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南航飞机遭雷击 机腹机翼升降舵有约20处雷击点

2026年8月10日 07:47 / 联合早报

中国南方航空一架飞机星期六（8月8日）在起飞地点遭雷击，机腹和机翼升降舵有约20处雷击点。

据深圳广播电影电视集团旗下的“第一现场”微信公众号报道，有深圳网民当天在平台发贴称，自己乘坐的深圳飞往无锡的航班，起飞滑行过程中遭遇雷击，航班延误三小时，随后被安排前往候机厅，发放泡面、八宝粥、矿泉水物资，并等待更换飞机出行。

南方航空公司工作人员告诉第一现场记者，南航CZ3209深圳至无锡航班，当天原计划从深圳宝安国际机场起飞，但在深圳机场滑行过程中，飞机疑似遭雷击，随后决策滑回检查。经机务人员检查确认飞机机腹和机翼升降舵发现雷击点约20余处。

报道称，南航立即更换了同机型的CZ6630飞机，避免了航班的恶性延误。南航机务人员也加派人手检查飞机电路及修复雷击处。受影响的飞机维修任务已完成，星期天（9日）正常投入使用。

全球航班追踪网站FlightRadar24的数据显示，受影响航班原定8月8日下午4时30分从深圳起飞，傍晚6时55分抵达无锡。飞机最终在晚上8时40分起飞，晚上10时48分抵达目的地。

对于旅客担忧雷击是否影响机舱内部的顾虑，机务部门说，飞机外壳为导电铝合金，遭雷击后电流会沿机身外表导流，不会进入机舱内部。民航客机出厂必须经过雷击试航测试，且机载关键设备都有防雷屏蔽与保护设计，因此即使遭遇雷击，大多是机身轻微灼烧，航班主要风险还是来自于雷雨风气流、冰雹，而非雷电本身的影响。

符祝慧：降消费税 高市难解财政锁？

2026年8月10日 05:01 / 联合早报 新明日报

高市早苗力推消费税减免以纾民困，却面临财政缺口与国防开支的双重压力，政策取舍成关键考验。

东京一个市场里，一名妇女在买菜。受通货膨胀和食品价格飙升冲击，日本家庭消费持续疲软，实际消费支出连续7个月同比下滑，凸显民生压力严峻。 （彭博社）

日本首相高市早苗要以降消费税提升人气，也要以增加军费提高士气。但在财政紧绷中，如何开源节流保障资金足够，成为她的重要课题。

在年初举行的众议院选战中，高市承诺要将食品消费税率从目前的8%降为零。然而，政府探讨了大半年只降到1%；新税率将从明年4月起生效，为期两年。相关法案若在今秋召开的国会特别会议上通过，即可着手实施。

高市日前阐明，除了消费税率降为1%，政府还将向中低收入者发放相当于收入1%的补贴。换言之，对低收入者的消费税率实际上是零。

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Trump names Will Scharf as White House counsel

2026-08-09T22:03:42.68Z / Reuters

By Bo Erickson and Christian Martinez

August 9, 2026 10:03 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf looks at his phone during a speech of U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

NEWARK, New Jersey, Aug 9 (Reuters) – Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, will become White House ​counsel and assistant to ​the president effective September 1, ⁠U.S. President Donald Trump ​said on Sunday.

Scharf will become the ​White House’s top lawyer after overseeing the administrative work of the ​Oval Office in his current ​role.

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

He also led the National Capital ‌Planning ⁠Commission, which approved the president’s construction of the White House ballroom.

Trump said David Warrington, the ​current ​White House ⁠counsel, is going to the private sector. ​Warrington formerly served as ​a ⁠personal counsel and a lawyer for Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Reporting by ⁠Bo ​Erickson in Newark, ​New Jersey, and Christian Martinez; Editing by ​Sergio Non and Chris Reese

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特朗普称伊朗经济压力加大 美国“低调”静观其变

2026年8月10日 07:02 / 联合早报

8月9日，特朗普出席在新泽西州特朗普国家高尔夫俱乐部举行的一场高尔夫活动，向现场观众挥手。 （法新社）

在美军对伊朗进行了五个多月的军事打击、制裁和封锁之后，美国总统特朗普称伊朗的经济压力日益加大，美国政府“低调”静观其变。

特朗普星期天（8月9日）接受美国新闻网站Axios的简短电话采访时说：“我们现在保持低调（We are low keying it）。”

一周前，特朗普还差点下令重启对伊朗的大规模军事行动，但他在接受Axios电话采访时并没有发出新的军事威胁。

他强调伊朗的经济状况“非常糟糕”，甚至没钱发放军饷，称美国的海上封锁加剧了伊朗政权的经济危机。

特朗普说：“我们现在只与他们进行‘半正式谈判’（semi-negotiating）。我们在静观其变，看着伊朗承受巨大的通货膨胀，实际上他们已经没有钱。”

对于伊朗迟迟不宣布与阿曼达成重开霍尔木兹海峡的协议，特朗普也没有表现出任何愤怒或不满。

特朗普也说，由于油价降至每桶略高于75美元（约95.8新元），美国消费者感受到的战争影响已有所减轻。

谈到美国与伊朗不断来回博弈，特朗普说：“一切都会好起来。总会有办法。就像下棋一样。”

伊朗最高国家安全委员会秘书佐勒加德尔星期天通过官方媒体发表声明说，重开霍尔木兹海峡的前提是，美国满足永久停止对伊军事行动等五个条件。只有在美国完全接受这些条件之后，这条航运要道才会重新开放。

伊朗提出的条件包括：永久停止对伊朗及其地区盟友的军事行动，停止威胁或侮辱伊朗，解除对伊朗的海上封锁和全部制裁，归还伊朗被冻结资产，赔偿相关军事行动给伊朗造成的损失。

Abdul El-Sayed and Barack Obama spoke as Democrats seek to unify following heated Senate primary

2026-08-09T21:17:50.164Z / CNN

By Aleena Fayaz

PUBLISHED Aug 9, 2026, 5:17 PM ET

El-Sayed on ‘really, really warm’ conversation with Obama

1:18 • Source: CNN

El-Sayed on ‘really, really warm’ conversation with Obama

1:18

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday described a “really warm” conversation with former President Barack Obama as the party seeks to find a path forward following last week’s bruising primary.

“I like to keep private conversations private, but it was a really, really warm conversation,” El-Sayed told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” “I was really grateful for his advice, and we’ve got a long road to go here, but we’re perfectly unified in the need to win Michigan, take back the Senate, and hold Donald Trump accountable.”

During the conversation — which took place just days after El-Sayed, a progressive, narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, the Democratic establishment’s preferred candidate — they discussed how to bring Democrats together to retain Michigan’s critical Senate seat in November, according to representatives for El-Sayed and Obama.

Related article ‘We have 13 weeks’: A ruptured Democratic Party now tries to unite behind Abdul El-Sayed 10 min read

It’s the major question facing El-Sayed: Whether he can build a coalition, as Obama did in his 2008 and 2012 presidential runs, to win the battleground state. While prominent Democrats have moved quickly to back El-Sayed, he may still face an uphill battle in courting Stevens voters unhappy with his primary campaign, during which he sharply criticized his rival over her support from the pro-Israel group AIPAC.

Republicans are hoping to dig into those divisions as they seek to flip the seat — GOP nominee Mike Rogers made a direct-to-camera pitch to disappointed Stevens voters on Friday.

For her part, Stevens quickly endorsed El-Sayed after his win and said she would be open to campaigning with him.

Obama, however, has not gone so far as to say he would join the former public health official on the campaign trail.

Related article Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed a Michigan Senate candidate. An AIPAC-linked group is spending millions on ads with him anyway 9 min read

Pressed on if the popular former president would join him, El-Sayed said he hoped so.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot more to do here, but it was a really, really warm conversation, and I was really, really grateful for his advice and his mentorship,” he told Tapper.

Obama’s political brand has proved to be a durable asset in high-stakes campaigns throughout the 2026 election cycle.

While Obama did not weigh in on the hotly contested Democratic primary to take on Rogers, his name loomed over the race. Outside groups spent heavily on a barrage of television ads tying him to Stevens and highlighting El-Sayed’s past criticism of former first lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity initiative.

Former President Barack Obama speaks in Norfolk, Virginia, on November 1, 2025.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

On the campaign trail, El-Sayed has also evoked comparisons to Obama.

