The briefing for Saturday, March 28.

The Senate unanimously approved funding for TSA and most of Homeland Security early Friday morning, but House Republicans rejected the deal hours later, voting 213-203 for their own measure that includes immigration enforcement funding. Congress is now heading into a two-week break with no resolution in sight. TSA agents have worked without pay for more than 40 days, causing massive airport delays across the country as hundreds have quit and thousands call out sick.

The Senate deal, crafted without a roll call vote, would have funded TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA while excluding ICE and parts of Border Protection. Senate Democrats insisted on stripping immigration agencies from the bill after two Americans were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the Senate bill a 'joke' and insisted on full funding for immigration enforcement. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the House measure is 'dead on arrival' in the upper chamber.

President Trump signed an executive order Friday directing payment to TSA workers, with the Department of Homeland Security saying agents should see paychecks as early as Monday. The move may face legal challenges since the Constitution grants spending authority to Congress. Houston's airport is currently operating just one-third to 50% of its TSA checkpoints, with similar disruptions reported nationwide as travelers face hours-long security lines.

An Iranian missile and drone attack Friday on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 10 U.S. service members, two seriously, and damaged several refueling aircraft. The attack comes one day after President Trump claimed Iran has been 'obliterated' and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran's military was 'effectively neutralized.' This marks at least the second attack on the base, where Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington was wounded on March 1 and later died.

One month into Operation Epic Fury, Trump has outlined five objectives for the conflict, though some remain undefined or unfulfilled. While U.S. Central Command reports more than 300 service members wounded and 13 killed, Trump said Thursday that about 90% of Iran's missiles and launchers have been destroyed. However, Iranian attacks continue against Gulf neighbors and Israel, and the Revolutionary Guard's naval capabilities remain unclear. The administration says it has significantly degraded Iran's military but Iran continues launching missiles and drones.

Trump extended his deadline on attacking Iranian energy infrastructure for another 10 days, potentially buying time for diplomatic efforts through Pakistan as an intermediary. However, the U.S. is simultaneously preparing to deploy at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division and approximately 5,000 Marines to the region. Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and disrupted global shipping, though Tehran said Friday it would facilitate humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the waterway.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the U.S. can continue detaining immigrants without bond hearings, handing the Trump administration a major victory in its immigration crackdown. The 2-1 decision overturned a lower court ruling that had required bond hearings for immigrants arrested away from the border, including a Mexican national detained in Minneapolis in August 2025 for lacking legal authorization.

It's the second federal appeals court to rule in favor of the administration on this issue. The 5th Circuit in New Orleans reached a similar conclusion last month, countering recent district court decisions nationwide that argued the practice is illegal. A California district court decision in November had granted detained immigrants with no criminal history the opportunity to request bond hearings with implications for noncitizens held nationwide.

The ruling addresses whether the government must ask a neutral judge to determine the legality of detention, based on habeas corpus rights. Under past administrations, most noncitizens without criminal records arrested away from the border had opportunities to request bond hearings, and mandatory detention was typically limited to recent border crossers. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the decision as a 'massive court victory,' while the ACLU, representing the plaintiff, did not immediately comment. Immigrants have filed more than 30,000 habeas corpus petitions in federal court alleging illegal detention since Trump took office.

The Supreme Court unanimously sided with Cox Communications Wednesday in its copyright dispute with major record labels, ruling that internet service providers bear no liability for copyright violations committed by their customers. The decision reverses a jury verdict and lower-court rulings that had found Cox liable for illegal music downloads by its subscribers.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court that 'Cox neither induced its users' infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement,' while acknowledging that record labels 'have struggled to protect their copyrights in the age of online music sharing.' The lawsuit, led by Sony Music Entertainment, alleged that Cox failed to adequately deter or terminate customers who downloaded music without payment. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had partially upheld a jury award of more than $1 billion before throwing it out.

Cox Communications, which provides internet service to more than 6 million homes and businesses across more than a dozen states, had warned of widespread access disruptions if the Court ruled against it. The company argued it could be required to terminate service for households, hospitals, universities and coffee shops based on 'a couple accusations of infringement.' Cox praised the ruling for affirming that ISPs 'are not copyright police,' while the Recording Industry Association of America expressed disappointment, saying the original verdict was 'based on overwhelming evidence that the company knowingly facilitated theft.'

A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration can proceed with a meeting next week to seek an Endangered Species Act exemption for expanded Gulf of Mexico oil and gas drilling on national security grounds. District Judge Rudolph Contreras rejected the Center for Biological Diversity's motion to postpone Tuesday's meeting of the Interior Department's Endangered Species Committee, composed of six high-ranking federal officials plus a state representative.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requested the exemption for 'all Gulf of America oil and gas exploration and development activities' overseen by federal agencies, citing the U.S.-Iran war's impact on global oil supplies and energy prices. The committee, nicknamed the 'God Squad' by environmental groups for its power to determine species' fates, has convened only three times in its nearly 50-year history and has never before invoked the national security provision.

Environmental groups are particularly concerned about the Rice's whale in the Gulf, where only about 50 remain. The Center for Biological Diversity argued the government failed to meet legal requirements to convene the committee and warned of irreparable harm, but Judge Contreras said they did not meet the high standard necessary for a temporary restraining order. Government attorneys countered that the environmental group was challenging an exemption decision that hasn't been made yet. The Gulf has experienced significant oil-related environmental damage, including a March 2026 spill that spread 373 miles and BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster that spilled 134 million gallons.

A Los Angeles jury delivered a landmark verdict Wednesday finding Meta and YouTube liable for designing their platforms to be addictive, causing harm to a 20-year-old plaintiff known only as Kaley. After nine days of deliberation, jurors agreed with the plaintiff on all counts, awarding $3 million in compensation and an additional $3 million in punitive damages. The case represents a new legal theory that social media companies caused personal injuries by designing addictive products in pursuit of profit.

Kaley claimed the platforms amplified her personal issues starting when she began using Instagram at age nine, leaving her with body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta argued that Kaley's struggles with family and school preceded her social media use, but attorney Jayne Conroy said the verdict sends a clear message. 'It was a clean sweep with respect to liability against both Google and Meta,' she told the BBC. 'I bet there's a lot of math going on in boardrooms at Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok as they evaluate what that means if they know thousands of cases are coming their way.'

Both Meta and Google said they will appeal the verdict. Meta maintains it will 'continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different,' arguing that reducing teen mental health to a single cause risks leaving broader issues unaddressed. Google said YouTube 'is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.' TikTok and Snapchat's Snap Inc. had been defendants but settled before trial, though they remain defendants in several upcoming cases. Former Twitter executive Bruce Daisley noted that tech firms derive their value from rapid growth, meaning 'you've got a business which is just geared for trying to force people to spend more and more time' on their platforms.