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Why SpaceX stock is falling despite strong revenue growth

August 5, 2026 / 1:02 PM EDT / CBS News

Shares of SpaceX tumbled on Wednesday despite reporting strong revenue growth in its first public quarterly earnings report, as investors questioned the rocket maker’s accelerating investment in artificial intelligence.

SpaceX shares tumbled $10.06, or 8%, to $115.27 in early afternoon trading on Wednesday.

Investors are worried that the company’s massive investments in artificial intelligence won’t be enough to justify SpaceX’s $1.5 trillion valuation. SpaceX’s earnings report on Tuesday disclosed $15.8 billion in AI-related capital expenditures during the second quarter, more than double the amount it spent in the first quarter.

“The entire market is beginning to suspect that the extraordinary spend on AI might not work out for every firm,” David Trainer, CEO of New Constructs, an investment research firm, told CBS News in an email. “They cannot all be winners, yet they are all spending as if they will be.”

Investors looked past the company’s strong quarterly report to instead focus on whether SpaceX can deliver on its ambitious agenda, which includes sending data centers into space.

“Elon Musk has a history of overpromising, so investors took some of the optimistic forecasts with a grain of salt,” Jay Ritter, an IPO expert and professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, told CBS News in an email.

AI-related investments accounted for 86% of the company’s overall CapEx spending from April to June, totaling $18.4 billion.

“We’re building AI compute capacity at scale faster than anyone else, we believe, and we’re significantly improving our AI models, most notably with the release of Grok 4.5 last month,” Musk said on Wednesday’s earnings call.

The company’s second-quarter revenue of $7.8 billion exceeded analysts’ forecasts, while it narrowed its loss to $541 million from $1 billion a year earlier.

“The good news is that revenue and earnings for the quarter were above expectations, and that the company was optimistic about its ability to launch orbital data centers as early as next year,” Ritter said. “But the bad news is that the company is spending lots of cash on Earth-based data centers, a business that has a lot of competition.”

The company’s biggest source of revenue is its satellite division, home to Starlink. However, its AI segment has the potential to drive SpaceX’s valuation in the future, Nicolas Owens, an equity analyst at Morningstar who covers SpaceX, said in a Wednesday analysis.

Despite the stock’s decline, Morningstar still views SpaceX shares as overvalued, he noted.

SpaceX stock could face further downward pressure on Thursday when up to 911.5 million shares become eligible for sale as a lockup period expires, potentially flooding the market with new shares.

“The lockup expiration does not mean every insider or early investor will sell, but it does increase the potential supply of shares coming to market, which can create near-term pressure on the stock,” Paul Karger, co-founder and managing partner at private investment firm TwinFocus, said in an email.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/spacex-first-earnings-report-since-ipo/

Some Gen Zers swap their smartphones for “dumb” phones to curb social media habits

2026-08-05T15:50:00-0400 / CBS News

By Maya Blackstone

Updated on: August 5, 2026 / 4:01 PM EDT / CBS News

Kendall Schrohe remembers the moment she swapped her smartphone for a flip phone.

“For me, like the second that my iPhone was gone, it was just like heaven on earth,” the 23-year-old Washington, D.C., resident told CBS News.

Schrohe is among the growing number of young people who are ditching their smartphones in favor of stripped-down “dumb phones” in an effort to unplug from social media amid concerns about the platforms’ impact on mental health. Some also feel nostalgic for an era they never knew before the advent of mobile devices.

According to Pew Research, roughly half of U.S. adults in 2025 visited social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook at least once a day. Research from the American Psychological Association showed even higher usage among young people, with the average U.S. teen spending nearly five hours a day on social media, according to the group.

What is a dumb phone?

So-called dumb phones are a broad category. At one end are old-school flip phones, popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that handle calls and texts but little else. Then there are devices that use flip-phone hardware but integrate messaging and other apps. Another approach involves using smartphone technology that blocks social media.

Schrohe got her flip phone from Dumb.co, a startup that sells devices loaded with practical tools like Uber, maps and Spotify, but no social media. Dumb.co said it has more than 5,000 active users and that their typical customer is a 24-year-old woman.

Other dumb phone providers include The Light Phone company, while technology companies such as Brick sell companion devices that connect to smartphones to block social media.

Although she’s happy she made the switch, Schrohe acknowledged social media is a hard habit to break.

“Young people, because we grew up on these platforms, it’s very hard for us to imagine a life where we’re not addicted to it because that has been the norm our entire existence,” she said.

A form of substance abuse?

In March, a jury ruled that Meta and YouTube were liable for creating products that led to harmful and addictive behavior by young users, a landmark decision that could set a legal precedent for similar allegations brought against social media companies.

Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, studies social media’s effects on young people. His research found that social media usage can mirror patterns seen in substance abuse.

“In teenagers and then even in adults, the sort of features of the design can lead to symptoms similar to substance-related addictions, which can include impaired control, withdrawal, tolerance and relapse,” Nagata said.

Nagata also said the research suggests a genuine payoff for people who commit to reducing their social media usage or staying off the platforms altogether. “In the long term, many do notice improvement in sleep, better concentration, less overall stress.”

Schrohe said she spent years trying to wean herself off social media and reduce the amount of time she spent texting and scrolling on her smartphone. She finally succeeded with the help of a program called “Month Offline,” which partners with Dumb.co to challenge participants to ditch their smartphones for 30 days and engage in communal screen-free activities instead.

“I needed that extreme measure, like to physically not be able to access social media in order to realize, like, that I actually preferred life without it,” Schrohe told CBS News. “The concept of social media, it’s not like inherently evil. It’s the way it’s designed to keep you on it. That’s like the negative part.”

She added, “If you feel like you want to change your relationship with technology, like, you can. It really opens up your mind.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

New Mexico sues US government for access to Epstein files

2026-08-05 / Reuters

A drone view shows Zorro Ranch, a property formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein, near Stanley, New Mexico, U.S. March 8, 2026. REUTERS/Rebecca Noble Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 5 (Reuters) – New Mexico sued the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday for access to unredacted files on Jeffrey Epstein, alleging the federal agency was stonewalling the state’s ​investigation into the late sex offender by refusing to provide the documents.

The lawsuit, opens new tab escalates ‌a politically charged dispute over the U.S. agency’s Epstein files, an issue that has dogged the Trump administration. The state probe could have international consequences if it can identify and prosecute figures alleged to have ​sexually abused girls and women at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch.

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The Democratic-run state reopened its ​Epstein investigation in February and requested unredacted U.S. DOJ files to identify visitors ⁠and staff at Zorro Ranch who allegedly took part in crimes, or witnessed them.

The ​U.S. Department of Justice has said it provided, opens new tab some files but was prevented from supplying other material due ​to privacy protections.

“Federal inaction does not merely stall the investigation; it prolongs and compounds the suffering of survivors,” the New Mexico lawsuit argued, requesting that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia compel ​U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to release the requested files.

In response to the lawsuit, ​the U.S. DOJ said that under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and protective court orders, it was ‌neither required ⁠nor permitted to disclose victim-identifying information.

“New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures,” a spokesperson said in a statement .

Over five months into the state investigation, New Mexico Attorney Raul Torrez has yet to announce any results.

In a call with reporters, Torrez said ​the state was devoting ​a “substantial” amount of ⁠resources to the probe, but declined to give further information.

“We haven’t charged someone because we need to see those files before we charge ​someone,” Torrez said.

New Mexico authorities claim that the U.S. DOJ reneged ​on a ⁠2019 deal under which the state agreed to halt its Epstein probe and hand over evidence to the federal agency in return for continued information sharing on alleged survivors and crimes.

