Our Live Coverage On This Blog Has EndedFollow live updates on the major headlines of the day here.Photo Of The Day: Overwhelmed By GriefA father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, during an early morning attack on his family. Two women were also shot and critically injured.The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in more than two years.Trump Admin Wants To Take Major Bite Out Of NASA BudgetThe Trump administration is pushing to cut NASA funding — including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory — by 23%, even after the successful Artemis II space mission.“This isn’t [because] they’re not producing good science anymore. There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society, said, per The Los Angeles Times.Read more at The Los Angeles Times:American Taxpayers Spent Thousands On Weapons, War Last Year: ReportThe average American taxpayer paid $4,049 for weapons and war last year, according to findings by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive organization that promotes an equitable society. By comparison, taxpayers paid an average of $735 on food and agriculture programs (including SNAP and school lunch programs), $637.41 on education and about $1,104 on veterans, labor and income assistance.The highest tax category was for health programs at $5,852.77. That includes $2,491.64 spent on Medicaid, $2,207.79 for Medicare and $31.09 for substance use and mental health programs.Read more of the report at IPS.Michigan Refuses DOJ's Demand For 2024 Election BallotsMichigan officials on Sunday pushed back on a U.S. Department of Justice demand for Detroit-area ballots and other materials related to the 2024 election, accusing the Trump administration of trying to cast doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections.The Justice Department last week sent a letter demanding ballots, ballot receipts and ballot envelopes to the clerk in Wayne County, home to the heavily Democratic-leaning city of Detroit, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.Read more from Reuters:Oil Prices Rise Again As Conflict In Middle East ContinuesOil prices have risen again, reflecting ongoing tensions in the Middle East and a back-and-forth standoff surrounding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.U.S. crude oil increased 6.4% to $87.88 per barrel, according to The Associated Press. Correspondingly, Brent crude made a 6.5% jump to $96.25 per barrel.Iran Vows To Respond Soon To 'Act Of Piracy'The United States said it attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first interception since its blockade of Iranian ports began last week.Iran will respond soon, its state broadcaster said later, calling the armed boarding an act of piracy.Read more from The Associated Press:Atlantic Stands By Their Reporting As Kash Patel Continues To Threaten LawsuitFBI Director Kash Patel said Sunday he is going to sue the Atlantic for defamation over their article titled, "The FBI Director Is MIA."“You want to attack my character, come at me,” Patel said Sunday on Fox News. “Bring it on. I’ll see you in court. The article, published Friday, cites anonymous sources who allege Patel has a drinking problem and is known to go on benders, often leading to "unexplained absences." Patel told Fox News on Sunday that the lawsuit would drop Monday and that he is following President Donald Trump's lead of going after "the fake news."In a statement to HuffPost, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, said, "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel."As soon as the article hit the web, Patel started threatening a lawsuit. Trump Says JD Vance Won't Join U.S. Team For Renewed Iran Talks After Dizzying Early ReportsPresident Donald Trump on Sunday told ABC News that JD Vance will not be leading the U.S. team for renewed talks to end the Iran war after a dizzy, initial series of reports on the vice president's involvement in the negotiations.Trump, per a report from ABC's "This Week" host Jonathan Karl, said the U.S. Secret Service "did not feel comfortable" having Vance go to Pakistan on 24 hours notice for such talks."JD is great," added Trump in his phone call with Karl.Trump initially neglected to name his veep in an interview with The New York Post where he revealed that the U.S. team consisting of Steve Witkoff, his special envoy to the Middle East, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner would arrive for negotiations in Islamabad on Monday.The Post reported Vance "will not make the trip."CNN's Alayna Treene later reported that Vance, per a White House official, was set to be at the negotiating table.The official, in response to Trump's comments to the Post on Vance not traveling to Pakistan for the talks, told CNN that "things changed."In a post to X, Treene noted that the Secret Service didn't want Vance and Trump in the "same place at the same time... not just due to the region & the security risks that poses, but in general/domestically too.""If POTUS were to try & travel to Pakistan should a final deal materialize, it’s likely the VP would need to return to the US first," Treene added.Trump's change to the peace talks roster arrives after Vance failed to secure a deal on the conflict last week. At the time, the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were taking in a UFC event in Miami.Iran Doubles Down On Closing The Strait Of Hormuz As The Ceasefire Nears ExpirationCAIRO (AP) — Iran doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, as mediators scrambled to extend the ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday.The dueling blockades have complicated Pakistani-led mediation attempts and raised questions about whether the two-week truce can be extended. “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf said in an interview aired on state television late Saturday.Read more here:Trump Frustrated At The Speed Of Strait Of Hormuz’s Closure, Vulnerability: WSJ ReportPresident Donald Trump has expressed surprise and frustration at how easily the Strait of Hormuz was closed, and is astonished that as little as one guy with a drone can project such power, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal.Iran closed the waterway — which allows roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil to pass through — after the United States and Israel went to war with Iran and assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous high-level officials. The closure led to a surge in oil prices and fears of spiraling global economic consequences.On Friday, Iran announced that the strait was open for commercial shipping, but reversed course a day later and opened fire on ships attempting to pass through, according to the Associated Press.People familiar with Trump’s thinking told the Wall Street Journal that the president has been grappling with concerns over potentially sending American soldiers to try to capture Kharg Island, a crucial hub for Iranian oil exports. Trump was assured such a mission was possible, according to the report, but is concerned about the possibility of mass American casualties.Read the full report at the Wall Street Journal.Work May Continue On Trump's Ballroom For Now, Appeals Court SaysA federal appeals court allowed President Donald Trump’s ballroom project to continue for now, overruling a lower court order to that would have halted above-ground construction while allowing below-ground work to continue.A network of bunkers and medical facilities meant that the below-ground plans could be considered a matter of national security.The appeals court noted that its ruling, handed down late Friday, was only administrative and not a reflection of the case's merits. But its decision gives the president the chance to keep building for around seven weeks, until an argument date set for June 5.Trump has complained at length this week about the $400 million ballroom's stop-work order. Kash Patel Threatens Lawsuit Over Report Of His Allegedly Frequent 'Intoxication Incidents'FBI Director Kash Patel said on Friday that he will file a lawsuit after The Atlantic published a report questioning his fitness for the job and citing several officials who said his alcohol use has “been a recurring source of concern across the government.”Reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick of The Atlantic included a comment from the FBI attributed to Patel in her article, titled “The FBI Director Is MIA,” which read, “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court — bring your checkbook.”Read more here: Iran Fully Closes Strait of Hormuz Over U.S. Blockade, Fires On ShipsThe standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalated again Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass, in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.The strait is closed until the U.S. blockade is lifted, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said Saturday night, warning that “no vessel should make any movement from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered as cooperation with the enemy” and be targeted.Read more from The Associated Press: D.C. Police Were On Verge Of Arresting Rep. Cory Mills Over Assault Accusation: WaPoWashington, D.C., police were preparing for the imminent arrest of Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) over an alleged assault until the victim apparently spoke to Mills and changed her story, The Washington Post reported, citing body-camera footage and written documentation.A woman reportedly called for help, accusing Mills of assault in the early hours of Feb. 19, 2025, at his apartment. Footage from the responding officer reportedly showed a tearful woman who revealed marks on her arms and face that she said she got from Mills.Several hours after the initial call, an officer interviewed the woman again at a nearby hotel bar. She said that she “wanted to make a record of this” because she did not “want it to happen to anyone else.” The woman then took a phone call. She told the officer “he wants me to say” the physical marks on her body were from a misadventure on vacation in Dubai. She ultimately recanted. The Post reported that a police lieutenant initially prevented Mills’ arrest, a move the responding officer seemingly disagreed with. The responding officer even offered Mills special treatment, obscuring the arrest by allowing him to ride to the station in the passenger seat.A prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump later reportedly declined to press charges against Mills for the incident.The outlet did not name Mills’ accuser. A girlfriend, Lindsey Langston, obtained a protective order against Mills last fall from a Florida judge.Read more at The Washington Post:New York-Bound Flight Diverted Due To ‘Reported Threat Onboard’The FBI confirmed Saturday that a United flight bound for New York City’s LaGuardia Airport from Chicago was diverted to