Trump says Iran ceasefire on ‘life support’ ahead of high-stakes Xi meeting

The Iran ceasefire hangs by a thread as President Donald Trump heads to China. His next move could shape whether talks hold or collapse.

Plus, passengers from a deadly outbreak ship are now in quarantine in Nebraska and Georgia. We take you to the facility in Omaha where sixteen passengers remain under close observation.

And tariff refunds are starting to hit company accounts after the court ruling. Billions are on the line, and not everyone will get paid.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

Trump says ceasefire is on ‘life support’ as he weighs next steps in Iran war

The U.S. and Iran are still far from a deal, with President Donald Trump rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal and warning the ceasefire was barely holding.

“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living,’” Trump said Monday.

The president heads to China on Tuesday, with this standoff likely to shape those talks with President Xi Jinping. He said he’s considering restarting “Project Freedom,” escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but said that would only be part of a larger response.

Sources said Trump is also weighing a return to combat operations. He met with his national security team Monday, with Pentagon officials pushing for a stronger response, while others continue to urge diplomacy.

“It’s unbelievably weak,” Trump said of the ceasefire. “I would say. I would call it the weakest right now. After reading that piece of garbage, they sent us. I didn’t even finish reading it. I said, ‘I’m not going to waste my time reading it.’ I would say it’s one of the weakest right now. It’s on life support.”

.@POTUS on Iran: They’re very dishonorable people, the leadership. They just change their mind. I’ve had that in business many times. These people, you make a deal, and then they send you a document that takes 5 days to get there when it should’ve been there in 20 minutes. pic.twitter.com/7PrMsiufPO

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 11, 2026

Iranian officials have dug in, saying there is “no alternative” to their plan. The country’s lead negotiator warned that without a deal, costs will continue to rise for the U.S.

One lawmaker threatened that if strikes resume, Iran could push uranium enrichment to 90%, which is considered weapons-grade. Right now, Iran’s stockpile is at about 60%.

18 passengers under US monitoring placed in Nebraska and Atlanta facilities

Two leading U.S. medical centers are closely monitoring 18 passengers from a cruise ship that experienced a hantavirus outbreak. In Nebraska, 16 of the passengers remain under quarantine in a specialized federal unit. One of those 16 passengers has tested positive for the virus.

Health officials said all 16 patients have remained asymptomatic.

Two additional patients are in Atlanta at Emory Hospital, where one person is now showing symptoms. Officials said that the transfer was made to free up space in Nebraska’s biocontainment unit.

Overseas, more passengers are still being moved.

Two evacuation flights just landed in the Netherlands, where a hospital has now quarantined a group of staff as a precaution after treating an infected patient.

The ship at the center of this, the MV Hondius, is now heading to Rotterdam with crew members still on board. So far, three people have died, and several others have tested positive.

Asked about the virus Monday in the Oval Office, Trump and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. downplayed any risk to the public.

“It seems like it is not easy to spread,” Trump said. “In fact, it’s in certain ways very hard to spread; it’s been, we’ve lived with it for years, many years, and we think we’re in very good shape, we’re very careful.”

Kennedy said, “We have this under control, and we’re not worried about it.”

Straight Arrow’s Craig Nigrelli visited Nebraska Medicine on Monday, where those 16 patients remain quarantined. Security was tight from the start, with the national media kept well back from the facility.

At one point, what appeared to be a high-ranking military official arrived and was escorted directly into the building.

Omaha police were also active around the hospital, with patrol cars moving through the area, lights flashing at times and keeping a close watch on who was coming and going.

By late morning, the scene had quieted down. The emergency department appeared calm: A sharp shift from what was likely a very active arrival just hours earlier.

Court allows Alabama to use GOP map, reversing lower court block on districts

Elections officials in Alabama are now rushing to adjust after a late move from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The justices cleared the way Monday for Alabama to use a Republican-drawn congressional map that lower courts previously found discriminatory. The court sent the case back for further review, pointing to a recent decision that narrowed parts of the Voting Rights Act.

The map at the center of this fight includes just one majority-Black district out of seven.

A court-ordered map used in 2024 created a second, and led to the election of two black members of Congress for the first time.

Now, this latest ruling could allow the state to drop that map before the midterms, potentially shifting control of another House seat.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, calling the timing “inappropriate,” and warned it could create confusion with the primary just a week away and voting already underway.

Virginia Democrats appeal congressional map ruling to SCOTUS

Virginia Democrats have escalated their fight over congressional maps straight to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to step in after the state’s highest court blocked a voter-approved plan.

The emergency appeal filed Monday argues the Virginia Supreme Court overstepped and ignored the will of voters who approved the new map in an April referendum.

In the filing, Democrats say the ruling forces the state to hold elections under districts that were never meant to be used:

“By forcing the commonwealth to conduct its congressional elections using districts different from those adopted, the Supreme Court of Virginia has deprived voters, candidates and the commonwealth of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts.” 

Voters had approved a plan last month that would have given Democrats an edge in four additional districts heading into the midterm election. But last week, the Virginia Supreme Court threw it out, ruling the process used to get that measure on the ballot violated the state constitution.

Now, Democrats are arguing the case turns on federal law, specifically how “Election Day” is defined, and say that opens the door for the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved.

That’s a rare ask.

The high court typically does not override state supreme courts on state constitutional questions.

However, the appeal follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that let states like Texas and Louisiana use new district maps, putting more pressure on the case.

Lawsuit seeks to halt reflecting pool renovation

A nonprofit has sued the trump administration over plans to paint the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool “American flag blue.”

The Cultural Landscape Foundation has asked a federal judge to halt the project, saying the administration skipped the required review under the National Historic Preservation Act. The group argues that the work is unlawful and that the pool should be restored to its original state until proper approval is obtained.

Trump has taken a direct role in the project and said he expects it to be finished within two weeks.

Meanwhile, work is also picking up on another project. Crews began early surveying at the proposed site of Trump’s triumphal arch in Washington.

Workers were seen marking off land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery with fencing and survey flags now in place.

That project is also facing a legal challenge.

And on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans are moving forward with a plan to provide up to $1 billion for security upgrades related to Trump’s White House ballroom project.

A federal judge ordered construction to stop in March, but an appeals court allowed work to resume last month. Demolition crews have already torn down the East Wing to make way for the project.

Lawmakers from both parties have raised questions about the plan, including how it’s being funded.

The next court hearing is set for June 5.

US companies collect tariff refunds after Supreme Court decision

After the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, the big question was whether companies would get their money back.

Now we have the answer, and the payouts are starting. The first wave of refunds has gone out. 

Major companies like Walmart, Target and Nike expect billions, while others, including General Motors and Macy’s, are looking at hundreds of millions.

The government set up an online portal last month for importers to file, similar to a tax return. Customs and Border Protection said about 330,000 entities have paid tariffs since last April, totaling roughly $166 billion.

Trump pushed back over the weekend, criticizing the ruling and the two justices he appointed. On Truth Social, he said the decision will cost the U.S. billions and argued the court could have blocked the refunds.

So far, about 75,000 businesses have filed claims. Officials said about 15% have been rejected, mostly due to paperwork issues or ineligible shipments.

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Why running coal plants beyond planned closures is costing hundreds of millions

The cost of a Trump administration policy ordering aging coal-fired power plants to stay open has exceeded $200 million, but the exact dollar amount is unknown. Utility ratepayers will likely foot the bill for keeping five power plants open past their planned retirement dates — and the costs continue to rise.

Starting in May 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began issuing 90-day emergency orders under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Ac, which require power plant units to remain available to provide electricity to the grid. Since then, operators of five coal plants from Michigan to Washington state have delayed plans to retire the plants, and kept staff ready to fire up electricity production. So far, a continuous stream of 90-day orders have been issued when the previous ones expire.

The DOE said its decisions to prevent coal plants from shutting down have guaranteed adequate electricity supply and potentially saved lives.

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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief