NPR News: 04-28-2026 8AM EDT

This NPR News Now episode from April 28, 2026, rounds up key developments including a deepening funding crisis for the Department of Homeland Security, charges in a White House security incident, a British royal visit to Washington, findings from a deadly Texas camp flooding probe, stalled U.S.-Iran talks, and brief notes on airline aid requests and a library book return record.

DHS Funding Crisis Deepens

The Department of Homeland Security remains in a historic shutdown without new federal funding since mid-February. NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports that Senate Republicans propose funding DHS operations excluding immigration enforcement, which they aim to address separately through a reconciliation bill. This approach requires House GOP cooperation, but hardline conservatives there refuse to support any bill lacking immigration funding. The House may act this week to strip language from a Senate-passed bill that eliminated funds for immigration enforcement agencies. DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen warns that emergency funds for employee paychecks are nearly exhausted, heightening urgency as negotiations grow more complicated on Capitol Hill.