Por Brenda Goodman y Francesca Giuliani Hoffman, CNN

Un pasajero estadounidense que estuvo expuesto a la cepa Andes del hantavirus a bordo del crucero HV Hondius afirmó sentirse “tomado por sorpresa” y “engañado” por las nuevas órdenes que exigen su permanencia en el Centro Nacional de Cuarentena en Nebraska, bajo supervisión federal.

Al menos dos pasajeros recibieron una orden formal de permanecer en cuarentena en Nebraska después de haber insistido en marcharse. Al resto se les comunicó que, de no permanecer voluntariamente, también se les ordenaría quedarse. Dicha orden, que CNN revisó, fue firmada por el Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, quien se encuentra al frente tanto de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) como de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud (NIH) de Estados Unidos.

Las autoridades de salud pública han subrayado reiteradamente que el riesgo que el hantavirus Andes representa para la población general es bajo. No obstante, este brote ha puesto a prueba la fidelidad de la administración Trump a los principios del movimiento por la libertad médica, abanderado por el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., y sus colaboradores. El movimiento por la libertad médica se opone a las medidas de salud pública impuestas por el gobierno, tales como la obligatoriedad de la vacunación y el uso de mascarillas.

Bhattacharya es coautor de la Declaración de Great Barrington, redactada como protesta contra los “perjudiciales efectos físicos y mentales” derivados de las políticas gubernamentales de confinamiento implementadas durante la pandemia de covid-19.

“Esta es otra forma de sembrar desconfianza en la salud pública”, escribió en las redes sociales el Dr. Ali S. Khan, decano de la Escuela de Salud Pública del Centro Médico de la Universidad de Nebraska. “Resulta incoherente si se compara con la situación de numerosos pasajeros de cruceros expuestos al hantavirus que están siendo monitoreados desde sus hogares sin que medie una orden obligatoria”.

Aquellos pasajeros que desembarcaron del Hondius en abril y regresaron a Estados Unidos por vía aérea —antes de que se identificara el brote y se tuviera conocimiento del riesgo— están siendo monitoreados en sus propios domicilios por los departamentos de salud pública estatales y locales.

En las conferencias de prensa celebradas la semana pasada, los funcionarios de los CDC informaron que se encontraban evaluando a los pasajeros y trabajando en coordinación con los departamentos de salud estatales y locales para permitirles cumplir la cuarentena en sus hogares. Los CDC emitieron una serie de directrices con el fin de asistir a dichos departamentos de salud en el monitoreo de las personas expuestas al virus, lo que incluye la realización de visitas presenciales dos veces al día.

Hasta la noche del domingo, algunos pasajeros albergaban la expectativa de que se les permitiría regresar a sus hogares —posiblemente tan pronto como esta misma semana— para completar allí el resto del periodo de cuarentena de 42 días. Varios ya se habían puesto en contacto con sus departamentos de salud estatales y locales.

Un pasajero, que pidió no ser identificado por temor a que su familia sufriera acoso, relató que su departamento de salud local había redactado una orden de cuarentena que le habría permitido alojarse en una casa de huéspedes dentro de la propiedad de sus padres. Él esperaba poder salir de Nebraska tan pronto como el martes.

“Ni siquiera era una simple pauta, era una orden legal”, comentó el pasajero refiriéndose a la disposición del departamento de salud local. “No habría puesto objeciones a eso, pero lo único que quiero es estar en casa”.

Aseguró que ninguno de los pasajeros desea poner en peligro a los demás, pero que tiene la intención de impugnar la nueva orden que lo mantiene retenido en Nebraska.

“Nadie aquí está pidiendo ser eximid

By Clare Duffy, CNN

New York (CNN) — Meta has partnered with a network of mom and family influencers to spread the word about its teen safety tools and message that Instagram is safe for teens, according to a new tech watchdog report. The promotional push has come as Meta faces ongoing concerns from online safety groups, parents and advocates about those tools’ effectiveness.

“Parents, you are going to love this,” influencer Sadie Robertson Huff, known for starring in the reality TV series “Duck Dynasty,” said in a post in October 2024 cited in the report. She added that Instagram’s Teen Accounts settings gave her peace of mind as she thought about her then-3-year-old joining the platform one day.

“If you are a parent of a teen, I strongly advise you to take a deep dive into Instagram Teen Accounts because they are providing maximum protection,” lifestyle and family influencer Leroy Garrett said in an April post cited in the report that is tagged as a paid partnership.

At the end of the captions on each post and others like them: #MetaPartner.

Meta has sponsored hundreds of influencers, as well as doctors and psychologists, over the past two years to promote its safety features and portray it as a company committed to youth wellbeing, according to the report from the Tech Transparency Project, published Wednesday. As part of its campaign, the company has also hosted splashy “Screen Smart” events for influencers; some of those people went on to publicly advocate for Meta-backed safety legislation that would make app stores, rather than individual platforms, responsible for verifying users’ ages, according to the report.

Brands commonly partner with influencers to promote new products or initiatives, and Meta says the sponsorships are intended to get more teens using safer settings. But the push comes as Meta faces intense scrutiny regarding the safety of its platforms for young people.

Juries in California and New Mexico found Meta liable for addicting and harming young people following landmark trials this year, although the company has repeatedly said its platforms are safe for teens and it plans to appeal. It also faces hundreds more suits from families, school districts and state attorneys general. Multiple online safety groups released reports last year suggesting that Instagram’s Teen Accounts and other safety tools weren’t functioning as advertised, potentially exposing teens to sexual, violent or other inappropriate content. The company later updated its content restrictions for teens.

Other tech and social media companies have faced similar claims. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to call Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other social media executives to testify in another hearing about youth safety next month amid a Read more

By Arit John, CNN

(CNN) — In 2019, Paige Cognetti launched her campaign for mayor of Scranton, where the incumbent had resigned from office before pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Wary of the county Democratic Party’s closed nominating process, she ran as an independent. That fall, she found herself in a courtroom with her rivals as county Democratic leaders sought to have the special election reclassified, potentially booting her and three other candidates off the ballot.

“To sit there in a courtroom and have the local Democrats trying to essentially rig the election, it made me realize how right I was, that we needed to step up,” Cognetti told CNN.

The challenge to her bid failed, and Cognetti went on to become the first woman elected mayor of Scranton.

Now, in her bid to flip Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, Cognetti is once again framing herself as an alternative to the politics of self-interest. She’s also called on Democrats to have a forward-looking message if they win back the US House this November.

“We would be mistaken if we took Democratic victory in 2026 as a mandate to go into some sort of impeachment process,” Cognetti said. “What the American people need is to be able to afford to live and be able to feel confident that there is opportunity for themselves and their kids. That is what people are going to be out voting for.”

She’s challenging Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a freshman lawmaker who campaigned on banning congressional stock trading before becoming one of the most active stock traders in Congress during his first months in office. Bresnahan has said his stock trades were managed by financial advisors. In May 2025, the congressman announced he was forming a blind trust and introduced legislation to ban congressional stock trading.

“Really, Rob Bresnahan recruited me into this race for Congress,” Cognetti said. “It was not my plan, just like it wasn’t my plan to run in 2019. But I will not sit by and let the people of northeastern Pennsylvania have somebody representing them that is truly just there for themselves.”

It’s a message that’s resonating with Democrats as they continue trying to rebuild the party’s relationship with working-class voters. The district, located in northeastern Pennsylvania, voted for President Donald Trump in all three of his presidential campaigns. But Bresnahan defeated Rep. Matt Cartwright with just under 51% of the vote in 2024, even as President Donald Trump won nearly 54% of the vote.

Samantha Bullock, a spokesperson for Bresnahan’s campaign, pushed back on Cognetti and her allies’ framing of the race.

“Paige Cognetti would love this campaign to be about anything other than her failed leadership in Scranton,” Bullock said in a statement to CNN. “Rep. Bresnahan does not trade his own stocks, and Cognetti’s theatrics don’t change the fact that she is part of the Democrat machine that has failed Scranton for years.”

How Democrats view the race

Bresnahan is one of four Republican incumbents who Pennsylvania Democrats are targeting this November. Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed the Democratic nominees in all four races, including Cognetti, who ran unopposed.

In the 8th District, Democrats are hoping to make a connection between corruption in Washington, which helped fuel their successful efforts to flip the House in 2006 and 2018, and Americans’ affordability concerns. They view Cognetti, who was easily elected to full terms as mayor in 2021 and 2025 as a Democrat, as their best bet in a race viewed as among the state’s most competitive.

“She’s often been not afraid to buck her own party and to stand up for what she thinks is right, and that makes her really appealing to everyday voters who have felt often disenfranchised with either party,” said Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who has endorsed Cognetti.

By Sandra Gonzalez, Sara Smart, CNN

(CNN) — Being a “Survivor” winner means joining a strange club of hyper-ambitious humans, bound by both the surreal experience of reality television fame and knowing what it feels like to suddenly come into a good chunk of cash.

When the show’s 50th season concludes on Wednesday, one person will walk away with $2 million — a surprise doubled pot courtesy of Internet sensation and superfan Mr. Beast.

Before this year, the $1 million prize money may not have technically kept up with inflation, but an informal poll of winners shows whether you won in early seasons or later ones, the real value of victory sometimes does not come from the money at all.

Take, for instance, Season 12 winner Aras Baskauskas, who spent 39 days starving and sleep-deprived off the coast of Panama to earn his million at the age of 24 and used it to start a hat business, through which he learned “how not to succeed in business.” Five years after he won, he was $50,000 in debt.

The married father, who with his wife owns successful sustainable clothing company Christy Dawn, likes to say he spent his prize money on a very expensive, non-traditional education.

“By the time you’ve opened the aperture wide enough to really start to enjoy the riches, there’s nothing left,” he said. “It’s a fascinating experience at that age.”

But he’s zen about it now and tries to share that feeling with other winners and castoffs alike, recently doing so in a text exchange with Season 50 contestant and five-time player Ozzy Lusth, whose heart-led game play resulted in his torch getting snuffed in a recent episode.

“There’s some idea that having a million dollars improves your life,” Baskauskas said. It doesn’t. “It just changes it. And whatever problems you’re gonna find yourself in, you’ll find them with or without that money.”

Here’s more of what winners told CNN when asked how they spent their prize money.

Ethan Zohn (Season 3)

After Zohn won “Survivor: Africa” in 2001, he was approached by two former teammates from Zimbabwean football club Highlanders FC about starting a charity that later became Grassroot Soccer, which for the last two decades has helped educate teens worldwide on issues like HIV prevention and mental health through the sport.

“I was all in and donated the funds to help co-found the organization,” Zohn said. “Of course I splurged a little bit! I bought both my brothers a car, took my mom on vacation and bought myself a pair of those BOSE Noise reduction headphones.”

“Survivor” changed his life for many reasons, “and it wasn’t just about the money,” he said.

“It gave me lifelong friends, introduced me to a community I love being a part of and it gave me the opportunity to jumpstart something I was truly passionate about, Grassroot Soccer.”

Danni Boatwright (Season 11)

“I had one big splurge and that was I spent 10 grand on getting my dog Hondo. He had hip dysplasia, and I knew he needed it but couldn’t justify spending that much money. And that was my motivation for my final immunity challenge, ‘Gosh, if I win this, I could go get Hondo a new hip.’ So as soon as I won, I took him down to Kansas State University, they gave him a new hip and he lived 14 wonderful years. Best money spent.”

Earl Cole (Season 14)

Another benevolent winner, Cole took some of his winnings and started the Perthes Kids Foundation, which helps children with Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease, a degenerative hip bone disorder. He also started the SMART Tire Company that in 2023 was featured in TIME’s Best Inventions for its airless bicycle wheel.

He also gave money to family, traveled to over 60 countries and “invested wisely,” he said via email.

“I guess one weird and crazy thing I bought was ONE shot of Macallan 56 at the top of the

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

The Maldives is known for its luxury resorts and crystal-clear waters, but this week it became the site of a frantic underwater search for missing tourists. Five experienced Italian divers ventured into an underwater cave system on what was supposed to be an exciting expedition — but they never returned.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Election night takeaways

He wasn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump is claiming victory after several Republicans who opposed him lost their primary races Tuesday. In Kentucky, Trump helped oust Rep. Thomas Massie, another GOP lawmaker he had deemed disloyal. The result marked the second time in a week that Trump successfully took down a member of his own party. Read more.

PLUS: Keisha Lance Bottoms aims to become first Black woman governor

2⃣ IRS immunity

The Internal Revenue Service is now barred from auditing President Trump and his family for past tax issues. On Tuesday, the Justice Department unveiled this new language and other terms as part of a settlement with Trump to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. Read more.

MORE: Democrats denounce $1.8 billion fund that could pay Trump allies

3⃣ Mosque shooting

New details are emerging after Monday’s deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque as investigators work to piece together the attackers’ motives and online activity. The two teenage gunmen appeared to have shared a live video of the attack as well as a lengthy written document citing racist, Islamophobic and antisemitic ideology. Read more.

4⃣ Virus concerns

The World Health Organization says the scale of the Ebola outbreak in central Africa “warrants serious concern” following 500 suspected cases, including 130 deaths. As global officials respond to that crisis, concerns about another infectious disease are mounting in the US: New orders require some American passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship to remain at a quarantine facility under federal supervision after they pushed to leave. Read more.

5⃣ Raúl Castro

Former Cuban President Raúl Castro is expected to be indicted today by the Justice Department in a prosecution more than 30 years in the works. The criminal charges focus on the 94-year-old’s alleged role, while serving as Cuba’s defense minister, in ordering the shooting down of two civilian aircraft belonging to the Cuban-American group Brothers to the Rescue in 1996. Read more