REFUNDS INCREASED: The average federal tax refund is running 10.9% higher than at the same point last year, according to early filing data released Friday by the Internal Revenue Service. MORE: https://bit.ly/3O8KFz5

RUBIO REASSURES ALLIES: Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a reassuring message to America’s allies on Saturday, striking a less aggressive but still firm tone about the administration’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance. https://bit.ly/4aRekpa

TAKING A STAND: 2025 Miss North Florida Kayleigh Bush told NEWSMAX that she won’t compete in the Miss America pageant over its policy allowing transgender women to participate. https://bit.ly/4kBNMLL

DHS SHUTDOWN: TSA officers are expected to work without pay as a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is now in effect. https://bit.ly/3MJ8exR

U.S. officials have reportedly investigated an unreported experiment in Norway in which a government scientist tested a microwave device and developed neurological symptoms similar to so-called Havana syndrome. https://bit.ly/4rBJFCt

Kari Lake praised Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's visit to Arizona to promote the SAVE America Act, telling NEWSMAX the trip has rattled those she accused of overseeing flawed elections in the state. https://bit.ly/4ayTiu6

EPSTEIN AUTOPSY: A veteran forensic pathologist who witnessed Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy is again calling for a deeper review of his death, saying newly released documents only reinforce his belief that Epstein was murdered. MORE: https://bit.ly/4twb4a1

BIG SAVINGS: Lee Zeldin, administrator of the EPA, told NEWSMAX that the Trump administration's sweeping rollback of Obama-era climate regulations will save Americans thousands of dollars. https://bit.ly/4rOjwjf

Two federal agents have been put on leave and are under investigation for allegedly lying about a shooting in Minneapolis last month that left a Venezuelan illegal alien wounded. https://bit.ly/4rlShwO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced concern that the United States was asking Ukraine "too often" to make concessions in the negotiations for peace. https://bit.ly/3OgefTc

“I'm so often asked why liberals are so miserable, angst-riddled, and angry. The painful and sad truth is that they have been conditioned to be that way.”

Tom Basile explains how the left employs the “toothpaste principle,” which uses emotional messaging to manipulate public perception.

https://youtu.be/rHI0RYkSPLE

FARM BILL: The House has introduced sweeping legislation to reauthorize and overhaul U.S. agriculture and food policy through 2031, marking the next iteration of the federal farm bill. https://bit.ly/40arQOx

JUST IN: Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are convinced that late Kremlin critic, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with a lethal toxin in an Arctic penal colony two years ago. https://bit.ly/4bVXR42

OVERSEAS FLOP: CPAC Chair Matt Schlapp told NEWSMAX that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez embarrassed herself on the world stage when speaking at the Munich Security Conference. https://bit.ly/3M8R7pa

TRUMP CELEBRATES TROOPS: President Donald Trump expressed his support for soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg, one of the world’s largest military bases. MORE: https://bit.ly/4ri1ki9

DEVELOPING STORY: Three people were detained during a SWAT operation near Nancy Guthrie's home, though authorities have not confirmed whether any arrests were made or whether the people detained are suspects. MORE: https://bit.ly/3MwWazB

“They’ve certainly taken the wrong hostage.”

— Texas Sen. John Cornyn slammed Democrats for withholding DHS funding

https://youtu.be/oRHsYg6-3ms

BUZZ BUILDING: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared at the Munich Security Conference, a move some analysts view as an effort to bolster her foreign policy credentials ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run. MORE: https://bit.ly/3OdOOle

FOCUS ON ECONOMY: Chuck Todd told “America Right Now” that the midterms may hinge less on economic data and more on whether voters actually feel improvement by late spring, arguing that what Americans feel by Memorial Day could decide control of Congress.

https://youtu.be/3htegshQ3-0

'WE'RE GRATEFUL': An Arizona restaurant owner told NEWSMAX that his establishment offers free food to law enforcement personnel, including ICE officers, because "we feel the need to say thank you" for their service. MORE: https://bit.ly/4qw00a9