澳研究人员用干细胞培育出人类心脏瓣膜组织

2026年8月18日 18:27 / 联合早报

心脏瓣膜疾病影响全球约2800万人，可由发育异常、感染、与年龄相关的退化等因素引起。 （档案示意图）

澳大利亚研究人员日前利用干细胞在实验室培育出人类心脏瓣膜组织，可用于研究心脏瓣膜的发育和病变过程，并测试相关疾病的治疗方法。

新华社报道，澳大利亚默多克儿童研究所发布消息说，由该机构牵头的研究团队培育出的组织能够再现人类心脏瓣膜的分子特征和复杂结构。研究团队成员霍莉·福格斯说，这项成果解决了心脏瓣膜生物学研究中的一项重要难题。此次培育出的组织有助于研究心脏瓣膜如何发育、成熟并发生病变，也可用于在实验室中测试潜在治疗方法。

研究人员还用培育出的组织开展了炎症性瓣膜疾病相关测试。实验显示，当培育出的组织接触与风湿性心脏病相关的炎症蛋白后，组织变得僵硬，并出现与患病人类心脏瓣膜相符的生物标志物。

心脏瓣膜疾病影响全球约2800万人，可由发育异常、感染、与年龄相关的退化等因素引起。目前尚无能够逆转瓣膜损伤的治疗方法，许多患者需要接受心脏瓣膜置换手术。儿童患者可能一生中需要接受多次手术。

默多克儿童研究所教授恩佐·波雷洛说，这项技术未来有望用于开发利用干细胞培育的、能够随患者生长并适应身体变化的替代心脏瓣膜。

研究成果已发表在美国《细胞－干细胞》杂志上。

Florida voters choose in governor, Senate primaries and more races to watch today

August 18, 2026 / 6:37 AM EDT / CBS News

By

Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

Read Full Bio

Three states are holding primaries on Tuesday, with Florida deciding its nominees for both governor and for Senate. In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan is facing several competitors — including one who shares his name — in the nonpartisan top-four primary.

Floridians will also be voting in primaries in new congressional districts after GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through new district boundaries to give Republicans an advantage in 24 of the state’s 28 districts.

Here are the major races to watch today:

Florida governor

Florida hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since 1994 and DeSantis is prevented from running again due to term limits. In 2018, DeSantis won by less than a single point. By 2022, he won by 20 points — transforming Florida from being seen as a swing state to being solidly Republican.

Rep. Byron Donalds, first elected in 2020 to represent Naples, Fort Myers and the surrounding area, is backed by President Trump and has long branded himself as a “Make America Great Again” member of the House. He is a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus and in 2023, challenged Kevin McCarthy in the race to become speaker, forcing 15 rounds of voting. Donalds also put his name in the bid to replace McCarthy 10 months later when he was ousted from the speakership.

In addition to Mr. Trump’s backing, Donalds has amassed a significant war chest, having raised $90 million so far. He has also held a commanding lead in polls.

There are 10 other Republicans seeking the nomination, with Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and far-right activist James Fishback as the leading challengers to Donalds. While DeSantis has not endorsed in the race, Collins has branded himself as “DeSantis-appointed,” but it’s likely a race for second place given Donalds’ lead.

Collins tried earlier this summer to get Fishback booted from the ballot, alleging Fishback had not met the state’s seven-year minimum residency requirement. The case was ultimately thrown out by a judge.

Fishback, a 31-year-old Florida native, has gained momentum among young men in the inflammatory alt-right “groyper” movement online and has support of white nationalist Nick Fuentes as well as Tucker Carlson. Fishback has taunted Donalds with racist comments, calling him a “slave to donors,” a “token Black” in Congress and accusing him of wanting to turn Florida into a “Section 8 ghetto.”

As the well-funded front-runner, Donalds generally does not acknowledge Fishback’s comments. Fishback has raised little money and does not stand much of a chance of succeeding on Tuesday, but he has pushed white nationalism into the governor’s race and caused a splinter in the GOP.

