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Amazon, Walmart chatbots attract senator ire over ‘made in USA’ label snags

2026-09-17 15:01:15 UTC / Reuters

[1/3]Walmart logo is seen in this illustration taken, February 11, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

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Walmart Inc

Sept 17 (Reuters) – Two US senators have called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Amazon and Walmart, claiming that their AI shopping chatbots may suppress “made in the USA” products ​and fail to flag fraudulently labeled goods.

In a letter sent to the ‌FTC, senators Tammy Baldwin and Rick Scott said Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping and Walmart’s Sparky AI shopping assistants could be undermining efforts to promote American manufacturing and misleading consumers.

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They highlighted the findings of a ​study by a think tank led by former FTC Chair Lina Khan that ​showed the chatbots suppress information about American-origin products while offering data ⁠on products made in other countries such as China.

“When asked why there is no ​Made in USA filter, Alexa replied that it would ‘redirect significant sales away from their ​largest seller base’, referring to overseas manufacturers,” the letter said, citing the study.

The study had also said AI shopping assistants can often detect when “made in USA” product labels are false, but the big ​retailers are not using that technology to crack down on the listings.

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When researchers ​asked Walmart’s Sparky why it did not flag suspicious “made in USA” claims, the chatbot cited limited FTC ‌enforcement ⁠against retailers, calling it “a business calculation, not a legal justification,” according to the study.

Amazon, Walmart and the FTC did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the development.

“We all share the goal of strengthening ​American manufacturing and small ​businesses through initiatives ⁠such as Made in USA labeling, all while ensuring consumers receive accurate information about where the products they buy are made,” the ​senators wrote in the letter.

“Following a robust investigation, we strongly ​encourage the ⁠Commission to consider additional enforcement measures to deter such behavior going forward,” they added.

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The FTC last year sent letters to Amazon and Walmart urging them to crack down on third-party ⁠sellers’ “made ​in USA” claims, citing company policies requiring sellers to ​provide accurate information.

Khan sued Amazon when she was at the FTC, accusing it of holding illegal online ​retail monopolies. The case is ongoing.

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Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

卡尼吁加拿大与欧洲结成“新联盟” 称没人能支配加拿大

2026年9月17日 21:17 / 联合早报

加拿大总理卡尼星期四（9月17日）在欧洲议会发表演讲时表明，加拿大欢迎欧盟提出让加拿大成为首个联席成员的构想，并指加拿大与欧洲“团结起来会更强大”。 （法新社）

加拿大总理卡尼星期四在欧洲议会发表演讲，呼吁加拿大与欧洲建立“新联盟”，以应对外部压力。

综合法新社和路透社报道，卡尼星期四（9月17日）也说，加拿大欢迎欧盟提出让加拿大成为首个联席成员的构想，并指加拿大与欧洲“团结起来会更强大”，希望双方加强在人工智能、防务和能源等领域的合作。

欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩星期三（16日）在法国发表欧盟盟情咨文时，邀请加拿大成为欧盟首个联席会员。双方可在能源、关键矿产、电池、人工智能、网络安全、经济安全等领域加强合作，并表明“伙伴关系不是要对抗任何一方，而是要增强共同的实力”。

美国总统特朗普批评有关计划“可笑”，并威胁若计划落实，将对欧盟征收“非常严厉”的关税，或停止与欧盟的许多商品贸易。

卡尼随后回应说：“没有人能够支配我们的文化，或决定我们与谁达成国际协议。”

他强调，加拿大与欧洲的合作并非针对任何国家，“我们不寻求支配他国的权力”。

他说：“我们正在追求韧性，以确保没有任何人能够控制我们的开放市场，损害我们的主权，威胁我们的领土完整，或破坏我们的自由、民主和法治。”

卡尼也说，加拿大可帮助欧洲确保关键原材料的供应，并通过供应大量液化天然气和氢能来满足欧洲的需求。他也建议双方深化人工智能、航天、支付体系等领域的合作，推动数码贸易，并让两地青年更便利地工作和求学。

