Kristi Noem's FEMA moves and 7th grader wins Scripps spelling bee: Morning Rundown

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3 days ago

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.
The scramble to keep FEMA alive ahead of hurricane season
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.
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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."
More politics news:
Trump is set to hold a media event today 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 decisions would be based solely on 'non-political analysis.'
The Trump administration has a new deportation strategy: arresting immigrants at courthouses.
A federal judge extended a temporary order blocking 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 see something that hasn't happened in modern history.
Trump's tariffs allowed to continue for now
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 trafficking and 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.
More tariffs coverage:
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 times the president has threatened, then backtracked on them.
Russell Brand pleads not guilty in rape and sexual assault case
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.
7th grader Faizan Zaki wins Scripps National Spelling Bee
'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.
Read All About It
A new Covid variant has landed in the U.S. and has the potential to drive up cases this summer. Here's what to know about 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 changes from her first trial.
A woman identified only by the pseudonym 'Mia' gave graphic testimony in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial alleging he sexually assaulted her when she worked as his personal assistant.
Comedian (and now, licensed commercial pilot) Nathan Fielder called the FAA 'dumb' for rejecting his findings on what causes many plane crashes.
Dad boys for life: Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are now in-laws after Murphy's son and Lawrence's daughter 'ran off and got married.'
Staff Pick: Black Americans' skulls return home 150 years later
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
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Posture correctors can be life-changing if they're used correctly. Here are what factors to consider when shopping for one. Plus, rice serums are a multitasking skincare ingredient, thanks to its concentrated nutrients and minerals, according to dermatologists.
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