The Latest: Hegseth and Rubio brief lawmakers on US military escalation

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President Donald Trump’s top Cabinet officials overseeing national security are back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as questions mount over the swift escalation of U.S. military force and deadly boat strikes in international waters near Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others briefed members of the House and the Senate amid congressional investigations into a military strike in September that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly carrying cocaine in the Caribbean. Lawmakers have been examining the Sept. 2 attack as they sift through the rationale for a broader U.S. military buildup in the region that increasingly appears pointed at Venezuela.

Here's the latest:

How the Trump administration has justified restricting travel from certain countries

The Trump administration said in its announcement that many of the countries from which it was restricting travel had “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records” that made it difficult to vet their citizens for travel to the U.S.

It also said some countries had high rates of people overstaying their visas, refused to take back their citizens whom the U.S. wished to deport or had a “general lack of stability and government control,” which made vetting difficult. It also cited immigration enforcement, foreign policy and national security concerns for the move.

The Afghan man accused of shooting the two National Guard troops near the White House has pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges. In the aftermath of that incident, the administration announced a flurry of immigration restrictions, including further restrictions on people from 19 initial countries who were already in the U.S.

Trump administration places new restrictions on Palestinians traveling to the US

The new restrictions on Palestinians come months after the administration imposed limits that make it nearly impossible for anyone holding a Palestinian Authority passport to receive travel documents to visit the U.S. for business, work, pleasure or educational purposes.

The announcement Tuesday goes further, banning people with Palestinian Authority passports from emigrating to the U.S.

In justifying its decision Tuesday, the administration said several “U.S.-designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens.”

The administration also said the recent war in those areas had “likely resulted in compromised vetting and screening abilities.”

Countries react to Trump’s new bans or restrictions on travel from some countries

Countries that were newly placed on the list of banned or restricted countries said late Tuesday that they were evaluating the news. The government of the island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea said it was treating the issue with the “utmost seriousness and urgency” and was reaching out to U.S. officials to clarify what the restrictions mean and address any problems.

Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States, Ronald Saunders, said the “matter is quite serious” and he’ll be seeking more information from U.S. officials regarding the new restrictions.

The Trump administration also upgraded restrictions on some countries — Laos and Sierra Leone — that previously were on the partially restricted list and in one case — Turkmenistan — said the country had improved enough to warrant easing some restrictions on travelers from that country. Everything else from the previous travel restrictions announced in June remains in place, the administration said.

Trump orders blockade of oil tankers into Venezuela

Trump says he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.

The move comes after U.S. forces last week seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, an unusual move that followed a buildup of military forces in the region. In a post on social media Tuesday night announcing the blockade, Trump alleged Venezuela was using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes.

CDC adopts recommendation to stop calling for all babies to get a hepatitis B shot at birth

U.S. health officials have decided to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday adopted a federal advisory committee’s recommendation for a birth dose of the vaccine only for babies whose mothers test positive for hepatitis B infection, and in cases where the mom wasn’t tested.

For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate.

Many medical and public health leaders have decried the new recommendation, saying more babies will become ill.

Former NIH scientist sues the Trump administration over her firing

A former leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health sued the Trump administration Tuesday, saying she was illegally fired for warning that research cuts were endangering patients and public health.

The NIH has cut billions of dollars in research projects since January, including clinical trials testing treatments for cancer, brain diseases and other disorders that a recent report said impacted over 74,000 people enrolled in the experiments.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who led NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was put on administrative leave last spring after challenging NIH officials about the cuts, including warning that some would endanger clinical trial participants.

In September, Marrazzo filed a whistleblower complaint alleging retaliation. Weeks later she was fired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland.

A Kennedy spokesperson declined comment.

Federal judge inclined to deny