Fentanyl, a Reagan ad and a near deal: Trump’s trade war with Canada

2026-08-24T20:43:11.592Z / Reuters

OTTAWA, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Canada and the United States have been locked in a tariff war since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.

The dispute has impacted steel, aluminum, automobiles, lumber and other industries, prompting Canadian retaliation and repeated rounds of negotiations and tariff threats.

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Talks to avert 50% U.S. tariffs on around $20 billion of Canadian goods broke down late on Friday, spurring a pledge from ​Prime Minister Mark Carney to retaliate.

Here is a timeline of key developments in the trade dispute that have upended the decades-old relationship:

FEBRUARY 1, 2025 – TRUMP ANNOUNCES TARIFFS ON CANADA

Trump ‌announced tariffs on Canadian goods to take effect on February 4. Canada responded by announcing a C$155 billion retaliatory tariff package, with duties on an initial C$30 billion of U.S. imports.

FEBRUARY 3, 2025 – TARIFFS PAUSED FOR 30 DAYS

The United States agreed to pause the tariffs on Canada for 30 days; Canada suspended retaliation.

FEBRUARY 10, 2025 – TRUMP TARGETS STEEL AND ALUMINUM

Trump signed orders imposing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from all countries, including Canada, starting on March 12.

MARCH 4, 2025 – U.S. TARIFFS ​TAKE EFFECT, CANADA RETALIATES

U.S. tariffs of 25% on Canadian goods and 10% on Canadian energy products took effect.

Canada retaliated with 25% tariffs on C$30 billion worth of U.S. products, including orange juice, ​peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances, apparel and motorcycles.

MARCH 6, 2025 – U.S. GIVES USMCA-COMPLIANT GOODS A REPRIEVE

Washington exempted imports compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement from ⁠the tariffs. Canada, under then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, suspended a planned second wave of retaliation.

MARCH 12-13, 2025 – METALS TARIFFS TRIGGER MORE CANADIAN RETALIATION

U.S. tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum imports took effect.

Canada responded ​the following day with 25% tariffs on C$29.8 billion of U.S. goods, including steel and aluminum products, computers, servers, display monitors and sporting equipment.

MARCH 26, 2025 – TRUMP ANNOUNCES 25% AUTO TARIFFS

Trump ordered a 25% tariff on ​automobiles imported into the United States from April 3.

For vehicles imported under the USMCA agreement, tariffs would apply only to the value of content not produced in the United States.

APRIL 9, 2025 – AUTO TARIFF BATTLE INTENSIFIES

Canada announced 25% counter-tariffs on non-CUSMA-compliant vehicles imported from the United States and on the non-Canadian and non-Mexican content of compliant vehicles.

MAY 6, 2025 – CARNEY MEETS TRUMP

Prime Minister Mark Carney made his first visit to the White House since becoming prime minister, seeking to reset relations.

JUNE 3, 2025 – ​U.S. DOUBLES STEEL AND ALUMINUM TARIFFS

The United States announced an increase in its tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50% from 25%.

JUNE 16, 2025 – TRUMP AND CARNEY SET 30-DAY TARGET FOR A DEAL

Carney and ​Trump met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.

JUNE 27-29, 2025 – DIGITAL TAX DERAILS TALKS, CANADA RETREATS

Trump abruptly ended trade talks with Canada over its digital services tax, which was due to begin collecting ‌payments from large ⁠technology companies.

Two days later, Canada rescinded the tax in an effort to restart negotiations with Washington.

JULY 31, 2025 – TRUMP RAISES TARIFF ON NON-USMCA GOODS TO 35%

Trump signed an order increasing tariffs on Canadian products that did not qualify for USMCA preferential treatment to 35% from 25%.

The White House linked the measures to what it said was Canada’s failure to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States, a claim that was not supported by official data.

AUGUST 22, 2025 – CANADA REMOVES MOST RETALIATORY TARIFFS

Carney announced Canada would remove retaliatory tariffs on a broad range of U.S. goods while keeping counter-tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2025 – U.S. ADDS ​SOFTWOOD LUMBER TARIFF

Trump imposed an additional 10% tariff ​on Canadian softwood lumber, taking total U.S. levies ⁠on the product to more than 45%.

OCTOBER 7, 2025 – CARNEY RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE

Carney met Trump in the Oval Office for a second time.

OCTOBER 24, 2025 – TRUMP SUSPENDS TRADE TALKS

Trump suspended trade negotiations with Canada over an advertisement aired by the Ontario government that used comments by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.

JUNE ​2, 2026 – USTR IMPOSES 12.5% TARIFFS

The office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued an order imposing an up to 12.5% tariff on 60 countries for ​failing to curb trade in ⁠goods made with forced labor, including Canada. Canada says it has always followed strict rules to restrict products from countries that used forced labor.

JULY 1, 2026 – TRUMP DECLINES TO RENEW USMCA

Trump declined to renew the continental free trade pact, subjecting it to annual reviews.

JULY 20, 2026 – SECTION 338

Trump signed three proclamations invoking the Depression-era Section 338 Tariff Act to impose additional 50% tariffs on some $20 billion of Canadian goods such as Canadian wine, furniture, dairy products, ⁠cement, clothing, fishing ​rods, and hockey equipment. The threat led to intensive engagements between the two sides as Canada sought to avert the tariffs.

AUGUST ​22, 2026 – TALKS BETWEEN U.S. AND CANADA COLLAPSE

The U.S. imposed the 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods on Saturday after the two sides failed to reach a trade deal; Carney suspended trade talks, called back his negotiators from Washington and vowed dollar-for-dollar retaliation.

AUGUST 24, ​2026 – TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW AUTO TARIFFS

On Monday, Trump announced 50% tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks and automotive parts to come into effect from January 1, 2027.

Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Daniel Wallis

US Supreme Court hands a win to Trump over mail-in ballot restrictions

2026-08-24 20:59:07 GMT / Reuters

A ballot drop box outside a public library, ahead of the midterm primary election, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., August 20, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 24 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted a judicial decision blocking President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing ​his executive order to restrict the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections that will decide control of Congress — ‌though another remains.

The justices granted a Justice Department emergency request to put on hold an injunction that Boston-based U.S. Judge Indira Talwani imposed in June preventing the Republican president from proceeding with his directive in a coalition of 23 mostly Democratic-governed states and Washington, D.C. that had sued to stop it.

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The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. The three liberal ​justices dissented from the decision.

The Supreme Court’s action leaves open the door to the states suing again in the coming months as the ​midterm contest approaches.

The court did not act, however, on another injunction issued by Talwani on August 11 that blocked the U.S. Postal ⁠Service nationwide from enforcing the directive’s tighter rules for voting by mail. The judge issued that order in a separate lawsuit filed by several voting-rights groups.

The ​Justice Department had urged the Supreme Court to make clear that its action applied to both of Talwani’s injunctions, but the justices did not do so ​on Monday.

Both lawsuits had challenged Trump’s order as unconstitutional.

TRUMP’S MARCH EXECUTIVE ORDER

Trump’s executive order, issued in March, directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to the states a list of U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state, and the Justice Department to prioritize investigating and prosecuting state and local election officials who issue ballots to people ​deemed “not eligible” to vote in federal elections.

It also required the U.S. Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. ​The Postal Service recently moved to implement Trump’s directive.

Trump has vowed to end the use of mail-in ballots nationwide before the midterms, and has long cast doubt on the security of ‌such ballots, ⁠although evidence of voter fraud is rare.

Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress in the hotly contested midterms. Restricting mail-in ballots would stand to disproportionately benefit Republicans given that Democratic voters traditionally have been more likely to use mail-in ballots than Republican voters.

JUDGE RULED TRUMP LACKED AUTHORITY

In June, Talwani ruled that the president lacked the authority to order changes in how states administer federal elections, noting that under the U.S. Constitution, states have the role of determining voter-eligibility requirements. ​The judge also noted that federal ​agencies lack the ability to compile ⁠accurate citizen lists for each state.

The Justice Department had said the lawsuit challenging Trump’s directive was premature and that the states did not have the required legal standing at this stage to sue. The agencies have not yet taken ​any concrete actions that impact the states and so any harm they allege is speculative, the administration said.

The states ​contend that their claims ⁠are not hypothetical and that the administration’s “rushed effort to change the rules of mail voting on the eve of the November midterms risks disenfranchising a substantial number of voters.”

The judge rejected the administration’s arguments, finding that the suit was not filed too soon and that the states had legal standing because they would face election ⁠administration disruption, ​compliance costs and a credible threat of criminal prosecution.

Trump’s executive order is part of his wider ​efforts to make fundamental changes in U.S. elections. Trump, who has made false claims of widespread fraud in U.S. elections including his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden, has pressed the Republican-controlled ​Congress to pass a contentious package of voting restrictions called the SAVE America Act.

Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump administration plans to revoke visas of foreigners seeking asylum

2026-08-24T20:46:04.87Z / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

August 24, 2026 8:46 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

A general view of a U.S. State Department sign outside the U.S. State Department building in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Summary

• Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown
• Rights groups say crackdown has violated free speech, due process rights
• State Dept says it will coordinate with DHS to revoke visas

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration said on ‌Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the U.S., marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown.

A State Department spokesman said it was ​coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners ​who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but ⁠then file for asylum to stay here permanently.”

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The State Department statement did not specify the number ​of visas that will be revoked in the process.

The Associated Press put the number of foreigners whose business ​and tourism visas is planned to be revoked at up to 200,000, which if materialized, would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history. The AP cited State Department documents and two U.S. officials.

The State Department will revoke ​so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or ​are now seeking asylum, the AP report added. The B1 and B2 non-immigrant visas are issued for business and tourism ‌travel.

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The visa ⁠revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation, the AP report said, adding that most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be re-categorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers.

Earlier on Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged on X that the American immigration ​system “has long been swamped by ​frivolous asylum claims.”

The ⁠State Department said earlier this month that under the Trump administration, it has revoked more than 175,000 visas of foreign nationals.

Trump has pursued an immigration crackdown that ​includes revocations of visas and green cards and an aggressive deportation drive. He says ​the crackdown ⁠aims to improve domestic security.

Rights groups say the crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/91a729fc-94c4-4ae9-8ee1-61930cef2963

While Trump campaigned in ⁠2024 on ​a platform of stopping illegal immigration, his administration has also ​made legal immigration more difficult – for example, by imposing new and expensive fees for applicants of certain work visas. The government’s crackdown ​has faced legal challenges.

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Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Costas Pitas; Editing by Christian Martinez and Caitlin Webber

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Girl, 8, dies from brain-eating amoeba infection in Louisiana, family says

August 24, 2026 / 4:51 PM EDT / CBS/AP

An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after being infected by an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that is found in warm freshwater, her family says.

Lillian Smart died over the weekend after being diagnosed with an infection from Naegleria fowleri, according to Kyle Roberts, a spokesperson for her family. Health authorities describe it as a “brain-eating amoeba” that thrives in freshwater bodies around the U.S. and can shoot up the nose and cause an infection that almost always proves fatal. On average, there are fewer than 10 cases annually in the U.S.

“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, wrote Sunday in a public post on Facebook. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here.”

This undated photo shows Lillian Smart. Katie McCormick / Love for Lillian Facebook via AP

The Louisiana Department of Health said last week that the state had experienced its first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013. The department, which did not identify Smart, does not comment on individual cases or specific patients, according to spokesperson Stacey Grow.

“Heartbroken over the news of Lillian’s passing,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wrote on X.

The infection was likely contracted while swimming in Lake Claiborne in north Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Health said.

The amoeba can lead to a fatal infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. Between 1937 and 2025, there have only been approximately 180 confirmed infections in the U.S., according to the health department, which added that the cases are “nearly always fatal.”

While the Naegleria fowleri organism is common in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds throughout the U.S., the infection is rare, health officials say. It occurs when water is forced up the nose and is able to cross into the brain, which can happen during recreational freshwater activities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The amoeba becomes dangerous in water that stays over 77 degrees Fahrenheit and for years has been seen almost exclusively in the summer in the southern part of the country. A few recent cases have appeared in Maryland, Indiana and Minnesota, scientists said.

“The amoeba is naturally occurring, and there is no routine environmental test for Naegleria fowleri in bodies of water,” the Louisiana Department of Health said.

Last year, a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina also died from an infection caused by the amoeba.

To reduce the risk of infection, the CDC suggests holding your nose or wearing a nose clip if you are jumping or diving into freshwater or keeping your head above water in hot springs. Signs of infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, a severe headache, stiff neck, seizures, altered mental state and hallucinations.

You cannot get a Naegleria fowleri infection from swallowing contaminated water or from someone else who is infected.

Arizona AG rips Supreme Court decision to allow Trump plan to restrict mail-in voting: ‘We will fight this!’

Published 7:46 PM EDT, Mon August 24, 2026 / CNN Politics

Arizona AG rips Supreme Court decision to allow Trump plan to restrict mail-in voting: ‘We will fight this!’

The Supreme Court sided with President Trump, allowing his executive order aimed at limiting who can receive a mail-in-ballot to move forward. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes reacts to today’s decision, telling Erin Burnett the Trump administration is trying to “undermine the right of people in this country to vote.”

4:08 • Source: CNN

Nevada sues to block Trump administration’s Colorado River plan

2026-08-24 21:24:17 UTC / Reuters

By Tom Hals

August 24, 2026 9:24 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

A mineral-stained “bathtub ring” marking previous water levels is visible along the shoreline of Lake Mead highlighting the long-term effects of drought and water demand on the Colorado River system, near Boulder City, Nevada, U.S., August 12, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole Purchase Licensing Rights

• Summary

• Plan imposes 21% Colorado River water cuts on California, Nevada and Arizona from 2027
• Upper basin states face no mandatory cuts under new 10-year river management plan
• Nevada lawsuit says plan violates administrative, environmental and ​river-governing laws

WILMINGTON, Delaware, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Nevada sued the Trump administration on Monday to block ‌its plans for slashing water supplies from the drought-stricken Colorado River, saying it could devastate the state and would violate the laws governing the river.

The Department of the Interior on Friday finalized its plan that included a 21% reduction in water ​from the river to California, Nevada and Arizona for two years starting in 2027. The ​cuts to the three so-called lower basin states could nearly double after 2028, a ⁠move that Arizona and Nevada have said would have huge consequences for their economies.

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The four so-called upper ​basin states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — face no mandatory cuts under the new 10-year plan ​to manage the river that provides water to one in 10 Americans and generates power for 6 million people.

The plan is up for review every two years and the states were unable to agree on how to share the water ​after more than three years of talks to replace a plan that expires this year.

Upper basin states ​refused to take mandatory cuts to their water supply from the river, arguing they already face steep reductions due to ‌the ⁠decades-long drought in the western United States. The three lower basin states say all seven states that share the river must make cutbacks in water use.

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The lawsuit by Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada and the Southern Nevada Water Authority is the first to challenge the plan. It was filed in federal ​court in Las Vegas ​and named as defendants ⁠the Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and its commissioner, Aubrey Bettencourt.

The Interior Department declined to comment and the Bureau ​of Reclamation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit ​alleged the administration ⁠violated administrative law, environmental law and the group of treaties, agreements and court rulings known as the Law of the River. It said the administration did not comply with requirements to consider reasonable alternatives and foreseeable ⁠economic impacts, ​to fully respond to comments or to adequately analyze mitigation ​measures.

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“Consequently, decisionmakers and stakeholders are left to guess at how federal defendants interpret and apply the Law of the River, which all ​agree governs the proposed action,” the lawsuit said.

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Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Sonali Paul

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

中约元首会晤 两国联合声明强调维持美伊停火和巩固加沙停火

2026年8月25日 07:41 / 联合早报

中国和约旦强调，应该维持美国与伊朗之间的停火，霍尔木兹海峡也应该恢复正常通行，并且巩固加沙停火。

据中国央视新闻报道，中国国家主席习近平星期一（8月26日）在北京人民大会堂，同赴华进行国事访问的约旦国王阿卜杜拉二世举行会谈。

习近平提出，双方要进一步深化发展战略对接，加强经贸、基础设施建设、交通、矿产等传统领域合作，拓展数字经济、人工智能、绿色能源等新合作增长点。

两国元首就中东地区局势交换了意见。习近平强调，中方一贯主张全面停火止战，通过政治外交途径化解争端，认为包括约旦在内地区国家的主权和安全应当得到尊重。

习近平形容巴勒斯坦问题是中东问题的核心，并提出推动解决这一问题应坚持四点原则，其中包括必须坚持政治解决，锚定“两国方案”方向，推动巴以重启和谈；应秉持“巴人治巴”原则，推进约旦河西岸治理和加沙战后重建。

延伸阅读

王毅：赞赏约旦坚定奉行对华友好政策 恪守“一中”原则

双方也发表中约两国《关于深化中约战略伙伴关系的联合声明》，强调应该巩固加沙停火，将人道援助立即、足量、不受阻碍地运抵加沙。

双方在联合声明中说，对以色列在约旦河西岸和东耶路撒冷采取的危险升级行动深表担忧，其中包括定居者暴力活动高发、没收土地、修建和扩建定居点、企图改变耶路撒冷伊斯兰教和基督教圣迹现有历史和法律地位等。双方强调，所有企图吞并部分或全部被占约旦河西岸领土的非法举措都是无效的，认为此举违反国际法和联合国决议。

在伊朗课题方面，双方强调，应该维持美国与伊朗之间的停火，通过对话谈判达成能够消弭局势紧张根源的全面解决方案，确保尊重地区国家主权、安全和领土完整。“霍尔木兹海峡是国际货物和能源贸易重要通道，应该恢复海峡正常通行。”

Trump criticism leads to rare criminal charges for Air Force officer who called for impeachment

2026-08-24T23:54:28.823Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/24/politics/us-airman-charged-trump-criticism-article-88

A US airman who was arrested twice, once on the steps of the US Capitol while calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, was officially criminally charged Monday for his comments, according to a charging document his attorney shared with CNN.

Maj. Jason Watson faces the following charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the document: three violations of Article 88 for alleged “contemptuous” remarks about Trump, five violations of Article 92 for allegedly disobeying orders and two violations of Article 133 for alleged conduct unbecoming an officer.

The rare Article 88 charges are connected to the Air Force officer’s June interview with the Defenders of our Republic Substack newsletter, his July 1 protest in uniform at the US Capitol, and an August 17 CNN interview.

It can be considered a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice to participate in uniform in any overtly partisan activity, such as a political protest, or to use “contemptuous words” against the president and other high-ranking civilian officials. Many low-level offenses of these rules are resolved informally, but Watson’s violations were unusually high-profile.

Watson was first arrested in July while protesting in uniform at the US Capitol, and he was then arrested again last week just days after criticizing Trump again during a CNN interview. One of his attorneys, Chris Mutimer, told CNN that his client was ordered to remain in “pre-trial confinement” — an action analogous to a denial of bond in civilian court — pending legal action against him.

“Not only is (Trump) a failure as president, he is flagrantly violating the Constitution, breaking the law, engaged in rampant corruption, and is killing Americans,” Watson told CNN’s Erin Burnett during the interview. “And that is unacceptable to me.”

In July, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a social media post that he expected all airmen to “comply with all laws and policies government personal conduct, political participation, and the wear of the uniform.”

“Americans place their trust in us,” Meink said. “We cannot, and will not, compromise the trust of the nation.”

The disobeying orders charges against Watson allege that he violated Defense Department regulations barring troops from speaking out in favor of partisan causes; “wrongfully” wore his uniform at a Capitol press conference; broke leave regulations by traveling to Washington, DC; and refused to wear his uniform to work the morning after his CNN interview.

Air Force prosecutors also alleged that Watson’s Capitol protest and CNN interview constituted “conduct unbecoming an officer.”

The founder of the organization that organized the protest in July, Jessica Denson of the Removal Coalition, told CNN at the time that Watson was aware of the risks of what he was doing and had reached out to them via email.

“We started having conversations and took this desire that he had to come out very seriously and thought about the best way to make his sacrifice worth it,” Denson said.

Military courts-martial leading to “contempt of officials” charges are rare — a CNN review only identified two such convictions that have occurred since the modern Uniform Code of Military Justice was enacted in 1951.

In 1965, an Army lieutenant was convicted of the charge after he participated in an off-base protest against the Vietnam War in El Paso, Texas. Lt. Henry Howe was sentenced to a dismissal from the service — the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge for an officer — and a year in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara ultimately granted parole to Howe, ending his sentence early.

The most recent Article 88 conviction came in 2021, when former Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller pleaded guilty to contempt of officials and other charges linked to a series of social media videos he published criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Scheller, who was confined to the brig for a period of time before his trial, was sentenced to a $5,000 pay forfeiture and resigned from the Marine Corps sans-pension as part of a plea agreement.

The Trump administration has since appointed Scheller to serve as a senior adviser to the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and readiness.

It remains to be seen whether Watson’s case will be referred to trial, and whether that trial will be considered a special or general court-martial. Special courts-martial are roughly equivalent to misdemeanor trials, and general courts-martial are analogous to felony trials and can hand down more severe sentences.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Monday. In an August 19 statement to CNN, an Air Force spokesperson said that Watson “is presumed innocent” and said that that Air Force District of Washington will oversee his trial “if (his) case is referred to a General Court-Martial.”

CNN’s Carmen Conte Widman and Francesca Giuliani Hoffman contributed to this report.

Davis Winkie’s work at CNN is supported by a partnership between Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners (JFP). CNN retains full editorial control of the reporting.

State Department blasts back at ‘rogue judge’ who overturned aggressive visa crackdown

August 24, 2026 4:10pm EDT / Fox News

Biden appointee Jeannette Vargas ruled consular officers cannot deny visas based solely on applicants’ nationality

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

‘Border czar’ Tom Homan evaluates the State Department’s crackdown on visas after it revoked more than 175,000 from foreign criminals and fraud suspects on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

FIRST ON FOX:The State Department tore into the “rogue judge” who overturned its freeze on immigrant visas from 75 countries after she blasted the administration’s legal rationale as “an exercise in Orwellian logic.”

“American taxpayer-funded public benefits belong to Americans,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. “President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient to protect these public benefits for American citizens.”

“This rogue judge’s misguided opinion wrongfully undermines the longstanding legal authority of the Secretary of State. We will keep fighting for commonsense visa policies that put America First.”

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403236406112

Tom Homan: This is a ‘stone-cold lie’

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Friday that the State Department could not force consular officers to deny immigrant visas to otherwise eligible applicants solely because they are nationals of one of the 75 countries covered by the policy.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference at the Secretaria Of Foreign Affairs Building in Mexico City on Sept. 03, 2025.(Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Vargas, a Biden appointee who joined the Southern District of New York bench in November 2024, previously spent more than two decades as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan. She earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Yale, then clerked for future Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the Second Circuit.

Earlier this year, Vargas temporarily blocked Department of Government Efficiency personnel from accessing sensitive Treasury payment systems, citing privacy and cybersecurity concerns. But she later narrowed that order and allowed vetted and trained DOGE employees to access the systems.

Vargas found that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s directive required officers to deny visas even after determining an applicant was not barred under any existing provision of immigration law. She vacated the policy and visa refusals based solely on the directive, sending those cases back for further consideration.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Friday that the State Department could not force consular officers to deny immigrant visas to otherwise eligible applicants solely because they are nationals of one of the 75 countries covered by the policy.(Senate Judiciary Committee)

The Immigration and Nationality Act allows consular officers to deny immigrant visas to applicants they determine are likely to become a “public charge,” meaning dependent on government assistance. Consular officers are supposed to make that assessment on an individual basis.

The Trump administration has revived a more expansive approach to that screening, directing officers to weigh factors including an applicant’s age, health, finances, English proficiency and potential need for long-term medical care.

People who had an appointment scheduled for the visa process to the United States and were cancelled, wait outside the United States embassy for some rescheduling information, in Bogota, Colombia January 27, 2025.(Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters)

But Vargas found that the State Department went beyond that individualized review when it directed officers to refuse immigrant visas to otherwise eligible applicants from the 75 countries simply because of their nationality.

Fox News Digital first reported in January that the State Department would pause immigrant visa issuances to citizens of 75 countries, including Somalia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Russia and Iran, while it reassessed screening procedures meant to identify applicants likely to become a public charge.

The policy did not apply to tourist or other nonimmigrant visas. Affected applicants could still submit applications and attend interviews, but consular officers were directed to refuse immigrant visas under the pause.

The ruling does not require the State Department to issue visas to any particular applicant. Consular officers may still deny a visa based on an individualized public-charge finding or another statutory ground of inadmissibility.

美启动“经济放逐行动” 扩大二级制裁威胁

2026-08-25 07:10 / 联合早报

美国财长贝森特8月24日说，美国的立场绝不容许任何模糊空间，与伊朗进行任何形式的经济往来，都将使相关责任方承受美国的全面打击。 （路透社）

美国正式启动一项旨在全面“放逐”伊朗经济的新行动，并扩大二级制裁威胁，警告各国与伊朗进行任何形式的经济往来，都将面临严重后果。

综合《华尔街日报》和法新社报道，美国财政部长贝森特星期一（8月24日）下午召开新闻发布会，宣布美国当天启动针对伊朗的“经济放逐行动”（Operation Economic Outcast）。

贝森特说：“美国的立场绝不容许任何模糊空间，与这个残暴政权进行任何形式的经济往来，都将使相关责任方承受美国的全面打击。”

他说，美国财政部已“锁定伊朗用于走私石油和逃避制裁的每一个节点、每一个协助者、每一个网络”。

贝森特还说，美国正对全球超过60个实体、个人和船只实施制裁。这些对象被指协助伊朗获取核与导弹技术、赚取石油收入，以及开展网络行动。

根据美国财政部外国资产控制办公室24日发布的公告，美国从当天起把对伊朗经济制裁范围扩大到航空、数码资产、黄金、航运、技术行业等五个领域。公告称，美国还将暂停多项涉伊朗的许可，涉及部分教育活动和服务、个人汇款、体育、学术交流等。

此外，约60个伊朗相关实体、个人和船只被列入制裁清单，覆盖核与导弹技术、网络行动、石油贸易等。

贝森特说，美国针对伊朗在全球的金融联系发起“猛攻”，旨在“扼杀”伊朗政府每条经济生命线，直至它被完全孤立。

他说：“从今天开始，财政部和其他部门将收紧制裁并封锁伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队和伊朗政府每一项潜在收入来源。”

他还称，美方不再接受“灰色区域运作”，若相关国家不采取措施，美国财政部将采取单方面行动。任何为伊朗洗钱的实体将被移出美元体系。

他说，美国总统特朗普正致电多国领导人，要求他们停止与伊朗进行相关往来。

美国对伊朗实施制裁已久，但特朗普政府近期对伊朗港口和商业活动实施的海上封锁，令德黑兰本已疲弱的经济雪上加霜。伊朗货币兑美元汇率近期跌至历史新低。特朗普星期一也在自家社媒平台Truth Social发文称，伊朗“正在彻底崩溃”。

贝森特并未说明美国将对个别国家，包括伊朗石油的主要买家中国采取哪些具体措施。他称，美国私下为相关国家设定了遵守规定的时间表，但过后他又对记者说：“我不会设定时间表，但我们的耐性是有限的。”

新闻发布会后，美国财政部进一步说明，二级制裁可适用于在数码资产、科技、黄金、航空和航运五大领域与伊朗开展业务的国家和实体。财政部也暂停数项涉及汇款业务的通用许可，并就霍尔木兹海峡相关活动发布更多制裁风险指引。