James Broadnax, 37, was put to death by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the shooting deaths of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler outside Butler's Garland recording studio. Prosecutors said Broadnax and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, robbed and fatally shot the two men. Cummings received life without parole.

"To the family, I prayed for years that any of my choices would create heaviness in your heart and burdens on your spirits," Broadnax said in his last statement. "I prayed to God for your forgiveness. Despite what you think about me, I hope to God that prayer was answered. But no matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. 

"I'm innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself period. Let this moment be what finally sparks the revolution that will be televised, none of it was worth it. Queen Emmit, I love you, my promise still stands, I always will. Keep fighting, stay strong, keep God first, never stop believing. I love you forever and a day. I love you Queen. Peace, love, and light, that's what I stand for. God bless everybody."

Confession recanted before execution

Broadnax had previously confessed in jailhouse interviews, saying "I pulled the trigger," though he later recanted, claiming he was under the influence of drugs and indifferent to his own life at the time.

In recent weeks, Cummings recorded a video claiming he – not Broadnax – was the shooter.

"I'm really gonna tell it like it's supposed to be told, that it was me, that I was the killer. I shot Matthew Bullard, Steve Swann," Cummings said recently from prison in a video created as part of the efforts to stop Broadnax's execution.

Defense cites DNA and remorse

Broadnax's attorneys argued the confession was supported by DNA evidence linking Cummings to the murder weapon and one victim's pocket.

In the video, Broadnax said his confession was false because, at the time, he didn't care about his life. Broadnax's lawyers say he was under the influence of drugs during the television interviews.

He also apologized to the families of Butler and Swan for taking part in the robbery, saying, "I wish I could show them my soul, so they could see just how sorry I am. I am very much remorseful for everything that happened."

His legal team also alleged racial discrimination during jury selection, saying prosecutors struck all seven Black prospective jurors and used a spreadsheet that highlighted only Black names. One Black juror was ultimately seated. Prosecutors denied any racial motive, saying the jurors were dismissed for their answers, including opposition to the death penalty.

In a 1986 ruling known as Batson v. Kentucky, the U.S. Supreme Court held that excluding jurors on the basis of race violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Appeals rejected by high court

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Broadnax's final appeals, including challenges to the use of his rap lyrics at trial and the handling of forensic evidence. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles also denied his request for a reprieve.

Several prominent rappers, including Travis Scott, T.I., and Killer Mike, filed briefs supporting Broadnax's earlier appeal, arguing prosecutors misused his rap lyrics to portray him as violent.

State disputes new confession

The Texas Attorney General's Office dismissed Cummings' confession as "questionable new evidence" and argued that claims of racial bias in jury selection were "entirely meritless."

Family members of the victims urged the state to proceed, calling Cummings' confession a last‑minute attempt to delay the execution.

Theresa Butler, Matthew Butler's mother, called the confession "a stall tactic" and "a lie."

Third execution in Texas this year

Broadnax became the third person executed in Texas this year.

Ewduin Perez says a last-minute decision to leave his trailer and shelter with Connie and Jesse Gonzales spared him from an EF2 tornado that tore through their neighborhood – a storm that also killed a nearby neighbor.

"I'm really grateful. Grateful to them. And, you know, it's by the grace of God," Perez said.

Perez had been inside his trailer, finishing dinner as hail fell, when the Gonzaleses urged him to come over and wait out the storm. Within minutes, the tornado hit.

"I would have stayed in my camper… ignoring the hail. I wouldn't be here," he said.

Sheltering as the storm hit

The three took cover in a bathroom, praying as the storm tore through their homes.

"I was just praying. Please, dear God, help. Help us," Connie Gonzales said.

The tornado ripped roofs from houses, punched through walls, and hurled Perez's trailer across the property.

"This is where my trailer was… right here… and now it's way over there," Perez said.

Losses mount across community

Moments later, the reality set in.

"I just can't believe it. Just a few more minutes, and I wouldn't be here talking to you," he said.

Perez lost nearly everything in the storm. But another family suffered an even deeper loss. Their father, Juan Madrid, was one of two people killed. They lived in a mobile home directly next to Perez's trailer.

"It hit me really hard… thinking of the good times and the help that he provided me as a neighbor. He was a great man," Perez said.

Recovery begins after devastation

Across North Texas, communities are now beginning the long process of recovery. Another tornado in Mineral Wells left homes and buildings in ruins.

