Afternoon Wire is The Investigative Journal’s daily digest of the day’s most consequential developments across government, the federal judiciary, and international affairs. All items are drawn from public records, official statements, and wire reports.
Government
Senate Leadership Readies ICE, Border Patrol Funding Push
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Tuesday that the chamber could move as soon as next week on a budget framework funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol for three years, using the budget reconciliation process to bypass the 60-vote threshold and Democratic demands for enforcement reforms. Regular appropriations for the two agencies lapsed on February 14 after Republicans and Democrats struck a deal to remove the Department of Homeland Security from a broader spending package to avert a government shutdown.
Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is drafting the resolution that would precede the reconciliation bill, according to reporting from Punchbowl News. Democratic lawmakers have conditioned support on reforms including judicial-warrant requirements and a prohibition on officers wearing masks during operations. Because reconciliation permits certain spending legislation to pass with a simple majority, Republican leaders expect to advance the measure without Democratic votes if the procedural path holds.
The funding debate plays out against the backdrop of a $75 billion windfall Congress directed to ICE earlier this cycle, which NPR reported has insulated the agency from the recent appropriations lapse. Civil liberties groups have pressed Congress to attach oversight conditions; the administration has opposed any such riders.
FISA Section 702 Clock Runs Down
With Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act set to sunset on April 20, U.S. intelligence officials are preparing for potential collection gaps. CNN reported on Monday that some communications carriers have privately warned the Trump administration they will stop providing data on April 20 absent a reauthorization vote. The authority underpins warrantless collection of foreign nationals’ communications outside the United States, a tool intelligence leaders describe as central to tracking terrorist, proliferation, and narcotics targets.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has called for a clean 18-month extension after securing Justice Department commitments to revise congressional-attendance procedures at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. A coalition of 53 House members, led by the Congressional Asian Pacific American, Hispanic, and Progressive caucus chairs, urged leadership to add Fourth Amendment protections to any reauthorization, according to a joint press release. President Trump has signaled support for a straight extension.
Justice Department Moves to Vacate Jan. 6 Sedition Convictions
The Justice Department on Tuesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to vacate the seditious-conspiracy convictions of former Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders who had been prosecuted in connection with the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. CNN reported that the government’s filing names Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and associates Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joseph Hackett, and David Moerschel, along with Proud Boys defendants Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.
President Trump commuted the prison sentences of several of those defendants in January and issued clemency for more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack. The new request, as The Hill noted, would go further by erasing the underlying convictions so the government can permanently dismiss the indictments. The D.C. Circuit has not yet ruled on the motion; the case remains pending and the legal effect of any eventual order would not restore consequences imposed by other proceedings.
Pentagon Press Access Restored by Federal Court
A federal district court order from U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman directing the Department of Defense to restore credentialed journalists’ access to the Pentagon continued to reverberate through Washington this week. Court filings indicate the ruling concluded that DoD’s revocation of press credentials in the preceding months could not be squared with First Amendment access principles. Pentagon officials said they are reviewing the order and have not announced an appeal.
Courts
D.C. Circuit Panel Halts Alien Enemies Act Contempt Inquiry
A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, voting 2-1, blocked a district court from taking further steps in a criminal contempt inquiry against Trump administration officials in litigation over the president’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents plaintiffs in the underlying case, issued a statement calling the ruling a setback for judicial oversight. The administration had argued the district court exceeded its authority; the appellate order pauses the contempt track while the underlying merits appeal proceeds.
Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Ohio Primary Ballot Dispute
The Supreme Court declined to block Ohio officials from removing Sam Ronan, a Republican candidate for Ohio’s 15th congressional district, from the state’s primary election ballot. The order, issued without a noted dissent, leaves in place the state election authority’s determination. The court has not issued a merits opinion, and filings suggest the underlying state-law questions may continue in lower courts.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Funding Case Moves Forward
A federal court ruled against the administration’s effort to withhold operational funding from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to an America’s Credit Unions summary of the decision. The ruling preserves the bureau’s access to the Federal Reserve-sourced funding stream the Supreme Court upheld in 2024, and orders the restoration of obligations pending further proceedings. The administration has signaled it may appeal.
