Socialist insurgents eye Midwest gains as Dem civil war threatens must-hold Senate seat

The power of President Donald Trump’s endorsements in GOP primaries faces new tests Tuesday in key nomination battles

August 4, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News

By Paul Steinhauser, Andrew Mark Miller, Luke Trevisan

Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan takes questions from Fox News in the final stretch ahead of Tuesday’s high-stakes primary in the Great Lakes battleground state.

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DETROIT, MI – The high-stakes fight between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party is front-and-center on Tuesday in Michigan’s primary.

Boosted by a string of victories this spring in mostly blue congressional districts across the country, the Democrats’ ideological war moves to the Great Lakes battleground state, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in the midterm elections.

Also at stake as Michigan joins Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington State in holding mid-summer primaries is President Donald Trump’s immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

But taking top billing is Michigan’s divisive and expensive Democratic Senate primary, which is seen as the biggest stage to date in the fierce fight for the future of the Democratic Party.

THE MIDTERM SENATE RACES THAT COULD FLIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402686759112

“This is ground zero in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party pitting status quo corporate Democrats against shake up the system economic fighters, and we’ll see who wins,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, told Fox News Digital.

The primary face-off pits Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director, against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is a must-hold for the Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races from coast to coast that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.

Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, told Fox News Digital the Michigan showdown is “the first time the left is competing for a swing seat” and warned, “the significance is it could really put this seat in jeopardy.”

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018. He has made support for “Medicare-for-all” a major component of his campaign.

The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians.

MIKE ROGERS ARGUES ABDUL EL-SAYED IS ‘A SPECIAL SAUCE OF CRAZY’

And El-Sayed, who is backed by top far-left leaders and teamed with progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on the Michigan campaign trail two weeks ago, and who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

Stevens, who flipped a GOP-held district in her 2018 election to Congress, is backed by top national and Michigan Democrats, including Peters, term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments.

“I am the best Democrat to go forward. I am the only person in this race who has won tough primaries multiple times. You know, running with the Michigan grit, resilience and determination,” Stevens told Fox News Digital on Sunday, as she teamed up with Peters on the campaign trail.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Over $80 million has been spent on the primary showdown, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination race in history. Much of the money has been shelled out by outside groups in support of Stevens and against El-Sayed. The biggest spending comes from United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

El-Sayed, who has repeatedly attacked Stevens over the massive infusion of AIPAC-linked money, told reporters on Sunday, “If you need $70 million to come in here and help get you elected, then the question has to be, are you actually electable on your own terms.”

The winner will face off in the midterms against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glidepath to win the GOP Senate nomination.

The Trump-backed Rogers, who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin, said in a Fox News Digital interview that he doesn’t care whom he faces-off with in November.

“It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve looked at both candidates. We feel confident we’re going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race,” Rogers highlighted.

And Rogers claimed, “They are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan. I mean, Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy.”

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But Democrats are confident they can regroup after a combustible primary.

“Let’s make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate,” Stevens told reporters on Sunday. “After the primary, you’re going to see a united Democratic Party. You are going to see us going full force, full fledged ahead.”

And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, “I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump. We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers.”

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402684489112

The left-wing versus establishment battle is also playing out in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a key Republican-controlled swing seat race that’s among roughly two-dozen that will impact whether the GOP holds onto its fragile House majority.

William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for political action to tackle climate change, is on the rise against two more moderate Democrats. Lawrence is backed by Sanders and El-Sayed, as well as some top progressive groups. The primary winner will face GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.

The party civil war is also on display in Michigan’s deep blue 13th Congressional District.

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

Rep. Shri Thanedar, who is supported by top House Democratic leaders, is being challenged by state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who is backed by Sanders, El-Sayed, and Squad members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

And the ideological warfare is also front-and-center in Missouri, in the state’s St. Louis-based and heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District.

Rep. Wesley Bell is facing off in a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush, a Squad member who Bell ousted in the 2024 primary.

TK(Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Trump’s endorsements are getting tested in two statewide showdowns on Tuesday, in Michigan and Kansas.

The president is backing Rep. John James in Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial primary. James, a West Point graduate and one-time Republican rising star, is facing off against multi-millionaire businessman Perry Johnson, a former gubernatorial and presidential candidate.

The winner will take on likely Democratic nominee and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, in the race to succeed Whitmer.

In Kansas, Trump is supporting state Senate President Ty Masterson in a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial contenders.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited, which makes the race to succeed her a top flip opportunity for the GOP.

In Washington State, the marquee primary showdown is in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a former auto shop co-owner, is facing a crowded field of challengers from both parties.

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Washington state has a top-two primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party, compete on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters move on to the general election.

The race is another crucial House showdown that may decide the chamber’s majority.

