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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem quietly moves bolster FEMA ahead of hurricane season. Donald Trump's tariffs on international trade partners are allowed to continue, for now. And the skulls of 19 Black Americans are returned after 150 years. Here's what to know today. With the U.S. expected to face an above-average hurricane season this year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is quietly pushing to keep key employees in place and to approve reimbursements to states previously hit by disaster, sources familiar with the situation said. The behind-the-scenes moves are a contrast to Noem's public calls for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to be reoriented or done away with altogether. They echoed of President Donald Trump's suggestion earlier this year to possibly "get rid of" the agency. Last week, Noem approved a request from newly installed acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson to retain 2,652 employees part of an on-call response/recovery group whose terms had been set to expire between April and December. Their departures would have left FEMA without a large number of key employees during hurricane season. Still, the departures of a large number of FEMA's senior executives, largely voluntarily, has raised concerns about its ability to respond during hurricane season. The White House suddenly approved disaster recovery reimbursement requests from 10 states last week, including some that had been stalled for months, according to FEMA disaster approval data. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign uphereto get it in your inbox. Sources said Noem has taken an outsized role compared with previous secretaries in pushing the White House to support FEMA and reimburse states. In the past, the White House has generally approved disaster reimbursements to states, and the Homeland Security secretary has largely functioned as a rubber stamp. A DHS spokesperson denied the conflict between Noem and Trump, insisting Noem is carrying out Trump's vision for FEMA "to shift it away from a bloated, DC-centric bureaucracy." Read the full story here. Trumpis set to hold a media eventtoday with Elon Musk as the DOGE head concludes his tenure as a "special government employee." Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell met with Trump yesterday amid the president's pressure campaign to slash interest rates. Powell said monetary decisionswould be based solely on "non-political analysis." The Trump administration has a new deportation strategy:arresting immigrants at courthouses. A federal judgeextended a temporary orderblocking the Trump administration's revocation of Harvard University's ability to enroll international students. It's not unusual for governors to run for the Senate. It's much less common for senators to eye the governor's mansion in their home state. But this election cycle could potentially seesomething that hasn't happened in modern history. A federal appeals court temporarily paused rulings by a panel of trade court judges that halted several of President Donald Trump's tariffs on international trading partners "until further notice." The ruling yesterday from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit came after the Trump administration challenged a Wednesday judgement from the U.S. Court of International Trade, which found that a decades-old law the president cited in many of his tariff-related executive orders were invalid. Among the tariffs affected were a 10% universal baseline tariff, 20% duties on Chinese goods over its alleged failures to combat fentanyl traffickingand more. Trump praised the appeals court's pause and took aim at the lower court's three-judge panel, one of whom was appointed by the president in 2019. Earlier Thursday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued a ruling similar to the trade court's, finding a number of Trump's tariffs "unlawful." However, that decision only affected a pair of educational toy makers who filed suit.Read the full story here. Some financial analysts have taken to using an acronym to Trump's on-again, off-again tariff moves — TACO, or "Trump always chickens out."Here are 10 timesthe president has threatened, then backtracked on them. British comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault at a London court. The 49-year-old showed up at the Southwark Crown Court this morning accompanied by his lawyer, Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky, who successfully defended the actor Kevin Spacey against sex assault allegations in 2023. Brand, who stood up as the charges were read out to him, pleaded not guilty on counts of rape, oral rape, indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. Prosecutors agreed to the confirmed trial date of June 3, 2026, with pre-trial review expected to be held in May of that year.Read the full story here. "Éclaircissement" was the winning word, but for Faizan Zaki, it spelled success. The 13-year-old seventh grader from Dallas was crowned the champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on the competition's 100th anniversary, just a year after coming in second place on the big stage. The winning word, in case you were wondering, means the clearing up of something obscure. Zaki's victory wasn't without a bump in the road in the final round, when three contestants were left, and all three got their words wrong. The three contestants competed again — only this time, Zaki prevailed.Read the full story here. A new Covid variant has landed in the U.S. and