, his priorities are completely and totally off.”

While Schumer is trying to extend the protected status of Haitian migrants, DHS is still shut down over disagreements on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) funding.

SENATE TAKES FIRST STEP TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL IN BID TO CUT DEMS OUT OF THE FUNDING PROCESS

President Donald Trump tried to revoke the program for Haiti, but his administration’s effort is currently snarled in the courts.(Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The legislation made it through the House last week after 10 Republicans bucked President Donald Trump and joined Democrats to shield more than 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation.

The TPS program allows foreign nationals whose home countries face humanitarian crises or dangerous conditions to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation, but it does not provide a pathway to citizenship.

Schumer noted on the Senate floor earlier this week that Haitian migrants became a political flash point during Trump’s campaign, in which he claimed that a community of Haitians in Ohio were eating pets.

SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL IMMIGRATION FUNDING PLAN WITH $140 BILLION PRICE TAG AS GOP AIMS TO SPEND LESS

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., spoke with reporters as he headed to the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol on March 12, 2026.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Despite ongoing violence, gang violence, civil instability, terrible medical infrastructure, and poor food access in Haiti,” Schumer said, “Trump directed Kristi Noem to strip Haitian immigrants of their TPS, their Temporary Protected Status, disregarding the process Congress set into law.”

Trump tried to revoke the program for Haiti and argued that because conditions have improved in the country, granting Haitians legal protections runs counter to American interests. But his administration’s effort is currently snarled in the courts.

And if it were to make it to a vote, Republicans plan to swiftly kill it.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

When asked whether the bill stood a chance in the upper chamber, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, flashed a zero sign by connecting his index finger and thumb.

“Zero point zero,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “Schumer is all illegals first, it’s crazy.”

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

以色列与黎巴嫩的10天停火协议生效后，黎南村民纷纷返乡。 （路透社）

黎巴嫩官员说，贝鲁特方面会在与以色列的会晤中，要求将当前的临时停火延长一个月。

法新社星期三（4月22日）引述一名黎巴嫩官员报道这则消息。这名官员说：“黎方会要求将停火期限延长一个月，要求以色列停止在它驻军区域内的轰炸和破坏活动，并承诺遵守停火协议。”

以黎驻美大使定于星期四（23日）在华盛顿举行第二轮会晤；美国驻以色列大使赫卡比以及美国国务卿鲁比奥等外交官员也将参与会谈。

以黎上周二（14日）在华盛顿举行首轮会谈，随后于17日正式开始为期10天的停火。若不延长，停火将于星期天（26日）期满。

黎巴嫩总统奥恩星期三说：“目前正在进行接触，以延长停火期限。”

Delay in Medicare pilot for obesity drugs may not hurt near-term demand, analysts say

2026-04-22 1:05 PM UTC / Reuters

By Mariam E Sunny

April 22, 2026 1:05 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

节点运行失败

U.S. flag and medicines are seen in this illustration, June 27, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Purchase Licensing Rights

April 22 (Reuters) – A delay in a Medicare pilot to cover obesity drugs due to health insurers’ hesitation to participate in the program is unlikely to dent near-term demand for ​weight-loss treatments, analysts said.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told Reuters on Wednesday ‌it would delay the implementation of the Medicare Part D portion of the program called the Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth (BALANCE) for 2027 to “allow data collection that would support a more effective potential ​implementation”.

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The model was announced at the end of last year as a way for ​Medicare and state Medicaid plans to bypass a prohibition on covering weight-loss ⁠treatments.

The CMS said it would maintain coverage through a bridge program from July 1, 2026 ​to December 31, 2027, giving beneficiaries access to obesity medicines at prices negotiated under President Donald Trump’s ​deal with Eli Lilly (LLY.N) and Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO).

The extension of the bridge program beyond its 2026 expiry eases uncertainty around reimbursement for weight-loss drugs and blunts any near-term impact on demand, but an indefinite delay clouds long-term ​visibility on permanent integration into Medicare prescription drug plans, analysts said.

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In the longer term, “once this ​obesity benefit is established, we believe it will be practically and politically difficult to roll back as we ‌look ⁠toward 2028 and beyond,” J.P.Morgan analyst Chris Schott said.

CVS Health (CVS.N) confirmed on Tuesday that it did not opt in to participate in the BALANCE program before the April 20 deadline, while UnitedHealth (UNH.N) flagged “notable challenges” and outstanding questions with the currently planned structure”.