"Other people have lost a lot, and some have lost even more… we have them in our hearts too," Connie Gonzales said.

Despite the devastation, the Gonzaleses say they are focused on rebuilding – together.

"I think God puts you here for a reason… to help people and do good things. I think that was one of those things — to get Ewduin over here," Jesse Gonzales said.

Neighbors become family

What began as a simple act between neighbors is now something more.

They call each other family.

"They're a mess in my backyard," he said.

For five years, he and his wife, Sandra Dolan, have leased 50 panels from national solar panel retailer Sunrun. For five years, they have been fighting the company for what they say they were promised.

"Everything we'd been told… none of it was true," Dolan said. 

In 2024, the panels' energy production plummeted. And when hail damaged their roof last year, the Blake and Dolan said they could not get Sunrun to take the panels off to make repairs, so they had to hire another company to remove them.

"I said, 'I've got roof damage. I don't want water damage'," Blake said.

Despite that, the family was still being charged $138 per month for the panels that weren't doing anything.

"I would just like it to be gone," Dolan said.

Complaints to the Better Business Bureau and Facebook pages, like the one titled "Sunrun Solar Sucks", show a pattern of similar stories.

Investigation underway

This month, the Texas Attorney General's Office announced it's launching what it calls a "major initiative to combat widespread fraud by companies selling solar panel systems."

Sunrun is one of the targets.

For years, the CBS News Texas I-Team has reported on pervasive issues in the rooftop solar industry, from the door to door sales often made by third party companies taking high commissions to false promises of never having to pay another electric bill and the large number of elderly and vulnerable signed to long-term contracts.

In 2024, we highlighted Freedom Forever, another company named in the AG's investigation. Customers reported the company was initiating loans in their name for solar panels they never bought.

In a span of five years, complaints to the AG's office about solar panels more than quadrupled.

As part of those investigations, the I-Team sent e-mails asking the agency whether it would take action. At the time, they went unanswered.

Probing industry practices

With its new investigation, the AG is taking a broad look at the industry.

Civil investigative demand letters sent to Sunrun, Freedom Forever, Lonestar and CAM Solar show they have been asked to disclose records related to compensation for their sales reps, the scripts they use while going door-to-door, the contracts they have customers sign, the warranties and service plans they offer, the formula used to determine whether customers save any money, and the representations they make about energy savings.

"Thousands of Texans have been targeted by companies selling solar panel systems and it's imperative that these companies are held responsible for any lies or deceptive marketing they use," Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the statement announcing the investigation.

Attorneys general in at least a dozen other states have already taken legal action against solar companies accusing them of defrauding customers.

"I think it's time that they went after the businesses that are doing unethical trade in their states," Blake said.

He's happy to see Texas finally appearing to jump on board.

Solar companies respond

CBS News Texas reached out to all four companies named by the AG's office.

CAM Solar and Lonestar did not respond.

Freedom Forever said it was working on a response, but declared bankruptcy two days later and furloughed all its employees.

Blake and Dolan have confirmed, since speaking to CBS News Texas, they reached an agreement with Sunrun cancelling their contract and awarding them $15,000 in damages.

Read Sunrun's response below:

"We are committed to working with the Texas Attorney General's Office to fully respond to the request for information and welcome any process that enhances industry safeguards around consumer protections. Of the complaints mentioned, Sunrun accounts for just four over the last two years, which have all been resolved. 

Sunrun has been in business for nearly 20 years and has built the most comprehensive consumer protection program in residential solar and battery storage. We take issue with being lumped in with other companies that don't operate with the same strict standards that put Texas consumers first."

The company went on to say that the majority of its more than 1.1 million customer are happy with their system.

"Only a small fraction of a percent of our total customer base has raised formal concerns. And when they do, we act swiftly to resolve them. 

In regard to Brian Blake and Sandra Dolan, we are pleased that we've been able to reach a mutually agreed upon resolution."

This comes on the heels of the first public hearing over last summer's Fourth of July floods that killed more than 100 people across the Hill Country, including 27 girls at Camp Mystic. 

Camp Mystic's owners wanted to reopen in late May, saying they would only use the parts of the camp that didn't flood. They expected nearly 900 attendees. 

Those plans angered victims' families, and some prominent state officials called for regulators to deny or delay renewal of the camp's license, which had been under review by the Texas Department of State Health Services. 

