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Putin hails Russia’s test launch of new ICMB known as Satan II, calls it “most powerful missile in the world”

May 12, 2026 / 2:48 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Russia on Tuesday test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize the country’s nuclear forces, a launch hailed by President Vladimir Putin just days after his claim that the fighting in Ukraine is nearing an end.

Putin said that the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year. It was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda.

“This is the most powerful missile in the world,” Putin declared, claiming that the combined power of the Sarmat’s individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than that of any Western counterpart.

The Russian leader has repeatedly brandished the nuclear sword after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to try to deter the West from ramping up support for Ukraine.

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on May 12, 2026, Russia’s new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is test launched at an unspecified location in Russia. AP

After overseeing a military parade on Red Square on Saturday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, which for the first time in nearly two decades didn’t include heavy weapons, Putin declared the conflict in Ukraine is coming to an end.

Since coming to power in 2000, Putin has overseen efforts to upgrade the Soviet-built components of the Russian nuclear triad – deploying hundreds of new, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, commissioning new nuclear submarines and modernizing nuclear-capable bombers.

Russia’s effort to revamp its nuclear forces pushed the United States to launch a costly modernization of its arsenal.

Nuclear arms pact expired

The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the U.S. expired in February, leaving no caps on the world’s two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

That same month, the U.S. and Russia agreed to reestablish formal, high-level military communications that were suspended in late 2021, prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Sarmat — designated “Satan II” by NATO — is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles. Its development began in 2011 and before now, the missile had only one known successful test and reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024. A satellite image analyzed by CBS News at the time showed a large crater and remnants of a possible explosion on a launchpad at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

The Sarmat is classified as a “heavy” ICBM and is capable of carrying up to 10 tons in payload, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Missile Defense Project.

Putin said Tuesday that the Sarmat — part of a slew of new weapons that Putin revealed in 2018, claiming they would render any prospective U.S. missile defenses useless — is as powerful as the Voyevoda but with a higher precision. It is capable of suborbital flight, he said, giving it a range of more than 21,700 miles and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses.

Moscow’s new weapons include the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound. The first vehicles have already entered service.

Russia has also commissioned the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, and used its conventionally-armed version twice to strike Ukraine. Oreshnik’s range of up to 3,100 miles makes it capable of reaching any target in Europe.

Putin also announced Russia was in the “final stages” of the development of the nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile powered by miniature atomic reactors. The Poseidon is designed to explode near enemy coastlines and cause a radioactive tsunami. The Burevestnik has virtually unlimited range thanks to nuclear propulsion, allowing it to loiter for days, circling air defenses and attacking from an unexpected direction.

Putin has described those new weapons as part of a Russian response to the U.S. missile shield that Washington developed after its 2001 withdrawal from a Cold War-era U.S.-Soviet pact that limited missile defenses.

Russian military planners have feared a missile shield could tempt Washington to launch a first strike that would knock out most of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in hopes of intercepting a small number of surviving missiles fired in retaliation.

“We were forced to consider ensuring our strategic security in the face of the new reality and the need to maintain a strategic balance of power and parity,” Putin said.

The nuclear treaty that expired in February was a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Russia, which have about 4,300 and 3,700 nuclear warheads respectively, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

Meanwhile, the governments of the U.S. and Ukraine have drafted a memorandum outlining the terms of a potential new drone defense deal between the countries, three sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

FDA chief to depart after Trump signed off on ousting him

May 12, 2026 1:34 PM ET / CNN

By Kaitlan Collins, Ben Tinker, Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle

Updated May 12, 2026, 3:34 PM ET

‘He was having some difficulty’: Trump reacts to resignation of his FDA chief

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is leaving the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the situation, after President Donald Trump signed off on a plan to fire him last week.

The FDA chief had come under intense and sustained pressure from within the administration — including over his resistance to approving the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, an episode that prompted Trump to confront him directly — and from outside allies, including in the pharmaceutical industry and anti-abortion interest groups. And he oversaw constant turnover within the agency’s senior ranks.

Trump is expected to appoint Kyle Diamantas, a deputy commissioner who heads the agency’s food program, as acting FDA chief, according to two people familiar with the decision. Trump later confirmed that Makary was leaving and that he had tapped Diamantas in a Truth Social post.

