Minnesota ‘outstanding refugee’ honoree accused in fraud scheme tied to sex trafficking: ‘Can’t make this up’

August 18, 2026 10:41am EDT / Fox News

Salman Ahmed Elmi faces eight counts related to a Medicaid scheme

By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

An immigrant in Minnesota who once received an “outstanding refugee” award from the state government has been charged with Medicaid fraud, prompting strong backlash on social media.

Salman Ahmed Elmi is facing three counts of aiding and abetting by swindle and five counts of aiding and abetting by false representation as part of an alleged scam to bill Medicaid for over $1 million in fraudulent services, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.The charges also allege that two members involved in the fraud scheme were tied to a sex-trafficking ring involving brothels.

In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, an agency deeply involved in the massive fraud scheme that has unfolded across the state in recent years, honored Elmi with the title “outstanding refugee” along with an Entrepreneurship Award.

News of the charges quickly spread on social media via conservative influencer accounts like LibsofTikTok and End Wokeness.

A Minnesota immigrant who the state government called an “outstanding refugee” has been charged in a massive fraud scheme.(Reuters/Minnesota DHS)

VICE PRESIDENT VANCE SAYS MIGRANT COMMUNITIES SHOW ‘CLEAR PATTERN’ IN FEDERAL FRAUD AS INVESTIGATIONS WIDEN

“Fraud is so rampant in this demographic that it’s rewarded instead of punished,” ACT for America Founder Brigitte Gabriel posted on X.”When the system celebrates the looters, you have a culture problem.”

“Deport,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X.

“This is the Minnesota Democrat officials created,” Republican National Committee member AK Kamara posted on X. “Endless depravity and taxpayer-funded fraud.”

OMAR’S GOP CHALLENGER COMES OUT FIRING WITH VOW TO CLEAN UP ‘MESS’ IN DEEP BLUE DISTRICT: ‘PEOPLE ARE FED UP’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026.(Getty Images)

“You literally cannot make this up,” conservative pundit Eric Daugherty posted on X. “Get these people out of my country.”

“The same agency that awarded Elmi is the SAME agency that gives out Medicaid payments,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on X. “You can’t make this up.”

Fox 9 Minneapolis also reported that Elmi was part of a startup that received financial backing from Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary.

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/fe25d108-0756-44d8-b1f8-2a9c51226514

“I started a business to help inspire other people,” Elmi said in an archived post on the Minnesota DHS website. “No one owns businesses in my family; my entire family came here with the idea that the American dream was just getting a job and making it work, so shifting that mindset was difficult but important. Navigating those treacherous waters allowed me to provide for my family and work on my terms.”

The Minnesota state government, led by Gov. Tim Walz since 2019, has been under the microscope over the past year as systemic fraud, largely involving the local Somali community, that prosecutors say could total more than $9 billion has been exposed throughout various departments and programs in the state.

Critics have argued that the fraud, which was an open secret for years, was aided by the fear of publicly calling it out over fears of being labeled as “racist,” Fox News Digital reported last year.

Walz was ultimately forced to drop his bid for re-election amid the fallout.

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Minnesota DHS spokesperson said the Outstanding Refugee Awards ended in 2024.

“Salman Elmi’s alleged actions are disturbing and do not reflect the goal of the Outstanding Refugee Awards,” the spokesperson said. “They also do not represent Minnesota’s refugee community. We are surrounded by neighbors, coworkers, employees and friends with powerful stories of resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, who are showing leadership in small as well as large ways to improve their communities. The Outstanding Refugee Awards were a way to recognize some of the individuals who make Minnesota better for all of us.”

The spokesperson added that recipients received a certificate and a plaque but no monetary award.

“The value came from the opportunity to recognize the courage, resilience and entrepreneurship of refugees and their children, and to recognize their contributions to the state,” the spokesperson said. “Refugees and immigrants offer skills to a needed workforce, provide entrepreneurial innovation and expand worldwide networks – all of which benefit Minnesota.”

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

USS Benfold, Navy destroyer, went days without power in the South China Sea

August 18, 2026 / 11:23 AM EDT / CBS News

The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold spent four days without power last month after a problem with its engineering, according to a spokesperson for the Navy’s 7th Fleet.

