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Oil giant BP ousts recently appointed chair over governance concerns and “conduct issues”

May 26, 2026 3:48 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Oil giant BP on Tuesday removed Chair Albert Manifold after identifying what it called serious governance and conduct concerns, abruptly ousting the executive less than a year after appointing him to lead the board.

The board unanimously decided that Manifold should no longer serve as chair and a director, with his removal effective immediately, the company said in a statement.

Amanda Blanc, senior independent director at BP, said the company’s board was “surprised and disappointed to learn of governance oversight and conduct issues it deems unacceptable and has taken decisive action.”

Ian Tyler, chair of construction materials distributor Grafton Group and a BP board member since April 2025, will serve as interim chair, BP said.

BP said it will begin a search for a permanent chair.

Manifold, who was appointed to his position last year, had previously led Dublin-based global building materials company CRH. BP had sought a new chair who could redirect the company as BP struggled with falling demand in recent years.

BP’s 2025 earnings dropped 16% from a year earlier to $7.49 billion, as the price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, dropped by nearly 17%.

Shares of BP slid 5% on the NYSE on Tuesday.

Edited by Aimee Picchi

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Infrared camera on sailboat may hold clues in Lynette Hooker investigation

2026-05-26 1:01 PM EDT / CBS News

By Cristian Benavides, Cristian Benavides Correspondent, CBS Newspath
Cristian Benavides is a CBS News correspondent based in Miami.
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Cristian Benavides, Nicole Sganga
Nicole Sganga Homeland Security and Justice Correspondent
Nicole Sganga is CBS News’ homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports for all shows and platforms.
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CBS News has learned the sailboat used by Brian and Lynette Hooker in their travels around the Bahamas, before her disappearance, had an infrared camera capable of detecting heat radiation.

The camera aboard their boat, made by technology company FLIR, can also operate with a cloud memory system, which could hold key evidence in the search for Lynette Hooker. Her husband reported to local authorities on April 5 that she fell overboard during a nighttime dinghy ride.

The camera was aboard their sailboat, the “Soulmate,” when it was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard earlier this month, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

While it is not known if Brian Hooker used the camera, it is currently being processed as part of the ongoing probe, according to sources.

Brian and Lynette Hooker’s sailboat, the “Soulmate,” had an infrared camera, circled in the closeup photo on the right. CBS News

This type of camera is often used by boaters as a safety system to be able to navigate, particularly at night. The infrared system can be useful to detect if someone falls overboard or to avoid collisions at sea in total darkness.

Fox News as the first to report the existence of the camera.

Daniel Danforth, a friend of the couple, told CBS News that Brian Hooker showed off the device while they were all docked in New Orleans back in March 2023.

The Coast Guard Investigative Services is conducting a probe into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.

Brian Hooker has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime. He was held for questioning in the Bahamas but ultimately released and returned to the U.S.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/coast-guard-seeks-information-on-lynette-hookers-disappearance-in-the-bahamas/

South Carolina Senate rejects Trump’s call to redraw congressional maps and target Jim Clyburn’s seat

2026-05-26T18:34:45.216Z / CNN

By Associated Press

1 hr 31 min ago

PUBLISHED May 26, 2026, 2:34 PM ET

The South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, on May 16, 2023.

Logan Cyrus/AFP/Getty Images/File

AP—

As early in-person voting began Tuesday in South Carolina’s primaries, the state Senate rejected a Republican plan to cancel those congressional votes and instead schedule a new primary under revised districts designed to help the GOP oust a longtime Democratic lawmaker.

Some senators said it was simply too late to make a change.

“South Carolina citizens are going to the polls today. And neither my conscience or common sense is going to let me stop an election that is already underway,” Republican state Sen. Richard Cash said.

Related article A demonstrator holds up a sign outside the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 7. Kim Chandler/AP Federal court blocks Alabama plan for new congressional districts that could help Republicans 3 min read

The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy — propelled by President Donald Trump — to redraw voting districts to the GOP’s advantage in an attempt to hold on to a slim House majority in the midterm elections. Republicans have been moving quickly to try to leverage a recent US Supreme Court ruling that weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

More than 26,000 votes were cast in South Carolina by noon Tuesday on the first day of early voting for the June 9 primary after Democrats called for people against a proposed new map to turn out in force. In 2022, about 125,000 early votes were cast the entire two weeks.

Among the first to cast an early ballot in the small city of Orangeburg was US Rep. Jim Clyburn, the Democrat whose district Republicans were trying to reshape in their quest for a clean sweep of South Carolina’s seven congressional seats. A defiant Clyburn insisted he would run for reelection, regardless of what the district looks like.

“I’m OK if it’s Trump plus 20,” Clyburn said while describing the potential Republican advantage in a reshaped district. “I would be running where I live.”

Related live story AUSTIN, TEXAS – MAY 26: People stand in line to vote at the Austin Public Library on May 26, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in this year’s Republican primary runoff. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell/Getty Images Texas Senate primary runoff election: Incumbent Cornyn faces off against Trump-endorsed Paxton

The Republican-led House already had passed a plan that would reconfigure Clyburn’s district, void the results of current congressional primaries and instead hold new US House primaries in August.

Trump has lobbied for the plan, making at least two phone calls to Republican state Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey and also phoning in to a private meeting of Republican senators earlier this month. He also has maintained the pressure on social media.

But debate stalled in the Senate, where Democrats were staunchly opposed and some GOP lawmakers had concerns that an aggressive redistricting could backfire by making some Republican-held seats susceptible to losses because of the addition of Democratic voters.

Thomas blasts SCOTUS for decision on Florida lawsuit over illegal immigrant truckers with blue-state licenses

May 26, 2026 12:17pm EDT / Fox News

Florida sued alleging the states issued CDL licenses violating federal trucking and immigration laws after a fatal crash

By Elaine Mallon Fox News

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Justice Clarence Thomas accused California and Washington of undermining federal immigration and trucking safety standards after a deadly Florida highway crash, blasting the Supreme Court on Tuesday for refusing to hear a case Florida had “nowhere else to bring.”

Florida alleged the two blue states improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants in violation of federal standards requiring English proficiency and lawful immigration status for certain commercial drivers, arguing the policies created a public safety threat on American roads.

Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, said the Supreme Court had a constitutional obligation to hear the dispute because lawsuits between states can only be brought before the high court.

“If this Court does not exercise jurisdiction over a controversy between two States, then the complaining State has no judicial forum in which to seek relief,” Thomas wrote.

FLORIDA AG ANNOUNCES PROBE OF SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS THAT GIVE TRUCKING LICENSES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks during a special lecture at the University of Texas in Austin on April 15, 2026, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.(Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman)

Thomas argued that Florida’s allegations against Washington and California were serious because failing to follow federal commercial licensing laws can create dangerous road conditions and, he said, has contributed to deadly crashes.

Thomas pointed to the fatal Florida highway crash involving truck driver Harjinder Singh, who he said “could not read the road signs,” and argued Florida deserved a chance to pursue its claims.

Singh received CDLs from both California and Washington.

EXCLUSIVE: CAMERAS CAPTURE TRUCKERS UNABLE TO READ ROAD SIGNS, ANSWER BASIC QUESTIONS DURING FLORIDA CRACKDOWN

Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito is pictured in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7, 2022.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“An illegal alien who cannot read English road signs cannot drive an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer,” Thomas wrote. “Federal law and regulations prohibit States from providing commercial driver’s licenses to applicants unless they pass a driver’s test, sufficiently understand the English language, and show appropriate immigration status.”

Florida filed the lawsuit directly with the Supreme Court under the Court’s original jurisdiction, which gives the justices the sole authority to hear disputes between states.

Thomas said that while the court may be able to exercise discretion in ordinary appeals, lawsuits between states are different because the Constitution gives the Supreme Court exclusive jurisdiction over them.

FLORIDA AG ASKS SUPREME COURT TO ALLOW IT TO CONTINUE ENFORCING CONTROVERSIAL IMMIGRATION LAW

“We have no more right to decline the exercise of jurisdiction which is given, than to usurp that which is not given,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas accused the Supreme Court of failing to abide by the Constitution when it declines to hear disputes between states.

Firefighters respond to a fatal crash in Florida involving Harjinder Singh’s truck, and Singh is shown being cited for speeding in New Mexico on July 3, 2025.(St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office; New Mexico State Police)

“This Court has adopted a discretionary approach to its exclusive original jurisdiction based on policy judgments that are in conflict with the policy choices that Congress made in the statutory text,” Thomas wrote.

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He argued that if Florida, California and Washington were separate countries instead of U.S. states, a dispute over one government allegedly allowing dangerous drivers into another’s territory could create serious diplomatic tension and would likely be handled through international courts or other government action.

“By entering the Union, States agree to instead have such disputes resolved by this Court.”

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

US CDC seeks staff for Ebola screening as outbreak response expands

May 26, 2026 7:28 PM UTC / Reuters

Item 1 of 3 U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testifies at a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

[1/3]U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testifies at a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

May 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked staff to volunteer for urgent deployment to support Ebola screening at ​the country’s entry points, according to an email seen by ‌Reuters on Tuesday.

CDC Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya said in the email that the agency had activated a Level 2 emergency response on May 18 to an ​outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in the ​Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and was ⁠expanding recruitment beyond its usual emergency responder pool as screening of ​selected international arrivals ramps up.

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Level 2 is an intermediate level of emergency ​response. It indicates a need for substantial additional staffing to meet response demands, according to the CDC’s website.

The CDC said enhanced screening operations are already under way ​at several port health stations and will require additional personnel. Staff ​across roles, including public health advisers, emergency specialists and licensed medical providers, are being ‌asked ⁠to support the effort, subject to supervisor approval.

Volunteers could be tasked with monitoring incoming travelers for signs of illness, checking temperatures and referring suspected cases for further assessment, according to the email.

The outbreak involves the ​Bundibugyo strain of ​the virus. Ebola ⁠is a severe and often fatal disease transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

The World Health ​Organization has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo ​strain of ⁠Ebola the third-largest such outbreak on record, and a public health emergency of international concern.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the fast-moving ⁠Ebola ​outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo ​and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, giving the latest number of suspected deaths as 220.

Reporting ​by Kamal Choudhury and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; editing by Alan Barona

Deaths reported after chemical tank implodes at pulp and paper mill in Washington state

2026-05-26 15:10 EDT / CBS/AP

Deaths and injuries have been confirmed following the implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in Washington state on Tuesday, local authorities and company officials said.

In a joint statement, Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. and local law enforcement said the tank’s rupture caused “multiple critical injuries” as well as fatalities, but specific numbers were not given. There are also some individuals who are unaccounted for, officials said at a news conference.

“The scene remains in the recovery phase as emergency responders continue operations,” Longview Fire Department said in a statement on social media. “No identifying information regarding injured or deceased individuals will be released at this time pending notification of family members.”

A spokesperson for PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center confirmed to CBS News that the hospital received nine patients from the incident, one of whom was deceased.

Authorities said there was no immediate threat to the public.

The exterior of the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. is shown, after a tank containing hazardous liquid imploded, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Longview, Washington. AP Photo/Claire Rush

Mike Gorsuch, battalion chief with the Longview Fire Department, described it as a “mass casualty scene.” He said first responders had decontaminated patients and taken them to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver, Washington.

The fire department said a tank containing white liquor ruptured. White liquor is a chemical commonly used in paper and pulp processing which consists of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide.

The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility is a pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant that makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, cartons and other goods. It employs about 1,000 people, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.

About 40 firefighters and paramedics had responded, along with a regional hazmat team, Gorsuch said. The incident was reported at 7:19 a.m. local time.

Nippon Dynawave did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, thousands of Southern California residents remained evacuated on Tuesday due to a damaged chemical tank at an aerospace plant.

Comey learns fate of bid to delay trial over ‘86 47’ seashell post at center of Trump threat case

May 26, 2026 1:11pm EDT / Fox News

His attorneys are preparing constitutional motion they argue could lead to the case being thrown out

By Robert Schmad, Fox News

Former FBI director James Comey told MSNBC Monday that he had no bad intentions with a post on Instagram he has since deleted, and that he is not intimidated by President Donald Trump’s administration.

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A federal judge delayed former FBI Director James Comey’s trial until October as he fights federal charges accusing him of threatening to harm President Donald Trump through the “86 47” seashell photo he posted to Instagram in 2025.

Comey’s attorneys are preparing “multiple motions on constitutional grounds” that they argue could lead to the case being thrown out, according to their motion filed earlier in May. The trial was initially set to begin in July, and prosecutors did not object to the schedule change to Oct. 21.

The delay gives Comey’s defense team more time to challenge whether the post amounted to a criminal threat or protected political speech, a First Amendment fight likely to shape the case before it reaches a jury.

Comey has been a central figure in Trump-era political fights since the 2016 election, from his handling of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email investigation to his role overseeing the early Russia probe before Trump fired him in 2017.

JAMES COMEY TELLS COLBERT WHAT LED TO HIM POSTING CONTROVERSIAL ’86 47′ INSTAGRAM POST

Legal questions are emerging over whether charges against former FBI Director James Comey would withstand a First Amendment challenge.

Comey’s indictment stems from a May 2025 Instagram post where he shared an image of seashells arranged on a beach to display the message “86 47.”

“86” is common restaurant slang for “nix” or “get rid of. Prosecutors allege that Comey’s post amounted to a threat, as it was paired with “47,” a reference to Trump’s tenure as the 47th president.

After backlash last year, Comey deleted the post and denied that he intended it as a threat, saying he did not know “86” could be interpreted as a call for violence.

Former FBI Director James Comey is vowing to fight the charges against him, with his attorney saying the former FBI director “vigorously denies” the allegations and plans to contest the case in court.(Cheriss May/NurPhoto)

LEGAL EXPERTS WARN COMEY ‘86 47’ INDICTMENT FACES FIRST AMENDMENT HURDLES

The decision to delay was made by District Judge ⁠Louise Wood Flanagan, who was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2003.

Critics of the president have alleged that the Comey indictment is an example of the Trump administration weaponizing the government to attack his enemies.

JAMES COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED THREATS AGAINST TRUMP: DOJ

[image_5]

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a news conference at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2026. He discussed the department’s anti-fraud efforts and announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to turn our justice system into a weapon for punishing and silencing his critics,” Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, said of the indictment after it was announced. “Our system depends on prosecutors making decisions based on evidence and the law, not on the personal grudges of a politician determined to settle scores.”

Supporters, meanwhile, maintain that Comey’s behavior crosses the line from protected constitutional speech to an illegal threat.

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“It’s not a very difficult line to look at, and it’s not, in my mind, a difficult line for one to cross over, one way or the other,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said of the case in March. “We cannot, you are not allowed to threaten the President of the United States of America. That’s not my decision. That’s Congress’s decision, and a statute that they passed that we charge multiple times a year.”

When Iran thumbs its nose at the ceasefire, the Trump administration shrugs

2026-05-26T16:50:17.996Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/26/politics/us-iran-ceasefire-violation-responses

• Despite the latest exchange of attacks, the Trump administration continues to insist the ceasefire with Iran remains intact.
• That’s become a pattern whenever there are potential violations, with the US appearing anxious to avoid resuming the war and eager to cut a deal.
• The administration’s reluctance to restart hostilities, however, appears to be undermining its negotiating leverage with Tehran.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

The responses to the latest attacks between the US and Iran during the supposed ceasefire have been telling.

Tehran called the US strikes on its missile launch sites and boats a flagrant “violation” of the ceasefire and threatened to retaliate.

The United States, meanwhile, assured that the ceasefire was still “ongoing,” despite casting Iran as the aggressor.

A spokesman for US Central Command accused Iranian boats of “attempting to emplace mines” in the Strait of Hormuz. That would be a remarkably provocative act, especially in the context of what appeared to be some of the most serious peace talks to date. But then the spokesman added: “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”

This kind of response has become par for the course.

And the pattern reinforces how apparently anxious the Trump administration is to bring the war to an end — a dynamic that is hurting the United States’ leverage.

The most recent episode involves what the US military called “self-defense strikes” targeting missile launch sites and boats near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Later in the day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that it “shot down a US drone and forced a US drone and fighter jet to flee,” casting it as a “reciprocal response.”

But while Iran’s response was defiant, the US response was less so.

In addition to US Central Command assuring the ceasefire remained “ongoing,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio twice talked around the strikes when asked about them while traveling in India. The first time, he talked broadly about peace negotiations. The second time, he talked about the need for the Strait of Hormuz to be open.

The situation harkens back to a pair of episodes in early May.

In the first one, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine at a briefing cited Iran firing nine times at commercial vessels and seizing two container ships, as well as “more than 10” attacks on American forces. But he instantly qualified that all were “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point.” He cast it as “low-level kinetics.”

When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked whether the ceasefire was over, he assured reporters it was not.

He at one point seemed to cast what was happening in the strait as distinct from the broader war. And he urged Iran to “be prudent” and make sure its military actions didn’t cross the “threshold” for violating the ceasefire.

A few days later, the US struck military facilities it said were responsible for attacking US warships in the strait.

But President Donald Trump again downplayed it.

“The ceasefire is going. It’s in effect,” he told ABC News in early May. He described the US attacks as “just a love tap.”

As with today, while the Trump administration assured the public that ceasefire was intact, Iran said it had been violated and responded with what it claimed to be “reciprocal” strikes.

And then there’s arguably the biggest potential violation of the ceasefire: Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed.

When Trump announced the ceasefire on April 7, he was unambiguous that it would only last as long as Iran reopened the strait.

He said on social media that, “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

That “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE” reopening of the strait, of course, never happened. The administration tried to put a good face on it in the days that followed and cited supposed progress in reopening it. But the US is now seven weeks into the ceasefire, and the strait remains a logjam.

By trying to keep the ceasefire going and downplaying Iran’s provocations, the Trump administration is betraying a readily apparent anxiousness to avoid resuming the war and an eagerness to cut a deal

To that point, Trump has repeatedly ignored his own deadlines for Tehran to make a deal and declined to restart large-scale hostilities, despite his frequent threats.

And that posture is undermining his negotiating position. Iran seems to be gambling that Trump is in a bigger hurry to bring the war to a conclusion than it is.

The divergent responses to the latest attacks only back up that belief.

Supreme Court rejects Florida’s attempt to sue California and Washington over immigrant truck drivers

May 26, 2026 / 1:11 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida’s bid to file a lawsuit against Washington and California for allegedly providing commercial driver’s licenses to truck drivers who are in the U.S. illegally and not proficient in English.

Florida sought to sue the two states following a fatal crash on a state highway in August 2025 that occurred when truck driver Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico, attempted to make an illegal U-turn. State and federal investigations showed that Singh likely could not read the road signs. He faces criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty.

The Department of Homeland Security and Florida officials said Singh had obtained commercial driver’s licenses from California and Washington.

In the long-shot bid for intervention by the Supreme Court, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier claimed California and Washington ignored federal safety standards and immigration law by allowing people in the U.S. illegally to drive commercial motor vehicles “without proper training or the ability to read road signs.”

He asked the high court to block the two states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to individuals who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and who don’t meet federal safety requirements.

“California’s and Washington’s decision to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible. But commercial drivers routinely cross state lines, endangering citizens of other States,” Uthmeier, a Republican, wrote, adding that those decisions lead to “mayhem” in other states.

But officials from each of the two states rejected Florida’s assertions. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the Supreme Court in a filing that its Department of Motor Vehicles verifies legal presence using a federal database known as SAVE and tests for English proficiency, as required by state law.

As to Singh, California officials said the state’s DMV issued him a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license only after complying with federal and state regulations. They said he applied for the license in July 2024 and provided an employment authorization document, which was verified through the federal database.

“The allegations in the proposed complaint are notably lacking, as Florida admits that it does not even know how California’s commercial driver’s license program works,” Bonta said. “Its claims are based on assumptions about California law and practice that are wrong: DMV requires verification of legal presence and tests for English language proficiency before issuing commercial driver’s licenses.”

Washington officials, meanwhile, called Florida’s proposed lawsuit a “political stunt,” and noted that Uthmeier announced the lawsuit on Fox News. They claimed that Florida has improperly licensed “thousands” of commercial drivers without evidence they speak English or satisfy residency requirements.

Washington officials wrote that state law requires applicants for a commercial driver’s license to pass written knowledge tests and skills tests that meet federal standards, and requires applicants to reside in Washington or be otherwise federally qualified.

“This dispute is not about boundaries or water; it is about the wisdom of state policies,” they wrote. “Even setting that aside, Florida’s claims are meritless.”

They also said that Singh did not have a valid commercial driver’s license from Washington at the time of the 2025 crash in Florida.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have allowed Florida to sue the two states, reiterating their view that the Supreme Court cannot refuse to hear suits between states.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has taken steps to crack down on states that it says have issued commercial driver’s licenses to immigrant truck drivers and has sought to withhold federal funding to states that refuse to cancel licenses that it says were illegally issued.

President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 that reinforces a federal law that requires commercial truck drivers to read and speak English proficiently.

WATCH: Embattled GOP senator warns red state ‘at risk’ of historic Dem victory as voters head to polls

May 26, 2026 1:42pm EDT / Fox News

Texans head to the polls today after what has been a particularly bruising GOP primary race for a critical Senate seat

By Peter Pinedo , Paul Steinhauser

Cornyn warns Dems could pull off historic upset as voters head to polls

Longtime Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is warning that Democrats could pull of a historic victory this election cycle as voters head to the polls in the Texas primary runoff.

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As voters head to the polls today in Texas, GOP Sen. John Cornyn is warning the longtime red state is “at risk” of Democrats pulling off a historic upset for a critical Senate seat.

Cornyn’s primary race against challenger Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton finally comes to a head in today’s runoff election. After what has been a particularly bruising primary, Cornyn expressed his worry that Republicans stand to lose a seat that would be devastating for the party’s hopes of retaining a majority in the upper chamber.

Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of Election Day, Cornyn touted Texas as “the most conservatively governed state in the country,” making it a “land of opportunity and where the American dream is still very much alive.”

“But I think all of that’s at risk, depending on how this primary runoff turns out, because I think Ken Paxton’s flaws and the baggage he brings to the general election are going to be exploited up to the fullest by James Talarico and by Democrats,” he said.

SENATOR JOHN CORNYN RESPONDS TO TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT OF KEN PAXTON

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is calling Democratic challenger James Talarico to condemn his pastor for making light of third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life.(Photo by Danielle Villasana // by Heather Diehl/)

Whoever emerges Tuesday night will have to face state Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic rising star who many in the party believe has broad enough appeal to finally flip the state for the first time in over two decades.

Cornyn expressed worry about Talarico’s fundraising abilities, citing the $27 million he raised in the first quarter of the year. He asserted that if Paxton wins, “there will be a tsunami of money coming into the state from outside.”

He also asserted that “it’s not only that Senate seat he [Paxton] puts at risk, it’s also all the down-ballot races, state legislative races, local races, like the judges and the like.”

“We haven’t elected a Democrat in statewide office since 1994 in Texas,” he said. “President Trump is not running, so the Senate race will be at the top, and I believe that I will be in a better position to help provide a significant margin, a winning margin, not only in my case, but also to help everybody down ballot.”

“I don’t think the attorney general can do that because of the significant baggage he brings into the race, which jeopardizes success from the top to the bottom,” he said.

Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate.

TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN TEXAS SENATE RUNOFF CLASH BETWEEN CORNYN AND PAXTON

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has leaned heavily on President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his Senate runoff campaign against Sen. John Cornyn.(Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News/Getty Images)

The attorney general is also dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing “biblical grounds” based on “recent discoveries” in filing last year to end their marriage.

Despite this and Cornyn’s status as a longtime fixture of the Republican Party, it is Paxton who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

Trump said, “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.” Pointing to the senator’s past criticism of him, Trump added, “John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency.”

Cornyn, in turn, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda, telling Fox News Digital, “President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we’ve worked with him closely for both terms of office.”

Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed.

ON EVE OF REPUBLICAN SENATE RUNOFF ELECTION, GOP SEN JOHN CORNYN TELLS FOX NEWS DIGITAL ‘TEXANS CAN BE PRETTY INDEPENDENT’

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, center, campaigns at a meet and greet in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 22, 2026, days ahead of the runoff election for the GOP Senate nomination.(Luke Travisan/Fox News)

“John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can go back over about a decade and see that he was not for the border wall,” Paxton charged in an interview on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.”

Paxton also argued that the senator “fought the president’s reelection. He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So, this is not a pro-Trump guy. I don’t know if we could be more different on the Republican issues than John Cornyn and me. So, there is a vast difference between the two of us.”

Cornyn pushed back.

“I don’t know how much more with him I could be than 99.3% of the time,” the senator told Fox News Digital.

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“I want him to be successful. I want America to be successful, and I want Republicans to be successful. But you know, in the end, as I said, Texans are the only ones going to be able to make a choice, and I think Texans can be pretty independent,” Cornyn added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico for comment.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.