American passenger from hantavirus-hit cruise ship speaks about life in quarantine

May 14, 2026 / 7:17 PM EDT / CBS News

The number of people being monitored for hantavirus in the United States has grown to 41, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, as new details emerge about potential flight exposures and the conditions of passengers in quarantine from the affected M/V Hondius cruise ship.

Eighteen repatriated passengers from the cruise are being monitored at facilities in Nebraska and Georgia – 16 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit and two at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, the CDC said. As of Thursday, seven others who had already returned home from the cruise before the outbreak was identified are also being monitored.

The CDC also said Thursday that additional people who were “flight contacts,” or those who were exposed during travel, were being monitored, but didn’t give an exact number. The travel routes and current locations of the individuals have not been released by the CDC.

Officials say the risk to the general public remains low, and the CDC said Thursday there are no confirmed U.S. cases at this time. None of the passengers currently in quarantine are symptomatic, the CDC said.

There have been at least 11 confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus linked to the outbreak on the ship, health officials say, including three fatalities: A Dutch couple and a German woman. Patients involved in the hantavirus outbreak have tested positive for the Andes strain, which can be transmitted from person to person. Hantavirus is typically transmitted by rodents.

“I feel terrible — but it’s the right decision”

Among those in quarantine is Jake Rosmarin, a New York native and travel influencer who spoke with CBS News about what was supposed to be a five-week trip and is now stretching into 12 weeks away from home. Those in quarantine face a 42-day isolation period.

Rosmarin became emotional when asked about what he will miss while in quarantine. “I was supposed to go to my cousin’s wedding in Italy and unfortunately I won’t be making that,” he said. “I feel terrible, but it’s the right decision.”

He described the darkest stretch aboard the ship — and that looking forward to his own wedding helped him hold on.

“When I was in my darkest place on that ship, we had a wedding planning call,” Rosmarin said. “It was so nice to have a moment of normalcy and to not feel like I was stuck in that little box on a ship with so much unknown.”

Rosmarin said he is trying to stay focused on what lies ahead.

A passenger-turned-caregiver moves to quarantine

Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, an Oregon oncologist who was aboard the cruise ship on vacation when the outbreak began, told CBS News on Wednesday that he tested negative and was moved from the biocontainment unit to the quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Dr. Angela Hewlett, who has overseen his care, told CBS News that Kornfeld tested negative by PCR on two separate occasions and also tested negative for antibodies, making it unlikely his earlier flu-like symptoms were hantavirus-related.

Hewlett called the vacationing doctor who chose to act “a hero.”

“He is a physician who stepped up when people needed him,” she said. “He did help provide care and assessment for individuals who were ill on the cruise ship.”

Cruise ship passenger on quarantine experience
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/jake-rosmarin-passenger-from-hantavirus-stricken-cruise-ship-on-quarantine-experience/

Jake Rosmarin, passenger from hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, on quarantine experience

(04:12)

Lawmakers raise alarm over Neville Roy Singham’s $278M network spreading CCP propaganda in the U.S.

May 14, 2026 5:35pm EDT / Fox News

Multiple lawmakers question why groups tied to the Shanghai-based mogul aren’t registered under FARA

By Preston Mizell Fox News

Published May 14, 2026 5:35pm EDT

Lawmakers sound alarm on China-linked influence campaigns inside the US

Members in the House and Senate pointed to activist groups, nonprofit channels, and

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Members of Congress are raising concerns about a surge in pro-Chinese Communist Party propaganda and rhetoric in the U.S., citing organizations tied to Shanghai-based Marxist mogul Neville Roy Singham.

During interviews with Fox News Digital, a number of House and Senate members warned that nonprofits funded by Singham may be sowing discord in the U.S. by promoting communist propaganda and anti-American rhetoric.

“When you talk about the non-profits, you have to look at how China adversely uses or how China uses our non-profit 501(c)(3) status organizations to work as. CCP influencers,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.

