5 things to know for May 21: Israel, Habeas corpus, Golden Dome, Severe weather, Ransomware attack

5 things to know for May 21: Israel, Habeas corpus, Golden Dome, Severe weather, Ransomware attack

Oreo has partnered with singer/actress Selena Gomezto create a new cookie flavorbased on her love of horchata. It has a layer of chocolate and cinnamon creme, mixed with sweetened condensed milk and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The filling is sandwiched between two chocolate-cinnamon flavored wafers. YUM! Here's what else you need to know toGet Up to Speed and On with Your Day. The United Kingdom followed through on its threat totake "concrete actions"if Israel doesn't stop its military offensive in Gaza and continues to block humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. On Tuesday, the UK paused trade negotiations with Israel and sanctioned West Bank settlers. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that while the UK backed Israel's right to defend itself after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, the conflict in Gaza was "entering a dark new phase." With the European Union's foreign policy chief describing the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic," the EU also announced plans to review its relationship with Israel. According to the UN, on top of the military offensive, Israel's monthslong blockade of aid has left one in five people in Gaza facing starvation. What ishabeas corpus? That was the question put to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday. Her answer: "Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, and suspend their right to – " That answer was incorrect, and New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassaninterrupted Noem to say so. In Article I, Section 9 — which deals with the Legislative branch — the Constitution says: "The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it." As President Donald Trump has tried to speed up deportations, immigrants have filed habeas petitions alleging unlawful detention and requesting a court determination. Now, the administration is looking for ways to suspend that right. "If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason," Hassan said. "Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea." President Trump is still keen on building his "Golden Dome," a new missile defense system,within the next three years. The project, similar to Israel's Iron Dome, would, in theory, protect the entire US from long-range missile strikes. On Tuesday, Trump announced that the system would cost about $175 billion, of which $25 billion would be allocated from his domestic policy bill. However, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated the US would have to spendmore than $500 billionover the course of 20 years to develop a viable Golden Dome. One military expert told CNN he believes creating the missile defense system may be possible in seven to 10 years, but even then, it would have severe limitations. The death toll from the latest round of violent weather hasclimbed to 28since Friday: 19 in Kentucky, seven in Missouri and two in Virginia. In addition to strong winds, heavy rain and large hail, more than 100 tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, leaving behind damaged homes and businesses as well as downed trees and power lines. According to theNational Weather Service, severe weather and flash flooding are possible in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic regions today. Flood watches have also been issued for areas of Maryland and Pennsylvania due to heavy to excessive rainfall. Aransomware attackon a network of 14 medical centers in Ohio has triggered a "system-wide technology outage." Kettering Health, which employs more than 1,800 doctors, said the cyberattack had disrupted its call center and caused the cancellation of elective inpatient and outpatient procedures. However, emergency rooms and clinics were still open. Ransomware locks computer systems until the victim accedes tothe hacker's extortion demands. The US health care sector reported more than 440 ransomware attacks and data breaches to the FBI last year, the highest tally of all critical infrastructure sectors. The International Booker Prize goes to …Indian author Banu Mushtaq and her translator Deepa Bhasthiwon the prize for fictionfor "Heart Lamp," a collection of 12 tales chronicling the lives of women in southern India. It's the first time a short story collection has been honored. After nearly 5 years, 'Fortnite' returns to Apple's app storeEpic Games' popular multiplayer shooter video gamehas been banned from the store since 2020. Apple claimed the gaming giant violated its policies by introducing a way for users to circumvent Apple's in-app payment system. Speaking of 'Fortnite,' there's a new controversyHollywood's actors' union hasfiled an unfair labor practice chargeagainst Llama Productions, a subsidiary of Epic Games, for allegedly replacing actors' work in "Fortnite" with artificial intelligence. Documentary about Shia LaBeouf prompts walkoutsDozens of people reportedlywalked out of a screeningfor"Slauson Rec"at the Cannes Film Festival this week. The movie provides an insider's view of the experimental theater company the actor started in 2018, and features examples of his aggressive behavior toward the participants. Who steals art off a tombstone? Well, people are strange.A bust of Doors frontman Jim Morrison that once adorned his grave in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris disappeared 37 years ago. Last week, the sculpturewas foundduring a police investigation. 'Cheers' actor George Wendt dies at 76The Chicago-native played Norm Peterson on the hit NBC sitcom, a barfly who was hailed by name in 269 episodes. During hisnearly five-decade career in Hollywood, Wendt appeared on dozens of TV shows, including "Taxi," "Alice," "Seinfeld" and "Portlandia." He also starred in his own series, "The George Wendt Show." $3.8 trillionThat's how much the Congressional Budget Office said President Trump's sweeping domestic policy billwould increase the budget deficitby between 2026 and 2034. "I have no one left. I feel like I've died. Emotionally, I'm dead." — Jana Mohammed Khalil Musleh Al-Skeifi, age 12,on trying to survive in northern Gazaafter years of war between Israel and Hamas. Check your local forecast here>>> 'Free Mahmoud!'Columbia University students booed acting president Claire Shipman during her commencement speech andchanted in support of Mahmoud Khalil, a student who was detained by ICE for participating in campus protests. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 21, 2025