The model would allow CMS to negotiate ​guaranteed net prices and ​set standardized coverage ⁠terms, potentially capping out-of-pocket costs for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

CMS said it would move forward with the Medicaid portion of the BALANCE Model, with applications ​open to states through July 31, 2026.

While the delay is not ​ideal, extending the ⁠bridge program through 2027 is an acceptable workaround, Citi analyst Geoff Meacham said, adding that insurers’ pushback has focused less on broad access to the treatments than on instability in Medicare Part ⁠D plans ​and uncertainty around utilization.

The delay would give health insurers ​time to observe real-world use of GLP-1 drugs without absorbing pricing risk and potentially encourage broader participation once the model ​goes live, Evercore analyst Elizabeth Anderson said.

Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

日相高市与防长5月黄金周出访澳越菲印拓展军事外交

2026年4月22日 21:42 / 联合早报

日本海上自卫队星期三（4月22日）在东京举行的日本海事展览会上展示舰艇看板和防卫装备。 （法新社）

日本首相高市早苗修订《防卫装备转让三原则》，放宽出口杀伤性武器后，将积极拓展军事外交。她5月初计划访问越南和澳大利亚，以阐述日本政府加快出口军备的政策，而防长小泉进次郎也将访问印度尼西亚和菲律宾。

日本政府大幅放宽军备出口规定，如导弹、驱逐舰等杀伤性武器都允许出口。小泉进次郎接受《日经新闻》采访时表示，他对与东南亚国家深化安全合作抱着极高期待。

他指出，菲律宾、印尼对采购日本军备大感兴趣。今后出口的武器范围不仅军舰，还包括防空导弹和无人机。

菲律宾此前已接收日本首批防空雷达，日经报道，菲律宾也向日方表示有意从日本海上自卫队购买二手“阿武隈”级驱逐舰，以及日本陆上自卫队的03式中程地对空导弹（Chu-SAM）。如今，日本取消了军备出口限制有助于日菲双方在安全合作上更上一层楼。

日本政府正致力于通过军事达到外交效果。日本外长茂木敏充周二（4月21日）在记者会上说：“转让防卫设备有助于为日本创造理想的安全环境，其外交意义极其重大。”

多年来，日本主要通过政府开发援助（Official Development Assistance，ODA）来构建双边关系，重点关注非安全领域。在国际动荡、地缘政治影响的情况下，近期积极推进安全领域合作至关重要。

高市也说：“我们收到不少伙伴国对日本研发的防卫装备深感兴趣的请求。我们希望根据这些需求转让相关装备，这不仅能提升彼此的防御能力，还能帮助预防冲突发生，进而也能保障日本的安全。”

据日媒报道，高市政府尤其重视与澳洲和菲律宾的军备出口，因为这两国可协助应对中国日益增长的海上扩张。同时，日本也希望开拓东南亚和印度的军备市场。

分析认为，国际武装冲突频发，各国对弹药和军事物资的需求激增，日本这时松绑条例有利可图。不过，日本防卫产业要中途插队，势必面对激烈竞争。例如，俄罗斯的军火在印度市场已占36%，法国占33%。此外，想要打破中国对泰国和马来西亚的最大供应国地位也非易事。

尽管日本当局在海外推广日本防卫产业积极，但日本舆论认为，当局在审核杀伤性武器出口留下灰色地带。《朝日新闻》社论指出，新规虽然禁止向交战国出口装备，但也指出，若基于安全需要，日本可以按“特殊情况”允许出口。

由于新规未明确阐明“特殊情况”，无法确保装备转让不会成为加剧地区紧张局势的导火线。同时，也担心售出的武器可能落在恐怖组织手上。

曾制止自民党松绑军售条例的公明党高官指出：“一旦装备出口，当局就无法完全控制。”

日相高市与防长5月黄金周出访澳越菲印拓展军事外交

2026年4月22日 21:42 / 联合早报 符祝慧 东京特派员

日本海上自卫队星期三（4月22日）在东京举行的日本海事展览会上展示舰艇看板和防卫装备。 （法新社）

日本首相高市早苗修订《防卫装备转让三原则》，放宽出口杀伤性武器后，将积极拓展军事外交。她5月初计划访问越南和澳大利亚，以阐述日本政府加快出口军备的政策，而防长小泉进次郎也将访问印度尼西亚和菲律宾。