In a statement, Camp Mystic said its decision was out of respect for grieving families and hopes it removes any doubt that they hadn't acknowledged the concerns that were heard during testimony. Operators also extended their condolences by sharing their love for each camper who lost their life in the devastating floods. 

"Twenty-eight precious lives were lost. We recognize that no statement and no decision can undo that loss or ease the burden carried each day by parents, siblings, loved ones, survivors, first responders and our beautiful Kerr County community.  We also recognize that over 800 girls want to return to Camp Mystic Cypress Lake this summer. Our special bond with our Camp Mystic families does not change or end with the announcement," the statement read. 

Lawmakers, families blasted Camp Mystic leadership over deadly flood response  

During the second day of state legislative hearings, Texas lawmakers criticized and expressed frustration with the operators of Camp Mystic, Dick Eastland (who died), Edward Eastland and their family. 

Republican State Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock was blunt, telling the Eastland family they should not be allowed to operate their camp this summer. 

"Y'all will not be an operator next session, next season if I can have anything to say of that because you just missed it, and it was tragic," he said. 

"The anger at us not being able to keep them safe feels completely reasonable. I have no excuses," said one of the co-directors, Edward Eastland.

Eastland family members acknowledged their father, Dick Eastland, who also died in the flooding, had insisted their evacuation plan for flooding was to shelter in place. 

Minnesota will face Presidents Trophy winner Colorado in the second round. The Avalanche have not played since sweeping Los Angeles on Sunday.

The Wild won a playoff series for the first time in 10 tries since 2015. The past eight came in the first round, including against Dallas in 2016 and 2023.

After Hughes broke a tie midway through the third period, Matt Boldy scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the series into empty nets to seal it. Vladimir Tarasenko also scored and Jesper Wallstedt made 22 saves.

Hughes, acquired from Vancouver in December in the biggest trade in franchise history, took a shot from the left dot that deflected off the skate of Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubshkin and past goalie Jake Oettinger. Hughes also had an assist.

All three Wild goals came at full strength. Minnesota outscored Dallas 17-5 at even strength in the series, including 12-4 at five-on-five.

Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque scored for Dallas. Johnston had the league-high 10th power-play goal of the postseason for the Stars. Minnesota had three power-play goals in the series.

Officers responded around 2:25 p.m. and found a 47‑year‑old man lying unresponsive in the roadway. He was significantly injured after his Jeep hit a barrier and rolled, police said. Investigators determined he wasn't wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle.

Traffic was diverted to the Turner Warnell exit while crews cleared the wreck and officers investigated. The highway reopened about two hours later.

Police asked drivers to avoid the area.

The lanes have since reopened.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Videos from Saturday night showed water rising above waist level, cars floating down the street, and residents scrambling to higher ground. For many who live nearby, it was a frightening but familiar scene.

"There were cars floating, there were people walking knee deep in water, it was really crazy," one witness said.

Residents in nearby apartments watched the water rise quickly. Breilynn Schoenberger said she rushed home when tornado sirens sounded, only to find her street turning into a river.

"Tornado sirens were going off, so we sprinted back home, went to cover for a little bit inside," she said. "Then there were some messages in the apartment group chat that the street was flooding, so we were actually standing at our parking garage watching it happen."

What she saw was startling.

"Literally floating, there were sirens going off. Yeah, it was crazy," she said.

A decades‑old problem

This isn't the first time the area has flooded. Footage from August 2022 shows nearly identical scenes — fast‑moving water, stranded drivers, and overwhelmed drains.

City officials say the problem is well-known and deeply rooted.

"This area has decades of flooding issues. The primary reason is the storm drain system is undersized," said Ben Thompson with the City of Fort Worth.

Fixing it, he said, is far from simple.

"We did high‑level planning in 2023. We estimated at that time that it would be about $110 million to mitigate most of this flooding, which is more than we have," Thompson said.

A long timeline for improvements

Fort Worth's entire stormwater management budget is $70 million – and the West Seventh drainage project is just one of many competing needs.

The city's current plan is to complete the first phase of improvements by 2029, with full completion expected two to three years after that.

"Every time it rains like this, we just cross our fingers that these flooding situations don't happen," Thompson said. "Unfortunately, when they do, our hearts breaks for these residents."

He added that stormwater crews routinely clear inlets and perform extra maintenance in known flood‑prone areas before major storms.

