It's time for Americans to weigh in again on surveillance, ICE

House GOP leaders are trying to push through an extension of expiring government surveillance power on Tuesday, a budget resolution to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown Wednesday, and a farm bill that many members say is key to midterm victories Thursday, Politico reports.

“Each legislative undertaking is deeply complicated and rife with intraparty warfare — from a MAHA revolt over the farm bill to a rebellion from ultraconservatives who blocked Johnson’s last bid to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and could do so again,” says Politico.

Johnson will need every Republican to advance all three of these items, and none are guaranteed to survive the week, Politico says.

On top of those challenges, lawmakers will lose floor time because of the address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday by Britain’s King Charles III.

And this week marks 60 days since the start of the Iran war, with some GOP lawmakers warning they could vote with Democrats to limit President Trump’s military authority overseas, according to Politico.

— Surveillance: Earlier this month, efforts to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act broke down as privacy advocates insisted on provisions to require the government to get warrants before gaining access to Americans’ communications. Now privacy advocates are trying again. I wrote about this on April 16; that item includes information on how the public can weigh in.

— Funding the Department of Homeland Security: the new GOP bill wouldn’t contain any of the ICE reforms Democrats sought. Those reforms are here.

— Farm bill: Activists with the Make America Healthy Again movement — a coalition that helped President Trump win the presidency in 2024 — say they’ve been betrayed by Republicans over a provision in the legislation that would shield pesticide makers from lawsuits, according to Politico.

You can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators. To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Most lawmakers seem to only accept emails from their constituents, but these leaders accept emails from Americans nationwide, at:

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer

Senate Majority Leader John Thune

A one-day nationwide protest this Friday, May 1, is taking its cue from the massive day of action that shut down Minneapolis in January by asking Americans not to shop, work or go to school. Rallies, marches and teach-ins also will take place across the country, says The Guardian.

Palestinians voted in local elections Saturday that for first time in 2 decades included Gaza

Afghanistan foreign ministry says Afghans who helped U.S. in war and now are stuck in Qatar can safely return home

NYTimes: From Kremlin to Silicon Valley, some of world’s most powerful people now want to live forever

ICE arrests drop nearly 12 percent after Minneapolis killings and concerns about tactics led to shake-up of top immigration officials

NYTimes investigation: U.S. Mint buys drug cartel gold and sells it as ‘American’

Fareed Zakaria in WPost op-ed: Foreign governments are hedging against unreliable, erratic U.S. power

Appeals court rules Trump asylum ban at border is illegal

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis says he’s ready to confirm Kevin Warsh as Fed chair after DOJ ended Powell investigation

Trump request to eliminate funding for program providing heating, cooling aid to low-income Americans faces bipartisan resistance

All 4 African American GOP Republicans are retiring this year, erasing diversity gains

Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions in move to expedite capital punishment cases

National Science Foundation board members told by Trump administration they’ve been terminated

Man accused of opening fire at White House Correspondents’ Association dinner railed against Trump administration policies

GOP supermajority in Tennessee General Assembly passes immigration bills crafted in close consultation with Stephen Miller

Nation’s first state moratorium on data centers vetoed by Maine governor

Voter ID measure qualifies for California ballot

Here’s an example of local coverage of one of the nationwide protests against ICE facilities on Saturday: San Antonio, Texas

NYTimes: SpaceX provided Elon Musk with loans and aid for his struggling companies

College students wary of job market are changing course in search of ‘AI-proof’ majors

Logging on at a cafe? Here are privacy, security guidelines for remote workers

KFF: Community health workers can provide the help many older Americans need most

KFF: Hospital patients are getting stuck in emergency department for days while waiting for a spot in inpatient ward