Torrez said ⁠in March ​that the state investigation faced considerable obstacles, including the ​decades lapsed since Epstein’s alleged crimes, the disappearance of evidence after the ranch was sold in 2023 and possible ​jurisdictional issues surrounding any potential prosecutions.

Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by David Gaffen

House GOP anxiety spikes as scandals pile up in critical battleground seats

2026-08-05T17:05:39.600Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/politics/house-gop-max-miller-edwards

A series of serious allegations against GOP congressmen in key House districts have rattled party insiders this week, fueling Republicans’ anxiety that they could lose seats once considered mostly safe and further endanger their majority.

In the crucial final weeks before the midterms, Speaker Mike Johnson and his GOP campaign arm have sought to defuse mounting political crises engulfing the reelection bids of Rep. Max Miller in the suburbs of Cleveland as well as Rep. Chuck Edwards in western North Carolina with mixed results. On Wednesday morning, Edwards announced he would no longer seek re-election after the House Ethics Committee recommended a censure for him and found he acted inappropriately toward two female staffers in his office.

Democrats are still hopeful about the North Carolina seat given the short runway for a brand-new candidate to contest their own nominee, according to multiple sources.

Miller, meanwhile, has defiantly pledged to stay in the race despite concerns from top GOP officials and the president that he may not be able to win in a district Trump won by more than 10 points.

All of this on top of their existing problem in central Florida with embattled Rep. Cory Mills who is still facing a wide-ranging ethics committee probe.

Republican leaders, including Johnson, have so far avoided publicly pressuring Miller to step aside. In an interview with Politico Tuesday, Johnson argued the ethics panel investigation into Miller needed to take its course. But privately, key Republicans have raced to contain damages where they can and have anxiously watched Miller’s effort to publicly defend himself, which they believe is imperiling his re-election even further.

One GOP strategist watching Miller’s interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper Tuesday afternoon texted, “I mean what the absolute f*** was that.” Another GOP aide on the Hill texted, “I had a feeling this wouldn’t go well for him, but it’s actually much worse than bad. epic disaster.”

Behind the scenes, party leaders worked to convince Edwards he couldn’t win – and privately, party insiders are hoping Mills loses in a primary battle later this month.

So far, the House GOP’s main campaign groups haven’t reserved any airtime to back up any of the incumbents through November, according to AdImpact data. But soon, as Democratic spending grows, Johnson and his team will have to decide whether to send critical cavalry to their embattled incumbents for the sake of their majority – even if it could mean tarnishing their own party’s broader brand.

Democrats, meanwhile, are plotting how to maximize the pain, according to multiple people familiar with internal discussions. While some of their members are eager to quickly force votes to expel Miller from the House, leadership prefers to beat him in November – rather than helping Republicans solve their candidate problems.

Neither of the seats would be easy wins for Democrats. Trump won by double digits in both the Ohio and Florida districts. Yet Democrats insist they have a serious chance of flipping them if Miller stays in and Mills wins his primary.

“These are members who don’t care about representing their communities, they have poor temperament, bad judgment and it really calls into questions if they are fit to serve at all,” Rep. Suzan DelBene, who leads the House Democrats’ campaign arm, said in a recent interview before Edwards exited the race.

Miller remains defiant

Republicans started out the week with a rapidly escalating crisis in Ohio, as Miller — a long-time Trump loyalist — sought to clear his name by broadcasting live on X Sunday, bringing more attention to allegations that he abused his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno. While Miller has denied the allegation, the messy family dispute has drawn attention from the president himself.

Trump privately does not believe that Miller can win the race given the accusations, though he did not tell Miller directly to withdraw his name when the two spoke on Monday, CNN has reported.

Some other Republicans — including Sen. Moreno — have called publicly for Miller to exit the race. The House Ethics Committee also said Tuesday it would investigate Miller, a step the congressman had called for, saying it would be a chance to clear his name.

But the congressman was defiant in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, refusing to end his reelection bid.

“People have asked me, what are you going to do? Are you going to drop out of this race? Are you going to resign? Are you going to get out before the deadline? And my answer to you, Jake, is no,” Miller said.

And he claimed that GOP leaders were backing his reelection fight: “Speaker Mike Johnson is standing behind me … No one has told me to get off the ballot. And that’s because they know we can win this seat.”

Separately, Miller told CNN in a statement earlier this week, “I will not validate false claims by removing myself just to please the court of public opinion. I am innocent of all of the allegations that have been attributed to me. I have done well representing my constituent’s interests. Why would I drop out?”

Miller’s Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, a local council man and union ironworker, has run on a populist record that’s made him a favorite of both moderate Blue Dogs and the party’s progressive wing.

More recently, he’s made clear that Miller’s actions will be a focus during the campaign.

“If all the allegations against Congressman Miller prove to be true, Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress,” Poindexter said in a statement to CNN.

Just as GOP leaders were privately scrambling to figure out how best to keep Miller’s suburban Cleveland seat, they learned of a scathing new ethics report that said Edwards had made unwanted advances toward two young women in his office.

Edwards’ campaign disputed the findings and insisted he “did not violate federal sexual harassment law.”

But within hours, House Republican leaders began privately working to convince Edwards to abandon his reelection bid, CNN reported. They feared Edwards put them at risk of losing the seat, especially with the full House expected to vote to formally censure him when lawmakers return from their August recess.

Early Wednesday morning, Edwards announced he would not seek reelection, giving party leaders there an opportunity to now choose a replacement candidate to face off against Democrats’ candidate Jamie Ager, a farmer whose grandfather served in the US House and statehouse, and has been one of Democrats’ standout recruits of the cycle. Ager has been a prolific fundraiser and outraised Edwards nine to one in the most recent quarter.

Ager declined an interview request to talk about Edwards before he dropped out Wednesday.

A third Republican, Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, has been under a long-time cloud of investigations, including by the House ethics panel.

GOP fears over his electability spiked last year when news broke that Mills was under investigation by DC police for allegedly assaulting an individual. Mills was never arrested and has denied any wrongdoing.

The House Ethics Committee is probing allegations against him, and the panel announced in May that it had “authorized more than 20 subpoenas, collected thousands of documents and contacted dozens of witnesses” as it sought to review allegations Mills “may have violated various rules, laws or other standards of conduct.”

It’s not yet certain that Mills will be on the ballot, either. Privately, some top Republicans are hopeful that Mills will lose his GOP primary on August 18, where he faces former local news anchor Ryan Elijah.

Mills raised just $60,000 last quarter, compared to Elijah’s roughly $300,000. Meanwhile, Democrats’ prized recruit in the race, Navy veteran and former NASA official Bale Dalton, brought in nearly a half-million.

“Each individual has one or three issues that is top of mind. Why would I want someone representing me in Congress who I can’t even talk to my kids about because of the violence against women?” Dalton told CNN in a recent interview.

Mills, for his part, said he fully expected his Democratic opponent to hit him on the ethics investigation, saying his district has “always been a key target.”

“Obviously they’re going to always try and utilize it again. That’s politics right?” Mills said. He said he expected his ethics investigation to conclude “pretty soon” but suggested it may not be the last headache. “You are going to continue to have this political whack a mole. You dispel one thing, another one pops up.”

CNN’s David Wright, Ethan Cohen and Dianne Gallagher contributed

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/video/rep-max-miller-responds-abuse-allegations-amid-pressure-drop-out-race

El-Sayed campaign backed by over $100,000 from dozens of members of group with alleged terror ties

2026-08-05T14:09:27-04:00 / Fox News

Fox News Digital identified at least 41 donors linked to the group named in the Holy Land Foundation case

By Andrew Mark Miller, Kiera McDonald, Fox News

Published August 5, 2026 2:09pm EDT

Growing number of Texas mosques is an ‘organized effort’ and CAIR is ‘right in the center of it’: Rep. Chip Roy

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, discusses Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to declare CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and investigations into Sharia courts in the Lone Star State on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

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FIRST ON FOX: GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has collected more than $115,000 from individuals who work for or have held leadership roles with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and formally designated or labeled as such in Florida and Texas.