During El-Sayed’s first run for elected office in 2018 as he sought to become the nation’s first Muslim governor, his Ivy League background and rhetorical style drew frequent comparisons to that of the first Black president. While El-Sayed has noted commonalities with Obama, he’s argued that the former president’s politics didn’t go far enough — something that Stevens’ campaign pointed to during the primary.

But on Sunday, El-Sayed spoke admiringly of Obama, saying that it was an honor to get his advice on the campaign going forward.

The progressive described watching Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where he delivered a keynote speech in support of then-presidential nominee John Kerry.

“It’s the first time I ever saw myself reflected in politics at all,” El-Sayed said.

内坦亚胡拒绝特朗普支持的15点加沙和平计划

2026年8月10日 07:25 / 联合早报

内坦亚胡（左二）7月28日到华盛顿出席美国已故参议员格雷厄姆的追悼仪式。 （路透社）

以色列总理内坦亚胡拒绝接受由美国发起的“和平委员会”提出的加沙和平计划，他表明，在哈马斯真正解除武装之前，以军不会撤出加沙地带。

彭博社报道，根据以色列官方翻译，内坦亚胡星期天（8月9日）在每周例行内阁会议开始时说：“以色列不接受这份包含15点的文件。”

报道指内坦亚胡在讲话中使用了一个希伯来语动词，可以理解为“以色列拒绝”或“排除”。

内坦亚胡在会议上说，哈马斯必须解除武装，“是所有武器，包括重型武器和轻型武器，是真正解除武装，而不是虚假的解除武装”。

“在哈马斯真正解除武装之前，以色列国防军不会进行任何撤军，并将继续挫败针对我们军队和公民的威胁。”

内坦亚胡也说，以色列正与美国进行讨论，“他们（美方）有自己的想法，有些我们能接受，有些我们不能接受”。

内坦亚胡还说，他永远不会接受在加沙地带或约旦河西岸建立巴勒斯坦国。

美国总统特朗普7月30日在自家社媒平台Truth Social宣布，和平委员会已就哈马斯和加沙地带其他武装组织“全面解除武装”达成协议。和平委员会次日公布了一份包含15点内容的和平计划。根据这项15点和平计划，哈马斯应当解除武装，以色列则将分阶段从加沙撤军。哈马斯于7月31日晚些时候发表声明说，移交武器的前提是以军撤离加沙地带。

Don Nelson, former NBA coach and 5-time champion as a player, dies at 86

August 9, 2026 / 4:48 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Don Nelson, the NBA’s three-time Coach of the Year and a five-time champion, has died at the age of 86, his family said in a statement.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the statement said. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

As a player, Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning five NBA championships before going on to coach after he retired.

He last coached for the Golden State Warriors in 2010 and retired as the NBA’s winningest coach. Over his 30-year career, he coached four teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

Nelson also served as general manager for all three franchises and is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with the three teams.

Dallas Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont said Nelson helped transform the franchise and brought “a winning culture” to the city.

“Don Nelson was a true original whose impact on the Dallas Mavericks and the game of basketball will endure for generations … His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today,” Dumont said.

Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.

“The league really hadn’t seen an offense like the one we were running, and the results were undeniable,” Nelson wrote in 2016 in The Players’ Tribune.

Nelson was best known for his stint in Oakland, where he drafted Stephen Curry and was credited with helping build the Warriors’ ascent.

“‘Nellie’ was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history and an iconic figure in Warriors history. He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking,” the Warriors said in a statement posted to social media.

Nelson will be remembered for his authenticity, personality and passion for basketball, the organization said.

In a statement, Curry said, “The story is Nelson never liked rookies, but from Day 1, he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court … He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”

“Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He brought an unmistakable personality to everything he did, and his impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations.”

In 2000, Nelson revealed a prostate cancer diagnosis and later said he had his cancerous prostate removed, with doctors having found no sign that the disease had spread.

Nelson’s cause of death wasn’t revealed. He is survived by his children and his wife, Joy.

Suspected Irish crime boss with operation that reached U.S. extradited from Dubai

August 9, 2026 2:12 PM EDT / AP

The alleged leader of an Irish organized crime gang has been extradited to Ireland from Dubai to face charges that he ran an international drug smuggling and money laundering empire with tentacles that stretched to Britain, Spain and the U.S.

Air Tracker data showed an Irish Air Corps plane from Dubai landing Sunday evening at a military airport on the outskirts of Dublin after courts in the United Arab Emirates refused to block his extradition.

The plane is believed to be carrying Daniel Kinahan, 49, who is expected to be taken directly to the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, where he will face charges of directing an organized crime group. He will then be held at the high-security Portlaoise Prison about 90 miles southwest of the capital, Irish broadcaster RTE reported.

Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnell, where Daniel Kinahan is due to arrive after being extradited from Dubai, to face a charge of directing an organized crime group. Damien Eagers/PA Images via Getty Images

Ireland’s Special Criminal Court handles all organized crime and terrorism cases, as well as others where prosecutors believe the ordinary courts are inadequate to ensure the “effective administration of justice.” Cases are heard by a panel of three judges without a jury.

Irish media report that a huge security operation was underway to ensure Kinahan faces justice. It will include armed police, members of the armed forces and the prison service — which recently acquired a bombproof escort van to transport organized crime suspects, terrorists and other high-risk prisoners, Irish broadcaster RTE reported.

The security precautions come amid allegations that the Kinahans are engaged in a bloody gang war with another Irish organized crime group.

“Since February 2016, the (Kinahan Organized Crime Group) has been involved in a gang war with another group in Ireland and Spain, resulting in numerous murders, including of two innocent bystanders,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in 2022, when it sanctioned six members of the Kinahan gang and three businesses linked to it.

Irish police, with the help of authorities in Britain, Spain and the U.S., have been pursuing members of the Kinahan gang for the past decade. They allege that the gang smuggled tens of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, as well as guns into Europe, then used a network of apparently legitimate enterprises to launder the profits.

Daniel Kinahan is believed to have run the day-to-day operations of the gang from his base in Dubai, the U.S. Treasury said. That includes buying “large quantities of cocaine” from South America, organizing its distribution in Ireland and attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.K., the agency said.

Kinahan has also instructed gang members to deliver money to a number of people in prison, including one who was convicted of attempting to murder someone on behalf of the organization, the U.S. Treasury said.

In March of 2022, the head of the Kinahan organization in Britain, Thomas “Bomber” Kavanagh, was sentenced to 21 years in prison after he was convicted of orchestrating drug shipments into the U.K. Two other men were sentenced to 20 years and 19 1/2 years for their part in the crimes.

In the course of their investigation, police found 15 kilograms of cocaine and 220 kilograms of cannabis inside asphalt removal equipment fitted with a tracking device at the port of Dover on the English Channel, Britain’s National Crime Agency said when Kavanagh was sentenced.

Kavanagh lived in a mansion equipped with bulletproof glass and reinforced doors in Tamworth, northeast of Birmingham. When police raided the property in 2019, they seized numerous weapons and 35,000 pounds of cash in various currencies, including Emirati dirhams and euros, as well as British pounds, the crime agency said.

In September of 2022, Spanish police arrested an Irishman suspected of laundering money for the Kinahan organization after raiding a property in Malaga on the Costa del Sol.

The organization was suspected of registering companies in Britain, Spain and Gibraltar, then creating a brand of vodka promoted in bars and nightclubs along the Costa del Sol to disguise the source of its earnings, according to the British crime agency, which assisted in the investigation.

“The Kinahan organized crime network transcends national boundaries, which is why international law enforcement operations like this are necessary,” the agency said at the time.

Transcript: Sen. Bernie Sanders on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Aug. 9, 2026

2026-08-09T12:37:00-0400 / CBS News

The following is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Aug. 9, 2026.

---

MARGARET BRENNAN: And we turn now to Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who joins us from Burlington. Good morning to you, Senator Sanders.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We are 86 days away from the midterms. Tuesday in Minnesota, progressive candidate Peggy Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor, who you have endorsed, is taking on a more moderate candidate, Angie Craig. Do you think this is going to be a similar dynamic to Michigan, where this was a tight race?

SEN. SANDERS: I think it’s going to be a tight race. I hope very much that Peggy wins. I think what we’re seeing in Minnesota, Margaret, in Michigan, and all across this country, is that people understand that we’re living with an economy that is rigged. You have working families. 60% of our people living paycheck-to-paycheck. People can’t afford groceries, housing, healthcare, basic necessities of life. And at the same time, they’re seeing the richest people in this country become even richer. People are tired of the status quo politics and establishment policies-they want real change. And Peggy Flanagan is about bringing about real change, standing up to the big money interests. There is a reason why the super PACs and the billionaires are flooding Minnesota with all kinds of money. Same thing as Michigan. They don’t want somebody to stand up for the working class in Minnesota.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But you still are confident Flanagan is going to pull this off.