City asking for public input

For residents frustrated by the long timeline, the stormwater management team says they understand – and they want community feedback.

The city is currently designing its next 20‑year stormwater management plan and has posted a survey on its website for residents to share concerns and priorities.

The operation began in mid-March and will continue until mid-June, when the first match takes place. DFW will host nine World Cup matches – the most of any U.S. city – including a semifinal.

Region prepares for massive visitor influx

With training camps spread across the metroplex and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center serving as the international broadcast hub, thousands of visitors are expected to flood the area.

"I want visitors coming to North Texas from all around the world to feel welcomed, experience our Texas hospitality firsthand, and our barbecue and Tex-Mex and know that they will be safe during their visit," said Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Agencies target violent and drug-related crime

Officials say the operation is focused on violent criminals, human traffickers, and drug traffickers.

"We are targeting violent criminals, human traffickers, and drug dealers," Raybould said. "… Since March 14th, together with our federal, state, and local partners, removed over 70 kilos of methamphetamine from our streets. Removed over 31 kilos of cocaine from our streets, removed over 15 kilos of fentanyl from our streets, and seized 81 firearms."

Federal officials say more than 130 people have already been federally charged in the Northern District of Texas, and close to 40 people have been arrested in the Eastern District.

Law enforcement warns offenders and public

"If you're out there committing crimes, we will use the federal hammer to keep you in jail. The worst of the worst will be taken off the street, and we will hold you accountable," said Chief Daniel Comeaux of the Dallas Police Department.

Officials are also reminding the public that drones are prohibited over the stadium during matches. Those caught violating the restriction will face federal charges.

The House unanimously approved a Senate-passed bill to fund most of DHS earlier in the day, with the exception of the department's immigration enforcement agencies, which have been largely unaffected by the shutdown. The chamber passed the legislation through voice vote with little fanfare, a sign that lawmakers were finally ready to put the impasse behind them.

The 76-day shutdown left many critical agencies like the Coast Guard, FEMA and the TSA struggling to maintain operations as funding ran dry. Repurposed money to pay employees was set to expire within days, increasing pressure on lawmakers to resolve the funding lapse.

The DHS shutdown

Spending authority for the department expired on Feb. 14, kicking off weeks of protracted negotiations between Republicans and Democrats that ultimately resulted in the bill that earned the House's sign-off.

From the start, Democrats objected to funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, the two agencies under DHS that have led the charge in enforcing Mr. Trump's immigration crackdown. Democrats pushed for reforms to the agencies' operations, including banning the use of face masks and requiring warrants for certain immigration-related arrests.

But talks over those reforms failed in the Senate. In the dead of night last month, the chamber unanimously passed legislation to fund the rest of the department, setting ICE and Border Patrol aside. 

But House Republicans rejected that plan, arguing that the bill would be caving to Democratic demands to defund the president's immigration agenda.

Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and President Trump eventually coalesced around a plan to fund the entirety of DHS on two parallel tracks. The first would involve the House passing the Senate DHS bill to immediately reopen the department. The second involves funding ICE and Border Patrol for the next three years through the budget reconciliation process, which will allow Republicans to approve a bill without support from Senate Democrats.

The president ordered DHS to redirect money to pay employees in March, but Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that funding to make payroll would dry up by the beginning of May, increasing pressure on lawmakers to pass the Senate bill.

House leaders had been waiting for the reconciliation process to move forward before bringing up the Senate legislation. Both chambers took the first step toward crafting the reconciliation package this week, adopting a budget plan that instructs the relevant committees to write legislation to fund the immigration agencies.

"We held the homeland bill, the underlying funding bill, because we had to ensure that they could not isolate and eliminate those two critical agencies," Johnson told reporters after Thursday's vote. "We are getting those done now. We passed the resolution first. That was critically important for us to do, to ensure that we're going to protect the homeland, even though Democrats are unwilling to do it. So now that that box is checked, we're allowed then to proceed and go through with the rest of it."

Mr. Trump has said he wants the reconciliation package on his desk by June 1. 

Both ICE and Border Patrol received tens of billions of dollars in funding in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, meaning their operations have continued mostly unimpeded during the shutdown. Law enforcement agents at both agencies have continued to get paid.