A Fox News Digital review found that El-Sayed, who has made getting “money out of politics” a central campaign rallying cry, has accepted donations from at least 41 individuals who either work for CAIR, formerly worked for CAIR, or have served in leadership positions with the organization.

The donor list includes several of CAIR’s highest-ranking officials, including national Board Chair Manal Fakhoury, national Board Treasurer Eyas Abdeen, national Vice Chair Emad Sabbah, and CAIR-Michigan board member Jukaku Tayeb, El-Sayed’s father-in-law.

Tayeb has been one of the largest financial backers of the super PAC supporting El-Sayed’s campaign and is also part of the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a group linked to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood funding, Washington Free Beacon first reported.

DEMS CLASH OVER AIPAC MONEY, ‘OGRE’ ATTACK AND ELECTABILITY DURING CRUCIAL SENATE DEBATE

Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a Democratic primary election-night event in his race against Haley Stevens on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

One donor, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, listed in FEC records under the name Nehad Hammad, drew national condemnation after saying he was “happy” to see Hamas break out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and arguing Israel “does not have the right to self-defense” as an occupying power.

The contributions were not limited to Michigan. Fox News Digital identified donations from CAIR national leaders and officials affiliated with chapters in California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio, among other states, illustrating the breadth of support El-Sayed received from within the organization’s leadership ranks.

Other names on the donor list include CAIR-California Governance Board Treasurer Rubina Alvi, CAIR-California Governance Board Chair Asaad Traina, CAIR-Michigan board member Muzammil Ahmed, who contributed $11,600 to El-Sayed’s campaign, CAIR-California Governance Board member Atef Ibrahim, CAIR-California Governance Board member Dina Ezzeddine, and former CAIR National Board Chair Roula Allouch.

EL-SAYED PALS AROUND WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER HASAN PIKER THE DAY BEFORE CRUCIAL MICHIGAN SENATE ELECTION

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.(Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

El-Sayed has maintained ties to CAIR beyond campaign fundraising. In 2022, he appeared at a CAIR event and was paid for a speaking engagement, where he criticized Oklahoma’s ban on Sharia law and compared it to the Trail of Tears, Washington Free Beacon reported.

CAIR has long been the subject of controversy over its alleged ties to Hamas. In 2007, federal prosecutors named the organization an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case, the largest terrorism financing prosecution in U.S. history.

Although CAIR was never charged with a crime, federal prosecutors argued the organization was part of a network created to support Hamas in the United States. CAIR has denied the allegations and has challenged its inclusion as an unindicted co-conspirator.

In recent years, Florida and Texas have formally designated or labeled CAIR a terrorist organization, while the United Arab Emirates designated the group a terrorist organization in 2014 which is widely understood to stem from the UAE’s view that CAIR has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, CAIR denied allegations that it has ties to terrorism, citing its “Dispelling Rumors About CAIR” webpage, a memorandum stating it has “repeatedly condemned antisemitism throughout our 30 years of existence” and “for decades” condemned terrorist attacks by Hamas and other designated terrorist groups, as well as a 2009 statement saying, “We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by al-Qa’ida, the Real IRA, FARC, Hamas, ETA, or any other group designated by the U.S. Department of State as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.”

CAIR also cited a National Board statement condemning antisemitism and the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, and a 2023 editorial in which National Executive Director Nihad Awad said he agreed with the organization’s condemnation of attacks on civilians.

Fox News Digital reached out to the El-Sayed campaign for comment.

