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【美国中期选举】特朗普斥资逾2亿7700万美元 助共和党候选人冲刺

2026-10-22 07:17 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普星期二（10月20日）在美国北卡罗来纳州格林维尔的皮特—格林维尔机场出席竞选集会，离开讲台时向支持者挥手致意。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普在中期选举最后六周投入超过2亿7700万美元，试图协助在多场选举中处于劣势的共和党候选人。

路透社报道，美国联邦选举委员会的资料显示，特朗普的“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA Inc）超级政治行动委员会至今已为中期选举投入超过3亿美元（约3.8亿新元），并通过直接拨款或其他政治行动委员会，把最多资金投向得克萨斯州、密歇根州和俄亥俄州的参议院选战。

这三个席位对共和党能否继续掌控参议院至关重要。共和党目前在参议院以53席对47席占多数。

特朗普在社交媒体平台Truth Social上说，他计划在投票日之前投入4亿至5亿美元。距离投票日如今已不到两周。选举委员会申报文件显示，特朗普近期通过另外两个超级政治行动委员会“No Going Back”和“Safety & Affordability”，投入了2亿2500万美元。

超级政治行动委员会可以接受和支出金额不受限制的政治捐款，但仍须遵守少数相关规定。

民主党若要在11月的中期选举中赢得100席的参议院控制权，至少须增加四个席位。随着燃油价格飙升、移民与海关执法局（ICE）展开突击行动，以及美伊战争拖累特朗普的支持率降至历史低点，民主党的胜算有所提高。

选举预测专家内特·西尔弗的最新数据显示，民主党赢得参议院控制权的概率超过77%，届时席次可能达到53席对47席；民主党赢得众议院控制权的概率则超过94%，预计席次可能达到240席对195席。

Amy Acton hugs woman who offers support over incendiary ad

2026-10-21 7:16 PM EDT / CNN Politics

Amy Acton hugs woman who offers support over incendiary ad

At a campaign event in Wharton, Ohio, an Acton supporter brought up the incendiary attack ad from her opponent in the governor’s race, Vivek Ramaswamy, that features her estranged mother.

2:03 • Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/21/politics/video/acton-ohio-supporter-hug-digvid

马克龙抨击特朗普 巴黎部分地区禁止抗议活动

2026-10-22 07:30 / 联合早报

图为法国总统马克龙星期三（10月21日）在卡塔尔卢赛尔出席第九届“一个星球主权财富基金峰会”期间，向媒体发表讲话。 （路透社）

法国巴黎警方禁止民众在巴黎部分地区举行示威，以防新一轮示威引发更多冲突。

巴黎警方星期三（10月21日）宣布禁令。此前，法国总统马克龙似乎是在批评美国总统特朗普利用法国骚乱，在美国中期选举中谋取政治利益。

禁令从星期四早上8时至晚上8时生效，涵盖法国首都多个重要地标，包括总统府爱丽舍宫、国民议会和参议院，以及卢浮宫博物馆和香榭丽舍大道等热门旅游地点。

其他禁止集会的地点包括巴士底广场、共和国广场，以及周末遭抢劫者重点袭击的夏特雷—莱阿勒购物区。

法国政府承认，上周末街头暴力事件爆发时，局势一度“失去控制”。当时，蒙面青年与警方发生冲突，洗劫商店并破坏公共建筑。

距离法国总统选举还有六个月，马克龙政府正努力控制这场危机。骚乱已损害法国的国际形象，也令金融市场不安。马克龙暗示，特朗普以及可能还有同样正投入选战的以色列总理内坦亚胡，为了政治利益，对法国骚乱发表了“愚蠢的评论”。

马克龙在卡塔尔多哈对记者说：“有些人靠损害法国来竞选——这些领导人正处于竞选模式，无论是在本地区，还是在大西洋彼岸。”

特朗普在美国为共和党助选时，利用反移民论述，将法国骚乱与“移民、圣战分子和共产党人”挂钩。

特朗普星期二也称赞了与他意识形态相近的法国极右翼领袖勒庞。勒庞星期三晚间在社交媒体平台X发文，称马克龙的言论带有“阴谋论色彩”。

她说：“我们上星期六看到的画面并非人工智能生成，而是法国在马克龙执政十年后沦落至今的可悲现实。”这名极右翼候选人在2027年法国总统选举的民调中领先。

多名分析人士已驳斥移民是法国示威活动主因的说法。

U.S. ordering some government staff to depart Saudi Arabia, reducing military footprint in Middle East

2026-10-21T17:39:00-0400 / CBS News

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Olivia Gazis
Olivia Gazis covers intelligence and international security matters for CBS News. Twice Emmy-nominated, she has traveled worldwide with the secretary of state and contributes reporting on intelligence, foreign policy and other security topics across CBS News broadcast, radio, online and streaming platforms.

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Updated on: October 21, 2026 / 7:28 PM EDT / CBS News

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The U.S. State Department has ordered non-essential U.S. embassy personnel to depart Saudi Arabia, following an uptick in attacks on the kingdom by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

The U.S. military has also been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East due to ongoing regional threats from the Houthis and direct threats from Iran, a U.S. official and a senior U.S. military official told CBS News on Wednesday.

The State Department “issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote in a Wednesday X post, pushing back on a report that orders could apply to other Gulf states.

CBS News has learned several other embassies adjusted their staffing under “restricted operations” status, but have not gone on ordered departure, which involves the mandatory evacuation of designated diplomatic staff and accompanying family due to security risks.

The restricted operations status, which the department introduced in August amid flare-ups in the war with Iran, allows embassies to reduce staffing and services without fully suspending operations.

The decision to draw down personnel in Saudi Arabia comes after U.S. embassies in the kingdom, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other countries issued warnings over the weekend, urging Americans in the region to exercise caution and prepare for travel disruptions due to Houthi attacks.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” Pigott said Wednesday.

The Houthis have launched drones and missiles at airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including a strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport earlier this month that killed 12 people and injured more than 300 others. One American was among those killed.

The attacks have continued, with a Saudi-led military coalition reporting that it intercepted multiple Houthi drones on Monday and Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said Tuesday that air defenses blocked a drone attack on the country’s Shaybah oil field. Two people were killed and two were injured by falling debris, according to the agency, which did not specify who launched the drone.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have sought to expand their territorial control in Yemen. The group has controlled a large swath of the country for more than a decade, including the capital of Sanaa.

Some Saudi officials have blamed Iran for the conduct of the Houthis, which are aligned with the Islamic Republic. Iran has denied any role in the escalation.

The conflict could cause problems beyond Saudi Arabia due to the Houthis’ proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime chokepoint that a large share of the world’s oil flows through. The strait has become more important in recent months due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz wrought by the U.S.-Iran war.

Ambassador Marwan Ali Noman, political adviser to the Foreign Minister of Yemen, warned in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday that the Houthis could continue their attacks unless confronted.

“We are fighting on behalf of everyone, because the threat and risk of the Houthis will expand,” Noman said, adding that the Yemeni government is seeking international assistance.

The United Kingdom has offered support to Saudi Arabia, including defensive air operations.

It’s not clear whether the Trump administration is also planning to assist Saudi Arabia. President Trump did not rule out strikes on the Houthis after the group’s deadly Oct. 10 attack on the Riyadh airport, telling reporters: “We may.”

Mr. Trump said earlier this month: “We have communication with the Houthis, and we’ll see what happens. But what they did was very bad.”

James LaPorta and Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

鲁比奥：乌克兰的星链服务由马斯克决定 白宫否认下令限速

2026年10月22日 07:51 / 联合早报

图为美国国务卿鲁比奥2026年10月21日在印度孟买的泰姬陵宫酒店接受媒体采访。 （法新社）

美国国务卿鲁比奥说，乌克兰能否使用星链服务，应由星链母公司SpaceX及其创办人马斯克决定，而非白宫。

《华尔街日报》星期二（10月20日）报道，马斯克下令限速乌克兰使用星链军用版本。乌克兰依赖这项服务抵御俄罗斯的导弹袭击。

报道引述一名知情人士说，SpaceX首席执行官马斯克、美国总统特朗普和白宫官员事先曾讨论此事。另外两名知情人士则说，服务限速后的几天内，马斯克与特朗普也讨论了这项决定。

鲁比奥在访问印度期间对记者说：“我不知道我们是否事先知晓这项决定，但这并不重要。”

他说：“关键在于，这取决于私人商业合约，包括相关服务如何使用，以及服务速度由谁决定。”

马斯克和SpaceX没有回应置评请求。

特朗普星期三（21日）被记者问及是否由马斯克下令降低服务速度时说：“我不知道是谁下的令，但我没有参与。”

路透社此前引述两名美国官员和一名听取过相关简报的官员说，最终作出这项决定的是白宫。乌克兰总统泽连斯基也作出同样指称，但美国政府否认。

鲁比奥的言论可能加深华盛顿方面对马斯克影响美国外交政策能力的担忧，也显示美国政府的立场似乎出现转变。

特朗普此前曾公开说，他和马斯克都没有下令降低星链服务速度。鲁比奥星期六启程访问乌兹别克斯坦和印度前，也曾说没有人下令降低服务速度。这番言论引起美国两党议员批评。

鲁比奥曾暗示，乌克兰此前根本没有使用星盾服务。泽连斯基则说，乌克兰使用的星链和星盾服务都曾受到干扰。

SpaceX的星盾（Starshield）与星链（Starlink）是两种不同的产品。星盾是SpaceX为美国国防部开发、具备军用功能的星链版本。

Sen. Susan Collins enlists Manchin to woo Maine moderates as she distances herself from Trump

2026-10-21T18:20:34-0400 / CBS News

Lewiston, Maine — Republican Sen. Susan Collins is campaigning on a simple idea: She can sit across the table from anyone. On Wednesday, she did it literally, sharing breakfast sandwiches with Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin and a roomful of Maine voters as she makes her case to people of every political stripe.

“She’s not a Trump senator. She’s not a Republican senator or a Democrat senator,” Manchin told reporters after dining with Collins in the morning. “She’s an American senator that represents her state of Maine.”

Collins is the only Republican senator up for reelection in a state that President Trump lost. CBS News rates the race a toss-up. But Collins, who is running for a sixth term, has a history of surviving tough reelection battles and outrunning other Republicans. In 2020, she won by more than 8 points, even as Mr. Trump lost Maine by 9 points.

Both Collins and Manchin — who represented deep-red West Virginia in the Senate before leaving the Democratic Party and retiring in 2024 — have a history of clashing with their respective parties.

Collins worked to distance herself when pressed on Mr. Trump on Wednesday. While touring a local New Balance factory, she was asked about Trump envoy Steve Witkoff calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian” for releasing a jailed U.S. citizen. The question drew a visible reaction from Manchin, who shook his head. Collins responded with a flat “no.”

“I would describe Putin as a warmonger, a thug. He’s certainly not a humanitarian. He is the aggressor in the war against Ukraine,” she said. She also said she does not support Mr. Trump’s decision to waive new sanctions on Russia and strike a diesel deal with Moscow to import Russian diesel, arguing it will give Russia more funding to attack Ukraine.

Collins, who has long defected from parts of Mr. Trump’s agenda, has also criticized the president’s handling of the Iran war. In debates, she has said the president did not have a good plan and that the conflict should end. Her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, doesn’t believe she’s sincere in her rebukes.

“She’s the chair of appropriations. If she wants to stop the war, she can cut the funding off for the war,” Jackson said at a debate last week. “But she’s not willing to do that because Donald Trump wants this and that’s what is going to happen.”

Similar skepticism popped up outside of Collins’ breakfast stop. A group of protesters shouted for the incumbent to retire and held signs and cutouts of Brett Kavanaugh’s face, a reference to her vote to confirm the Supreme Court justice. Collins’ supporters, dressed in bright red, drowned them out with chants of “six more years,” when she stepped outside to talk to the press and her tour bus blocked the demonstrators from view.

Elaine Makas, a Lewiston Democrat who served in the state legislature from 2002 to 2008, joined the protest. She said she’s grateful for Collins’ service and calls her “genuinely a nice person,” but argued that is not enough.

“She’s just voting wrong,” Makas told CBS News. “She’s fallen completely in line with the president.”

Collins has argued that she frequently votes against Mr. Trump’s wishes.

Makas echoed Jackson’s line of attack. “She only disagrees with him when her vote doesn’t matter,” she said. She said she personally knows Jackson, a former state Senate president, from their time in the legislature and believes he’ll “listen” to Mainers.

Trump supporters confronted with painful gas prices deliver striking response: ‘I’ll take that any day’

October 21, 2026 2:18pm EDT / Fox News

Voters at the North Carolina event backed the president’s stance that the ongoing war with Iran is a ‘small price to pay’

By Ireland Owens, Charles Creitz, Kiera McDonald

North Carolina voters spoke to Fox News Digital about gas prices, Iran and control of Congress after President Donald Trump held a rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport on Tuesday.

As gas prices climb amid the conflict with Iran, some of President Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters say they’re willing to pay more at the pump if it means keeping Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — even with the midterm elections just two weeks away.

“If you’re really a good American, you’ll be thinking not for yourself or how much you’re spending for gas. But what life is going to be like for your children, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” one voter told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening.

“What will they grow up to? You have to keep those people in the political regime in Iran without a nuclear weapon. If we don’t do something now, isn’t that worth paying [another dollar a gallon]?”

Fox News Digital spoke with several voters following Trump’s Tuesday rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport about rising gas prices, the upcoming midterm elections and the ongoing war with Iran, which has sent oil prices surging and added to Americans’ affordability concerns.

VOTERS PREPARE TO WEIGH-IN ON TRUMP’S ECONOMY AS COSTS CONTINUE TO SURGE

Fox News Digital spoke to North Carolina voters about the economy, Iran, and control of Congress after President Donald Trump held a rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport on Tuesday.(Fox News Digital/Charles Creitz)

“Things haven’t changed much since Sleepy Joe,” another local voter, Shauna, told Fox News Digital about former President Joe Biden. “At least prices. … But [Trump is] doing the best he can with what he has. Because, you know, he’s not Congress. He can only pass so much.”

Another rallygoer told Fox News Digital that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was worth the cost of higher gas prices for American drivers.

TRUMP VOTERS SAY COSTS ARE CRUSHING THEIR WALLETS — BUT LOOK PAST PRESIDENT FOR BLAME

President Donald Trump arrives on stage to deliver remarks on the economy at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Friday, December 19, 2025.(Daniel Torok/Official White House Photo)

“We believed in what he [Trump] was saying and what he stood for,” local voter Michael told Fox News Digital. “And you hear people today saying, ‘Y’all wanted to get politicians out of Washington.’ … We got a businessman in. [He] never claimed to be a politician. He’s a businessman.

“Even with the gas prices up for what he’s done in Iran,” he added. “To me [that] is worth the high gas prices. I’ll take that any day to stop a country like Iran and take that nuclear power away. That’s a no-brainer, you know. Now, will the gas prices come down? Absolutely. They will come down because of what he’s done.”

IRAN ‘MISCALCULATING’ BY BETTING ON MIDTERMS AFTER 3-HOUR TALKS, TRUMP OFFICIALS WARN

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an election rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport on October 20, 2026 in Greenville, North Carolina.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Another Trump supporter, Steve, told Fox News Digital he would encourage other Americans to vote for GOP candidates despite high prices.

“It would take an act of God to lower prices before this election is over,” he said. “But I highly stress to everybody to vote Republican like you are voting like it’s the most important election in your lifetime. Because in many instances, it actually is.”

Trump has maintained that the ongoing war with Iran is a “small price to pay” to keep the nation safe.

The president has been crisscrossing the country in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, rallying his supporters in an effort to boost Republican candidates and help the GOP retain control of Congress. His North Carolina stop was aimed in part at bolstering Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who is facing former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

Iran is trying to ‘create a rot from within’ through ‘information warfare,’ analyst warns

US-Israel strategist weighs in on Israel’s Oct 27 elections, fight to weaken alliance amid war

2026-10-21 13:39:43 EDT / Fox News

By Eric Mack Fox News

Published October 21, 2026 1:39pm EDT

Yuval David: Iran resorts to ‘information warfare,’ because it cannot win ‘kinetic war’ against US, Israel

US-Israel strategic communications advisor Yuval David says Iran resorting to information warfare because it knows it cannot win ‘kinetic war’ with a strong U.S.-Israel alliance.

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Iran, recognizing surefire defeat in a kinetic war, is leaning in on an information warfare campaign to undermine the United States and Israel from within, according to Yuval David, a strategic U.S.-Israel geopolitical communications advisor.

“You cannot beat Israel or the United States in a physical kinetic war,” David told Fox News Digital from Budapest, where he joined Israeli President Isaac Herzog for high-level diplomatic talks Wednesday, adding the warning of an “information warfare system.”

“And that’s what’s going on with social media, with our devices and the people who are on TikTok and Instagram and Facebook and X and YouTube and all of the different social media platforms where the Islamic Republic of Iran is able to affect people’s minds.”

IRAN TARGETS US WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE CAMPAIGN TO MANIPULATE AMERICANS, EMBARRASS TRUMP: EXPERTS

President Donald Trump has had his disagreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but appeasement of Iran is not one of them.(REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt)

“One of the things that it does is it tries to create a rot from within the societies and, sadly, it’s very much succeeding in doing so,” he added, stating that Iran’s campaign has enjoyed “guidance from Russia and China.”

David’s warning comes as Israel prepares for an election next week that analysts say could change its leadership but is unlikely to produce a fundamental shift in the country’s Iran policy.

NETANYAHU PRAISES TRUMP’S ‘WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR,’ DEFENDS IRONCLAD ALLIANCE AHEAD OF HISTORIC ISRAEL VOTE

A Reuters analysis published Wednesday found that Iran will likely remain Israel’s chief adversary, with military force continuing to serve as the country’s preferred tool against its enemies. The report said Israel’s security doctrine is centered on confronting Iran, maintaining buffer zones beyond its borders and keeping military pressure on to deter threats.

A victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, backed by conservative coalition partners, could deepen Israel’s confrontation with Tehran, not bring about appeasement. Even an opposition-led government would likely share the same broad strategic outlook, David said.

TRUMP IS DISMANTLING IRAN’S WAR MACHINE, BUT AMERICA STILL NEEDS AN ENDGAME

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a massive concern for the world,” David said. “Tehran does not fear another diplomatic statement. It fears an America and an Israel with the intelligence, military capabilities and political will to act together.”

David said the U.S.-Israel alliance should not be judged by whether American leaders support the same Israeli candidate.

TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO ‘FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONE

“Presidents come and go, prime ministers come and go. America’s and Israel’s enemies do not take election years off,” he said. “America doesn’t need to choose Israel’s prime minister, nor will it, nor can it, nor is it even trying to. America just needs a strong Israeli partner, whoever the Israelis elect.”

Reuters has cited regional analysts who said Netanyahu’s re-election could allow him to pursue a more aggressive campaign against Iran, while Arab states remain wary of his policies but want Tehran’s influence contained.

David said Iran’s hostility toward the United States and Israel extends beyond the current conflict.

IRAN’S PROXY WAR HAS CROSSED OCEANS AND IS NOW KNOCKING ON AMERICA’S DOOR

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been waging this ideological war against America and also against Israel and also against democracies around the world since 1979,” he said. “The regime never stopped a war.

“Americans thought we have had a war, and then we didn’t have a war. Then we had one. Then we didn’t. Well, the Islamic Republic of Iran never ended that war. They’ve seen this as an ongoing war since 1979.”

FROM INTELLIGENCE SHARING TO MISSILE DEFENSE, HOW ISRAEL’S PARTNERSHIP PROTECTS AMERICAN SECURITY

He also framed U.S. support for Israel as a matter of serving American national security interests.

“America does not support Israel because Israel is helpless. America partners with Israel because Israel is capable,” David said. “Supporting Israel’s security isn’t charity. It’s American strategic self-interest.”

President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu, contrasted with Vice President JD Vance’s decision to stay out of the race, reflects differing political approaches rather than a split over Iran or the U.S.-Israel alliance, according to David.

VP JD VANCE ADDRESSES US-ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP, WHETHER IRAN IS TRYING TO ‘PLAY’ THE UNITED STATES

“President Trump is endorsing Prime Minister Netanyahu – Vice President Vance is emphasizing American priorities, but supporting Israel’s security doesn’t require endorsing a particular Israeli politician,” he concluded.

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“Trump is speaking to Israeli voters because that’s what Trump is able to do – Vance is speaking to American voters,” David said. “Far too many Americans don’t realize both Trump and Vance know that Tehran is listening.”

Eric Mack is a breaking news reporter and writer Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, with a particular interest in stories that lead the news cycle on politics, elections, foreign affairs and government.

Manchin calls Schumer ‘crazy’ for trying to oust GOP senator in crucial Senate showdown

2026-10-21T13:06:54-04:00 / Fox News

Manchin called Collins ‘the soul of America’ and said Schumer’s efforts to oust the moderate Republican are ‘ridiculous’

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published October 21, 2026 1:06pm EDT

Former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a longtime Democrat turned independent, speaks with Fox News Digital in Lewiston, Maine as he campaigns with his close friend Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

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LEWISTON, MAINE – Former Sen. Joe Manchin, a longtime Democrat turned independent, took aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday for trying to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, calling his former party leader’s efforts “crazy” as he joined Collins on the campaign trail in her high-stakes re-election race.

Collins, a moderate Republican who at times has voted against President Donald Trump and her party, is fighting for her political life as she runs for a sixth six-year term representing blue-leaning Maine in the Senate. She is the only GOP senator seeking re-election in a state Trump lost in the 2024 election.

The race between Collins and Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, is a top flip opportunity for Democrats as they try to win back the Senate majority from Republicans in the midterm elections. The latest public opinion polls indicate a margin-of-error showdown, and the latest Fox News Power Rankings rate the race as a toss-up, as do leading nonpartisan political handicappers the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Manchin, who worked closely with Collins during his years in the Senate, was asked by Fox News Digital how his campaigning with his former colleague would sit with Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber.

DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS BUILDING – HERE ARE THREE FACTORS THAT COULD STOP IT

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“Chuck Schumer would not be surprised of me being with my dear friend. There is no surprise there at all. I told him he was crazy in 2020 from working against her so hard and he’s crazy now to work against her,” Manchin said, as he referred to unsuccessful efforts by Democrats to defeat Collins in her re-election six years ago, and their current push to oust her.

Manchin emphasized, “This is not right. She is the soul of America. She is the soul of the Senate, and he knows he needs more Susan Collins, no matter what side of the aisle they’re on. This is ridiculous.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s political team and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a comment but did not receive a response at the time this story was published.

A former West Virginia governor who served in the Senate from 2010 to 2025, Manchin frequently broke with his party, frustrating Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as Schumer and other Senate Democratic leaders.

As he works to oust Collins from the Senate, Jackson has repeatedly tried to anchor the senator to Trump, who has seen his approval ratings in Maine and across the country drop further underwater.

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Former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat turned independent, center, joins Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine on the campaign trail as she runs for re-election, on Oct. 21, 2026, in Lewiston, Maine.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Manchin said that Collins is “not a Trump senator. She’s not a Republican senator or a Democrat senator. She’s an American senator that represents her state of Maine … the most independent minded person I’ve ever met.”

Collins noted that “Joe and I were part of every bipartisan initiative that passed the Senate and became law during the years that we worked together … I just so enjoy our partnership in getting things done for Maine, for West Virginia and for America.”

Manchin and Collins spoke with reporters after meeting with restaurant workers and customers at Simones’ Hot Dog Stand, a famed local eatery in downtown Lewiston that’s been serving customers for a century. It was the first of two campaign stops in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a key swing district.

Collins and Jackson last week faced off on the debate stage for the fourth and final time. The senator used the debates to showcase how her Senate seniority has helped her deliver federal funding for Maine. Meanwhile, Jackson used the showdowns to position himself as an outsider who understands the struggles and frustrations of working-class voters.

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Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, faces off against Troy Jackson, the former Maine Senate president and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, in their fourth debate appearance together on Thursday evening.(Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images; Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Jackson won a special nominating convention in late July to claim the party’s Senate nomination, which was left vacant after primary winner Graham Platner ended his campaign following allegations he raped a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the allegations but dropped out.

Jackson, who earlier this year unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, had campaigned alongside Platner during the primary campaign.

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Collins, meanwhile, has a history of surviving Democratic efforts to unseat her.

Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the Maine House speaker at the time, but Collins won re-election by nearly nine points while former President Joe Biden carried the state by a similar margin.

Fox News’ Kailey Schuyler contributed to this story.

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

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Cuban American lawmakers hail Raúl Castro arrest warrant, vow to keep fighting for Cuba’s freedom

Cuban American lawmakers call the warrant a ‘powerful message’ in the decades-long pursuit of justice for political prisoners

October 21, 2026 2:08pm EDT / Fox News

Communism is ‘all a bunch of lies’: Rep Carlos Giménez

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., shares photos of his childhood home in Cuba while discussing his experience under communism and why he calls the ideology ‘all a bunch of lies.’ Gimenez also warns of a growing divide within the Democratic Party after 192 House Democrats voted against a resolution condemning socialism on ‘America Reports.’

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FIRST ON FOX:Cuban-American lawmakers are welcoming a Florida arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft, saying the move marks a new step toward accountability for the communist regime and vowing to keep fighting for freedom on the island.

The warrant comes after Ariana Fajardo Orshan, chief judge of Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit, found probable cause to believe Castro conspired to commit first-degree murder in connection with the shootdown of two Miami-based civilian aircraft involved in a humanitarian operation near Cuba in 1996.

“As the only Cuban-born member of Congress, this moment is deeply personal,” Rep. Carlos Giménez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “For decades, Raúl Castro and his communist regime have oppressed the Cuban people while evading accountability.”

Cuban President Raul Castro speaks during a memorial tribute for his brother former President of Cuba Fidel Castro at the Antonio Maceo Revolution Square before his burial tomorrow on Dec. 3, 2016, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Giménez described the warrant as a “powerful message” in the “pursuit of justice,” adding that those responsible for the suffering of the Cuban people could soon “answer for their crimes.”

“No previous administration has taken this historic step, and our community is eternally grateful for it,” he continued. “For the millions of Cubans who have suffered under this tyranny, including those of us forced into exile, this represents a significant moment in our decades-long struggle for freedom.”

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told Fox News Digital that Castro allegedly “ordered” the “premeditated, state-sanctioned murder of four Floridians in cold blood,” calling the warrant “a step toward accountability” for the conspiracy that led to the deaths of Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, left; launched a probe into an incident involving Cuba, right.(Amy Beth Bennett/Getty Images; Yamil Lage/Getty Images)

Uthmeier’s office said the warrant could limit Castro’s ability to travel to countries that have extradition agreements with the United States.

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Giménez said that although the warrant is “historic,” he and other lawmakers will continue fighting until Cuba’s “political prisoners are released” and the “Cuban people can determine their own destiny.”

Florida state Rep. Juan Porras, another Cuban American lawmaker, said the warrant shows that Florida “will never forget” the victims of the communist regime’s atrocities.

CUBA’S DICTATORSHIP HAS LONG BEEN A THREAT TO AMERICA. NOW, IT’S FINALLY TEETERING

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla, speaks during the Congressional Hispanic Conference press conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Thank you to the Miami judge who signed a state arrest warrant for Raúl Castro for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder,” Porras told Fox News Digital. “Thirty years later, justice is still moving, but the work is not done. Cuba is not free yet, and we will not stop until it is.”

“Cuba will be free,” Porras added in Spanish.

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The warrant stems from the Feb. 24, 1996, shootdown of two unarmed aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue over international waters. Four people were killed in the attack. Castro, who was Cuba’s defense minister at the time, was federally indicted earlier this year in connection with the deaths.

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