The brunt of the funding lapse has thus been felt by other DHS components like the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Adm. Kevin Lunday, the commandant of the Coast Guard, told CBS News in an exclusive interview that his workforce was "furious" that the impasse had dragged on so long, calling it "incredibly frustrating." 

Officers responded just after 2:30 p.m. to the 4600 block of the North Freeway service road amid reports of a shooting.

According to the Fort Worth Police Department, both vehicles exited at Meacham Boulevard, where an altercation occurred at the traffic light. One driver shot the other, then called the police to report the shooting.

Officers and fire crews arrived, and the victim was taken to a hospital, where he later died. The shooter has been detained and is speaking with homicide detectives, authorities said.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the victim's identity and cause of death.

Police are asking witnesses to come forward with information at (817) 392‑4222. Tips may also be submitted anonymously through Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 469tips.com or by calling (817) 469‑8477.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Seven seconds later, he was apprehended by federal law enforcement, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. 

After Cole Allen, the 31-year-old alleged assailant, used an interior stairwell to descend from his tenth-floor room at the Washington Hilton Hotel, he arrived at an elevator bank on the terrace level with a set of double doors to his left.

There, in a hallway out of view of security cameras, he removed a jacket that had concealed a shotgun, law enforcement officials told CBS News.

Authorities found the jacket there later, the sources said.

What followed was a rapid chain of events. 

A K-9 unit exited a security checkpoint through the double doors. Two seconds later, Allen came through the doors, turned left and — in another two seconds — sprinted through a magnetometer the U.S. Secret Service had been in the process of disassembling.

Two seconds after that, gunfire rang out. 

Secret Service Director Sean Curran said Thursday that from the evidence he had seen, the suspect shot at a uniformed officer. The officer "returned fire while being shot point-blank range in the chest with a shotgun, and was able to get off five shots" as he was falling, Curran said on Fox News.

The suspected gunman went down between the checkpoint and a staircase leading to the ballroom below. 

"It appears that the suspect hit his knee while being engaged by the officer on one of our magnetometer boxes and began to fall to the ground," Curran said. 

After placing Allen in handcuffs, officers moved him a short distance away to remove what appeared to be a tactical vest.

Authorities found multiple knives and a handgun in addition to the shotgun, according to court filings by prosecutors. 

The Secret Service officer was hit on his protective vest by buckshot from Allen's gun, officials said, and sustained some bruising. The suspect wasn't hit by gunfire. No one was seriously hurt. 

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro shared a video on X Thursday that shows the moment when the alleged assailant ran through the security checkpoint.

The distance between the security checkpoint and the ballroom staircase was about 40 feet, sources said. Had the gunman made it to the ballroom stairs, he would have had to navigate two sets of steps separated by a landing to reach the guests inside. 

"You're talking almost 355 feet from magnetometer to podium. That's almost 120 yards. That's a long distance to get to," Curran said. 

More than 30 federal protective details were working at the dinner, the sources told CBS News.

Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm with intent to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. He has not entered a plea.

Federal prosecutors were planning to file at least one more charge against the alleged gunman for assaulting a federal officer, sources close to the investigation said.

Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday: "They stopped the NFL running back. He was like a running back. In fact, if he ever got out, they're probably going to sign him. He was a speedy guy. But he was stopped."

The president said there's always room for improvement, but the Hilton where the dinner traditionally takes place is "a tough location" for security.

Gasoline prices also reached a new high since the Middle East conflict began on Feb. 28, with the average U.S. cost jumping to $4.30 a gallon, according to AAA. That represents the highest prices at the pump since July 2022.

American drivers are now paying $1.32 more per gallon than they did before the Iran war. Drivers in California are facing the nation's highest gas prices, averaging $6.01 per gallon on Thursday, according to AAA data.

With no end to the war in sight, energy markets are concerned about the impact on oil supplies. Reports Thursday suggesting a possible escalation by President Trump doused hopes for a quick end to the conflict, while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and the U.S. has continued its blockade of Iranian ports.

"The breakdown of talks between the U.S. and Iran, along with President Trump reportedly rejecting Iran's proposal for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, has the market losing hope for any quick resumption in oil flows," ING Bank strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a research note.

Although high U.S. gas prices could cause consumers to cut back on spending, for now Americans are continuing to open their wallets, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday in discussing the central bank's latest interest rate decision. The Fed maintained its benchmark rate at its current level, citing "elevated" inflation tied to the "recent increase in global energy prices."

"People are still spending. How long can that go on in a world where if gas prices were to go up a bunch more, that's taking spendable money out of people's pockets?" Powell said in a press conference. 

Brent crude to be delivered in June briefly soared past $126 per barrel before pulling back toward $114. Benchmark U.S. crude declined 1.8% to $104.97. Before the war began in late February, Brent crude was trading around $70 per barrel.

"We are overjoyed. It's been a long six to seven weeks," Meenu Batra's attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, told CBS News. "We knew that this moment would come. We were hoping it wouldn't take as long." 

Batra, whose four adult children are U.S. citizens, was arrested March 17 by federal immigration officers at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas, while on her way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on a work trip. 

Ahluwalia said that a federal district judge on Thursday ordered Batra's immediate release. According to Ahluwalia, the judge stated that Batra's due process rights were violated because she was arrested without prior notice, interview or a formal process 

Ahluwalia said they are working on getting Batra a green card through her youngest son, Jasper, who is enlisted in the U.S. Army. Ahluwalia said they'll ask to expedite the application and hope to get approved in the next four to six months.  

"The fight is not over," Ahluwalia told CBS News. "We've gotten Meenu out, but now it's a matter of keeping her here, making sure that all forms of relief that she is eligible for are adjudicated while she's sitting here and fighting any attempt to send her to a third country that she has no previous relationship or no association with, and we will fight to the end to that."

Ahluwalia said Batra cannot be arrested again unless a formal notice is given and an interview is conducted in the presence of an attorney.

Batra was born in India. When she was a teenager, her parents were killed because of their Sikh religion. She fled to the U.S. roughly 35 years ago and applied for asylum. 

In 2000, she was granted an immigration status known as "withholding of removal," which differs from asylum. Batra has been a certified court interpreter for more than 20 years, and her language skills in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are requested nationwide.

Barta spoke to CBS News earlier this month while in detention at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, saying her understanding of her immigration status was that "I am here, and I am legal and will not be removed, so I have nothing to worry about. And I can live and I can work. And that is all I wanted to do."

CBS News has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment on the judge's ruling. In a statement provided to CBS News earlier this month, DHS called Batra an "illegal alien," adding that "employment authorization does not confer any type of legal status."

Her children, Amrita, Lucas, Aaryan and Jasper previously told CBS News that it didn't "feel right" to be at their home near Brownsville, Texas, without her. 

"Family is very obviously over the moon in terms of her being released. I was speaking to her almost on the daily, and this has broken her. And you know her, her experience while in detention, the things that she had to see, the things that she suffered, the manner in which she was picked up obviously weighs a lot on a person and has really emotionally and mentally affected her, and so I can only hope that she can come out of what she had to experience for the last month and a half," Ahluwalia told CBS News. 

When it comes to music, Spotify said Thursday it wants to help users tell the difference. The audio streaming platform has launched a certification tool that indicates whether a song was created by a person or AI.

Called "Verified by Spotify," the new badge identifies human artists to give listeners "more insight and transparency into the music and artists you're discovering," the company said in a statement.

The badge appears on profiles of artists who've been vetted by the platform and determined to be human. To receive the badge, Spotify said that "signals of a real artist" must be represented in an uploader's profile. 

"AI-persona artists" not eligible

Spotify itself has drawn fire from critics for allowing AI-generated music to proliferate on its platform, which they say harms artists and devalues human-created content. Now, the streaming giant is highlighting the importance of distinguishing between the two.

"In the AI era, it's more important than ever to be able to trust the authenticity of the music you listen to," the company said. "At Spotify, our focus is providing you with more context about artists and their music, so you can build more meaningful connections with them."

To help spot AI slop, Spotify also said it will "look for an identifiable artist presence both on and off-platform, like concert dates, merch and linked social accounts on their artist profile." Profiles adjudged to represent AI-generated or "AI-persona" artists will not receive a verified badge, the company also noted.

Spotify said it will verify artists on an ongoing basis, while noting that some authentic artists may not immediately receive the badge as the new tool rolls out. "Not seeing the badge on an artist profile doesn't mean they won't receive it in the future," the company said. 

AI is already making a splash in creative industries, while its full impact has yet to be realized. An AI-generated actor called Tilly Norwood stirred controversy last year. Her creator, Eline Van der Velden, founder of an AI talent studio, defended the character, which she called "a piece of art" not intended to replace human beings in a post on Instagram.