5 things to know for May 21: Israel, Habeas corpus, Golden Dome, Severe weather, Ransomware attack

5 things to know for May 21: Israel, Habeas corpus, Golden Dome, Severe weather, Ransomware attack Oreo has partnered with singer/actress Se...

Read More

Iran executes a man convicted over the 2023 attack on the Azerbaijan Embassy that killed 1 person

Iran executes a man convicted over the 2023 attack on the Azerbaijan Embassy that killed 1 person

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Wednesday executed a man who carried out a 2023 attack on the Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran, killing its security chief and wounding two others in an incident that escalated tensions between the neighboring nations, state media reported. The state-run IRNA news agency reported the unidentified man's execution, without offering details, after his conviction. Typically, Iran hangs its condemned. Iran had called the January 2023 attack a personal dispute after the gunman's wife "disappeared" on a visit to the embassy, but Azeri President Ilham Aliyev called it a "terrorist attack." Baku accused Tehran of supporting hard-line Islamists who tried to overthrow its government, a charge Tehran denied. Following the attack, the embassy was closed and its staff left the country. In April 2023, Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats. A month later, Iran expelled four Azeri diplomats. Azerbaijan reopened its embassy in a different location in July 2024. Azerbaijan borders Iran's northwest and was part of the Persian Empire until the early 19th century. There are also over 12 million ethnic Azeris in Iran who represent the Islamic Republic's largest minority group. Azerbaijan's diplomatic ties with Israel long have been a point of contention.

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 21, 2025

Iran executes a man convicted over the 2023 attack on the Azerbaijan Embassy that killed 1 person

Iran executes a man convicted over the 2023 attack on the Azerbaijan Embassy that killed 1 person TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Wednesday exec...

Read More

Behind on your student loan? Here's what to know about wage garnishment.

Behind on your student loan? Here's what to know about wage garnishment.

Americans with student loans who are behind on their payments could face having their wages garnished and other serious financial consequences now that the Trump administrationrestarted collectionsearlier this month. Repayments on student debt had been paused for five years since March 2020, when theCOVID-19pandemic disrupted the U.S. economy and caused unemployment to soar. Nearly 43 million borrowers owe a total of more than $1.6 trillion instudent debt, according to the Department of Education. Of that number, more than 5 million are in default on their loans, meaning they haven't made a monthly payment in more than 360 days, the agency says. An additional 4 million borrowers are in late-stage delinquency, having not made a payment in at least 91 days. The DOE expects that 10 million, or 25% of student borrowers, could be in default on their loans in a matter of months. In the first three months of the year, the delinquency rate for student loans jumped from less than 1% to nearly 8%, according to recentdatafrom the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Older Americans are in worse shape when it comes to repaying student debt than younger borrowers. Although Americans over 50 years of age make up just 20% of those with outstanding college loans, they account for 33% of delinquencies, according to Oxford Economics which notes that younger borrowers are in relatively better shape. Student loans differ from other types of consumer debt in that there is no statute of limitations on collections, meaning the government can pursue punitive actions for defaulted loans indefinitely, noted Persis Yu, deputy executive director and managing counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center. "It's so much worse than just about any other financial product," Yu told CBS MoneyWatch. "It's a really small universe of things that have these harsh penalties." And because collections were paused for five years due to the pandemic, some student loan borrowers may have forgotten about the severe financial consequences of defaulting. "It's left the collective consciousness," she said. Here's what to know about the potential repercussions of defaulting on student debt, including when your wages can be garnished. When can a lender garnish your wages? The Trump administrationannouncedon April 21 that the office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) would resume collections on defaulted federal student loans starting May 5. The DOE said at the time that it would email notices to borrowers in default over the following two weeks to make "them aware of these developments." Notices from the FSA informing borrowers that theirwages could be garnishedwill come "later this summer," the DOE said. Under the law, a lender can garnish borrowers' pay without going to court provided it has given them at least 60 days notice, generally by email, before initiating the collection action. "All they have to do is send borrowers a notice that they are going to take your money, and you have 60 days to respond," Yu said. Given that collections on student loans resumed earlier this month, people could begin to see their wages garnished in the fall, according to experts. The government notice informs people how to start making payments, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan or sign up for loan rehabilitation to avoid having a portion of their paychecks seized. It doesn't, however, instruct borrowers how they can stop wage garnishment. "The notices the Trump administration is sending out do not lay out defenses and don't lay out the right to appeal wage garnishment on basis of financial hardship, and that's really important for borrowers to understand," Yu said. How much can be withheld from your paycheck? A lender may garnish up to 15% of your disposable pay, but must leave borrowers with the equivalent of 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25, or $217.50 per week. That applies even if a borrower resides in a state where the minimum wage is higher than the federal level. Can other assets be garnished? Yes. In addition to wages, the federal government may also seize tax refunds and Social Security retirement and disability benefits when loans are in default. If you've already filed your taxes and received a refund, it's protected, Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York, told CBS MoneyWatch. "But you'd be on notice if you asked for an extension," she explained. The government or a lender would likely have to take a borrower to court in order to target other assets. "That would entail getting a judgment and doing some kind of court intervention, and those are relatively rare," Nierman said. How can you get out of default? Beyond possibly leading to wage garnishment, defaulting on a student loan hurts in other ways. It damages your credit, which raises borrowing costs or limits access to credit like mortgages and car loans. In some cases, student loan borrowers have the right to contest their default status. First, the debt might not be their own. Second, they might not owe the amount of debt the government claims they do. Third, they can claim that wage garnishment would cause them financial hardship. "There are legitimate reasons why they can stop wage garnishment from occurring," Yu said. "But I am very worried these notices aren't telling people about the full scope of the relief." Borrowers can also get current on their loans through other methods. For example, consider requesting loan rehabilitation to get out of default by making nine on-time payments in full over a 10-month period. You can also avoid entering default and having wages garnished through loan consolidation. Essentially, this process replaces your old debt with a new loan that's in good standing and on which you can start making payments. If you're able to repay your loans in full, that's another way to exit default. Watch: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem asked what habeas corpus is in Senate hearing Watch: Rubio and Van Hollen get into testy exchange during Senate hearing Rubio interrupted at Senate hearing during remarks on changes at State Department