International
CENTCOM: Maritime Blockade of Iran “Completely” Halts Trade
U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday that the maritime blockade imposed on Iranian ports had “completely halted” sea-based trade, according to a UPI wire report. The blockade, which President Trump announced after negotiations over the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran collapsed, began at 10 a.m. Eastern time Monday and involves 12 U.S. warships, more than 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft, and over 10,000 personnel. Central Command said no ships had successfully transited Iranian ports in the first 24 hours of enforcement and that six vessels had complied with orders to return to a port on the Gulf of Oman.
Analysts cited by ABC News estimate the blockade could cost Iran roughly $435 million per day, given that an estimated 90 percent of the Iranian economy depends on seaborne international trade. Tehran on Wednesday pushed back, with state outlets claiming an Iranian supertanker had transited the Strait of Hormuz despite U.S. efforts; the claim could not be independently verified, and U.S. officials disputed it. Iran has also threatened retaliatory action against Gulf and Red Sea shipping.
Operation Southern Spear Strikes Continue in Eastern Pacific
U.S. Southern Command on Tuesday announced a fourth strike in four days on a vessel in the eastern Pacific the military says was engaged in narcotics trafficking, killing four people. CBS News published video released by Southern Command showing the vessel struck by a projectile. According to Stars and Stripes, Operation Southern Spear’s cumulative death toll now stands at approximately 174 since the campaign began more than seven months ago.
The Department of War has said the targeted vessels were “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” transiting known narco-trafficking routes, though it has not publicly released underlying intelligence. Members of Congress from both parties have filed letters seeking classified briefings on the targeting criteria and legal authorities invoked; those requests are pending.
Russia–Ukraine: Deadly Strike on Dnipro, German Defense Pact
Ukrainian authorities declared Wednesday a day of mourning in the city of Dnipro after a Russian strike on Tuesday morning killed four people and wounded 25, according to a roundup from EMPR Media. Overnight, Russian drones struck port and energy infrastructure in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, leaving three settlements without electricity. Ukrainian forces said they launched a large-scale attack on occupied Crimea in response.
Separately, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday announced an upgraded strategic-partnership defense agreement with Kyiv, the Ukrainian MFA confirmed. Ukrainian General Staff data released Wednesday put cumulative Russian personnel losses since February 2022 at 1,312,960, a figure that has not been independently verified and which Moscow disputes.
Tomorrow’s Watch
Congressional calendars and administrative dockets point to several items worth tracking on Thursday, April 16.
FISA countdown. With Section 702 authority set to expire on April 20, Senate floor action or an announcement from Senate leadership on an extension vehicle is possible. Senator Grassley’s office has indicated continued discussions on a clean 18-month extension; House members pressing for Fourth Amendment amendments are expected to maintain public pressure.
Senate Budget resolution on DHS. Senator Graham’s budget resolution on ICE and Border Patrol funding could be released as early as Thursday, a prerequisite to the reconciliation vehicle Majority Leader Thune flagged on Tuesday.
Iran blockade reporting. CENTCOM has committed to daily enforcement updates. Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees are expected to seek briefings; congressional aides told wire services the blockade’s economic-effects metrics will be closely scrutinized.
D.C. Circuit filings. Responses are expected in the D.C. Circuit docket relating to the Justice Department’s motion to vacate the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys seditious-conspiracy convictions; plaintiffs in the Alien Enemies Act litigation have also signaled forthcoming filings.
Supreme Court order list. The Supreme Court’s Thursday order list may contain additional cert denials or grants; no opinion day is presently scheduled, but the court has signaled several major rulings remain before the end of the October 2025 term.
Corrections or right-of-reply requests may be directed to the editor. The Investigative Journal stands by the accuracy of sourced reporting above; where facts remain disputed — including casualty estimates and battlefield claims — that disagreement is noted in the text.