作者： root

US spy chief Ratcliffe preparing for bigger role in Russia, Ukraine talks, FT reports

2026-09-09T21:09:49.424Z / Reuters

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe attends a U.S. House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Sept 9 (Reuters) – U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger role in Washington’s negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, U.S. officials told their European counterparts, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons denied the report, calling it “false” in a post on X.

Get a look at the day ahead in European and global markets with the Morning Bid Europe newsletter. Sign up here.

The Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter, said the White House is considering scaling back the involvement of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Ukraine peace effort.

Reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Top Republican names who he says is really leading Democrats — and it’s not Schumer or Jeffries

September 9, 2026 4:47pm EDT / Fox News

Florida senator argued Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries aren’t calling the shots for Democrats anymore

By Alex Miller Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6404837557112 Top Republican names who he says is really leading Democrats — and it’s not Schumer or Jeffries

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., warned that it’s not really Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer nor House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries running the show, it’s Hassan Piker, AOC and far-left progressives.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

DALLAS — A top Senate Republican warned that the real leaders of the Democratic Party aren’t the top two Democrats in Congress.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., weren’t the ones calling the shots for Democrats — it’s the far-left progressives, both inside and out of Congress, that are leading the way.

“Let’s be clear, the leader of the Democrat Party is not Schumer, it’s not Jeffries,” Scott said. “It’s Hasan Piker, it is AOC and Zohran Mamdani.”

REPUBLICANS HEAD TO DALLAS WITH ONE MISSION: DEFY HISTORY AND WIN BIG

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hasan Piker,(Sarah Rice/Getty Images; Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Republicans are congregating in Dallas, Texas, to pitch why they should maintain power in Congress and energize their base during a midterm cycle in which Democrats are fighting to retake control of both chambers.

Scott, who once led the Senate GOP’s campaign arm known as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), argued that Schumer and Senate Democrats could “salivate all they want, but their message is horrible.”

That message is driven by the likes of streamer Hasan Piker, who has come under fire from both Republicans and Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

CAN THE ‘BEST SHOWMAN IN POLITICS’ DELIVER AGAIN? GOP BETS ON TRUMP AT HISTORIC MIDTERM CONVENTION

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403281649112 Tim Scott goes scorched earth on El-Sayed: ‘He’s for Hamas, but he’s against America’

“They’re going to say, ‘Gosh, we want men to play in women’s sports, to destroy women’s sport,’” Scott said. “They can talk about socialism, how they want to kill all the capitalists.”

“I tell people, you go vote for a Democrat, which is now a socialist, right? Then you better buy a bunch of guns,” he continued. “Because you can vote socialism in, ask the people in Venezuela, but guess what? You can’t get rid of it without guns.”

Still, Republicans are facing political headwinds as November creeps closer, with the Iran war still raging, prices at the gas pump and checkout line still high, and a fresh trade war with Canada putting GOP incumbents and candidates in a bind.

‘WHY WOULD HE DO THIS TO US?’: ONE CRUCIAL TRUMP DECISION IS HURTING HIS BASE, REPUBLICANS WARN

Sen. Rick Scott in the Senate Subway during a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 2025.(Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And midterm elections are more often than not a referendum against the party in power. Scott, however, believes that Republicans are going to “actually have a good cycle,” and maintain control of the Senate.

“The reason is we have a better message and we have great candidates,” Scott said. “If you look at our Senate candidates, I mean, how would you like to be out and defend Abdul El-Sayed’s record of being antisemitic and hating this country.”

Much of the purpose of the convention, Scott acknowledged, was to remind voters that while his name isn’t explicitly on the ballot, the midterm elections were all about President Donald Trump.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump is set to speak on Wednesday night as the NFL starts again, and as Republicans formulate their final message to their base. And that message is that if Democrats win, Trump’s agenda will stall completely.

“There’s no question the Trump agenda is on the ballot,” Scott said. “If you want the Trump agenda accomplished, we have to control the House, we have to control the Senate.”

“And if the Democrats control the House, they’re gonna impeach him for combing his hair the wrong way,” he continued. “So we’ve gotta control the House and we gotta control the Senate.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. just had its hottest summer on record, NOAA says

2026-09-09 16:03:00 EDT / CBS News

By Emily Mae Czachor News Editor
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and climate. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

Read Full Bio

The United States just experienced its hottest summer on record, officials said, after several months of exceptionally high temperatures and expanding drought across the country.

According to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, temperatures nationwide averaged 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit between June and August, which is the period known to climate scientists as “meteorological summer.” It was the warmest summer the country has ever seen since temperature and precipitation records began 132 years ago, exceeding the previous record set in 1936 and again in 2021 by 0.4 degrees.

August 2026 alone broke monthly temperature records, the report said. The temperature for the entire month averaged out to 75.6 degrees, although the average daytime high was considerably higher at 88.6 degrees — the warmest recorded average of its kind.

Blistering heat

This summer’s temperatures showed significant changes from the patterns observed over the course of the 20th century, overall and in August specifically, the report said. In 2026, average temperatures between June and August were three and a half degrees hotter than summer averages collected throughout the 1900s. August’s average was three degrees hotter on its own.

Much of the contiguous U.S. endured “above- to much-above average” temperatures last month, according to the report. The only areas where normal conditions were observed were isolated to pockets of the Midwest and northern Plains.

Meanwhile, record warmth was widespread across the West, Southwest, southern Rockies, southwestern Plains and the southern Florida Peninsula, which experienced punishing heat waves, destructive wildfires and declining water reserves as a result.

California, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado all experienced their warmest August temperatures on record this year, with California and New Mexico seeing average daily highs soar to record heights. Even nighttime lows were, on average, the highest they’ve ever been in August across vast sections of the West, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

Several southwestern states endured record-breaking heat for the length of the summer, including Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, while Arizona tied its previous record for the warmest summer.

Precipitation rates fell below average

Although parts of the country faced storms that brought heavy rain, precipitation across the U.S. this summer was still lower than the 20th century average, the report found. Nationwide, the average of 8.11 inches of rain that fell between June and August was 0.21 inches below last century’s average. Substantially above-average precipitation in states like Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio was canceled out by historically sparse totals recorded in places like California, which had its driest summer since 2002 and its fifth-driest ever recorded.

The contrast was particularly stark in August, when Indiana and Ohio saw record-high precipitation for the month while Texas and Oklahoma neared their record lows.

August also brought deepening drought to parts of the country, the report said, citing the U.S. Drought Monitor. Nationwide, drought had expanded to cover 59.1% of the U.S. at the start of September, after increasing by more than 10% since the start of August. While still present across many areas of the West that had already been experiencing it, the drought spread further into the middle of the country. However, it weakened somewhat in certain sections of the Southwest, Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

Fight over Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri returns to US Supreme Court

2026-09-09 21:24:27 UTC / Reuters

By Andrew Chung

September 9, 2026 9:24 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 1, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz Purchase Licensing Rights

• Summary

• Republican-drawn map erased a Democratic-held district
• Missouri Supreme Court blocked new map pending a referendum
• Federal judge then issued conflicting ruling favoring new map

Sept 9 (Reuters) – Challengers to a redrawn congressional map in Missouri aimed at favoring Republicans ​asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to suspend a federal judge’s order that allowed only ‌those reconfigured boundaries to be used in November’s midterm elections.

The map’s challengers, including a group opposed to the Republican-drawn map called People Not Politicians, made the request in an emergency filing, moving swiftly after St. Louis, Missouri-based Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued his decision ​on Tuesday.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The request brings the fight over Missouri’s U.S. House of Representatives districts back to the Supreme ​Court just one day after it declined to intervene in a bid by Missouri officials to ⁠reinstate the redrawn map, which the state’s top court had blocked until it is put to a referendum.

Clark’s order ​appeared to conflict with the Missouri Supreme Court’s unanimous September 3 ruling blocking the map, leaving the state’s congressional districts in ​limbo and injecting further confusion into the high-stakes electoral fight.

Missouri Republicans adopted the new map, which dismantled the Kansas City-based seat of longtime Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, in 2025 as part of a broader effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw congressional districts in ways ​that could benefit Republican candidates.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Republicans hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the U.S. House, including one independent who caucuses ​with Republicans.

The dispute in Missouri arose when People Not Politicians, which calls itself a coalition of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats opposed to ‌gerrymandering the ⁠state’s electoral map, collected enough signatures to file for a referendum under a provision in the state constitution that authorizes a ballot measure to approve any legislative act.

Hoskins rejected the petition, finding that state constitutional language does not apply to congressional redistricting.

The seven-member Missouri Supreme Court, which includes five Republican-appointed judges, disagreed, ruling that the referendum petition was “legal, ​sufficient, and timely,” and that ​the redrawn map will ⁠not take effect until approved by voters.

Missouri Republican U.S. Representative Bob Onder and other plaintiffs then filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to reinstate the Republican-drawn map.

In ​his order on Tuesday, Clark barred the use of any map for the November ​elections except for ⁠the redrawn 2025 map because those congressional district boundaries were already used for the August 4 primary elections.

The fight intensified after Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, the state’s top election official, responded to Clark’s order by telling local election officials ⁠to ​proceed with using the 2025 map.

The Missouri Supreme Court then said ​it would consider holding Hoskins in contempt if it determines he violated its September 3 ruling blocking that map. It ordered him to appear in ​person on September 10 for a hearing on the matter.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Reporting by Andrew Chung; editing by Deepa Babington and David Gregorio

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Ohio man who was living in squalor with his 16 grandchildren declared mentally incompetent to stand trial

September 9, 2026 / 7:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A man whose 16 grandchildren were discovered living in squalid conditions at a rural southern Ohio home in late June was found mentally incompetent to stand trial Wednesday.

A judge in Vinton County accepted the findings of an evaluation report for Gary Siders Sr., and Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not object to the findings.

The 73-year-old Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair. His attorney, Dorian Baum, said after the hearing that Siders’ mental health has been declining for years and is “not restorable.”

“It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point,” Baum said. “He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”

Siders was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment related to the children, who were rescued June 30 from a home in Hamden about 80 miles south of Columbus.

Siders’ wife, Christina Siders; son Gary Siders Jr., and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the children’s mother, have pleaded not guilty.

Authorities found the children on June 30 while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation. Investigators said the children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house under deplorable conditions. The children weren’t enrolled in school, the family moved around over the past two decades, and neighbors said they’d never spotted the kids.

Police tape surrounds a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, July 1, 2026. Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

At the time they were found, the children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years, with some described as “feral” and unable to speak. Authorities said their medical conditions varied.

“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said in a July 2 news conference. “It was an extremely high presence, I’m sure, of bacterial and human feces; it was just a disgusting scene.”

“They looked like almost feral animals, it was terrible,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at the time, adding that the 18-year-old who was found in the home was unable to spell her own name.

“We’ve got to make sure the kids are safe, we’ve got to make sure they’re placed in good, solid, therapeutic placements, and we have to hold accountable the people that are willing to do this to their own family,” Wilson said.

Wilson also said in the news conference that the suspects “were pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and out of investigators’ eyes.”

The eldest was born in May 2008, two months after Gary Siders Jr., then 18, and Elizabeth, then 15, crossed into West Virginia to marry at the Mason County Courthouse with her parents’ consent, according to court records. She has been pregnant most years since then, the records show.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announces distribution of more than 7 million free eggs statewide

September 9, 2026 6:15pm EDT / Fox News

Three egg producers agreed to donate more than 7 million eggs in an antitrust settlement

By Brittany Miller Fox News

More than 1.7 million free eggs have already been delivered to Texas food banks, with another 5.3 million slated to arrive in the coming weeks as part of an antitrust settlement with three major egg producers, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday.

The statewide distribution stems from settlements reached in June with Cal-Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova and Hickman’s Egg Ranch, resolving antitrust claims brought by the Trump administration’s Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general over allegations the companies conspired to inflate egg prices between 2022 and 2025.

Under the agreements, the companies will donate more than 7 million eggs to Texas food banks and pay a combined $3.3 million to participating states.

“After securing 7 million eggs for the people of Texas, I am excited to announce that Texans will now have an opportunity to receive cartons of free eggs in communities across the state,” Paxton said. “I will continue to help our families put food on the table and do everything within my power to lower prices and help Texans who are struggling to make ends meet.”

TRUMP-LINKED MAGA INC POURS $10M INTO KEN PAXTON’S TEXAS SENATE RACE AGAINST JAMES TALARICO

Ken Paxton announced that more than 7 million free eggs will be distributed to Texas food banks under antitrust settlements with three major egg producers.(Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The distributions are being coordinated with Feeding Texas, the state’s largest hunger-relief organization. Seventeen food banks are participating in the effort.

The Houston Food Bank is expected to receive the largest allocation of 1,544,400 eggs, followed by the North Texas Food Bank in Plano and the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, which will each receive 842,400 eggs. Other participating food banks are located across the state, including Austin, San Antonio, Tyler, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Laredo, Odessa, Pharr, Beaumont, Amarillo, Lubbock, Victoria, Abilene and Wichita Falls.

AI’S MASSIVE APPETITE FOR POWER, WATER IGNITES FIGHT IN HIGH-STAKES TEXAS SENATE RACE

A man reaches for food supplies at a pantry serving families in need.(Olivianna Calmes)

It was not immediately clear when individual food banks would begin distributing the eggs to Texans or whether eligibility requirements would vary by location.

Cartons of eggs are stacked in a packing factory. Texas officials say more than 7 million eggs will be distributed to food banks statewide through an antitrust settlement with three major egg producers.(Matthias Bein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A spokesperson for Feeding Texas did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on distribution timing and how Texans can receive the eggs. Fox News Digital also reached out to Cal-Maine Foods for comment on the settlement and the statewide donation effort.

Brittany Miller is a Fox News Digital breaking news writer and former Independent reporter who graduated from Syracuse University in 2023.

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/4e698298-6bd0-45b7-add5-05e697be5386

中国对伊核决议投反对票 称政治外交解决才是出路

2026-09-10 07:15 / 联合早报

国际原子能机构理事会维也纳当地时间星期三（9月9日）审议伊朗核问题。 （路透社档案照）

中国对伊朗核问题决议投反对票，中国常驻国际原子能机构代表李松称，政治外交解决才是伊朗核问题出路。

据中新社报道，维也纳当地时间星期三（9月9日），国际原子能机构理事会审议伊朗核问题，李松发言阐述中方立场。

李松说，去年6月以来，美国、以色列两次军事打击伊朗接受国际原子能机构保障监督的和平核设施，对伊与机构之间的保障监督合作造成严重障碍，对《不扩散核武器条约》机制构成严重打击，是导致伊方与机构合作至今无法回归正轨的根本原因。

李松说，在理事会搞政治对抗解决不了伊核问题，强行通过决议只会激化矛盾，提交安理会没有出路。伊朗核问题的历史沿革充分证明，政治外交解决才是伊朗核问题出路。今年6月，美伊签署阶段性谅解备忘录，是多方斡旋调停的宝贵成果。谈判的大门既然打开就不应关上，和平只要还有希望就不应放弃。当务之急是推动局势降温，回归对话谈判。中方将为推动政治解决伊核问题，促进中东地区和平稳定作出不懈努力。

会议期间，国际原子能机构成员国进行激烈辩论，表决通过美国与英国、法国、德国共同推动的伊朗核问题决议。理事会具有投票权的34个成员国中，中国、俄罗斯、尼日尔对决议投反对票，巴西、南非、印度、埃及、泰国等八个发展中国家投弃权票。

Trump administration alleges UC Berkeley School of Law favors Black applicants in admission

By Kanishka Singh
September 9, 2026 9:16 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago / Reuters

Prospective students tour the University of California, Berkeley campus before beginning of the new semester, in Berkeley, California, U.S., June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Summary

• Trump has cracked down on diversity initiatives during his second term
• UC Berkeley School of Law says race is not considered in admissions decisions
• Rights advocates have raised about ​Trump administration probes against US schools

WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice and ‌Education Departments alleged on Wednesday that admissions practices at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law deliberately favored Black applicants and discriminated against white and Asian candidates.

A joint probe by the two federal ​departments whose findings were announced on Wednesday marked the latest crackdown on diversity initiatives in ​universities by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The administration alleged the UC Berkeley School of ⁠Law uses “race, essay prompts, and other tactics to further its admissions diversity goals.”

Erwin Chemerinsky, ​dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, said on Wednesday that the school’s “admissions policy ​is clear that race is not considered in any way in admissions decisions.”

UC Berkeley’s central administration said the university “will spare no effort to provide ample evidence” to show the university complies with all relevant ​laws, policies and rules governing admissions.

Trump, who casts diversity goals as anti-merit and discriminatory against ​white people and men, has signed orders to dismantle them. Rights advocates say diversity practices address historic ‌inequities for ⁠marginalized groups like ethnic minorities, the LGBT community and women.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges in 2023 when it struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

“The data produced by Berkeley Law demonstrates a strong bias ​against Asian and white ​applicants, with a ⁠corresponding bias in favor of Black applicants,” the Trump administration said, adding Black applicants had 5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable ​white applicants in 2025.

The law school’s October 2025 enrollment data showed 1,128 ​law students, ⁠of whom 516 were white and 293 Asian, with 51 Black students.

The Department of Justice said it sought a voluntary resolution agreement with the school.

Trump has targeted universities with probes and funding ⁠suspension ​threats over pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s assault on ​Gaza, diversity initiatives, transgender policies and climate programs, leading to free speech, due process and academic freedom concerns.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/99373931-6e08-46b1-8d8d-9b9e9d271aec

His administration has also ​targeted various other schools over admissions practices.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Missouri redistricting chaos returns to US Supreme Court

2026-09-09 21:38:07 UTC / CNN

By John Fritze

PUBLISHED Sep 9, 2026, 5:38 PM ET

This photo taken with a smartphone shows Steve Perry, of Kansas City, holding a sign in opposition to Missouri’s congressional redistricting plan on September 2 in Jefferson City, Missouri.

David A. Lieb/AP

A fast-moving legal battle over Missouri’s effort to eke an additional Republican seat out of its congressional map for this year’s midterm election returned to the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, a day after Justice Brett Kavanaugh had effectively rejected the same proposed map.

A group that organized opposition to the GOP-friendly congressional map filed an emergency appeal, urging the Supreme Court to step in once again and block the map from being used in this year’s midterm elections. The quick-turn appeal followed a dizzying 24 hours in the case that saw action from four different courts.

The group, People Not Politicians, warned that a federal court order backing the GOP map would cause “confusion and disruption” and subject “election officials to irreconcilable judicial commands on the eve of an election, with a federal court inserting itself to wreak havoc on the state’s elections.”

Related article The Supreme Court building on August 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Trump admin renews Supreme Court ask to let mail ballot rule to take effect ahead of midterms 4 min read

Back-to-back conflicting court orders on Tuesday night left uncertain whether the Show Me State would likely send six or seven Republicans to the House next year. This comes as the GOP, at President Donald Trump’s behest, has engaged in an unusual mid-decade redistricting effort to retain its narrow grip on the chamber.

The latest round of legal maneuvering began late last week when the Missouri Supreme Court blocked the GOP map for the November midterm election, ruling that the state couldn’t use those new districts until voters had a chance to pass judgment on them in a referendum. Missouri officials raced up to the US Supreme Court, but Kavanaugh denied the state’s request for review in a perfunctory, one-line order Tuesday evening.

But minutes after Kavanaugh’s decision, US District Judge Stephen Clark handed down a separate temporary order in a different case that would essentially require the state to proceed under the map created last year that targets a Democratic district based in Kansas City. A federal appeals court in St. Louis declined to pause that decision, so People Not Politicians returned to the US Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The court requested that Missouri respond by Thursday morning, an especially fast turnaround.

Related article Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN/@SenatorBerger via X/California and Missouri state legislatures Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN Tracking states’ unprecedented redistricting efforts 3 min read

Missouri’s new map, which was enacted last year, was used in the state’s primary election in August. But the state’s highest court ruled last week that officials in Missouri wrongly dismissed a petition with more than 300,000 signatures to let the state’s voters decide on the map via a referendum before it took effect.

The map targeted the 5th Congressional District, held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by breaking up its Kansas City base and stretching it into rural and Republican-leaning parts of the state.

Opponents of the map had submitted their petition for a referendum late last year, but state officials waited until August 4, the last possible date, which happened to be the day of the state’s primary, to declare that the state constitution’s right for voters to weigh in on legislation doesn’t apply to redistricting measures. The state supreme court rejected that interpretation.

中国商务部：蒸馏是AI领域通行做法 不应被政治化

2026年9月10日 07:41 / 联合早报

• 美国执法和情报机构指六家中企通过蒸馏方式，大规模抽取美国AI模型信息以训练自身产品。 – 中国商务部回应称，蒸馏是AI领域通行做法，本质为中性技术，包括美企在内的全球企业都在用。 – 商务部指美方将蒸馏技术政治化、工具化，是以打击蒸馏为名行产业垄断之实，维护科技霸权。 – 中方表示愿与美方开展建设性讨论，但若美方实施遏压行动，中方必将坚决采取措施予以反制。

美国执法和情报机构9月8日发声明指，包括深度求索、月之暗面和阿里巴巴在内的六家中国企业，通过蒸馏方式，大规模抽取美国AI模型的信息。 （路透社）

对于美国指六家中企违规获取美国AI模型输出，中国商务部回应称，蒸馏（distillation）是AI领域各个模型间互相学习的通行做法，美方将蒸馏技术政治化、工具化，是推行科技霸权。

据新华社报道，商务部新闻发言人星期三（9月9日）就美发布中国人工智能企业对美蒸馏活动相关网络安全公告答记者问。

发言人说，蒸馏是人工智能领域各个模型间互相学习的通行做法，本质是中性技术手段，包括美企在内的全球模型企业都在用。这种技术手段可以帮助模型提升学习效率，实现人类知识的更高效利用，对各国发展人工智能产业、释放人工智能技术潜力、弥补发展鸿沟、更广泛惠及发展中国家和社会大众有积极意义。

发言人表示，美方做法是典型的双重标准。对于人工智能，中方鼓励开源开放、合作共享，中方开源模型向包括美企在内的全球企业开放，为相关模型研发提供便利。美企有关模型研发报告也披露，其大量蒸馏中国模型。反观美方，多次单方面指责中国企业从事“工业规模”蒸馏，将行业通行做法抹黑为攻击行为，既反映了美方的焦虑，又体现了双重标准。

发言人称，美方做法是典型的以打击蒸馏为名，行产业垄断之实。美方由安全部门发布公告，是将个别企业和资本利益与国家安全相捆绑，动用国家强权机构干涉正常商业活动。我们注意到，美个别人工智能企业滥用竞争优势地位，在用户协议中设置宽泛的地域限制等霸王条款。美方相关蒸馏指控，有为这些霸王条款背书之嫌。

延伸阅读

美指六家中企违规获取美国AI模型输出

发言人说，美方做法是典型的动用国家力量维护科技霸权和算力垄断，打压竞争。今年以来，美行政、立法机关频频发出对中国企业蒸馏行为的制裁打压威胁，其目的是打压竞争，维护美在算力、数据方面的垄断，只能美国独赢，不能人类共赢，将本应公开公平获取的全球人工智能资源变成少数企业的独占资源，阻止他国参与人工智能创新成果的普惠共享。

发言人表示，当前，大模型产业正处于技术迭代、风险迭发、成长发展的关键时期。中美作为大国，应以积极负责态度处理人工智能领域面临的挑战和风险。两国元首已同意开展人工智能政府间对话，中方愿意以平等互利、合作共赢原则，通过对话与美方开展建设性和专业的讨论。但如果美方以打击蒸馏为名，实施遏压中国人工智能企业的行动，中方必将坚决采取措施予以反制。希望美方与中方相向而行，通过对话和沟通管控风险，推动人工智能产业惠及全球。

美国执法和情报机构星期二（9月8日）发声明指，包括深度求索、月之暗面和阿里巴巴在内的六家中国企业，通过蒸馏方式，大规模抽取美国AI模型的信息，用于加快训练自身产品。

美官员声称，相关行动或在中国政府知情下进行，不仅降低中企研发成本，也可能提升中国的军事和网络攻击能力。美方还指中企规避使用限制，大规模获取Anthropic、OpenAI、谷歌和SpaceX等模型的输出，以训练自身产品。

美国财长贝森特警告，若中国在AI竞赛中领先美国，“其他一切都将不再重要”，即使美国拥有庞大的国防预算也不足以抵消这种劣势。