Sonia Sotomayor apologizes for ‘hurtful’ public comments about Brett Kavanaugh on immigration

2026-04-15 5:24 PM ET / CNN

By John Fritze

Updated Apr 15, 2026, 6:36 PM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 15, 2026, 5:24 PM ET

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Sotomayor apologizes for public comments about Kavanaugh on immigration
2:38 • Source: CNN

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Sotomayor apologizes for public comments about Kavanaugh on immigration

2:38

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a highly unusual public apology to a colleague Wednesday, saying her criticism of Justice Brett Kavanaugh for his writing in an earlier immigration case was unfair.

“At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate,” Sotomayor said in a statement. “I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.”

Sotomayor’s statement followed remarks she made last week in Kansas in which she criticized Kavanaugh for his concurring opinion in a high-profile emergency immigration case dealing with ICE patrols — an exceedingly rare and personal comment directed at one justice by another.

节点运行失败 Justice Samuel Alito sits during a group photo of the justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2021. Erin Schaff/Pool/Getty Images Trump recalls how Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death affected the Supreme Court as he discusses Samuel Alito’s future 4 min read

Justices, particularly those who wind up dissenting, often snip at how their colleagues on the other side of an opinion frame an issue. But both conservative and liberal justices – including Sotomayor – also regularly discuss the comity on the court and how the nine justices get along personally even as they vehemently disagree in many high-profile cases.

That is what made the tone of Sotomayor’s remarks surprising.

“I had a colleague in that case who wrote, you know, these are only temporary stops,” Sotomayor said, according to a Bloomberg report. “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”

CNN had reached out to Sotomayor and Kavanaugh for comment after the event. Kavanaugh did not immediately respond to a follow-up request for comment about Sotomayor’s apology on Wednesday.

Sotomayor, the court’s senior liberal, was speaking last week about an opinion in early September in which the court backed President Donald Trump’s push to allow immigration enforcement officials to continue what critics describe as “roving patrols” in Southern California that lower courts said likely violated the Fourth Amendment.

The court’s majority did not offer an explanation for its decision in that case, which came over a sharp dissent from the three liberal justices.

But Kavanaugh, a member of the conservative wing who sided with Trump, wrote in a concurrence to explain his thinking. He said the factors the agents were considering “taken together can constitute at least reasonable suspicion of illegal presence in the United States.” Those factors could include a person’s apparent ethnicity, language or their presence at a particular location, such as a farm or a bus stop.

节点运行失败 Justice Brett Kavanaugh speaks at a panel at the Eighth Circuit Court Judicial Conference in in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 31, 2025. Nick Ingram/AP/File Kavanaugh faces blowback for claiming Americans can sue over encounters with ICE 6 min read

“To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion; under this court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a ‘relevant factor’ when considered along with other salient factors,” Kavanaugh wrote.

“Importantly,” Kavanaugh added, “reasonable suspicion means only that immigration officers may briefly stop the individual and inquire about immigration status.”

Liberal groups have zeroed in on Kavanaugh’s concurrence and have dubbed the immigration encounters at issue in the case as “Kavanaugh stops.” Immigrant advocacy groups have said the stops are often far lengthier and more intrusive than the justice made them seem in his opinion.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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中国有望在几年后成为全球最大的旅游经济体。图为4月7日，外国游客在中国安徽省黄山天都峰上打卡留念。 （中新社）

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随着赴美外国游客大幅减少，中国有望在几年后成为全球最大的旅游经济体。

据彭博社报道，世界旅游及旅行理事会（WTTC）及其主要研究合作伙伴Chase Travel发布的最新数据显示，中国旅游业去年增长9.9%，超过全球平均增速的两倍，远高于美国0.9%的增速。

这一表现很大程度上得益于2025年赴华外国游客支出增长超过10%。与之形成鲜明对比的是，赴美游客支出下降近5%。

WTTC总裁兼首席执行官Gloria Guevara表示，如果两国继续保持类似增速，到本十年末，中国可能成为全球最大的旅游经济体。

她在接受采访时说：“当美国在萎缩时，中国正快速崛起。如果这种趋势持续，三到四年内将逼近美国。”