Across the aisle, there are six Democrats seeking the nomination on Tuesday, with former Republican Rep. David Jolly as the front-runner. Jolly represented the St. Petersburg area from 2014 to 2016, and is the second prominent Republican-turned-Democrat to run for governor in Florida in two cycles. In 2022, former Gov. Charlie Crist — who served as a Republican as governor before becoming a Democrat and defeating Jolly in the 2016 election — lost to DeSantis by nearly 20 points. Crist is now running for St. Petersburg mayor.

Florida Senate race

When Marco Rubio became secretary of state, DeSantis appointed Ashley Moodyto his Senate seat, and she is now running to serve out the remainder of his term. Moody was elected the state’s attorney general twice, defeating her Democratic challenger in 2022 by more than 20 points.

Moody faces three Republican challengers on Tuesday, although she is expected to win the nomination.

Democrats Alex Vindman and Angie Nixon are duking it out for the Democratic nomination. Vindman, a retired lieutenant colonel, served on the National Security Council as an expert on Ukraine during Mr. Trump’s first term. He became a key witness in Mr. Trump’s first impeachment, testifying he heard Mr. Trump on a phone call pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden. Vindman was later forced out at the NSC. His brother, Eugene, who also reported the phone call as being improper, was elected to Congress in 2024 from Virginia.

Nixon, a state representative from Jacksonville, led the Democratic protest against DeSantis’ new congressional map. A labor organizer, she is touting her progressive support, including from unions and progressive Rep. Maxwell Frost, who represents the Orlando area.

Florida House

Earlier this year, DeSantis pushed through a new congressional map to favor Republicans in four more districts after the Supreme Court decision that narrowed the section of the Voting Rights Act that required the creation of majority Black voting districts in some states. Rep. Darren Soto’s district, which was protected by the Voting Rights Act, was redrawn to become more favorable to Republicans.

Soto is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, and seven Republicans are running on Tuesday to take him on. Republican Thomas Chalifoux Jr., Soto’s challenger in 2024 who won more than 40% of the vote under the old lines, is running again, as is Marcus Carter, who ran in 2024 on the general election ballot as an NPA candidate. Republican Dan Green, who worked in the first Trump administration, is touting his ties to the president. He has been endorsed by seven members of Congress, although none from Florida.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s current district was also affected. She’s now running in the neighboring 20th District, which is still a majority Black district and has been represented by a Black representative since the 1980s. Wasserman Schultz was sharply criticized by Black community leaders and the other four candidates, who are all African American, for running in this district.

The seat is currently vacant after former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned earlier this year moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to determine whether she should be sanctioned for allegations of theft and other misconduct. But despite resigning less than six months ago, Cherfilus-McCormick is running again this year. There are three other candidates: Luther Campbell, Dale Holness and Elijah Manly.

Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s district was also redrawn to favor Republicans. Moskowitz faces a challenger to the left, Oliver Larkin, a democratic socialist. Younger and usually progressive challengers have pulled off upsets in New York, Colorado and Connecticut, and Larkin has cast Moskowitz as being pro-Israel and being tied to AIPAC. Florida’s 25th District has one of the heaviest concentrations of Jewish voters in the country.

Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who represents the 7th District in central Florida, has three GOP primary challengers. Millsfaces a House Ethics Committee probe for allegations related to federal contracting violations, stolen valor and assault. He has been accused of assault by a woman who filed a police report last year, and a former girlfriend filed a restraining order against him. He has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.

Two Republicans in Florida’s House delegation have endorsed Mills’ challenger, Ryan Elijah, a former local television anchor. There have also been calls for him to be censured or even expelled by other members of Congress, especially in the wake of several high-profile accusations of misconduct in the House.