Commander Matthew Comer, the spokesperson, said there were no injuries to the crew.

The loss of power impacted plumbing, meals, toilets and air conditioning aboard the ship. The issue has been fixed and is under investigation. The incident was not publicly disclosed for nearly a month.

In addition to the poor conditions, the vessel was located in the South China Sea, which is not friendly waters. Officials told CBS News that the vessel is being protected by other air and surface assets nearby and that they wouldn’t leave an asset vulnerable to an attack “like a sitting duck.”

Benfold received direct support from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, and meals from Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls.

The vessel was towed by contracted tugboats into Subic Bay, Philippines, for repairs and was met on arrival by experts from the Ship Repair Facility – Japan Regional Maintenance Center on July 28. The crew was provided food and contracted lodging off the ship beginning a day later. The ship’s power was then restored on July 30.

File: The Arleight Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold returns to Naval Station San Diego on Jan. 11, 2013. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

All the required repairs were completed by Aug. 7. The ship departed Subic Bay a day later with all engineering, combat systems and crew support systems functioning normally to resume routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The news about the Benfold comes amid ongoing concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed in the Middle East for nine months. Some family members have said they worry about conditions aboard the ship and fear the long deployment and grueling pace are worsening mental health issues. A U.S. official last week told CBS News that the USS George Washington is headed to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that Congress should conduct oversight, calling for testimony from top Navy officials.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/us-navy-destroyer-lost-power-deployed-south-china-sea/

The Odds: Washington’s Magic Ball?

9:49 AM EDT, Tue August 18, 2026 / By Ainsley Ehlers, CNN

The Odds: Washington’s Magic Ball?

Primary results from Washington state show a surge for Democrats, fueled by anti-establishment voters, helping the party gain traction in the race for Congress. CNN News Central’s John Berman and Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten look at how this is playing out nationwide and what prediction markets say about other states’ battle for the House.

3:54 • Source: CNN

DOJ to stop using outside experts to help vet competitive grant applicants

2026-08-18T11:42:12-0400 / CBS News

Washington— The Justice Department is scrapping its longtime practice of hiring outside experts to help review and rank competitive grant applications submitted by law enforcement offices, victim services groups and research institutions, a move that some fear could harm the integrity of the selection process and hinder efforts to ensure the money is well-spent, multiple sources told CBS News.

The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs, or OJP, has for decades relied on a peer review program to help it select winners each year for its competitive pool of grant funds that get awarded to state and local governments, nonprofit victims services groups and criminal justice researchers.

The DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women, or OVW, a smaller separate grant office, has also used peer reviewers for its competitive awards.

The Justice Department awards billions of dollars in federal grants each year. While some of those are doled out based on formulas such as population and crime rates, another bucket of them are competitively awarded.

Some of DOJ’s most popular competitive awards are used to fund projects by law enforcement agencies or to support organizations that assist victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence.

Competitive grants are also awarded to universities that undertake studies that help inform best practices for the fields of law enforcement and victim services providers.

The peer review program, which is modeled after a grant review process created by the National Institutes of Health that is considered the gold standard, entails hiring independent subject matter experts who are tasked with reviewing, scoring and ranking grant applications.

They work to ensure that the proposals are feasible, meet the government’s criteria and that their budgets can adequately cover the work being performed.

Although peer reviewers’ recommendations are nonbinding, the process has been utilized for decades to ensure that competitive grants are awarded fairly and impartially.

Peer review “is one of the tools that the government could use to make good, sound, cost-effective decisions,” said Kristina Rose, who previously served as director of the Office for Victims of Crime, an OJP office that awards grants to help support organizations that offer services for the victims of crime.

She added that eliminating peer review is a blow in particular to the National Institute of Justice, which funds criminal justice research projects that are highly specialized and contain complex methodologies.

“If NIJ doesn’t have peer reviewers, that will diminish them in the eyes of the scientific community,” Rose said.

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to CBS News that it is planning to formally end its peer review program for competitive grants.

“Peer review has become an increasingly inefficient and outdated process that outsources a core function of our grantmaking process to individuals outside the Department who may not have insight into this Administration’s goals and priorities or a reason to pursue them,” a Justice Department spokesperson told CBS News.

The Justice Department’s peer review program will formally end in the fall, the sources said.

The peer review program for OJP and OVW is currently administered through two contracts with a company known as BETAH and its subcontractor, Leidos.

Going forward, staff at the OVW and OJP who are responsible for managing grant awards will now be tasked with conducting internal peer reviews of the applications for all competitive awards, the sources told CBS News.

In 2025, the use of outside peer reviewers was temporarily stopped, and OJP staff were ordered to do it themselves, even though many people had no expertise and had never conducted peer review, sources said. Sources described the process at the time as chaotic and stressful, with some people working late hours to complete the task.

Eventually, the use of external peer reviewers was restored.

A Leidos spokesperson said the company and its predecessor corporations have a “longstanding history supporting DOJ peer review activities” dating back to the mid-1980s for OJP and decades for OVW. The spokesperson said its contracts with OJP and OVW are currently active, with the OJP one running through Nov. 1 under a bridge order.

The decision internally was made as an attempt to cut costs for the Justice Department and to bring more expertise in-house, one of the sources said. The DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which gives out competitive awards to law enforcement agencies, has been phasing out the use of peer reviewers since 2019, the source added.

The Justice Department spokesperson noted that the COPS office had already eliminated peer review “many years ago” and nevertheless has managed to “process grant applications and awards with speed and efficiency while maintaining alignment with the Make America Safe Again mission.”

“Bringing this function in-house also saves taxpayer dollars by cutting out unnecessary outside contractors,” the spokesperson added.

But the increased workload comes at a time when OJP’s staffing level is already down by approximately several hundred employees, one source said, and it is still struggling to finalize some grants for fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, 2025. They are also in the process of working to finalize fiscal 2026 awards before Sept. 30, while also rolling out some $3 billion in new grants required by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Moreover, some fear that eliminating outside experts from the review process could further risk politicizing how grants are awarded at a time when the White House has already directly intervened in the grantmaking process across the federal government.

“Grantmaking for victims services should not be based on political goals, but on best practices and demonstrable impact for victims and services,” said Jean Bruggeman, the co-executive director at Freedom Network USA who has also served as a peer reviewer in the past.

“Eliminating expertise allows you to focus on the administration’s goals — not the goals of Congress. Not the goal of victims and survivors. Not the goals of the program, but rather, the goals of the current administration,” Bruggeman said.

The peer review process is considered apolitical. However, over the years, there have been a few controversies and efforts to undermine the selection process by injecting political considerations into how awards are made.

During President Trump’s first administration, the union representing OJP workers filed a complaint with the Justice Department inspector general, alleging that a Trump appointee was screening the social media profiles of peer reviewers to ensure their views aligned with the Trump administration’s positions on issues including immigration.

In another controversy around the same time, the Justice Department faced internal complaints after the former head of OJP declined to award grants to two organizations that received high marks from peer reviewers and instead gave them to two groups that received low scores — Hookers for Jesus in Nevada and the Lincoln Tubman Foundation in South Carolina.

In the case of Hookers for Jesus, it received a $530,190 grant over three years to support its safe house for trafficking victims. It was awarded the grant even though it had previously lost Nevada Victims of Crime Act funds after the state discovered the group was forcing victims to attend one specific church and requiring them to participate in religious activities as a condition of receiving housing.

In another controversy dating back to President George W. Bush’s tenure, the former director for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention granted awards to groups that received low peer review scores, including the World Golf Foundation’s “First Tee” program.

An inspector general investigation later faulted him for breaching ethics rules by accepting a free round of golf from the group before he recommended them for the grant award. He did not reimburse the group until two years later, when he was ordered to appear before Congress to answer questions about the grants.

美国承诺：哈马斯缴械前不逼迫以军撤离加沙

2026年8月18日 19:52 / 联合早报

以色列与哈马斯的战斗仍持续，和平前景不容乐观。图为本月16日加沙南部汗尤尼斯遭以军轰炸后的情况，加沙难民只能无助地看着家园反复被摧毁。 （路透社）

（耶路撒冷综合电）美国向以色列承诺，在哈马斯解除武装前，不会逼迫以军撤离加沙或者对加沙进行重建。美方的最新立场，与哈马斯始终坚持以色列撤出加沙是先决条件的原则相互矛盾，让加沙和平协议的谈判再次蒙上阴影。

美国中东特使、总统特朗普的女婿库什纳周一（8月17日）在耶路撒冷与以色列总理内坦亚胡会面，向以色列作出上述承诺。当天参与会见的，还有和平委员会官员。以色列高级官员会后透露，内坦亚胡和库什纳也达致共识，在哈马斯解除武装之前不启动加沙的重建工作。

官员还说，双方商定，“实现加沙非军事化的第一步，就是要哈马斯交出武器，并在美方将领的监督下将武器销毁”。

美方表达的这一立场，或会削弱加沙达成和平协议的希望。因为哈马斯一直坚持以军必须先撤离加沙，料不会接受美以的最新安排。

不过，库什纳周一接受福克斯新闻台采访称，加沙和平谈判有望在一个月内取得进展。“我们可能最快在30天内就看到进展，希望到时能够开始清除部分武器，并在接下来60到90天内填埋部分地道”。

延伸阅读

以色列执政党竞选海报 把纽约市长与伊朗领导人并列
八伊斯兰国谴责以色列拒绝特朗普加沙和平计划

库什纳还说，一旦威胁迫在眉睫，美方不会限制以色列的自卫权。

由特朗普主导成立的和平委员会上月底公布15点和平计划，要求哈马斯解除武装，以色列分阶段从加沙撤军。内坦亚胡随后在本月9日宣布拒绝接受加沙和平计划，表明在哈马斯解除武装前，以军绝不撤出加沙地带。

美中期选举赌盘大热 投注额已超2024国会选举总额

2026年8月18日 16:00 / 联合早报

反腐败数据联盟分析截至8月10日的数据，发现Kalshi、Polymarket、Polymarket US三个平台上针对美国中期选举开设的预测市场数量，是2024年的16倍。 （路透社）

美国“反腐败数据联盟”说，美国11月中期选举结果的投注额已经高达1亿3300万美元（约1亿7000万新元），超越2024年国会选举周期内9240万美元的投注总额。

路透社报道，这家非营利研究与倡导组织预测，如果投注活动的增长速度与2024年持平，2026年中期选举的总投注额可能达到16亿美元。

这一数据凸显了预测市场的迅猛增长。随着个人散户和机构投资者的参与度不断提升，越来越多用户正加速涌向Polymarket和Kalshi等平台。这些平台允许用户对政治、经济、流行文化等现实事件的结果进行投注。

在投注额极速增长的同时，监管审查也在不断收紧，批评人士指这些平台实际上等同于赌博。但预测市场公司以及特朗普政府坚称，这些是金融市场平台而非赌博平台，它们提供的投注合同允许用户对冲风险，或根据自己对未来事件的预期进行交易。

反腐败数据联盟（Anti-Corruption Data Collective，简称ACDC）说，通过分析截至8月10日的数据，他们对Kalshi、Polymarket、Polymarket US三个平台上与2026年美国参众两院选举相关的7466个预测市场进行了评估。结果发现，各大主要平台针对美国今年中期选举开设的预测市场数量是2024年的16倍。

ACDC研究员肯德勒-克雷奇在一份声明中说：“与2024年相比，相关投注市场规模呈爆炸式增长。现在，几乎全国每个席位都有多个投注市场开放。”

Polymarket和Kalshi未立即回应路透社对ACDC分析报告的置评请求。

在ACDC研究结果公布之际，距离决定美国国会控制权的中期选举不到三个月。全美大多数州的党内初选将一直持续到9月中旬，而正式的中期选举投票日为11月3日。

乌军用英国无人机发动袭击 俄警告英国将承担后果

2026年8月18日 16:06 / 联合早报

乌克兰总统泽连斯基上个月访问英国期间，与英国首相伯纳姆一同前往汉普郡朴茨茅斯皇家海军基地参观乌克兰军事装备，现场展示了一架乌克兰无人机。 （路透社）

乌克兰使用英国公司制造的无人机袭击俄罗斯，俄罗斯警告英国将为此承担后果。

路透社报道，俄罗斯驻伦敦大使馆星期一（8月17日）发声明称：“伦敦正在蓄意升级局势……伦敦的行为必将带来后果，它必须为此负责。”

声明也指出：“英国越深入卷入冲突，越支持基辅的恐怖主义机器，它付出的代价就越高。”

据《泰晤士报》上周末报道，过去六个月里，乌克兰在深入俄罗斯境内的袭击中，使用了两家英国公司制造的无人机。报道称，袭击目标包括位于俄罗斯西南部伏尔加格勒，以及莫斯科附近雅罗斯拉夫尔的炼油厂。

针对俄罗斯大使馆的评论，英国国防部发言人回应说：“英国与乌克兰并肩作战，我们致力于向乌克兰提供抵御普京非法入侵所需的装备。”

英国此前曾向基辅提供“暴风影（Storm Shadow）”巡航导弹，该导弹能够打击俄罗斯境内的远程目标。乌克兰军队于2024年11月首次使用这些导弹袭击俄罗斯目标。

今年6月，英国称将在今年底前向乌克兰提供15万架无人机，作为一项价值7亿5200英镑（约13亿新元）援助计划的一部分。

自2022年俄罗斯对乌克兰发动战争以来，莫斯科多次警告英国和其他西方盟友，他们对基辅的支持，包括提供装备，可能会引发报复措施，并增加冲突升级的风险。

Omar’s GOP challenger comes out firing with vow to clean up ‘mess’ in deep blue district: ‘People are fed up’

The 30-year state trooper won the Republican primary and plans to focus on fraud scandals tied to taxpayer dollars

August 18, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

By Andrew Mark Miller

Rep. Omar’s GOP challenger makes fraud central to Minnesota House bid

John Nagel, who is running against Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, spoke to Fox News Digital about the district being the “epicenter” of the state’s fraud problem and why he says voters are ready for change.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., officially has a Republican challenger who is making the case that Minnesota voters are “fed up” with fraud and dysfunction and are ready for a change as he looks to unseat Omar in one of the country’s most closely watched progressive strongholds.

John Nagel, a Minnesota native who spent 30 years as a state trooper, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he believes his background gives him a unique opportunity to make the case against Omar in Minnesota’s deep-blue 5th Congressional District.

“I think the people of Minnesota have been lied to. They’ve had their money stolen. They want to see somebody that’s going to come in and fix things,” Nagel said. “They’re tired of being told the same old things.”

Nagel argued that his roots in the state and decades in law enforcement separate him from the political class.

ILHAN OMAR ON TRACK FOR FIFTH TERM AS MINNESOTA VOTERS MAINTAIN FAR-LEFT STREAK

Fox News Digital spoke to retired Minnesota State Trooper John Nagel about his bid to unseat Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.(Fox News Digital ; Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“I’m from Minnesota, born and raised here. I’m not a Washington plant,” Nagel said, pointing to his three decades as a state trooper and his work teaching defensive driving and working in schools across the area.

Nagel, who won the Republican primary in Minnesota’s 5th District last week, said his campaign will focus heavily on the fraud scandals that have rocked Minnesota in recent years, drawing a sharp contrast with Omar and Democrats in the state.

“I’m pro-American. I’m from Minnesota. I love Minnesota and I love my country,” Nagel said when asked about the contrast he plans to draw with Omar.

“I’m not involved in fraud,” he added, before arguing that Omar’s district has been at the center of the state’s fraud problems and Fox News Digital has extensively reported on Omar’s ties to those implicated in the scandal.

Omar’s former campaign staffer Guhaad Hashi Said pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering after prosecutors said a fraudulent food site he established received nearly $3 million in reimbursements while serving only a fraction of the more than 1 million meals it claimed.

