Morning Wire is The Investigative Journal’s overnight digest of breaking news across government, courts, and international affairs. All items are sourced to public records, court filings, official statements, and wire services. Pending cases are noted explicitly; allegations are distinguished from findings.
Government
Pentagon formally asks Congress to codify ‘Department of War,’ estimates $52 million cost
The Department of Defense has formally asked Congress to codify its rebranding as the “Department of War,” with the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel estimating the legal name change will cost taxpayers approximately $52.5 million, according to Navy Times and The Hill. The new moniker has been in use administratively since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued internal guidance following President Donald Trump’s September executive order, but only Congress can change the department’s statutory name.
Filings indicate the cost estimate covers signage, seals, letterhead, and IT system updates across the department’s global footprint. Lawmakers in both chambers have signaled mixed reactions; House Armed Services Committee aides told reporters the proposal would be reviewed alongside the FY2027 defense authorization bill. Right of reply was extended; a Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment beyond the public filing.
DOJ unseals second indictment of former FBI Director James Comey
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday unsealed a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, charging him with knowingly transmitting a threat to take the life of, and inflict bodily harm on, the president, according to court records described by NPR and The Washington Post. The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, references a now-deleted 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47.”
The charges, each carrying a statutory maximum of ten years, follow an earlier indictment that prosecutors withdrew. Comey, through counsel, has indicated he will plead not guilty and intends to challenge the constitutionality of the prosecution. The case is pending; nothing in the filings establishes guilt, and Comey is presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise.
Senate rejects Cuba war powers resolution; FISA Section 702 advances
The Senate on April 28 voted 51–47 to sustain a point of order against S.J.Res. 124, a measure that would have directed the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in or against Cuba, according to the official Senate roll call. Records show the chamber also adopted S.Res. 690 by a 52–47 vote and advanced cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 4344, a three-year reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, per the Senate Daily Press log.
The chamber convened at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at 6:49 p.m. Floor remarks suggest the Section 702 reauthorization remains on track for final passage this week, though privacy-focused amendments are expected from a bipartisan minority.
USTR opens Section 301 hearings as administration seeks new tariff authority
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative held the first of two public hearing days on April 28 in Section 301 investigations covering 60 economies, with the administration seeking durable tariff authority following the Supreme Court’s February ruling against earlier emergency tariffs, according to a Tax Foundation tariff tracker summary. Records suggest the investigations focus on alleged failures to enforce prohibitions on goods produced with forced labor.
Courts
Second Circuit rejects Trump no-bond immigration detention policy
A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday ruled that the administration’s policy of denying bond hearings to certain noncitizens raises “serious constitutional questions,” according to U.S. News & World Report. The ruling deepens a circuit split with the Fifth and Eighth Circuits, which previously upheld the policy, and is widely expected to push the issue toward the Supreme Court.
The opinion does not vacate the underlying enforcement framework but bars no-bond detention as the default rule within the Second Circuit’s jurisdiction. The administration has not yet indicated whether it will seek certiorari or en banc review.
D.C. Circuit halts contempt probe of deportation flights
A divided D.C. Circuit panel ordered Chief Judge James Boasberg to end his criminal-contempt investigation of the administration over Venezuelan deportation flights to El Salvador, according to PBS NewsHour. The majority concluded the district court abused its discretion in advancing contempt proceedings tied to the March 2025 removal flights. The dissent argued the panel intruded on the trial court’s management of its own docket. The litigation over the underlying removals remains pending in parallel proceedings.
Supreme Court hears TPS arguments today
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments today in the consolidated cases Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, addressing the administration’s revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals. Filings indicate roughly 350,000 Haitians and several thousand Syrians could be directly affected; advocacy groups argue the eventual ruling could reach 1.3 million TPS holders across all 17 designated countries. A decision is expected by late June or early July, per SCOTUSblog.
Hencely v. Fluor narrows battlefield preemption
In an April 22 ruling that continues to reshape contractor litigation, the Supreme Court in Hencely v. Fluor Corp. held that state-law tort claims against military contractors are not preempted where the contractor’s allegedly negligent conduct was neither ordered nor authorized by the federal government, even when the conduct occurred in a war zone. Practitioners cited by Freshfields say the decision narrows the so-called combatant-activities defense and is expected to generate fresh waves of litigation against logistics and security contractors.
International
Iran proposes reopening Strait of Hormuz, deferring nuclear talks
Iran has conveyed a new proposal through Pakistani mediators offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend a ceasefire if the United States lifts its naval blockade, with nuclear talks deferred to a later phase, according to The Washington Post and NPR. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the proposal as “better than what we thought they were going to submit” but reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program “still has to be confronted.” Traffic through the strait, which carried roughly 20 percent of seaborne oil before the war, remains largely halted.
Ukrainian drones strike Russia’s Tuapse refinery for third time
Ukrainian drones struck the Tuapse oil refinery on Russia’s Black Sea coast overnight, igniting a major fire at the Rosneft-owned facility and prompting evacuations, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and The Kyiv Independent. It was the third strike on the port complex in less than two weeks. Russian regional authorities declared a local emergency as more than 160 firefighters battled the blaze. Local reports describe an unfolding environmental incident, with oil washing onto nearby beaches.
Israel strikes southern Lebanon despite ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said it detonated approximately two kilometers of Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, while the Lebanese army reported that an Israeli strike during a rescue operation in Majdal Zoun wounded two Lebanese soldiers, according to Al Arabiya. The strikes come despite the April 17 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah; both sides have continued limited operations.
Putin meets Iranian foreign minister in St. Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St. Petersburg on April 27, with both governments emphasizing what records describe as a “strategic partnership.” Western analysts cited by PIIE note that Brent crude near $120 has materially boosted Russian budget revenues, complicating Western pressure tactics around Ukraine.
Worth Watching
- 2:00 p.m. ET — Federal Reserve decision. The FOMC concludes its two-day meeting today. CME’s FedWatch tool indicates a 100 percent probability of holding the target range at 3.50–3.75 percent, per CBS News. Powell’s 2:30 p.m. press conference is expected to be his last before his term ends May 15.
- 10:00 a.m. ET — Supreme Court oral arguments. The justices hear Mullin v. Doe / Trump v. Miot on TPS. Watch for questions on judicial reviewability of TPS terminations.
- USTR Section 301 hearings, Day 2. The forced-labor enforcement docket continues; testimony is expected from importer associations and labor-rights groups.
- Iran proposal response. The White House National Security Council is expected to convene this morning to weigh the Pakistani-mediated Iran offer.
- War Powers clock. Analysts cited by CNN note today is a contested deadline under the War Powers Resolution; the formal 60-day mark from congressional notification falls May 1.
Reporting by Eduardo Bacci. Tips: editor@tij.news. Right-of-reply requests will be appended to digital editions for 30 days.