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又有无人机侵闯罗马尼亚领空 遭北约战机击落

2026年8月16日 20:23 / 联合早报

俄罗斯星期天（8月16日）对乌克兰首都基辅和其他城市发动导弹袭击，基辅一个图书市场遭袭后燃起大火，消防队奋力扑救。 （路透社）

（布加勒斯特综合电）罗马尼亚当局说，一架无人机非法侵入罗马尼亚领空后被击落。这是今年罗马尼亚上空被击落的第四架无人机，北约方面表明时刻保持警惕，已做好应对任何威胁的准备。

罗马尼亚国防部星期天（8月16日）说，一架执行北约空中警戒任务的西班牙F-18战斗机，当天击落一架入侵罗国领空的无人机。

北约军事总部发言人、美国陆军上校奥唐纳说：“这起事件的更多细节仍在调查中，但涉事无人机似乎属于俄罗斯。”

罗马尼亚国防部没透露无人机来源，只说它从邻国摩尔多瓦进入罗国境内，西班牙战机在凌晨5时01分（新加坡时间上午10时01分）将它安全击落。无人机碎片落在罗国境内加拉茨地区靠近乌克兰边境的一处无人居住区。

罗马尼亚是北约成员国，与乌克兰接壤，两国之间有614公里的陆地边界。过去四年的俄乌战争期间，罗马尼亚多次报告本国领空遭俄无人机侵犯，黑海海岸也曾出现水雷，威胁到重要的贸易和能源航线。

今年7月，罗国F-16战斗机击落三架侵犯领空的俄无人机。5月，一架俄无人机在夜间袭击乌克兰期间，坠毁在罗国东南部城市加拉茨的一栋公寓楼，造成两人受伤。

俄乌双方近期都加大无人机互袭力度。据俄地方官员报告，乌方星期天出动数百架无人机袭击俄首都莫斯科地区，造成至少一人死亡。乌克兰首都基辅和其他城市同日遭俄方导弹袭击，基辅市长报告三人死亡，十几人受伤。

又有无人机侵闯罗马尼亚领空 遭北约战机击落

2026年8月16日 20:23 / 联合早报

俄罗斯星期天（8月16日）对乌克兰首都基辅和其他城市发动导弹袭击，基辅一个图书市场遭袭后燃起大火，消防队奋力扑救。 （路透社）

（布加勒斯特综合电）罗马尼亚当局说，一架无人机非法侵入罗马尼亚领空后被击落。这是今年罗马尼亚上空被击落的第四架无人机，北约方面表明时刻保持警惕，已做好应对任何威胁的准备。

罗马尼亚国防部星期天（8月16日）说，一架执行北约空中警戒任务的西班牙F-18战斗机，当天击落一架入侵罗国领空的无人机。

北约军事总部发言人、美国陆军上校奥唐纳说：“这起事件的更多细节仍在调查中，但涉事无人机似乎属于俄罗斯。”

罗马尼亚国防部没透露无人机来源，只说它从邻国摩尔多瓦进入罗国境内，西班牙战机在凌晨5时01分（新加坡时间上午10时01分）将它安全击落。无人机碎片落在罗国境内加拉茨地区靠近乌克兰边境的一处无人居住区。

罗马尼亚是北约成员国，与乌克兰接壤，两国之间有614公里的陆地边界。过去四年的俄乌战争期间，罗马尼亚多次报告本国领空遭俄无人机侵犯，黑海海岸也曾出现水雷，威胁到重要的贸易和能源航线。

今年7月，罗国F-16战斗机击落三架侵犯领空的俄无人机。5月，一架俄无人机在夜间袭击乌克兰期间，坠毁在罗国东南部城市加拉茨的一栋公寓楼，造成两人受伤。

俄乌双方近期都加大无人机互袭力度。据俄地方官员报告，乌方星期天出动数百架无人机袭击俄首都莫斯科地区，造成至少一人死亡。乌克兰首都基辅和其他城市同日遭俄方导弹袭击，基辅市长报告三人死亡，十几人受伤。

Transcript: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Aug. 16, 2026

2026-08-16T09:55:00-0400 / CBS News

The following is the transcript of an interview with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Aug. 16, 2026.

ED O’KEEFE: So we begin with Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who joins us from the capital city of Frankfort. Good morning, Governor. Thank you for being here.

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

ED O’KEEFE: Of course. So our new CBS News poll out this morning finds 58% of Democrats have a positive view of socialism, and just 32% have a positive view of capitalism. What do you make of that?

GOV. BESHEAR: What I make of it is that people are struggling. They’re struggling because the cost of groceries is too high. The cost of gas is too high. It’s too hard to see a doctor, and when you do, the cost of that is too high as well. They’re not asking for a lot. They just want to go to work, make a good living, be able to raise their kids, buy a home before they’re 40, take their family on the same vacation they went on as kids. And right now, they’re seeing a system that doesn’t work for them. Now, I believe socialism is a failed experiment, but I do believe that we need to get results for the American people, and I think when you look at Democratic governors, you see those results. I’ve been proud to create more jobs than any other governor in our history. The average wage of a new job in Kentucky this year is over $32 an hour. We’re building affordable housing in Western Kentucky and in Eastern Kentucky, on top of abandoned coal mines with solar panels on the top, so they’re affordable to live in too. People just want to see results, want to believe that life can get better.