MILLION-DOLLAR SNAP FOOD STAMP FRAUD SCHEME IN WALZ’S BACKYARD SPARKS OUTRAGE: ‘CRUEL JOKE’

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a field hearing at the Minnesota Senate Building on Jan. 16, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. The hearing, titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota,” featured local citizens and politicians discussing Immigration Operation “Metro Surge.”(Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Omar also promoted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site during the pandemic, praising the Minneapolis establishment in a 2020 Somali-language video. Safari co-owner Salim Said was later convicted in the Feeding Our Future scheme, with prosecutors alleging the site received more than $16 million in fraudulent child nutrition funds. Safari had also hosted Omar’s 2018 election-night watch party.

Omar additionally introduced the MEALS Act in 2020, which sought to expand waivers for federal school meal programs during the pandemic. Provisions similar to the legislation were ultimately enacted as part of broader bipartisan COVID relief, and Omar later pushed the Trump administration to extend pandemic-era meal waivers. Republican Minnesota lawmakers have argued those changes removed safeguards and helped create conditions exploited by Feeding Our Future fraudsters.

Omar has rejected that characterization, telling Fox News Digital earlier this year that any suggestion she knew about the fraud scheme is “flat-out false.”

OMAR CONFRONTED ON CAMERA OVER GOP PROPOSAL TARGETING FOREIGN-BORN LAWMAKERS: ‘GOOD LUCK TO HER’

Federal agents enter an office building as a search warrant is executed at Ultimate Home Health Services over potential Medicaid fraud, on December 18, 2025, in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States.(Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Nagel also accused Minnesota Democrats of failing to adequately combat fraud and argued voters in both parties are looking for leaders willing to crack down on abuse of taxpayer dollars.

“I have not met a Democrat yet that has come out and said, yeah, we really want to do something about fraud,” Nagel said. “It’s been just the opposite.”

Nagel also suggested he sees an opening with voters who may not traditionally support Republicans, including members of Minnesota’s Somali community who have grown dissatisfied with Omar.

He specifically pointed to Somalilanders in the district, claiming some former Omar voters are “coming out of the woodwork” and turning against the congresswoman and saying he is willing to work with members of the community who share his vision for the state.

“I’m here to serve everybody in Minnesota,” Nagel explained. “I don’t care what faith you are, I don’t care what color you are. When you go to Congress, you’re supposed to be taking care of everybody from Minnesota, and she doesn’t do that.”

Nagel, who described himself as a “just a normal guy that wants to make things better” without “big bucks backing me” will face an uphill battle in the district which includes all of Minneapolis, from downtown and the university area to North, Northeast and Southwest Minneapolis, but also inner-ring suburbs including Richfield, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights and Fridley.

The Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Solid D.”

Nagel, who is from St. Louis Park, told Fox News Digital his years in law enforcement have never been about partisanship and that he intends to speak to all voters regardless of party affiliation.

“When I would get to a crash scene, I didn’t ask them if they were a Democrat or Republican before I gave them first aid,” Nagel said. “I don’t care who you are, I don’t care how you voted in the past.”

“If you want lower taxes, if you want to have pro-police, if you want your schools to be better, if you just want to [have] a normal life where your paycheck comes back to you and you can go to work every morning and not have much to worry about, those are the people that I want to talk to,” he continued.

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The U.S. Capitol Building is seen at sunset on June 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Nagel said concerns about Minnesota’s economy and schools are also driving his campaign, arguing that the state is losing jobs and risks making itself unattractive to families and businesses.

“We are losing jobs,” Nagel said. “Our school system is so bad that no one’s going to want to bring their kids here, even if we do have industry here.”

“People are just fed up. They want normalcy, which is what I want,” he added.

Nagel said his motivation is personal, pointing to his family and a new granddaughter as reasons he decided to enter politics.

“I’m doing this because I’ve got a family,” he said. “I’ve got a brand-new granddaughter. And I’m not going to leave what we currently have in Minnesota, which is a mess.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s campaign for comment.

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

称YouTube一节目传播假信息 伊朗禁播出

2026-08-18 16:22 / 联合早报

伊朗司法部门说，当局已对YouTube频道“Azad”展开调查，起因是这个频道播出的一期节目包含“虚假信息”。 （路透社档案照片）

伊朗司法部门称，由于YouTube一档辩论节目传播“虚假信息”，已下令禁止节目播出；频道创办人则说，当局以相关罪名对他提出指控，并在问话后准许他保释。

法新社报道，伊朗司法部门星期一（8月17日）通过旗下新闻网站Mizan Online说，当局已对YouTube频道“Azad”展开调查，起因是这个频道播出的一期节目包含“虚假信息”。

Mizan Online说，由于这个节目没有获得负责监管伊朗媒体活动的文化部正式许可，因此被视为“未经授权的媒体机构”。

报道说：“司法监督部门已下达命令，在取得许可证之前，禁止该频道负责人从事任何媒体活动。”

报道也说，这个频道在未经授权运营期间“多次违反媒体规定”。

这次调查是在《纽约时报》刊登一篇报道数天后展开的。报道形容“Azad”是一档“探讨触及伊朗威权体制底线课题”的谈话节目。

节目创办人兼主持人艾哈迈迪说，他因涉嫌传播虚假信息，于上星期天（16日）和星期一接受问话，并遭到起诉。

艾哈迈迪星期一在社交平台发文说：“根据法院裁决，我获准保释，但Azad频道在另行通知前禁止播出任何访谈节目。”

Azad的YouTube频道有近16万名订阅者，经常就广泛的议题展开讨论，包括伊朗与美国的战争、性暴力、经济、哲学以及其他社会问题。

节目嘉宾来自伊朗不同政治立场，包括一些身在海外的反对派人士，他们公开批评伊朗伊斯兰共和国的政策。

Azad的YouTube页面显示，频道于2017年8月加入这个视频分享平台。

伊朗长期以来严格管控媒体，自2月28日美以发动恐怖袭击引发持续至今的中东战争以来，伊朗尤其加强对媒体报道的管控。

YouTube和其他多个社交媒体平台多年来一直在伊朗遭到封锁，当地用户必须依靠虚拟私人网络（VPN）绕过相关限制。

日澳扩大军事合作 日本拟赴澳试射高超音速导弹

2026年8月18日 16:28 / 联合早报

8月18日，澳洲副总理兼国防部长马尔斯（左）与日本防卫部长小泉（右）进次郎在堪培拉国会大厦举行记者会并握手。 （法新社）

日本计划未来在澳大利亚境内试射高超音速导弹等远程武器，日澳也将联合研发用于探测威胁的激光系统。两国进一步扩大军事合作之际，正共同应对区域安全环境变化，以及美国要求盟友承担更多防务责任的压力。

法新社报道，澳洲副总理兼国防部长马尔斯和日本防卫部长小泉进次郎星期二（8月18日）在堪培拉会谈后宣布上述计划。

马尔斯说，双方将建立更完善的安排，让日本未来10年能更广泛使用澳洲的导弹试验场。他指出，澳洲可在多个领域为日本提供“战略纵深”，其中就包括开放本国试验场。

小泉进次郎对此表示欢迎。他说，如果日本自卫队能在澳洲试射高超音速导弹等远程防区外导弹，将是“突破性进展”，双方将加快磋商，争取落实有关计划。

近年来，随着中国军力持续增强，澳洲和日本不断深化防务合作。与此同时，美国也持续要求亚太盟友增加国防开支，并承担更多区域安全责任。

日澳去年已达成日本二战后规模最大的防务出口交易之一。澳洲将在未来10年投入约100亿澳元（约90亿8000万新元），采购日本制造的隐形护卫舰。

两国星期二也宣布展开名为“Boobook”的新防务合作项目。项目以澳洲一种夜行猫头鹰命名，重点包括共同研发能够侦测潜在威胁的激光系统。

马尔斯说，这项计划将发展更先进的激光能力，可部署在陆战平台和近岸作战平台上。

日澳近年来持续强化军事互操作性和国防工业合作。随着两国进一步共享试验设施、联合研发先进武器系统，双方防务关系正从装备采购逐步扩大到武器测试和技术共同开发。