Iran and the United States were at an impasse again Monday over how to end their war while their ceasefire grew increasingly shaky, with the two sides exchanging fire in recent days, ships and Gulf states being targeted, and fighting flaring between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
“The ceasefire is on massive life support where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living,” President Donald Trump said at an unrelated White House news conference Monday.
The volatility could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict, with Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and America’s blockade of Iranian ports still in place. Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran into making concessions and end the limbo. Beijing is the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it leverage.
—The Associated Press and Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter
A woman pumps gas in Beverly Hills, Calif., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Trump says he’ll suspend federal gas tax amid war with Iran
President Donald Trump said Monday he plans to suspend the federal gasoline tax to help Americans as fuel prices continue to soar amid the United States’ war with Iran.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Trump said in an interview with CBS News. “Yup, we’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we’ll let it phase back in.”
However, suspending the federal gas tax would require an act of Congress. Shortly after the interview went public, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., announced he will introduce legislation Monday to pause the tax. Democrats in the Senate and House had previously proposed bills to suspend the tax through Oct. 1.
—Spectrum News’ Ryan Chatelain
Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack pleads not guilty
A man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he attempted to kill President Donald Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop the attack.
Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment. Allen didn’t speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.
Allen’s lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.
—The Associated Press
Democrats ask Supreme Court to halt Virginia ruling blocking new congressional districts
Democrats on Monday filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four winnable U.S. House seats.
The move came after the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month. The 4-3 state court decision found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in the Virginia’s general election last fall.
Democrats argued unsuccessfully that the U.S. Supreme Court has held that, even if early voting is underway, an election does not happen until Election Day itself.
—The Associated Press
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at an event about maternal healthcare, Monday, May 11, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trump touts efforts to improve maternal healthcare, increase U.S. fertility rate
President Donald Trump announced several programs Monday designed to improve women’s healthcare and increase the American fertility rate.
One day after Mother’s Day, when the Department of Health and Human Services launched the moms.gov website for new and expecting mothers, Trump said he is enacting “groundbreaking childcare reforms.”
Among those reforms is a new Labor Department rule that formally creates a fertility benefit option for employers to offer employees outside of their health insurance plans, Trump said.
—Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter
More Monday reads
• Supreme Court temporarily extends women’s access to a widely used abortion pill
• Trump nominates Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, a year after he was fired from the role
• Remains of U.S. soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered
• Democrats vow to fight $1 billion Senate security proposal for White House ballroom