SEN. SANDERS: I’m sorry?

MARGARET BRENNAN: You are confident Flanagan will win?

SEN. SANDERS: No, I’m not confident. I think it’s going to be a very, very close race. I think she is being outspent seven to one, and under those circumstances, it’s tough for anybody to win. But she has a good ground game. I know she has a lot of grassroots support, and I’ll do everything that I can to see that she does win.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, I know that you haven’t gotten involved in many governors’ races, with the exception of Maine. But Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong in Wisconsin is expected to win her Democratic primary. There’s been some attention to some of her social media posts recently, but she has this platform of free childcare, state-run grocery stores, more healthcare subsidies. She wants to raise income taxes on millionaires. Some of this does seem to align with your platform, so I’m wondering, you know, why don’t you support her? Is some of what she supports too extreme for you?

SEN. SANDERS: No, raising taxes on the rich, making sure that everybody in Wisconsin or America has health care as a right, sounds quite reasonable to me. I just look-we have a limited number of races that we can be involved in. Most of my focus on is getting people elected to the United States Senate, getting people elected to the House of Representatives. So, with one exception, we have not been involved in a governor’s race. So that’s somebody who I’ve known in Maine for many, many years.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Who, who is now running for the Senate in Maine?

SEN. SANDERS: That’s right. That’s right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: There was in Michigan this historic turnout, but the race was closer than many had expected. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former public health official, he did win by just one point. Since that time, President Trump has said he’s happy that he won because he’s going to be an easier candidate to defeat, basically, is what he’s implying. And The Economist has polling showing the party’s victory probability has fallen to 48% putting Democrats’ chances of controlling the Senate at 49%. Obviously, you want to resist that, that if that projection, what’s your strategy on a coalition here?

SEN. SANDERS: Well, I look at that analysis a little bit differently, Margaret. In Michigan, in my view, Abdul’s victory was one of the most extraordinary victories in modern political history. You tell me, have you ever heard of a candidate winning who was outspent nine to one, $60 million in billionaire-funded super PAC money came into that race, half from AIPAC, and yet he managed to win. Now I think what we are seeing all over this country, from coast to coast, is that working people are sick and tired of being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right? They’re sick and tired of massive income and wealth inequality. Who believes- now I know we don’t discuss this much in Congress or in the media, but nobody that I know thinks it makes sense that one man in America today. Mr. Musk owns more wealth than the bottom half of American society. Who believes that we should sustain and maintain a corrupt campaign finance system where billionaires are undermining American democracy? The reason that we’re going to win is people, whether you’re conservative or Democrat, tired of the status quo and of the massive levels of inequality that exist right now.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You have written a letter that was shared with us to Democratic leaders in Congress and the DNC, calling for public funding of elections and for the party to prohibit political action committees from participating in primary races. I understand your principled argument here. However, Democrats have a financial resource problem that is very real as compared to Republicans and their war chest. Why would the party disarm?

SEN. SANDERS: We’re not talking about disarmament. We’re talking about within the Democratic primary, not in the general election. The campaign finance system today is corrupt. In Michigan, what you had is AIPAC spending 30 million dollars in the Democratic primary trying to defeat Abdul. They lost, and now they’re saying we’re going to support this guy Rogers, who is a Republican. So what you are seeing is it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat, Republican. The special interests, not just AIPAC, it’s the AI people, it’s crypto. They will take over the primaries and try to get their point of view through, get their special interests accomplished, regardless of which party is. So to me, it is insane that the Democrats would allow somebody to come in, an entity to come in, that will then, if they lose, go into the other party.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, we need to talk more about this, but I have to pay our bills here and take a break. So please stay with us, Senator Sanders. We’ll be right back.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

MARGARET BRENNAN : We’ll be right back with more from Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and the head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, plus a lot more Face the Nation. So stay with us.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to Face the Nation. We return now to our conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator, before the break, we were talking about your concern about super PACs and their involvement in primaries. You said you don’t want Democrats to unilaterally disarm. Just to clarify, you highlighted 60 million dollars poured into Michigan to defeat Dr. El-Sayed. Half of it came from AIPAC. They are now saying they’re going to support the Republican in the general, which you also pointed out. Are you okay with Democrats accepting PAC money in the general, but not in the primary?