Jodie Evans, co-founder of CodePink, and Neville Roy Singham, founder of Thoughtworks, attend V20: The Red Party, a 20th anniversary celebration of V-Day and The Vagina Monologues, featuring a performance by playwright Eve Ensler and an after-party at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Feb. 14, 2018.(Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

“Singham’s group is one of these, as they try to spread and influence other organizations and participate with other organizations in protests, in demonstrations that are going to create chaos in the streets of U.S. cities,” she said.

REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP

“When it comes to China specifically, they have used soft propaganda as a main point of entry with the United States,” she added.

According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017. Officials from the Justice, State and Treasury departments are investigating financial activity tied to the network, including $22.5 million in funding directed to a group called The People’s Forum.

Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, is the co-founder of CodePink, a nonprofit that received $1.33 million from Singham, according to the Fox News Digital investigation. Over the years, CodePink has supported communist regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party and Cuba’s government.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395553576112
TOP GOP SENATOR CALLS OUT CODE PINK, THE PEOPLE’S FORUM ALLEGEDLY PUSHING CCP PROPAGANDA IN US

While CodePink’s funding comes directly from Singham, not the government of China, critics allege that the difference is without a distinction.

“CodePink are AstroTurf weirdos bought and paid for by Communist China. They get their money from the most oppressive regime on the planet,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “They’re a joke.”

CodePink filed an ethics complaint against Hawley for what he said was simply “exposing that they take blood money from China.”

Members of Congress raised concerns about how CodePink and the Singham network are able to operate without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires individuals doing public relations, engaging in political work or lobbying for any foreign government to disclose activities and finances to the Department of Justice.

TAX COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS PRESS FOR TREASURY CRACKDOWN ON NONPROFITS PROMOTING FRAUD, ‘ANTI-AMERICAN’ HATE

Members of People’s Forum, CodePink, Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition rally to join the #NoKings protests.(Fox News)

“How they’re not registered under FARA is hard to understand because they’re very consistent. I mean, let’s at least give them credit for that,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital.

Even former members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers are required to register under FARA if they lobby for a country or organization backed by a foreign country.

“It should be no surprise that, whether it’s folks associated with the Communist Party of China or, frankly, other anti-American groups, would be funding these groups in the United States. [These groups’] sole role is pretty evident, to protect, defend and support anti-Americans,” he added. “Whether it is terrorist groups [or] terrorist regimes like the one in Iran or the one in Cuba.”

SINGHAM-BACKED, PRO-CHINA GROUP DROPS HUGE SUM ON MANHATTAN HQ AS FEDS PROBE SHADOWY NETWORK

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395551874112
Singham sold his technology consulting company, Thoughtworks, in 2017 for an estimated $785 million and moved to Shanghai. In 2023, The New York Times published an exposé that connected him to the CCP and chronicled his determination to spread his radical, anti-West ideology in the U.S. and across the globe.

In its investigation, Fox News Digital followed the money trail and network that Singham uses to promote communist and Marxist ideologies among Americans, finding that he established an organizing hub in the U.S. with actions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and protests against Israel, the U.S. and the nation’s domestic and foreign policies.

“The real crux of the matter is the genesis of that money — is [Singham] really that rich,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., asked Fox News Digital. “Or is it a false rich that, yeah, he’s got a billion dollars, but the billion dollars came from China communist China that they are actually funneling him, and then making believe, ‘Oh, no, he made that on his own.’ We’ve got to find out exactly where that money came from.”

Neville Roy Singham smiles at his wedding to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, in February 2017.(Osbourne Chin / Chinphotographic)

Gimenez also noted what other lawmakers are pointing out: Individual agitators and demonstrators, in addition to Singham himself, are not registered with the Justice Department’s FARA office.

While Singham’s dealings have been investigated by a number of Congressional committees in the past, his residence in Shanghai shields him from being subpoenaed to appear before Congress

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., has described Singham as “an individual who lives in Shanghai, maintains business ties with companies and individuals linked to the CCP, works with and physically alongside a foreign propaganda company, and attends CCP forums on how to promote the party abroad.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

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Supreme Court rules trucking broker can be held responsible for using dangerous haulers

May 14, 2026 / 4:26 PM EDT / CBS News

By Michael Kaplan Reporter and Producer

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that a man maimed in a tractor-trailer crash could sue the broker who arranged the load, a major win for highway safety advocates who have sounded alarms about unsafe trucking companies and the high number of deaths and injuries in truck crashes.

A CBS News investigation last month revealed the widespread scope — and deadly consequences — of the explosion in demand for overland shipping, in part because more people shop online, and the strain that demand has placed on America’s trucking fleet.

The high court rejected arguments from the trucking industry that it would be unfair and burdensome to hold big logistics companies responsible for screening the safety backgrounds of the haulers they work with.

The court’s unanimous decision clears the way for the continuation of a lawsuit by Shawn Montgomery, who lost part of his leg when a speeding truck driver slammed into his parked vehicle in Illinois in 2017. Montgomery sued C.H. Robinson, the country’s largest freight broker and the one that contracted the load to a driver and trucking firm. The lawsuit claimed C.H. Robinson should have been aware of the firm’s questionable safety record.

The broker — along with the Trump administration and other large trucking interests — argued that allowing such lawsuits to go forward would expose them to liability under a convoluted mix of state laws. They also argued they should not be held responsible for safety screening that they say is the role of the federal government, which licenses haulers.

Michael Leizerman, an attorney who represented Montgomery and other crash victims, said the ruling could put pressure on brokers to weed out dangerous drivers.

“They don’t end up behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle unless someone hires them to do so,” Leizerman said. “And many times that’s the large brokers like C.H. Robinson.”

The CBS News investigation documented how thousands of trucking companies have evaded federal oversight by reincarnating under new names. The investigation found dozens of such companies that have hauled loads brokered by C.H. Robinson, some resulting in severe crashes.

One example: the 2022 Christmas Eve crash in Ohio that killed four members of a single family. The truck was operated by BLF Truck Transportation, a company that had previously operated under three other names each of which had been flagged by regulators for safety concerns.

The aftermath of a deadly 2022 Christmas Eve crash on I-75 in Ohio where a semi-truck (left) crossed the median and slammed into an SUV and a pickup. Ohio State Highway Patrol

Alexander Delgado, the operator of BLF, testified in a deposition obtained by CBS News that a representative from C.H. Robinson coached him to “open up another” trucking company after his previous company faced a government shutdown for safety problems.

In a statement, C.H. Robinson said BLF “deceived C.H. Robinson by double brokering a load, which is a violation of federal law and our carrier agreements” and said Delgado’s allegation “comes from a carrier owner whose credibility is in question.”

CBS News’ exclusive analysis of millions of Department of Transportation records found the government approved at least 10,000 of these reconstituted “chameleon carriers” just since 2021. The operators often use the same officers, facilities, or equipment as defunct companies with serious safety concerns on their records.

CBS’ data analysis revealed these kinds of carriers represent a profound danger on American highways; they are four times more likely to be involved in severe crashes than companies that are not reincarnated. Over the last five years, at least 141 people have died and 1,800 have been injured in crashes involving these operators.

Despite repeated promises of government crackdowns on chameleon carriers, federal regulators continue to miss blatant red flags in their own data. The CBS News investigation identified over 30,000 carriers using fake or undeliverable registration addresses, such as “NOMORE, GONE, GA”. While the number of trucking firms surged by 31% since 2015, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) workforce has decreased by 10%.

The Minnesota-based C.H. Robinson had gotten the lawsuit dismissed in a ruling affirmed by an appeals court in Chicago, but Montgomery appealed to the Supreme Court.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote that the federal transportation law exemptions that the broker said protected it from liability in state courts include an exemption for cases involving motor vehicle safety.