Marketers are also turning to AI to create realistic-looking models and to make ads for their products. 

In a letter reviewed by CBS News, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said that agency funding cannot be used to purchase test strips used to check drugs for dangerous adulterants like fentanyl, xylazine and medetomidine.

Test strips cost about $1 each and can be used to check drugs — from powders to pills to party drugs — for contamination. They are a "critical, life-saving tool" that can prevent fatal overdoses, said Maritza Perez Medina, director of federal policy at the Drug Policy Alliance. Medina said the sudden change in policy has left advocates scrambling. 

"People are just astonished," Medina said. "There has been a lot of confusion about where this came from."

Letter reverses previous support  

The "Dear Colleague" letter references an executive order signed by President Trump in July 2025 that declares SAMHSA funding cannot be used for programs that "only facilitate illegal drug use." A Health and Human Services spokesperson said that the letter clarifies guidance for SAMHSA grantees and furthers the agency's clear shift away from harm reduction and "practices that facilitate illicit drug use and are incompatible with federal laws." 

However, fentanyl test strips are not considered drug paraphernalia in 45 states and Washington, D.C. Some states, including Nevada and California, provide information on where to find them online. SAMHSA began supporting harm reduction efforts, including the use of test strips, in 2021. A July 2025 letter from the agency listed test strips as a tool that SAMHSA funding could be used to support. The SUPPORT Act, passed by Congress in 2018 and reauthorized in 2025, also protected their use. 

Knowing what's in a given substance allows people to make informed choices and potentially avoid a fatal overdose, Medina said. Cutting support for the tests and other harm reduction efforts is "stripping people of the tools we know save lives," she said. 

"It's really a low barrier way to ensure that people know what they're putting in their bodies," Medina said. "Overdose deaths have come down from the peak that we saw during COVID, and that's great, and that was done intentionally, because there was a lot of investment from the government to ensure that communities had what they needed."

Organizations react to sudden budget cuts 

Shreeta Waldon, the executive director of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, told CBS News that her organization was informed Friday that it will be losing a $400,000 grant. The organization distributed 48,465 fentanyl test strips in the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, Waldon said. KHRC now only has about a month's worth of test strips before it enters a "full-blown crisis," she said. 

"It doesn't make sense that one day something is an evidence-based protocol, and you decide, because of political climate, it is no longer evidence-based," Waldon said. "If they follow the science and the data, we would never move in this direction."  

A'zhane Powell, the founder and CEO of Fyrebird Recovery in South Carolina, said her organization has lost a $4,000 grant. The amount is small, but Fyrebird already operates on tight margins, she said, and purchasing bulk supplies of test strips strains their budget. 

Lost funding can't be easily replaced: Fyrebird is searching for other sources of funding, including asking for donations. Waldon said she hopes to see states use money they received from opioid crisis settlements to support harm reduction organizations. Christine Minhee, who operates a database of such funds, said that such efforts are complicated by varying state policies and a debate about whether funds should be used to backfill budget gaps. 

Lauren Kestner, a division director at the Center for Prevention Services in North Carolina, said she worries the changes will limit the organization's access to pass-through block grant funding, where federal money is disbursed to state governments and then funneled into nonprofits, local agencies and other subrecipients. Those agencies do everything from providing medication for opioid use disorder to treating HIV. 

The HHS spokesperson said that SAMHSA still prioritizes life-saving interventions, including the overdose-reversing medication naloxone. Powell said that it's hard to have faith in those priorities after the sudden changes around testing strips.

"How far will it go until we're back to square one again?" Powell said. 

"Still in the midst of the overdose crisis"  

The United States has seen a sharp decline in overdose deaths in recent years. There were 111,000 overdose deaths in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the 12-month period ending in November 2025, the reported number of drug overdose deaths plummeted to about 68,000, according to the CDC. 

The decrease in deaths can be attributed to a number of factors, including the increased availability of the overdose-reversing medication naloxone, a less potent drug supply and harm reduction efforts including the use of test strips. Medina cautioned that funding cuts could roll back the progress that has been made. 

"Our fear is that if we are gutting all the things that work, that when people seek help, they won't find any doors open," Medina said. "We're still in the midst of the overdose crisis. Federal funding cuts, coupled with taking away the real tools to help people ... could very well lead to more drug use harms, including overdose." 

