Trump signs memo to help drastically boost US commercial space launches

2026-08-20 9:59 PM UTC / Reuters

By David Shepardson

August 20, 2026 9:59 PM UTC Updated 10 mins ago

[1/2]The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink satellites is seen over Sebastian Inlet after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Directs government agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites
• White House wants to enable at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030
• Elon Musk’s SpaceX dominated commercial launches in 2025

WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memo to help drastically increase ‌the number of U.S. commercial space launches, including directing government agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites.

The White House wants to enable at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, up from 178 launches last year – a figure that is ​already 10 times higher than in 2013 and dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX.O), opens new tab.

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The memo, focused on boosting the ​commercial space industry, called on agencies to incentivize co-development of space transportation infrastructure with private sector ⁠partners, expedite permitting and environmental reviews and ensure adequate wireless spectrum for space launches.

Trump also wants to return U.S. ​astronauts to the moon by 2028. The memo directs NASA to facilitate commercial transportation to the moon and commercial robotic ​access to Mars, and to explore commercial avenues to send humans to Mars.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said the new national space transportation policy “meets this moment of explosive growth and positions America to lead the next era of space.”

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He said ​it calls for a “commercial-first approach enabling Americans on the Moon by 2028 and initial Moon Base elements by 2030, and ​rapid, resilient launch capabilities for national security.”

Trump wants a new federal re-entry site identified within 90 days.

Trump also wants agencies to refrain ‌from conducting ⁠U.S. government space transportation activities “that preclude, discourage, or compete with United States commercial space transportation activities, unless required by public safety or national security.”

In May, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said SpaceX aimed to reach 10,000 annual launches within five years.

SpaceX conducted 170 launches in 2025, deploying about 2,500 satellites. In January, SpaceX said it wants to launch a ​constellation of 1 million satellites that ​will orbit Earth and harness ⁠the sun to power AI data centers.

Trump wants several cabinet agencies to quickly identify future space launch and re-entry sites on government property and to designate priority airspace for critical ​space launch corridors. He also wants integration of space transportation activities into air traffic ​control modernization.

At the ⁠start of his second term, Trump had repeatedly talked about sending missions to Mars as Musk, a major donor who has made sending humans to the Red Planet a priority for SpaceX, served a stint as a close adviser and powerful government ⁠efficiency czar.

But ​lawmakers in Congress slowly put the moon back in focus, pressuring NASA ​to stick with the agency’s Artemis moon program, on which billions of dollars have been spent.

Trump’s memo also directed federal agencies to consider on a ​case-by-case basis requests to launch commercial foreign space vehicles in the United States.

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Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Jamie Freed

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El-Sayed booked for major Islamic convention alongside clerics with radical pasts

The Michigan Senate candidate is set to appear at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention this weekend

August 20, 2026 7:00pm EDT / Fox News

By Robert Schmad

Michigan Dem candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces scrutiny for his planned rally with anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker. Piker has controversially claimed “America deserved 9/11” and justified the October 7th attacks. El-Sayed is also pressed on his past remarks regarding the Ayatollah’s death in Dearborn and his stance on defunding ICE, sparking debate over cancel culture and border enforcement.

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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is slated to speak at the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) annual convention over Labor Day weekend, joining a speaker roster that includes Muslim religious leaders with histories of controversial remarks.

Among the most controversial figures attending the ISNA convention is cleric Baqir Berry, who prayed for “mujahideen” in Palestine and Lebanon, using a term commonly associated with Islamist fighters, and asked God to grant them “a mighty victory.” Islamic Institute of America head Hassan Qazwini is also attending after appealing to God to “grant victory to our brothers in Iran,” a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism.

Also appearing at the conference is Texas imam Yasir Qadhi, who previously made Holocaust-denialist remarks that he later repudiated. Siraj Wahhaj, who was named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorism case but never charged, is also scheduled to speak.

