Secretary Noem’s purse snatched from DC restaurant with $3K in cash inside
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(WASHINGTON) — Department of Homeland Security Seceretary Kristi Noem’s purse was stolen at a Washington restaurant over the weekend, according to a DHS official.
Noem had $3,000 in cash in her purse, along with her passport, makeup bag, DHS access card, apartment key and other items.
A DHS official said the secretary had the cash because her family was in town and she was treating them to Easter festivities.
A man wearing a mask walked by the secretary’s table and snatched the purse. The Secret Service is investigating, according to the DHS official.
(WASHINGTON) — Longtime Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026 and will retire after serving for over four decades in Congress.
“In my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” Durbin said in the video. “The threats to our democracy and way of life are real, and I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to fight for Illinois and the future of our country every day of my remaining time in the Senate.”
Durbin, 80, has served in the Senate since 1997 and won reelection to the Senate four times. Coupled with his time in the House, Durbin has served in Congress for 44 years.
“We are also fortunate to have a strong Democratic bench ready to serve,” Durbin said in the video. “We need them now more than ever.”
His departure will set up a contentious race among Illinois Democrats vying to fill the seat in a solidly blue state.
“It has been an honor serving alongside Sen. Dick Durbin in Congress. I have long admired his focus on creating jobs in Illinois, bringing down costs for working families and protecting benefits for veterans and seniors,” Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., said following Durbin’s announcement. “As a dedicated public servant for more than four decades, Sen. Durbin has been a strong voice for Illinoisans, ushering into law many historic bills as a long-time leader in the U.S. Senate. I am grateful for the legacy he leaves behind that has helped improve millions of our Illinois neighbors.”
It will also leave a void in Democratic leadership in the Senate. Durbin, as Democratic whip, has served as the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat since 2004. Now, Democrats will need to reshuffle to fill Durbin’s position.
There are a number of younger Senate Democrats who have been working to make names for themselves this Congress, and its not clear who might jump into that leadership race. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is currently the No. 3 Senate Democrat, and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is the No. 4 Senate Democrat. Either of them could enter the contest.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised Durbin in a statement following the announcement.
“Dick Durbin has been more than a colleague — he’s been a trusted partner, one of the most respected voices in the Senate for decades, my dear friend, and, of course, my former roommate,” Schumer said. “His deep commitment to justice, his tireless advocacy for Americans in need, and his wisdom in leadership have left an indelible mark on this institution, the United States, and his beloved Illinois. The Senate — and the country — are better because of his service. To my friend, Dick: Thank you, for everything.”
Durbin has served as the top Democrat, in his capacity as either chairman or ranking member, of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2021. He helped to confirm 235 federal judges under former President Joe Biden.
Durbin is now the fourth Democrat to announce plans not to run in 2026. Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., are also retiring. Sen. Michael Bennet is running for Colorado governor despite his term not ending until 2028, and if he wins, he will vacate a fifth Democratic seat.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon’s independent watchdog has announced it has agreed to a request from top senators and is launching a probe into the use of the commercial messaging app Signal by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior Trump administration officials to discuss a future U.S. military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen.
Last week, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., sent a letter to DOD acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins requesting an expedited inquiry into that Signal discussion.
“The purpose of this memorandum is to notify you that we are initiating the subject evaluation,” Stebbins wrote in a memo to the offices of the secretary of defense and the deputy secretary of defense. “We are conducting this evaluation in response to a March 26, 2025 letter I received from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, requesting that I conduct an inquiry into recent public reporting on the Secretary of Defense’s use of an unclassified commercially available messaging application to discuss information pertaining to military actions in Yemen in March 2025.”
“The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business. Additionally, we will review compliance with classification and records retention requirements,” Stebbins added in the memo.
“We may revise the objective as the evaluation proceeds. We plan to perform this evaluation in accordance with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency ‘Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation,'” he said.
Last week, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed he had been added to a Signal text group that appeared to include senior Trump administration national security officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, discussing plans to strike against Houthi targets in Yemen in mid-March.
Senior Trump administration officials including Hegseth pushed back on The Atlantic’s description of the conversation and argued no classified war plans had been discussed.
(WASHINGTON) — House Republicans will plow ahead Tuesday to advance key components of their bill to fund President Donald Trump’s agenda — including taxes and Medicaid cuts — even as they remain at odds over several critical issues.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over energy and health care programs, and the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, will both hold marathon markups in hopes of moving the legislation to the floor.
The movement on the critical pieces of the “big, beautiful bill” comes as Speaker Mike Johnson faces resistance from different wings of his caucus with only three votes to spare in his razor thin majority.
Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy said Monday he’s opposed to the proposals and needs “significant” changes to support the final package.
“I remain open-minded because progress has been made based on our forceful efforts to force change. But we cannot continue down the path we’ve been going down – and we will need SIGNIFICANT additional changes to garner my support,” he said in a post on X.
Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail and in the White House to not cut Medicaid and he and Republicans said they’ll come up with savings by cutting waste and fraud in the program.
