House Republican leadership abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution to limit President Trump’s war powers in Iran, multiple outlets report. “Republicans were on the verge of losing the vote due to absences,” CNN stated. A vote on the matter is now reportedly delayed until June. Breaking News: House Republicans abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after it became clear they lacked the votes to defeat the measure. https://t.co/2YCMl8GIbj — The New York Times (@nytimes) May 21, 2026 More from The New York Times: The decision to shelve the war powers resolution came after Republicans had lost control of the floor during an earlier unrelated vote, with several of their members defecting and several more absent. As the House chamber descended into chaos, leaders wary of risking another public defeat on a far more politically consequential vote abruptly scrapped the Iran war measure. The move came just days after a similar resolution moved ahead in the Senate, when a handful of G.O.P. defectors broke from the president and opposed the war. That vote indicated an increasing willingness by some members of the president’s party to pressure him to end a conflict that a majority of Americans say is not worth the costs. Last week, a similar measure failed in the House by the barest of margins — on a tie vote — leaving Republican leaders no room for more defections. “They probably did it because they didn’t have the votes,” said Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who last week sided with Democrats in favor of a similar resolution and said he had planned to do so again on Thursday. “I don’t think they’re going to have the votes when we get back.” “The next time they bring it,” he added, “it’s passing.” Republican absences in the upper legislative chamber played a significant role in the war powers resolution advancing in the Senate. The Senate advanced the measure in a 50-47 vote. Three Republicans — Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — did not vote. Senate ADVANCES War Powers Resolution To Prohibit President Trump From Additional Military Action Against Iran “Republicans cowardly pulled a scheduled vote on a War Powers Resolution—legislation that would have passed with bipartisan support and required the President to end the conflict in the Middle East,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement, CNN noted. "This is not over. When the House returns, Republicans will have no choice but to take this vote. Democrats will not stop fighting until Congress reasserts its constitutional authority and this war is brought to an end," Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement. Ranking Member @RepGregoryMeeks issued the following statement after Speaker Johnson postponed a vote on his Iran War Powers Resolution: pic.twitter.com/LUqqmxwxMx — House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems (@HouseForeign) May 22, 2026 CNN shared further: Meeks told reporters the vote is now expected to take place in early June after the chamber returns from its Memorial Day recess. Earlier in the week, Meeks told reporters he thought House Speaker Mike Johnson had been stalling a vote on the measure. “A lot of my Republican colleagues are feeling the pressure back home when they’re looking at the cost of food, the cost of gas,” he said. The Senate advanced a similar resolution earlier in the week to limit Trump’s ability to carry out military action against Iran without congressional approval. The cancelled House vote comes after President Donald Trump told reporters earlier this week that he believes the US campaign against Iran has been popular among Americans. “Look, everyone tells me it’s unpopular, but I think it’s very popular when you, when they hear that it’s having to do with nuclear weapons, weapons that could take out Los Angeles, could take out major cities very quick,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) said he is nearing a “full recovery” and should return to work soon after an undisclosed health issue has kept him away from Congress since March. “My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told the New Jersey Globe. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents,” he added. Kean hasn’t cast a vote in the House of Representatives since March 5. Family Of House Republican Absent From Congress Since March Provides Update – “Hopefully Coming Back Soon” More from the New Jersey Globe: Kean, 57, said his prognosis is positive, with no expected long-term effects or chronic health complications. He said his medical issue would not affect his cognitive health. He also laid out a rough timetable of his return. “I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I’ll return to voting and to the campaign trail,” Kean stated. In the meantime, the two-term Republican lawmaker said he is in daily touch with his congressional office and monitoring issues facing Congress and his district. Kean was also clear about his future plans. “I’m running,” he said. This is the first public statement from Kean since April 24, although members of his staff have been issuing updates. It was also his first time speaking with a reporter since March. “It took a real illness to knock him out,” his father, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., said during a recent interview, according to The Hill. “This won’t linger. It’s not some kind of disease that’s going to incapacitate him in the future. The consensus is that he will be 100% OK," he added. Tom Kean Jr. breaks silence but says little as GOP frustrations mount over his mysterious 77-day absence https://t.co/S4AWLPS7QI pic.twitter.com/WuGDxgswii — New York Post (@nypost) May 22, 2026 The Hill shared further: Kean Jr. has missed dozens of roll call votes while he has been away, an issue that has reportedly become a private worry among Republicans, as the party holds only a slim majority in the House and cannot afford more than a couple of defections on party-line votes when all members are present. “It’s a personal thing, and obviously I told him that we’re praying for him, and I need him to get back as soon as he can,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters last week. His absence on the campaign trail has also not gone unnoticed. Kean’s seat, which covers the western and central parts of New Jersey, is considered a “toss-up” heading into the November midterms. He defeated former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) by 3 points to flip the district in the 2022 election. Kean is the only candidate on the June 2 GOP primary ballot, and his Democratic challengers have knocked him repeatedly over his recent hiatus. While none of the Democratic candidates said during a debate last week that Kean was obligated to disclose details about his personal health, some suggested it exemplified a broader communication breakdown between the lawmaker and his constituents, according to the Globe.