ED O’KEEFE: The poll also finds rank and file Democrats want leaders to be pushing for making big changes, not smaller ones, even if they’re easier to do. Also says they want to feel like the party is, as you said, fighting for them, what is then–

GOV. BESHEAR: –Yeah, I think people–

ED O’KEEFE: Well, what I’m curious about is what- given they’re looking for big ideas, what would be your biggest, boldest idea that you’re promoting these days?

GOV. BESHEAR: Well, I’ll give you two because people want you to fix the darn economy, and they want you to fix the darn government. On the economy, it is time for an aspirational investment in housing that can bring down the cost of- of especially first-time home ownership. People can actually see that progress all over the country. We ought to tie the federal dollars to speed. You’ve got to break ground and you’ve got to do it quickly. Get through the overregulation and the NIMBY-ism. But I tell you what, people also think this government is broken. So, fix the darn government. Constitutional amendment. It is time. It should outlaw partisan redistricting and enshrine part of the Voting Rights Act right there in the constitution. It should create term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court. No more gaming those appointments. It should also overturn Citizens United, and I think call for direct elections of the president and the vice president. That could actually make things work. A big idea that would, yes, change government, but in a way enshrined in the constitution where people would know it’s going to get better.

ED O’KEEFE: I didn’t realize you support abolishing the Electoral College. If you’re saying direct election of the president and vice president.

GOV. BESHEAR: Yeah, I’ve said it a number of times, and it’s because in Kentucky we will never see a candidate for president or vice president unless they’re from here. Why? Because people just expect that it’ll go one way or the other. It’s the idea that someone would get elected not just knowing about seven states, but having to earn votes all over the United States. I certainly think it’s time.

ED O’KEEFE: Speaking of presidential candidates from Kentucky, you told our colleague Aaron Navarro recently your decision on whether to run for president comes after your role as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association ends in December. You’re traveling the country trying to get Democrats elected into governorships. You’re appearing on programs like this one to get your name out there. I’m curious, what’s left to decide?

GOV. BESHEAR: Well, I haven’t made any final decision on that, but I am traveling the country because we’re going to elect Democratic governors in places that people aren’t expecting. We’re up in Iowa and Ohio. We’re fighting hard in Georgia and Nevada. We have great candidates. Even places like Alabama, we saw Democratic primary turnout double. Double. I’ve never seen that before. So I’m excited about what we’re seeing. For me, I just refuse to leave a broken country to my kids or to anyone else’s. We cannot allow Donald Trump’s presidency to be normalized for people to think that’s the way that it’s supposed to be, and whatever my role is moving forward, I just want to make sure that we can bring this country back together and then get results for the American people. The two biggest challenges we face are the level of division and the belief that the American dream is no longer real. We’ve got to make sure we address them both.

ED O’KEEFE: The Democratic Party on Saturday officially set its 2028 presidential primary calendar, shakes it up a bit and puts six states now in the mix to be voting before March of 2028. I hear you’ve been particularly active in South Carolina, but I’m curious more broadly, what does this new schedule do to help or hurt the candidacy of a moderate Democrat like yourself?

GOV. BESHEAR: Well, I consider myself a pragmatist. I get things done. You know, I stand up for all my convictions, having vetoed every anti-choice, every anti-LGBTQ plus, every anti-union bill that’s come to my desk. But at the same time, I consider myself a pro-business Democrat because business creates good jobs that can pay good benefits that can make that American dream possible. My job is just to get results for the people of- of Kentucky. This schedule, I think, is going to make any candidate get out and earn it. I’m happy that there are two southern states in South Carolina and Virginia because if the Democratic Party is going to be competitive in the future, we have to be competitive in places like Kentucky, in places like the- the South. Now, for too long, southern Democrats have been overlooked, left out, sometimes even looked down upon. But look at what we’ve done. We now have three Southern Democratic governors. Georgia gave us two Southern Democratic U.S. senators, and Roy Cooper in North Carolina is about to be a third. Keisha Lance Bottoms is going to be the next governor of Georgia. We have scrapped our way back to the table, and I believe that- that the DNC saw the importance of- of the South. I mean, you certainly have to win in the Midwest, which is Michigan. I think Nevada shows how important our Hispanic and Latino population are. In the end, this says you got to win in big states, in small states, in all regions of the country. It’ll make sure that we have a nominee that could be a good president for the entire United States.

ED O’KEEFE: I want to take you to an issue that animates the left of the Democratic Party, especially, but something you also reference, and that is healthcare. But more specifically, the concept of Medicare for all. Back in 2019, you suggested that that can mean 100 different things in 100 different ways, and that ultimately, in your state, every Kentuckian needs access to affordable, accessible healthcare and I believe the private sector often provides that type of healthcare. You still believe that? Or has your thinking shifted at all on whether or not some kind of more government-backed public option should be out there in a bigger way?

GOV. BESHEAR: Well, like I said, I’m a pragmatist. My goal is to get results in the next month and in the next year. And what I see right now is a healthcare system where costs are spiraling, and so the solutions that I see that government can participate in are direct negotiation of drug prices. Given that Medicaid and Medicare are pretty much the biggest purchasers that are out there, they should secure a lower price and open that up to everyone covered on any type of plan or no type of plan at all. I think that there is a role for government to bring down prices in healthcare, and they can do so quickly. We also need more transparency. Now, the idea that one hospital charges something twice as much as another hospital in the same town, but you might not know, is a problem for consumers. It shouldn’t be like buying a car, a sticker price where you’re not sure exactly how much it’s going to cost. It should be open so people can make the right decisions and get the best quality healthcare at the best price. But let me say I do believe that healthcare is a basic human right, and so I’m willing to have conversations with anyone who agrees with that. You know, in my faith, Jesus said a doctor is for the sick, and look at what Republicans are doing. Their big ugly bill could shutter 35 rural hospitals in Kentucky, fire 20,000 healthcare workers, but more than that, create a system where a pregnant woman in Kentucky might have to drive an hour and a half or two hours just to give birth. That’s really wrong.

ED O’KEEFE: So you’re open to conversations about Medicare for All it sounds like, but not necessarily sold on the whole concept. I got to ask you in our remaining moments here. You have been writing letters and trying to get updates on the status of Senator Mitch McConnell. Have you heard anything back from his office and how he’s doing?

GOV. BESHEAR: I’ve heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell. And while I do hope that he is getting better, I’ve known him my entire life. I wish him no harm. I actually wish him good health. His boss are the people of Kentucky, and this is why the Senate- the Republican-controlled Senate, feels so broken. They feel like they’re not accountable to anyone. All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve, but you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it.

ED O’KEEFE: Right.

GOV. BESHEAR: And then John Thune, as the leader of the Senate, you’ve got a duty to make sure all of your senators have the capacity to serve. And what is he saying? Not my job. That’s not surprising. None of them will do their job right now and stand up to a president–

ED O’KEEFE: Yeah.

GOV. BESHEAR: –that is running over the constitution at every turn.

ED O’KEEFE: Well, we’ll take a call from Senator McConnell if he’d like to make it. We appreciate you being here this morning. Sounds like you’re thinking about running for president for sure. Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, thanks again. ‘Face the Nation’ will be back in a minute. Stay with us.

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Trump’s vaccine order is counterproductive and ‘wrong on so many levels,’ GOP lawmaker says

2026-08-16T15:54:34.775Z / CNN

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, an increasingly sharp critic of President Donald Trump, on Sunday called the president’s vaccine order to separate injections for measles, mumps and rubella “wrong on so many levels” because, among other things, it would require children to receive more shots.

“Let’s just take it from the perspective of the parent,” Cassidy, a doctor who chairs the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” show. “Now, instead of going to the doctor twice to get their child vaccinated, they have to go six times … Instead of mom or dad missing work twice, you know, coming out of their pocket, if you will, to take their child to the doctor, they have to miss work or take vacation or personal leave six times. This is inconvenient. It’s going to contribute to an increased loss of income.”

“The president’s proposal is going to end up with more children being sick. And so who wants that? No one should want that,” Cassidy said.

During a later appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” the Louisiana senator said: “This is why the president’s poll numbers are down, because you’ve lost sight of affordability for the parent, you’ve lost sight of the convenience for the American family, you’ve lost sight of that which is driving higher costs in health care.”

CNN has reached out the White House for a reaction to Cassidy’s criticism.

Trump’s order says the combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, called MMR, “should be administered in three separate single-disease shots,” and all childhood immunizations should be given at separate medical visits.

Immunologists and vaccine experts say there’s no valid reason to do that.

“Nothing bad can happen from what we are doing,” Trump said while speaking in the Oval Office on Monday. “The worst thing that could happen would be nothing happens. We’re not going to lose anything.”

The executive order marked the latest blow for Cassidy, who cast a deciding vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary despite deep concerns about his anti-vaccine views.

Ahead of that confirmation vote, Cassidy secured a series of commitments from Kennedy — including that the two would have an “unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship” and Kennedy would not seek to undermine the government’s vaccine policies.

But Kennedy began testing that pact within months, overhauling the government’s main vaccine advisory panel and amplifying skepticism of key vaccine policies — all while downplaying what has grown into the worst measles outbreak in the country in decades.

Their already-frosty relationship hit a breaking point late last year, after the abrupt firing of the then-head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kennedy’s subsequent push to revamp the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule.

