TSA looks to privatize amid continued funding lapse woes

WASHINGTON — The acting administrator of the Transportation Security Administration gave a strong endorsement of President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal 2027 before a House Appropriations subcommittee Thursday, saying proposed privatization and modernization efforts would help ensure the agency has the funds it needs amid congressional funding struggles.

“As of today, TSA has been shut down for 109 days, nearly 60 percent of FY26. If this year demonstrates anything, it is that the TSA workforce and our operations cannot depend on predictable congressional funding,” Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.

The White House budget request for Homeland Security agencies included an effort to begin privatizing the airport screening process, which the administration says would reduce costs by about $52 million.

The proposal would require smaller airports to enroll in the Screening Partnership Program to allow TSA to pay for private screeners where needed. The administration said in its proposal that the program had already led to cost savings compared with federal operations for airports currently using the program.

—CQ-Roll Call

New Trump rules may fast-track Florida’s ‘anti-woke’ college accreditor

MIAMI — Florida’s effort to launch a new “ideology-free” college accrediting agency could get a major boost from the Trump administration — a shift with high stakes for students, universities and the industry that sets the standards for higher education.

Accreditation determines whether colleges meet basic standards of quality and, crucially, whether their students can access federal financial aid. Without it, degrees can lose value, credits may not transfer to other schools, and universities can be cut off from billions in funding.

Now, a sweeping rewrite of that system could dramatically speed up Florida’s plans. Draft rules from the U.S. Department of Education would make it easier — and faster — for new accrediting agencies to win federal recognition.

It could potentially accelerate approval of the Commission for Public Higher Education, a nascent college accreditor backed by Florida and other red states seeking to reshape higher education and root out anything that smacks of “woke.”

—Miami Herald

Dust storms have overtaken Coachella. Researchers say it’s a sign of what’s to come

LOS ANGELES — A powerful dust storm disrupted the first weekend of the Coachella music festival as blustery winds swept over the sprawling grounds and enveloped concertgoers in a whirlwind of desert sand.

Several social media videos from last Friday night showed attendees navigating the festival grounds amid wind-tossed tents and wearing face masks to guard against the airborne dust.

The weather conditions prompted the South Coast Air District to issue dust advisories for parts of the Coachella Valley, warning that strong winds could expose people to unhealthy dust levels.

The dust storm caused festival organizers to cancel a highly anticipated performance by Italian EDM artist Anyma, who had been scheduled to perform Friday at midnight on the main stage.

—Los Angeles Times

Heavy Russian attack on Ukrainian cities kills at least 15

Russia carried out one of the largest attacks on Ukraine so far this year, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens in an overnight onslaught of missiles and drones targeting Kyiv and other major cities.

Ukraine’s Air Defense said Russia launched in excess of 40 ballistic and cruise missiles as well as more than 650 drones of various types, calling it one of the toughest attacks of the year to date. Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were hit along with the capital.

Children were among those killed in the barrage, with mostly residential areas damaged, according to the State Emergency Service and local authorities. In Kyiv, police and medics who came to help the injured were also hurt in follow-up strikes, Ukraine’s Prosecutor’s General Office said on Telegram.

Russia regularly uses so-called double-tap strikes that seek to target medical crews and other rescue workers responding to initial attacks.

—Bloomberg News