SEN. SANDERS: Look, in the world that we live in, until we get rid of Citizens United and get rid of super PACs and move to public funding of elections, that is the reality. You can’t allow Democratic candidates to be outspent 50 to one, but it is a corrupt campaign finance system, and Democrats can take charge of what takes place within their own primaries right now. General election can’t, but within primaries, Democrats can get super PACs out. That’s what they should do.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to focus in on AIPAC in particular because Dr. El-Sayed campaigned on this platform of cutting unconditional aid to countries, not just Israel. He said Egypt, the country his parents immigrated from, cut it to Jordan, cut it to Pakistan, cut it to Saudi Arabia. He listed a number of countries and Israel. His mention of Israel and the war in Gaza has drawn a lot of criticism. President Trump said it’s hate of Jewish people. When you speak, I know you are very specific in referring to the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister. Would you advise Dr. El-Sayed and other progressive candidates to, to speak in a way that doesn’t invite as much criticism?

SEN. SANDERS: Look, I think Abdul has run a brilliant campaign, and he’s more than capable of making his own political judgments. But I think Margaret, all over the country, people are deeply concerned that when- we have so many problems at home. We have people sleeping out in the streets. People can’t afford health care. We are spending billions and billions of dollars on the right-wing extremist Netanyahu government, which has done horrific things to the Palestinian people. People, many people, experts, including myself, consider what’s going on there as a genocide. And I think whether a Democrat, Republican, conservative, progressive, we don’t think that we should be continuing to fund an extremist government like that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Some MAGA candidates also make that argument, but this is a real attack line being focused on Dr. El-Sayed in particular.

SEN. SANDERS: Well, let’s be clear. I mean, from Trump on down, you know, you have Trump, who is in many ways an authoritarian type, and he is going to go after El-Sayed because, you know, for racist reasons. I think their first announcement after Abdul won is, he is a Muslim, and we’re all supposed to hate Muslims. You know these guys have nothing to say about the major crises facing our country. All they could do is appeal to racism. We’re communists. You know all kinds of nonsense like that. But I think that at the end of the day, the people of Michigan understand that the status quo is not working. We need a candidate like Abdul who has the guts to stand up for working class families. This guy wrote a book, he’s a doctor, on Medicare For All. The current healthcare system is broken. We got to guarantee healthcare to all people. Abdul understands that and will help us move in that direction.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Sanders, we’ll leave it there. We’re going to talk about healthcare next with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, so we’ll continue that part of the conversation. We’ll be right back.

Vice President Vance says migrant communities show ‘clear pattern’ in federal fraud as investigations widen

2026-08-09T13:01:11-04:00 / Fox News

The vice president told Fox News Digital that $55 billion in federal payments to suspected fraudsters have been halted

By Preston Mizell Fox News

Published August 9, 2026 1:01pm EDT

JD Vance and Stephen Miller advocate reforms at anti-fraud task force roundtable event

Vice President JD Vance and White House aide Stephen Miller spoke at a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud roundtable event with lawmakers on Wednesday.

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Certain migrant communities are helping to drive widespread fraud that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News Digital.

In an interview in his office in the West Wing of the White House last week, Vance discussed his work leading the fraud task force under President Trump. Vance said his team has found a clear pattern of collaboration involving migrant communities.

“You definitely see patterns where certain communities,” Vance said. “It’ll start as maybe one Somali person takes advantage of the system, or realizes you don’t even have to have children to get money from these programs. You could just claim that you have children, there’s no verification. Then, word spreads like wildfire, and that program gets tapped into by the same members of that community.”

Vice President JD Vance speaks next to Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz about combating fraud at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., Feb. 25, 2026.(REUTERS)

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Vance, who is also leading ongoing negotiations with Iran and recently welcomed a new addition to his family, has a robust portfolio. He was tapped to tackle fraud after the issue exploded in Minneapolis earlier this year and is now working with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and other agencies.