美国长期以来一直是全球首选旅游目的地，迪士尼和时代广场等景点吸引大量游客。但在移民限制收紧和地缘政治摩擦加剧的背景下，赴美外国游客数量大幅下降。

根据美国国际贸易管理局的数据，去年约有6800万人次外国游客赴美，较2024年下降5.5%。尽管世界杯等赛事预计将提振今年美国旅游业，但伊朗战争对全球出行的冲击可能遏制升幅水平。

FIFA chief Infantino says Iran will participate in World Cup “for sure” despite war

April 15, 2026 / 5:57 PM EDT / CBS/AP

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated his stance Wednesday that Iran will participate in the World Cup “for sure” despite its war with the U.S.

Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino said it is important that Iran participates in the World Cup even though that has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on the country.

“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino said. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”

Infantino met with the Iranian men’s national team in Antalya, Turkey, two weeks ago, and said Wednesday he was impressed.

“I went to see them. They are actually quite a good team as well,” Infantino said. “And they really want to play and they should play. Sports should be outside of politics now.”

Infantino acknowledged it’s not always possible to achieve the separation of sports and politics.

President Trump has appeared to waffle on whether Iran should take part in the World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada. In a White House meeting in mid-March, Mr. Trump told FIFA representatives that Iran was welcome to play in the tournament, officials told CBS News at the time. However, two days later, Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social that while the Iranian team was “welcome” to participate, he didn’t “believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Following those remarks, the president of the Iranian Football Federation said the nation was negotiating with FIFA to play its matches in Mexico.

“When President Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said last month.

Iran is currently scheduled to play all three of its group games in the U.S., with two at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles, and a third in Seattle.

澳门举办全民国家安全教育系列活动

2026年4月16日 07:36 / 联合早报

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澳门特区行政长官岑浩辉4月15日在全民国家安全教育系列活动开幕式上致辞。 （新华社）

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澳门多形式开展全民国家安全教育系列活动，包括国家安全教育展、国家安全题材公益影展等。

据中新社报道，星期三（4月15日）是第十一个全民国家安全教育日。由澳门特区政府与澳门中联办联合举办的全民国家安全教育系列活动，当天在中国与葡语国家商贸合作服务平台综合体开幕。

开幕礼由中国全国政协副主席何厚铧、澳门特区行政长官岑浩辉、澳门中联办主任郑新聪、外交部驻澳门特派员公署特派员卞立新、解放军驻澳部队司令员陈文胜等主礼。特区政府官员和澳门社会各界代表约480人出席开幕式。

岑浩辉在致辞中表示，特区政府将全面贯彻落实“十五五”规划的新任务新要求，务实编制和实施特区“三五”规划，把维护国家安全的实践要求贯穿特区发展规划的各领域全过程，准确践行总体国家安全观，不断完善维护国家安全的法律制度和执行机制，强化各领域安全保障能力和现代化建设，以实际行动筑牢澳门维护国家安全的坚固屏障，以高水平安全为“一国两制”事业行稳致远保驾护航。

郑新聪表示，维护国家安全只有进行时，没有完成时。要以大历史眼光看待澳门统筹发展和安全，以大担当情怀谋划澳门统筹发展和安全，以大战略格局推进澳门统筹发展和安全。希望特区政府团结带领社会各界，深入贯彻落实总体国家安全观，积极履行维护国家主权、安全、发展利益的宪制责任，扎实推进国家安全体系和能力现代化建设，齐心协力建设更高水平平安澳门。

本次系列活动以“统筹发展和安全 护航‘十五五’新征程”为主题，包括全民国家安全教育展、国家安全题材公益影展活动等内容。

开幕式上还举行了“人工智能护国安”主题征文和短视频比赛颁奖礼，并首次增加了文艺表演、三地联动亮灯启动仪式、无人机汇演、机器人导赏等新的内容与形式。

Brian Hooker leaves Bahamas to be with ailing mother as search for wife continues, attorney says

April 15, 2026 / 7:55 PM EDT / CBS News

Amid the ongoing search for his wife, Brian Hooker has left the Bahamas to see his ailing mother, his attorney told CBS News.