Still, Makary’s resignation means Trump will now need to fill yet another vacancy — the eventual permanent pick requires Senate confirmation — in the top ranks of the US Health and Human Services Department. The administration already lacks a permanent leader atop the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a permanent surgeon general, who traditionally serves as the nation’s top doctor.

A source familiar with Makary’s departure said it was largely due to disagreements over the vape issue. “He doesn’t want to approve youth-appealing flavors, but has been forced to by the powers that be,” the person said.

Makary’s departure comes one day before he was set to testify about the FDA’s proposed budget before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Politico first reported his resignation.

A push to oust Makary had accelerated in recent days, driven by a faction of White House and HHS officials who had soured on an FDA that had been marked by constant chaos, internal clashes and policy confusion, people familiar with the matter said.

Makary over the last week sought to shore up his standing with Trump, telling associates at some points that he believed the president still retained confidence in him.

So it caught Makary and his allies by surprise when several reports surfaced Friday that Trump had approved a plan to fire him. That prompted widespread speculation within the administration over who was behind the push, as well as when and whether Trump would make his removal official.

Despite the widespread dissatisfaction with Makary’s performance, some Trump aides had argued that ousting yet another senior health official would amount to a political misstep — further angering a portion of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” base. It would also create another high-level vacancy, forcing the Senate to devote precious floor time to confirming a replacement ahead of the midterms.

Others within the White House and HHS, however, saw Makary’s departure as inevitable. And they welcomed the opportunity to reset leadership at the FDA and shore up relationships with key constituencies in the anti-abortion movement and drug industry before November.

In addition to Makary’s planned ouster, White House and HHS officials were also weighing a restructuring of the agency’s senior staff.

Makary, a surgeon and author, had pledged to accelerate FDA decisions on drugs, devices and vaccines following his confirmation in March 2025. But he frequently found himself mired in controversy over the subsequent year — both from pharmaceutical companies unhappy with his management of the drug approval process and administration officials who questioned his handling of other areas of FDA’s sweeping portfolio, including tobacco regulation.

In a recent flashpoint that renewed talk among Trump and his advisers about firing Makary, the FDA chief resisted internal efforts to approve the sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. The issue prompted an angry Trump to directly press Makary over vapes decisions, two people familiar with the episode said. The FDA subsequently reversed course on flavored e-cigarettes last week.

And in another major episode, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser — a significant figure in anti-abortion efforts — met with White House officials on Friday, pushing for the FDA to reverse regulations that allow providers to send the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail.

Such a move would have repercussions across the country for abortion access, as the FDA sets the nationwide rules for prescribing the drug. Medication abortion now accounts for roughly two-thirds of all US abortions and has helped fuel an overall increase in the procedure since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections in 2022.

Social conservatives had warned for months that it could be a motivating issue in the upcoming midterm elections, and the Supreme Court is signaling it could take up the issue. But activists had long argued that part of the blame rested on Makary.

“FDA Commissioner Makary should be fired immediately,” Dannenfelser said in a statement days before the White House meeting. “Indifference is completely unacceptable to millions of pro-life voters expecting the administration to act to save lives.”

The FDA commissioner has also divided the “Make America Healthy Again” coalition sparked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some vaccine critics have lamented that Makary has not pulled Covid-19 vaccines off the market. Others, advocating for improved food policies, have praised him for taking steps to remove artificial food dyes and crack down on ultraprocessed foods.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Correction:This story has been updated to reflect the year the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to an abortion.

CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this report.

RNC launches multimillion-dollar election integrity push in 17 states ahead of midterms

2026-05-12T13:23:08-04:00 / Fox News

RNC Chair Gruters: Midterm election integrity unit ‘disciplined and ruthless’

By Eric Mack Fox News

Published May 12, 2026 1:23pm EDT

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9 min

Fresh off declaring “victory” over Virginia’s roughly $65 million redistricting ballot measure — which Republicans criticized as a “dark money”-backed gerrymander — the Republican National Committee is looking to capitalize on that momentum.

Describing the RNC as “disciplined and ruthless, Chairman Joe Gruters revealed that the committee launched a multimillion-dollar election integrity push ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The effort involves hiring directors in 17 states to recruit poll workers, poll watchers and election observers, while coordinating legal and Election Day oversight across key battlegrounds, Fox News Digital has learned.

The directors will be the legal “eyes and ears on every vote cast and counted” in every battleground these midterms, according to officials. It is all coming from the top down, echoing President Donald Trump’s longstanding argument that the people counting votes are as important as those casting them.

