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Spanberger AG draws fire over two-front fight against Trump enforcement agenda

Jones demanded records on traffic-stop practices as critics accuse him of undermining Trump’s immigration enforcement

August 27, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News

By Charles Creitz

Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore accused the Democratic attorney general of fighting law enforcement, pointing to Jones’ scrutiny of Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith and his lawsuit blocking federal access to commercial-driver records.

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Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is drawing fire over two disputes involving the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda — a civil rights investigation into a rural sheriff’s traffic-stop practices amid his cooperation with ICE and a legal challenge involving federal access to commercial driver records.

Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore told Fox News Digital that the two disputes reflect what he characterized as a broader unwillingness by Virginia’s Democratic leadership to cooperate with President Donald Trump. His criticism came as Jones announced a probe into Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith.

“That’s just this whole administration’s modus operandi, to put it bluntly, they are so mad at Trump, they want to make sure they don’t want to cooperate with Trump in any area whatsoever, and they want make it unsafe for Virginians,” Kilgore, R-Gate City, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

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Virginia AG Jay Jones and Gov. Abigail Spanberger, right, embrace during the 2026 inaugural ceremonies in Richmond.(Al Drago/Getty Images)

The criticism comes as Jones’ Office of Civil Rights notified Smith that it had launched an investigation into allegations involving the Greene County Sheriff’s Office’s traffic-stop practices and cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

“I applaud the Greene County sheriff for working with ICE to make that we don’t have illegals on our roads, illegals out here committing crimes and things of that nature, unlike our attorney general, who’s the chief law enforcement officer of our state out here picking fights with sheriffs over illegal immigrants,” Kilgore said.

The dispute comes amid a broader shift in Virginia’s immigration enforcement policy under Spanberger.

On her first day in office, Spanberger — who endorsed Jones — rescinded former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s order encouraging ICE cooperation. She later signed a law on April 22 sponsored by Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, restricting state and local participation in federal civil immigration enforcement.

ICE RESUMES NATIONWIDE TRAFFIC STOPS UNDER NEW POLICY REQUIRING BODY CAMERAS

Virginia State Del. Terry Kilgore speaks during an interview in the State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, August 19, 2009.(Douglas Graham/Getty Images)

“[My office] has reviewed allegations that GCSO may be conducting traffic stops in violation of state law and the Constitution,” Jones’ Office of Civil Rights wrote to Smith while demanding records concerning immigration enforcement policies, training materials and interagency agreements.

Smith’s deputies have participated in several operations with ICE — notable for a small, rural county located along major transportation routes.

A June operation near the intersection of U.S. 29 and U.S. 33 resulted in 49 people being detained by ICE. U.S. 29 connects Washington, D.C., with Charlottesville and points south, while U.S. 33 connects Richmond with western Virginia.

A Honduran man identified by DHS as an MS-13 gang member was among 26 people arrested during another operation in nearby Ruckersville in May.

A Greene County, Virginia, sheriff’s deputy conducts speed enforcement operations.(Joe Sohm/Getty Images)

“Tell me what kind of message that’s sending to the citizens of Virginia — that it’s more important for me to protect illegal folks who are here illegally than to protect our citizens here,” Kilgore said.

Smith had previously defended his operations in comments to Charlottesville media, saying his deputies apply reasonable suspicion — “the same as we do for all vehicles” — as the standard for initiating traffic stops.

Local activists accused deputies of profiling, while Smith said speeding, failure to maintain a lane and running red lights most often prompt traffic stops.

“Oh, look, the Virginia AG is going after a cop for doing actual cop things,” former Del. Nick Freitas added in a statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jones, Spanberger and ICE for comment.

Smith declined to comment to Fox News Digital, citing his retention of counsel but previously told the Piedmont Journal-Recorder that he will “continue to assist ICE with their operations” after discussing the new law with Del. Karen Hamilton, R-Stanardsville.

State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, the Democrats’ 2009 gubernatorial nominee whose district neighbors Greene County, said he was “disappointed” by the situation.

“Certainly we all want people who come into this country to come in legally, but the people that are here are for the most part here to fill a need and that’s work,” he told CVilleRightNow.

Former Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, who received a politically motivated death threat during the 2025 election, referenced graphic text messages Jones sent to another former lawmaker imagining the murder of former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah. The “two bullets” scandal nearly torpedoed Jones’ campaign.