Hooker plans to return to the Bahamas as the search for his wife, Lynette Hooker, who disappeared during a nighttime boat ride in the Bahamas, continues, his lawyer, Terrel Butler, said. He did not specify how long he would be with his mother. A family member of Hooker’s mother declined to comment.

Brian Hooker, 59, told authorities that Lynette Hooker, 55, fell from their eight-foot dinghy the evening of Saturday, April 4, while they sailed from Hope Town to Elbow Cay. He said powerful currents swept her away, along with the keys to their boat, which cut power to its engine and prevented him from reaching her.

Police said Brian Hooker paddled to the island of Abacoa, where he docked at the Marsh Harbor Boat Yard around 4 a.m. Sunday, April 5. Police said he told someone that his wife was missing, and that person then informed authorities.

Brian Hooker also told several friends his account of what happened that night via text, and also sent themannotated maps of the area. In the messages, which were reviewed by CBS News, Brian Hooker said that the wind blew him and Lynette Hooker apart. He said she swam towards the sailboat, but the two “lost sight of each other pretty quickly.”

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Brian Hooker, whose wife disappeared while the couple was sailing in the Bahamas, said he “wants to” believe she is still alive. CBS News

Brian Hookerwas arrestedby Bahamian authorities last Wednesday for questioning. He was released Monday and has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The Royal Bahamas Police Forcesaidin a statement Tuesday that prosecutors “recommended that no charges be filed at this time pending the outcome of further investigations.”

After his release, Brian Hooker told CBS News, “I won’t be able to stop looking” for her. He said that “someone with more authority” will have to tell him to stop. Police said last week that search and rescue operations had turned into search and recovery, but Brian Hooker told CBS News, “I want to” believe that she is still alive.

“I believe I’ve been told that people have lasted in the Bahamas after falling overboard for days and even weeks,” he told CBS News on Tuesday.

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker’s daughter and Brian Hooker’s stepdaughter, has called for “an intensive review of the facts and circumstances” surrounding her mother’s disappearance. According to Aylesworth, Brian and Lynette Hooker had split up and gotten back together in recent years.

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Lynette Hooker Lynette Hooker/Facebook

Aylesworth told CBS News in a statement Wednesday that Brian Hooker leaving the Bahamas “shows he’s not much of a man of his word.”

Aylesworth has said she doesn’t believe Brian Hooker’s version of events, describing her mother as an experienced swimmer with more than a decade of sailing experience.

“My sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance,” Aylesworth previously told CBS News.

The Hookers, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, were known to be avid sailors. Brian Hooker told CBS News the pair had been sailing together for more than 12 years.

Kerry Breen contributed to this report.

Influencer who helped expose Swalwell scandal reacts to new investigations

2026-04-15 6:32 PM EDT / CNN Politics

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Influencer who helped expose Swalwell scandal reacts to new investigations

The Lead

Arielle Fodor joins The Lead to talk about the allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell. Swalwell denies the allegations.

1:30 • Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/15/politics/video/swalwell-allegations-investigation-california-lead-tapper

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白宫新闻秘书莱维特星期三在新闻发布会上强调，在白宫正式发布消息之前，一切都不能确定。 （路透社）

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白宫新闻秘书莱维特星期三说，有关美国正式要求延长美伊停火期限的报道不实，目前美伊双方可能再次举行面对面会谈的相关讨论还在进行中。

莱维特星期三（4月15日）在新闻发布会上说，在巴基斯坦斡旋下进行的对话“富有成效且仍在进行中”，“我们对达成协议的前景感到乐观。”

她说，下次会谈地点极有可能仍在巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡，巴基斯坦是这场谈判的唯一调解方。

伊朗外交部：美伊是否延长停火无法确认

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃则说，有关美伊延长停火的相关猜测尚无法确认，需观察美国的外交立场是否具备实际诚意。