Google on Wednesday announced it will invest $15 billion in a data center development in Missouri’s Montgomery County. “Today, we announced a historic $15 BILLION investment in Missouri from @Google. This project is about more than infrastructure in Montgomery County—it’s about connectivity. Connecting communities to opportunity, workers to good-paying jobs, and Missouri to the future economy,” Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said. Today, we announced a historic $15 BILLION investment in Missouri from @Google. This project is about more than infrastructure in Montgomery County—it's about connectivity. Connecting communities to opportunity, workers to good-paying jobs, and Missouri to the future economy. pic.twitter.com/9g5HaWyXhO — Governor Mike Kehoe (@GovMikeKehoe) May 20, 2026 KSDK shared further: The development will be located about one hour west of St. Louis on more than 900 acres near the Interstate 70 and Highway 19 interchange, next to a site where Amazon previously committed to building a $35 billion data center. Wednesday’s announcement didn’t include specific details about the development itself, though materials published by Montgomery County describe a multi-building data center campus designed with closed-loop, non-evaporative air cooling technology intended to limit water use and reduce environmental impact. Data centers, locally and nationwide, have faced pushback from local communities, with water and electricity concerns being a common refrain. The St. Charles City Council on Tuesday, for example, voted to ban data center development there. “Google’s historic investment in Montgomery County is a testament to Missouri’s growing reputation as a premier destination for innovation and next-generation technology,” Kehoe said. “Beyond the significant economic impact and job creation, Google has demonstrated a true commitment to strengthening the community through local partnerships, investments, grants, and support for area businesses. This project represents more than infrastructure – it’s an investment in Missouri families, communities, and long-term opportunity. We are proud to partner with companies like Google that are helping drive economic growth while making a meaningful difference in the communities they call home,” he continued. “We look forward to expanding Google’s investments in Missouri and helping Missourians benefit from the next wave of American innovation,” said Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google. “To deliver the upside of technology, we are investing in workforce development and energy affordability, both directly and through our partnerships with local organizations. This commitment will provide thousands of Missourians with valuable technical and trade skills, while supporting energy affordability for residents in Montgomery County and across the state,” Porat added. Google said the project will create “thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs,” according to a KCTV5 report. “It won’t hurt the water supply as it will be built with air cooling technology. The company’s going to spend $20 million to drive down energy bills for residents,” the report continued. Watch below: Google announces a $15B data center in Mid-Missouri, creating thousands of construction jobs & hundreds of permanent jobs: "It won't hurt the water supply as it will be built with air cooling technology. [Google's] going to spend $20M to drive down energy bills for residents." pic.twitter.com/y27XKd8uXk — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 21, 2026 KOMU 8 has more: This comes amid intense concerns from community members over an additional Amazon Web Services data center in the county. Montgomery County commissioners approved tax abatements for that project in December 2025. Town halls that same month drew large crowds of residents opposed to the project. In February, a community group filed a lawsuit accusing commissioners of violating the Missouri Sunshine Law by not providing enough advanced notice of meetings regarding the data center projects, not giving specifics of how much water the Amazon data center would use and not disclosing what happened in multiple closed-door meetings. The lawsuit seeks to halt the project until this information is made available. The next scheduled action in the lawsuit is a hearing on June 1. For the Google data center announced Wednesday, Kehoe’s release said every direct job at the center will create nine more jobs in the community. It also said Google will collaborate with the Construction Laborers and Contractors Joint Training Fund of Eastern Missouri to “support training for more than 2,300 construction workers over the next two years.”