WHERE TRUMP, GOP VS DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING BATTLE HEADS NEXT IN WAKE OF KEY COURT RULINGS

President Donald Trump has directed the RNC to deploy its vast financial resources into making sure the RNC is behind the ground game that has “eyes and ears on every vote cast or counted” in these midterms.(Trump: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg; and Gruters: Patrick T. Fallon)

“President Trump made it clear in 2024: secure our elections — and we haven’t let up since,” Gruters said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We’re building a ground game across the country with poll workers, poll watchers and lawyers to protect every legal ballot.”

“This is a permanent, nationwide effort backed by legal muscle and disciplined operations. The RNC is all-in, year-round, to safeguard election integrity and ensure only legal votes count,” he added.

The RNC is aiming to defy history in maintaining the president’s party majority in the House and Senate through a midterm election.

NEW RNC CHAIR JOE GRUTERS VOWS TO ‘RIDE THE PRESIDENT ALL THE WAY TO VICTORY’ IN MIDTERMS

Rather than relying on high-profile national election attorneys, the RNC is turning to local legal experts in key states — a strategy officials say was key to its legal approach in Virginia, where a multimillion-dollar ballot measure ultimately failed.

The plan revolves around smart data and even artificial intelligence to feed actual, actionable intelligence in the midterm battlegrounds. And the spending and swath of the operation will expand as the conditions on the ground warrant, according to officials.

The RNC hires are part of an initial seven-figure investment and build on the 2024 election integrity operation, which officials said recruited more than 230,000 volunteers in 18 target states for poll watching, poll work and legal support, along with more than 6,000 volunteer attorneys both remotely and on the ground.

MINNESOTA FRAUD CASE IS ‘CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ FOR GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS — INCLUDING ELECTIONS, LAWYER WARS

The initial “seven-figure” spend remains a “moving target,” officials added, with the expectation that the investment will climb into the tens of millions nationwide.

Democrats spent comparable amounts in Virginia alone, according to critics of that effort. Republicans hope saving tens of millions will have a domino effect on the midterm battlegrounds.

Supporters argue that approach reflects fiscal responsibility and a broader strategic shift — something that seemingly left Democrat election lawyer Marc Elias publicly frustrated.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395262088112

‘JUSTICE’: CELEBRATION, MOCKERY ERUPT AFTER SPANBERGER ‘GERRYMANDER’ IS BLOWN UP IN BLOCKBUSTER DECISION

“We’ve got the Republican National Committee waging litigation in courtrooms around the country,” Elias lamented to MS NOW last month.

RNC officials pushed back, saying Elias’ “record is terrible” against them, as they outlined their next battle plan Monday.

The RNC said it will avoid hiring what it views as expensive national election attorneys who would be inexperienced and less informed on local law. The officials behind the multimillion-dollar campaign said hires “will not be names you recognize,” but they are the experts in those states and districts.

DAVID MARCUS: VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS STEP ON A $70M RAKE AND NOW THEY’RE CRYING

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395278765112

Officials compared the strategy to long-term conservative legal efforts that ultimately led to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

“Rather than lawlessly condemning SCOTUS, Dems should listen to Ari Fleischer,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, wrote Monday night on X as Democrats were pushing what Republicans described as a likely unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court appeal for the Virginia high court ruling.

“For decades, Republicans lived with Supreme Court rulings they didn’t like. [With] Roe v. Wade, [they] didn’t say ‘we need to rig the Supreme Court.’ They worked within the system to change the way things worked.”

REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISING OUTPACES DEMOCRATS BY NEARLY DOUBLE, JUNE NUMBERS SHOW

Despite the recent gains in the courts on redistricting and criticism oscillating back to the left, the RNC has also faced criticism, particularly with regard to those upset that Democrats outspent Republicans by nearly a 3-to-1 margin on the ultimately doomed Virginia ballot measure.

RNC officials said they are unfazed by criticism, telling Fox News Digital the election integrity effort is akin to a football team’s offensive line — doing all the grunt work and none of the press.

Republicans have faced criticism for being judicious with what is estimated to be up to an $800 million war chest for the midterms, but RNC officials are signaling confidence in their approach.

“Just watch us” get results, the officials said.

