美参院压倒性通过对俄制裁法案

2026年8月8日 07:58 / 联合早报

美国参议院8月7日通过的对俄制裁法案旨在加大对莫斯科的经济压力，并把美国总统特朗普寻求的扩大对伊朗制裁纳入其中。 （路透社）

美国参议院星期五（8月7日）以压倒性票数通过一项搁置一年多的制裁俄罗斯法案，众议院将在未来几周审议这项由已故共和党参议员格雷厄姆力推的法案。

路透社报道，法案旨在加大对莫斯科的经济压力，并纳入美国总统特朗普寻求扩大对伊朗制裁的措施。

格雷厄姆于7月11日因突发心脏疾病去世。他在去世前一天到乌克兰首都基辅会见乌克兰总统泽连斯基，讨论美国国会继续支持乌克兰的相关法案。俄乌战争爆发以来，格雷厄姆一直是乌克兰的坚定支持者。

参议院星期五以86票赞成、11票反对通过《2026年林赛·格雷厄姆制裁俄罗斯和伊朗法案》。法案将制裁俄罗斯官员，并授权对中国、印度及其他国家征收高额关税，以减少这些国家对俄罗斯石油和天然气的依赖。

这项法案于2025年首次提出，但由于特朗普反对，参议院共和党领袖此前一直没有将法案提上议程。特朗普第二任期以来，一直主张由白宫掌握制裁决定权，而不是由国会主导。

乌克兰驻华盛顿大使馆发表声明，对制裁法案通过表示欢迎，并称之为“加强对俄施压的及时且重大的举措”。

不过，法案在参议院获得压倒性支持，并不意味着能顺利通过众议院。一些议员和行业人士担心，赋予特朗普新的关税权力可能会增加美国进口商和消费者的成本，同时也会使共和党人面临政治反弹。

The DC Circuit ruled 2-1 that the decision to build the 90,000-square-foot ballroom lies with Congress

By Danielle Wallace Fox News

After a panel of federal judges ordered a halt to construction on the White House ballroom, President Donald Trump said he will immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a Truth Social post Friday, Trump decried the 2-1 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as “horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful.”

“The Circuit Court’s decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting, such as Heads of State and other Dignitaries, and all Americans who wish to visit the historic, beautiful Executive Mansion,” Trump wrote in the post.

He also accused the court of refusing to acknowledge that the ballroom, which he said is being built ahead of schedule and under budget, “is a Gift from President Trump and Great Patriots of the United States of America.”

TRUMP WARNS JUDGE AGAINST SACRIFICING NATIONAL SECURITY BY BLOCKING WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, DRONE BASE

The White House helipad and new ballroom extension under construction in Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2026.(Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“There will be no expense to the American Taxpayer. This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety,” Trump wrote.

The appeals court on Friday upheld a lower-court decision that paused above-ground construction of the proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom project, which replaced the demolished East Wing.

The earlier ruling allowed work to continue on underground national security facilities and certain safety and security measures, a decision the higher court also upheld.

The appeals court said in its 136-page ruling that the decision to build a “massive ballroom” lies with Congress, not with the executive branch.

President Donald Trump holds a design rendering of a proposed $400 million presidential ballroom at the White House.(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA

Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia wrote the majority opinion, remarking that there is no precedent for what Trump has done.

“We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now,” they wrote.

The judges said their ruling does not prevent the president from building the ballroom if it is authorized by Congress in the future.

The U.S. Supreme Court Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

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As Trump pointed out in his social media post, the ruling was stayed for 14 days to allow the defendants to seek a Supreme Court review.

It is not immediately clear if the Supreme Court will take up this case.

Danielle Wallace is a Breaking News Editor for Fox News Digital, serving as a critical newsroom playmaker at the intersection of major historic political events and the age of AI.

Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.

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Senate confirms Trump pick to oversee TSA as administration pushes private airport security

August 7, 2026 6:40 PM UTC / Reuters

By David Shepardson

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers walk through the domestic terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 27, 2026…. Read more

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate voted on Friday to confirm David Cummins, a senior vice president ​of Serco, to head the Transportation Security Administration as the Trump ‌administration pushes to privatize screeners at smaller airports.

Cummins and dozens of other nominees were confirmed on a 51-47 vote, including members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Transportation Safety ​Board and Surface Transportation Board as well as Christopher Phelan to chair the White ​House Council of Economic Advisers and Cameron Hamilton to head the ⁠Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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President Donald Trump proposed in April cutting more than 9,400 workers ​and just over $1.5 billion, or about 20%, from the annual budget of the ​60,000-employee TSA that handles airport security operations.