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Hussam Ayloush, an executive director of CAIR, speaks during a press conference.(Marc Martin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

El-Sayed has repeatedly drawn criticism from Republicans and pro-Israel advocates over his associations and comments related to the Middle East, including campaigning with far-left streamer Hasan Piker, his response to an attack targeting a Detroit synagogue, and declining to comment on the death of Iran’s supreme leader, citing constituents in Dearborn who were mourning.

El-Sayed defeated Dem. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday night in a race that was much closer than most pundits expected. El-Sayed will face off against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in November.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

US Senate confirms Schwartz as CDC director

August 5, 2026 7:13 PM UTC / Reuters

By Ahmed Aboulenein

Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 15, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on ​Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director ‌of the U.S. CDC, handing the Trump administration a rare win after repeated failed attempts to fill top health posts.

Schwartz, ​U.S. President Donald Trump’s third pick to run ​the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was confirmed ⁠51-44. She will be the first permanent CDC ​director since Susan Monarez, Trump’s second pick, was fired by ​Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last year after less than a month over a clash on vaccine policy.

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Her confirmation follows months ​of leadership turmoil at the CDC, which has ​lacked a permanent leader for all but a month of ‌Trump’s ⁠second term.

Schwartz inherits an agency confronting the worst U.S. measles resurgence in three decades, driven by falling childhood immunization rates, an international Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic ​of the Congo ​and Uganda, ⁠and the largest U.S. foodborne illness outbreak in recent years.

Trump nominated Schwartz, his first-term deputy ​surgeon general, in April. The 54-year-old is ​a ⁠board-certified preventive medicine physician who served as the U.S. Coast Guard’s chief medical officer from 2015 to 2019. ⁠She ​holds a medical degree from ​Brown University and a law degree from the University of Maryland.

Reporting by ​Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski

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Sen. Fetterman appears to rule out supporting El-Sayed’s campaign after projected win

2026-08-05T16:52:30.105Z / CNN Politics

By Wolf Blitzer, CNN

Published 12:52 PM EDT, Wed August 5, 2026

Sen. Fetterman appears to rule out supporting El-Sayed’s campaign after projected win

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) joined Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room to react to CNN’s projection that progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed will win the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan. Throughout the campaign, Fetterman criticized several of El-Sayed’s policies, and the two engaged in a public dispute that included name-calling.

Trump administration offers $25 million reward for California-born leader of Mexico’s most powerful cartel

August 5, 2026 / 2:04 PM EDT / CBS/AP

The State Department on Wednesday offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos González, or “Pelón,” scaling up pressure on a U.S. citizen who has emerged as the figurehead of Mexico’s most powerful cartel.

The reward was bumped up from $5 million. The Trump administration offered a total of $102 million in rewards for various leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and restricted the visas of family members and business associates of cartel members.

The State Department said it was aimed at “crippling the organization’s leadership” while President Trump has ramped up pressure on Mexico and other Latin American nations to carry out his security agenda.

CJNG is among eight Mexican cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The group was dealt a blow in February when leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” was killed by the Mexican military. The U.S. provided intelligence for the operation, which resulted in a burst in violence in the state of Jalisco.

González, Oseguera Cervantes’ stepson and a dual Mexican and U.S. citizen, is reported to have taken control of the cartel, which is involved in everything from avocado production to drug smuggling. According to the State Department, González was born in Santa Ana, California, on Sept. 12, 1984.

Juan Carlos González, alias “Pelón” U.S. State Department

The reward offers also include up to $15 million for Audias Flores Silva, a.k.a. “El Jardinero” (“The Gardener”); up to $15 million each for Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, a.k.a. “Sapo,” and Oseguera Cervantes’ son-in-law, Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Chorro”; up to $10 million each for Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, a.k.a. “Tripa,” Julio César Montero Pinzón, a.k.a. “El Tarjetas,” and Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, a.k.a. “La Firma”; and up to $2 million for Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón.

Wednesday’s move comes a few weeks after the Trump administration slapped sanctions on 50 people and companies linked with the cartel, including González. The sanctions froze assets and blocked U.S. financial transactions with those cited.