EL-SAYED CAMPAIGN BACKED BY OVER $100,000 FROM DOZENS OF MEMBERS OF GROUP WITH ALLEGED TERROR TIES

Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a unity rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 7.(The Washington Post via Getty Im)

“We pray to Allah to save our people in South Lebanon from the evil of these Zionists, to support the Muslims and the mujahideen on His path in the East and the West, especially our mujahideen in Palestine, Lebanon, and everywhere,” Berry said during a June sermon, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. “Oh Allah, grant them a mighty victory.”

Qazwini, in addition to praying for an Iranian victory, was denounced by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign over what it called “antisemitic conspiracy theories” after Qazwini claimed ISIS was connected to Israel and acting as an “arm of the Zionists.”

Qadhi, Berry and Qazwini did not respond when Fox News Digital reached out for comment on Wednesday.

This is not El-Sayed’s first brush with religious radicals.

EL-SAYED TOUTS ENDORSEMENT FROM PASTOR WHO PRAISED NOTORIOUS ANTISEMITE INFAMOUS FOR CALLING JEWS ‘TERMITES’

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed claps during a press conference in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on Aug. 5, 2026, in Detroit.(Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital previously reported that the Democratic Senate candidate had touted the endorsement of a Detroit-area pastor who had praised notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan.

El-Sayed has also faced criticism over his appearances with streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said America “deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed later called the remark “dumb” and disavowed the comment, while declining to disavow Piker himself. He has also defended a 2021 blog post that compared President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Osama bin Laden’s role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

MICHIGAN CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED DODGES WHEN PRESSED ON CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS ABOUT DEATH OF KHAMENEI

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

El-Sayed’s appearance comes as Republicans have increasingly focused on his past associations with controversial political and religious figures in the Michigan Senate race.

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El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

安徽庐江县周瑜雕像遭泼漆 涉事者被抓

2026年8月21日 07:41 / 联合早报

中国安徽庐江县一尊周瑜雕像遭泼油漆，涉事者已被抓。

据中国《现代快报》报道，位于安徽合肥庐江县周瑜广场上的周瑜雕像遭泼油漆。

有民众称，星期二（8月19日）他在现场看到，红色的油漆主要在雕像的前面和侧面，虽然看出来已经有人清理过，但是清理得并不彻底，而且现场还留有比较浓的油漆味。

《现代快报》记者致电庐江县文化和旅游局，相关工作人员说，泼油漆之人已被抓到。

庐江县文化和旅游局也在星期三（20日）晚间于微信公众号通报，公安部门已介入调查，违法嫌疑人已到案。县林园中心已对雕像完成初步清理工作，并联系原设计单位制订修复方案，将尽快对雕像外观进行修复翻新。

庐江县文化和旅游局也说，该局将举一反三，联合相关部门对全县各类景区景点、市民公园、文化场馆等场所加强日常巡查管护，防范同类事件再次发生，并呼吁市民自觉爱护公共文化设施。

Democrat Aisha Wahab will win Swalwell’s House seat, CNN projects, overcoming millions in AIPAC spending

2026-08-20T22:41:27.377Z / CNN

Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab will win the special election runoff to finish former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term in California’s 14th District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.

In recent weeks, the Bay Area race to replace the former congressman, who resigned amid sexual assault allegations, became another test of Democratic divides over Israel. Super PACs aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee poured millions of dollars into ads attacking the progressive and bolstering her opponent, Democrat Melissa Hernandez, who is president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board.

“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED on Tuesday night, after the first votes reported showed her with a slim lead.

Neither candidate focused on Israel in their campaign, but Wahab has called for cutting US military aid to the country and, when asked in a candidate forum, said she believes the war in Gaza constitutes a genocide. Asked the same question during the forum, Hernandez said Israel has a right to defend itself while adding that the “destruction in Gaza has gone too far.”

But ahead of Tuesday’s runoff, AIPAC’s super PAC arm, United Democracy Project, injected nearly $2 million in advertising attacking Wahab and supporting Hernandez into the race, according to AdImpact data, with another $1.9 million coming from BOLD America, a group that also receives funding from AIPAC.

The ad campaigns targeting Wahab largely avoided Middle East policy, instead attacking her record on other issues like public safety. In response, another super PAC called American Priorities, which formed earlier this year to counter AIPAC spending, spent more than $200,000 on ads supporting Wahab.

Still, the influx of outside cash helped transform the state legislator’s significant lead in earlier showdowns into a much tighter race.

In June, Wahab led Hernandez by 26 points in the first round of the special election. Two weeks earlier, Wahab led by 21 points in the primary for a full two-year term; she and Hernandez will have a rematch in November to settle that race.

AIPAC spending has inflamed Democratic primaries this cycle, amid rising anti-Israel sentiment in the party electorate, to mixed results.

Wahab’s win comes two weeks after Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat and critic of Israel, won a contentious and closely watched primary against a moderate opponent he denounced for her ties to AIPAC. The group spent more than $30 million dollars opposing El-Sayed during the primary and has suggested it could continue to be involved in the general election.

The same night, however, AIPAC-backed Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell handily defeated a firebrand former congresswoman and democratic socialist whom the pro-Israel group helped oust in 2024.

Wahab, the first Muslim elected to California’s Senate, campaigned on making healthcare and childcare more affordable, preventing corporate price-gouging and protecting safety net programs.

She will fill a House seat that has been vacant since Swalwell, also a Democrat, resigned in April amidst allegations of sexual misconduct, including from a former staffer who said he raped her. While Swalwell denied the allegations, key Democrats quickly condemned him, and he soon ended his 13-year congressional career and exited the California governor’s race, where he was a leading candidate.

Wahab will serve in Swalwell’s seat, which represents the area east of San Francisco, until the new Congress is sworn in at the start of 2027. In a narrowly divided House, each additional Democratic seat is valuable to the party as it works to curb the Republican majority. The chamber currently has 218 Republicans and 212 Democrats, with several vacant seats.

Neutrogena addresses its treatment of Hayden Panettiere after she spoke about postpartum depression

August 20, 2026 / 7:03 PM EDT / CBS News

Neutrogena shared a statement on Thursday addressing Hayden Panettiere’s death, following days of backlash. In the wake of her death, many fans resurfaced comments Panettiere had made claiming the skincare company fired her in 2015 for speaking out about postpartum depression.

“For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community. We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time. This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be,” the company wrote on social media.

“Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness. We are making a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression,” Neutrogena wrote. The company said it would share more details “when plans are in place.”

“Out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones, we did not want to speak out so soon following her passing. Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her,” the statement added.

Panettiere, 36, died on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina. Authorities said emergency responders found her in cardiac arrest. Two sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the Drug Enforcement Administration is assisting in the investigation.

Panettiere’s acting career began in early childhood and spanned more than three decades, with starring roles in “Remember the Titans,” “Heroes,” “Bring It On,” the “Scream” horror film franchise and more. Her role as country music singer Juliette Barnes in the TV drama “Nashville” earned her two Golden Globe nominations and a spot on the Billboard charts.

She was open about some of her personal struggles, telling People magazine in 2022 about an addiction to opioids and alcohol that began in her teens. In October 2015, she entered a treatment facility for help with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter.

In recent days, clips from a recent press tour interview for her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” addressing her firing from Neutrogena, were widely reshared, with some fans calling for a boycott of the company over its treatment of her.

Hayden Panettiere at a film premiere in New York City on March 6, 2023. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

In a May episode of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast, Panettiere spoke candidly about what she was going through at the time, saying Neutrogena “was a huge part of my life,” and that the paparazzi was also capturing “every moment,” “all these gory moments.”

Then she referred back to an interview she gave in 2015 on “Live with Kelly and Michael” in which she’d spoken about postpartum depression as “something I can very much relate to … and something I know a lot of women experience.”

She told Shetty, “Of all the things to, that they would fire me over, this was the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.”

Panettiere told Shetty that during the 2015 interview she “had no intention of or plan to talk about postpartum depression. It just came up, and I was just being honest. And never for a second did I think that anyone or care that anyone would have a bad reaction to it. It was my truth.”

“So when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, and my representative at the time said, that’s illegal, you can’t do that. And even though, you know, she saved the day that year, I knew that that was gonna be it. That there was gonna be, I was not gonna be invited back the next year,” she said.

After being with the skincare brand for 10 years, Panettiere said, she recalled “not hearing a word from anybody. Not a ‘great working with you for 10 years,’ … not a nice … ‘hope you’re good, we wish you well.’”

“And I remember that really breaking my heart,” she said.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world. I wouldn’t take it back,” she told Shetty. “But as I said, of all the things that I had been caught doing, that being the thing that that was where they drew the line, and it was immoral, was shocking to me. And it made me realize and understand exactly what people thought of women who experience postpartum depression and how misunderstood it is, how much stigma there is around it.”

Pat Milton, Nicole Brown Chau and Kiki Intarasuwan contributed to this report.

Exclusive: Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero, potentially switching it to Trump

2026-08-20T21:00:50.935Z / CNN

The US Navy is working to rename an aircraft carrier under construction that was set to honor a Black sailor hailed for his heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, three sources familiar with internal discussions told CNN.

During President Donald Trump’s first term, the Navy announced that the Ford-class carrier would be called the USS Doris Miller, recognizing an enlisted sailor who helped defend US forces from Japan’s attack.

It’s unclear what the Navy is seeking to change the name of the carrier to, though two of the sources said there have been internal conversations about renaming it to honor Trump. It would be an unprecedented move to name an aircraft carrier after a sitting president.

The Navy is looking instead to rename another warship after Miller, according to one of the sources, and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration for military valor. The final authorization for the award is up to Congress and approval from Trump.

Thomas Bledsoe, Miller’s great-nephew, said Miller’s family had not been informed of the change or the renewed effort to award his great-uncle with the Medal of Honor. The family has been working to get him the Medal of Honor “for years,” Bledsoe said, and called the Navy’s move to recommend the honor “very positive.”

The Navy directed questions from CNN to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. A Department of Defense spokesperson said they had nothing to announce at this time.

The effort to rename the USS Doris Miller has been underway since earlier this year, the sources said. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao and his office have also been looking into updating the official guidance for how ships should be named and specifying who they can be named after, including presidents, two of the sources said.

Amid conversations over the ship’s name, the Navy has effectively stopped referring to the ship as the USS Doris Miller internally and is only calling it by its hull number, CVN-81, one of the sources said. A recent White House executive order on shipbuilding also referred to the ship only as CVN-81, tasking the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy to report back with a plan to replace the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system with steam and hydraulic systems.

The Navy is under a time crunch to finalize the name of the carrier as the ship’s keel-laying ceremony is expected at the end of this year. The ceremony is a public event marking an important step in a ship’s construction. The ship is not expected to be delivered until 2034, USNI News first reported, due to shipbuilder constraints.

Former Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced the new carrier’s name in honor of Miller in January 2020, during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ceremony in Pearl Harbor.

“Dorie Miller was the son of a sharecropper,” Modly, a Trump nominee who had Navy leadership positions from 2017 to 2020, said at the ceremony, according to a Navy release. “And, he was an American sailor – so designated by the uniform that he wore — the same uniform all sailors wore, and still wear, regardless of race, ethnic background, or political persuasion.”

Doris “Dorie” Miller, from Waco, Texas, enlisted in the US Navy in 1939, according to the National Museum of the Pacific War. On the day of Japan’s attack, Miller — a Mess Attendant Third Class at the time — was retrieving laundry when bombs began falling on the US fleet. Mess attendant was one of the only jobs in the Navy open to Black men, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs. Damage by Japan’s attack kept him from returning to his assigned battle station.

Miller proceeded to aid his wounded commanding officer, and then, despite having received no training on the system, took control of an anti-aircraft gun and opened fire on the Japanese aircraft.

“Although untrained,” the VA’s website says, “he laid down effective fire and stopped firing when he ran out of ammunition and the ship began to sink. Even then, he persisted in helping his fellow sailors to safety until he finally made his way to shore.”

Miller was famously portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor.

In 1942, Admiral Chester Nimitz presented Miller with the Navy Cross, and he was then sent out on a War Bond tour with several white service members, “making him the first African American allowed on the speaking tour,” according to the VA. Roughly a year later, Miller was killed during the Battle of Makin when his ship was hit by a Japanese submarine’s torpedo.

The Navy convened a renaming commission in 2025 under former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, to review how ships and other military assets were named. Phelan believes aircraft carriers specifically should be named only after presidents, Navy admirals, and consequential Navy battles, a person familiar with his thinking said. While secretary, Phelan requested a study be done by the Naval History & Heritage Command on the issue, but he was removed as Navy Secretary before the review was complete, the source said, adding that Phelan did not weigh in officially on the Doris Miller specifically.

The Navy commission came amid broader efforts in the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to remove names selected for what the administration considers diversity, equity, and inclusion purposes.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, for example, immediately sought to revert the names of US Army bases honoring Confederate Army officers by finding other military personnel that shared last names with those confederate officers. And in 2025, he took a rare step and ordered the Secretary of the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, which honored the Navy veteran and gay rights activist.

It’s highly unusual for a ship to be renamed after its commissioning. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said at the time of the Harvey Milk’s renaming that Hegseth was committed to names “reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos.”

The choice of USS Doris Miller marked the first time an aircraft carrier would honor an enlisted sailor, and the first aircraft carrier to be named for an African American. Asked about his decision to name the carrier after Miller, Modly told CNN that it was recommended to him by a group of retired Black admirals, and that he believes “one of our most powerful warships should bear the name of a sailor like Miller to bring greater attention to what makes our Navy so unique — and great.”

“Ultimately, these names are meant to be symbolic and unifying for the Navy, and the nation it serves,” Modly told CNN. “When they are named for people like Doris Miller, they raise broader awareness of the heroism, patriotism and sacrifices of all American sailors — not merely their commanders.”

Many of the US’ active aircraft carriers are named after past US presidents, to including the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS George H.W. Bush, USS Ronald Regan, and USS George Washington, though none of those ships first set sail while their namesakes were in office. But not all carriers are named after presidents. The USS Nimitz, for example, is named after the admiral who commanded the US Pacific Fleet during World War II. The USS Carl Vinson is named after a Georgia congressman who chaired the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee.

Pastor unleashes on Dearborn as religious tensions erupt at city council meeting: ‘Enough is enough’

August 20, 2026 6:19pm EDT / Fox News

The outburst came amid a wave of anti-Islam protests targeting the Michigan city’s Muslim community and its elected officials

By Leo Briceno Fox News

‘We are not a nation of Muslims’: Black pastor rails against what he believes is the implementation of Sharia law

Pastor Lorenzo Sewell challenges city council members in Dearborn, Michigan, to denounce Muslim religious code. (Credit: City of Dearborn)

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What started as a regularly scheduled town hall in Dearborn, Michigan, erupted into a flashpoint over the influence of Muslim culture in American civic life Tuesday as the pastor of a local church accused the town of operating under Sharia law.

“America, we have lost this city. This is a city that is no longer up under American laws; we are up under Sharia law. We will not have it anymore,” Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor of 180 Church, said.

“Enough is enough.”

The outburst, which came amid a series of other anti-Islam protests in Dearborn, vocalizes fears that Muslim populations in Michigan are working to bring their communities more in line with their religious worldview, views Sewell believes are at odds with the vast majority of the country.

EL-SAYED’S AGENDA PUTS ‘PERMANENTLY’ CHANGED AMERICA ON THE LINE IN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE, GOP FIREBRAND WARNS

Pastor Lorenzo Sewell speaks at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., July 18, 2024.(Reuters/Brian Snyder)

“You are only 1% of this nation. We are not a nation of Muslims,” Sewell said.

Sewell’s references to the implementation of Sharia law don’t refer to actual legislation looking to codify Muslim religious practices. Instead, they’re based on what he sees as a form of favoritism applied unevenly to Muslims in the name of religious freedom.

In particular, Sewell and other Dearborn critics have pointed to a case in which Muslim counterprotesters, in his view, suffered inadequate consequences for assaulting Jake Lang, a local political activist.

“You are not up under American law. You are up under Sharia law. That is the reason why you have made no arrests,” Sewell said, referring to the incident.

Lang, the activist, is no stranger to brushes with the Muslim community in Dearborn.

He frames himself as a faith-based champion of American culture. In one video posted to X, Lang conducts baptisms while wearing military-style garb and a bulletproof chest plate, an outfit he dons in a lot of his online content.

“I don’t know about you, but I am ready to load up CRUISE SHIPS with f—ing AMERICAN GUNS & go and LIBERATE SPAIN from the Muslim hords. If the Democrats take power in 2028, I’ll be at the Southern Border laying these animals down by the HUNDREDS!!!!!” Lang wrote in another post, referring to a recent influx of immigrants to Spain.

But his online opposition turned into a real-world altercation earlier this month when Lang took his protest to the city’s Arbaeen March, an annual religious commemoration.

MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS

Right-wing activist Jake Lang leads a rally to stop public Muslim prayer in New York City March 7, 2026.(Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

In one video, Lang takes a punch from behind while holding a sign saying “deport 100 million, save America.” Muslim counterprotesters chased Lang back to his car, and at least one tried to hit him with a rock.

“Detroit Crime News JUST released video of 3 BARBARIC Muslims picking up large rocks to STONE me to death!!! For preaching the NAME OF JESUS!!!” Lang wrote online.

Notably, the police did arrest one of the assailants and asked for help in identifying others who had engaged in unlawful behavior.

“One individual was arrested by Dearborn Police during the altercation and is currently held without bond as the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office determines charges,” a police press release of the incident said.

In Lang’s view — and in the view of Sewell — that isn’t enough.

Ahead of the Tuesday city council meeting, Lang, Sewell and other demonstrators announced plans to protest the gathering, pressing for the city to more seriously evaluate Muslim influence and the influence of Sharia law.

City officials have pushed back on characterizations that Muslims are being treated differently than other citizens of Dearborn.

“When people portray Dearborn as some place that has been overtaken by Muslims, they aren’t simply attacking our Muslim and Arab communities. They’re also trying to erase our Christian brothers and sisters who have contributed immeasurably to the city and folks of other faiths,” Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said at the city council meeting Tuesday.

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS’ PUSH TO MAKE MUSLIM HOLY DAYS STATE HOLIDAYS SPARKS DEBATE OVER SCHOOL NEUTRALITY

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud poses for a portrait in his office in Dearborn, Mich., June 18, 2024.(Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

“Ultimately, they’re attacking something much larger than any one faith or community. They are attacking the idea that all of us can belong to America at the same time.”

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According to the 2020 U.S. census, a majority of Dearborn reported Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, making it the first American city to have a predominantly Arab population at roughly 54.5% of its residents.

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.

美国向盟友与中国下通牒 配合对伊朗毁灭性经济战

2026年8月21日 07:14 / 联合早报

美国财政部长贝森特说，美国向伊朗发动经济战意味着恢复大规模军事行动的可能性降低。 （彭博社）

美国财政部长贝森特警告美国盟友和中国，要么支持美国孤立伊朗经济并“瓦解”德黑兰政府，“要么与我们为敌”。

法新社报道，贝森特星期四（8月20日）向消费者新闻与商业频道（CNBC）发表的这番言论表明，这场不得人心的战争拖延近六个月，美国总统特朗普正将施压伊朗的手段从军事转向经济。

贝森特说：“这在伊朗会奏效，我们将推翻这个政权。”

美国国内因伊朗战争影响而承受压力，加上美国中期选举临近，特朗普19日承诺将对伊朗发动“史上最具毁灭性”的经济行动。

贝森特强调，华盛顿希望盟友和竞争对手都加入这一针对伊朗的升级版行动。“这将是世界历史上规模最大的协同经济孤立行动。我们要告诉他们的是，要么站在我们这边，要么与我们为敌。”

被问及美国是否会向中国施压时，贝森特表示“许多对话最好是私下进行”，但他呼吁北京“加入行动”。

贝森特还表示，美国向伊朗发动经济战意味着恢复大规模军事行动的可能性降低。“如果我们实施极限经济施压，那就意味着不太可能重启大规模军事行动，但我必须强调，这只是目前的情况。”

贝森特透露，他将在8月24召开新闻发布会，公布针对伊朗的经济措施细节。

特朗普同一天在自家社媒平台真相社交（Truth Social）发文说：“没有人比我更愿意给伊朗伊斯兰共和国一个达成协议的机会。可悲的是，他们没能抓住这个机会。因此，我在此宣布，我们将发起有史以来最具毁灭性的经济行动！这将是一场前所未有的经济战和孤立行动。”

“他们的海军已覆灭，他们的空军已被摧毁，他们的军事工厂已成废墟，他们的货币一文不值，他们的国家正命悬一线。今天，我还要宣布，任何国家或政府实体若允许他们的金融机构、企业、机场向伊朗提供任何形式‘生命线’，都将面临非常严重的经济后果。”

中国国家主席习近平9月24日将访问白宫，届时伊朗议题必将再度摆上台面，一如特朗普5月北京之行的场景。

Michael Cohen on burying the hatchet with President Trump

6:17 PM EDT, Thu August 20, 2026 / CNN Politics

By Jake Tapper, CNN

Michael Cohen on burying the hatchet with President Trump

The Lead

Michael Cohen joins The Lead.

12:26 • Source: CNN

Woman charged with planning ISIS-inspired attack on New York State Capitol building

2026-08-20T20:03:16.83Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) – U.S. authorities arrested and charged a New York woman with planning to carry out an Islamic State-inspired ​attack on the state’s capitol building in Albany, the ‌Justice Department said on Thursday.

Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, was charged with planning to deploy an explosive device at the state capitol with the intention ​of killing public officials and destroying “as much of the building ​as possible” before fleeing to ISIS‑controlled territory in Syria, ⁠according to John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security.

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Bowie ​was apprehended on Wednesday after she gained possession of what she ​thought was an explosive device, the DOJ said.

The department said she was seen making visits to the state’s Capitol grounds and taking photographs of the ​building.

While describing the building as her target, according to the DOJ, ​Bowie said she wanted the attack to have an “affect on the American system.”

The ‌DOJ ⁠said Bowie has expressed anti-American messages online, including celebrating the September 11, 2001, attacks, in which al Qaeda militants hijacked commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a ​field near Shanksville, ​Pennsylvania.

A lawyer ⁠for Bowie could not be reached for immediate comment.

Following Bowie’s arrest, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said ​the state had taken steps to strengthen security ​at the ⁠capitol and across government amid a rise in political violence and threats against public officials.

“While there is no immediate threat at this time, ⁠we ​will continue working closely with our ​law enforcement partners to protect New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” she said in ​a statement.

Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; editing by Scott Malone