卡尼吁加拿大与欧洲结成“新联盟” 称没人能支配加拿大

2026年9月17日 21:17 / 联合早报

加拿大总理卡尼星期四（9月17日）在欧洲议会发表演讲时表明，加拿大欢迎欧盟提出让加拿大成为首个联席成员的构想，并指加拿大与欧洲“团结起来会更强大”。 （法新社）

加拿大总理卡尼星期四在欧洲议会发表演讲，呼吁加拿大与欧洲建立“新联盟”，以应对外部压力。

综合法新社和路透社报道，卡尼星期四（9月17日）也说，加拿大欢迎欧盟提出让加拿大成为首个联席成员的构想，并指加拿大与欧洲“团结起来会更强大”，希望双方加强在人工智能、防务和能源等领域的合作。

欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩星期三（16日）在法国发表欧盟盟情咨文时，邀请加拿大成为欧盟首个联席会员。双方可在能源、关键矿产、电池、人工智能、网络安全、经济安全等领域加强合作，并表明“伙伴关系不是要对抗任何一方，而是要增强共同的实力”。

美国总统特朗普批评有关计划“可笑”，并威胁若计划落实，将对欧盟征收“非常严厉”的关税，或停止与欧盟的许多商品贸易。

卡尼随后回应说：“没有人能够支配我们的文化，或决定我们与谁达成国际协议。”

他强调，加拿大与欧洲的合作并非针对任何国家，“我们不寻求支配他国的权力”。

他说：“我们正在追求韧性，以确保没有任何人能够控制我们的开放市场，损害我们的主权，威胁我们的领土完整，或破坏我们的自由、民主和法治。”

卡尼也说，加拿大可帮助欧洲确保关键原材料的供应，并通过供应大量液化天然气和氢能来满足欧洲的需求。他也建议双方深化人工智能、航天、支付体系等领域的合作，推动数码贸易，并让两地青年更便利地工作和求学。

Political insider turns anti-incumbent table on 8-year Dem in key Senate race: ‘Hasn’t delivered’

2026-09-17 10:42:25 EDT / Fox News

Cook Political Report shifts NH Senate race to toss up as Sununu blasts Pappas for 8 years of inaction on infrastructure

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published September 17, 2026 10:42am EDT | Updated September 17, 2026 10:49am EDT

Sununu takes aim at Pappas in crucial Senate battle in key swing state

Former Sen. John E. Sununu, the 2026 Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire, takes aim at Democratic rival Rep. Chris Pappas in a Fox News Digital interview in Concord, N.H. on Sept. 14, 2026.

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CONCORD, N.H. – A Republican running to flip a blue Senate seat in a crucial battleground state is flipping the script on the Democrats’ anti-incumbent argument.

Former Sen. John E. Sununu, the GOP Senate nominee who’s running to return to Capitol Hill after 18 years away, charges that his Democratic rival, Rep. Chris Pappas, has “been in Washington for 8 years and hasn’t delivered for New Hampshire.”

Sununu and Pappas are facing off in the midterm election in the battle to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in a race that’s one of roughly a dozen that will determine if Republicans hold their control of the Senate.

“He has attempted very little in Congress. He’s accomplished even less,” Sununu said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview this week, as he blasted Pappas, a four-term congressman.

THESE 12 MIDTERM RACES WILL DETERMINE IF REPUBLICANS HOLD THE SENATE

Former Sen. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire celebrates his Republican Senate nomination victory, in Manchester, N.H., on Sept. 8, 2026.(Jessica Sonkin/Fox News)

Sununu was interviewed ahead of a move by the Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan campaign handicapper, to shift the race in New Hampshire from lean Democrat to toss-up. Earlier this month, another leading nonpartisan handicapper, Inside Elections, also changed their rating to a toss-up.

It was a rare move in favor of the Republicans amid a political cycle where the GOP is facing traditional political headwinds for the party in power in D.C.. Republicans are also confronting an extremely rough political climate fueled by persistent inflation, soaring fuel prices due to the ongoing war with Iran, and President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings.

So what’s Sununu’s secret sauce?

Part of it is his last name, which is a political brand in New Hampshire. Sununu’s father, John E. Sununu, served six years as governor before heading to Washington, D.C., as then-President George H.W. Bush’s White House chief of staff. And one of his younger brothers, Chris Sununu, recently served eight years as governor before taking a break from politics.

But also boosting Sununu, his strategy to blast Pappas as a do-nothing member of Congress during another anti-incumbent election cycle, which is a turn of the tables on the Democrats’ playbook.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE BATTLE FOR THE SENATE

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, a U.S. Senate candidate, is joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of neighboring Massachusetts, at a campaign stop in Dover, N.H. on Sept. 5, 2026.(Jessica Sonkin/Fox News)

“He’s been on the Transportation Committee for eight years, and New Hampshire is dead last in highway funding in New England. That hurts New Hampshire. His ineffectiveness is doing damage to the state because we’re not getting the support we need from Washington,” Sununu claimed.

While it doesn’t rank dead last in every single metric or category, New Hampshire receives some of the lowest total and per-capita levels of federal funding for roads, highways and bridges of any state in the country, according to federal and state figures.

Pappas, earlier this year, introduced the Highway Fair Share Act, a bill to increase federal funding for infrastructure and transportation projects for New Hampshire by requiring that each state receive at least 0.5% of the total federal-aid highway formula funding.

Pappas and the rest of the all-Democratic congressional delegation in June highlighted $9 million in federal funding for New Hampshire projects.

“Chris Pappas has led efforts to expand healthcare benefits for 3.5 million veterans, bring high-speed internet to towns across New Hampshire, put more money back in the pockets of working parents, and secure millions of dollars to improve and repair roads, bridges, and buildings,” Pappas Campaign Manager Rachel Petri told Fox News Digital, as she shared a long list of funding accomplishments by the congressman.

Petri said, “Chris is rated among the most effective and bipartisan lawmakers and his record stands in stark contrast to John Sununu’s record of voting to cut Medicare, leading efforts to privatize Social Security, and backing Donald Trump’s tariffs and war with Iran.”

Sununu’s anti-incumbent argument is a bit ironic, considering he spent six years in the House and a term in the Senate before losing a rematch with then-former Gov. Shaheen in the 2008 election.

Looking back at his years on Capitol Hill, Sununu touted his record “of writing and passing legislation under Democrat presidents, Republican presidents, a Democrat Congress, Republican Congress.”

But he also emphasized, “I’ve been in the private sector for the last 16 years. That’s a good thing, working for tech firms and small businesses, the Waterville Valley ski area [the Sununu family has had a controlling interest in the resort since 2010], teaching college. It’s… a perspective that I think is missing from Washington.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS IN KEY MIDTERM RACES SHOW

Pappas, in a recent Fox News Digital interview, highlighted that New Hampshire is “a state of voters who are pragmatic, who want their lives to be better and want problems to be solved, and I can demonstrate the ways that I’ve been working on those issues.”

“It’s expanding access to health care, building more affordable housing in New Hampshire, and ensuring that we’re standing up to an administration that’s ignoring the day-to-day concerns of Granite Staters,” he added.

But Sununu wasn’t the only one taking aim at Pappas as a do-nothing incumbent. Even his long-shot socialist rival in last week’s primary took a shot.

First-time candidate and scientist Karishma Manzur, in a recent Fox News Digital interview, charged that “all [Pappas] wants to do is just get his little cushy job and go to D.C., go to all these parties and these restaurants and just do whatever the bare minimum is.”