The cartel is considered the largest in Mexico, with a presence in 21 of its 32 states. Its operations have extended to several countries, including the U.S.

“The United States is hunting down, dismantling, and destroying Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday.

The Trump administration has ramped up pressure on the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to crack down more heavily on cartels, even threatening military action against the groups.

In June, the U.S. Treasury announced a new bank alert targeting the cartel. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on two men and nine companies involved in transportation, financial services and real estate, accused of being tied to a cartel-linked fuel theft ring intended to evade Mexican taxes while generating tens of millions of dollars annually for the cartel.

contributed to this report.

Nuclear experts urge Trump not to let Iran steer talks away from regime’s atomic threat

August 5, 2026 3:32pm EDT / Fox News

IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi said Iran would continue its program as long as the US and Israel possess nuclear arms

By Efrat Lachter, Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402861388112

Iran using Hormuz talks to delay nuclear concessions, expert warns

The FDD’s Andrea Stricker says Tehran is seeking control of the strategic waterway and sanctions relief before addressing its enriched uranium and nuclear infrastructure.

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Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard commander declared Wednesday that Tehran would continue working on nuclear weapons as long as the United States and Israel possess them, intensifying concerns that Iran is using negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz to postpone concessions on its nuclear program.

“As long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security,” IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi said, according to a translation of remarks circulating Wednesday. “If they disarm, we will disarm.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing that Israel would continue preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with or without a diplomatic agreement.

WHO IS AHMAD VAHIDI? IRAN’S NEW IRGC CHIEF TIED TO GLOBAL ATTACKS AND ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ IDEOLOGY

A map shows damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear site after being struck by the United States in Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025.(Fox News)

“Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘continue,’ as he put it,” Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the reinterment of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of the founder of modern day Zionism, Theodor Herzl.

“Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons,” he said.

Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s greatest friend in the White House and expressed appreciation for the two countries’ joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Israel’s existence is not subject to negotiation,” Netanyahu said. “With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined — we are all determined — to do whatever is necessary to ensure our security and our future.”

NETANYAHU’S ISRAEL GRAPPLES WITH TRUMP-IRAN DEAL AS DETAILS REMAIN UNCLEAR

President Pezeshkian said Iran would rebuild the nuclear facilities targeted by the US, and make them stronger in 2025.(Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The exchange came as nuclear experts urged Trump to keep Iran’s nuclear program at the center of negotiations, warning that Tehran could use the Hormuz crisis to secure sanctions relief and other concessions before addressing its remaining nuclear capabilities.

Trump told “Fox News at Night” on Tuesday that military force remained an option if Iran abandoned the talks, while insisting Tehran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“If they back out again, they’re going to get hit really hard,” Trump told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher. “They know that. They understand that. I have no choice. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.”

“The hard hit is yet to come, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” he added.

Trump said negotiators held an “all-day negotiation” Tuesday and described the discussions as “very good.” He has said the talks would initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before turning to Tehran’s nuclear program.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN WILL BE HIT ‘REALLY HARD’ IF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE AGAIN

A satellite view shows an overview of the Natanz nuclear facility and Pickaxe Mountain, near Natanz, Iran, June 30, 2026(Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, said that sequence could play directly into Iran’s strategy.

“It is in the Iranians’ interest to steer the negotiations toward the issues that they most care about,” Stricker told Fox News Digital, including securing major US concessions over Hormuz and “maintaining control of that crucial waterway that has proven a lifeline for Tehran to survive this war.”

She said Iran would also seek oil sanctions relief, and potentially relief from all U.S. sanctions, before addressing the nuclear file.

“If Tehran is able to structure the talks that way, and I’m concerned that Trump appears to be going along with that approach, there may be little left in terms of leverage to get big concessions from the Iranians on the nuclear file down the line,” Stricker said.

