CIA Director John Ratcliffe on secret trip in Russia

By Jennifer Jacobs, Olivia Gazis, James LaPorta

Updated on: August 25, 2026 / 11:08 AM EDT / CBS News


CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday.

News of his trip comes after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with a U.S. diplomatic motorcade. Neither the U.S. nor Russian governments has commented on the identity of the U.S. official in Russia or the purpose of the visit.

The CIA did not immediately comment.

It appears to be Ratcliffe's first known trip to Russia as CIA director, though he has maintained contact with Russian intelligence counterparts.

The CIA has also played a role in recent U.S.-Russia detainee exchanges, including the April 2025 release of a U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, whose case Ratcliffe personally negotiated. The agency was also involved in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan.

Former CIA Director William Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021, when he met with senior Russian officials and spoke directly with President Vladimir Putin to warn him against invading Ukraine.

Ratcliffe's visit comes as U.S.-mediated peace talks with Ukraine remain mostly stalled, with the sides still far apart on core issues.

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Hegseth's plan to screen military members for low testosterone...

Hegseth's plan to screen military members for low testosterone raises concern for doctors: "Not a performance drug"

By Kerry Breen

July 16, 2026 / 3:37 PM EDT / CBS News


A day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. service members over the age of 30 will be annually screened for "testosterone deficiency," doctors are expressing skepticism of the program and its goals.

Hegseth said all service members over 30 will be screened as part of their regular health assessments, and that younger ones will have the option of being tested to ensure that they "have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best." If they are recommended for treatment, they'll have the option to receive testosterone replacement therapy.

Hegseth has commented frequently on the physical standards of the military, connecting appearance and masculinity to combat readiness. Hegseth did not say what the new policy might mean for female service members, and other details have not yet been announced.

Doctors flagged a range of concerns about the policy, which is likely to be costly to implement. National organizations including The Endocrine Society and the American College of Physicians recommend against general screenings for testosterone levels, which can fluctuate based on age, lifestyle and even the time of day.

"Testosterone in the normal range is not a performance drug," said Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical correspondent and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. "For a man whose level is genuinely low, replacement can help libido and mood a little. It has not been shown to sharpen thinking, fix fatigue, or make a healthy 30-year-old a better soldier."
"No link to how masculine they are or feel or look"

Testosterone is a hormone naturally produced by the body. It helps maintain muscle and bone mass, and impacts mood and energy levels. It impacts libido and supports sperm production in men. But it isn't inherently linked to an increase in strength or capability, said Dr. Marcus Goncalves, director of the Holman Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at NYU Langone Health.

Texas board approves adding Bible stories to required reading for public school students

Updated on: June 26, 2026 / 2:29 PM CDT / AP


Texas public schools will require students to read Bible stories under a reading list approved by the state's education board Friday, widening conservative efforts to bring more Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.

The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list of over critics who argued the titles lacked diversity and and blurs the separation of church and state.

Under the mandate, more than 5 million public school students in Texas must read traditional literary works such as E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" and Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." They'll also be required to read Bible stories, including passages from the New Testament and excerpts from the Book of Job. The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.

For months, critics have blasted both the push to require Bible readings and the state mandating what books are read by students, which are decisions typically left up to teachers. Teachers could still assign students other books to read on top of the required titles.

Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation's founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation's public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state already allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.

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Norovirus outbreak reported on Princess cruise ship that departed Fort Lauderdale

By Matthew Ablon

Updated on: May 9, 2026 / 1:04 PM EDT / CBS Miami

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports it is monitoring a norovirus outbreak on board a Princess Cruises ship that departed Fort Lauderdale more than a week ago.

A report from the agency said the outbreak unfolded on the Caribbean Princess, which departed from Port Everglades on April 28. Data gathered by CruiseMapper shows the Caribbean Princess is currently on a 13-day voyage in the Caribbean, with stops in the Bahamas, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The ship is set to end its one-way cruise by docking at Port Canaveral in Orlando on May 11.

The CDC report indicates that 102 of the ship's 3,116 passengers reported ill, while 13 of the ship's 1,131 crew members reported ill. The main symptoms shared have included diarrhea and vomiting. The agency said Princess Cruises has responded to the norovirus outbreak by increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures; collecting specimens for testing, isolating ill passengers and crew; and consulting with the agency's Vessel Sanitation Program about cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases.

The CDC notes the VSP is conducting a field response for an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation to help control it. The outbreak was reported on Thursday, May 7.

The outbreak on the Caribbean Princess comes more than a month after another norovirus outbreak was reported on another Princess ship. In March, the Star Princess faced an outbreak that sickened more than 104 guests and 49 crew members. That ship also left Fort Lauderdale and made stops in the Caribbean, albeit in Honduras, Belize and the Mexican Riviera. The Star Princess returned to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale at the conclusion of that voyage. When the outbreak was reported, the Star Princess would have been sailing from Belize City to Cozumel, according to that itinerary.

In early January, the CDC reported that an outbreak on board a Holland America cruise ship had sickened more than 80 people after departing from Fort Lauderdale at the end of December.

In February, the agency said 27 people were sickened in an outbreak of an unknown gastrointestinal illness on board a luxury cruise ship, the Regent Seven Seas, which was sailing from Miami to Honolulu.


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Full interview: U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio on Iran

 

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4 killed aboard U.S. speedboat that entered Cuban waters and opened fire, Cuba says

What to know about Trump's "Board of Peace" as world leaders meet in Davos

By
Sarah Lynch Baldwin,
Jennifer Jacobs,
Olivia Gazis, Sara Cook,
Kathryn Watson

January 21, 2026 / 2:24 PM EST / CBS News

President Trump's proposed "Board of Peace" is expected to be a focus of world leaders in Davos this week as questions linger over its composition and scope months after it was announced as part of the administration's peace plan for Gaza.

The White House released new details about the board's leadership last week, and the president has recently suggested that its work could extend beyond Gaza.

Now, the board's formation is facing headwinds from U.S. allies, as nations consider joining — or rejecting — the body.

Mr. Trump is expected to make an announcement on Thursday about a Board of Peace charter, according to his schedule in Davos. The White House had not officially released any information as of Wednesday about the charter or its contents.

Here's what to know.

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Texas Democrat says she's locked inside state Capitol after refusing mandatory DPS escort

By Matthew Davisson

Updated on: August 18, 2025 / 7:52 PM CDT / CBS Texas

Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier from Fort Worth returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday but says she remains locked inside the Capitol because she wouldn't sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The escorts for all House Democrats who left the state of Texas last month — preventing a vote on a GOP-led redistricting effort — are meant as a guarantee that they will return to the House by 10 a.m. Wednesday for the next special session.

CBS News Texas spoke with Collier via Zoom on Monday, and she said the situation is wrong — just like the new Congressional maps she and other Democrats have tried to block from being passed. She also said that, according to DPS, she must stay in the House chambers or inside her office at the Capitol.

CBS News Texas has reached out to DPS for comment.

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