Pappas ended up crushing Manzur in the primary by a two-to-one margin, and Sununu defeated former Sen. Scott Brown in a landslide to capture the GOP nomination.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Democratic congressional candidate Karishma Manzur speaks to voters at a campaign stop in Dover, New Hampshire, on Sept. 3, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

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With the general election sprint underway, Republican-aligned outside groups are now pouring millions into the state to target Pappas. And Pappas is using this week’s Cook Political Report race rating to ring an alarm.

“MAGA super PACs are pouring millions of dollars a week into New Hampshire to try to flip this seat. And this race is officially a Toss Up,” he warned on social media.

And Pappas told Fox News Digital recently that Sununu is “backed up by out-of-state special interests and dark money in this campaign. They’re outspending us 3 to 1 on TV.”

Firing back, this week a Democrat-aligned super PAC started running ads charging that, after he left the Senate, Sununu cashed in by working for lobbying firms.

Sununu was endorsed earlier this year by Trump, and since then Democrats have repeatedly tied the president, whose approval ratings are well into negative territory in New Hampshire, to Sununu.

Pappas called Sununu Trump’s “hand-picked candidate.”

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Asked about the full-court press by Pappas and Democrats to anchor him to Trump, Sununu told Fox News Digital, “I’ve never even met the president.”

But contrasting himself with Pappas, Sununu added that “there’s no question I’ll be a much more effective voice with this administration.”

Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News

伊朗要求一瑞典外交官48小时内离境

2026年9月17日 21:40 / 联合早报

瑞典政府此前要求一名伊朗驻瑞典大使馆外交官离境，并指控伊朗干涉瑞典安全事务。伊朗外交部称瑞方相关指控“毫无根据”，并于星期四（9月17日）要求一名瑞典外交官在48小时内离境，以此作为回应。 （路透社）

伊朗外交部星期四发声明说，要求一名瑞典外交官在48小时内离境，以回应瑞典方面阻止一名伊朗驻瑞典外交官继续履职。

据伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社援引声明说，瑞典政府此前要求一名伊朗驻瑞典大使馆外交官离境，并指控伊朗干涉瑞典安全事务。伊朗外交部称瑞方相关指控“毫无根据”，并谴责瑞方阻止伊朗外交官继续履职的决定。

伊朗外交部当天召见瑞典驻伊朗大使表达伊方抗议，并通知瑞方，一名瑞典驻伊朗大使馆的外交官须在48小时内离开伊朗。

声明称，瑞典方面的有关决定受到以色列影响，其目的在于干扰伊朗驻瑞典大使馆正常运作。伊方还指责瑞典发表针对伊朗的“不当言论”并庇护反伊朗组织。

伊朗外交部说，瑞典政府有关举措违反国际法准则以及维也纳公约规定的相关义务，伊朗将采取包括对等措施在内的必要措施维护自身权利和国家利益。

伊朗要求一瑞典外交官48小时内离境

2026-09-17 21:40 / 联合早报

瑞典政府此前要求一名伊朗驻瑞典大使馆外交官离境，并指控伊朗干涉瑞典安全事务。伊朗外交部称瑞方相关指控“毫无根据”，并于星期四（9月17日）要求一名瑞典外交官在48小时内离境，以此作为回应。 （路透社）

伊朗外交部星期四发声明说，要求一名瑞典外交官在48小时内离境，以回应瑞典方面阻止一名伊朗驻瑞典外交官继续履职。

据伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社援引声明说，瑞典政府此前要求一名伊朗驻瑞典大使馆外交官离境，并指控伊朗干涉瑞典安全事务。伊朗外交部称瑞方相关指控“毫无根据”，并谴责瑞方阻止伊朗外交官继续履职的决定。