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Taylor told Fox News Digital that she considers Jones’ actions hypocritical given his past messages.

“For an attorney general who once talked about putting ‘two bullets’ in a political opponent to now lecture law enforcement is hypocrisy at its worst,” she said.

Alongside his investigation into Smith, Jones joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s demand for a bulk transfer of commercial-driver records covering roughly 17 million drivers as the U.S. Department of Transportation cracks down on drivers who cannot meet English-language requirements or illegal immigrant truckers accused of causing deadly wrecks.

Jones celebrated U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, a George W. Bush appointee, temporarily blocking the bulk transfer of the records, calling it an “important win for protecting the privacy of millions of commercial drivers.”

An ICE spokesperson confirmed the Ruckersville operation near US-29, including the arrests of 49 illegal immigrants.

“All of the illegal aliens were transported to ICE facilities for further processing and will receive due process. They will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said.

“Partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest illegal aliens across the country. When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities,” they added.

Kilgore, whose southwestern Virginia district includes mountainous stretches of U.S. 58 and lies near Interstate 81, told Fox News Digital that the suit is “just another way that they try to stick their thumb in the administration’s eye.”

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“Once again, we’re siding with illegals or foreigners who are here driving 18-wheelers… who could harm our citizens because they’re not qualified,” Kilgore said.

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“I don’t understand why the Democrats are so, so against these activities [that] make sure that our highways are safe.”

Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.

Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, worked in both the New York and Washington bureaus for Fox News since 2013.

消息：美中情局局长访俄 是要警告普京勿攻击北约国家

2026年8月27日 19:29 / 联合早报

• 《华尔街日报》引述消息称，美中情局局长拉特克利夫本周访俄，旨在警告俄罗斯不要攻击北约国家。 – 克宫称拉特克利夫未与普京会面，仅同俄情报官员会谈；特朗普称此行是半例行公事，或有助结束战争。 – 彭博社引消息指，普京判断和谈陷死局，正准备加大对乌打击，探讨对基辅等城市基础设施发动导弹攻势。 – 《金融时报》称瑞典等四国致函欧盟委员会，提议重启动用俄冻结资产援乌计划，以应对基辅资金短缺。

乌克兰国家紧急服务局星期四（8月27日）拍摄并发布的照片显示，乌克兰苏梅州一处未公开地点遭遇空袭，救援人员在现场扑灭一栋民房的大火。 （法新社）

（华盛顿/莫斯科综合电）《华尔街日报》引述消息报道，美国中情局局长拉特克利夫本周罕见出访莫斯科，是要警告俄罗斯不要攻击北约国家。

美国情报评估，俄罗斯总统普京可能在未来几年内对一个北约成员国发动有限的攻击，以测试北约的决心。美方担心普京受困于俄乌战争及国内压力，可能对巴尔干国家发动网络攻击，甚至小规模的领土入侵。

此外，美伊战争大量消耗西方武器弹药以致出现短缺，也可能影响普京的决策。

克里姆林宫发言人佩斯科夫星期三（8月26日）告诉记者，拉特克利夫在莫斯科期间并未与普京会面，而是与俄情报官员举行会谈；普京听取了会谈情况的简报。

美国总统特朗普同日接受电台采访时，没有具体说明拉特克利夫为何前往莫斯科，但称此行为“半例行公事”，“可能会有一些成果，我们正在努力结束（乌克兰）那场战争”。

美国中情局局长上一次公开访俄是在2021年11月，当时在拜登总统任内执掌中情局的伯恩斯亲自飞到莫斯科，警告普京不要进攻乌克兰。

立陶宛总统瑙塞达星期三说，拉特克利夫出访莫斯科，很可能是为了缓解该地区的地缘政治紧张局势。他预计伙伴国“可能会在下周”通报相关会谈的内容。

欧洲近期发生多起猝不及防的事件，包括武装无人机入侵、暗杀未遂以及原因不明的纵火案，目的可能是要恐吓向乌克兰提供武器和资金的主要国家。

普京准备升级对乌克兰军事打击

彭博社引述克里姆林宫消息报道，普京判断俄乌和平谈判已经陷入死局，正准备加大对乌克兰的打击，目前正在探讨对基辅市中心和其他城市的基础设施加大常规弹道导弹的攻势。

三名知情人士说，普京不会因为西方的经济制裁以及俄炼油厂和物流网络受到乌克兰袭击，而被迫终结战争。

莫斯科越来越倾向于将乌克兰发动的打击视为源自北约，因为北约成员持续向基辅提供武器和情报。知情人士还称，当前的敌对形势还不是军事升级的顶点。

欧盟成员国重提动用俄冻结资产助乌克兰

《金融时报》引述消息报道，欧盟成员国包括瑞典、荷兰、西班牙和波兰已致函欧盟委员会，提议重启动用俄罗斯被冻结的资产来资助乌克兰的计划，以因应基辅面临的新一轮资金短缺危机。

俄罗斯央行超过2000亿欧元（约2960亿新元）资产被欧盟冻结，大部分存放在比利时。动用俄资产援乌的计划去年底因比利时强烈反对而停摆。不过，欧盟一些成员国如今联署致函要求欧盟委员会重启计划。

东陵购物中心原址兴建千人剧院和当代艺术博物馆

2026年8月27日 19:43 / 新明日报

在东陵购物中心原址上新建的综合发展项目，将包含一座剧院和一个当代艺术博物馆。 （Pacific Eagle Real Estate提供）

在东陵购物中心原址兴建的新综合项目，内部将建造一座世界级千人剧院和当代艺术博物馆，在加强本地艺术基础设施的同时，也为艺术家和观众拓展更多机会。项目预计将于2030年落成。

文化、社区及青年部长兼教育部第二部长梁振伟星期四（8月27日）在今年的艺术赞助奖颁奖礼上，宣布这项消息。

超过四层的新剧院总面积约9万8000平方英尺，三层观众席有1000个座位，将满足本地这一规模场地的需求，除了可举办戏剧和音乐剧，也可用于舞蹈和音乐演出，支持各种传统及当代表演艺术，并在本地艺术领域创造从剧场技术到艺术管理等方面的就业机会。

新剧院旨在把艺术带入人们生活、工作和休闲的日常空间，是一座专门建造的镜框式舞台剧院（proscenium theatre），也将成为新的世界级表演艺术场地。

梁振伟说：“从政府的角度来看，我们认为这是一个契机，既能打造一座与全球紧密相连的剧院，又能使其深深植根于新加坡充满活力的艺术界。”

国家艺术理事会指出，剧院的规模和设施将支持不同艺术形式的大型制作，为本地及国际作品提供额外演出场地，并加强新加坡举办国际巡演制作的能力，同时支持本地艺术团体。

目前新加坡主要表演艺术场地中，维多利亚剧院和音乐厅约有600个座位，而滨海艺术中心剧院和音乐厅则拥有超过1600个座位。

新的剧院将坐落于东陵购物中心旧址重建的综合用途发展项目内，集零售、办公、康养及文化空间于一体。

由于乌节路一带拥有超过30家酒店、40座购物中心和50家旗舰店，这座处于市中心且交通便利区域的剧院也有望接触更多访客，让观众有更多机会欣赏多元的本地及国际演出。

剧院由新加坡房地产投资及开发商Pacific Eagle Real Estate（PERE）出资和兴建，并获得文化、社区及青年部和国家艺术理事会的支持。在项目落成后的首20年租期内，PERE将全额免除剧院的基本租金，降低文化艺术项目的运营与维护费用。

艺理会即将发出意向书（EOI）招募剧院运营者；博物馆则由陈江和艺术基金会（Tanoto Art Foundation）管理。

这也是首次有剧院和博物馆项目在市区重建局的策略发展项目奖励计划（Strategic Development Incentive Scheme）的支持下建造。

Gender equity, DEI, climate action: How the Smithsonian’s woke push ‘infiltrated’ America’s most beloved zoo

The zoo promoted gender equity as linked to climate change and was part of a plan calling DEI ‘integral’ to the mission

August 27, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News

By Andrew Mark Miller

Expert weighs in on politicization of science within zoos: ‘You start to have problems’

Fox News Digital spoke to researcher Jason Hayes at the Heritage Foundation about the far-left push within the environmental and wildlife conservation space.

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FIRST ON FOX:As the Trump administration continues to crack down on far-left messaging and agenda items within the Smithsonian Institution, a Fox News Digital review found that the Smithsonian National Zoo has been adopting “woke” messaging and programming of its own over the past several years.

The Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, which hosts roughly 2 million visitors each year at its Washington, D.C. national zoo and operates a global conservation research program spanning more than 40 countries, has placed an emphasis on issues like DEI and climate change, according to its own website.

“Gender equity, civil liberties and justice are necessary ingredients for peace and prosperity, but they also have a direct impact on resource use and climate change,” a 2021 article on the organization’s website reads.

The article, written by seabird ecologist Autumn-Lynn Harrison and coral biologist Mary Hagedorn, makes the case that “one direct way we can bolster climate action is by addressing inequities in health and education across the globe.”

TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER ‘WOKE’ HISTORY UNFOLDED

A Fox News Digital review found the National Zoo has promoted DEI, LGBTQ and environmental-justice initiatives.(Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images 😉

Searching “climate change” on the zoo’s website yields almost 400 results, including articles warning about its impacts on vernal pools, salamanders, wildfires, coral nurseries and a variety of other aspects of wildlife.

In addition to attempting to root out political messaging in the Smithsonian, which Fox News Digital has extensively reported on, the Trump administration has also placed a focus on rooting out DEI practices within the federal government, practices that appear to be a high priority for the Smithsonian Zoo.

“Diversity and inclusion are integral to all aspects of the Smithsonian Institution’s operations and key components of the Smithsonian Strategic Plan,” the 2023 Smithsonian Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Report, which includes several pages specific to the zoo’s DEI efforts, explains.

SMITHSONIAN EXEC WHO SAID DEI ‘MUST BE AT THE CENTER’ OF INSTITUTIONS IS RAKING IN EYE-POPPING SALARY

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402531553112

The report outlines several DEI programs undertaken by the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute during that fiscal year, including diversity-focused internships, LGBTQ family programming at the zoo featuring rainbow-themed animal enrichment and efforts to promote inclusive language in the zoo and aquarium profession.

“Americans visit zoos to learn about conservation efforts and admire animals, not to be shamed or feel guilt-ridden,” Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy and Conservation Director Gabriella Hoffman told Fox News Digital. “Conservation has, sadly, been infiltrated by elements of DEI, ESG, and climate alarmism. This invites confusion and division into a space that should be science-first.”

A 2021 Smithsonian Magazine article promoted how the National Zoo helped launch the Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals, aimed at increasing racial and ethnic minority representation in zoo and aquarium careers through networking, outreach, mentorship and professional development.

“As the curator of large carnivores at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and a black man in the zoo field, I have long been keenly aware of the dearth of black and brown faces in my chosen field,” Smithsonian curator Craig Saffoe wrote in the article headlined: “Why a Group of Zoo and Aquarium Professionals Wants to Ensure the Future of Their Field Is More Inclusive.”

“After years of thinking about what I could do to try to address this situation, I finally decided to, as my mother told me growing up, ‘stop talking about it, and be about it.’”

FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM

Elephant Robbie Clark holds 5-month-old Asian elephant calf Lihn Mai’s trunk on July 15, 2026, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C. Lihn Mai was born at the zoo in February 2026.(Photo by Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

LGBTQ family programming has been a consistent theme at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, which has used its annual International Family Equality Day to conduct outreach to the LGBTQ community. The free event, which the zoo says it has hosted annually since 2018, has featured animal encounters, keeper talks, music, games and community activities. Zoo staff have also created rainbow-themed animal enrichment and treats, including colorful ice cakes, for animals throughout the park.

The event expanded its community partnerships in 2024, when the zoo hosted representatives from the DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, SMYAL, Rainbow Families, Brave Trails and the Smithsonian Pride Alliance. The program included a performance by the LGBTQ-and-allied GenOUT Youth Chorus, a community picnic with local LGBTQ organizations and music that highlighted queer identity and inclusion. The outside groups referred to the gathering as “Gay Day at the Zoo,” while the zoo’s programming was formally billed as International Family Equality Day.

“In places like the National Zoo, especially a taxpayer-funded organization like the National Zoo, zoos have a primary mission of conservation and species management, habitat management, that kind of thing, and when ideologies, or at least science that is in question, start to take over and really rule the management of an organization like the zoo, then you start to have problems,” Jason Hayes, a senior research fellow with the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, told Fox News Digital.

In January 2025, the Smithsonian organization announced that it was eliminating its Office of Diversity in line with the Trump administration’s efforts but noted it is “retaining our efforts at visitor accessibility as it serves a critical function.”

However, several work profiles listed on the zoo’s website as of this week still contain language suggesting DEI is part of their daily activities, including the zoo’s profile of Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC and a member of the zoo’s advisory board, which says advancing the tourism and hospitality industry is a priority for him and that his work includes “diversity, equity and inclusion,” conversations about racism and expanding opportunities for people of color.

The profile also notes that he previously chaired Tourism Diversity Matters, a hospitality-workforce organization focused on DEI.

SMITHSONIAN’S TAXPAYER FUNDS FACE CHOPPING BLOCK AS GOP DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ‘WOKE’ HISTORY

The Smithsonian, the nation’s largest museum and research complex, is at the center of a White House campaign to overhaul its presentation of American history.(J. David Ake/Getty Images)

Ricardo Stanoss, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s director for conservation capacity, was listed in the FY2023 diversity report as the principal investigator for an in-progress community advisory group that held listening sessions with D.C. leaders and explored development of a diversity-focused internship program and a master’s degree focused on environmental justice and climate change.

Additionally, the zoo’s Great Plains Science Program website currently lists “Inclusion” among its core values, pledging to create pathways for people from underrepresented groups to participate in its work and cultivate a new generation of conservationists. Several of the researchers associated with that project have biographies that underscore its emphasis on inclusion and Native community engagement.

The zoo also continues to partner with groups that have made DEI a central focus, including the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), of which the zoo is a long-standing accredited member. The zoo participates in AZA conservation and animal-management programs and must meet its accreditation standards, including a requirement that member institutions maintain written plans for accessible, welcoming organizational cultures.

AZA’s website says DEI is “embedded in everything we do” and the group wrote in 2020 that “systemic racism is embedded in our structures, culture and organizations, and we are committed to positive and sustained change that dismantles these barriers.”

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Brandie Smith, the current director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, joined the Smithsonian in 2008 after spending 10 years as AZA’s vice president of animal conservation.

Beyond its AZA accreditation, the Smithsonian is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global conservation organization whose current gender policy calls for gender-responsive conservation and inclusive participation across race, sexual orientation and gender identity. The policy governs IUCN staff and is advisory for member institutions.

The zoo also works with the Zoological Society of London on the scimitar-horned oryx recovery effort. ZSL’s FAIRER Conservation program says it uses a “decolonial lens” and aims to embed “justice, equity and inclusion” in its conservation work.

Fox News Digital asked the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for comment and inquired about any current implementation of DEI in the organization but did not receive a response. Instead, a spokesperson provided a statement saying, “The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is the Nation’s Zoo—a place where people can experience wildlife, learn about the natural world and see conservation in action.”

The spokesperson added, “The zoo connects millions of people with wildlife while advancing a global mission to save species.”

Hoffman explained that “activists have long targeted zoos simply because they exist.”

“Kowtowing to these extremists — thinking the crocodile will eat you last by adopting these views — will invite extinction, not longevity,” Hoffman said. “The Smithsonian Zoo shouldn’t alienate visitors with political lectures and empty platitudes. The zoo should stick to showcasing pandas, not pandering to radicals. More imperiled species would be conserved and recovered today by de-emphasizing woke policies that are anathema to conservation efforts.”

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

Kennedy advisers propose doubling US autism spending on care, family support

2026-08-27 10:12 AM UTC / Reuters

By Robin Respaut

August 27, 2026 10:12 AM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. discusses the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey, during a press conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S.,… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

Aug 27 (Reuters) – A U.S. advisory committee on autism is set to propose that federal agencies nearly double investment in research and initiatives focusing on medical care, housing, aging, and other priorities to support people with the condition and their families.

Members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating ​Committee, a federal advisory panel appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this year, will meet on Thursday to discuss their ‌new strategic plan to reshape federal priorities in autism.

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The draft plan, made public on the IACC’s website last month, suggests boosting investment by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies to $747.4 million annually from $390.4 million to address a sweeping array of issues impacting people with autism and their families.

Current ​federal spending, relative to the economic burden of autism, is less than other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and asthma, the draft ​plan says.

The IACC provides non-binding guidance to the federal government regarding autism-related priorities.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist before ⁠joining the Trump administration, for years pushed a link between vaccines and autism, which scientists say has been thoroughly refuted by studies examining millions ​of children over many years.

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The committee’s draft strategic plan does not mention vaccines or studying a link to autism.

OVERARCHING PRIORITIES, FOCUS ON PROFOUND AUTISM

The detailed ​plan has two overarching priorities: urgently improving medical care and research for people with autism; and supporting autistic people across their lifespans, especially those with complex needs.

“Individuals with profound autism, or the highest support needs, were relatively underrepresented in previous strategic plans and notably underrepresented in autism research,” said Dr. Sylvia Fogel, chair of the IACC and ​a Harvard Medical School instructor. “We wrote the plan to correct that inequity.”

Kennedy, who has made autism a signature issue for the U.S. Department of ​Health and Human Services, has pursued new studies on autism through a $50 million NIH project. He has also commissioned studies reexamining autism and vaccines.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/2d210163-d12e-4ce9-84fc-8078f6f11e34

Kennedy has highlighted the plight of ‌autistic individuals ⁠with the highest need for support throughout their lives. About one-third of the advisory board are parents of profoundly autistic children.

Fogel, who is the parent of an adult child with profound autism, said many of the plan’s priorities apply across the autism spectrum, including those with lesser support needs.

“There’s a significant portion of the autism community who are highly dependent on care and who are really struggling,” she said, describing their needs as urgent and ​significant.

The proposed plan calls for agencies ​to move quickly to improve assessment ⁠and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disruption, seizures, speech and motor impairment, and mental health conditions for autistic patients, and to invest in new research in these and other areas.

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The plan also proposes new federal funding to ​study neurodevelopmental regression, a condition estimated to occur in 30% of autistic children characterized by the loss of ​previously developed skills ⁠or milestones.

RISING AUTISM PREVALENCE

The prevalence of autism has risen rapidly in recent decades to an estimated 1 in 31 children aged 8 in 2022 from 1 in 150 in 2000, according to the CDC, partly due to improved screening and a broader definition of the condition. The agency estimates 26.7% have profound ⁠autism.

Yet the prevalence ​of adults with autism is unknown. The draft plans calls for the federal government, ​for the first time, to estimate the prevalence of autistic adults.

The nation has insufficient capacity to offer safe housing and professional caregivers to those with the highest needs, the plan says.

“The ​aim is to stop relying on unsupported families as the system’s hidden infrastructure,” it says.

Reporting by Robin Respaut; editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

美联储理事库克回函反驳特朗普房贷欺诈指控

2026年8月27日 16:38 / 联合早报

美联储理事库克星期三（8月26日）正式回函否认白宫的指控，坚称她从未涉及房屋抵押贷款欺诈的行为，特朗普总统并没有法律依据开除她。 （路透社档案照片）

（华盛顿综合电）美国联邦储备局理事库克再度否认白宫的指控，坚称她从未涉及房屋抵押贷款欺诈的行为，特朗普总统并没有法律依据开除她。

库克通过律师洛威尔（Abbe Lowell）在星期三（8月26日）回复白宫的信函中说，白宫对库克的指控“没有证据也不真实”，“库克从未犯下抵押贷款欺诈或刻意犯下任何错误，因此不存在法律上可认知的理由将她从联储局理事会革职”。

特朗普在去年底对库克提出指控并寻求开除她；舆论普遍认为，这是特朗普试图委任与他的降息观点一致的人担任美联储理事。

联邦最高法院今年6月推翻特朗普的决定，指他没有给予库克机会回应指控，但并未排除她可能犯下错误，可被视为停职的原因。

白宫于是在8月5日再度向库克施压，发函要求她在三周内针对欺诈的指控做出解释。白宫针对库克近年在密歇根和佐治亚购置的房产，指她涉嫌把多个房子列为“主要”或“首要”住所，由此取得较有利的抵押贷款条件。

洛威尔在回函中说明，库克为第二个房产申请贷款时称该房产是主要住所，并非故意为之，部分是因为银行让她填写的表格有误。她在上任前以私人身份处理事务时产生的问题，并未涉及任何欺诈或犯罪。

回函也引述媒体报道说，特朗普本人与他的政府官员也和库克一样，曾签过类似的抵押贷款文件。

库克是历来首名担任美联储理事的黑人，于2022年5月上任，任期至2038年1月才结束。

美联储理事库克回函反驳特朗普房贷欺诈指控

2026年8月27日 16:38 / 联合早报

美联储理事库克星期三（8月26日）正式回函否认白宫的指控，坚称她从未涉及房屋抵押贷款欺诈的行为，特朗普总统并没有法律依据开除她。 （路透社档案照片）

（华盛顿综合电）美国联邦储备局理事库克再度否认白宫的指控，坚称她从未涉及房屋抵押贷款欺诈的行为，特朗普总统并没有法律依据开除她。

库克通过律师洛威尔（Abbe Lowell）在星期三（8月26日）回复白宫的信函中说，白宫对库克的指控“没有证据也不真实”，“库克从未犯下抵押贷款欺诈或刻意犯下任何错误，因此不存在法律上可认知的理由将她从联储局理事会革职”。

特朗普在去年底对库克提出指控并寻求开除她；舆论普遍认为，这是特朗普试图委任与他的降息观点一致的人担任美联储理事。

联邦最高法院今年6月推翻特朗普的决定，指他没有给予库克机会回应指控，但并未排除她可能犯下错误，可被视为停职的原因。

白宫于是在8月5日再度向库克施压，发函要求她在三周内针对欺诈的指控做出解释。白宫针对库克近年在密歇根和佐治亚购置的房产，指她涉嫌把多个房子列为“主要”或“首要”住所，由此取得较有利的抵押贷款条件。

洛威尔在回函中说明，库克为第二个房产申请贷款时称该房产是主要住所，并非故意为之，部分是因为银行让她填写的表格有误。她在上任前以私人身份处理事务时产生的问题，并未涉及任何欺诈或犯罪。

回函也引述媒体报道说，特朗普本人与他的政府官员也和库克一样，曾签过类似的抵押贷款文件。

库克是历来首名担任美联储理事的黑人，于2022年5月上任，任期至2038年1月才结束。

Meta限青少年用社媒 澳洲监管机构：企业有工具却不用

2026-08-27 16:39 / 联合早报

社交媒体巨头Meta与美国多州就青少年隐私和消费者保护案达成和解，同意向各州支付总额高达180亿美元的和解金，以及对青少年用户施加一系列社媒使用限制，包括每天不能使用超过两小时。 （路透社）

社交媒体巨头Meta与美国多州就青少年隐私和消费者保护案达成和解，并同意对青少年用户施加一系列社媒使用限制，引发全球多国对社交媒体保护青少年措施的关注。

路透社报道，澳大利亚通讯部长韦尔斯（Anika Wells）星期四（8月27日）说，社交媒体企业“拥有保护年轻人免受成瘾功能影响的工具，却选择不使用”。

她说，澳洲去年底率先禁止16岁以下青少年使用社交媒体，目前已有超过20个国家跟进。

尽管Meta否认有不当行为，但同意与近50个美国州属达成高达180亿美元（约228亿新元）的和解协议，并对青少年使用旗下脸书和Instagram的方式施加一系列新限制。

根据协议，Meta将在未来10年支付相关款项，并默认将18岁以下用户使用旗下应用的时间限制为每天两小时。

不过，澳洲实施类似限制以来，执行情况并不理想。澳洲互联网监管机构等多项研究显示，禁令实施数月后，仍有约80%的未成年人使用社交媒体。有关情况促使澳洲立法者提高违规的最高罚款，并扩大监管机构权限。

波兰数码事务部长高夫科夫斯基星期四也说，已要求欧盟委员会对Meta罚款2亿5000万欧元（约3亿7000万新元），并要求Meta加强打击诈骗、虚假广告及非法应用。

亚洲方面，中国、韩国、印度、马来西亚、印度尼西亚和菲律宾也在加强监管青少年使用社交媒体的情况。韩国监管机构指，Meta的新措施应全球适用，而非只针对特定市场。

菲律宾信息与通信技术部长阿古达则说，希望Meta与美国各州达成的协议能加强他与Meta的谈判。他目前正在新加坡与Meta官员会面，讨论青少年网络性剥削、性虐待材料、诈骗及诱骗未成年者等问题。

与此同时，美国仍有数千起针对社交媒体企业的诉讼。

Meta限青少年用社媒 澳洲监管机构：企业有工具却不用

2026-08-27 16:39 / 联合早报

社交媒体巨头Meta与美国多州就青少年隐私和消费者保护案达成和解，同意向各州支付总额高达180亿美元的和解金，以及对青少年用户施加一系列社媒使用限制，包括每天不能使用超过两小时。 （路透社）

社交媒体巨头Meta与美国多州就青少年隐私和消费者保护案达成和解，并同意对青少年用户施加一系列社媒使用限制，引发全球多国对社交媒体保护青少年措施的关注。

路透社报道，澳大利亚通讯部长韦尔斯（Anika Wells）星期四（8月27日）说，社交媒体企业“拥有保护年轻人免受成瘾功能影响的工具，却选择不使用”。

她说，澳洲去年底率先禁止16岁以下青少年使用社交媒体，目前已有超过20个国家跟进。

尽管Meta否认有不当行为，但同意与近50个美国州属达成高达180亿美元（约228亿新元）的和解协议，并对青少年使用旗下脸书和Instagram的方式施加一系列新限制。

根据协议，Meta将在未来10年支付相关款项，并默认将18岁以下用户使用旗下应用的时间限制为每天两小时。

不过，澳洲实施类似限制以来，执行情况并不理想。澳洲互联网监管机构等多项研究显示，禁令实施数月后，仍有约80%的未成年人使用社交媒体。有关情况促使澳洲立法者提高违规的最高罚款，并扩大监管机构权限。

波兰数码事务部长高夫科夫斯基星期四也说，已要求欧盟委员会对Meta罚款2亿5000万欧元（约3亿7000万新元），并要求Meta加强打击诈骗、虚假广告及非法应用。

亚洲方面，中国、韩国、印度、马来西亚、印度尼西亚和菲律宾也在加强监管青少年使用社交媒体的情况。韩国监管机构指，Meta的新措施应全球适用，而非只针对特定市场。

菲律宾信息与通信技术部长阿古达则说，希望Meta与美国各州达成的协议能加强他与Meta的谈判。他目前正在新加坡与Meta官员会面，讨论青少年网络性剥削、性虐待材料、诈骗及诱骗未成年者等问题。

与此同时，美国仍有数千起针对社交媒体企业的诉讼。

尼泊尔边境洪灾至少270人死 失联家属赶往医院寻人

2026年8月27日 16:50 / 联合早报

在尼泊尔首都加德满都的一所医院，一名妇女星期四（8月27日）看到受伤的亲人后跌坐在地上大哭。 （路透社）

尼泊尔与西藏接壤地区发生严重洪灾，造成至少270人死亡，数百人失联。焦急的家属涌入首都加德满都的医院和警局，希望找到失联的亲人。

法新社报道，尼泊尔警方在社媒贴文说，截至星期四（8月27日）已打捞出270具遗体。

在尼泊尔首都加德满都的一所政府医院（Bir Hospital），失踪者家属不停查阅名单并向官员询问消息。

卡塔尼告诉法新社，他正在寻找失踪的哥哥。“我的哥哥拉姆·拉赛利在拉苏瓦失踪，所以我们出来找他。”

52岁的尼泊利则在寻找侄子塞瓦克。他说，侄子是一名司机，他事发时前往灾情最严重的拉苏瓦县（Rasuwa），随后与家人失去联系。

尼泊尔与中国西藏喜马拉雅山脉边境地带星期三（26日）一处巨大泥石体崩塌坠入河中，导致洪水和泥石流席卷博特科西河（Bhote Koshi）及特里苏里河（Trishuli）沿岸的村庄和城镇。

北部的拉苏瓦县首当其冲，但洪水随后向南蔓延超过160公里，灾情波及七个县，最远至靠近印度边境的奇特旺（Chitwan）。

尼泊尔灾害管理部门说，目前仍有823人失联，其中包括579名尼泊尔及外国游客。

美国地质调查局说，灾难可能由冰川崩塌引发，并造成地震活动以及下游地区“灾难性”影响。

在西藏，中国官媒报道泥石流灾害造成三人死亡，另有558人失联，包括260名外国人。