Serco offers engineering, IT, and training services to federal, state and local governments, and commercial customers.

Trump also proposed requiring smaller airports to use private security, ​a move that would cut the TSA payroll by more than 4,500 jobs ​in a first step toward privatizing the agency created after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Airports in ‌Tampa, ⁠Des Moines, Iowa, and Charleston, South Carolina, said recently they are planning to proceed with privatizing airport security. About 20 airports, including those in San Francisco, Kansas City and Sarasota, Florida, have used private security screeners for years.

Trump fired TSA ​head David Pekoske on ​the president’s first ⁠day in office in 2025 and did not nominate a replacement for 16 months. Trump had nominated Pekoske during his ​first term and former President Joe Biden nominated him for a ​second five-year ⁠term.

A lengthy government shutdown this spring forced 50,000 TSA workers to go without pay for six weeks, resulting in major disruptions, including airport security waits extending four hours ⁠or ​more.

Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. airlines, ​has said it opposes the White House proposal to require smaller airports to use private security screeners ​instead of the TSA.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Nia Williams and Alistair Bell

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North Korea expert warns US can ‘never take their eye off’ Kim Jong Un following missile test during Iran war

2026-08-07T13:18:53-04:00 / Fox News

Retired Navy Rear Adm Mark Montgomery tells Fox News Digital that Kim Jong Un remains ‘unpredictable’

By Greg Norman-Diamond Fox News

Published August 7, 2026 1:18pm EDT

US can ‘never take their eye off’ Kim Jong Un after North Korea missile test, expert says

Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow with The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, speaks to Fox News Digital about North Korea recently test-firing a short-range ballistic missile during the U.S. conflict with Iran.

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A North Korea expert told Fox News Digital the United States “can never take their eye off” Kim Jong Un and the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang test-fired a missile this week amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The launch of the short-range ballistic missile, which Japan said landed in the waters off North Korea’s east coast, unfolded Thursday ahead of joint military exercises to be conducted by the U.S. and South Korea later this month.

“There’s this unsettled conflict on the Korean Peninsula. And Kim Jong Un, a very unpredictable leader that seeks attention, that is something the United States can never take their eye off,” retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital Friday.

US SAYS NORTH KOREA MISSILE LAUNCH POSES NO IMMEDIATE THREAT, ‘CONSULTING CLOSELY’ WITH ALLIES

“So, we have all these challenges in the Middle East, these challenges with Russia and Ukraine, these challenges with China pressuring and trying to coerce Taiwan. You can never forget that the North Korean challenge to South Korea is sitting right there, and there are no constraints on Kim Jong Un,” Montgomery added.

“There’s no version of an empowered elite or a population or a military that could unseat him. So, we should always keep our eye on him, pay attention to him and make sure we’re constantly deterring any provocative behavior.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participates in a commemorative photo session with soldiers in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, Feb. 2, 2026.(KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images)

“We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said after North Korea’s launch Thursday.

“Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to our allies,” it added. “The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region.”

Montgomery said Friday that “whenever North Korea does a ballistic missile launch, you have to think there’s any of three countries that could be the intended recipient of the message. It could be the United States. It could be South Korea. It can be Japan, or it could be a mix.”

MORE THAN HALF OF SOME US WEAPONS STOCKPILES USED IN IRAN WAR, RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT CHINA THREAT

U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division participate in a river crossing exercise as part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise Aug. 27, 2025, in Yeoju-gun, South Korea.(Getty Images)

He described how Japan recently test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile in late July with the help of the U.S. Navy.

“Maybe this could be a signal back to them,” Montgomery said. “South Korea and the United States are about to start the Ulchi Freedom series of exercises … the most robust series of exercise we have there every August when conducted.

“Recently, there have been a lot of reports the United States has expended a large percentage of its theater ballistic missile defense weapons … Patriot 3 and THAAD, in the conflict in Iran.

North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile Aug. 5, 2026. The Hwasong-11LA ground-to-ground tactical short-range ballistic missile is seen being test-fired at an undisclosed location April 19, 2026, according to the Korean Central News Agency.(KCNA/Reuters)

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“Those are the kind of defensive systems that might be used against this weapon. Also, there’s U.S. Navy standard missiles, which also have been depleted in the Middle East. In all those cases, North Korea could be signaling to any of the three countries or a mix of the three countries that we’re still relevant, we matter and you need to pay attention to us.”