日本政府大幅放宽军备出口规定，如导弹、驱逐舰等杀伤性武器都允许出口。小泉进次郎接受《日经新闻》采访时表示，他对与东南亚国家深化安全合作抱着极高期待。

他指出，菲律宾、印尼对采购日本军备大感兴趣。今后出口的武器范围不仅军舰，还包括防空导弹和无人机。

菲律宾此前已接收日本首批防空雷达，日经报道，菲律宾也向日方表示有意从日本海上自卫队购买二手“阿武隈”级驱逐舰，以及日本陆上自卫队的03式中程地对空导弹（Chu-SAM）。如今，日本取消了军备出口限制有助于日菲双方在安全合作上更上一层楼。

日本政府正致力于通过军事达到外交效果。日本外长茂木敏充周二（4月21日）在记者会上说：“转让防卫设备有助于为日本创造理想的安全环境，其外交意义极其重大。”

多年来，日本主要通过政府开发援助（Official Development Assistance，ODA）来构建双边关系，重点关注非安全领域。在国际动荡、地缘政治影响的情况下，近期积极推进安全领域合作至关重要。

高市也说：“我们收到不少伙伴国对日本研发的防卫装备深感兴趣的请求。我们希望根据这些需求转让相关装备，这不仅能提升彼此的防御能力，还能帮助预防冲突发生，进而也能保障日本的安全。”

据日媒报道，高市政府尤其重视与澳洲和菲律宾的军备出口，因为这两国可协助应对中国日益增长的海上扩张。同时，日本也希望开拓东南亚和印度的军备市场。

分析认为，国际武装冲突频发，各国对弹药和军事物资的需求激增，日本这时松绑条例有利可图。不过，日本防卫产业要中途插队，势必面对激烈竞争。例如，俄罗斯的军火在印度市场已占36%，法国占33%。此外，想要打破中国对泰国和马来西亚的最大供应国地位也非易事。

尽管日本当局在海外推广日本防卫产业积极，但日本舆论认为，当局在审核杀伤性武器出口留下灰色地带。《朝日新闻》社论指出，新规虽然禁止向交战国出口装备，但也指出，若基于安全需要，日本可以按“特殊情况”允许出口。

由于新规未明确阐明“特殊情况”，无法确保装备转让不会成为加剧地区紧张局势的导火线。同时，也担心售出的武器可能落在恐怖组织手上。

曾制止自民党松绑军售条例的公明党高官指出：“一旦装备出口，当局就无法完全控制。”

DOJ readies up to $3.5 billion in law enforcement grants, 1 year after steep cuts elsewhere

2026-04-22T11:39:58-0400 / CBS News

Washington— The Justice Department is preparing to solicit applications for up to $3.5 billion in grants to pay for mostly immigration-related law enforcement programs, equipment and personnel, multiple sources familiar with the plans told CBS News.

The grant solicitations, most of which are not yet public, will fund everything from the construction of immigration detention facilities and the purchase of police surveillance equipment to the hiring of law enforcement personnel.

Some of the money is also expected to be used to allow the Justice Department to pay local prosecutors to serve as temporary special assistant U.S. attorneys to support the department’s new National Fraud Enforcement Division, which is tasked with investigating fraud involving public benefits, the sources said.

The $300 million solicitation to fund local prosecutors who will help investigate fraud committed by people living in the country illegally was posted on Tuesday evening, after CBS News sought comment about the new grants.

The flurry of anticipated new grants comes as victims services organizations, criminal justice research facilities and juvenile justice programs have been struggling to stay afloat, due to a combination of unprecedented delays and terminations to other DOJ grant programs — many of which are authorized and appropriated by Congress.

The Justice Department is also simultaneously taking away millions of dollars from grants that fund everything from victims services and hate crime prevention to substance abuse programs, and transferring the money to fund other non-grant activities, sources with direct knowledge of the plans told CBS News.

“Terminations and delays in funding are literally killing programs,” said Claire Selib, executive director of the National Organization for Victim Advocacy. The nonprofit is facing multiple funding problems after the Justice Department canceled one grant last year. Three others the group applied for have been stalled for six months.

“Programs are shutting down. They’re scaling back. Staff are being laid off,” Selib said.

A Justice Department official said the DOJ is working to ensure that “all taxpayer-funded grant money is appropriately supporting initiatives to Make America Safe Again, and all discretionary funds not aligned with this mission are subject to review and reallocation.”

