The briefing for Thursday, April 23.

The Senate voted early Thursday to adopt a budget plan that would fund ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation, bypassing Democratic filibuster rules as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown enters its third month. The $70 billion resolution would fund both agencies for three years through the rest of President Trump's term. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans will 'have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.'

The entire department has been shut down since mid-February after federal agents fatally shot two protesters in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in January. Democrats have demanded policy changes including better identification for federal officers and more use of judicial warrants before agreeing to any funding bill. Bipartisan negotiations went nowhere after Trump agreed to separate the DHS bill from a larger spending measure. The Senate has already passed legislation to reopen the rest of the department on a bipartisan basis, but House Republican leaders say they won't take up that bill until the Senate shows progress on funding ICE and Border Patrol.

The reconciliation process requires only a simple majority in the Senate, allowing Republicans to bypass the 60-vote threshold with their 53 seats. But the approach comes with increased scrutiny from the Senate parliamentarian and lengthy amendment votes. Democrats used the overnight vote series to propose amendments lowering healthcare costs, contrasting with Republicans' immigration enforcement focus. Some Republicans see the budget bill as their last chance this year to enact priorities before November's midterm elections, with Senator John Kennedy briefly holding up votes to push for inclusion of Trump's SAVE America Act voting bill before withdrawing his objections.

Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving the Trump administration effective immediately, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, making him the latest high-ranking military leader to exit in recent months. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as acting secretary. The Navy did not provide a reason for Phelan's sudden departure, which comes amid ongoing US naval operations enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports during a tenuous ceasefire.

Phelan's exit follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent removal of Army Chief of Staff Randy George and two other Army officials. Since entering the Pentagon, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including the chief of naval operations and the Air Force's vice chief of staff. Phelan, a civilian who had not previously served in the military, was sworn in as Navy Secretary in March 2025 after being nominated by Trump in 2024. The businessman was a major campaign donor who appeared alongside Trump at Mar-a-Lago last December when the president announced plans for a new 'Golden Fleet' of battleships.

His replacement, Hung Cao, is a 25-year Navy veteran who became undersecretary in October 2025. Cao ran an unsuccessful Senate campaign in Virginia in 2024 with Trump's endorsement, losing to Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. During that campaign, he criticized military diversity initiatives and said the Navy needs 'alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds.' The leadership change comes as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is 'satisfied' with the ongoing naval blockade on Iranian ports and 'understands Iran is in a very weak position.'

Iran attacked three ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, seizing two vessels and deepening confusion over access to the crucial waterway that carries a fifth of the world's oil. The attacks by Iran's Revolutionary Guard came just a day after President Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran. Iranian officials called the seizures retaliation for the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and for American forces firing on and seizing an Iranian ship that failed to stop when hailed.

The incidents mark a resumption of attacks after a lull that began in mid-March when Iran imposed effective control over the strait. Six cruise ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since late February managed to slip through during a brief window last weekend after Iran's foreign minister announced the strait was open Friday, only to be contradicted the next day by the Revolutionary Guard. The Revolutionary Guard attacked vessels called the Epaminondas, MSC Francesca, and Euphoria. Iran has previously demanded details on cargo, ownership and crew for ships attempting passage, and imposed a $1 per barrel tax on oil shipments.

According to AP reporting, shipping intelligence companies say a steady flow of vessels carrying Iranian oil has passed the US blockade despite American forces turning around 20 Iran-linked vessels and seizing one large tanker south of the Bay of Bengal. The US military is enforcing the blockade in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, away from Iranian drones and speedboats. Risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft notes the conflicting statements from Trump and Iranian officials reflect 'genuine confusion about when passage is permitted,' while sporadic attacks help Iran maintain leverage by keeping insurance premiums high. Hundreds of ships and thousands of crew members remain stuck in the region.

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders are set to vote Thursday on the company's proposed $81 billion sale to Skydance-owned Paramount, in a merger that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the media landscape. The deal, valued at nearly $111 billion including debt, would bring together HBO Max and Paramount+, combine major studios behind franchises like 'Harry Potter' and 'Top Gun,' and unite news operations CBS and CNN under one roof. Warner's board now endorses the Paramount merger after shareholders are expected to meet at 10 a.m. ET to vote on the acquisition.

The path to this vote has been contentious. Late last year, Warner rebuffed Paramount's overtures to strike a $72 billion deal with Netflix for studio and streaming operations. Paramount went directly to shareholders with a hostile bid to take over the entire company, including cable operations Netflix didn't want. After months of public fighting, Paramount eventually offered more money and Netflix withdrew. Even if approved Thursday, the deal still faces ongoing regulatory reviews including from the Justice Department, though Warner expects to close the deal in the third fiscal quarter.

The merger has drawn significant opposition. Thousands of actors, directors, writers and industry professionals have expressed 'unequivocal opposition,' arguing further consolidation will lead to job losses and fewer choices. Democratic Senator Cory Booker said at a hearing last week, 'What is at stake is clearly not just a corporate deal, but who controls news, who controls entertainment, who controls storytelling.' Company executives argue consumers will benefit from bigger content libraries, and Paramount CEO David Ellison has promised a 45-day theatrical window and 30 movie releases annually. However, regulatory filings indicate cost-cutting plans including layoffs, and critics warn of higher streaming prices and less diverse content. Questions about political influence have also emerged, particularly regarding potential editorial changes at CNN under Skydance ownership.

The FBI investigated New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson for potential stalking violations after she wrote about federal agents being assigned to protect and transport FBI Director Kash Patel's girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins. The Times reported Wednesday that FBI agents interviewed Wilkins after she expressed concern about a death threat received following Williamson's February 28 article, which detailed how Patel had assigned four agents to protect Wilkins full time and ferry her to appearances in Britain, Illinois and Nashville.

According to the Times, which learned of the investigation through a tip to reporter Michael S. Schmidt, the FBI searched federal databases for information about Williamson and recommended pursuing the matter further, but was blocked by the Justice Department. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said in a statement that while investigators 'were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking, no further action regarding Williamson or the reporting was ever pursued by the FBI.'

Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn called the FBI's action 'a blatant violation of Elizabeth's First Amendment rights and another attempt by this administration to prevent journalists from scrutinizing its actions,' describing it as 'alarming,' 'unconstitutional,' and 'wrong.' Williamson briefly interviewed Wilkins during her reporting, but the singer insisted the conversation be off the record. The reporter also spoke to people who knew or had worked with Wilkins. The incident adds to tensions between Patel and the press—on Monday, he filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over an article discussing allegations about his excessive drinking and mismanagement at the FBI.