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

Trump renews effort to fire Fed’s Cook, continuing attacks on central bank

2026-08-07T17:09:38.351Z / Reuters

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, accompanied by lawyer Abbe Lowell, looks on outside the U.S. Supreme Court, as Supreme Court justices consider U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to fire her, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/ File Photo

• Summary

• White House gives Cook three weeks to answer mortgage fraud allegations in letter seen by Reuters
• Cook’s lawyer calls allegations baseless, saying there is no valid cause for removal
• Supreme Court blocked Trump’s effort to remove Cook in June in a 5-4 ruling

Aug 7 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is renewing his effort to fire Federal ​Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, keeping alive his assault on the central bank’s independence even after the U.S. Supreme Court in June dealt him a significant setback in ‌his bid to remove her earlier this year, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The White House told Cook in a letter this week that the president was “considering” removing her from her role and demanded she respond to unproven mortgage fraud allegations within three weeks — allegations her attorney called “baseless.”

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The salvo against Cook is the second time this week Trump has restarted an effort to take actions that the Supreme Court blocked earlier this year. Trump earlier this week also ​issued another order attempting to limit birthright citizenship after the high court ruled against his previous effort to limit who is automatically considered a U.S. citizen.

The letter to Cook, signed ​by Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and first reported by ABC News, alleged that she committed crimes that could be punishable by up to ⁠30 years in prison and that her conduct constituted negligence that called into question her trustworthiness as a Fed governor.

In a statement, Cook’s lawyer said “there is no valid cause” for removing Cook from ​her position.

“As we did before, we will challenge this latest pretext and preserve her position and the historic role of the Fed,” attorney Abbe D. Lowell said.

The Federal Reserve and White House had no comment.

Trump ​last year cited mortgage fraud in trying to fire Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor. Cook denied the allegations, calling them a pretext to remove her for monetary policy differences.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused in June to allow the firing, standing firm to preserve the central bank’s cherished independence against the Republican president’s unprecedented challenge.

Trump repeatedly threatened to fire former Fed Chair Jerome Powell for refusing to bow to the president’s demands that ​he lower interest rates.

His hand-picked successor to Powell, Kevin Warsh, took the reins in May. Since then, Trump has redirected his criticisms at other members of the Fed board, a majority of whom ​were appointed by Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, while saying he will not be criticizing Warsh, who has not as yet delivered Trump’s wished-for rate cuts.

FOR CAUSE VS AT WILL

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling blocked Trump from ‌removing Cook ⁠for now, providing a safeguard for the Fed specifically.

No other president since the central bank’s founding in 1913 had sought to oust a Fed governor.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the high court ruling, said Trump had “failed to afford Cook the procedural protections to which she was entitled by statute. Without such protections, she could not properly dispute the charges the president laid against her.”

While the ruling definitively protects Fed officials from being fired at will by a president, the court said its ruling was not deciding the validity of the factual dispute in the case. It has since returned the case ​to lower courts.

“It at least remains an open question ​what precisely happened here, and indeed whether ⁠Cook committed ‘gross negligence,’ let alone ‘deceitful and potentially criminal conduct,’ as the president’s letter alleges,” Roberts wrote.

CRIMINAL REFERRAL

The Scavino letter to Cook resurfaces unproven allegations of mortgage fraud made last year by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, who asked the Justice Department last year to open a criminal investigation ​into Cook and others over alleged mortgage fraud.

There has been no indication of any such criminal investigation moving forward, and a Reuters report last year ​showed Cook in submissions ⁠to the lender for one of the homes at issue had listed it as a vacation property. Reuters subsequently reported the local tax authority in Michigan said Cook had not broken rules for tax breaks on a home there that Cook declared her primary residence.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in September ruled that Trump’s attempt to remove Cook without notice or a hearing likely violated her right to due process under the U.S. ⁠Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.

Cobb ​also said the allegations likely were not legally sufficient to remove Cook under the Federal Reserve Act as they relate ​to conduct that occurred before she served in the post.

Roberts, in his ruling, did not agree with that standard for cause but said nonetheless the standard to meet for dismissal of a Fed governor would need to be a “substantial threshold,” and that ​Cook must be able to respond to the charges against her.

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya; editing by Michelle Nichols and David Gaffen

Socialist House nominee’s radical law-and-order vision: ‘What are illegals?’

August 7, 2026 2:04pm EDT / Fox News

The socialist Democrat poised for Congress also advocates abolishing ICE and dismantling immigrant detention camps

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

DSA-backed Pennsylvania Democratic congressional nominee pressed on group’s platform

Fox News host Sean Hannity questions Democratic Socialists of America–supported Pennsylvania congressional nominee Chris Rabb on his support for the DSA’s platform on ‘Hannity.’

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The socialist Democrat poised to represent most of Philadelphia in Congress questioned the premise of “illegal immigrants” and claimed “99%” of police work does not involve pursuing criminals.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-West Oak Lane, made a name for himself in Harrisburg by championing progressive proposals such as abolishing the death penalty and transitioning Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

In 2019, Rabb introduced a “carbon pricing” bill to tax greenhouse gas emissions above a certain cap, saying the revenue would be reinvested to help low-income consumers and support workers “displaced” from a shrunken fossil fuel industry. He also claims the Nakba, the Palestinian displacement during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War has “never ended.”

“Raab’s platform is comprised of pretty far-left, radical positions,” Fox News host Sean Hannity said on “Hannity.”

SOCIALIST VICTORIES SHOW DEMS’ DESCENT DOWN ‘DEADLY PATH OF COMMUNISM,’ JOHNSON WARNS

Pennsylvania State Rep. Christopher Rabb, D-Northwest Philadelphia, stumps for Michigan’s Abdulrahman El-Sayed.(Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

“Among them, he advocates for Medicare-for-all, universal basic income, federal jobs guarantees — the government does so well educating your kids — guaranteed housing, universal childcare, government grocery stores [and] replacement of GDP with a so-called ‘genuine progress indicator,’” Hannity said.

“In other words, what he is saying is he would not just reshape our institutions, he would tear them down, fundamentally transform them in what I believe would be a very dangerous way.”

Rabb pushed back on some of the characterizations, telling Hannity in the case of the DSA’s effort to abolish the Senate, “That’s not what I’m running on.”

When Hannity asked whether Rabb, who boasts of running in the “bluest district in America,” truly supports “amnesty for illegals” and abolishing national borders, the lawmaker replied, “What are illegals?”

DEMOCRAT COMPARES ICE TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISTS’ AS 111 HOUSE DEMS DEMAND TEXAS DETENTION CENTER CLOSE

Hannity responded, “Illegal immigrants: People that didn’t respect our laws, borders and sovereignty … entered the country without permission.”

Rabb said he didn’t accept the “premise” of the question.

“There are folks who have documentation. But these are not criminal acts,” he said, adding that he “absolutely” wants to abolish ICE and “[dismantle immigrant concentration camps].”

“I want to end all deportations. We want to make sure that there’s an immigration system that is fair, just and efficient, and we don’t have that system,” Rabb added. He went on to cite an immigration reform package led by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., that he lamented “your president” successfully killed.

TOP WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST CANDIDATE CONFRONTED ON PAST ‘DEFUND POLICE’ RHETORIC

Pennsylvania state Rep. Christopher Rabb, D-West Oak Lane, stumps with New York progressives in New York City.(Adam Gray/Getty Images)

When asked about abolishing police as an institution — in line with socialist doctrine — Rabb said the statement was “interesting” because there were few or no organized police departments in early America.

“Long before there was any notion of policing, we had Founders that did not even understand that term. Policing is something that’s evolved over time,” Rabb said.

“Ultimately, what we want is to have communities that are safe, and [99% of what police do] are not going after the bad guys,” he said.

Philadelphia did not organize its police department as a centralized municipal force until 1854. Before that, local elected constables and civilian watchmen patrolled their neighborhoods for crime. The Philadelphia Police Department formed after a series of riots, when what is now Philadelphia was divided between the City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia County, which are now coterminous.

173 HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION HONORING POLICE AMID RISING ATTACKS

A view of the Philadelphia skyline from the top of the Rocky steps.(Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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“We need to keep our communities safe, and there were ways of doing that before the term ‘police’ ever existed,” Rabb said.

On disarming police, a policy some socialists support, Rabb said he believes in “arming oneself,” arguing that, as someone with Southern ancestry, the only way his family could protect itself was through self-defense.

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“We couldn’t trust the police because they were largely part of the Ku Klux Klan,” Rabb said. His paternal family roots trace to Columbus, Mississippi.