“The first step in this process was terminating grants that were not directly supporting law enforcement efforts to improve public safety. All grant money and programs are being utilized consistent with parameters set by Congress, and the Department will continue to review appeals and award funds to organizations aligned with Administration goals,” the official added.

“We are already being dismantled”

The Justice Department’s grant programs have been in disarray since President Trump took office.

On April 22, 2025, the DOJ terminated more than 350 grants awarded during President Joe Biden’s tenure that funded everything from police departments and local prosecutors to groups that provide services to victims of crime.

The department gave the grantees 30 days to appeal. Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary since the cuts. Some groups are still waiting for a response to their appeal, while others only recently learned they were denied.

The funding uncertainty has only been made worse by delays in getting grant funds out the door. Many attribute the delays to a drastic decrease in DOJ staffing and an executive order requiring additional layers of review by political officials before grants can be solicited and awarded.

More than an entire fiscal year came and went without the Office of Justice Programs soliciting applications for many of its congressionally mandated funding opportunities.

For instance, the office did not start soliciting fiscal 2025 applications for its popular Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, or JAG, which is used to help fund local police departments, until March 13, 2026.

The National Institute of Justice, which funds criminal justice research projects, has only solicited three grants since Mr. Trump took office.

Grants focused on assisting victims of human trafficking in fiscal year 2025 were only solicited in December and have yet to be awarded.

“They’re neglecting their regular responsibilities,” said Liz Ryan, who previously ran the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a DOJ grant-making office that funds programs to improve the youth justice system.

Meanwhile, grantees that have applied for funds still don’t know if they will be selected, complicating their budgets.

Bill McKinney runs the New Kensington Community Development Corporation in the opioid epidemic-plagued Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington. He told CBS News that the Justice Department canceled the group’s $1.5 million grant last year, and has yet to respond to two other grant applications the group submitted in August and October 2025.

“We are already at risk, and we are already being dismantled,” he said.

The canceled grant funded its CURE Violence program, a public health-based antiviolence initiative that utilizes mediators with lived experience on the streets who work to deescalate violence.

A few weeks ago, the DOJ finally told the group its appeal was denied, and the program is expected to close by October.

“It is terrible, and it doesn’t make any sense,” McKinney said.

The delays in funding also come at a time when there is less money available to distribute.

Although Congress has allotted increases of 95% to the DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, grant office and 11% to the Office of Justice Programs, it cut funding elsewhere in the department.

To cover shortfalls to immigration courts, prisons and litigating offices, earlier this year the DOJ approved a $75 million transfer out of its grant offices, and notified Congress in March it could transfer up to an additional $95.8 million more by year’s end if necessary, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

To date, it has targeted $117 million it intends to transfer out of a wide variety of grants that assist the victims of trafficking, combat hate crimes, reduce backlogs for sexual assault kits of rape victims, support efforts to help missing and exploited children and fund drug addiction and mental health assistance programs, according to goverment documents reviewed by CBS News.

Those transfers are taking place even after Congress imposed new limits on how much grant money the DOJ could dip into for non-grant activities. Last year, the department used grant money to pay for things such as President Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., according to an analysis from a soon-to-be-released report by the Council on Criminal Justice.

To address the funding gaps, the Justice Department is relying on several other grant resources — primarily a $3.5 billion pot of money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to reimburse states and law enforcement for immigration-related activities incurred between 2021 and 2028.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also allocated some funds for COPS and Byrne JAG grants, in addition to the regular fiscal year 2026 congressional appropriation.

Those new resources for Byrne JAG and COPS grants, however, place some limits on how the funds can be used. The grants cannot be used to fund violence prevention and reduction programs and any local law enforcement agency who accepts the money must agree to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Most of the relevant funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is geared towards law enforcement agencies. As such, the vast majority of that money cannot be used to support many of the DOJ’s other congressionally authorized grant programs — such as those for victims services.

“What concerns me is if they are trying to roll out more funding for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute, without rolling out the funding for the services needed by the survivors,” said Jean Bruggeman, co-executive director at Freedom Network USA.