Alaska Senate race

Democrats have to flip four seats to take control of the Senate, in addition to holding all their current seats. Although Alaska hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 2009, Democrats believe Alaska could be a long-shot target in the right political environment.

Former Rep. Mary Peltola has opted to take on incumbent two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Alaska has nonpartisan primaries, so the top four finishers in Tuesday’s primary will be on the ballot in November.

Peltola won a surprise victory in a special election to represent Alaska’s at-large congressional district in 2022 and won a full term that November, but she lost to Republican Nick Begich in 2024. Mr. Trump won Alaska by 13 points in that election.

There are 13 candidates on the ballot on Tuesday, and there is another candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, whom the Alaska Division of Elections attempted to take off the ballot earlier this summer. The Alaska Supreme Court determined that Daniel J. Sullivan can appear on the ballot, saying his candidacy appears to be in good faith. On Friday, Mr. Trump accused Democrats of trying to “trick” Alaska voters, since Daniel J. Sullivan is also on the ballot as a Republican.

The money raised in the race shows the front-runners: Peltola has raised more than $18 million so far, while the incumbent Sen. Sullivan has brought in more than $11 million. The other Daniel J. Sullivan has raised $18,000.

Despite the large sums already raised by Peltola, her campaign has raised some eyebrows in the past week. Former Vice President Kamala Harris sent around a fundraising email for Peltola, but her campaign told national media that they had not approved the fundraising pitch as she seeks to distinguish herself as an independent.

Wyoming

One-term Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis is not running for reelection, leaving open one of the safest GOP seats in the country. Mr. Trump has endorsed Harriet Hageman, whom he also backed to unseat former Rep. Liz Cheney in 2022 for the state’s at-large House seat.

Hageman is facing four other primary candidates. There are also two Democrats vying to take on the winner of the GOP race.

With Hageman vacating her seat, nine Republicans are vying for the GOP nomination and two Democrats are competing for their nomination.

Who is Trump’s close aide, Natalie Harp?

7:41 AM EDT, Tue August 18, 2026 / By Jillian Ward, CNN

Who is Trump’s close aide, Natalie Harp?

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for reelection in November, took a swing at Natalie Harp, President Donald Trump’s executive assistant. CNN’s Betsy Klein explains who Harp is and how her relationship with the president has evolved over the years.

1:46 • Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/18/politics/video/who-is-trumps-close-aide-natalie-harp-digvid

Trump endorses replacement GOP nominee Jennifer Balkcom after Chuck Edwards ends re-election bid

“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Jennifer Balkcom … ” President Trump said on Truth Social

August 18, 2026 6:06am EDT / Fox News

By Alex Nitzberg

President Donald Trump has endorsed North Carolina state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, the new Republican nominee for the state’s 11th Congressional District.

Balkcom was tapped to run this month after Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., dropped his re-election bid.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Jennifer Balkcom, who is running to represent the wonderful people of North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District!” Trump declared in part of a Monday Truth Social post.

REPLACEMENT GOP NOMINEE NAMED AFTER REP CHUCK EDWARDS DROPS RE-ELECTION BID

North Carolina state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom.(North Carolina General Assembly website)

Balkcom thanked the president in a post on X.

“THANK YOU, President Trump! I’m incredibly grateful for your support, and I’m proud to stand and fight for the people of Western North Carolina. In Congress, I’ll work with you to continue rebuilding WNC after Helene, deliver real results for our communities, and fight to make life more affordable for hardworking families. I’m ready to get to work,” she wrote, adding an American flag emoji.

Trump had endorsed Edwards for re-election before the lawmaker decisively won the March 3 Republican primary in the state’s 11th Congressional District, but the congressman announced on Aug. 5 that he was ending his re-election run.

GOP REP CHUCK EDWARDS DROPS RE-ELECTION BID AFTER HOUSE ETHICS REPORT RECOMMENDS CENSURE

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026 in Garden City, N.Y.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Edwards made the announcement in the wake of the House Committee on Ethics releasing a report about him recommending censure.