巴加埃星期三在德黑兰举行的记者会上说，美国“立场多次变化、表述相互矛盾”，即便达成某种共识，也难以确保会履行。

他称美伊对话是在非常复杂的情况下进行的，目前对话仍通过巴基斯坦作为中间方继续进行。

伊朗将评估是否与美举行下一轮谈判

另据伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社星期三引述知情人士报道，伊方与巴基斯坦陆军参谋长穆尼尔率领的代表团举行会晤后，将进行必要评估，再决定是否与美国开展下一轮谈判。

知情人士透露，在黎巴嫩实现停火对伊朗参与下一轮谈判会是一个积极信号。与此同时，美国必须坚持合理的谈判框架，不能提出过分要求或违反停火前所作承诺。

星期三较早时，巴基斯坦军方发布声明说，穆尼尔和巴基斯坦内政部长纳克维星期三率领巴代表团抵达伊朗首都德黑兰，继续推进斡旋美伊谈判。

内坦亚胡：以美在伊朗问题上目标完全一致

2026年4月16日 07:23 / 联合早报

以色列总理内坦亚胡星期三说，以军即将占领并摧毁黎巴嫩真主党在黎南部的据点宾特朱拜勒。图为4月8日，这座真主党重镇遭以军空袭后升起浓烟。 （路透社）
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以色列总理内坦亚胡周三说，以色列和美国在遏制伊朗的目标上完全一致。

内坦亚胡星期三（4月15日）发表电视讲话说，美国一直在向以色列通报同伊朗的接触情况，“美国和我们的目标完全一致。”

“我们希望看到伊朗移除浓缩铀。我们希望看到伊朗彻底消除境内的浓缩铀能力。当然，我们也希望看到霍尔木兹海峡重新开放。”

内坦亚胡说，目前断言伊朗局势发展走向和结果为时尚早，战事“可能再度爆发”，以军已做好应对任何情况的准备。

以军即将占领真主党据点

内坦亚胡还说，以军即将占领黎巴嫩真主党在黎南部的据点宾特朱拜勒（Bint Jbeil）。

他说，以军正在持续打击真主党，战斗集中在宾特朱拜勒，以军即将占领并摧毁这座真主党重镇。

内坦亚胡说，他已指示以军继续扩大黎南部的缓冲区，同时与黎巴嫩就和平协议进行谈判。

“这些谈判已经超过40年没有举行了。现在之所以能够举行，是因为我们实力雄厚，而且其他国家——不仅仅是黎巴嫩——都主动向我们寻求合作。”

他重申，以色列与黎巴嫩的谈判有两个主要目标：一是瓦解真主党，二是实现“以实力换取”的可持续和平。

Two Americans sentenced to prison for North Korean tech worker scheme

2026-04-15 21:30:20 UTC / CNN

By Sean Lyngaas

PUBLISHED Apr 15, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

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This photo from the US District Court District of Massachusetts shows North Korean information technology workers on a multi-member team that the US Department of Justice says works with the North Korean government to fund its regime. Note: Parts of the image provided by the US District Court District of Massachusetts have been obscured.

US District Court District of Massachusetts

Two Americans have been sentenced to years in prison for their roles in a covert scheme that defrauded major US companies while generating $5 million for the North Korean regime, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Zhenxing “Danny” Wang, 39, and Kejia “Tony” Wang, 42, both of New Jersey, were alleged middlemen in an elaborate conspiracy that involved tricking Fortune 500 companies to hire overseas tech workers who stole the identities of various Americans. A federal court in Boston sentenced Zhenxing Wang to over seven years in prison and Kejia Wang to nine years in prison.

At the heart of the scheme were “laptop farms” — or clusters of US company-issued computers — that Wang and Wang allegedly managed from their homes in the US. Those laptops gave the overseas tech workers a foothold into major American companies to draw salaries and in one case steal export-controlled data from a California-based defense contractor.

Other companies who unwittingly paid the overseas tech workers include a semiconductor distributor in Massachusetts and a software development firm in California, according to prosecutors.