伊朗外交部当天召见瑞典驻伊朗大使表达伊方抗议，并通知瑞方，一名瑞典驻伊朗大使馆的外交官须在48小时内离开伊朗。

声明称，瑞典方面的有关决定受到以色列影响，其目的在于干扰伊朗驻瑞典大使馆正常运作。伊方还指责瑞典发表针对伊朗的“不当言论”并庇护反伊朗组织。

伊朗外交部说，瑞典政府有关举措违反国际法准则以及维也纳公约规定的相关义务，伊朗将采取包括对等措施在内的必要措施维护自身权利和国家利益。

以色列防长称土耳其可接收加沙哈马斯成员

2026年9月17日 22:15 / 联合早报

以色列国防部长卡茨星期四（9月17日）建议，土耳其可以接收来自加沙的哈马斯成员，并重申将加沙地带约200万人口迁出的计划。 （路透社）

以色列国防部长卡茨星期四建议，土耳其可以接收来自加沙的哈马斯成员，同时再次主张将加沙地带约200万人全部迁出。

法新社报道，卡茨星期四（9月17日）在社媒平台X上发文说，以色列将继续采取行动，实现安全目标，确保2023年10月7日的哈马斯袭击事件不再重演。

卡茨还说，如果土耳其总统埃尔多安帮助加沙的“兄弟”，可以邀请他们迁往土耳其安塔利亚，并讽刺当地因以色列游客减少而腾出许多空间。

安塔利亚是土耳其旅游业中心的一座海滨城市。在以土关系恶化前，这里曾是以色列游客的热门目的地。

土耳其过去曾与以色列保持外交关系，但埃尔多安近年来强烈批评以色列，并允许哈马斯领导人在伊斯坦布尔活动，导致两国关系持续恶化。

卡茨星期三称，加沙已有70%地区的人口被清空，以军准备“完成任务”，实施人口迁移计划。他本月较早时也说，以色列准备通过陆路和海路迁移加沙巴勒斯坦人，正等待美国决定安置地点；他称有关计划是“自愿”的。

以色列防长称土耳其可接收加沙哈马斯成员

2026年9月17日 22:15 / 联合早报

以色列国防部长卡茨星期四（9月17日）建议，土耳其可以接收来自加沙的哈马斯成员，并重申将加沙地带约200万人口迁出的计划。 （路透社）

以色列国防部长卡茨星期四建议，土耳其可以接收来自加沙的哈马斯成员，同时再次主张将加沙地带约200万人全部迁出。

法新社报道，卡茨星期四（9月17日）在社媒平台X上发文说，以色列将继续采取行动，实现安全目标，确保2023年10月7日的哈马斯袭击事件不再重演。

卡茨还说，如果土耳其总统埃尔多安帮助加沙的“兄弟”，可以邀请他们迁往土耳其安塔利亚，并讽刺当地因以色列游客减少而腾出许多空间。

安塔利亚是土耳其旅游业中心的一座海滨城市。在以土关系恶化前，这里曾是以色列游客的热门目的地。

土耳其过去曾与以色列保持外交关系，但埃尔多安近年来强烈批评以色列，并允许哈马斯领导人在伊斯坦布尔活动，导致两国关系持续恶化。

卡茨星期三称，加沙已有70%地区的人口被清空，以军准备“完成任务”，实施人口迁移计划。他本月较早时也说，以色列准备通过陆路和海路迁移加沙巴勒斯坦人，正等待美国决定安置地点；他称有关计划是“自愿”的。

After nitrogen execution blocked, convicted killer of famous Elvis impersonator set to die by lethal injection in Alabama

2026-09-17 08:40 EDT / CBS/AP

The convicted killer of a famous Elvis Presley impersonator is scheduled to die by lethal injection Thursday night in Alabama, three months after his last execution date was canceled by a judge who blocked the state from putting him to death with nitrogen gas.

Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled to receive an injection beginning at 6 p.m. at south Alabama’s William C. Holman Correctional Facility for killing two people during a 1998 pawnshop robbery in rural Dallas County.

Alabama originally planned to execute Lee on June 11 using nitrogen gas, a relatively new execution method the state tested for the first time in early 2024. It has been used multiple times since then, within and outside of Alabama, drawing scrutiny and criticism from some who have argued the method is poorly understood and likely causes unnecessary suffering.

This undated photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections on June 11, 2026, shows Jeffery Lee. Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File

Lee’s first execution was blocked by an unprecedented decision by District Judge Emily Marks, who ruled Alabama’s nitrogen gas protocol was unconstitutionally cruel and violated the inmate’s constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment. It barred Alabama from ever putting Lee to death using that protocol, so the Alabama attorney general’s office quickly filed paperwork seeking a new execution date when he would be executed by lethal injection instead.

Lee and his supporters have made a final bid to spare him, noting the jury in his case had made a recommendation of life imprisonment, which the judge overrode. His attorneys also argued in court that the state should not be legally allowed to switch execution methods.

Twenty-six inmates have been executed around the U.S. to date this year, including a Texas man given a lethal injection for his conviction in a triple murder at his neighbor’s home. Elsewhere, a judge blocked plans Wednesday by the state of Georgia to execute a man who killed two real estate agents.

The double murder occurred on Dec. 12, 1998, at Jimmy’s Pawn Shop in Orrville, a small town west of Selma. Jimmy Ellis, the store’s owner, and Elaine Thompson, a store employee, were shot and killed. Another employee survived by playing dead.

The surviving witness testified that Lee entered the store, asked to see wedding rings and said he would be back after getting money from his grandmother. Lee returned a short time later with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Ellis, Thompson and the other employee. The surviving witness fell to the floor, pretending to be dead, and called 911 once Lee left the store.

Ellis, a singer whose voice resembled Elvis Presley, had gained a national following for a time as an Elvis impersonator. He performed as the masked singer “Orion” and was the subject of a 2015 documentary.

Lee was convicted in 2000 of capital murder and attempted murder.

Lee is one of about two dozen people on Alabama’s death row who were sentenced to death despite jury recommendations they receive life sentences.

The jury that convicted Lee of capital murder voted 7-5 to recommend a sentence of life without parole, but the trial judge overrode them and sentenced him to death.

In 2017, Alabama abolished judicial override and stopped allowing judges to change juries’ sentencing decision in capital cases. But the law was not retroactive, leaving Lee and others on death row.

Supporters of Lee’s clemency bid held a rally Tuesday outside the Alabama Capitol under the banner, “HONOR THE JURY.”

Lee’s attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the execution to consider if the state may switch to lethal injection.

Lee filed a lawsuit in 2016 challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol. After Alabama authorized nitrogen as an execution method, Lee selected it as his preferred method. He agreed to dismiss the lethal injection lawsuit in 2018 because the state agreed that “if he is to be executed, defendants will carry out that execution by nitrogen hypoxia.”

Lee’s lawyers argued the state is bound by the terms of that agreement to not use lethal injection. They said the state could revise its nitrogen protocol to make it constitutional or use a firing squad.

“The petition asks this Court to determine whether the State may execute Mr. Lee by lethal injection notwithstanding its prior representation that it would execute him by nitrogen hypoxia,” his attorney wrote in a filing with the high court.

The state attorney general’s office asked the high court to let the execution proceed, arguing nothing precludes the switch to lethal injection.

“An unpunished murder is an intrinsic and ongoing harm to those interests and to the rule of law. Nearly twenty-eight years is decades too long,” lawyers with the attorney general’s office wrote.

For decades, lethal injection was the generally preferred U.S. execution method until problems procuring and administering the drugs led states, including Alabama, to consider alternatives.

Lethal injection remains Alabama’s primary execution method. But in 2024, the state began carrying out some executions using nitrogen gas, which involves replacing breathable air with gas through a respirator mask, causing death from lack of oxygen. Nitrogen has now been used in seven executions in Alabama and one in Louisiana.

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