联合国：极端高温威胁超10亿人生计和健康

2026年4月22日 21:52 / 联合早报

（示意图/Pixabay ）

联合国粮农组织与世界气象组织在报告中警告，极端高温事件正严重冲击全球农业粮食体系，超过10亿人的生计和健康受威胁。

新华社报道，这两个组织星期三（4月22日）联合发布《极端高温与农业》报告。粮农组织总干事屈东玉说，报告的研究显示，极端高温作为重大风险放大器，对作物、牲畜、渔业和森林，以及依赖这些资源的社区和经济体施加着日益严重的压力。

报告指出，过去半个世纪以来，极端高温事件的发生频率、强度和持续时间显著上升，冲击农业粮食体系和自然景观。对农业从业者而言，极端高温甚至可能致命。

粮农组织发布新闻公告介绍称，极端高温指白天和夜间气温在较长时间内持续高于常态范围，并对粮食作物、牲畜、鱼类、树木以及人类造成生理压力和直接伤害。

报告还分析极端高温会放大干旱、野火和病虫害等传播的风险。例如2025年春季，吉尔吉斯斯坦的费尔干纳山脉（Fergana Range）部分地区，气温比往常高出10摄氏度左右，且时间长久，引发蝗灾并加剧水分蒸发，导致灌溉能力下降，最终当地谷物收成减少25%。

报告呼吁采取更有效的措施应对极端高温，例如开展选择性育种、调整作物品种、改变播种时间，以及优化管理方式等。

（示意图/Pixabay ）

联合国粮农组织与世界气象组织在报告中警告，极端高温事件正严重冲击全球农业粮食体系，超过10亿人的生计和健康受威胁。

新华社报道，这两个组织星期三（4月22日）联合发布《极端高温与农业》报告。粮农组织总干事屈东玉说，报告的研究显示，极端高温作为重大风险放大器，对作物、牲畜、渔业和森林，以及依赖这些资源的社区和经济体施加着日益严重的压力。

报告指出，过去半个世纪以来，极端高温事件的发生频率、强度和持续时间显著上升，冲击农业粮食体系和自然景观。对农业从业者而言，极端高温甚至可能致命。

粮农组织发布新闻公告介绍称，极端高温指白天和夜间气温在较长时间内持续高于常态范围，并对粮食作物、牲畜、鱼类、树木以及人类造成生理压力和直接伤害。

报告还分析极端高温会放大干旱、野火和病虫害等传播的风险。例如2025年春季，吉尔吉斯斯坦的费尔干纳山脉（Fergana Range）部分地区，气温比往常高出10摄氏度左右，且时间长久，引发蝗灾并加剧水分蒸发，导致灌溉能力下降，最终当地谷物收成减少25%。

报告呼吁采取更有效的措施应对极端高温，例如开展选择性育种、调整作物品种、改变播种时间，以及优化管理方式等。

Supreme Court allows soldier injured in Bagram suicide bombing to sue contractor

2026-04-22 11:27 AM ET / CNN

By John Fritze

33 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 22, 2026, 11:27 AM ET

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The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on March 23, 2026.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with an Army specialist who was severely injured by a suicide bomber on Bagram Air Base and is attempting to sue a military contractor for failing to supervise the Afghan employee who carried out the attack.

The 6-3 decision, which split the court’s conservatives and was written by Justice Clarence Thomas, will allow Winston T. Hencely, who was 20 years old when he confronted the attacker in a 2016 incident, to continue to pursue his lawsuit for damages.

Hencely lost full use of his left arm, left hand and left side of his face after the attack, which killed five soldiers and civilians and wounded more than a dozen others. His lawyers said he endures chronic pain, cognitive disorders, memory loss and anxiety.

The bomber was later identified as Ahmad Nayeb, an Afghan national who was working at a vehicle maintenance yard for a military contractor. Hencely sued the contractor, Fluor Corporation, and a subcontractor for failing to properly vet and supervise Afghan employees.

“The government required Fluor to hire Afghan employees and to provide logistics for Bagram Airfield,” Thomas wrote for the court. “But, it did not, Hencely contends, require Fluor to leave Nayeb unsuper­vised, allow him to walk alone for an hour after his shift, or permit him to obtain unauthorized tools with which he could build a bomb.”

The Army, Thomas wrote, “concluded that Hencely’s intervention ‘likely prevented a far greater tragedy.’”

Related article The US Supreme Court is seen through a camera viewfinder on February 20. Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images/File The nine justices are increasingly building their own personal brands outside the court 7 min read

A federal district court had ruled against Hencely based on a 1988 Supreme Court precedent that limits the ability of people to file injury lawsuits against military contractors. In that case, the family of a Marine pilot who died during a training exercise sued the helicopter manufacturer for the design of its emergency escape hatch. A sharply divided Supreme Court barred such lawsuits, noting that the US military had approved the helicopter’s design.

