Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas do not plan to step down this year, CBS News reports. There has been much speculation that President Trump may need to nominate his fourth justice to the high court during his second term. BREAKING: Justice Samuel Alito NOT retiring. Sources close to Justice Alito confirm the Fox News report that he has decided not to step down this year. In addition, sources close to Justice Thomas tell me he’s not retiring. That indicates that this year, with the midterms… — Jan Crawford (@JanCBS) April 17, 2026 CBS News shared further: Speculation about possible retirements tends to arise as the court approaches the end of its term. Mr. Trump told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo earlier this week that he’s “prepared” to name two or three new justices if vacancies open up. “In theory, it’s two — you just read the statistics — it could be two, could be three, could be one,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t know. I’m prepared to do it.” He added, “when you mention Alito, he is a great justice.” Alito has served on the high court since 2006 and Thomas since 1991. Trump nominated Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett during his first term. Rumors about Alito’s retirement intensified earlier this month after being hospitalized due to becoming ill at a dinner in Philadelphia. Supreme Court Justice Was Hospitalized Last Month After Becoming Ill, Report Says Fox News noted: A Supreme Court spokesperson clarified at the time that the justice was "thoroughly checked" and quickly returned to the bench. Justice Clarence Thomas, an appointee of President George H. W. Bush, has drawn less retirement speculation despite being one year older than Alito at 77 and in his own lengthy tenure. Thomas has been a conservative fixture on the court for more than three decades and holds a record as the second-longest serving justice in history. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters earlier this week he would recommend Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or Mike Lee, R-Utah, as top candidates if Alito were to retire. Grassley said he hoped Alito would not step down but said his committee is "fully prepared" to process a nominee before the midterm elections. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday the GOP majority would be able to fill a Supreme Court vacancy quickly. "That’s a contingency I think around here you always have to be prepared for. And if that were to happen, yes, we would be prepared to confirm," Thune said.

The walls are closing in on former CIA Director John Brennan. And this time, the DOJ is done playing nice. The Justice Department just removed the career prosecutor who had been leading the criminal investigation into Brennan over his alleged role in the Russiagate scandal. Her replacement? Joe DiGenova, an 81-year-old legal bulldog with a Reagan-era pedigree and zero patience for foot-dragging. Maria Medetis Long, the lead prosecutor on the case, was pulled after reportedly telling her superiors she didn’t believe there was enough evidence to bring charges against the former CIA chief. That apparently didn’t sit well with the people running the show at the Justice Department. The news broke quickly on social media: MS NOW confirms: The Trump DOJ has removed the lead prosecutor overseeing the investigation into John Brennan.Maria Medetis Long told colleagues that she had recently told her superiors that there was not ample justification to bring criminal charges against Brennan. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 17, 2026 Let that sink in. A career prosecutor was removed from a case because she allegedly resisted moving forward with charges. That tells you something about where the DOJ stands on this investigation. They are not treating it as optional homework. The probe stems from a referral by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which accused Brennan of lying to Congress about the CIA’s involvement in crafting the infamous 2017 intelligence assessment that claimed Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help then-candidate Donald Trump. CBS News reported on the personnel shakeup and what it means for the investigation: Joseph diGenova, a conservative attorney who previously represented President Trump’s 2020 election challenge campaign, has been appointed by the Justice Department to lead an ongoing criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan. DiGenova will oversee the probe from the Southern District of Florida and serve as counselor to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Career federal prosecutor Maria Medetis Long was removed from the case after raising concerns regarding evidence sufficiency. A DOJ spokesperson characterized the personnel change as “healthy and normal” without providing specifics. “Healthy and normal.” That’s one way to describe swapping out the lead prosecutor on one of the highest-profile political investigations in years. Meanwhile, Brennan and his legal team have been fighting the probe at every turn, previously writing a letter to the chief judge in Miami begging that the case not end up before Judge Aileen Cannon. DiGenova is no stranger to Washington knife fights. The former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia under President Reagan has been a fixture in conservative legal circles for decades. He’s tangled with the intelligence community before and has never been shy about saying what he thinks. News of his appointment sent a clear signal about the direction of this investigation: New: Trump DOJ brings in fresh blood to run grand conspiracy probe of Brennan & co. – former Trump lawyer/Fox News conspiracy theorist Joe diGenova. At 81, the Reagan-era US attorney who called for execution of Chris Krebs, will be counsel to AG Blanche.https://t.co/fO5rxh88nE — Ben Penn (@benjaminpenn) April 18, 2026 This isn’t the first time the DOJ has shaken up a major political investigation under the Trump administration. A similar situation played out in the Eastern District of Virginia, where a top prosecutor was replaced after questioning the strength of the case against former FBI Director James Comey. CNN provided additional details on what led to the prosecutor’s ouster: The career prosecutors and investigators handling the case have for months pushed back against demands to quickly bring charges against Brennan, and have signaled to Justice Department officials they don’t believe the case is a strong one. DOJ officials met with U.S. Attorney Quiñones and others in his office to discuss the investigation’s progress, and Quiñones told the officials that charges could still be months away, which top Justice officials told him was not acceptable. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has intensified efforts to satisfy the president’s wishes following the firing of former Attorney General Pam Bondi. The message from the Trump DOJ is loud and clear: accountability for the Russiagate era is not negotiable, and prosecutors who aren’t willing to pursue it will be replaced by those who are. Whether Brennan ultimately faces charges remains to be seen, but one thing is certain. The investigation just got a whole lot more serious.Any thoughts?

Iran just pulled one of the most provocative moves of the entire conflict. Less than 24 hours after declaring the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reversed course completely. They slammed the strait shut, then opened fire on ships trying to pass through. President Trump wasted no time. He convened an emergency Situation Room meeting Saturday morning with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and his entire national security team. His message to Tehran was blunt: “They can’t blackmail us.” Here’s the latest: Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, calling the decision a response to a continued blockade of its ports by the US https://t.co/Wdw7KKtd6w pic.twitter.com/mgyoJePIMN— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 18, 2026 The reversal caught the world completely off guard. Iran had just reopened the strait as part of the Lebanon ceasefire deal, and commercial ships were already transiting safely. Then within hours, IRGC gunboats were firing on tankers. Two ships reported being attacked on Saturday. Revolutionary Guard gunboats opened fire on an Indian-flagged tanker reportedly carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil. A separate container vessel was hit by an unknown projectile about 25 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. PBS News reported on the escalation: The Revolutionary Guard warned that “no vessel should make any movement from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered as cooperation with the enemy.” The strait carries roughly one-fifth of global oil trade. The closure threatened to deepen the global energy crisis and push countries toward renewed conflict in the eighth week of war. India’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador after Iran fired on two India-flagged merchant ships, despite previously allowing India-bound vessels through. The timing here could not be worse. The Lebanon ceasefire is set to expire in just three days. And there is no confirmed date for a new round of negotiations. I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated. Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he… https://t.co/SxWCKyhDSj— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 18, 2026 Axios had the exclusive details on the emergency meeting: President Trump convened a White House Situation Room meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the renewed crisis around the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations with Iran. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine all attended. Iran’s Saturday announcement about the renewed closure, as well as multiple attacks on vessels in the waterway, came less than 24 hours after Trump publicly suggested that a deal to end the war could happen “within a day or two.” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the U.S. presented new proposals during talks, and that Iran is reviewing them, but has not yet responded. Trump told reporters that Iran “got a little cute” but that “very good” conversations were still happening. The world’s most critical oil chokepoint is now a war zone. Twenty percent of the world’s seaborne oil passes through those waters. And President Trump has made it crystal clear that the United States will not be intimidated.

A major corruption scandal is rocking the state of Utah, and it could have direct implications for the balance of power in Congress. Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen is now the subject of a formal investigation after allegations surfaced that she had an inappropriate relationship with the very attorney who argued the redistricting case that flipped a Utah congressional seat to Democrats. Republican Governor Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, and House Speaker Mike Schultz have all ordered an independent probe into the allegations. The White House is reportedly monitoring the situation. The case at the center of this scandal, League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature, resulted in a unanimous ruling that tossed out the Republican-drawn congressional map. One of those seats subsequently flipped blue in the 2026 midterms. Take a look: BREAKING: Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen under investigation for alleged romantic relationship with lawyer who argued Utah redistricting case before her pic.twitter.com/9RX1JvC8t1— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 17, 2026 The allegations come from Hagen’s own ex-husband. According to multiple reports, Tobin Hagen alleged that Justice Hagen exchanged “inappropriate” text messages with David Reymann, the attorney who represented progressive voting rights groups challenging the GOP-drawn maps. Tobin Hagen described the messages as starting out “silly” before becoming “more suggestive.” The alleged relationship reportedly began no later than February 2025. Fox News reported on the investigation: Hagen joined a unanimous decision to toss out Republicans’ redistricting plan in July 2024, a ruling that led to one of the seats flipping blue in time for the 2026 midterms. Cox, along with Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz, said in a joint statement that more “transparency” was needed on the matter, signaling that the public’s trust in the state’s highest court was at stake. The revelation of a possible relationship between Hagen and the attorney, David Reymann, who worked on behalf of progressive voting rights groups in the case, stemmed from a complaint that a lawyer for Hagen’s husband submitted to Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission. Hagen has denied any wrongdoing. She claims her last involvement in the redistricting case was in October 2024 and that she “voluntarily recused” herself from all cases involving Reymann in May 2025. Reymann has also called the allegations “false.” But state leaders are not satisfied with the initial review.

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