REPUBLICANS SOUND ALARM ON DEMOCRATS’ ‘POWER GRAB’ AS VIRGINIA VOTES ON REDISTRICTING SHAKE-UP

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393744034112

Defying history in helping Trump keep its congressional majority will “not be cheap” or easy, they admit. Just ask Democrats now upset in Virginia, they added.

RNC officials argued spending just a fraction and getting a narrow margin at the ballot box ultimately gave the “Virginia Supreme Court some cover” to rule the way it did.

WHERE TRUMP, GOP VS DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING BATTLE HEADS NEXT IN WAKE OF KEY COURT RULINGS

The RNC said it led those legal challenges largely behind the scenes, with legal experts typically not seen on TV, which officials argue demonstrates how effective their quiet midterm legal ground game will be.

While there might be critics of how the RNC is spending on election integrity, the RNC officials stressed they stick to being quietly strategic and targeted in former Raiders head coach Al Davis’ “just win, baby” fashion.

The RNC’s initial field investment includes states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina, with officials saying the operation will cover entire states rather than only targeted congressional districts as the party builds a long-term infrastructure aimed at both the midterms and the 2028 presidential election.

GOP STRATEGISTS CALLED TO DC AS TRUMP TEAM CONFRONTS RISING MIDTERM HEADWINDS

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters hails his midterm spending plan as ‘disciplined and ruthless’ in plotting how his party can protect the narrow majorities in the House and Senate these midterms.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The RNC said the new state directors will serve as the election integrity program’s “eyes and ears” on the ground, overseeing poll worker and poll watcher recruitment, coordinating with attorneys and supporting Election Day operations in battleground states.

That is the mission the RNC has accepted from the president.

Midterm elections historically have lower participation rates than presidential election years, so having legal “eyes and ears on every vote cast and counted” through this election integrity unit will take up the bulk of the RNC spending up to “eight figures,” according to officials.

TRUMP ACCUSES SCHUMER OF TRYING TO ‘INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTIONS’ WITH LATEST STRATEGY

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395276400112

The move comes as Trump vowed Sunday to expand the GOP’s election integrity operation, writing on Truth Social that Republicans would again deploy an “Election Integrity Army” in 2026, but that it would be “much bigger and stronger.”

Trump also criticized a Democrat-led election integrity group involving former Attorney General Eric Holder and Elias, accusing Democrats of trying to “suppress Republican voters” and “interfere in our Elections.”

“The Democrats are totally unhinged, and we will not allow them to threaten the integrity of our Elections,” Trump wrote.

TRUMP’S CONVINCING 2024 VICTORY SETS HOUSE GOP UP FOR HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE IN 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

“During my Historic Election in 2024, when I won every single Swing State, and decisively won both the Electoral and Popular votes by wide margins, the Republicans had an Election Integrity Army in every single State to preserve the sanctity of each legal vote,” he wrote. “We will be doing the same again in 2026, but it will be much bigger and stronger. All Americans should have their voices be heard by casting a vote. Be assured this Election will be fair!”

SCOOP: HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES ‘MAGA MAJORITY’ PROGRAM TO BOOST TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393744034112

Gruters said Sunday the RNC had deployed its first wave of field staff to 17 battleground states to turn out voters he says are needed to win the midterms.

“We’re building the ground game to win, [protect our majorities in the House and Senate, and give President Trump a full four years,” Gruters wrote.

In a separate post, Gruters said the RNC is “aggressively fundraising and deploying staff to battleground states across the country to get out the vote and secure our elections,” adding the committee is being “disciplined and ruthless” to make its resources count and stop Democrats from retaking Congress in November.

GOP OUTPERFORMED DEMS ON VOTER REGISTRATION IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES, NEW ANALYSIS REVEALS

The RNC kept its election integrity program intact after the 2024 election and is now expanding poll worker recruitment in 17 target states while also growing operations in non-target states. The committee said it is currently involved in more than 130 active election integrity cases across 30 states.

That included involvement in legal challenges related to the Virginia Supreme Court, which struck down a voter-approved redistricting measure that Republicans had criticized as a gerrymander, in a decision delivered Friday.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6394507396112

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“Hey @JamesBlairUSA where are all the people attacking us for not spending enough in Virginia?” Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita wrote Friday on X, directing his slam dunk on critics to the White House deputy chief of staff who is transitioning to leading the midterm operation.

“Oh yea …they are laughing at Dems for wasting $60 million #wannabees,” he wrote.

