May 11

Trump says Iran ceasefire is on life support after rejecting nuclear offer

President Trump announced that the ceasefire with Iran was on life support after his administration rejected Iran's latest nuclear proposal as garbage, raising the prospect of resumed U.S. airstrikes. The ceasefire had been in nominal effect since late February but Iranian-linked forces continued attacks on Gulf infrastructure throughout the pause. Trump threatened intense bombing of Iranian military and economic infrastructure if Tehran did not offer meaningful concessions on its nuclear program within days.

Virginia Democrats file emergency SCOTUS appeal to reinstate voter-approved redistricting map

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas filed an emergency application with Chief Justice John Roberts on May 11, 2026, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the Virginia Supreme Court ruling and reinstate the voter-approved congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The filing cited Moore v. Harper to argue the state court exceeded its authority over federal elections, and argued that early voting does not constitute an election under federal law.

Hassett predicts more than 6% GDP growth, dismisses economic pessimism

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett predicted GDP growth exceeding 6% in 2026 in public remarks on May 11, 2026, attributing the forecast to AI productivity gains, lower corporate taxes for domestic manufacturers, and industrial policy initiatives. The Congressional Budget Office projected 2026 GDP growth at approximately 1.8%, and the International Monetary Fund had lowered its U.S. growth forecast in April 2026. Hassett's 6% projection would represent the highest U.S. annual GDP growth since the post-World War II economic boom.

Supreme Court must decide whether to block the Fifth Circuit ruling reinstating in-person dispensing rules for mifepristone

Justice Samuel Alito's one-week administrative stay of the Fifth Circuit's mifepristone ruling expired at 5 p.m. on May 11, 2026, forcing the Supreme Court to decide whether to block the ruling while litigation continues. The Fifth Circuit had ordered the FDA to reinstate in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone on May 1, 2026, reversing mail and pharmacy access that had been in place since 2021. Mifepristone is used in approximately 60% of abortions in the United States. Danco Laboratories and the FDA asked the Court to extend the stay while Louisiana v. FDA proceeds at the Fifth Circuit.

Senate confirms Warsh as Fed chair in first fully partisan vote in Fed history

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve Chair on May 11, 2026, in the first fully party-line confirmation of a Fed chair in the institution's history. Every prior Fed chair — from Arthur Burns in 1970 through Jerome Powell — was confirmed with meaningful bipartisan support. Warsh's confirmation came just days before Jerome Powell's term as Chair expired on May 15, and will give Warsh the chair's seat at the June 16-17 FOMC meeting. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the committee's 13-11 party-line vote that preceded it "a historic breach" of the norm of treating the Fed as above partisan politics.

Senate invokes cloture 51-46 on Warsh Fed chair nomination, clearing path for final vote

The U.S. Senate voted 51-46 on May 11, 2026, to invoke cloture on Kevin Warsh's nomination as Federal Reserve Chair, cutting off debate and teeing up a final confirmation vote before Jerome Powell's term expired on May 15. The Senate Banking Committee had advanced Warsh's nomination 13-11 along party lines on April 29. Warsh, a former Fed governor and American Enterprise Institute fellow, had pledged to keep the Fed focused on its monetary policy mandate and not stray into broader economic policy.

Supreme Court vacates Alabama order requiring second Black congressional district

The Supreme Court issued an unsigned one-paragraph order on May 11, 2026, vacating the district court judgment requiring Alabama to maintain a second majority-Black congressional district. The 6-3 order overturned a court-drawn map that gave Black voters a second seat for the first time since 2008, following two Supreme Court victories and years of litigation. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissented; Sotomayor noted the lower court had found intentional racial discrimination under the 14th Amendment, a finding the majority did not address.

Alito extends mifepristone administrative stay three days to May 14

Justice Samuel Alito extended his May 5 administrative stay of the Fifth Circuit's mifepristone ruling by three additional days, pushing the deadline to 5 p.m. ET on May 14 to give the full Supreme Court more time to consider whether to issue a broader order. Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro had filed emergency appeals warning that allowing the Fifth Circuit ruling to take effect would immediately cut off access to mail-order mifepristone for patients nationwide. The extension kept telehealth prescribing and mail dispensing in place while the Court weighed its options.

Hawaii legislature passes first-in-nation bill stripping corporations of political spending power

The Hawaii legislature passed Senate Bill 2471, a first-in-nation measure that redefines the powers granted to corporations and other artificial entities under state law, explicitly excluding the power to spend money or contribute anything of value to influence elections or ballot measures. The bill, based on the Center for American Progress Corporate Power Reset model, argued that since states create corporations through law, states can also define the limits of those corporate powers — a legal theory distinct from directly regulating political speech.

Fifth Circuit unanimously vacates Mississippi Supreme Court redistricting order citing Callais

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit unanimously vacated District Judge Sharion Aycock's 2025 order requiring Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court districts to create a majority-Black district on May 11, 2026. The three-judge panel ruled that the Supreme Court's Callais decision required reexamination of the Section 2 claim under the new intent-based standard. The ruling remanded the case to Aycock's court, effectively ending the immediate prospect of a majority-Black Mississippi Supreme Court district and prompting Gov. Tate Reeves to cancel the special redistricting session two days later.

Biden ends Title 42 as CBP One becomes sole pathway for asylum at southwest border

The Biden administration lifts the Title 42 public health expulsion order and simultaneously publishes the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule, making CBP One appointments the only sanctioned route to request asylum at the southwest border. Migrants who travel through a third country without seeking protection there become ineligible for asylum, unless they scheduled a CBP One appointment. From this date through January 2025, approximately 904,530 individuals use CBP One to schedule appointments at ports of entry.

Biden administration ends COVID-19 public health emergency after more than 3 years

The Biden administration officially ends the COVID-19 public health emergency and national emergency declarations, marking the formal end of the federal pandemic response that began in January 2020. The termination ends flexibilities for healthcare providers, telehealth services, and Medicaid coverage that were implemented during the pandemic. The decision comes as COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations have declined significantly due to widespread vaccination and immunity from prior infections. The administration maintains that COVID-19 remains a public health priority but transitions to routine management.

Women Health Protection Act blocked by Senate filibuster, fails 49-51

Just days after the Dobbs draft opinion leaked, Senate Democrats hold a procedural vote on the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation that would codify a national right to abortion going beyond what Roe v. Wade protected. The bill fails 49-51, with all 50 Republicans voting to filibuster and Senator Joe Manchin also voting no. Biden calls the vote "an inflection point." Democrats note that 70% of Americans support keeping abortion legal in most or all cases. The vote demonstrates the impossibility of federal abortion legislation without filibuster reform and sets up Dobbs as a galvanizing issue for the 2022 midterms.

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Biden administration approves Vineyard Wind first utility-scale offshore wind project in US history

The Biden Interior Department grants final approval to Vineyard Wind 1, the first utility-scale offshore wind project in US history, located 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast. The 800-megawatt project will power approximately 400,000 homes and create an estimated 3,600 jobs. The approval ends a three-year permitting delay that began under the Trump administration. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calls it "a clean energy landmark" and the start of a new US offshore wind industry. Biden's offshore wind agenda ultimately aims to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, enough to power 10 million homes, with the federal government approving multiple projects across the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during his term.

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Congress bars immigrants facing deportation from challenging their removal orders in federal court

President Bush signed the REAL ID Act of 2005, which included a provision eliminating habeas corpus review under 28 U.S.C. Section 2241 for final orders of removal, deportation, and exclusion. The Act made petitions to a court of appeals the sole and exclusive means for judicial review of removal orders. Congress preserved review of constitutional claims and questions of law, but stripped district courts of the jurisdiction that had previously allowed detainees to challenge removal in the courts where they were held.