National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Hear Los Angeles Schools COVID Vaccine Case | 19 May 2026 | The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal challenging the constitutionality of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The court rejected the case without comment, upholding a 2025 federal appeals court ruling dismissing the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by Health Freedom Defense Fund and LAUSD employees with California Educators for Medical Freedom, alleged LAUSD’s vaccine mandate violated their fundamental rights to reject medical treatment. The mandate resulted in more than 1,000 employees losing their jobs.. Τhe 9th Circuit also found that LAUSD had a right to mandate the vaccines didn’t provide immunity or prevent transmission.

Israeli tech company aiming to cool the Earth with masses of tiny particles –Critics warn of dangers in manipulating weather | 14 May 2026 | An Israeli tech company has revealed the content of tiny particles it hopes will one day be used to combat “global warming” by scattering millions of tons of them into the atmosphere to reflect away sunlight, the New York Times reported Thursday. Stardust Solutions had previously kept the makeup of its geoengineering particles a closely guarded secret, protected with nondisclosure agreements. As it turns out, they are made from amorphous silica, which is a food additive, and calcium carbonate, which is in eggshells and limestone. The company, which is led by former figures from Israel’s nuclear program, on Thursday began publishing research papers on its product.

Outrage as cancer-linked chemicals are sprayed in skies over multiple U.S. states under controversial government program | 13 May 2026 | Thousands of acres of U.S. forests have been sprayed with a notorious chemical linked to cancer, as outrage and fear grow that the m-ney-making scheme will lead to a booming health crisis. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has been actively spraying the herbicide glyphosate over national forests in California and throughout the South for years, wiping out native shrubs, wildflowers, grasses and plants that naturally regrow after wildfires. Government records also show spraying has occurred in Maine, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon and multiple southern states tied to the timber industry, with the practice becoming common over 40 years ago. Now, the White House’s plans to expand the chemical spraying include adding another 10,000 acres in California’s Lassen National Forest, with that number reportedly growing to 75,000 acres in some fire zones.

U.S. officials want UAE to seize Iranian island | 17 May 2026 | Some U.S. officials are encouraging the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seize one of Iran’s islands in the Persian Gulf, The Telegraph has reported, citing sources. The island in question is Lavan, one of Iran’s key offshore oil export centers, which hosts refinery, storage and tanker-loading infrastructure connected to several major crude fields. It also sits atop a large natural gas reserve. Some in the circle of U.S. President Donald Trump have suggested the UAE should take the island, the outlet wrote on Saturday. “Go take ’em! It would be UAE boots on the ground instead of U.S.,” it cited a former senior Trump security official as saying.

U.S. and Israel preparing to renew attacks on Iran next week | 16 May 2026 | The U.S. and Israel are actively preparing for a renewal of hostilities with Iran and could resume attacks as early as next week, The New York Times has reported, citing sources. Indirect negotiations between Iran and the Trump White House have remained deadlocked since a fragile ceasefire was established in April following over a month of hostilities. Both sides have repeatedly dismissed the other’s demands as unrealistic, and both Tehran and Washington still insist they hold the upper hand. Two unnamed Middle East officials told the NYT on Friday that preparations for new strikes by Israel and the U.S. have greatly accelerated over the past few days, and the conflict could resume as early as next week, according to the sources.

2 Navy jets crash midair as crew successfully ejects during Idaho military base air show | 17 May 2026 | Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler jets collided midair during the second day of the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday, though all four crew members successfully ejected, the U.S. Navy confirmed to Fox News Digital. Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said the two aircraft were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 out of Whidbey Island, Washington. The midair crash happened at about 12:10 p.m. MDT while the aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration during the air show, Umayam said.

CDC restricts travel after Americans are exposed to Ebola virus that kills half of those infected | 18 May 2026 | The CDC is “mobilizing” a global response to an Ebola outbreak in Africa after “a small number of Americans” were exposed to the deadly virus. The agency said Sunday that an unspecified number of Americans based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are believed to have been exposed to the Ebola virus in the country’s latest outbreak. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has led to 10 confirmed cases, 336 suspected infections and 88 deaths in the DRC. There are also two confirmed cases and one death in neighboring Uganda.

American tests positive for rare incurable Ebola strain as outbreak spreads and kills more than 100 | 18 May 2026 | An American based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has contracted Ebola in the African nation’s latest outbreak. The CDC said Monday that an American doctor working with a medical missionary organization in the DRC developed Ebola after being exposed through work. The infected American is being evacuated to Germany, the CDC said. It’s unclear specifically why Germany was chosen, but it is home to the US Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which has specialized wards equipped to handle infectious diseases. An additional six individuals are also in the process of being evacuated to receive treatment or monitoring, Satish K. Pillai, an incident manager for the CDC’s Ebola response, said in a press conference.

New Ebola outbreak leaves 65 dead as officials warn of cross-border spread | 16 May 2026 | Africa’s top public health agency confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo on Friday after 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases were recorded in the country’s remote Ituri province. Health officials are now investigating whether the outbreak involves the Ebola Zaire strain — the deadliest and most well-known version of the virus — or a different variant, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neighboring Uganda also confirmed one Ebola-related death involving a Congolese man whose case officials said was imported from Congo.

Canadian from hantavirus-hit cruise ship tests positive | 16 May 2026 | A Canadian who sailed on the cruise ship MV Hondius which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak in April has tested positive for the disease, officials in the province of British Columbia say. The individual, one of four people isolating on Vancouver Island after leaving the ship, had developed mild symptoms. The province’s senior health officer said the four had not had any contact with the public since arriving in Canada. The case brings the total number of infections to 11, all among cruise passengers. Three people who travelled on the ship have died, with two confirmed to have had the virus.

CDC monitoring 41 people for hantavirus, no reported cases –Most people under monitoring are considered high risk exposures | 14 May 2026 | Federal health officials said they are monitoring 41 people in the U.S. for hantavirus but are not going to impose any movement restrictions on them. David Fitter, incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) hantavirus response, told reporters Thursday there no hantavirus cases in the U.S. Most of the affected people have been advised to remain at home and avoid contact with others during a 42-day monitoring period, Fitter said. Fitter said the people being monitored fall into three main categories: passengers who were repatriated from the MV Hondius and are now in Nebraska and Atlanta; passengers who had already left the ship and returned home before the outbreak was identified; and people who may have been exposed on flights where a symptomatic case was present.

Hospital on alert after hantavirus blood mishandling forces 12 staffers into quarantine | 13 May 2026 | A Dutch hospital has quarantined a dozen staff members after reports of a protocol breach involving a patient infected with hantavirus, hospital officials said Monday. The breach occurred last week at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, after the facility admitted a patient tied to a rare and deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship. The hospital said the patient’s blood and urine were not processed and were not disposed of using the strictest international protocols required for handling the specific hantavirus strain. “Because of these circumstances, 12 employees will go in preventive quarantine for six weeks as a precaution despite the fact that the chance of infection is small,” the hospital said.

IED near Alabama reservoir detonated after officials warn of ‘unprecedented’ critical infrastructure threat | 15 May 2026 | A grenade-type improvised explosive device was discovered and detonated in an Alabama reservoir that serves as the sole drinking water source for roughly 350,000 people, officials said Thursday. Divers surveying the Converse Reservoir Dam for routine maintenance discovered the bomb, which the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) described as a “grenade-type IED,” and immediately alerted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), according to authorities. The device was secured and detonated by a multi-agency team of operators including personnel from the FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordnance Detail, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Bomb Squad, MCSO and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team, according to MAWSS.

Underwater bomb discovered at base of dam holding entire city’s drinking water supply sparking massive federal response | 15 May 2026 | An explosive was discovered underwater at the base of a dam in Alabama that supplies the City of Mobile and the surrounding region with drinking water. The explosive was discovered on Wednesday by divers contracted by the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS), who were surveying the Converse Reservoir dam in Mobile County for routine maintenance and repairs. The divers immediately reported the device, which MAWSS described as “a grenade-type IED (improvised explosive device).” The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office was notified, and a huge, multi-agency response involving federal partners ensued. Those agencies included the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordnance Detail, ALEA Bomb Squad and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team. The explosive was retrieved and safely detonated on land away from the dam.

Fury as massive Georgia data center uses 30 million gallons of water through secret ‘unbilled’ pipes while residents suffer low pressure | 10 May 2026 | Georgia residents were left outraged when they discovered a massive data center had been guzzling up nearly 30 million gallons of water without paying for it. The issue began last year when residents in the affluent subdivision of Annelise Park in Fayetteville noticed their water pressure was unusually low, Politico reports. When the county utility then investigated the problem, officials discovered that developer Quality Technology Services (QTS) had installed two industrial-scale water hookups to the approximately 6.2 million square foot data center campus — located about 20 miles south of downtown Atlanta. One of the water connections appeared to have been installed without anyone at the water utility knowing, while the other was not linked to the company’s account — and it therefore was not being billed.

Shooter Who Sprayed Dozens of Rounds at Passing Cars in Cambridge Previously Got in Gunfight With Police, Freed By Woke Judge After Just 3 Years | 12 May 2026 | A 46-year-old career criminal with a long rap sheet, including a 2020 shootout in which he fired thirteen rounds at Boston police officers, was caught on video Monday afternoon walking down a major Boston-area roadway and indiscriminately opening fire on passing vehicles with a semi-automatic rifle. Tyler Brown, of Dorchester, sprayed 50 to 60 rounds along Memorial Drive in Cambridge around 1:30 p.m. on Monday. Two innocent drivers were struck and left in critical condition. Brown continued firing until a Massachusetts State Police trooper shot him, ending the rampage. A former Marine who was driving nearby also reportedly assisted in stopping the threat.

2 critically wounded when rifle-wielding career criminal opens fire on random cars in Massachusetts | 12 May 2026 | A gun-wielding career criminal opened fire at random cars driving down a Massachusetts roadway on Monday, leaving two men with life-threatening injuries before the maniac was shot by responding officers. Gunman Tyler Brown allegedly fired 50 to 60 rounds indiscriminately from an assault-style rifle as he erratically walked down Memorial Drive in Cambridge around 1:20 p.m., Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press conference. At 1:06 p.m., Cambridge police received a 911 call from Boston police, who said an individual acting erratically and in possession of a rifle was in Cambridge, Ryan said. Massachusetts State Police and Cambridge police arrived as Brown was actively firing down the road at stopped cars, authorities said.

Dozen injured after car rams into people in Italy – driver then stabs someone | 16 May 2026 | At least twelve people have sustained injuries, with four reportedly in critical condition, after a car rammed into them in the Italian city of Modena. The driver, described by the media as a “highly intoxicated” man of North African descent, was reportedly armed with a knife, and stabbed a person before being subdued by bystanders. While the motive remains unclear for the time being, terrorism is not being ruled out, according to Italian newspaper La Pressa.

Trump-backed challenger defeats Republican rebel Massie in primary | 19 May 2026 | Congressman Thomas Massie, one of the most vocal Republican critics of Donald Trump, has lost his fight for re-election to a challenger endorsed by the president. Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, will now compete in November’s midterm election after his victory in the Kentucky primary on Tuesday. The contest, the most expensive primary in the history of the House of Representatives, had been widely seen as a key test of President Trump’s decade-long grip on the Republican Party. Massie lost by 55 percent to 45 percent in the vote on Tuesday, marking a major victory for Trump who has successfully ousted a number of dissenting Republicans by endorsing a more loyal challenger.

Trump ally Tommy Tuberville cruises to Alabama GOP governor nomination | 19 May 2026 | Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a top Senate supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, cruised to the GOP gubernatorial nomination in his home state of Alabama on Tuesday. Tuberville defeated longshot rivals Ken McFeeters, an insurance agency owner, and Will Santivasci, a small business owner, to capture the Republican nomination in the solidly red state in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey. A former longtime college football coach — who spent 10 years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama — Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020. Tuberville ran as an outsider who was closely aligned with Trump.

California sees massive surge in Republican votes as more than 900K ballots already returned | 17 May 2026 | Early voters in the Golden State have already returned more than 900,000 ballots ahead of the June 2 Primary, showing a massive surge in Republican votes compared to four years ago for the governor’s race. A post on Saturday from the research firm Political Data (PDI) showed that out of 905,889 ballots that have been returned, 37% were from Republicans, with Republican returns up 11% compared to the same stage of the 2022 midterms. More shocking is the fact that the data showed 41% of Democrats who have returned their ballots, down 13 points from the same moment in the primary election four years ago. When comparing the 2022 numbers to 2026 the difference is stark.

Supreme Court deals blow to Virginia Democrats in fight over state court election map ruling | 15 May 2026 | Virginia Democrats suffered a major legal defeat after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a high-stakes redistricting dispute, leaving intact a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a voter-approved congressional map overhaul. The justices denied state Democrats’ emergency request to block the Virginia high court’s decision, which found the amendment process violated the state constitution because lawmakers advanced the proposal after early voting had already begun in the required intervening election cycle. SCOTUS acted in a brief unsigned order and no justice publicly dissented.