Before heading off on a four-day trip to the Middle East on Monday, he urged Republicans to “UNIFY” around the bill and said the executive order he signed Monday that would “slash the cost of prescription drugs” and the “hundreds of billions of tariff money coming in” should be factored into the bill’s scoring.
With Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, they are using a process called reconciliation that only requires a simple majority for passage to fast-track their legislation.
Republicans unveiled legislative text over the weekend that outlined their plans to slash Medicaid spending by imposing work requirements for recipients, make more frequent eligibility checks, and penalize states like New York and California that offer Medicaid to illegal immigrants.
The Congressional Budget Office wrote in a letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie that the proposal met its lofty target for $880 billion of savings over the next decade.
The Energy and Commerce committee resisted pressure from hardliners like Roy who demanded GOP leaders propose lowering the percentage the federal government pays to states’ Medicaid programs or include per-capita caps on federal Medicaid payments to states.
The health portions would save about $715 billion, according to CBO. However, at least 8.6 million more Americans will go uninsured.
Some culture war issues were addressed in the bill, including a provision to strip Medicaid funding from organizations that offer abortion services such as Planned Parenthood.
The legislation has already received pushback from Republicans in the Senate who will have to go along with it, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times Monday warning against moves to cut Medicaid.
“This wing of the party wants Republicans to build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal,” Sen. Hawley wrote.
Meanwhile, the Ways and Means Committee, which is marking up the tax portion of the bill, outlined a permanent extension of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, as well as making good on his campaign promises like no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.
The plan would temporarily increase the child tax credit, create a MAGA savings account for children and temporarily increase the standard tax deduction. It also calls for a $4 trillion increase to the debt ceiling, which Congress must address by mid-July to avoid default.
The legislation also includes one of the most controversial components — a tax proposal that would hike the cap on state and local tax deductions (SALT) from $10,000 to $30,000 for those earning less than $400,000, which some moderate Republicans from states with higher taxes say is not enough.
New York Rep. Nick LaLota said he is “still a hell no” in a post on X.
Rep. Mike Lawler of New York told Bloomberg TV the proposal was “woefully inadequate,” adding that he will vote against the bill if it comes to the floor.
“We will continue to work in good faith with leadership, with the administration to get this done, but we need to have an honest and serious discussion about the issue,” he added.
Here’s what’s in the bill:
Medicaid cuts
Medicaid work requirements: The bill would impose work requirements on able-bodied Medicaid recipients — at least 80 hours per month — or require enrolling in an educational program for at least 80 hours or some combination per month.
More frequent eligibility checks: The legislation would require states to conduct more frequent eligibility determinations — from every 12 months to every six months.
Prohibits Medicaid funds for gender transition for minors: The measure would ban federal Medicaid funds from going to gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
Blocks Medicaid funding for non-citizens: Federal funding would be blocked from going to states that provide health care coverage under Medicare for migrants in the country without authorization.
Targets Medicaid funding for organizations that provide abortions: The measure includes language that would essentially prohibit health care providers who offer abortion services from receiving Medicaid funds.
Drug pricing: The bill makes a change to the Inflation Reduction Act and allows drugs to be exempt from Medicare’s drug price negotiation if they are approved to treat multiple diseases.
Cuts energy programs in Inflation Reduction Act: The proposal would cut Inflation Reduction Act programs like spending on electric vehicles, claw back climate-related federal funding and phase out clean energy credits.
Tax provisions
No tax on tips: A huge tax break for the service industry and a provision that was also trumpeted by Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president, though she tied the tax break to an increase for the federal minimum wage. This is temporary and would expire at the end of 2028.
No tax on overtime: Would relieve millions of Americans who work overtime. This is temporary and would also expire at the end of 2028.
Extension of 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act: Makes tax from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent; does not include a tax increase on the wealthiest earners. Trump posted last week that the proposal shouldn’t raise taxes on high-earners, “but I’m OK if they do!!!”
Creation of MAGA savings account for children: The contribution limit for any taxable year is $5,000. It includes a pilot program to start the accounts with $1,000.
SALT: Lifts state and local tax deduction cap to $30,000 with an income phase-down above $400,000. Married couples filing taxes separately are subject to a $15,000 cap and phase-down above $200,000 income.
Debt limit increase: The measure calls for increasing the debt limit by $4 trillion. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week lawmakers must address the debt limit by mid-July to avoid a default.
Enhanced tax deduction for seniors: Seniors would get a $4,000 higher standard tax deduction subject to income limits. This is temporary and would also expire at the end of 2028.
Hikes excise tax on colleges: Those with endowments over $2 million per student would increase from 1.4% to 21%, targeting Ivy League schools. Religious schools would be exempt.
Child tax credit: A temporary increase from $1,000 to $2,500 through 2028 and to $2,000 after that. Recipients will be required to have a Social Security number.
Deduction for qualified business: The bill would increase the deduction for qualified business income from 20% to 22%.
Extends increased estate and gift tax exemption: Would increase the estate and gift tax exemption to $15 million.
Elevates standard tax deduction: The measure includes some new tax cuts like temporarily elevating the standard deduction by $2,000 to $32,000 for 2025 for joint filers and by $1,000 to $16,000 through 2028.
