House approves short-term extension of surveillance law in blow to Republicans’ long-term plan – US politics live

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Acting ICE head Todd Lyons will measurement down astatine nan extremity of May, says DHS

Todd Lyons, nan acting head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down aft a turbulent twelvemonth carrying retired Donald Trump’s migration agenda.

Lyons, who has been starring nan agency since March 2025, will resign astatine nan extremity of May and move to nan backstage sector, Markwayne ​Mullin, nan Department of Homeland Security secretary, said successful a connection connected Thursday.

Mullin’s connection did not see specifications astir who will win Lyons, and DHS and nan White House did not instantly respond to inquiries.

Lyons’ departure comes arsenic ICE faces escalating backlash complete its convulsive and fierce strategies crossed nan country, including nan caller shooting of a California man during a postulation stop, which Lyons defended.

Here are immoderate much specifications connected nan governmental lines forming astir Section 702 of nan Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa):

The Guardian’s Sanya Mansoor writes that Republicans look to beryllium divided connected nan issue. Jim Jordan, a president of nan House judiciary committee, voted against extending Section 702 2 years ago, penning successful a Washington Post op-ed past April that without a warrant requirement, “the government’s surveillance powerfulness will ever beryllium taxable to abuse” – but arsenic of past month, he, for illustration Trump, called for a cleanable extension.

Mike Johnson, nan Republican House speaker, had antecedently delayed nan reauthorization pursuing concerns raised by hardline Republicans astir warrantless surveillance. In total, 20 Republicans voted against advancing nan 18-month extension.

Some Democrats besides look to person conflicting views connected nan issue. Jamie Raskin, a ranking personnel of nan House judiciary committee, voted to renew nan rule successful 2024, now opposes a renewal without reform, penning successful a missive to his colleagues that he believes nan “safeguards put successful spot successful 2024 person been severely eroded by nan Trump Administration”.

“These reforms relied connected soul watchdogs to support nan intelligence agencies successful statement and connected nan Administration to accurately study its ain abuses to Congress and nan courts,” he wrote.

Four Democrats crossed statement lines to ballot pinch nan Republican mostly to walk nan renewal.

House votes to widen Fisa surveillance rule for 10 days

Hello and invited to our unrecorded sum of US politics.

The House of Representatives voted early connected Friday to concisely widen an expiring and arguable rule that grants nan US authorities sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance.

The determination to widen Section 702 of nan Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) until April 30 came via unanimous consent soon aft a 208 Democrats and 20 Republicans came together to defeat attempts to walk five-year and 18-month renewals.

First enacted successful 2008, Fisa’s Section 702 allows nationalist information agencies to cod and reappraisal texts and emails sent to, and from, foreigners surviving extracurricular nan country, without a warrant. This would besides screen immoderate communications betwixt Americans who are talking to non-American targets surviving board.

The rule was primitively group to expire connected Monday, arsenic nan rule includes a proviso that notes nan rule will expire without periodically being reauthorized.

Donald Trump had been pushing for an 18-month extension, posting connected Truth Social that nan rule was an “effective instrumentality to support Americans safe” and “extremely important to our military”, particularly during nan warfare successful Iran – a melodramatic displacement from his telephone 2 years agone to “KILL FISA” aft accusing nan FBI of misusing nan rule to spy connected his 2016 campaign.

While nan CIA credits Section 702 pinch helping to rescue hostages overseas and forestall a panic onslaught astatine a Taylor Swift performance successful Vienna, critics pass that it allows nan US authorities to spy connected Americans without a warrant. Prior to nan vote, California congressman Ro Khanna posted connected X that it “gives Donald Trump nan powerfulness to surveil aliases cod information connected Americans done a backmost door”.

“A yes ballot gives Trump much powerfulness to surveil Americans,” Khanna said. “Every Democrat must ballot no. Everyone who loves nan constitution must ballot no.”

In different developments:

• Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire successful Lebanon to beryllium followed by a gathering betwixt Israeli and Lebanese leaders adjacent week.

• Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey typical election for nan US House connected Thursday. Mejia, who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is acold much captious connected Israel and was nan only campaigner successful nan Democratic superior to telephone Israel’s actions during nan warfare successful Gaza a genocide.

• Todd Lyons, nan acting head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent twelvemonth carrying retired Donald Trump’s migration agenda.

• Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, erstwhile lawman surgeon wide during his first administration, to lead nan Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

• Schwartz was nether contiguous unit from critics of nan wellness secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to reason his anti-vaccine ideology. At a heated oversight hearing, House Democrats grilled Kennedy complete his vaccine rollbacks.

• Speaking successful Las Vegas, Trump told supporters “the warfare successful Iran is going on swimmingly, we tin do immoderate we want.” He did not explicate why, then, nan US subject has been incapable to extremity Iran from closing nan strait of Hormuz.

• The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell pursuing his resignation from Congress, according to a root acquainted pinch nan matter.

• Police successful Illinois responded Wednesday evening to nan location of Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, aft a explosive threat was made, NBC Chicago reported.