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 21, 2025

Behind on your student loan? Here's what to know about wage garnishment.

Behind on your student loan? Here's what to know about wage garnishment. Americans with student loans who are behind on their payments c...

Read More

DOJ investigates Andrew Cuomo and FDA targets Covid vaccine rollout: Morning Rundown

DOJ investigates Andrew Cuomo and FDA targets Covid vaccine rollout: Morning Rundown

The bromance between Trump and Putin hasn't resulted in Ukraine ceasefire progress. The Justice Department is investigating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. And the rules around Covid vaccine rollouts are changing. Here's what to know today. President Donald Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine and has made no secret of his desire to do lucrative deals with Russia reintroduced to the international financial fold. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown little desire for any sort of ceasefire and he's more than happy to keep delaying any definite decisions. So, maybe predictably, the phone call this week between the two presidents didn't achieve great strides on reaching a ceasefire deal. However, one thing was clear by the end of their conversation: The bromance is real. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign uphereto get it in your inbox. "The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent," Trump said of his two-hour conversation, adding that Putin is a "nice gentleman." Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov, meanwhile, said Trump and Putin called each other by their first names and "neither of them wanted to end the conversation." But a question lingers: What does this bonhomie actually deliver for the men in the White House and the Kremlin? For Putin, it's time. If the Russian leader's call with Trump delays making any decisions, then "I think Putin will see it as a good job done," one expert said. But if an in-person meeting between Putin and Trump takes place, "then Trump will have to leave with something." Read the full story here. A federal judge told the Trump administrationto "maintain custody and control"of a group of immigrants it's trying to deport to war-torn South Sudan. Trumpwill host South African President Cyril Ramaphosaat the White House today in an effort to improve relations between the two countries. In a surprise move, the Senatepassed the "No Tax on Tips Act,"which would create a new tax deduction worth up to $25,000 for cash tips. The bill now goes to the House. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemstruggled to define habeas corpusduring a Senate hearing. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has signed a directive for his departmentto take truck drivers off the roadif they are not fluent in English. Vice President JD Vance has spent the past few days shuffling between meetings with presidents and prime ministers, but it was his meeting with Pope Leo XIVthat could prove to be the most consequential. Joe Biden wasnot diagnosed with prostate cancer until last week, and the last time he was screened for the disease was more than a decade ago, a spokesperson said, as the former president faces scrutiny over a recent diagnosis. The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, over testimony he gave to Congress last year, a source said. House Republicans had requested a federal investigation into Cuomo, arguing he lied to the House Oversight Committee when he said he had not been involved in reviewing a report from the New York Department of Health about the state's handling of the coronavirus pandemic from when he was governor. A spokesperson for Cuomo questioned the timing of the announcement, which comes during his run for New York mayor against Mayor Eric Adams. "This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple," the spokesperson said. Federal corruption charges against Adams were dismissed after he began cooperating with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement.Read the full story here. Meanwhile, former FBI director James Comey — who last week sparked a firestorm on the right and a Secret Service investigation over an Instagram photo showing seashells arranged in the shape of "8647" — brushed aside the chance that he might face criminal charges during a book signing this week at a Barnes & Noble in New York City. Amid the new scrutiny on Comey, he expressed dismay that the Trump Justice Department continues to target political foes, as well as universities and law firms. "My thing, to me and I hope everyone else, is just a distraction that goes away in a weekend," he said. "But there's something much more important going on here — the use of power to aim at individuals eroding the rule of law."Read moreabout Comey's reaction to the second Trump administration. Updated Covid vaccines for healthy children and adults likely won't be available this fall — and possibly in subsequent years — as the FDA plans major changes for how Covid vaccines are released and who will be able to get the updated shots. The mandate comes before tomorrow's FDA vaccine advisory committee meeting where outside experts will discuss which strains should be included in the next round of Covid shots. In a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Vinay Prasad, the agency's new vaccine chief, wrote that any new Covid vaccine now must undergo placebo-controlled clinical trials and track participants for at least six months. That means it'll be near impossible for Pfizer and Moderna to complete new trials in time for the fall season. In a question-and-answer session, Makary and Prasad also suggested that the vaccines may not be updated every year. The rule changes aren't expected to affect the fall rollout for older adults and other people at high risk for severe illness because drugmakers are exempt from additional testing for those groups.Here's what else to know. Actor George Wendt, who once played the ever-loyal Norm on "Cheers,"has died at the age of 76. Two students at University of Wisconsin-Plattevilledied after a "targeted and isolated" shootingon campus, officials said. Columbia University's acting presidentwas met with boosand chants of "Free Mahmoud" at yesterday's graduation ceremony. A friend of the 20-year-old man who fell from the stands onto the field during a Pittsburgh Pirates game wascharged with giving him alcohol. In a major step for the NFL, owners voted toallow players to participate in the 2028 Olympics. Buy now, pay never? Some Klarna customers arehaving a harder time paying back their loans. The world is looking to the past to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. But advocates say what happened then is also part of the present and future. That's becauseAmerica's insufficient resettlement efforts decades agohas made Vietnamese refugees particularly vulnerable to deportation under the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, experts say. Many of the refugees facing orders of removal fall under what immigration experts refer to as the "migration to school to prison to deportation pipeline." Advocates say it points to how those who resettled in the U.S. were given few resources, became entangled in the criminal justice system and were threatened with deportation upon serving their sentences.—Kimmy Yam, NBC Asian America reporter The NBC Select team tested over50 white T-shirtsto find the best options on the market including brands like Buck Mason, Gap and more. We wore the shirts for multiple days, washed them to test shrinkage and meticulously considered details like the construction of the shirt, hand feel and more. Plus, now is one of the best times of the year to shop for a mattress, andMattress Firm's Memorial Day Salehas savings of up to 78% off. Sign up to The Selectionnewsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week. Thanks for reading today's Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you're a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign uphere.

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 21, 2025

DOJ investigates Andrew Cuomo and FDA targets Covid vaccine rollout: Morning Rundown

DOJ investigates Andrew Cuomo and FDA targets Covid vaccine rollout: Morning Rundown The bromance between Trump and Putin hasn't resulte...

Read More

US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

By Timour Azhari and Jonathan Spicer DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL (Reuters) -The United States will appoint President Donald Trump's longtime friend and current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said. The decision follows Trump's landmark announcement last week that U.S. sanctions on Syria would be lifted. It also suggests U.S. acknowledgement that Turkey has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad's ouster by rebels in December, ending 14 years of civil war. Asked for comment, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "There is no announcement at this time." Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said he was allowing Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand what kind of aid they need. "We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilise the entire region," Rubio said. A U.S.-Turkish meeting focused on Syria took place in Washington on Tuesday with Barrack in attendance, according to Turkey's foreign ministry, which said sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism had been discussed. The U.S. had sought a step-for-step approach to Syria sanctions relief until Trump's announcement that he was ordering "the cessation of sanctions", which he said aimed to give Syria a chance to recover from devastating war. He said he made the decision after discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Trump also met with Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel following his surprise sanctions announcement. Removing U.S. sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organisations working in Syria, and ease foreign investment and trade as the country looks to rebuild. (Reporting by Timour Azhari in Damascus and Jonathan Spicer in Istanbul; editing by Mark Heinrich)

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 21, 2025

US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say By Timour Azhari and Jonathan Spicer DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL (Reuters) -The ...

Read More