[00:00] Richard Lawson: We're following breaking news from Neural Newscast. I'm Richard Lawson.
[00:04] Vanessa Calderon: And I'm Vanessa Calderon. We are tracking a historic milestone in Washington and a major security
[00:12] Richard Lawson: intervention in Europe. The funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security has crossed
[00:17] Richard Lawson: into record-breaking territory. As of Sunday, March 29th, the DHS shutdown has lasted 44 days.
[00:25] Richard Lawson: This officially surpasses the previous record for the longest partial government shutdown in United States history, which occurred late last year.
[00:34] Richard Lawson: Unlike that previous lapse, other federal agencies are currently funded, leaving DHS as the sole department caught in this legislative standoff.
[00:43] Vanessa Calderon: Vanessa, the situation at airports is where people are really feeling it.
[00:48] Vanessa Calderon: TSA officers have been working without pay for weeks,
[00:51] Vanessa Calderon: which has led to hundreds of resignations and thousands of call-outs
[00:55] Vanessa Calderon: Even though President Trump signed an order on Friday to get those paychecks moving by tomorrow, staffing shortages are still causing security lines that stretch for hours.
[01:05] Vanessa Calderon: Travelers are essentially caught in the middle of a massive game of political chicken.
[01:10] Richard Lawson: The political path forward remains blocked. House Republicans passed a short-term funding bill on Friday, but Senate leadership has already labeled it a non-starter.
[01:20] Richard Lawson: This followed a Senate attempt to fund all of DHS except for immigration enforcement agencies,
[01:26] Richard Lawson: a move Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed as a joke.
[01:29] Richard Lawson: Democrats are refusing to move forward without specific guardrails on how immigration operations are handled.
[01:35] Richard Lawson: With both chambers of Congress out of town until mid-April, no immediate resolution is expected.
[01:41] Vanessa Calderon: What's notable is that while TSA is struggling, ICE agents are actually doing fine.
[01:47] Vanessa Calderon: They're getting paid because they are drawing from the one big beautiful bill signed last year.
[01:52] Vanessa Calderon: Some of those agents are even being sent to airports to help fill the gaps left by the TSA shortages.
[01:59] Vanessa Calderon: It's a temporary fix for a much bigger problem that isn't going away while the House and Senate are on vacation.
[02:06] Richard Lawson: Turning to international security, French authorities announced Saturday that police thwarted a suspected bomb attack overnight in Paris.
[02:14] Richard Lawson: According to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office, two suspects were spotted near a Bank of America building in the 8th arrondissement.
[02:23] Richard Lawson: When police intervened, they found the suspects in possession of a shopping bag containing an incendiary or explosive device.
[02:31] Richard Lawson: One suspect was detained at the scene, while the other managed to escape.
[02:35] Vanessa Calderon: Police say one of the individuals was holding a lighter and trying to ignite the device when they moved in.
[02:41] Vanessa Calderon: It was a very close call.
[02:43] Vanessa Calderon: The Interior Minister, Lawrence Nunes, credited a rapid intervention unit for stopping what he called a violent act of a terrorist nature.
[02:52] Vanessa Calderon: Right now, there is a massive investigation into attempted damage by fire and involvement in a terrorist criminal association.
[03:00] Vanessa Calderon: They're still hunting for the second person who got away.
[03:03] Richard Lawson: This incident follows a directive from earlier this week to increase protection around sites linked to United States interests and the Jewish community.
[03:14] Richard Lawson: Minister Nunez noted that French intelligence is maintaining a very high level of vigilance
[03:20] Richard Lawson: due to the current international context, specifically the outbreak of the Iran War.
[03:26] Richard Lawson: Security has also been stepped up for figures within the Iranian opposition living in France
[03:32] Richard Lawson: as authorities monitor potential retaliatory threats.
[03:36] Richard Lawson: That is the latest from the newsroom. I'm Richard Lawson.
[03:40] Vanessa Calderon: And I'm Vanessa Calderon. Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[03:46] Vanessa Calderon: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.