During a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, a lawyer for the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, told the judge that he will not contest the government's effort to keep him in federal custody. 

Allen, 31, is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump and two firearms-related offenses stemming from the shooting outside the annual press gala on Saturday. He made his initial appearance in federal court Monday. 

Allen has not yet entered a plea to the charges. A preliminary hearing is set for May 11.

Tezira Abe, a lawyer for Allen, told the court that he is being held in a "safe cell" under 24-hour lockdown, and she asked the judge to order the jail to lift those restrictions. The judge said while she would accept briefs on the matter, she did not have the authority to override the judgment of the jail.

Allen was escorted into the courtroom by three U.S. Marshals shortly after the hearing convened and was wearing a short-sleeve, orange jumpsuit. He has a goatee beard and short, curvy hair. Allen did not look at or address those in attendance.

Prosecutors had urged the court to order Allen detained pending a criminal trial, writing in a filing Wednesday that the crimes he is charged with are "among the most serious in the United States code, and the evidence of his guilt is overwhelming."

They said that Allen engaged in "extensive planning" for the attack and laid out a more detailed timeline of his movements and actions in the run-up to the dinner. Prosecutors also revealed in their filing a photo that they said Allen took of himself in the mirror of his hotel room, which showed him in a black dress shirt, black pants and what appears to be a red tie. 

In the image, Allen also appears to be armed with a sheathed knife, pliers, wire cutters and a small leather bag that looks like one filled with ammunition that was recovered from the scene, according to the filing.

Law enforcement officials said Allen, holding a shotgun, rushed a security checkpoint on the terrace level outside the dinner Saturday. Mr. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and many Cabinet officials were in attendance alongside scores of journalists, media executives and members of Congress. 

A U.S. Secret Service officer "observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom," prosecutors said in their memorandum, and the officer fired five times at the defendant. 

Allen fell to the ground, but was not hit by gunfire, and was apprehended by authorities, according to law enforcement. The Secret Service officer, identified as Officer V.G. in a FBI affidavit, was shot in his bulletproof vest and was not seriously injured, according to court papers. The filing did not say who fired the shot that hit the officer.

Senior law enforcement officials told CBS News on Wednesday that the round that struck the Secret Service officer was not friendly fire. Two sources familiar with the investigation said the shot that hit the officer likely struck a cellphone tucked into the pocket of the bulletproof vest.

Ahead of the hearing, Allen's lawyers had argued that he should be released ahead of a trial and told the court in a filing Wednesday that he has no criminal history and is college-educated. They said he was "gainfully employed" as a tutor, is a "devout Christian" who "dutifully" attends church and is an "active participant" in his religious community. Those factors, they said, weigh in favor of release.

But during the proceeding, Abe, Allen's lawyer, said that after meeting with him, he agreed to remain detained. 

In their filing, though, the defense lawyers had pushed back on the Justice Department's claim that Allen was willing to commit a "mass shooting" and said that assertion was not supported by the facts. Allen, they wrote, allegedly told family and friends in a letter sent just before the attack that he wanted to "minimize casualties" by using "buckshot."

"Moreover, the government after essentially asserting that Mr. Allen shot a Secret Service Officer in the criminal complaint, has apparently retreated from the theory by not mentioning the alleged officer at all in its memorandum," Allen's lawyers said of Officer V.G. "In sum, the government's entire argument about the nature and circumstances of the offense is based upon inferences drawn about Mr. Allen's intent that raise more questions than answers."

The defense attorneys further told the court that while Allen has been charged with attempting to kill Mr. Trump, the letter sent to his family and friends does not mention the president by name.

"The government's evidence of the charged offense — the attempted assassination of the president — is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory," they said. "While the government may be able to say that the letter expresses an intent to target administration officials, it falls well short of narrowing those officials to President Trump."

In a letter to Allen's lawyers Wednesday, prosecutors said that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and an analysis of crime-scene evidence and ballistics evidence is not yet finished. They said that evidence shows that Allen fired his pump-action shotgun at least one time as he ran past the magnetometers outside the event Saturday night.

Ballistics and video analyses show that Allen fired his shotgun "in the direction" of the Secret Service officer, prosecutors wrote.

"The government is aware of no physical evidence, digital video evidence, or witness statements that are inconsistent with the theory that your client fired his shotgun in the direction of Officer V.G., or that Officer V.G. was indeed shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest," they said.