North Korea is increasingly turning to such schemes to circumvent sanctions and generate revenue for its nuclear weapons program, according to US officials. In 2024, prosecutors charged an Arizona woman in a similar scheme that compromised the identities of 60 Americans and affected 300 US companies, including a “premier” Silicon Valley tech firm.

The North Korean government has stolen billions of dollars in recent years by hacking cryptocurrency exchanges and using IT workers to infiltrate US tech firms, according to US officials and private experts.

The US government has tried to crack down on the schemes while publicly and privately warning companies across the country of the evolving threat from North Korean IT workers.

There’s still plenty of work to do: The State Department on Wednesday offered up to $5 million for information on several other people allegedly involved in generating revenue for the North Korean regime.

CNN has requested comment from attorneys who represented Wang and Wang. The pair previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the scheme.

The two men allegedly set up front companies in New Jersey to falsely claim that the tech workers were authorized to work in the US. Other members of the conspiracy allegedly used background-check firms to identify US persons whose identities they wanted to steal. At least 80 US persons had their identity stolen, according to prosecutors.

Networks of North Korean tech workers “increasingly rely on U.S.-based LLCs to create the appearance of legitimate employment,” said Michael Barnhart, a researcher at insider threat firm DTEX Systems.

“Pairing a US person, a US address, and a front company … the facilitators created the illusion of a legitimate domestic ‘effort’ allowing the IT workers to present themselves as U.S.-based without triggering suspicion during onboarding or daily workflows,” Barnhart told CNN, referring to the scheme connected to Wang and Wang.

“A growing number of staffing and recruiting agencies are unknowingly enabling this activity by vouching for these workers, claiming to have completed background checks and due diligence,” Barnhart said. He also warned that North Korean IT workers have embedded themselves at subcontractors “to reach larger targets” that contract with governments around the world.

“God of chaos” asteroid will pass close to Earth in 3 years, NASA says

April 15, 2026 / 3:43 PM EDT / CBS News

An asteroid the size of three football fields will pass near Earth in three years, giving scientists a rare chance to study a colossal space rock from close range.

Named Apophis — after the ancient Egyptian deity known as the “god of chaos” — the asteroid is expected to zoom past the planet on April 13, 2029, according to NASA. It will come within about 20,000 miles of Earth’s surface, which is closer than many orbiting satellites, the agency said. The highest satellites typically orbit around 22,000 miles above the equator.

Scientists consider Apophis to be “a potentially hazardous asteroid,” but NASA has reassured the public that it will safely clear Earth during its 2029 passage. After years of monitoring, scientists say they’re confident that there’s no risk of Earth impact for at least 100 years.

“There is no danger to Earth, to anyone or anything living on it, or to astronauts or satellites in space,” the agency said. “But the event is an amazing and totally unprecedented opportunity to learn much more about Apophis and similar near-Earth asteroids.”

This screengrab, taken from an animation created by NASA, shows the asteroid Apophis’ close approach with Earth in 2029. NASA

People on the ground in the Eastern Hemisphere will be able to observe the asteroid with their own eyes, weather permitting, according to NASA.

It’s extremely uncommon for an asteroid as large as Apophis to pass as close to Earth. NASA estimates such events happen once every few thousand years on average. If that estimate is correct, then the asteroid’s 2029 flyby will be the first of its kind in history to be closely observed with modern technology.

Although Apophis won’t endanger people on the ground when it passes by, Earth’s gravitational pull during the close encounter could potentially “stretch” and “squeeze” the asteroid, possibly triggering small landslides or other similar movements on its surface, NASA said.

How the asteroid responds will help scientists better understand Apophis and its composition. NASA scientists believe it’s made from leftover cosmic materials from the early solar system that were never part of any planets or moons.

Its mean diameter — a standardized measurement of the distance from one side of the rock to the other — is 1,115 feet, roughly the size of three football fields. The distance between the asteroid’s two farthest points is quite a bit longer, at 1,480 feet or more, NASA said. Its shape is not known, but observations suggest it could look something like a peanut.

Apophis was first discovered on June 19, 2004, by astronomers Roy Tucker, David Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Another group of astronomers caught sight of the asteroid again, later that same year, at an observatory in Australia.