has the potential to drive up cases this summer.Here's what to knowabout NB.1.8.1. Prosecutors retrying Karen Read in the death of her police officer boyfriend in 2022 rested their case this week,with a few notable changesfrom her first trial. A woman identified only by the pseudonym "Mia"gave graphic testimonyin Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial alleging he sexually assaulted her when she worked as his personal assistant. Comedian (and now, licensed commercial pilot) Nathan Fieldercalled the FAA "dumb"for rejecting his findings on what causes many plane crashes. Dad boys for life: Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrenceare now in-lawsafter Murphy's son and Lawrence's daughter "ran off and got married." In 1872, the heads of 19 deceased Black Americans were severed and shipped to Germany for racially biased "research." It wasn't until about a week ago that the skulls were returned to New Orleans to finally be honored with a memorial service. In a powerful piece, reporter Curtis Brunn speaks to members of Dillard University, one of two historically Black universities in the city,about the significance of such an event. They shared themes of justice, remembrance and restoring honor to those who had their dignity stripped. The story both confronts a dark chapter in history and offers a slice of hope as the victims return home. As one person put it, the ceremony is a day of "reckoning and renewal."—Kayla Hayempour, platforms intern Posture correctorscan be life-changing if they're used correctly. Here are what factors to consider when shopping for one. Plus,rice serumsare a multitasking skincare ingredient, thanks to its concentrated nutrients and minerals, according to dermatologists. Sign up to The Selectionnewsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week. Thanks for reading today's Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. 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Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 people in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Friday, while Hamas was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal after giving it an initial cool response. President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy had expressed optimism this week aboutbrokering an agreementthat could halt the Israel-Hamas war, allow more aid into Gaza, and return more of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas, around a third of whom are alive. Experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade of Gaza —slightly eased in recent days— has pushed the population of roughly 2 million Palestiniansto the brink of famine. Israel's war in Gaza has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, mostlywomen and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 dead. Here's the latest: Families of hostages plead with Netanyahu Families of hostages held in Gaza are pleading with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that any agreement to end the war must include the freedom of all the hostages. There are 58 hostages left in Gaza, of whom Israel believes approximately a third are still alive. Ayelet Samerano, the mother of Yonatan Samerano, whose body is being held in Gaza, was among the family members who met with Netanyahu on Thursday. She said the news that only 10 hostages and several bodies would be released had once again plunged the families into indescribable uncertainty. "It's again a selection, you know, all the families, we are right now standing and thinking, is it going to be my son? Isn't it? What will be after part of them will come, what will be with the rest?" Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday, while Hamas has had a cooler response. "If they (Hamas) want guarantees, we will give them guarantees that after the last hostages will back to Israel, we will stop the war," Samerano said. "I'm telling you, Netanyahu, say yes. All our countries say yes, the families say yes. All the families, when we are saying, stop the world and give us the hostages back." At least 14 dead in Gaza strikes, medics say Hospital officials and paramedics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 14 people and wounded others. Officials at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza said the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two people as well as nine others who were wounded were taken to Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City. It said one of the wounded is a doctor who works at the same hospital. Hamas reviewing a new ceasefire proposal Hamas said Friday it was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal. The White House said Thursday that Israel accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas officials, however, gave the draft a cool response, saying that it seeks to perpetuate Israel's policies of killing and starving people in Gaza. Still, the group said it was going to thoroughly review it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu undergoes a routine colonoscopy Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent a routine colonoscopy on Friday morning in Jerusalem, his office said. The office did not provide further information about whether Netanyahu was moderately sedated or under general anesthesia for the procedure. Netanyahu, 75, underwentsuccessful surgery in Decemberto have his prostate removed. Netanyahu has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader, as he manages multiple crises including thewar in Gazaand histrial for alleged corruption, despite a series of recent health setbacks.

(Reuters) -U.S. federal authorities are investigating an effort to impersonate White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said Wiles had told associates that some of her cellphone contacts had been hacked, allowing the impersonator to access private phone numbers. The incident affected her personal phone, not her government phone, the report said. The Journal reported that in recent weeks, senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other figures received messages and calls from a person who claimed to be Wiles, citing the people familiar with the messages. The White House and FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House has struggled with information security. A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broad swathe of American officials, Reuters reported recently. And late last year, a White House official said the U.S. believed that an alleged sweeping Chinese cyber espionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon targeted and recorded telephone calls of "very senior" American political figures. As Wiles is a key Trump lieutenant and a lynchpin of the White House's operation, the content of her personal phone would be of extraordinary interest to a range of foreign intelligence agencies and other hostile actors. Wiles has reportedly been targeted by hackers at least once before, in the final months of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. At the time, hackers alleged by U.S. authorities to be acting on behalf of Iran approached journalists and a political operative with a variety of messages sent to and from Wiles, some of which were eventually published. (Reporting by Costas Pitas and Raphael Satter; Editing by Michael Perry and Sonali Paul)

For a White House that has grown accustomed to a rollercoaster of legal rulings, judicial decisions over the past day throwingPresident Donald Trump'stariff plans into question landed like a bombshell. The rulings– which strike at the heart of Trump's economic agenda – represent far more of a threat to his priorities, White House officials said, than many other court opinions over the last four months since Trump returned to office. And perhaps no fight will prove as consequential to the president's agenda — at home and abroad — as the effort now underway by Trump and his administration to rescue his tariff policy after it was imperiled by a relatively obscure tribunal this week. The day after the US Court of International Trade — a panel housed in a boxy glass building in Lower Manhattan —ruled Trump lacked the authorityto apply the sweeping sky-high tariffs under federal emergency powers, the president and his team quickly moved to have the ruling frozen. The administration blasted the Wednesday night decision, which was reached by a three-judge panel appointed by Trump, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. Trump's team was successful; by Thursday afternoon, a federal appeals court in Washington had preserved the tariffs on an administrative basis, buying the White House time. In the interim, there wasa scramble inside the White Houseto both identify other authorities that would allow Trump to move ahead with the stiff new duties and to swiftly petition the courts to pause enforcement. Back-up options could prove cumbersome. Many of the alternative routes would involve lengthy investigations or require approval from Congress, where support for tariffs — even among some Republicans — is lukewarm. "We're not planning to pursue those right now because we're very, very confident that this really is incorrect," Trump's top economist Kevin Hassett said early Thursday in a Fox Business interview, before affirming later in the day what other White House officials had been saying: that Trump's team was exploring all its options. "Heaven forbid, if it ever did have trouble in the future, we've got so many other options on the table that the president's policy is going to be there," he told reporters in the White House driveway. Still, it seemed evident that Trump's advisers believed the courts would provide the best resource, even if there was little certainty at how judges will ultimately rule. "We will respond forcefully, and we think we have a very good case with respect to this," Trump's hawkish trade adviser Peter Navarro said following the stay decision. The whiplash rulings — which joined a string of on-again, off-again tariff moves orchestrated by Trump himself — only seemed to emphasize the degree of chaos that continues to color Trump's trade agenda. The tariffs were restored only temporarily, leaving foreign trade partners and investors in a state of limbo at least until June 9, the date by which the Justice Department must respond to those challenging the duties. The ultimate fate of Trump's prized tariffs, both a lynchpin of his wider economic agenda and the motivating force of his foreign policy, has now been thrust into deep uncertainty. And the prospects of the roughly 18 trade deals that the administration has said are being negotiated under threat of withering new tariffs — including three in their final stages, according to White House officials — now appear unclear. The legal and trade fights, which are now fully intertwined, present one of the biggest challenges yet for the administration – further complicated by urgent efforts to push the Senate to advance its budget and tax bill. Taken together, Trump faces a multi-front battle that could well define his presidency. Trump lashed out at the judiciary in a lengthy Thursday evening Truth Social post, taking aim at the three judges from the Court of International Trade. "How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America? Is it purely a hatred of 'TRUMP?' What other reason could it be?" Hours earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had struck a similar tone, attacking "unelected judges" ahead of the stay decision. "America cannot function if President Trump, or any president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges." Trump remained behind closed doors Thursday, but did hold a meeting with Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, whom he has sharply