Pittsburgh due to a “reported threat onboard.”All passengers and crew were safely evacuated.The FBI said agents and bomb technicians were on the scene investigating.U.S. Preparing To Board Iran-Linked Oil Tankers: WSJThe U.S. military is getting ready to seize Iran-linked oil tankers in international waters around the world, along with commercial ships suspected of carrying weaponry that would help Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal.The move would be part of a pressure campaign dubbed “Economic Fury,” as peace talks continue during a precarious ceasefire.Iran reportedly attacked several commercial vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, alarming shipping companies. The U.S., meanwhile, has implemented a naval blockade of Iranian ports, turning back handfuls of ships in the last several days.Read more at The Wall Street Journal:Chief Justice John Roberts Led Obama-Era Push To Depart From Procedural Norms: NYTThe New York Times obtained memos sent between individual Supreme Court justices over a series of five days in 2016 that resulted in a shock decision leading the court to a “new way of doing business,” the paper said.It was Chief Justice John Roberts who led the push, despite his moderate reputation.The decision came outside of the court’s usual procedure. It was part of the so-called “shadow docket,” which sees the court issue major decisions without a word of public justification while the case continues to wind through the lower courts.Critics have argued for years that the Supreme Court abuses the “shadow docket” to help conservative causes and damage liberal ones.Read more at The New York Times.Trump Orders FDA To Speed Up Review Of Psychedelic TherapeuticsPresident Donald Trump on Saturday signed an executive order directing the FDA to “expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs” for conditions including depression and anxiety.“It’s for a lot of people, but it’s for our military in particular,” Trump said of the order. Drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA have been shown to have promising effects on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who have not responded to more conventional treatments. The directive, he said, “will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data-sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA-approved.”He held a press conference in the Oval Office surrounded by podcaster Joe Rogan, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Oz, Trump’s Medicare and Medicaid administrator, among others.“I got a call from a number of people including the great Joe Rogan, and he said we have to do something about this. And I looked into it,” Trump said.Alito and Thomas Have No Plans To Retire Before Midterms: ReportsAmid swirling rumors of potential exits from the Supreme Court — and recent comments made by President Donald Trump — sources close to Justices Samuel Alito, 76, and Clarence Thomas, 77, told CBS News they have no plans to retire this year.The reports likely close any window Trump would’ve had to nominate a fourth justice to the high court before the midterm elections in November. The news of Alito's intention to stay on the court was first reported by Fox News.Speculation about potential upcoming vacancies were heightened after Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo earlier this week that he was "prepared" to nominate "two or three" justices, were any vacancies to open up during his tenure. “I don’t know. It’s possible, you know. In theory, it’s two or three, they tell me,” Trump said. “If you just read statistics, it could be two, could be three, could be one. I don’t know.”Trump filled three Supreme Court vacancies during his first term, nominating Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.Were Republicans to lose control of the Senate in the upcoming midterms, the possibility of Trump securing a fourth nomination virtually drops to zero. Alito has served on the bench since 2006, and Thomas since 1991. Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior, Heavy Drinking Alarming Colleagues: ReportFBI Director Kash Patel's erratic behavior and excessive drinking is stoking serious concern among many of his colleagues, according to a lengthy new report in The Atlantic.More than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials and members of Congress, described him as "erratic, suspicious of others, and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has necessary evidence," calling his personal behavior "a national-security vulnerability," The Atlantic reported.One official said that the idea of Patel being in charge during a potential terrorist attack, especially while the U.S. is at war with Iran, "keeps me up at night."Patel is reportedly worried he will soon be fired, and senior administration officials are discussing who should replace him, the outlet noted.The Atlantic's sources said Patel is "known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication, that meetings on his calendar have had to be "rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights" and that on multiple occasions, "members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated." At one point, the sources said, he caused panic because he was "unreachable behind locked doors."When reached for comment on the allegations, Patel told The Atlantic: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court — bring your checkbook.” Read more at The Atlantic: