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Friday, May 1, 2026 · 8:00 a.m. ET
Federal Level
Trump Signs DHS Bill, Ending 75-Day Record Shutdown
President Trump signed legislation on Thursday funding the Department of Homeland Security through the end of the fiscal year, ending what became the longest agency shutdown in American history at 75 days. The bipartisan bill, which the Senate had passed unanimously a month earlier, funds the TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, and Secret Service while leaving ICE and Border Patrol funding to be addressed separately through budget reconciliation. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House passed the measure by voice vote earlier Thursday. 1, 2
White House Claims Iran War Is ‘Over’ as 60-Day Deadline Arrives
A senior Trump administration official declared Thursday that U.S. hostilities with Iran have “concluded” for purposes of the War Powers Resolution, arguing that the ceasefire in place since early April effectively ended the conflict. The 60-day clock set by Trump’s March 2 notification to Congress expires Friday, May 1. Democrats sharply rejected that interpretation, with Senator Tim Kaine calling it constitutionally baseless. On Thursday, the Senate rejected Democrats’ sixth war powers resolution 47-50, again largely along party lines. 3, 4, 5
Senate Clears 45-Day FISA Extension; House CBDC Provision Shelved
With the Section 702 surveillance authority set to expire Thursday night, the Senate approved a 45-day clean extension by unanimous consent, and the House passed the same measure 261-111. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had declared the House’s earlier three-year FISA bill “dead on arrival” in the Senate because Republicans attached an unrelated ban on Central Bank Digital Currency to it. The 45-day stopgap gives lawmakers until June 12 to negotiate a longer-term solution. 6, 7
Senate Bans Members and Staff from Prediction Market Betting
The Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to prohibit its 100 members and their staff from trading on prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi, effective immediately. The measure, introduced by Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), amended the Senate’s standing rules in response to a series of incidents in which anonymous traders made hundreds of thousands of dollars accurately forecasting U.S. military actions, raising alarm about potential insider trading by those with access to classified information. 8, 9
New Video Shows Cole Allen Shot Secret Service Agent at WHCD
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro released nearly six minutes of surveillance footage on Thursday showing Cole Allen, charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, shooting a Secret Service agent at point-blank range. Secret Service Director Sean Curran stated the agent was shot by Allen, not by friendly fire as some online theories had suggested. Allen, 31, agreed Thursday to remain in custody without bail, though he reserved the right to challenge detention at a later date. 10, 11
State Level
DeSantis to Sign Florida Redistricting Map, Targets 4 More GOP Seats
Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday he will sign Florida’s newly passed congressional redistricting map “as soon as I get it,” following Wednesday’s party-line legislative approval. The map would shift Florida’s 28-seat congressional delegation from a 20-8 Republican advantage to a projected 24-4 split by redrawing districts that include minority communities in Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida. Multiple voting rights groups filed legal challenges on Thursday, and Democrats argue the map violates the state’s own Fair Districts constitutional amendments. 12, 13
Louisiana Suspends House Primaries After Voting Rights Ruling
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry issued an executive order Thursday suspending the state’s congressional House primaries, originally scheduled for May 16, after Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling invalidated the state’s existing map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Early voting for those races, set to begin Saturday, will not proceed. The state’s Senate primary and all other May 16 races will go forward as planned. Republicans are expected to redraw the map in a way that could eliminate at least one of the two Democratic-held House seats. 14, 15
Trump Presses Tennessee to Redistrict, Flip Memphis Dem Seat
President Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee had pledged to “work hard” to redraw the state’s congressional map following Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act. Trump said the effort would “give us one extra seat,” referring to the Memphis-based 9th Congressional District, Tennessee’s only Democratic-held House seat, represented by Rep. Steve Cohen. Governor Lee’s public response was noncommittal, telling reporters Trump had simply asked him to “look at” the maps, but Senator Marsha Blackburn called for a special session. 16, 17
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Article Sources
1. AP News, https://apnews com/hub/congress
2. Politico, https://www.politico com/live-updates/2026/04/30/congress/trump-dhs-legislation-ends-record-shutdown-00902034
3. Reuters, https://www.reuters com/world/us/pivotal-us-iran-war-deadline-approaches-with-no-end-sight-conflict-2026-04-30/
4. CBS News, https://www.cbsnews com/news/senate-iran-war-powers-democrats/
5. CNBC, https://www.cnbc com/2026/04/30/trump-iran-war-centcom-hormuz-congress.html
6. 5Calls org / AP, https://5calls org/issue/fisa-section-702-fbi-surveillance/
7. Politico, https://www.politico com/live-updates/2026/04/30/congress/new-ban-on-prediction-market-trading-00901232
8. The New York Times, https://www.nytimes com/2026/04/30/us/politics/senate-prediction-markets-ban.html
9. The Epoch Times, https://www.theepochtimes com/us/senate-passes-rule-banning-members-from-trading-on-prediction-markets-6019579
10. USA Today, https://www.usatoday com/story/news/politics/2026/04/30/trump-secret-service-agent-friendly-fire-white-house-dinner/89878933007/
11. Just the News, https://justthenews com/government/security/secret-service-director-clarifies-agent-was-struck-alleged-shooter-whcd-not
12. Wikipedia / NBC News, https://en.wikipedia org/wiki/2026_Florida_redistricting
13. NBC News, https://www.nbcnews com/politics/2026-election/florida-legislature-passes-redistricting-plan-creating-four-additional-rcna342656
14. NBC News, https://www.nbcnews com/politics/2026-election/louisiana-delay-house-primaries-supreme-court-redistricting-ruling-rcna342858
15. Politico, https://www.politico com/news/2026/04/30/louisiana-house-primary-delay-congressional-map-00900005
16. USA Today, https://www.usatoday com/story/news/politics/2026/04/30/trump-tennessee-redistricting-voting-rights-act/89875829007/
17. The Tennessean, https://www.tennessean com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/04/30/trump-post-tennessee-redistrict-house-seat-republican/89875592007/