These are Monday’s top stories.
Headlines
American Passengers from Hantavirus-Infected Cruise Ship Evacuated to the U.S.
Passengers began disembarking from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, on Sunday morning, with the operation proceeding by nationality as individual countries’ evacuation flights became ready on the runway. The 17 American passengers aboard are being transported to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where teams will assess them for any necessary quarantine measures. As of Saturday, none of the 17 Americans had tested positive for hantavirus. Find out More
Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists at the Kremlin on Saturday that he believes the conflict in Ukraine is approaching a conclusion, saying, “I think things are moving toward a conclusion, but still, this is a serious matter.” His comments followed a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who said Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is “ready to hold a personal meeting” with Putin. Source
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Saturday it would launch a “heavy assault” on U.S. forces if Washington continued targeting vessels in the Persian Gulf, as Tehran said it was reviewing the U.S. peace proposal but that attacks in the Strait of Hormuz “cannot be ignored.” Source
Politics
The Justice Department moved to revoke the citizenship of 12 Americans, a step that has drawn legal scrutiny and advocacy group challenges as the Trump administration continues to pursue aggressive immigration enforcement actions. See Details
The Southern Poverty Law Center entered a not-guilty plea after the Justice Department charged the prominent civil rights organization with fraud, a case that has drawn sharp reactions across the political spectrum. Read More
A federal judge scheduled a criminal trial for former FBI Director James Comey for July 15, advancing a case that has drawn significant political attention. Find out More
U.S. News
Health experts and the WHO emphasized that the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius does not pose a transmission risk comparable to COVID-19, noting that the Andes strain spreads only among people in close proximity and has not historically caused widespread outbreaks. The CDC classified the situation as a Level 3 emergency response, but said the overall public health risk to Americans remains extremely low. Source
The CDC reported that 115 passengers fell ill in a norovirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship bound for Florida, adding to a weekend of troubling maritime health news amid the hantavirus situation unfolding overseas. Read More
Long Island Rail Road unions and management met in person over the weekend as the threat of a strike loomed, with no deal yet reached in ongoing contract negotiations that could disrupt service for hundreds of thousands of daily commuters. Find out More
Business
Wall Street looks ahead to a pivotal week, with the April Consumer Price Index report due Tuesday and economists expecting inflation to jump to 3.9% from 3.3% — a key data point that could push the Fed toward a rate hike. Monday also brings April existing home sales data, with earnings from Simon Property Group and Constellation Energy on the docket. Source
A New York appeals court granted Fox News expanded access to Smartmatic’s internal records as part of the $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit, allowing the network to investigate whether Smartmatic’s alleged financial harm stemmed from its own legal troubles — including a Justice Department indictment — rather than from Fox’s 2020 election broadcasts. Read More
Investors are treating the upcoming U.S.-China summit on May 14-15 as a critical deadline for progress toward ending the war in Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts warn that if the Strait remains closed beyond the summit, markets could face a significant selloff as the timeline for resolution extends further. See Details
World News
The Trump-brokered three-day Russia-Ukraine ceasefire took effect Saturday and appeared to be holding into Sunday, with Putin’s Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square marking the occasion. In an unprecedented move, the parade featured no military hardware — the first time in nearly two decades — as security concerns and the ceasefire agreement shaped the scaled-back event. Find out More
Britain’s HMS Dragon arrived in the Middle East as part of advance positioning for a potential multinational mission to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz once conditions permit. The deployment reflects growing international pressure to restore shipping lanes closed by the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. Source
Spain is coordinating the complex multinational evacuation of the MV Hondius with 22 countries and the World Health Organization, with nearly all countries sending evacuation aircraft for their nationals, and the EU providing two additional planes for passengers without assigned flights. The Spanish government insisted that all foreign nationals leave the Canary Islands promptly, even those requiring medical care. Find out More
Entertainment
No money changed hands in the settlement between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios, reached just two weeks before their trial was set to begin. Lively dropped her three remaining retaliation and contract claims, though she retains a pending motion for attorneys’ fees and potential treble damages stemming from Baldoni’s since-dismissed $400 million defamation countersuit. Find out More
The Miami police officers whose 2016 drug bust seized $22 million are suing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s production company for defamation, claiming the Netflix movie ‘The Rip,” which was inspired by their operation, portrayed them as corrupt. Source
Sports
Baseball’s coaching fraternity and former players flooded social media with tributes for Bobby Cox on Sunday, with Hall of Famer Andruw Jones calling Cox “a second father” and Deion Sanders describing him as “a good man, a good manager, a more than fair person.” The Dodgers honored both Cox and media mogul Ted Turner — who died earlier in the week — before Saturday’s game against the Braves. See Details
Sean Strickland scored a stunning upset, defeating previously unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 to win the Middleweight title. Source
Off the Wall
A 22-year-old voice actor and content creator has rallied more than 370,000 online pledgers, totaling $337 million in commitments, to buy the bankrupt Spirit Airlines, proposing to run it like the publicly owned Green Bay Packers. An aviation mergers firm told him the plan is “doable,” though a court-ordered asset auction is fast approaching. Source
