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Fetterman defends Erika Kirk’s emotional response to WHCA Dinner shooting: ‘What’s wrong with people?’

May 14, 2026 4:41pm EDT / Fox News

The Pennsylvania Democrat recalled a ‘very personal human interaction’ with Charlie Kirk’s widow after the shooting

By Hannah Brennan Fox News

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said his “heart breaks” for Erika Kirk after she had to live through the White House Correspondents’ Dinner assassination attempt not even a year following her husband’s murder.

The Pennsylvania Democrat described their exchange as a “very personal human interaction” amid the chaos of the shooting as he recalled to Fox News Digital a conversation he had with the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“How triggering that must have been for her,” Fetterman said.

“I expressed how sorry I am,” he detailed of the moment. “She was frantic, understandably, after her husband was assassinated.”

DEMOCRAT JOHN FETTERMAN DECRIES ‘DEHUMANIZING’ ATTACK AGAINST CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW ERIKA

Sen. John Fetterman defended Erika Kirk following the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, calling attacks targeting the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk “bonkers” while also weighing in on Iran, China and defense spending.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Fetterman expressed his frustration over online attacks targeting Kirk following the shooting after a video went viral that showed her leaving the hotel in tears and pleading: “I just want to go home.”

“It blows,” he said. “People attack a widow. I mean what’s wrong with people? That’s bonkers.”

Kirk’s husband was assassinated in September during one of his famous college outreach events on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Fetterman has often been lauded as the lone Democrat willing to go across party lines to vote with and side with Republicans on a handful of issues — this includes his support for Israel.

FETTERMAN CALLS FOR US TO SUPPLY ANYTHING ISRAEL NEEDS FOR IRAN ATTACK: ‘MILITARY, INTELLIGENCE, WEAPONRY’

President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington on April 1, 2026.(Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Beyond the emotional aftermath of the shooting, Fetterman also weighed in on escalating tensions with Iran, signaling his support for prioritizing U.S. foreign policy and defense to restrain nuclear threats.

When asked about President Donald Trump’s proposed gas tax relief, Fetterman pivoted to emphasizing the need to continue applying pressure on Iran to disarm and abandon its nuclear ambitions.

“I think it’s important to stand and demand Iran to surrender its nuclear material,” he said. “I mean, my views haven’t changed.”

Fetterman has previously called out members in his party for criticizing Trump’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, citing their opposition may give Iran hope Trump will succumb to political pressure to pull back. He was the only Democrat on Wednesday to vote against a Senate war powers resolution aiming to limit American involvement in the conflict with Iran — for the seventh time.

He also suggested China should take a more assertive role in pressuring Iran and share in the economic consequences.

“I think China should feel that pain,” Fetterman said. “I think that’s entirely appropriate. Why can’t China demand that?”

“Why not? Unless they want to create Iran as a nuclear power, and that would be incredibly dangerous for the whole world peace.”

IRAN FUNDING EMERGES AS KEY TEST FOR JOHNSON’S RAZOR-THIN HOUSE MAJORITY

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a meeting with Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary To Lam at the Office of the Party Central Committee in Hanoi on April 14, 2025.(NHAC NGUYEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program continue, China has been scrutinized by U.S. officials over its economic ties to Iran, including allegations that Chinese entities have helped Tehran evade sanctions and supported its military infrastructure.

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Fetterman also indicated his support for Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027 — the largest request ever made by an administration.

“I’m very open to this,” he said. “The idea that we are the arsenal of the free world.”

“It’s really important to make sure that we have whatever’s necessary to defend democracy in the global stage.”

Hannah Brennan is a Digital Production Assistant on the Politics team. She previously interned at the Aspen Daily News, where she covered local government meetings, community developments, cultural events and nationally significant political events. Her reporting included coverage of the Aspen Security Forum and appearances by prominent leaders such as former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. She graduated early with high distinction from the University of Colorado Boulder in December 2025 and joined Fox News Digital in January 2026.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395581735112

Supreme Court allows telehealth and mail access to mifepristone for now

2026-05-14T21:30:24.217Z / CNN

By John Fritze, Devan Cole

Updated May 14, 2026, 6:02 PM ET

PUBLISHED May 14, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

People pass in front of the US Supreme Court building on May 4, in Washington, DC.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed women to continue to access the abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth visits, maintaining the status quo while officials in Louisiana continue to push for limiting availability of the drug in lower courts.

The conservative Supreme Court imposed a pause on a May 1 decision from the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals that abruptly required women to obtain the drug through in-person visits. The focus will now return to the New Orleans-based appeals court, which will decide the merits of Louisiana’s challenge.

The court did not explain its reasoning, nor did it disclose the vote count. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the decision.

The order landed nearly half an hour after an earlier “administrative” stay extending widespread access to the drug expired at 5 p.m. ET.

“The court’s unreasoned order granting stays in this case is remarkable,” Alito wrote in his dissent.

“What is at stake,” he added, “is the perpetration of a scheme to undermine our decision” overturning Roe v. Wade four years ago.

Thomas wrote in a brief solo dissent that he thought a long-dormant 19th Century law that bans the mailing of drugs used for abortions, as well as the state’s strict abortion ban, barred the manufacturers from getting courts to intervene on their behalf.

The companies, he wrote, “are not entitled to a stay of an adverse court order based on lost profits from their criminal enterprise. They cannot, in any legally relevant sense, be irreparably harmed by a court order that makes it more difficult for them to commit crimes.”

Also notable was that the court did not agree to hear arguments in the case, as both sides had asked it to do. Instead, the decision means the merits of the case will now be hashed out in a federal appeals court and the issue will likely reach the Supreme Court again in the future.

Related article Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa, CNN Tracking the major Supreme Court cases of 2026 1 min read

The case is the most significant involving abortion to reach the high court since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 precedent that established a constitutional right to abortion. And both the case and mifepristone are heavily wrapped up in that decision. After the fall of Roe in 2022, many conservative states banned in-clinic abortions, which increased demand for mifepristone.

Women have been able to obtain mifepristone – one of the two drugs in the medication abortion regimen – through telehealth appointments since the pandemic. President Joe Biden’s Food and Drug Administration finalized that situation in 2023, ending the requirement that the medication be obtained through an in-person doctor’s visit.

As conservative states responded to the Supreme Court’s decision by banning or severely limiting access to clinic abortions, demand for use of telehealth to access mifepristone increased. Medication abortions were already the most common option — they account for more than 60% of abortions in the US, according to Guttmacher Institute research. And the Society of Family Planning, a research group that has opposed mifepristone restrictions, estimates that roughly 1 in 4 abortions nationwide were provided through telehealth in 2025, up from up from fewer than 1 in 10 in 2022.

Related article Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, are seen at the Women’s Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. Mifepristone is taken first to stop the pregnancy, followed by Misoprostol to induce bleeding. – In the wake of Friday’s ruling by the US Supreme Court striking down Roe v Wade and the federally protected right to an abortion, women from Texas and other states are traveling to clinics like the Women’s Reproductive Health Clinic in New Mexico for legal abortion services under the state’s more liberal laws. – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images What is mifepristone? 4 min read

Data analyzed by CNN show that mifepristone is safer than other common, low-risk prescription drugs, including penicillin and Viagra. There were five deaths associated with mifepristone use for every 1 million people in the US who have used the drug since its approval in 2000, according to the FDA as of 2023.

Louisiana sued the FDA over that policy last year, asserting in part that the Biden-era regulation undermined its own strict abortion ban. A federal district court in April partly sided with the state, finding that the FDA’s new policy was arbitrary because, it said, the agency did not have adequate data to gauge the drug’s safety. But the district court blocked its decision from taking effect to give the FDA time to complete an ongoing review of the drug.

But a 5th Circuit panel of three judges, all appointed by Republican presidents, put the FDA’s rule about mifepristone on hold immediately earlier this month. That meant that women seeking to access the drug were suddenly required to do so with in person visits. Medical providers who spoke to CNN described the hours following that order as some of the “craziest” and most “chaotic” they’ve experienced.

Danco Laboratories, the maker of mifepristone, raced up to the Supreme Court on May 2 with an emergency appeal, warning of the chaos. GenBioPro, which makes a generic version of the drug, filed its own appeal asserting that the 5th Circuit’s ruling risked “cutting off access for patients nationwide.”

The appeal is largely a repeat of an issue the justices just took up two years ago. In 2024, a unanimous court rejected a lawsuit challenging the same FDA regulation dealing with the same drug. But the court resolved that dispute by concluding a group of doctors and anti-abortion organizations that challenged access to the drug did not have standing to sue. That technical, narrow decision meant that future challenges were almost guaranteed to reach the justices again.

“We recognize that many citizens, including the plaintiff doctors here, have sincere concerns about and objections to others using mifepristone and obtaining abortions,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court. “But citizens and doctors do not have standing to sue simply because others are allowed to engage in certain activities – at least without the plaintiffs demonstrating how they would be injured by the government’s alleged under-regulation of others.”

Similar questions are already being raised about whether Louisiana has standing to sue over a decision by the FDA to regulate a drug on a nationwide basis. The state has made two claims to argue it can bring its suit, first that it has suffered “sovereign harm” because the drug use allows women to effectively bypass the state’s ban on abortion. But that theory rests on the idea that the state can stop activity beyond its border to enforce its laws.

Louisiana also says it has suffered an economic injury because of state-funded Medicaid costs for women who take mifepristone and endure costly complications. But the Supreme Court rejected the idea that parties could claim “downstream” economic injuries from an FDA-approved drug just two years ago in the earlier mifepristone case.

The dynamic of defending the FDA rule on mifepristone – for now – has put the Trump administration in the unusual position of being on the outs with anti-abortion groups, who want the White House to reverse Biden’s expanded access to the drug. So far the administration has declined to do so, and it opposed Louisiana’s challenge at the 5th Circuit. Even though the legal fight before the Supreme Court deals with a decision by the FDA, the agency has said nothing – allowing a deadline to submit a brief pass without comment.

CNN’s Tierney Sneed and Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional details.

特朗普谈中国行 冀中美关系更上层楼

2026年5月15日 07:08 / 联合早报

特朗普时隔九年，再次以美国总统身份访华。 图为5月14日，习近平和特朗普在北京人民大会堂举行的国宴上握手。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普在社交媒体上说，他希望美国和中国的关系“比以往任何时候都更加牢固”。

正在北京访问的特朗普星期五（5月15日）在Truth Social贴长文，称中国国家主席习近平“非常委婉地提到美国可能是一个正在衰落的国家时，他指的是我们在‘瞌睡虫’’拜登四年执政期间所遭受的巨大损害，他是百分之百正确的”。

特朗普写道：“习近平主席指的并非美国在特朗普政府执政的16个月里向世界展现的惊人崛起，包括股市和401K退休金计划创历史新高、在委内瑞拉取得军事胜利并建立蓬勃发展的关系、对伊朗的军事打击（未完待续！）——迄今全球最强大的军队、再次成为经济强国（其他国家对美国的投资高达创纪录的18万亿美元）、美国历史上最好的就业市场（目前在美国工作的人数比以往任何时候都多）、终结了破坏国家的多元、公平和包容政策，以及其他数不胜数的成就。事实上，习近平主席祝贺我，在如此短的时间内取得了如此多的巨大成就。”

18万亿美元约为23万亿新元。

特朗普还写道：“两年前，我们确实是一个正在衰落的国家。对此，我完全同意习近平主席的看法！但现在，美国是世界上最炙手可热的国家，希望我们与中国的关系能够比以往任何时候都更加牢固、更上层楼！”

特朗普和习近平15日将举行双边茶叙和工作午餐，之后特朗普就结束访华行程，返回华盛顿。

U.S. moving to indict Cuba’s Raúl Castro, sources say

2026-05-14 19:06 EDT / CBS News

By Jennifer Jacobs, Sarah N. Lynch
Updated on: May 14, 2026 / 7:24 PM EDT / CBS News

The U.S. is taking steps to indict Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of Fidel, in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The potential indictment — which would need to be approved by a grand jury — is expected to focus on Cuba’s deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

Raúl Castro, then president of Cuba, during a visit to France on Feb. 1, 2016. Chesnot / Getty Images

The plan comes as the U.S. heaps pressure on the Cuban government. The Trump administration has threatened heavy tariffs on any country that exports oil to Cuba, leading to energy shortages as oil shipments are largely cut off. President Trump has pressed for major reforms in Cuba and has floated a “friendly takeover” of the country.

Raúl Castro formally stepped down as the leader of Cuba’s Communist Party in 2021, but he is still widely seen as one of the most powerful figures in the country. His grandson Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as “Raulito,” is viewed as both a representative of the 94-year-old and a key point of contact between the U.S. and Cuba.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with the younger Castro on Thursday, following an earlier U.S. visit last month. Ratcliffe personally delivered President Trump’s message that the U.S. is “prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,” a CIA official said. The official added that Cuba can “no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.”

Miami’s top federal prosecutor several months ago spearheaded a new initiative targeting Cuban communist leaders. That initiative, which involves federal and local law enforcement and the U.S. Treasury Department, is pursuing prosecutions involving economic crimes, drugs, violent crimes and immigration-related violations, with a focus on targeting those in the Communist Party leadership, CBS News previously reported.

blob:https://www.cbsnews.com/690496e0-9837-4838-bb37-77fd46598fde

Earlier this year, Florida’s attorney general said at a news conference in March that he was re-opening a shuttered state investigation into the same 1996 plane incident.

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott has also recently called on the Justice Department to charge Castro and bring him to justice in the United States.

This is a breaking story; it will be updated.

Explainer: US Supreme Court ruling preserves abortion pill access for now as other challenges loom

2026-05-14 23:18:13 UTC / Reuters

By Daniel Wiessner

May 14, 2026 11:18 PM UTC Updated 26 mins ago

May 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court has for now refused to block a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be prescribed via a telehealth appointment and dispensed through the mail, preserving access to a drug used in more than 60% of U.S. abortions.

WHAT IS MIFEPRISTONE?

Mifepristone, first approved by the FDA in 2000 ​under the brand name Mifeprex, blocks the effects of the hormone progesterone, which is essential for maintaining a pregnancy. It is generally taken as part ‌of a two-drug regimen with misoprostol, which aids in emptying the uterus. The FDA initially approved mifepristone in 2000 for use in the first seven weeks of pregnancy, and raised that to 10 weeks in 2016.

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WHAT DOES THE FDA RULE DO?

Adopted during the administration of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, the 2023 rule removed a prior requirement that mifepristone be prescribed and dispensed in person. That allows the drug ​to be prescribed via telehealth appointments and distributed through the mail. The FDA in 2023 also established strict requirements for retail pharmacies to sell mifepristone.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ​IN THE CASE?

The Supreme Court’s decision stems from a 2025 lawsuit by Louisiana, which argued that the FDA rule was unlawful and ⁠has allowed medication abortions to skyrocket despite the state’s near-total ban on abortion.

The Republican-led state is appealing a federal judge’s decision to stay the lawsuit until a new FDA ​review of the safety of mifepristone is complete. That review has been delayed until after the November midterm elections, according to media reports.

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The appeal is pending at the New Orleans-based 5th ​U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is widely considered the most conservative federal appeals court. The 2023 rule will remain in effect until that appeal is decided or the case returns to the Supreme Court on further appeal.

ARE THERE OTHER CHALLENGES TO MIFEPRISTONE ACCESS?

Boxes of mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at Women’s Reproductive Clinic of New Mexico in Santa Teresa, U.S., January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Two other pending lawsuits by five Republican-led states have the potential to curb access to abortion drugs even more drastically, including by cutting it off altogether.

In December, ​Texas and Florida filed a lawsuit targeting the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 and several subsequent approvals and regulations that eased access, including the mail-order access rule. ​And separately, Missouri, Kansas and Idaho are arguing that the FDA acted improperly when it eased restrictions on mifepristone in 2016.

As it did in Louisiana’s case, the Trump administration has asked judges to pause ‌both of ⁠those lawsuits pending the FDA review of mifepristone. Texas and Florida have agreed to a pause but drugmakers GenBioPro and Danco Laboratories, which intervened in the case to defend the FDA regulations, oppose it.

ARE THERE ANY LAWSUITS SEEKING TO EXPAND ACCESS?

Physicians and medical groups are challenging FDA rules also adopted in 2023 requiring providers and pharmacies to be certified to prescribe and dispense mifepristone and to obtain a signed authorization from patients. They claim the restrictions are unwarranted because mifepristone is safe and effective.

A federal judge in Hawaii ruled last year that ​the FDA had failed to explain why the ​dispensing requirements were necessary and directed ⁠the agency to reconsider them, but said the rules would remain in place in the meantime. A judge in Virginia is expected to rule soon in a similar case, which the FDA is seeking to pause pending its review.

Separately, challenges are pending to laws in West ​Virginia, North Carolina and Louisiana that limit access to mifepristone despite its approval on the federal level.

HOW COULD STATES THAT BAN OR ​RESTRICT ABORTION RESPOND?

If courts ⁠preserve access to mifepristone, more states could move to limit it by prosecuting out-of-state doctors who prescribe it within their borders. In an unprecedented interstate conflict, a New York state judge in October rejected a bid by the Texas attorney general’s office to order a New York county to enforce a $100,000 judgment against a doctor for sending abortion pills to Texas, which has appealed ⁠the ruling.

The case ​will test New York’s so-called shield law precluding the enforcement of other states’ abortion bans against New Yorkers. ​About 20 other states have similar laws.

Texas and Louisiana also passed laws in 2025 allowing private citizens to sue anyone who mails or distributes abortion medication to or from the state. A California doctor who was the ​first person sued under Texas’ law has asked a federal judge to rule that it is unconstitutional.

Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Sanjeev Miglani

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

China cozies up as Trump touts delegation of richest business heavyweights at Xi summit

2026-05-14T18:30:10-04:00 / Fox News

By Amanda Macias, Fox News

Published May 14, 2026 6:30pm EDT

U.S.-China trade discussions intensify as President Trump’s administration navigates complex issues, including U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to allow Nvidia H200 chip sales to 10 Chinese firms. Experts also warn against allowing Chinese electric vehicles into the American market, citing intellectual property theft concerns. Geopolitical and economic stability for both nations remain central to the ongoing talks.

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As details emerge from President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a key reality is coming into focus: China still wants U.S. business and Trump may have the upper hand.

Trump’s high-profile business delegation highlights the economic balancing act the two nations are seeking to strike. Xi wants investment and continued access to American corporate power, while Trump is positioning himself to use trade pressure and market access as leverage with Beijing.

The heavyweight lineup alongside Trump for the trip includes tech executives like Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra and Meta’s Dina Powell McCormick.

The overlap between politics and business was clear even before the meetings began. Huang was reportedly added to Trump’s trip at the last minute. He even secured a seat on Air Force One — a sign of Nvidia’s central role in the global chip race and broader U.S.-China tech tensions.

TRUMP GETS RED-CARPET WELCOME IN CHINA, BUT PAST BEIJING TRIP SHOWS PAGEANTRY ONLY GOES SO FAR

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, arrived in Beijing aboard Air Force One as part of President Donald Trump’s delegation for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.(Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance/Getty Images)

Also on the trip were Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon.

Many joining the president rank among the world’s wealthiest business leaders. Musk, for example, is the richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, while Schwarzman and Huang have amassed fortunes in the tens of billions.

Together, the group represents trillions in corporate power with deep business ties to China despite years of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Their companies still rely heavily on Chinese consumers, manufacturing and supply chains, even as Washington and Beijing clash over tariffs, technology and national security.

That influence is already showing up in the talks.

Both sides discussed expanding access for U.S. companies into Chinese markets, a top priority for executives on the trip. Xi said his opportunities in his country “will only open wider and wider,” according to Chinese state media.

‘INTENSE STANDOFF’ ERUPTS BETWEEN SECRET SERVICE, CHINESE OFFICIALS DURING TRUMP-XI EVENT: REPORT

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang arrived with President Donald Trump’s delegation to Beijing, China.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

At the same time, Washington is weighing steps that directly affect those firms. The U.S. could allow Nvidia to sell its H200 chips, a step below its most advanced semiconductors, to a limited number of Chinese companies, according to Reuters, even as broader disputes over artificial intelligence and export controls remain unresolved.

They also discussed increased Chinese investment in the U.S. and purchases of American goods, including beef, soybeans and Boeing aircraft, long-standing trade pressure points.

But the cooperative tone was also laced with threats.

Xi warned against a potential clash between the U.S. and China and delivered a blunt message on Taiwan, a key flashpoint and hub for advanced semiconductor production.

That mix of outreach and tension is where Trump sees an opening.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping represent the world’s two most powerful economies.(Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)

If U.S. companies are still seeking access and Beijing is signaling it wants them there, Trump can argue economic pressure is working — strengthening his case for tariffs, export controls and tougher trade terms.

Executives are pushing for greater access and stability in China while navigating a U.S. strategy built on economic pressure and national security concerns — underscoring both the importance of the market and the leverage Washington believes it holds.

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Trump has already invited Xi to visit the White House in September, signaling more talks ahead. For now, Beijing’s message is clear: China still wants American business.

Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395518566112

CIA Director John Ratcliffe makes rare trip to Cuba as island nation faces energy crisis

May 14, 2026 / 7:31 PM EDT / CBS News

By Olivia Gazis

Olivia Gazis

Olivia Gazis covers intelligence and international security matters for CBS News. Twice Emmy-nominated, she has traveled worldwide with the secretary of state and contributes reporting on intelligence, foreign policy and other security topics across CBS News broadcast, radio, online and streaming platforms.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana, Cuba, on Thursday for a rare meeting with senior Cuban officials, an agency official told CBS News, using the visit to deliver a message that the U.S. was prepared to expand economic and security engagement with Cuba if Havana “makes fundamental changes.”

The meeting came as Cuba is contending with a massive power failure to its national energy grid amid U.S. sanctions that have caused an oil and gas shortage crisis to the island nation.

Ratcliffe met with Raúl Rodriguez Castro — the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Multiple U.S. officials later confirmed to CBS News Thursday that the U.S. is taking steps to indict the 94-year-old Raúl Castro in connection with Cuba’s deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue. Raúl Castro is the brother of Fidel Castro.

Also in Thursday’s meeting were Cuban Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuba’s intelligence services, the CIA official said, adding the group “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.”

Ratcliffe told Cuban leaders the administration was offering “a genuine opportunity for collaboration” and a chance to stabilize Cuba’s struggling economy, while cautioning that the opportunity would not remain open indefinitely and the administration would enforce “red lines” if necessary, the official said.

The meeting in Havana follows a series of public comments from President Trump that talks with Cuba were imminent. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump said “Cuba is asking for help,” and indicated talks would begin “at the right time.”

Cuban officials publicly confirmed Thursday’s meeting, characterizing it as part of efforts to maintain political dialogue despite what Havana called “complex bilateral relations.”

Cuban state media said officials had sought to convince the U.S. delegation that Cuba does not threaten American national security and should be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Earlier this week, the State Department renewed an offer to provide an additional $100 million in direct humanitarian aid to the Cuban people through the Catholic Church and other independent groups, saying the assistance could move forward if Havana permitted it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Cuba’s government of blocking aid and refusing offers of support, including satellite internet access, amid the island’s deepening economic crisis.

Cuban authorities said the island nation’s national energy grid suffered a major failure early Thursday that severed power to the island’s eastern provinces. Cuba’s leaders have said they would accept the aid as long as it comes “in full conformity with the universally recognized practices for humanitarian assistance.”

In January, Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas to meet with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, marking the first Cabinet-level U.S. visit since the American operation that removed former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

U.S. officials at the time said Ratcliffe carried a message from Mr. Trump that Washington was open to an “improved working relationship,” while warning Venezuela could no longer serve as a haven for narcotraffickers and other U.S. adversaries.

Trump administration officials have increasingly framed Cuba, along with Venezuela, as part of a wider geopolitical contest in the Western Hemisphere involving China, Russia and Iran.

特朗普称中国同意订购200架波音飞机 数量低于预期

2026年5月15日 07:23 / 联合早报

特朗普透露中国同意购买200架波音飞机后，波音公司股价下跌4%。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普星期四（5月14日）告诉福克斯新闻，中国已同意购买200架波音飞机，这一数字远低于分析师的预期。特朗普宣布此消息后，波音公司股价下跌4%。

中国订购波音飞机的细节包括交付时间和具体机型尚未公布，但订购数量远少于此前路透社引述消息人士说的约500架飞机。

中国国家主席习近平14日上午在北京人民大会堂同来华进行国事访问的特朗普举行会谈。特朗普过后接受福克斯新闻主持人汉尼访问时说：“他（指习近平）今天同意了一件事，他同意订购200架飞机……200架大型飞机。”

一项大额的波音订单是此次中美峰会预计将达成的众多商业协议之一。此外，中美峰会还可能延长去年10月达成的脆弱贸易休战协议。根据中美休战协议，特朗普暂停对中国进口商品征收高达三位数的关税，而习近平同意放松对美国出口稀土的限制。

波音股价14日下跌了4.1%。白宫尚未就华尔街对特朗普讲话的反应作出回应。

中国上一次向波音订购飞机是在2017年。自2018年以来，欧洲空中客车公司在中国的飞机交付量已经超过波音。

Trump is cutting the numbers of US troops in Europe. Here’s how

2026-05-14 5:22 PM ET / CNN

By Haley Britzky

Updated May 14, 2026, 7:02 PM ET

Troops from the US Army stand before they take part in live fire exercises during the multinational DEFENDER Europe 20 military exercises at the Drawsko Pomorskie training grounds on August 11, 2020, at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.

Maja Hitij/Getty Images

This week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly cancelled two US military deployments to Europe and ordered the removal of other personnel from the continent, according to two defense officials, in a series of moves meant to reduce the number of US troops following criticism by President Donald Trump about support from European allies.

A memo signed by Hegseth abruptly halted the scheduled deployment of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which was expected to rotate through Poland and other countries including the Baltic states and Romania, the two defense officials said. Some personnel from the brigade were already in Europe and now must redeploy back to the US.

The memo also cancelled the future deployment to Germany of a battalion that specializes in firing long-range rockets and missiles, the defense officials said, and has directed that a command in Europe overseeing those capabilities be removed from the continent.

The change comes after Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who had said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and has repeatedly criticized NATO countries for not participating in the Iran war. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on May 1 that the Pentagon would withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from Germany, after “a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe.”

The cancellation of scheduled rotations and deployments could be a way to work around the logistical challenges of quickly withdrawing forces who are permanently stationed in Germany, particularly those whose families are also stationed there, while still bringing numbers down. There are roughly 4,700 soldiers in the brigade combat team whose deployment to Europe has been cancelled, and over 500 soldiers in the long-range rocket and missile battalion, one of the defense officials said.

As of 2025 there were roughly 38,000 US troops in Germany, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, and 80,000 troops in Europe overall.

Defense Department talking points on the troop level changes reviewed by CNN tie the decision directly to frustration with Europe and Germany in particular, saying that European nations “have not stepped up when America needed them,” and that “recent Germany rhetoric has been inappropriate and unhelpful.”

“The President is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the talking points say. They also say the decision will “help restore readiness” and send a clear signal that Germany and other allies must take over primary responsibility for Europe’s defense.

The Defense Department declined to comment on the deployment cancellations and on the prepared talking points.

It’s unclear how many soldiers with 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team who were already in Europe will now be redeploying back to the US. The talking points say that the Biden administration “surged US brigade combat teams” in Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but such a move “was always intended to be temporary.”

The battalion focused on long-range missiles — 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment — was expected to deploy to Germany later this year and “ultimately be stationed in Germany in the years ahead,” the prepared talking points say.

The announcement of the intent to withdraw troops has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill; the Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees said in a statement they were “very concerned” by the decision.

“Germany has stepped up in response to President Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing, and overflight for US forces in support of Operation Epic Fury,” Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers said in a joint statement on May 2 after the planned reduction of troops in Germany was first announced.

The 2026 funding bill for the Pentagon said that the US military could not have under 76,000 troops permanently stationed or deployed to Europe for more than 45 days without providing a series of notifications and certifications to Congress about strategy.

On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told reporters that the cancellation of the deployment to Poland “came as a surprise.”

“As far as I know, we weren’t notified about it,” said Shaheen, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“It is, I think, very short sighted,” she said. “It sends the wrong message — wrong message to Vladimir Putin, wrong message to China, wrong message to Iran.”

Military officials have made clear that Russia still poses a threat to the US and its allies in Europe. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, commander of US European Command and the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told lawmakers in March that Russia “is an enduring regional challenger, capable of threatening the US homeland.”

“Despite significant losses in Ukraine,” Grynkewich also said during an earlier hearing, “Russia retains the capability and the capacity to threaten US interests with its large and increasingly diverse nuclear stockpile, asymmetric capabilities and competent ground, air and maritime forces.”

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this story.

House investigating GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards over sexual harassment allegations

2026-05-14 / The Washington Post

The North Carolina congressman said he would cooperate with the probe by the Ethics Committee into his conduct toward female aides.

May 14, 2026 at 6:04 p.m. EDT Yesterday at 6:04 p.m. EDT

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-North Carolina) at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

By Anna Liss-Roy

The House Ethics Committee publicly confirmed Thursday that it is investigating allegations regarding the conduct of Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-North Carolina) toward female staffers.

In a statement, the panel said that is reviewing allegations that Edwards “may have created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.”

Aides to Edwards acknowledged last week that an inquiry was underway and said he welcomed the opportunity to counter what they described as “baseless” claims.

In a statement Thursday, Edwards said he would cooperate with the investigation.

“As I have stated, I welcome any investigation and plan to comply fully with the Committee. I am confident the investigation will expose the facts, not politically motivated fiction,” Edwards said.

A person familiar with the investigation said last week that staff members on the ethics panel had reached out to at least two former Edwards staffers who said they felt uncomfortable with the way the congressman interacted with them. Among the actions being scrutinized are Edwards’s remarks, his purchase of gifts and his hiring decisions, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share information the panel has not made public.

The Washington Post has not independently confirmed any allegations against Edwards.

The Republican lawmaker is facing a reelection challenge by Democrat Jamie Ager, a farmer from the mountainous swing district that Democrats see as a pickup opportunity as they seek to win back the House majority. Earlier this year, the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, added the district to its “red-to-blue” list, signaling its intention to invest in the race.

The Ethics Committee’s confirmation of the Edwards investigation comes days after it released new information on its probe into Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida). The panel has said it is investigating “serious and complex” allegations against Mills, including possible domestic violence, which he has strenuously denied.

The panel also recently publicly requested information from any victims of sexual misconduct by members of Congress and others aware of such incidents.

Last month, two lawmakers facing Ethics Committee investigations related to alleged sexual misconduct — Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-California) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) — resigned ahead of possible expulsion votes.

Swalwell faces allegations of sexual assault of a former staffer, among other misconduct, which he has denied. Gonzales acknowledged an affair with a staffer who later set herself on fire and died. House rules prohibit sexual relationships between lawmakers and staff members.