The report states that the committee found that the congressman “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”

GOP LAWMAKER’S GIFTS, ‘EFFUSIVE AFFECTION’ TOWARD YOUNG STAFFERS DETAILED IN EXPLOSIVE ETHICS REPORT

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., leaves the Capitol Hill Club after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“While Representative Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such, including providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, sending notes regarding his effusive affection, and inviting them to other activities as a way to spend time together,” the report stated.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

气候灾害损失激增 欧洲政府恐承担更多账单

2026年8月18日 18:32 / 联合早报

8月16日，消防直升机在希腊爱琴海斯基罗斯岛森林上空洒水灭火。希腊自7月底以来接连发生多起严重野火，异常强风加剧火势。 （法新社）

欧洲极端天气日益频繁，气候灾害造成的经济损失却大多没有保险覆盖，意味着越来越多重建成本最终可能由政府埋单。

分析指出，在欧洲各国本已面对国防开支增加、人口老龄化和财政赤字压力之际，气候损失正从偶发支出逐渐变成长期财政负担。

路透社报道，欧洲环境署数据显示，1980年至2024年，欧盟因天气和气候相关极端事件蒙受约8220亿欧元（约1.21万亿新元）经济损失，其中四分之一发生在最近四年。

今年欧洲西南部野火、2024年西班牙严重洪灾，以及2021年德国和邻国洪灾，都凸显这一风险。

惠誉西欧主权评级主管巴里加－萨拉萨尔说，问题在于这类灾害正变得越来越频繁。过去，各国政府通常把灾后开支视为一次性的财政冲击，但如果灾害反复发生，就可能迫使财政吃紧的政府在其他支出项目之间作出取舍。

西班牙2024年发生欧洲50年来最严重洪灾。惠誉估计，相关重建成本在2024年至2026年间相当于西班牙国内生产总值（GDP）的0.7个百分点。

更大的隐忧是保险覆盖不足。欧盟估计，目前只有约四分之一与气候灾害有关的损失获得保险赔偿，一些国家的覆盖率甚至低于5%。随着极端天气越来越频繁，市场人士担心保险公司可能进一步收紧承保条件，使政府承担更多风险。

智库布鲁盖尔指出，2021年洪灾发生后，比利时大部分损失由保险承担，但德国保险覆盖率较低，政府最终须动用约300亿欧元公共资金支付大部分灾后开支。

一些欧洲国家已开始寻找解决办法。希腊正研究扩大保险覆盖，并加强旅游热点地区的供水和能源基础设施；葡萄牙则在今年初发生严重洪灾后，宣布计划推行强制住宅保险，同时设立自然灾害和地震基金。

欧洲央行也建议建立欧盟层级的公私营再保险机制，由私人保险共同分担自然灾害风险，并配合欧盟公共灾害融资基金。

专家认为，与其不断在灾后拨出紧急资金，各国更应提前投资于防洪、耐热、基础设施等适应措施。否则，连续灾害可能推高政府债务，反过来压缩未来用于防灾的资金，形成恶性循环。

西班牙首相桑切斯曾指出，相当于GDP 0.1%的绿色投资，可避免规模高达八倍的经济损失。

欧盟委员会预计今年底前推出一揽子措施，缩小气候灾害保险缺口。随着欧洲气候持续变暖，如何在灾前投入更多资金，与灾后由公共财政承担更大损失之间作出选择，正成为各国政府越来越难回避的财政课题。

Abdul El-Sayed is a problem for Democrats. Republicans appear to have more problems

2026-08-18T10:00:29.129Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/18/politics/republican-senate-candidates-unpopularity

A new poll last week confirmed the Democratic establishment’s fears that Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed could hurt its hopes of winning the chamber’s majority.

The Fox News poll showed his personal image 13 points underwater among registered voters — 42% favorable to 55% unfavorable as he ran about even with his GOP opponent in a head-to-head matchup, trailing narrowly.

But while El-Sayed’s potential drag on the Democratic ticket has gotten lots of attention, he is very much the exception for the party.

In fact, it’s Republican candidates who have the popularity problem in a number of key races.

And of all the crucial Senate races, Michigan is the only one in which Democrats have the more unpopular candidate, according to averages of the quality polls available. In all the others, it’s the GOP.

In both Maine and Texas, the averages of recent polls show both Sen. Susan Collins and state Attorney General Ken Paxton 12 points underwater — i.e., with more people viewing those Republicans unfavorably than favorably. That’s similar to where El-Sayed was in the Fox poll.

All told, across the eight races that are most likely to determine the Senate majority, the GOP standard-bearer has a net-positive average image rating in just one race — Alaska — while every Democratic candidate except El-Sayed is in positive territory.

And in seven of those eight races, the Democratic nominee polls more popularly by between 8 and 24 points.

The biggest gaps come in Georgia and Iowa, where both the Democratic nominees — Sen. Jon Ossoff and state Sen. Josh Turek — poll well. Each of their favorable ratings is at least 20 points better than their unfavorable ratings, on average. (In Turek’s case, he’s less well-known, but very few people seem to dislike him.)

Their GOP opponents — Reps. Mike Collins and Ashley Hinson, respectively — have middling personal image ratings.

Democrats also have a big edge in Texas, where state Rep. James Talarico is 5 points above water, compared with Paxton’s 12 points — a gap of 17 points.

In Maine, Democratic former state Senate President Troy Jackson is plus-3, for a 15-point gap in personal image ratings. And Collins’ minus-12 net image rating would seem a significant problem, given she’s a Republican running in a blue-leaning state. (Usually, the politicians who win in states that are unfriendly for their side tend to be broadly popular.)

Notably, about as many registered voters in Maine were “extremely” or “very” concerned that Collins voted with President Donald Trump too often (55%) in a Fox poll in that state as were “extremely” or “very” concerned that El-Sayed’s issue positions are too extreme (54%) in the Michigan Fox poll.

In North Carolina, Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper is 14 points positive to former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley’s minus-1, which is a 15-point gap.

In Ohio, Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown is above water by 4 points, while appointed GOP Sen. Jon Husted is 5 points underwater — a 9-point gap.

In Alaska, Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola is plus-9 to GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan’s plus-1 image rating — an 8-point gap.

And even in Michigan, El-Sayed isn’t the only one who’s unpopular. Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers is too — just less so, at minus-6 in the Fox poll.

Across the eight states, the Democratic nominee’s image is 8 points positive on average, while the Republican’s is 5 points negative. And that includes Michigan.

A big question is how much that’s a reflection of the candidates themselves versus the national environment. Voters are clearly frustrated with Trump, and that could filter down to the Republicans (like Susan Collins) who are viewed as his enablers.

But that explains only so much. The Democratic Party is not exactly popular right now — indeed, it’s about as unpopular as the GOP — and yet its nominees in some key races appear likable to voters. That suggests some solid recruiting and, in the cases of Turek and Talarico, shepherding of their candidates through competitive primaries.

It’s possible that Democrats will need El-Sayed to win to have a shot at the Senate majority; that’s how tough this year’s map is for the party. And that’s a big reason there has been such consternation about nominating him.

But it’s certainly not the full picture of the battle for the Senate.

美资助菲国新海上监控中心 中国强调合作不应损害第三方利益

2026-08-18 17:03 / 联合早报

美国驻菲律宾大使馆称，美国已资助在菲国设立的新海上监控中心，这个中心将收集菲国渔民关于非法捕鱼和可疑船只活动的实时报告后，中国外交部强调美菲两国正常合作不应损害第三方的利益。

据《菲律宾星报》报道，美国驻菲使馆上星期四（8月13日）宣布上述信息。这个监控中心位于菲律宾巴拉望，名为社区非法、未报告和无管制捕鱼举报中心，并于上月30日在巴拉望可持续发展委员会的合作下成立。

美国驻菲使馆也在官网上说，使馆通过“渔业权利项目”（Fish Right Project），与巴拉望可持续发展委员会合作启动这个举报中心。

《菲律宾星报》也报道，“渔业权利”计划2018年启动，最初是美国国际开发署（USAID）的一项倡议，重点关注海洋生物多样性、可持续海鲜供应和社区渔业管理。

不过，在美国总统特朗普2025年1月发出冻结和审查所有对外援助的指示后，“渔业权利”计划从现已解散的美国国际开发署转移到美国国务院。

中国外交部发言人林剑星期二（18日）在例行记者会上回应相关提问时说，将密切关注有关情况。

林剑说，中国一贯认为，国与国之间开展交流合作，应当有助于增进地区国家间的相互理解与信任，有利于促进地区的和平稳定。中国不反对美菲开展正常合作，但有关合作不应针对第三方或损害第三方的利益。

Why states fought to present a united case against Meta over youth social media harms

2026-08-18T10:09:04.968Z / Reuters

Paul Schmidt, an attorney representing Meta, and Meta’s defense team leave the federal courthouse where a trial over allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children takes place, in Oakland, California, U.S., August 12, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo

[1/3]Paul Schmidt, an attorney representing Meta, and Meta’s defense team leave the federal courthouse where a trial over allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children takes place, in Oakland, California, U.S., August 12, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 18 (Reuters) – As opening statements get underway in a landmark trial over claims that Meta Platforms

META.O, opens new tab
misled the public about the safety of Instagram and Facebook for young users and violated child privacy laws, one of the biggest fights in the case has already been resolved: whether a bipartisan group of ​U.S. states could present their claims together.

The states pushed for a single trial covering state consumer protection and federal privacy claims brought ‌by 29 attorneys general, while Meta argued for a series of smaller trials grouping states that have similar laws.

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The fight was about more than courtroom logistics. The states argued that the case centers on company-wide decisions affecting young users across the country and seeks nationwide changes to Meta’s platforms, and that jurors should hear a single story about Meta’s actions. Meta countered that ​jurors should evaluate states’ claims separately because the underlying laws differ and warned that a combined proceeding could blur important distinctions among the claims.

Ultimately, ​U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers adopted a hybrid approach for the multi-week trial, allowing Colorado, California, Kentucky and New ⁠Jersey to try their state law claims together, while also including the federal law claims brought by all of the states. Although Rogers will decide the case, ​she appointed an advisory jury whose findings may inform her final ruling.

The trial’s outcome could help guide how the remaining states’ claims are resolved, reshape how Facebook and Instagram ​operate, and force Meta to pay billions of dollars in penalties.

Meta has called the allegations unsubstantiated and said it stands by its work to protect teen users of its platforms.

‘A PROJECTION OF UNITY’

Legal experts said in a case against a company as well-capitalized as Meta, a multistate coalition gives the states the ability to pool resources and share expertise, and it may ​improve their credibility with the jury and the judge. They said attorneys general have used the strategy repeatedly in cases against the tobacco and opioid industries to ​strengthen their bargaining power and to present evidence of conduct that allegedly affected consumers across the country.

“A jury will see all these states banding together to do this, and that ‌presents kind ⁠of like a projection of unity,” said Prentiss Cox, a former assistant state attorney general in Minnesota who is now a law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. “Elected officials on different sides of a partisan world can agree that this is a problem that needs solving.”

The states’ lawsuit, which was filed in 2023, stems from a multistate investigation into Instagram and Facebook’s impact on young users. The states generally allege that Meta knowingly designed features in Instagram and Facebook to ​hook young users while assuring the public ​that the platforms were safe, conduct ⁠they argue violated state consumer protection laws.

A large portion of the states are also suing under a federal law, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, claiming Meta failed to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from young users.

In pushing for ​smaller trials, Meta argued that a combined proceeding would require jurors to understand the different legal standards for each ​state claim, making it ⁠harder to fairly evaluate each one. The company also said it planned to defend against the claims with state-specific evidence, an approach it argued would be more difficult in a larger consolidated trial.

“The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement ahead of trial. “Rather than sticking to ⁠the facts ​or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell ​Coleman called the case the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history.

“AGs are in the perfect position to get this done,” Coleman said in a statement. “We did it with the Tobacco Settlement in the ​1990s. We did it with the companies behind the opioid crisis. We’ll do it again with Meta.”

Reporting by Diana Novak Jones, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Nia Williams

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Diana reports on product liability, litigation, mass torts and the plaintiffs’ bar. She previously worked at Law360 and the Chicago Sun-Times.

U.S., Canada in last-minute talks to head off steep new U.S. tariffs

2026-08-18T07:28:23-0400 / CBS News

Washington— The United States and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other interminably over sore spots like Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada’s protected dairy market.

Somehow, the two neighbors still managed to remain friends, allies and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border is undefended, and nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion dollars’ worth of goods cross it every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

But a belligerent approach by President Trump to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Mr. Trump has hit Canadian goods with tariffs – in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States – and has repeatedly made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state.

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel the U.S. ambassador, a Trump ally, has collected nearly 218,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses Ambassador Pete Hoekstra of having “normalized” Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing Canada, among other things.

Tension could hit new heights at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if Mr. Trump goes ahead with his plan to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.

As the deadline approaches, the two countries are seeking a truce that would avoid the new round of tariffs.

″We are negotiating,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday, speaking in French. “The negotiations are very intense and delicate. This is not the time to talk about negotiations in public.”

President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in undated photos. CBS News

Mr. Trump has had a tense relationship with Canada due to trade,NATO, a dispute over aDetroit-area bridgeand his threats to make Canada the U.S.’ 51st state.

The Trump administration’s tariffs on goods from Canada — thesecond-largestU.S. trading partner —currently standat 10%, though most Canadian imports areexemptbecause they comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal signed during Mr. Trump’s first term.

Nearly 72% of Canadian goods exported last year went to the United States. And the Trump administration might be wary of imposing a hefty new tariff – paid by U.S. importers who try to pass along the cost to consumers via higher prices – ahead of November’s midterm elections. American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.

“I don’t think either side really wants these tariffs to come into effect,” said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official. “There’s a pretty strong push on both sides to find an off ramp here.”

What the two sides are seeking

Majerus said the United States is aiming to get Canada to buy more U.S. military equipment, including F-35 fighters; to take part in Mr. Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense; and to give the United States more access to critical minerals, thereby reducing America’s reliance on tenuous supplies from geopolitical rival China.

The Canadians would like relief from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as softwood lumber, which America says receives unfair government subsidies.

Mr. Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda. Last year, he imposed double-digit import taxes on almost every country on Earth, justifying them by declaring the longstanding U.S. trade deficit a national emergency. The Supreme Court in February ruled that he’d overstepped his authority, striking down those tariffs and setting the stage for the federal government to pay refunds to importers.

Mr. Trump immediately looked for other ways to rebuild his tariff wall. Last month, he imposed import taxes of 10% to 12.5% on 59 countries and the European Union – which together account for 99% of U.S. imports – for allegedly failing to have or to enforce restrictions on imports made from forced labor.

Depression-era measure instituted

Then he reached back to the Great Depression to find a cudgel with which to whack Canada, one of his favorite targets.

Mr. Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose 50% tariffs on products that account for about 5% of Canadian exports to the United States.

Nearly a century ago, with the U.S. and world economies in collapse, Congress passed the 1930 tariff law imposing hefty taxes on imports from around the world. Known as the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, for their congressional sponsors, they are notorious among economists and historians for limiting world commerce and making the Great Depression worse.

Section 338 tariffs have never been used before. U.S. trade negotiators traditionally have favored another tool, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 – the provision Mr. Trump invoked for last month’s forced-labor tariffs.

Section 338 authorizes the president to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses. Unlike Section 301 sanctions, no investigation is required. Nor is there any limit on how long the tariffs can stay in place.

In announcing the Section 338 tariffs, Mr. Trump claimed Canada discriminates against American exports of autos, alcohol and cheese. The president is angry because Canada and China were the only countries that punched back with retaliatory tariffs when he slapped levies on their products last year.

“If a country retaliates against us, we’re obviously not going to tolerate that,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters Friday at the Iowa State Fair. “We’ll take action. My sense is the Canadians, they want to have a more conciliatory approach, but we’ll see.”

The U.S. is renegotiating the North American trade pact – the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement – that Mr. Trump strong-armed America’s neighbors into accepting in his first term. The threat of Section 338 tariffs gives the United States leverage to seek fresh concessions from Ottawa.

“From Carney’s perspective, you need (USMCA) to be renegotiated,” said Christopher Gundermann, a fellow in the economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “You can’t renegotiate it with a massive trade war going on.”

But the Canadian public’s furor over Mr. Trump’s policies may limit Carney’s ability to cut a deal. Canada could retaliate again if the new 50% tariffs take effect, potentially aggravating a trade fight.

Canada’s government “cannot look like it is simply caving to the Trump administration’s demands,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. “Making further concessions without getting something meaningful in exchange would probably lead to a strong backlash … The risk is for the Carney government to make Canada look weak and, therefore, even more vulnerable to future trade and geopolitical bullying on the part of the Trump administration.”

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister for U.S. trade, met with Greer on Monday. He was tight-lipped afterward.

“The work is continuing,” he said. “We continue do our job.”

美国承诺：哈马斯缴械前不逼迫以军撤离加沙

2026年8月18日 19:52 / 联合早报

以色列与哈马斯的战斗仍持续，和平前景不容乐观。图为本月16日加沙南部汗尤尼斯遭以军轰炸后的情况，加沙难民只能无助地看着家园反复被摧毁。 （路透社）

（耶路撒冷综合电）美国向以色列承诺，在哈马斯解除武装前，不会逼迫以军撤离加沙或者对加沙进行重建。美方的最新立场，与哈马斯始终坚持以色列撤出加沙是先决条件的原则相互矛盾，让加沙和平协议的谈判再次蒙上阴影。

美国中东特使、总统特朗普的女婿库什纳周一（8月17日）在耶路撒冷与以色列总理内坦亚胡会面，向以色列作出上述承诺。当天参与会见的，还有和平委员会官员。以色列高级官员会后透露，内坦亚胡和库什纳也达致共识，在哈马斯解除武装之前不启动加沙的重建工作。

官员还说，双方商定，“实现加沙非军事化的第一步，就是要哈马斯交出武器，并在美方将领的监督下将武器销毁”。

美方表达的这一立场，或会削弱加沙达成和平协议的希望。因为哈马斯一直坚持以军必须先撤离加沙，料不会接受美以的最新安排。

不过，库什纳周一接受福克斯新闻台采访称，加沙和平谈判有望在一个月内取得进展。“我们可能最快在30天内就看到进展，希望到时能够开始清除部分武器，并在接下来60到90天内填埋部分地道”。

库什纳还说，一旦威胁迫在眉睫，美方不会限制以色列的自卫权。

由特朗普主导成立的和平委员会上月底公布15点和平计划，要求哈马斯解除武装，以色列分阶段从加沙撤军。内坦亚胡随后在本月9日宣布拒绝接受加沙和平计划，表明在哈马斯解除武装前，以军绝不撤出加沙地带。