Rabb upset the Democratic establishment in his May primary, defeating state Sen. Sharif Street, D-North Philadelphia, the son of popular former Mayor John Street who also had the backing of incumbent Mayor Cherelle Parker and former Gov. Edward Rendell.

No Republicans vied for the nomination, leaving Rabb reportedly facing only independent Dennis Mahoney in November.

Fox News Digital reached out to Rabb for comment.

US judge allows deportation protections to end for South Sudanese

2026-08-07 16:20:40 UTC / Reuters

By Nate Raymond

August 7, 2026 4:20 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

The seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seen in Arlington, Texas, U.S. August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Ruling lets DHS end Temporary Protected Status for South Sudan
• Judge rejects arguments that only the attorney general can terminate TPS
• South Sudan first received TPS designation in 2011

Aug 7 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for ​U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to end temporary protections from deportation that had allowed hundreds of ‌South Sudanese nationals to live and work in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Patti Saris in Boston rejected a last-ditch effort, opens new tab by immigrant-rights advocates to maintain South Sudan’s Temporary Protected Status designation after the U.S. Supreme Court in June allowed the administration to end similar protections for thousands ​of people from Haiti and Syria.

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The Supreme Court’s ruling, powered by its 6-3 conservative majority, curtailed the ability of ​lower-court judges to review the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s efforts under Trump to end ⁠TPS for about a dozen countries.

That designation covers people whose home countries have experienced natural disasters, armed conflicts or ​other extraordinary events, providing eligible migrants temporary protection from deportation and work authorization.

DHS moved in November to terminate TPS for conflict-ridden ​South Sudan, saying the country no longer met the conditions for the designation, which was first issued in 2011.

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The department’s action would have led to the end of protections for more than 232 South Sudanese and at least 73 South Sudanese with pending applications. An ​earlier order by Saris had blocked that from happening.

LEGAL CHALLENGE ON NEW GROUNDS

After the Supreme Court’s ruling, lawyers for a group ​of South Sudanese nationals and the nonprofit African Communities Together urged Saris to once again block the end of TPS on new ‌grounds that ⁠the justices had not addressed.

That included an argument that DHS lacked authority to terminate TPS because the statute that created the TPS program in 1990 referred only to the attorney general as the official who had authority to extend and terminate the deportation protections.

DHS was established later, in 2002, after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Most of the U.S. Department ​of Justice’s immigration-related functions were ​transferred to it at ⁠that time. Saris, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, concluded Congress had likewise transferred authority over TPS to DHS.

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She said arguments to the contrary rested on a “self-contradictory, self-defeating ​foundation,” since if DHS had no authority to terminate TPS for South Sudan it also ​never had ⁠the ability to extend protections in the first place.

“South Sudan’s original TPS designation would thus be invalid by the same token as its termination,” she said.

James Percival, DHS’s general counsel, in a social media post on X urged other judges hearing similar ⁠TPS cases ​to follow Saris and lift orders preventing it from ending the protections ​for people from other countries.

“Every day these ‘administrative stays’ are in effect is a day the American people are denied what they voted for,” he said.

Spokespeople ​for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Matthew Lewis

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Video shows US military tracking what appears to be mysterious object flying over Middle East in 2025

Puzzling video included in War Department’s latest release of UAP materials

August 7, 2026 1:26pm EDT / Fox News

Pentagon releases UAP footage of mysterious flying object

This 2025 “footage from an electro-optical and infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform” was released by the U.S. War Department.

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The latest tranche of materials on unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by the U.S. government includes video of what appears to be an object traversing the skies last year over the Middle East.

“The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of 1 minute and 39 seconds of video footage from an electro-optical and infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2025,” the War Department noted.

A description of the video says, “The sensor pans to track an area of contrast from left to right across the background, keeping it generally centered within the frame. The sensor adjusts collection mode and level of magnification several times.”

NASA CHIEF CONFIRMS AGENCY HAS UNEXPLAINED UFO IMAGERY: ‘WE DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS’

Screenshot from footage the War Department released of what appears to be an unknown object moving through the skies somewhere over the Middle East.(U.S. Department of War)

Assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs and chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in part of a Friday statement, “Today, the Department of War is publishing the fifth release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE).”

President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post earlier this year that he would call for the release of such materials.