Justice Samuel Alito, another member of the court’s conservative wing, wrote a dissent Wednesday saying that war zones are typically considered the purview of the federal government, not individual states.

“May a state regulate security arrangements on a military base in an active warzone? May state judges and juries pass judgment on questions that are inextricably tied to military decisions that balance war-related risks against long-term strategic objectives? In my judgment, the answer to these questions must be ‘no,’” Alito wrote. “And for that reason, this state-law tort case is preempted by the Constitution’s grant of war powers exclusively to the federal government.”

Alito was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Fluor Corporation argued that the 1988 case should end Hencely’s litigation. It said the Army had authorized Nayeb’s employment and withheld security concerns about him from the company. The Trump administration also sided with the subcontractor, arguing that military contractors should not be subject to state tort suits.

But Hencely countered that the 1988 decision, Boyle v. United Technologies Corporation, was different because the contractor in that case was simply following orders.

“Boyle recognized a limited defense for contractors who do what the government says,” Hencely’s attorney told the Supreme Court during oral arguments in early November. “Boyle doesn’t apply here because the Army itself found that Fluor violated.”

Hencely sued in a federal court in South Carolina for damages, alleging negligent supervision and other claims under state law.

After the federal district court sided with the contractor, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Hencely then appealed to the Supreme Court.

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Iran more capable than Trump administration is publicly acknowledging, sources say

April 22, 2026 11:44 AM EDT / CBS News

By Jennifer Jacobs,

Jennifer Jacobs Senior White House reporter

Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News.

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Jennifer Jacobs, Eleanor Watson, Eleanor Watson CBS News Reporter

Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon.

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James LaPorta National security coordinating producer

James LaPorta is the national security coordinating producer for the CBS News’ Washington bureau. He is a former U.S. Marine veteran infantryman and veteran of the Afghanistan war.

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James LaPorta

Washington — The Islamic Republic of Iran maintains more military capabilities than the White House or Pentagon has publicly admitted, according to multiple U.S. officials with knowledge of intelligence on the matter.

About half of Iran’s stockpile of ballistic missiles and its associated launch systems were still intact as of the start of the ceasefire in early April, three of the officials told CBS News.

Roughly 60% of the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is still in existence, the officials said, including fast-attack speed boats. On Wednesday, Iranian gunboats attacked several commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after President Trump announced he was unilaterally extending a ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks.

Iranian air power has been significantly degraded but not erased, said the officials, who requested anonymity from CBS News because they were not authorized to discuss the matters publicly.

About two-thirds of Iran’s air force is still believed to be operational, the officials said, after an intensive U.S. and Israeli campaign that struck thousands of targets, including storage and production facilities.

Previously, the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have described the U.S. effort, called Operation Epic Fury, as essentially destroying Iran’s military capacity.

“We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday.

The defense secretary has gone further in his public statements, saying, “Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital V military victory,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing on April 8, shortly after Mr. Trump declared a ceasefire with Iran. He added, “By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come.”

Battle damage assessments show that the joint operation has destroyed much of Iran’s conventional navy, according to a U.S. official who sought anonymity to share confidential details with CBS News.

But the naval arm of the IRGC, built for asymmetrical warfare and equipped with many smaller vessels, remains partly intact, officials said, and it’s that navy that’s hampering oil shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

The head of the Defense Intelligence Agency submitted a written statement ahead of a House Armed Services Committee hearing that said Iran can still inflict damage.

“Iran retains thousands of missiles and one-way attack UAVs that can threaten U.S. and partner forces throughout the region, despite degradations to its capabilities from both attrition and expenditure,” Marine Lt. Gen. James Adams wrote.

Asked for comment for this article, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the war has been a success, with more than 13,000 Iranian targets struck.

“In less than 40 days, the United States military delivered a crippling series of blows to the Iranian regime,” he said.

Parnell said 92% of the Iranian Navy’s largest vessels have been destroyed, and about 44 minelayers destroyed.

It was “the largest elimination of a navy over a three week period since World War II,” Parnell said. “Secretary Hegseth could not be prouder of our warfighters’ resolve, and mainstream media’s obsession with discounting their efforts is telling.”