There is evidence that Tehran has sought to sequence the talks in its favor. Axios reported in April that Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war before beginning nuclear negotiations, potentially reducing U.S. leverage over enrichment and Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile.

President Donald Trump (R) speaks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a model of Air Force One on the table, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Washington Post later reported that Tehran was focused on preserving its leverage over Hormuz rather than engaging deeply on major nuclear restrictions.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, agreed Iran is seeking to capitalize on the leverage it gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The current focus on the Straits of Hormuz is not surprising. Iran is looking to capitalize on leverage gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the waterway and test if Trump is willing to negotiate in good faith,” Davenport told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE

Satellite imagery taken on January 30, 2026 shows a new roof over a previously destroyed building at Natanz nuclear site.(2026 PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via REUTERS)

She said Tehran understands that any durable agreement will ultimately have to address its nuclear program, but said that”At the end of this conflict, Iran will still possess the capabilities necessary to build a bomb,” Davenport said, “The relevant knowledge and nuclear expertise cannot be bombed away.”

“Tehran retains key materials and technologies necessary to build a bomb,” she added. “If left unchecked, the nuclear program will be a source of instability and renewed conflict, even if Iran does not resume more proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities.”

A proposed agreement between Iran and Oman could give Tehran some control over ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters Wednesday. One regional source described the arrangement as a concession that had already been made, although the precise meaning of Iranian “control” remained under negotiation.

Iran is also seeking fees from ships traveling through the waterway, according to Reuters, while Washington has opposed both Iranian control and mandatory transit charges.

Stricker said postponing the nuclear issues would allow the regime to preserve its remaining enriched-uranium stockpiles and avoid fully dismantling its nuclear infrastructure.

She said Iran also wants to avoid accounting for its past nuclear weapons-related work or committing to end uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.

Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran, on April 29, 2024.(Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Leaving them as a last-order issue in the negotiations likely means that we will not see the Iranians make big concessions and make a solid nuclear deal,” Stricker said.

Davenport said the administration should prioritize restoring access for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency before beginning detailed nuclear negotiations.

“The IAEA has not visited key Iranian nuclear sites in more than a year,” she said. “It remains unclear how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains and where any gaps might be in trying to account for Iran’s nuclear materials.”

She said renewed inspections would give Washington a clearer picture of Iran’s remaining facilities and materials, while helping negotiators design a verification regime capable of addressing any gaps.

Davenport also recommended pairing sanctions relief with specific, verifiable Iranian steps rather than negotiating one sweeping package.

“A series of smaller deals could build confidence in the process,” she said.

Stricker urged the administration to link every concession involving Hormuz, sanctions or the U.S. blockade to a measurable Iranian step on the nuclear file.

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The U.S. military has been enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, even during the ceasefire.(U.S. Central Command)

“The best approach to ensure a solid deal is to make the nuclear issues just as important as the Strait of Hormuz, removing the blockade and other top Iranian priorities,” she said.

Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability.She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events.

Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in political science.

Senate confirms Erica Schwartz as CDC director

August 5, 2026 / 3:43 PM EDT / CBS News

By Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, giving the CDC its first official director in nearly a year.

Schwartz was confirmed Wednesday by a vote of 51 to 44. The CDC has been without a Senate-confirmed director since late August 2025, when former director Susan Monarez was ousted just 29 days into the job. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya had also been serving as acting CDC director since February.

Schwartz, a retired Navy rear admiral, is a former deputy surgeon general with extensive experience overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard’s health care system.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Brown University, an M.D. from Brown University, and a law degree from the University of Maryland. She has experience responding to pandemics, including outbreaks of Ebola and H1N1, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Schwartz will be the first Black woman to run the CDC.

Monarez, her predecessor, testified that she was pushed out of the agency because she declined to follow Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine recommendations, which she said were not based on science.

Schwartz enters the job amid concerns about the Ebola outbreak in Africa, and as the Trump administration faces criticism over vaccine recommendations.

Alan He contributed to this report.