NEW TRUMP UFO FILE DUMP INCLUDES MILITARY FOOTAGE OF MYSTERIOUS STAR-SHAPED OBJECT

FILE – President Donald Trump previously directed the War Department to release UAP and UFO files.(Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images)

“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” the president wrote in the February Truth Social post.

The website where the public may peruse the released materials states the archives are “unresolved” matters.

LONG-HIDDEN UFO INFORMATION AT CENTER OF TRUMP PUSH TO FREE FORMER OFFICIALS

FILE – Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the fifth release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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“The materials archived here are unresolved cases, meaning the government is unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena,” the site notes.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

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Rogers opens door to Democratic voters after El-Sayed’s primary victory: ‘There is still hope’

2026-08-07T13:26:05-04:00 / Fox News

The Republican nominee pitched his campaign as a home for voters who feel El-Sayed’s views do not represent them

By Kiera McDonald, Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

Published August 7, 2026 1:26pm EDT | Updated August 7, 2026 1:27pm EDT

Mike Rogers speaks directly to Michigan Democrats after El-Sayed primary win

Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers told Democratic voters ‘there is still hope’ and said they have a ‘home’ with his campaign in a video posted to X Friday. (Credit: X/@MikeRogersForMI -Aug. 7)

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Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers opened the door to Michigan Democrats on Friday after far-left progressive Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory, assuring them “there is still hope,” adding they have a “home” with his campaign.

“If you’re among the majority of Democratic voters that woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless, because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know, there is still hope,” Rogers said in a video posted on X Friday.

“Michigan deserves a senator who is ready to sit with you, hear from you and represent you.”

El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in one of the nation’s most closely watched Democratic primaries, setting up a November showdown with Rogers, who ran uncontested.

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers is making a direct pitch to Michigan Democrats following Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory.(Sarah Rice/Getty Images ; Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Rogers addressed Democratic voters directly, casting his campaign as a home for those who feel their values are not reflected in El-Sayed’s candidacy as he tries to court the hundreds of thousands of Democrats who voted for Stevens but may not feel comfortable voting for El-Sayed.

“The parents across Michigan who want an education system that sets up their kids for success, you have a home with us,” he said. “To grandparents across Michigan who are heartbroken from watching their kids and grandkids leave the state, you have a home with us.

“To young people who are looking for real solutions to solve our housing affordability crisis, you have a home with us. To working families who don’t want higher taxes and lower paychecks, well, you have a home with us.”

Rogers also accused El-Sayed’s campaign of promoting “anger, divisiveness, calls for violence” and views he said are out of step with Michigan voters.

“And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence and the views that are out of touch with your values, well, you have a home with us,” he said.

EL-SAYED’S THREAT AGAINST GOP RIVAL BACKFIRES AS CONSERVATIVES BRING RECEIPTS: ‘IS DUBAI IN FLORIDA?’

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters at an election night rally at the Majestic Theatre Aug. 4, 2026, in Detroit.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

If Rogers wins in November, Republicans would flip the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and help protect their control of the Senate.

“Over the next 90 days, I’m going to work hard to earn your trust, to earn your support and earn your vote,” Rogers said. “We have a state to save, Michigan. Let’s get to work.”

Rogers’ outreach to Democrats was praised by some conservatives and pundits on social media.

In a post on X, former DSA member Jake Altman wrote, “I voted for Biden. I voted for Harris. I will vote for Mike Rogers. I just donated to the campaign. This is not a time to sit on your hands. Stand up for the man who fights terrorists, not the one who sympathizes with them.”

“Mike Rogers directly asks for Democrats to support him in Michigan. The majority of Michigan Democrats voted against Abdul El-Sayed. This is well done,” OutKick founder Clay Travis posted on X.

In another post on X, Democrats for Mike Rogers wrote, “Mike Rogers is meeting the moment. We’re putting country over party and voting for Mike Rogers in November. It’s never been more important. We must unite and defeat the extremism of Abdul El-Sayed and his allies.”

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, has campaigned on Medicare-for-all and abolishing Immigration and customs enforcement. He has also been a vocal critic of Israel during its war with Hamas and has called Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: THE REPUBLICAN-LED VOTE THAT REVEALED DEMOCRATS’ NEW DIVIDE ON ISRAEL

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers waits to go onstage at his election watch party with the Michigan GOP Nov. 5, 2024, in Novi, Michigan. Rogers and Democrat Elissa Slotkin are competing for the seat vacated by the retiring Debbie Stabenow.(Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

He would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected.