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

US posts smaller budget surplus in April as tax refunds rise | Reuters

2026-05-12T18:04:22.38Z / Reuters

Senate confirms Warsh to Fed Board, with Fed chair vote likely Wednesday

May 12, 2026 4:25 PM UTC / Reuters

By Richard Cowan and Ann Saphir

Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be next chair of the Federal Reserve, attends a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing to testify, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

May 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kevin Warsh to ​a 14-year term as Federal Reserve governor, marking an important step toward his succeeding ‌Jerome Powell as the U.S. central bank’s next leader.

Here are some details and context:

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• The vote passed 51-45, with a single Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, casting his vote with the Republican majority.
• The Senate also approved the start of a ​30-hour countdown that allows a vote to approve Warsh for a concurrent four-year term as ​Fed chair as soon as Wednesday. Powell’s term as chair ends on Friday.
• A ⁠lawyer, financier and former Fed governor, Warsh is on course to lead the Fed at a ​time when the central bank’s political independence is being tested by pressure from the administration to deliver ​the interest-rate cuts demanded by President Donald Trump.
• Trump’s unprecedented efforts to exert control over the Fed include the attempted firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook in a case now before the Supreme Court and support for a Department of Justice investigation ​into Powell’s management of a building renovation that a federal judge ruled was pretext for pressuring ​Powell to cut rates or resign.
• The DOJ dropped its investigation, but its lead prosecutor in Washington says she could ‌reopen ⁠it.
• Powell plans to take the unusual step of staying on as governor after his chair term ends, in response to the “series of legal attacks on the Fed which threaten our ability to conduct monetary policy without considering political factors.”
• Warsh says he plans “regime change” at the Fed, including tightening its coordination with ​the Treasury Department and ​the Trump administration on ⁠non-monetary policies and setting it on course for a smaller balance sheet, which he argues should allow for a lower policy rate.
• A surge in oil ​prices since the start of the Iran war has pushed up inflation ​and pared ⁠investor expectations for an interest-rate cut this year. Currently financial markets are pricing about a one-in-three chance of a rate hike by December. The Fed’s current target range for short-term borrowing costs is 3.50%-3.75%.
• The Fed ⁠chair has ​one of 12 votes on the interest-rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, opens new tab ​and is one of 19 voices at the policy-setting table.
• The Fed’s next meeting, likely its first chaired by Warsh, is scheduled ​for June 16-17.

Reporting by Richard Cowan, Writing by Ann Saphir; Editing by Dan Burns and Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Social Security recipients could get a nearly 4% cost-of-living adjustment, forecasters say

May 12, 2026 / 2:18 PM EDT / CBS News

Social Security recipients could receive a 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of nearly 4%, driven by inflation climbing at its fastest pace in almost three years.

Seniors and others who receive Social Security benefits could see a COLA of 3.9% next year, according to a new estimate from the Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group for older Americans.

“This is up quite a bit from earlier in the year, when our projection generally sat between 2% and 3%,” Alex Moore, the statistician for the Senior Citizens League, told CBS News in an email.

As of January, the average retired worker received $2,071 in monthly Social Security benefits, according to the agency. A 3.9% boost would add $80.77 to the typical monthly check, raising it to about $2,152.

The COLA is meant to help benefits keep pace with inflation, but the calculation is backward-looking. Because the 2027 adjustment will be based on inflation from July through September, seniors may lose ground if prices rise sharply before or after that period.

Reflecting these challenges, older Americans have told the advocacy group they’re struggling financially amid the recent spike in fuel prices caused by the Iran war, Moore added. Seniors received a 2026 COLA of 2.8%, but the Consumer Price Index rose at an annual rate of 3.8% in April and 3.3% in March.

That means millions of Social Security recipients aren’t keeping up with surging consumer prices.

“As we go throughout the year, rising oil prices have the potential to worsen the situation,” Moore said. “Higher energy prices make it more expensive to farm crops, transport goods and services, and even operate the machinery to produce goods in factories.”

Moore added, “So the inflation we’re seeing from rising oil prices right now is likely just the tip of the iceberg, with downstream effects on inflation across the whole economy — and thereby seniors — yet to come.”

The Senior Citizens League’s estimate is roughly in line with a projection from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, or CRFB, which on Tuesday forecast a COLA next year of 3.8%, based on today’s inflation report.

The nonpartisan group, which supports U.S. deficit reduction, added that the COLA could range from 3% to 4.5%, depending on the course of inflation over the next several months.

Social Security’s financial issues

The Social Security COLA for 2027 will not be set until October, and the final figure could change depending on inflation’s path over the rest of the year.

A higher COLA could exacerbate the financial strains facing the Social Security Administration, which is grappling with a funding shortfall for its trust funds, the CRFB said on Tuesday. Paying out a higher COLA would mean drawing more deeply on the trust funds to pay benefits, according to the group.

“We estimate it would worsen Social Security’s shortfall by roughly $300 billion over the next decade and advance the insolvency of the old-age trust fund by three months from late 2032 to earlier in the year,” the CRFB said.

The group is urging lawmakers to shore up Social Security by capping benefits for wealthy retired couples at $100,000, which it said could save as much as $190 billion over a decade and close roughly 20% of the program’s solvency gap.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/inflation-accelerated-in-april-to-highest-since-may-2023/

‘My life is not affordable. No one cares.’ Americans paint bleak economic reality in new poll.

2026-05-12 1:22 PM EDT / CNN Politics

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:22 PM EDT, Tue May 12, 2026

“My life is not affordable. No one cares.” Americans paint bleak economic reality in new poll.

Inside Politics

The Inside Politics panel weighs in on the economic anxiety evident in CNN’s latest poll and what that could mean for looming midterm elections. 73% of respondents rated their economic conditions as poor and a majority of Republicans now say that President Trump’s policies are increasing the cost of living.

3:51 • Source: CNN

“My life is not affordable. No one cares.” Americans paint bleak economic reality in new poll.

03:51

Now playing • Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/12/politics/video/inside-politics-panel-poll-economy-cost-of-living

‘They saw what happened in Indiana when they went against him’: SC GOP pushes ahead with new maps after White House urging | CNN Politics

2026-05-12T17:43:03.978Z / CNN

‘They saw what happened in Indiana when they went against him’: SC GOP pushes ahead on new maps after White House urging

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:43 PM EDT, Tue May 12, 2026

‘They saw what happened in Indiana when they went against him’: SC GOP pushes ahead on new maps after White House urging

Inside Politics

Dana Bash and the “Inside Politics” panel break down new developments in the national redistricting battle in Alabama and South Carolina. Josh Dawsey tells Bash that private pressure from the White House pushed state lawmakers to act. “You have a lot of Republicans in South Carolina who are being sort of dragged to the finish line on this,” he says.

6:10 • Source: CNN

Phone data reveals 42% drop in Canadian visits to U.S. last year

May 12, 2026 12:22 PM EDT / CBS News

Toronto — The neighbors just aren’t visiting the way they used to.

A study by the University of Toronto suggests a roughly 42% reduction in visits to U.S. cities by residents of Canada last year. The drop — much steeper than official border crossing statistics suggest — is largely attributed to mounting political and trade tension between the two countries.

By tracking cellphone activity, University of Toronto researchers found “a year-over-year median decline of approximately 42% in Canadian visits to U.S. metropolitan areas.”

According to official statistics, the number of Canadians who entered the country after returning from the U.S. in 2025 was down 25%, while the number of U.S. residents visiting Canada dropped 75%.

According to the study, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, saw the biggest drop, with some 65% fewer Canadian residents coming home from the East Coast vacation hot spot. Yuma, Arizona, saw a 62% decrease. San Francisco and the Florida cities of Miami, Palm Bay and Panama City were among the other top 10 U.S. metro areas where the data indicates a more than 50% drop in visiting Canadians last year.

The study’s authors say, aside from the evident drop in vacation visits by Canadians, the data also reveals a sharp drop in visits to major economic hubs.

“High-tech and financial centers like San Francisco and Houston appear to be experiencing reductions not only in tourists but also in business-related travel, reflecting changing travel preferences due to broader economic uncertainties on both sides of the border,” the study says.

Since the start of President Trump’s second term in office, some Canadians have boycotted U.S. goods and travel in response to sweeping tariffs, stricter immigration policies, and controversial remarks by the American leader about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Early this year, tourism leaders in Florida were reaching out to their Canadian counterparts to try and boost travel amid the backlash to Mr. Trump’s policies and remarks.

“We’re doing what we can, just as we are with any country outside the United States, to make sure that visitation remains strong,” Visit Florida President and CEO Bryan Griffin said in February, ahead of meetings with Canadian officials.