In recent months, hundreds of hospice and home health agencies suspected of fraud in Minnesota and California have had federal payments suspended, and a number of other states are also under the watch of the task force. Vance said the fraud his team has uncovered has many victims.

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“The first and the most obvious victim is the American taxpayer,” Vance said. “You give your money to the federal government, and you expect the federal government, even if you disagree with the policy behind it, you expect that money to go to the people that it’s supposed to go to.”

Vice President JD Vance attends a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland on July 31, 2026.(Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)

“When a new mom goes to apply for help for herself and her baby, the money isn’t there anymore,” said Vance, whose office is adorned with artwork by his kids, a rosary, a photo of him and Usha kissing on Mount Rushmore and a glass replica of a diet Mountain Dew can.

“Or, you have autistic kids who benefit from services that are meant to go to the families of children with autism, and you have fraudsters who get rich off these programs,” he added. “Sometimes they don’t even have children, much less autistic children enrolled.”

FBI ADDS 2 FUGITIVES TO ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST AMID HISTORIC $6.5B HEALTHCARE TAKEDOWN: PATEL

Vance revealed that roughly $230 billion in fraud has been uncovered since Trump took office and that $55 billion in federal payments to suspected fraudsters has been halted.

Last week, federal and state law enforcement charged 19 defendants accused of participating in schemes involving more than $4 million in claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid, according to the Department of Justice.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday also announced a plea agreement involving the final defendant in a previously charged 21-defendant case tied to more than $1.7 million in claims in the Keystone State.

Vice President JD Vance sat down with Fox News Digital reporter Preston Mizell in his White House office to discuss the latest updates from his fraud task force and the birth of his fourth child.(Courtesy of the White House)

Prosecuting fraudsters is one thing, but Vance said that recouping the money presents yet another challenge, since much of it has already been spent.

“Getting money back is very hard,” Vance said. “Once it’s gone out the door, it’s very hard to get it back.”

“What we’ve done most effectively is actually just stop the money from going out the door in the first place, because that’s the only real way to ensure the American people don’t lose it.”

At the end of last year, reports and social media coverage from independent journalist Nick Shirley exposed a network of daycare centers, like the “Quality Learing (sic) Center,” that were allegedly fraudulent and operated mostly by Somali immigrants.

Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was identified at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state.(Madelin Fuerste/Fox News)

OWNER OF DAYCARE IN VIRAL NICK SHIRLEY VIDEO CHARGED IN $4.6M DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME, PROSECUTORS SAY

The reports sparked swift action from the administration, and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem deployed DHS and ICE agents to the streets of Minneapolis to catch and deport Somali immigrants in the country illegally. The deployment sparked a clash between local residents and federal agents that exploded into violent riots across the Twin Cities.

While the duties of a vice president vary from one administration to another, Trump has leaned heavily on his No. 2. Vance has traveled abroad twice to meet directly with Iranian leaders and regularly provides updates on the negotiations to the press. That role came after Trump appointed Vance as the head of the White House’s anti-fraud task force in May, dubbing him the “Fraud Czar.”

Despite his array of assignments, Vance, who recently turned 42, and his wife, first lady Usha Vance, had their fourth child last month, making him the first sitting vice president to have a child in more than 150 years.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance with their four children.(Second Lady Usha Vance @SLOTUS on X)

“Kids have a way of forcing you to focus on them, even when things are crazy at work,” Vance said. “[I was] with my six-year-old this morning, who was making like zoo animal noises, and I was like, ‘Buddy, what are you doing?’ And he said, ‘I just want you to get off the stupid phone.’ And I said, ‘Alright, this can wait.’”

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Whether in his current role or possibly as Trump’s would-be successor, Vance believes his family values make him better at his job.

“Kids are so, they’re so in their own little world that they sort of force you to go into their world, and that’s a very, very good thing,” he said. “It’s good for my psychology. I think it’s good for my soul, but it’s a very good thing. The job obviously has its demands and the schedule can get kind of crazy.”

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance attended the inauguration ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images)

Vance, who at 44 would be just a year older in 2028 than John F. Kennedy was when he was elected president, has always demurred when asked about running for president. But although Trump recently told reporters it is “way too early” for him to endorse a successor, he has sent mixed signals.

“At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with donors last month, a source with knowledge of the comments confirmed to Fox News Digital on Thursday. The Washington Post was the first to report the president’s comments.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.