criticized for not lowering interest rates. Powell has also expressed concern Trump's tariffs could lead to higher inflation and lower economic growth. The president's long-standing belief in tariffs has not been shaken, officials said, despite the series of legal, political and economic setbacks. While Trump has repeatedly argued that tariffs will make the United States wealthy, the counterargument that import taxes will be paid by consumers has made his sales pitch far more difficult. And businesses are begging for a sense of certainty and a consistent policy. It was a coalition of small business owners and 12 states that challenged the legality of the Trump tariffs before the US Court of International Trade. "We brought this case because the Constitution doesn't give any president unchecked authority to upend the economy," Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement. "We're very confident in our case," said Jeffrey Schwab, a senior counselor at the Liberty Justice Center, which represented the small business owners who filed suit. "The Trump administration is asserting a vast unilateral authority that is not supported in the law." As for the uncertainty abroad, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued Thursday night that trade negotiations with international partners haven't been affected. "They are coming to us in good faith and trying to complete the deals before the 90-day pause ends," he told Fox News. "We've seen no change in their attitude in the past 48 hours. As a matter of fact, I have a very large Japanese delegation coming to my office first thing tomorrow morning." But some US trading partners tread cautiously in their response. "We will study this ruling of the US Federal Courts on reciprocal tariffs closely and note that they may be subject to further legal processes through the courts," said Australia's trade minister Don Farrell, who was careful not to get ahead of ongoing judicial review. "You will have to bear with us," said a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs when questioned about the court ruling. India remains in intensive discussions with the Trump administration on a trade deal. Still, the leader of one nation that has borne the brunt of Trump's trade agenda was more receptive. "The government welcomes yesterday's decision," Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who helda stiffly cordial meetingwith Trump earlier this month, told his country's parliament, calling the tariffs "unlawful as well as unjustified." For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

By Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) -Key U.S. economic data, developments with federal tax-and-spending legislation and twists and turns on trade all are poised to influence equities in the coming week, with the U.S. market closing in on record highs. The S&P 500 was set for a weekly gain with the benchmark index on Thursday ending about 4% from its February all-time high. Investors at the end of the week were grappling with implications from legal rulings involving efforts to block most of President Donald Trump's tariffs. Trump's trade war has whipsawed global markets for weeks on concerns about economic fallout. The coming week also brings a raft of economic and labor market data, headlined by the monthly U.S. employment report out on Friday. "Now that we're back up here not all that far from the record high, I think the hard data needs to hold in better than the market expects to really advance from here," said Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute. The employment report for May is expected to show an increase of 130,000 jobs, according to a Reuters poll of economists, which would be a step down from growth of 177,000 the prior month. Investors have been eager to learn how Trump's tariffs may be rippling through the economy, especially in the wake of his April 2 "Liberation Day" announcement of sweeping levies on imports. The May data represents a full month of "how businesses have been handling some of the tariff uncertainty and some of the pressures in the market," said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial. Still, an overly strong employment report, such as growth of over 200,000 jobs, might be viewed warily by the market because it could delay interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, said Eric Kuby, chief investment officer at North Star Investment Management Corp. Investors have reduced bets in recent weeks on the amount of expected Fed easing this year, with about two rate cuts priced in by December, according to LSEG data. Minutes of their latest meeting released this week showed Fed officials acknowledged they could face "difficult tradeoffs" in coming months with rising inflation alongside rising unemployment. Fiscal legislation in Washington will also be in focus. The Senate will start considering a tax-and-spending bill passed earlier this month by the House of Representatives. Trump said this week he plans to negotiate aspects of the "big, beautiful" tax bill, a day after billionaire Elon Musk said the bill detracts from efforts to reduce the U.S. budget deficit. The bill, which will add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the federal government's $36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade, has focused attention on the impact of increasing deficits on the Treasury market. Rising bond yields have pressured stocks in recent weeks. The shifting tariff backdrop also appeared likely to influence asset prices. Equities rebounded in recent weeks after Trump eased his harshest tariffs, but the situation remains in flux as Washington negotiates with trading partners. On Thursday, for instance, stocks rose early the session after a U.S. trade court blocked many of Trump's tariffs, but gains faded during the session. Later, a federal appeals court reinstated the tariffs, further muddying the backdrop. "There's initial excitement and then the reality set in that this is just another step in this process and it really hasn't clarified very much," Kuby said. (Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by Alden Bentley and David Gregorio)