Kennedy’s allies later joined Trump in openly backing a primary challenge to Cassidy that successfully denied him renomination earlier this spring.

Since then, Cassidy has shown far greater willingness to criticize Trump and Kennedy, opposing the president on key issues such as the Iran war and his effort to establish an “anti-weaponization” fund. Cassidy and Kennedy’s relationship is effectively non-existent, people close to the two men said, and the two have rarely spoken in the last several months.

Still, Cassidy has stressed that despite feeling freer to express his views, his final months in the Senate are not meant to serve as a revenge tour.

That did not prevent him on Sunday from lashing out at the president’s latest policy, which he has also done in a series of social media posts.

“If it wasn’t so potentially tragic, you would break out laughing at a comment like that,” Cassidy, told CNN’s Jake Tapper about Trump’s claim that nothing would happen as a result of what experts say is a dramatic reshaping of US vaccine policy.

“As a physician who has seen people either die or get seriously ill from diseases that can be prevented by vaccines, this has the potential to decrease the protection that a child would receive against diseases which can be deadly,” Cassidy said.

He added that if Trump is looking to improve children’s health while helping parents with costs, “this is the wrong thing to do.”

Bab el-Mandeb Strait faces growing threat as Houthi attacks raise fears of a second Hormuz

2026-08-16T09:53:38-04:00 / Fox News

The Iran-backed Houthis’ escalating attacks on shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are raising a growing strategic question: Could the waterway become the next Strait of Hormuz?

The answer is complicated by the geography — and by Yemen itself. Unlike Hormuz, where Iran can directly threaten shipping from its own coastline, Tehran’s leverage over Bab el-Mandeb depends largely on its Houthi allies. And the country overlooking the strait is fractured among competing armed and political forces, leaving the U.S. and its regional allies confronting a threat that may be difficult to solve with naval power alone.

The danger was underscored Tuesday when the Houthis attacked the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah in Bab el-Mandeb. Four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — were killed, according to Yemeni and Pakistani officials, while two Yemeni rescuers were killed when the Houthis struck again after rescue crews arrived, Yemen’s Coast Guard said. Reuters reported that the fatalities, if confirmed, would be the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the U.S.-Iran war began Feb. 28.

IRAN-BACKED HOUTHI THREAT IN RED SEA COULD LEAD TO MAJOR US POLICY SHIFT, ANALYSTS SAY

Yemeni soldiers patrol the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, April 5, 2026.(Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP Photo)

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. It is a crucial route for energy and commercial shipping. The Suez Canal and Egypt’s SUMED pipeline effectively form the northern end of the same Red Sea corridor.

But the southern side of that corridor borders a country that has been at war for more than a decade.

The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, while the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government and an array of allied or competing groups control areas elsewhere. The Southern Transitional Council, a separatist movement that has been backed by the United Arab Emirates, has been a major force in the south.

That fragmentation is becoming increasingly relevant to the security of the waterway.

IRAN-BACKED TERROR PROXY HOUTHIS THREATEN FRESH ATTACKS AFTER YEMEN AIRPORT STRIKE

Amr Al Bidh, the STC’s foreign affairs chief, told Fox News Digital that naval forces can defend individual vessels but cannot by themselves remove the threat posed by Houthi-controlled territory overlooking the maritime route.

“Naval presence protects individual ships. It does not take away Houthi launch sites, it does not interdict the smuggling routes that resupply them and it does not hold terrain,” Al Bidh said.

He said that “you have to be on the ground” to ultimately secure Bab el-Mandeb.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Aug. 3, 2026.(Reuters)

The deterioration comes amid a broader escalation in Yemen. U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council Thursday that the country faces its most serious threat of a return to large-scale war since the U.N.-brokered 2022 truce, warning that renewed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels risk drawing Yemen deeper into the wider regional confrontation.

That truce sharply reduced major fighting after years of war following the Houthis’ seizure of Sanaa in 2014 and the Saudi-led military intervention the following year. Though the formal truce expired in October 2022, large-scale hostilities remained comparatively limited for years.

IRAN BLOCKADE ‘GOING GLOBAL’ IS A WARNING SIGNAL TO CHINA AND RUSSIA

Yemen’s Iran-backed armed Houthi group has warned they will move to shutter the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait through missile-drone attacks if Gulf nations join the US-Israel war on Iran.(Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

On July 20, the Houthis declared what they called a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, threatening vessels doing business with Saudi ports. Riyadh denies the Houthi accusation that Saudi Arabia has imposed a siege on Yemen.

A White House official, speaking on background, said the United States expects the Houthis to continue to uphold the terms of the ceasefire. The official said the Houthis “saw during Operation Rough Rider that the United States and President Trump will take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and U.S. commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks.”

The official added that the United States is focused on protecting core national security interests — including freedom of navigation in the Red Sea — while “empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges.” The official said Washington is in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen government regarding regional stability.

United Against Nuclear Iran, citing Joint Maritime Information Center data, has put the decline in tanker transits since the July 20 blockade declaration at roughly 40%. UANI also said tankers have been observed broadcasting messages including “CHINESE OWNER” and “ARMED GUARD ON BOARD” through their tracking systems, apparently in an effort to reduce the chance of being targeted.

TRADE VESSEL STRUCK BY PROJECTILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID US-IRAN TALKS

Thousands of people gather at Sabeen Square, under the control of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, to protest the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen on March 6, 2026.(Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu via Getty Images)

China, meanwhile, has been in contact with the Houthis over safe passage for Chinese vessels, according to a July 28 Reuters report citing Chinese and regional sources. Four China-bound tankers had crossed Bab el-Mandeb following the blockade announcement as Beijing sought assurances for its shipping.

The economic stakes are rising because of what is happening hundreds of miles to the east.

Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on its Red Sea export infrastructure as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted by the U.S.-Iran conflict.

That makes the Red Sea both an alternative to Hormuz — and a potential second pressure point.

Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman warned at the United Nations Thursday that Yemen’s internal collapse is increasingly threatening interests far beyond its borders.

“This is no longer a Yemeni crisis alone,” Karman said. “The continued collapse of the state in Yemen threatens international navigation and trade, energy security, and global supply chains and undermines regional and international peace and security.”

Karman had been invited by Denmark, which holds the Security Council presidency, to brief council members, but Denmark’s deputy U.N. ambassador said “strong opposition” prevented the briefing from taking place. Karman instead addressed reporters outside the chamber.

In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Karman argued that restoring a functioning Yemeni state is ultimately essential to defeating armed groups and securing the country.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE

Houthi terrorists walk over British and U.S. flags at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and Houthi strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Feb. 4, 2024, on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen.(Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

“Yemeni people can do that,” Karman said of defeating the Houthis and other militias. “We can be partners on saving the global and regional security.”

“Without restoring Yemen, that means there is not any sustainable peace,” she added.

But U.S. experts caution against treating Bab el-Mandeb as simply a second Hormuz.

“Iran doesn’t have the same direct influence on flows through the Bab al-Mandeb as it does for the Strait of Hormuz,” Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former National Security Council official, told Fox News Digital.

“The strategy would depend much more on proxies — Iraqi groups focusing fire on infrastructure and the Houthis focusing on the Red Sea,” Goldberg said.

But he said there are limits to that strategy. “The Houthis act much more independently than they used to, and have not yet shown an interest to going to war against the world — just against Riyadh,” Goldberg said.

He also pointed to one critical difference between the two waterways: ships that cannot safely cross Bab el-Mandeb can bypass the Red Sea entirely by sailing around Africa.

“Unlike Hormuz, shippers can go around the Red Sea if they really need to,” Goldberg said. “It adds cost and time but it’s not a single point of failure like Hormuz.”

The question facing U.S., Saudi Arabia and its partners is therefore how to prevent the Houthi threat from becoming more serious.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, center, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sign a defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 7, 2026.(TUR Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Riyadh is now trying to assemble two overlapping layers of regional security cooperation.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on Aug. 7, a mutual-defense pact that calls for high-level political and military coordination, joint exercises and deeper defense-industry cooperation. Turkey has stressed that the agreement is defensive and does not identify Iran or any other country as an enemy.

Dr. Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi foreign-policy researcher and senior non-resident fellow at Gulf International Forum, told Fox News Digital earlier this week that one immediate implication could be greater coordination against Iran-backed groups, particularly the Houthis.

Alghashian said the pact could produce a greater trilateral presence near the Saudi-Yemeni border, “especially in the maritime dimension,” while allowing Riyadh to take a firmer collective approach toward Iran-backed militias even as it maintains a more diplomatic approach toward Tehran itself.

Separately, Saudi Arabia is leading an effort specifically focused on the waterways.

The Saudi Defense Ministry announced July 30 plans for a multinational maritime-defense coalition intended to protect freedom of navigation and commercial and energy routes through Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Fourteen countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, initially backed the initiative.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday that Ankara is participating in meetings in Jeddah aimed at establishing the coalition.

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.(Ali Saeedi/Getty Images)

A State Department spokesperson separately told Fox News Digital that protecting commercial shipping through both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz remains a “top priority” for the Trump administration, pointing to freedom of navigation as one of Washington’s core national security interests in the Middle East. “We will continue to work with international partners to deter Iranian and Iranian-proxy attacks on merchant vessels, ensure the free flow of commerce and hold accountable those who threaten the safety of international shipping lanes,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the administration is also seeking to disrupt the flow of Iranian money and weapons to the Houthis, noting that the U.S. has sanctioned more than 200 entities associated with the group.

“We condemn Iran’s flagrant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and international law in threatening freedom of navigation and supporting their Houthi proxies,” the spokesperson said. The State Department also emphasized Washington’s support for Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government as the threat around Bab el-Mandeb grows.

“The United States stands firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized government of Yemen against Houthi terrorism,” the spokesperson said. “We are in close consultation with our Saudi and Yemeni partners and remain committed to their security.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he’s “heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell”

August 16, 2026 / 10:52 AM EDT / CBS News
By Kaia Hubbard

Washington — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that he hasn’t heard back from Sen. Mitch McConnell following formal requests for updates on his health last month amid a weekslong hospitalization that prompted widespread speculation and concern.

“I’ve heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell,” Beshear said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan”.

McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14. But he and his staff shared little about his condition for weeks, prompting Beshear to write a letter on July 8 to the longtime Kentucky senator seeking an update on his health. Days later, McConnell put out his first statement since the hospitalization, which he said resulted from a fall, while noting that he had moved to a rehabilitation center.

Earlier this month, McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, released a statement saying he had been discharged from the rehabilitation center, nearly two months after he was initially hospitalized. McConnell said he would continue his recovery at home. The statement did not say when he is expected to return to Capitol Hill.

In his letter to McConnell last month, Beshear, a Democrat, said “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.” As governor, he requested that McConnell “fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status” of his health.” In another letter later that month, Beshear urged McConnell to “directly and verbally” address his constituents and provide proof of his ability to continue to serve.

On Sunday, Beshear stressed that McConnell must do more to assure Kentuckians of his ability to carry out the role as senator.

Beshear said, “I do hope that he is getting better,” noting that he’s known McConnell for his entire life. But, he added, that McConnell’s “boss are the people of Kentucky.”

blob:https://www.cbsnews.com/3feec0a0-48ec-4169-a4df-dc86eafff45a

“This is why the Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate, feels so broken, they feel like they’re not accountable to anyone,” Beshear said. “All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve. But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it.”

Beshear also pointed the blame at Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Thune, who previously served as McConnell’s No. 2 during the Kentucky Republican’s tenure as leader, has deferred to McConnell and his staff for updates on his health, while expressing hope that the senator will return to Capitol Hill soon.

“As the leader of the Senate, you’ve got a duty to make sure all of your senators have the capacity to serve, and what is he saying? Not my job,” Beshear said.

中期选举开始冲刺 美共和党忧难保国会控制权

2026-08-16 21:57 / 联合早报

美国中期选举进入最后三个月冲刺阶段，共和党总统特朗普8月14日在纽约州拿骚县警察局大卫·S·麦克训练和情报中心发表讲话，为共和党候选人助选。 （法新社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国媒体引述知情人士报道，美国总统特朗普终于批准从自己的政治行动委员会拨出数百万美元，用于支持在11月中期选举中选情告急的共和党候选人。一些高级竞选顾问私下承认，共和党保住参众两院控制权的可能性正在变小。

据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）星期六（8月15日）报道，特朗普的政治团队仍在讨论最终拨款数额。一名知情者透露，首批资金可能为3000万美元（约3839万新元）；另一名官员则称，最终金额尚未确定。

共和党人极为期待的这笔资金将在未来几周注入，作为最后冲刺11月中期选举的第一波行动。

尽管如此，共和党内部普遍担忧，特朗普等了太久才更直接地介入竞选活动。数月来，共和党议员和政治操盘手一直私下为总统不愿动用自己的巨额资金来帮助全国各地候选人而焦虑。

一名消息人士说：“我们还是有机会保住众议院和参议院的控制权。只是就目前而言，我还不能说我们对此持谨慎乐观态度。”

特朗普也在准备加快竞选行程。一名顾问透露，他计划每周至少前往选情胶着的选区一次，举行一系列集会。共和党长期认为，特朗普亲自出面对于激励“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者非常关键，他们的投入对共和党的选举表现至关重要。

另一名顾问则说，国内事务和伊朗战争打乱了特朗普原本更频繁的助选计划。特朗普最近告诉心腹助手，希望增加到各地为共和党候选人站台助选的次数。

不过，这名顾问也坦言，总统的热情可能很快消退。“我们看看能维持多久。他一旦开始到各处竞选，就会想：‘我为什么要这么做？我还有其他事情想做。’”

共和党押注关键摇摆州MAGA选民 重振2024大选基本盘

一名与特朗普关系密切的顾问承认，鉴于总统支持率跌至新低，几乎没人指望他能争取到大量独立选民和摇摆选民，而这些选民曾是他2024年在关键摇摆州获胜的重要因素。相反，共和党人认为，他们11月的命运几乎完全取决于能否动员数以百万计通常不参加中期选举的MAGA支持者投票。

国会共和党领导人长期以来一直认为，中期选举的成败在很大程度上取决于特朗普能否重新凝聚2024年大选时的支持者联盟。他们需要特朗普协助在关键战场动员尽可能多的MAGA基本盘选民，尤其是在密歇根州、俄亥俄州和北卡罗来纳州。这些州有关键的众议院和参议院选举，可能决定明年1月国会由谁控制。

不过，CNN报道，近几个月来，特朗普和共和党并没有采取太多措施来激励基本盘。

特朗普的一些顾问认为，伊朗战争正在严重拖累共和党的选情。即使是总体支持特朗普对伊开战的选民，也不愿忍受一场旷日持久且推高国内物价的冲突。可能持续高企的油价尤其损害特朗普的声望，因为油价上涨象征生活开支越来越难以负担，而许多美国人认为，这一情况在本届政府执政期间已经恶化。

在共和党选情面临越来越大压力之际，特朗普近期却一再暗示，中期选举不是他准备操心的问题。他不仅对美国民众的经济焦虑不以为意，也没有把结束伊朗战争列为优先事项；他把更多精力放在自己关注的项目上，而非共和党的整体议程。

一名顾问指出，特朗普不会介入他认为没有胜算的选举。“他不会为一个输家背书，毁掉自己的政治品牌。”

不过，消息人士也说，特朗普非常清楚，如果民主党在11月赢得众议院或参议院控制权，将对他任期最后两年造成极为负面的影响。

Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where hardship and resilience share quarters

2026-08-16T12:00:29.175Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/16/politics/uss-lincoln-iran-war-life-aboard

I stepped onto the USS Abraham Lincoln on July 7 at the Duqm port in Oman, just as the war with Iran was escalating again. I hadn’t even finished my first walk-through on the aircraft carrier when I learned that Iran hit a third tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and that US Central Command, which is carrying out the Pentagon’s war strategy, was gearing up to respond. I did my first live shot from the flight deck within an hour of boarding. “Your timing is impeccable,” one official messaged me.

What struck me was how little the crisis — which has led to the deaths of 18 US service members since it began in February — registered onboard. The next day was a “no fly day,” giving the crew downtime to reset after their short port visit. In the news while they did: US strikes on Iran from other naval assets, rising rhetoric on both sides as a tentative peace agreement between the US and Iran crumbled. At breakfast at 6 a.m. in the cafeteria (known as the mess deck), top enlisted crew members were remarkably calm. Most hadn’t been following the news, even with Wi-Fi onboard. They’d seen this cycle — escalation, then de-escalation — enough times that this felt routine, not alarming.

I’m writing this because a lot of the recent coverage of the Lincoln has centered on poor conditions and mental health struggles — and those stories are real and they matter. I didn’t get to see every nook and cranny of the ship, or talk to all of the roughly 5,000 crew members, though the Navy allowed us to roam freely for the most part with an escort and talk to whomever we wanted. We also pushed to see as much as we could in the short amount of time that we had.

Three days onboard the Lincoln, and dozens of conversations with sailors — both officers and enlisted — showed me something messier than a single narrative: genuine hardship alongside genuine resilience, sometimes in the same person, sometimes in the same sentence.

CNN recently reported that the Lincoln may break a record for a US carrier’s longest trip away from its home port, a nearly nine-month deployment that has prompted concerns from family members amid reports of instances of suicide ideation and crew members being rescued from the water.

https://www.cnn.com/

Commanding officer explains the mental toll of long deployments on service members

0:53 • Source: CNN

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the conditions aboard have been “completely misrepresented,” while President Donald Trump said last week the deployment has been “not nearly long enough.” That sentiment did not go over well with many of the sailors I’m in touch with, and it’s important to understand the reality is far more complicated than a soundbite.

At breakfast, our table had fresh fruit and vegetables — a recent development from the port visit. Iranian strikes had disrupted the supply chain through Bahrain early in the war, forcing a rationing period that sailors still talked about vividly and, then, a dearth of fresh food for many months. For a stretch, sailors told me, their meals were reduced to tuna mixed with noodles, or corn dogs. Several described losing significant weight.

By the time I arrived, that had eased. Food was plentiful, if not gourmet: 17,000 to 18,000 meals a day, largely from frozen stock, on a 14-day rotation sailors know by heart (“pizza day,” “burger day”), with morale-boosting events like ice cream socials. Young enlisted sailors still wait up to an hour in line for each meal — a grind that wears on people fast. Many told me they were dreaming of their first meal back home: Chinese food, Chipotle, a mother’s homemade bolognese.

One sailor, who messaged me after I left the ship, put it plainly: “Food has slightly increased in edibility, if I was asked a few months ago I would say a lot of people were losing weight due to the food.”

That’s not a five-star review. It’s also not the crisis some coverage has implied — it’s a supply chain that broke, then partially recovered, described honestly by the people living in a ship that has been out to sea in rough conditions.

“Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions,” the Navy said in a statement. “In response, leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail.”

I shared quarters with my photographer and producer in the guest section, below near-constant jet launches. The communal officers’ bathroom I used had hot water but needed a good scrub. Reports from elsewhere on board featured stories about backed-up toilets that, in some cases, were unusable.

The same sailor from above messaged me: “We’ve had black mold around the ship for awhile. It’s crazy to think that you can be just standing in line waiting for chow or even walking out of the shower and the ceiling drips mold onto your face, shoulders, arms, or head.”

I didn’t notice widespread black mold, though I felt drops falling from the ceiling more than once in different parts of the ship. I can’t speak to conditions in enlisted berthing and their bathrooms, which matters. There’s a a real class divide on aircraft carriers, where facilities in the wardroom and officer spaces are different from what’s in the communal enlisted berthing and “racks” below. The same applies to food accommodations.

Navy officials said in a statement that mold on the ship is addressed: “Lincoln does not have chronic problems with mold in showers,” the statement said. “Sailors routinely clean their own bathrooms and showers and replace shower curtains when needed. If mold or grime is noticed, it is addressed very quickly.”

I asked out CNN photojournalist, John Torigoe, what he thought about the conditions during our short stay. He said: “I showered with hot water on demand — it was great with no restrictions on time usage. Yes, I saw mold and old pipes. Was it expected? Absolutely, with the amount of time at sea. I was amazed at how professional these sailors were.”

“Both things are true,” Torigoe said. “The ship shows real wear after months at sea. The sailors running it impressed nearly everyone who spent time with them.” He added he took quick showers, knowing it took nuclear energy to produce hot water.

Our producer, Mick Krever, said there were some plumbing issues that were quickly resolved, and we both agreed it felt claustrophobic at times even on a large ship. The passageways are narrow and I was surprised to learn the younger enlisted sailors typically don’t go out on the flight deck unless it is part of their duties.

One sailor told me in a text message: “it’s hard to explain the loneliness you have on a deployment that’s 9 plus months. Of course you can create new friendships and grow a closer bond with people you work with or get use to being around, but you still somehow feel alone. The best example I can think of to relate to the feeling would be, imagining you are locked in a small room with a bunch of space to walk around in somehow but at the same time, you have zero privacy.”

Morale and uncertainty

Nearly half the crew is in their mid-20s or younger, many on their first or second deployment. Some described low morale, repetitive work and 12-to-16-hour days with almost no time off — “Groundhog Day,” several called it. Others said this deployment felt better than their last simply because they had Wi-Fi. Others talked about the camaraderie, describing the crew as a second family.

What came up again and again wasn’t food, low supplies, mold or slow mail — it was the open-ended extension. Another sailor explained it this way in a message to me:

Leadership told me they’d deliberately avoided setting a firm return date after giving sailors false hope before. That caution is understandable — and it’s also, by their own account, the biggest source of anxiety on the ship.

One sailor reflected the grin-and-bear-it attitude that is common during long military conflicts.

Retired Adm. James Stavridis, who oversaw military operations in Afghanistan, Libya and the Balkans before leaving the Navy in 2013, said certainty of mission helps with morale.

“During the forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan … our Army soldiers deployed into combat, ground combat for 12 months, but they had an end game and they knew that was coming,” he told CNN. “There wasn’t this sense of it just goes on and on like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the mountain.”

Other military experts said the access to Wi-Fi makes it easier for sailors to send their complaints home, in real time, which heightens accountability.

Sailors are indeed using social media in real time to register their complaints directly to Hegseth and reporters like me.

After I left, a sailor jumped overboard wearing a life jacket, then removed it, and his boots,in the water, according to eyewitnesses. He was rescued by helicopter. The Military Times has reported other attempted jumps, based on accounts from family members. Man-overboard incidents aren’t unique to the Lincoln, and mental health struggles have many causes — but this one reads as what it almost certainly was: a sailor in serious distress.

The Navy says there’s no widespread mental health crisis onboard. That may be technically true and still miss the point. In a floating city of 5,000 people, experiences vary enormously by job, age and rank — but some sailors are clearly struggling.

A Navy official told me suicidal ideations typically go up shortly after boarding the ship and then go down as sailors adjust. The official said that trend has been the case on the Lincoln as well. However, I do wonder how many don’t seek help because they may fear repercussions or feel ashamed.

For instance, I reviewed messages from one sailor to another about having to seek suicide counseling after he was found in a room crying, saying he wanted to kill himself.

The Navy does have a variety of mental health resources onboard I saw firsthand, including counselors, a therapy dog named Captain Fathom and chaplains who give a nightly prayer.

We live in a moment in which stories flatten fast — either the ship is a disaster or the coverage is overblown. Neither is accurate. Conditions were bad, then better. Morale is low for some, fine for others, and driven less by mold than by not knowing for so long when they’re coming home.

Now with the USS George Washington on the way to provide relief, I’m told there’s a sense of cautious hope and optimism.

A father I spoke with said his child had positive feedback aboard the ship, but he also had pointed questions about why relief wasn’t faster and how military assets are being used. Is this generation of sailors being adequately prepared for deployments like this one? Why wasn’t there better planning for supply chain disruptions? Why has relief taken this long?

What isn’t in dispute is what these sailors have sacrificed. They deserve answers to those questions. They also deserve better than being reduced to a single storyline.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.