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield said he expects the Ebola outbreak in Africa to be a “very significant pandemic.” “I suspect this is gonna become a very significant pandemic, probably going to leak into Tanzania, leak into Southern Sudan, maybe leak into Rwanda,” Redfield said, according to The Hill. “So, it’s going to be very disruptive,” he added. Former CDC director on Ebola outbreak: ‘I suspect this is going to become a very significant pandemic’https://t.co/WxZAe2n3mu — The Hill (@thehill) May 21, 2026 The Hill shared further: A majority of the Ebola cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Local health officials in the two nations reported 536 suspected cases, 105 probable cases, 34 confirmed cases and around 134 suspected deaths from the outbreak, according to the CDC. “This is an outbreak right now that is really a significant outbreak that’s of significant public health international concern, partially because what you said, it wasn’t recognized very quickly. I’m not sure why,” Redfield told anchor Elizabeth Vargas. “Normally when we have these Ebola outbreaks, and I had three of them when I was CDC director, all of which were in the DRC, normally we recognize them when we have five, ten cases, you know, at most,” he continued. “This one really wasn’t picked up until there was over 100 cases.” The former CDC director added, “As you said, now there’s over 500 cases. There’s close to 150 deaths already, and it’s moving very rapidly.” The World Health Organization (WHO) previously declared a “public health emergency of international concern” due to “Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.” “Public Health Emergency Of International Concern” Declared By World Health Organization “Pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 12 – Determination of a public health emergency of international concern, including a pandemic emergency of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), after having consulted the States Parties where the event is known to be currently occurring, is hereby determining that the Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), but does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency, as defined in the IHR,” the WHO stated in a release. Watch some of Redfield's comments below: Health officials are raising concerns as Ebola outbreaks continue to spread in the Congo and Uganda. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield joins @EVargasTV to weigh in. MORE: https://t.co/a9mKmzG61i pic.twitter.com/4Rw5uFMh5O — NewsNation (@NewsNation) May 21, 2026 NewsNation has more: The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday the risk of global spread of the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda is high at national and regional levels but low at the global level despite more than 130 deaths. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that so far, 51 cases have been confirmed in Congo’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, “although we know the scale of the epidemic is much larger.” He said Uganda has also told the U.N. health agency of two confirmed cases in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. “Beyond the confirmed cases, there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths,” he said. “We expect those numbers to keep increasing.” Bundibugyo, the virus causing an outbreak, is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, which is complicating the response because there are no specific treatments or vaccines. The virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit. Healthcare workers and family members caring for sick patients face the highest risk, experts said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is directing all flights carrying U.S. citizens who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan to arrive at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Upon landing, Americans who have been in any of the countries within the past three weeks must undergo enhanced screening for Ebola. “As of May 21, 2026, all U.S.-bound American citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who have been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days of arrival in the United States must only enter through Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) for enhanced screening,” the State Department said. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply enhanced public health screening at IAD in response to the Ebola outbreak. The Dulles requirement applies to all passengers, including U.S. citizens and LPRs, who were present in those countries,” it continued. As of May 21, 2026, all U.S.-bound American citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who have been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days of arrival in the United States must only enter through Washington Dulles International… pic.twitter.com/8H2Fqeoq0J — TravelGov (@TravelGov) May 21, 2026 More from The New York Times: The Department of Homeland Security did not elaborate on the enhanced public health measures it will carry out at Dulles. But the department said it would work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to screen travelers arriving at the airport, which receives the largest number of travelers originating from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. Earlier this week, the C.D.C. invoked an emergency public health rule to block entry into the United States by travelers who had been in the three African nations in the past 21 days. That restriction did not apply to American citizens or U.S. service members. The restrictions came after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a global health emergency last weekend. The outbreak is suspected to have caused more than 130 deaths and nearly 600 infections, according to the W.H.O. The agency’s head said on Wednesday that there was little risk of the outbreak developing into a pandemic, even as the number of suspected cases and deaths continued to climb. “This suspension Order applies to covered aliens who have departed from, or were otherwise present within, DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan during the last 21 days (regardless of their country of origin). This Order is based on an assessment of the most recently available data and current conditions regarding the Ebola disease outbreak,” a CDC order read. “This order is time-limited and shall be in effect for 30 days from the date of issuance. This Order is intended to address the serious risk of introduction of Ebola disease into the United States, while allowing the U.S. Government the time necessary to conduct a full assessment of the unique public health risks posed by Ebola disease, assist with implementing surveillance, diagnostic capabilities and contact tracing, and develop a comprehensive mitigation and containment strategy in consultation with other stakeholders,” it continued. As Ebola cases rise, Americans returning from DRC must enter US via Washington Dulles https://t.co/6m75UNpG0n — Reuters Africa (@ReutersAfrica) May 21, 2026 Reuters shared further: Funneling travelers to just one airport represents a departure from the response to ​the 2014 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa when the U.S. screened in five international airports and will create bottlenecks and logistical challenges for travelers, infectious disease ​experts said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday the diversion was meant to “protect the American people.” “Objective number one is to make sure that Ebola never reaches the United States. Objective number two is do what we can to help the people of DRC and neighboring countries so it doesn’t spread,” he said. Prior administrations have focused on containing emerging infectious ​diseases at their source, before they spread and cross international borders. In 2014, the United States required travelers returning from three African countries over Ebola concerns ​to arrive at one of five U.S. airports with enhanced screening, including Dulles, New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta. “Ideally you’d like to see more of a regional effort ‌that would ⁠cover more airports, cover more places, but that takes resources and infrastructure,” said Dr Jeanne Marrazzo, chief executive of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who noted cuts in public health funding.