As some Democrats grapple with the direction of their party following El-Sayed’s nomination, Rogers said the “fight is far greater than just left versus right.”

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“The fight is for the very soul of our nation,” he said.

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

Kiera McDonald is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.

Veteran economist, insider Matsumoto wins Senate approval as BLS commissioner

2026-08-07T18:18:46.556Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Friday approved career economist Brett Matsumoto as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, potentially easing trust concerns after President Donald Trump fired the previous ​head a year ago over weak employment numbers.

Matsumoto was confirmed by 51-47 in an “en-bloc” confirmation vote alongside dozens of other nominees to sub-cabinet level positions. He holds a Ph.D. in ‌economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An inflation expert, Matsumoto joined the BLS in 2015, and was on leave to work at the White House Council of Economic Advisers when Trump tapped him to replace Erika McEntarfer, whom he dismissed last August.

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Trump accused McEntarfer, without evidence, of manipulating July 2025’s employment report, which showed unexpectedly slow employment growth and massive downward revisions to the nonfarm payrolls counts for the prior two months.

Trump initially picked conservative economist E.J. ​Antoni, a critic of the BLS, to head the agency but withdrew the nomination amid

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some Republicans. Private economists had expressed worries over the trustworthiness of BLS-produced data following ​the firing of McEntarfer.

Her dismissal followed the disbanding by the Trump administration of BLS and Commerce Department advisory boards that had given the agencies advice ⁠on economic data collection and analysis. William Wiatrowski, a longtime deputy commissioner, has been leading the BLS in an acting capacity.

There has been no evidence of data manipulation, with the BLS even reporting job ​losses in some months in 2025 and this year, and most recently a jump in inflation related to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Indeed, an employment report for July released on Friday just hours before ​Matsumoto’s confirmation included big downward revisions to previously reported job gains for May and June – the largest revisions since those that cost his predecessor her job.

Matsumoto told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing in June he was committed to maintaining the integrity and independence of the BLS.

“I believe strongly in the mission of the BLS to produce objective quality measures,” Matsumoto said. “It is important for the public to be confident that decisions at the BLS are being driven by science rather ​than politics.”

Matsumoto also pointed out that he would be the only political appointee at the BLS.

“Any changes to data or methods will be approved by career staff at the agency and communicated ​to the public ahead of time, along with research supporting the change,” he said.

NO HISTORY OF POLITICAL PUBLICATIONS

Matsumoto’s nomination was welcomed by private economists and a former BLS commissioner.

“Trust is mission critical for a statistical agency,” said Erica ‌Groshen, who ⁠served as BLS commissioner from 2013 to 2017. “Brett Matsumoto comes from inside the BLS, is steeped in the culture of the agency, and doesn’t have a history of publications that are political. He is the kind of commissioner we’ve had in the past, and that makes me much less worried than I was about the first nominee.”

But many challenges await Matsumoto. The BLS, which has suffered from years of inadequate funding under both Democratic and Republican administrations, lost many experienced economists, researchers and statisticians during last year’s mass layoffs and resignations of federal workers.

More than a third of senior-level positions at the agency were ​estimated to be vacant at the beginning of 2026.

Though ​the BLS is currently filling some of ⁠the positions, it is unclear how many vacancies will be filled and the institutional knowledge has been lost for good. Most of the advertised jobs have been entry-level positions.

Resource constraints forced the BLS last year to reduce the Consumer Price Index collection sample across the country and end the calculation and publication ​of about 350 indexes in the producer price report. A 43-day government shutdown last year prevented the collection of data and publishing of the ​unemployment rate for October and ⁠other metrics from the household survey for the first time in the agency’s history.

Monthly inflation rates for October and November, as well as import price data, also could not be published. The BLS in May held open forums with private economists, researchers and statisticians to discuss options to address the data gaps.

While Matsumoto’s appointment will go a long way to assuage trust concerns, threats remain.

The Trump administration is pushing to strip tens ⁠of thousands of government ​employees of job protections, which unions have argued would make them easier to fire and replace with political loyalists. An ​estimated 50,000 federal employees, mostly career employees who work on policy matters, will be reclassified under the new “Schedule Policy/Career.”

“The statistical agency people produce numbers that affect policy, but the people who produce those numbers do not have a policy-influencing job,” said Groshen. “That ​distinction, I’m not sure is going to be recognized, and I fear that Schedule Policy/Career will be applied within the statistical agencies. That, I think, would undermine trust.”

Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci

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