In a deliberate bid to lure back Canadian visitors, some casinos and hotels in Las Vegas announced promotions earlier this year offering a currency exchange rate of “At Par” between U.S. and Canadian dollars through the end of August. Under the offer, $1 Canadian is equal to $1 U.S., despite the lower value of the Canadian currency.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/us-ski-resorts-struggle-with-drop-in-tourism/

Trump’s FDA boss resigning as admin taps next acting leader

There is ‘no bad blood’ between Makary and the White House, Fox News Digital learned

May 12, 2026 1:23pm EDT / Fox News

By Ashley J. DiMella, Katelyn Caralle

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to unveil the push to slash red tape, accelerate life-saving drug approvals, expose hidden COVID vaccine data and cut soaring prescription costs.

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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary is resigning from his position Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News Digital.

The official said that Makary’s resignation has to do with “process at the FDA” and not a specific issue, and said there is “no bad blood” between President Donald Trump and the outgoing commissioner. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed for Makary’s resignation, according to the White House official.

Kyle Diamantis, FDA deputy commissioner for Food, will serve as acting commissioner, Fox News Digital learned.

TRUMP PICKS DR. MARTY MAKARY AS FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION COMMISSIONER

Makary’s resignation follows an escalating clash with pro-life groups over the handling of a controversial abortion drug, a fight that could carry political consequences for Republicans heading into the midterms.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump called Makary a “great guy” who is a friend of his in remarks to the media later on Tuesday afternoon.

“He’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well,” Trump told the media as he departed the White House for a high-stakes trip to China.

“I want to thank Dr. Marty Makary for having done a great job at the FDA,” Trump added in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. “So much was accomplished under his leadership. He was a hard worker, who was respected by all, and will go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine. Kyle Diamantas, a very talented person, will be put in the Acting position.”

Makary’s resignation followed mounting pressure from pro-life advocates and administration critics who had grown frustrated with his handling of several high-profile FDA decisions and claims he has slow-rolled MAHA initiatives, according to media reports in recent weeks.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the president had reportedly already signed off on a plan to fire Makary, citing three familiar sources who cited Makary’s handling of abortion and drug policy.

“I’ve been reading about it, but I know nothing about it,” Trump said the same day after he was asked by reporters if Makary would be fired.

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The resignation comes one day before Makary was set to testify in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday.

Though Makary’s resignation is not attributable to a specific issue, according to the White House official, his tenure atop the FDA has put him at the center of fights over abortion drug mifepristone – otherwise known as the “abortion pill” – vaccine policy and drug approvals, frustrating pro-life activists and MAHA-aligned critics who argued the agency has moved too slowly to carry out Trump’s health agenda.

When Trump was elected, pro-life groups and voters were banking on the administration rolling-back Biden-era rules that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed online and shipped through the mail. But the FDA left those rules intact and last year, under Makary’s leadership, approved a new generic version of the pill.

“President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy must end this now, remove Commissioner Makary, stop the mail order abortion scheme, and pull these child-killing drugs from the market,” said Live Action president Lila Rose to Fox News Digital ahead of Makary’s resignation.

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“President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy must end this now, remove Commissioner Makary, stop the mail order abortion scheme, and pull these child-killing drugs from the market,” said Live Action president Lila Rose to Fox News Digital ahead of Makary’s resignation.(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“What a mess Makary turned out to be,” a Trump administration official told Fox News Digital earlier in May, claiming the commissioners’ comments and actions have told “every pro-life advocate their concerns are an afterthought.”

“The arrogance is stunning,” they added of the FDA commissioner.

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Makary’s exit follows a series of high profile departures this year, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser told the Wall Street Journal earlier in May that “Trump is the problem,” when it comes to the abortion issues falling off for the GOP in recent years.

And if candidates want her group’s $160 million in the midterms and 2028 presidential election, she said they must commit “to pro-life action at the national level.”

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said the resignation was “welcome news” in reaction on X Tuesday afternoon.

“Dr. Makary was uniquely destructive to the prolife movement,” Hawley wrote on X. “He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone. He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when the data shows it sends 1 in 10 women to the emergency room. He froze out prolife leaders and repeatedly stonewalled Congress. His resignation is an opportunity for the FDA to reset.”

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Makary’s exit follows a series of high profile departures this year, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.