“Requiring C.H. Robinson to exercise ordinary care in selecting a carrier therefore concerns motor vehicles — most obviously, the trucks that will transport the goods. So Montgomery’s negligent-hiring claim falls with the (law)’s safety exception,” she wrote, determining that the lawsuit can move forward.

C.H. Robinson is the subject of similar lawsuits related to other loads it brokered, including two profiled in the CBS News investigation.

Dorothy Capers, chief legal officer at C.H. Robinson, said in a statement that the company was disappointed in the court’s ruling.

“Our hearts continue to go out to the victims of truck accidents. Safety is foundational to who we are — our employees and their families travel these same roads, and our business depends on safe freight delivery,” Capers’ statement said. “While we are disappointed in the Court’s decision, we will continue to operate responsibly, support stronger federal enforcement, and work constructively with regulators, carriers, and customers to strengthen the national safety system and support safe, reliable transportation across the country.”

Netanyahu says Israel will sue The New York Times

May 14, 2026 / 4:43 PM EDT / CBS News

By Graham Kates Reporter
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government plans to file a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in response to an opinion column alleging widespread sexual abuse targeting Palestinian prisoners.

The column, by journalist Nicholas Kristof, cites interviews with 14 men and women “who said they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces,” but notes Kristoff was unable to corroborate some accounts of abuse.

Israeli officials condemned the Times for publishing the report. Netanyahu’s office called it “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel.” In a statement Thursday, the office said Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar “have instructed the initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.”

Netanyahu posted on X that his legal advisers will “consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof.”

The Times on Wednesday night defended Kristof’s piece, calling it a “deeply reported piece of opinion journalism.”

“The accounts of the 14 men and women he interviewed were corroborated with other witnesses, whenever possible, and with people the victims confided in — that includes family members and lawyers,” said Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesperson for the Times. “Details were extensively fact-checked, with accounts further cross-referenced with news reporting, independent research from human-rights groups, surveys and in one case, with U.N. testimony. Independent experts were consulted on the assertions in the piece throughout reporting and fact-checking.”

It is unclear if litigation will be filed in the United States or Israel, or who the plaintiffs will be.

A government itself cannot sue for defamation in the United States, according to Rodney Smolla, a First Amendment scholar and former president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School. If Netanyahu or another government official were to bring the suit, Smolla said they’d likely have a tough hill to climb.

“I think at the end of the day, courts would say this [article] is insufficiently targeting Netanyahu, and to allow him to sue is just too perilously close to allowing a suit by the government itself,” Smolla said.

The New York Times can also count on a different landmark case in which it was involved. In New York Times v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court limited the ability of public officials to sue for defamation, according to Nadine Strossen, a former president of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Strossen said the plaintiff, whether Netanyahu or someone else, would have to show “that there was intentional or reckless falsity, that they knew or had great reason to know that what was being said was false.”

“It can’t be a matter of opinion or of analysis or of perspective. It has to be objectively falsifiable,” Strossen said.

Yale Law professor Jed Rubenfeld also noted the Sullivan case, saying “I think there is probably zero chance of the suit succeeding.”

“If you write your criticism of a government impersonally without naming particular individuals, who you’re saying are responsible for whatever the misconduct or crimes are….then you’re within your First Amendment rights,” Rubenfeld said.

Public figures in the U.S. have sued for millions over news coverage they considered unfair or defamatory, but at trial they’re required to show that the reporter or publisher acted with actual malice — the knowledge that statements were false, or reckless disregard for the truth.

President Trump has in recent years wielded lawsuits over coverage he hasn’t liked as leverage to extract millions in pretrial settlements from the parent companies of news outlets, including CBS News. Mr. Trump sued CBS News over a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The outlet said the lawsuit was “completely without merit” shortly after it was filed. Mr. Trump and CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, settled in 2025 for $16 million.

In 1983, Israel’s then-Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon sued Time Magazine over an article about a massacre in Lebanon. That case went to trial, and a federal jury found the reporting in question to be false, but concluded the magazine did not act with actual malice in publishing the story.

Smolla said Sharon — who decades later would serve as prime minister — had standing because the reporting that he claimed was defamatory was about him specifically. He noted that members of a small group can have legal standing — even when unnamed in the reporting — if they believe they’re implicated in the alleged defamation.

Kristof’s column includes a claim by a journalist from Gaza that he was stripped naked and mounted by a dog as Israeli guards laughed. Kristof wrote that “the Palestinian prisoners and human rights monitors have also cited reports of police dogs being coached to rape prisoners.”

Smolla said if individual police dog trainers brought claims they “might” be viable plaintiffs.

“There are only a small number of people with that expertise who have that assignment,” Smolla said.

Still, Strossen said even a case like that would have little chance under the Sullivan standard, since individuals were not named in the column.

“It seems to me that would be an imaginative effort,” Strossen said.

US DOJ says Yale medical school admissions favor Black and Hispanic students

2026-05-14 21:07:09 UTC / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

May 14, 2026 9:07 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

United States Department of Justice logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights

• DOJ seeks voluntary resolution agreement
• Yale School of Medicine says it is confident about its ‘rigorous’ admissions process
• Trump has cracked down on schools over a range of issues

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday that admissions practices at Yale University’s medical school were biased in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants, citing findings of a probe as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on diversity policies at colleges.

The Justice Department said it was seeking to enter into a voluntary resolution agreement with the university. The Yale School of Medicine said it was confident in its “rigorous admissions process” and would carefully review the Justice Department’s letter.

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Yale has previously said it does not discriminate in admissions against any racial or ethnic group.

Yale violated the law “by intentionally discriminating based on race in its admissions,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

“The investigation showed that, in general, Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted with consistently lower academic qualifications than their White and Asian counterparts,” the department said.

The Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges and universities in 2023 when it struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.

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Last week, the U.S. Justice Department cited findings of a similar probe to say admissions practices at the University of California, Los Angeles’ medical school were biased in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants. UCLA’s medical school said its admissions practices “were based on merit and grounded in a rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant.”

President Donald Trump, who casts diversity goals as anti-merit and as discriminatory against groups like white people and men, has signed executive orders to dismantle those policies in the government and private sector.

Civil rights advocates say diversity practices help address historic inequities for marginalized groups like women, the LGBT community and ethnic minorities.

Trump has targeted universities over a range of issues including diversity goals, climate initiatives, transgender policies and pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s assault on Gaza. Rights advocates have raised concerns about academic freedom, free speech and due process.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-doj-says-yale-medical-school-admissions-favor-black-hispanic-students-2026-05-14/

The Trump administration has not yet directly attempted to cut Yale’s federal funding. Yale’s lobbying expenditures in 2025, when Trump returned to the White House, were $1.24 million, more than double what it spent in 2024, according to disclosures made earlier this year.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Jamie Freed

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Cuba says CIA chief Ratcliffe met with officials in Havana amid US tensions

May 14, 2026 6:03pm EDT / Fox News

Meeting comes as island nation accepts $100M in humanitarian aid

By Alexandra Koch, David Spunt, Fox News

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior on Thursday during a high-level visit to the island nation amid “complex bilateral relations” between the long-time adversaries.

A CIA official told Fox News correspondent David Spunt that Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Minister of Interior Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services in Havana to “personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”

During the meeting, the official said Ratcliffe and Cuban officials discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues, all against the backdrop that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior on Thursday.(Jemal Countess/AFP via Getty Images, File)

DEM REPRESENTATIVE ADMITS TO WORKING WITH MEXICO TO SNEAK OIL INTO CUBA, DESPITE BLOCKADE

Sources told Fox News Ratcliffe emphasized that the U.S. is extending a genuine opportunity for collaboration, and as evidenced by Venezuela, President Donald Trump must be taken seriously.

The Cuban government wrote in a statement that its delegation presented evidence attempting to “categorically demonstrate that the island poses no threat to U.S. national security,” arguing Cuba should not remain on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The dialogue presents Cuba with a rare chance to stabilize its failing economy and deliver for its people, but the window of opportunity will not stay open indefinitely, sources said. The Cuban government must decide whether to seize the moment or continue down an unsustainable path that only leads to deeper isolation and instability.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said his country will accept $100 million in humanitarian aid offered by the U.S.(Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images)

RUBIO SAYS CUBA NEEDS ‘NEW PEOPLE IN CHARGE’ AS BLACKOUTS, UNREST GRIP ISLAND

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced on social media Thursday the country will accept $100 million in humanitarian aid offered by the U.S.

“Our country’s experience in receiving international aid, including from the United States, is extensive and constructive,” Diaz-Canel wrote on X. “Any donor can testify to that reality. If there is truly a willingness on the part of the United States government to provide aid in the amounts it announces and in full conformity with the universally recognized practices for humanitarian assistance, it will encounter no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba, however inconsistent and paradoxical the offer may seem to a people that the United States government itself punishes collectively in a systematic and ruthless manner.”

“The priorities are more than evident: fuels, food, and medicines,” he continued. “Incidentally, the damage could be alleviated in a much easier and more expeditious way by lifting or easing the blockade, as it is well known that the humanitarian situation is coldly calculated and induced…”

While the director emphasized Trump prefers dialogue, sources said the Cubans should have no illusions that the president will not enforce redlines.

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

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House vote on Iran war powers resolution fails for third time

2026-05-14T16:58:00-0400 / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

Read Full Bio

Caitlin Yilek

Updated on: May 14, 2026 / 5:05 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The House voted for a third time against acting as a check on President Trump’s military powers in Iran, even as a growing number of Republicans express concern about the prolonged conflict.

Thursday’s vote on a Democratic resolution to rein in Mr. Trump’s authority was 212-212, falling just short of a majority. Originally introduced on March 4, the measure as written would have directed the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities within 30 days of the start of the war, which began on Feb. 28.

“I didn’t want to have to bring this resolution to the floor. I had hoped that the administration would have changed course after I introduced it and properly briefed the Congress and the country,” Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey said during floor debate Wednesday night.

Gottheimer said he supported the Trump administration “crushing” the Iranian regime, but denounced the administration leaving lawmakers “in the dark” with the lack of formal briefings.

The war passed a critical deadline on May 1 under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which says the president must remove armed forces from hostilities after 60 days if Congress has not authorized the war. The 60-day clock started once the president sent formal notification to Congress of the hostilities on March 2.

But the president notified Congress on May 1 that “hostilities” with Iran had “terminated” because there had been “no exchange of fire” between the U.S. and Iran since April 7, when both sides agreed to a ceasefire. The administration has argued that the ceasefire paused the 60-day clock. Since then, the ceasefire has been tested as tensions rise around the Strait of Hormuz.

Thursday’s vote was the first time the House has voted on the issue since the statutory deadline passed. Three Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom Barrett of Michigan — voted in favor. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the sole Democrat to vote against it.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-iran-war-powers-resolution/

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Barrett introduced an authorization for use of military force on May 7 that would give Mr. Trump until July 30 to continue the war in Iran, though it has gained just one GOP cosponsor — Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska — since its launch. Republican Rep. Blake Moore of Utah has also signaled support for Barrett’s AUMF.

“Two things have been clear from the very beginning: Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the United States of America cannot be dragged into another endless war,” Barrett said in a statement, adding that Congress must exercise “its constitutional role to clearly define the mission with safeguards and a deadline.”

The resolutions have picked up more support since the House’s first vote to rein in Mr. Trump in early March. In the first attempt, four Democrats joined all but two Republicans to kill it. Three of the four Democrats dropped their opposition in the second vote in April, though one of the Republicans who initially supported the effort voted present.

Senators, meanwhile, have rejected seven attempts to advance Democratic war powers resolutions, with the most recent failing Wednesday. But Democrats have picked up two more Republican votes — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — since they began pressing the issue. GOP Sen. Rand Paul has consistently voted with Democrats.

Murkowski, who said earlier this month she intended to introduce an authorization for use of military force, said she voted in favor of advancing the most recent resolution due to the lack of clarity on the war from the Trump administration.

“We’re in a different place than we were last time we voted on this,” she said, referencing the 60-day deadline.

Democrats in both chambers have said they plan to keep forcing votes on the Iran war, hoping that eventually they will garner enough GOP support.

“There will be a day, and it might be soon, I believe, where this Senate will say to the president, ‘stop this war,’” Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said Wednesday. “I believe that day is coming.”

Kaine acknowledged that Congress is unlikely to be able to override a presidential veto, which requires two-thirds support, even if a resolution eventually makes it to Mr. Trump’s desk. But Kaine argued that it could still force Mr. Trump to bow to political pressure and back off from further military action against Iran.

In recent weeks, nearly a dozen members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus have rolled out war power resolutions, enough to force votes for weeks to come, if they decide to.

“We will keep holding Republicans in Congress accountable for as long as they enable this reckless, illegal war,” Democratic Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement.

Caitlin Huey-Burns contributed to this report.

Will Trump ask Putin to bring these Americans home?

May 14, 2026 / 5:08 PM EDT / CBS News

Anastasia Antonov describes herself as a “proud U.S. citizen” who believes that her father, Aleksandr, was arrested by the Russian government last year and sentenced to six years in prison because he is an American citizen. She is now personally appealing to President Trump to get Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government to free her father.

In a letter written to Mr. Trump by Anastasia and shared with CBS News, Anastasia wrote that she “felt it was time” to elevate her father’s imprisonment to the president, which indicated her frustration with the slow-moving State Department.

Aleksandr Antonov, 66, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1990s but returned to Ukraine and Russia on business trips. At a passport check in Russia on March 5, 2025, Russian border officers found his U.S. passport and alleged he had Telegram messages on his phone containing anti-Russian sentiment. He was later convicted on charges related to inciting terrorism and extremism.

CBS News has learned from one current and two former U.S. officials that there is an internal debate at the State Department over whether to designate Antonov as wrongfully detained, a classification indicating that the U.S. believes the charges against him are fabricated.

Current and former U.S. officials contacted by CBS News said Antonov’s case had been reviewed, and several officials recommended in a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s top counselor that Antonov had been wrongly detained.

However, the recommendation to classify him as wrongfully detained was at odds with other State Department diplomats who feared upsetting the ongoing, albeit unsuccessful, Russia-U.S. diplomacy related to the Ukraine war. Two officials briefed on the case told CBS News that the main obstacle to Antonov’s designation is that concern about further inflaming tensions with Russia.

There is a discretionary nature to that legal designation, and the authority ultimately rests with Rubio to grant it.

Former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Castens, a CBS News contributor, said that so-called “split memos” can complicate matters. When a regional department disagrees, it can make it harder to ultimately persuade a secretary of state, even when the evidence is overwhelmingly clear to the legal, consular or hostage teams who review the portfolios. Carstens noted that since the Antonov case happened after he had left office, he could not confirm if that is what happened here.

Despite the indecision at Rubio’s State Department, a former senior government official briefed on the hostage advocacy told CBS News that U.S. officials have told the family that the Russia cases are a priority, and that Antonov is “on the list” given to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to bring up with Putin adviser Kiril Dmitriev. Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, is also part of those talks.

Aleksandr Antonov Courtesy of Antonov Family

Former hostage Paul Whelan, freed in a prisoner swap with Russia in 2024, told CBS News that the lack of progress could be a case of Putin not wanting anything from the U.S. at this moment, and the Trump administration not wanting to expend political capital.

None of the at least six Americans currently held by Russia have been given that designation by the Trump administration, which would allow for the special envoy for hostage affairs to further press the case. It also obligates the U.S. government to provide the family with mental health support and pays for two trips a year to advocate in Washington, as well as support for their loved one upon return to the U.S.

Stephan Hubbard, a retired teacher currently imprisoned in Russia, did receive it at the end of the Biden administration.

In the meantime, families like the Antonovs are seeking more attention. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have also publicly called for Rubio to designate imprisoned U.S. Navy veteran Chuck Zimmerman as “wrongfully detained” by Russia.

In response to CBS News’ inquiry about whether the president had received Antonov’s letter and whether the detained Americans are part of ongoing diplomacy with Russia, a Trump administration official sent an emailed statement.

“President Trump has made it a priority to bring home all Americans wrongfully and unjustly detained overseas,” the statement read. “The State Department is closely tracking Aleksandr Antonov’s detention and is working diligently to secure his release, along with all Americans wrongfully and unjustly detained in Russia. Due to privacy considerations, the Department cannot comment on the specifics of his case at this time.”

In an email, the State Department told CBS News that it is “closely tracking Mr. Aleksandr Antonov’s and Mr. Chuck Zimmerman’s detentions, remains in regular communication with their families, and continues to advocate for consular access in both cases.”

Anastasia and her mother handed their letter for Mr. Trump to his adviser Sebastian Gorka on Tuesday of last week, after he was honored at the Foley Foundation’s Freedom Awards dinner along with Deputy Envoy for Hostage Affairs Dustin Stewart for helping free American hostages, a goal they described as a top priority for Mr. Trump, who claims to have brought back 106 Americans from captivity abroad. This reporter was emcee of the event, and the Antonov family approached me to ask for help.

The Trump administration did free two Americans from custody last year with the help of the CIA. School teacher Marc Fogel and U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina were exchanged in a prisoner swap for Russian citizens.

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US House narrowly rejects bid to rein in Trump Iran war powers

May 14, 2026 9:17 PM UTC / Reuters

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly defeated a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the Iran war until hostilities are ‌authorized by Congress, but the effort to rein in President Donald Trump’s military campaign failed by the closest possible margin.

The House voted 212 to 212 on the war powers resolution, meaning it failed because it needed a majority to pass, despite more Republicans backing the effort.

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Three of Trump’s fellow Republicans – ​Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky – backed the resolution, and one Democrat – ​Jared Golden of Maine – opposed it.

It was the third House vote this year on an Iran war ⁠powers resolution, and the first since the conflict hit a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress ​about the war. Trump declared then that a ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities against Iran.

There also have been seven failed votes in the Senate.

The ​votes have been getting tighter, with Trump’s fellow Republicans holding just a slim majority in both chambers. The last House war powers resolution failed on April 16 by 213-214, with one member voting “present.”

In that vote, just one Republican supported the resolution.

They also have been getting more narrow in the Senate, ​where a war powers resolution was blocked by 50-49 on Wednesday as three Republicans joined every Democrat except one in voting to ​advance the measure.

DEMOCRATS CITE CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY

A person walks in front of an American flag in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Democrats have called on Trump to come to Congress for authorization to use military force in the Iran conflict, ‌noting that ⁠the U.S. Constitution says only the legislature, not the president, can declare war.

They warned that Trump may have pulled the country into a long conflict without setting out a clear strategy and railed against higher prices for gasoline, food and other products since the joint U.S.-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28.

Democrats have made affordability a central theme of their economic message ahead of midterm ​elections in November that will decide ​whether Republicans keep control of ⁠Congress.

U.S. producer prices posted their biggest increase in four years in April, boosted by soaring costs for goods and services since the war began.

“It is time for the president to come to us, ​and it is time for us, I believe, to end this war,” Representative Gregory Meeks, the ​top Democrat on ⁠the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in House debate.

WHITE HOUSE CITES COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF POWERS

Republicans – and the White House – say Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the U.S. by ordering limited military operations when the country faces an imminent threat.

Some congressional ⁠Republicans have ​accused Democrats of filing war powers resolutions only because of their partisan opposition ​to Trump.

“It is 100% about theatrics,” Representative Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said during debate. He accused Democrats of giving hope to ​Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by filing war powers resolutions.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee and Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.