In Virginia, voters head to the polls to cast ballots in Senate primaries and in a handful of House primaries in extremely competitive districts that may impact the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News

美伊谈判之际 霍尔木兹海峡货船遭不明飞行物击中

2026年8月4日 18:19 / 联合早报

伊朗继续对霍尔木兹海峡实施有效封锁，并坚持要求船只与伊朗协调通行，且必须沿伊朗海岸线航行。 （路透社档案照片）

在美国与伊朗谈判之际，一枚不明飞行物击中霍尔木兹海峡的一艘货船。

法新社报道，英国海事贸易行动办公室（UKMTO）说，一艘货船星期二（8月4日）清晨在阿曼海岸附近的霍尔木兹海峡遭不明飞行物击中。

UKMTO称，这艘船只未被命名，当局正在进行调查，但未说明船只受损情况及是否有人伤亡。

伊朗继续对霍尔木兹海峡实施有效封锁，并坚持要求船只与伊朗协调通行，且必须沿伊朗海岸线航行。不过，许多船只转而选择走海峡对岸靠近阿曼的南部航线。

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃说，德黑兰正与阿曼首都马斯喀特磋商开辟新航线，但这与重新开放霍尔木兹海峡无关。

特朗普星期一（3日）在白宫警告说，这是伊朗“被斩首前的最后机会”。他称，已应沙特阿拉伯、阿联酋、卡塔尔和其他一些国家的请求，同意继续与伊朗进行谈判。

不过，伊朗外交部否认与华盛顿正在进行谈判，尽管特朗普坚称谈判正在进行。

特朗普称，谈判重点是重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，“明天就能实现”。至于伊朗的无核化问题，他称这可能“需要一些时间”。

他还预计星期二就会知道谈判进展，“无论结果如何”，但他坚称“这并不复杂”。“不管伊朗是否愿意承认，我们实际上是在讨论如何解决他们几十年来造成的问题。”

自2月28日美国和以色列对伊朗发动突袭以来，德黑兰和华盛顿一直处于战争状态。尽管双方此后数月曾达成停火协议和初步共识，但外交努力未能结束这场战争。

Rep. Max Miller faces growing pressure to resign over abuse allegations

2026-08-04T11:21:00.057Z / CNN Politics

By Matthew Lally, CNN

Published 7:21 AM EDT, Tue August 4, 2026

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Rep. Max Miller faces growing pressure to resign over abuse allegations

CNN This Morning

Rep. Max Miller says he will not drop his reelection bid over abuse allegations, as he faces a new lawsuit from a former Trump official.

6:29 • Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/video/max-miller-abuse-allegations-moreno

报告：宇树科技上市后估值料超500亿人民币

2026-08-04 19:43 / 联合早报

8月1日，在中国北京的一家宇树科技门店里，一名儿童坐在宇树G1人形机器人旁，与一台宇树GO2机器人互动。 （路透社）

一份报告指出，中国机器人制造商宇树科技上市后的估值，预计将超过500亿元（人民币，下同，约95亿新元）。

据路透社报道，宇树科技首次公开募股（IPO）的保荐机构中信证券星期二（8月4日）预计，这家总部位于杭州的公司在本月晚些时候上市后的六到12个月内，市值将达到506亿至559亿元。

这份分发给投资者的估值报告，在很大程度上被视为星期三（5日）IPO初步询价前的参考指导。中信证券对宇树科技给出的估值，大约是公司今年预期销售额的20倍、预期利润的80倍。

宇树科技将于星期四（6日）确定IPO发行价，并于星期五（7日）接受投资者申购。

中信证券在报告中指出，宇树科技是一家“全球知名、世界领先的高性能、通用机器人制造商”，公司不仅坚持稳健的研发投资战略，同时在对具身智能生态系统的理解上也确立了领先地位。

宇树科技在人形机器人制造领域正与美国竞争对手特斯拉和波士顿动力展开激烈竞争。宇树科技此次计划筹集42亿元资金，主要用于支持创新与生产。

机器人技术被视为中国的关键战略产业之一，对于北京与华盛顿的科技竞争至关重要。

华盛顿近期将外国制造的先进机器人列入其“涵盖名单”（Covered List），限制其获得在美国销售所需的设备授权。今年6月，美国更将宇树科技及其他几家主要的中国科技企业，列入一份被指援助中国军方的公司名单中。

美伊谈判之际 霍尔木兹海峡货船遭不明飞行物击中

2026年8月4日 18:19 / 联合早报

伊朗继续对霍尔木兹海峡实施有效封锁，并坚持要求船只与伊朗协调通行，且必须沿伊朗海岸线航行。 （路透社档案照片）

在美国与伊朗谈判之际，一枚不明飞行物击中霍尔木兹海峡的一艘货船。

法新社报道，英国海事贸易行动办公室（UKMTO）说，一艘货船星期二（8月4日）清晨在阿曼海岸附近的霍尔木兹海峡遭不明飞行物击中。

UKMTO称，这艘船只未被命名，当局正在进行调查，但未说明船只受损情况及是否有人伤亡。

伊朗继续对霍尔木兹海峡实施有效封锁，并坚持要求船只与伊朗协调通行，且必须沿伊朗海岸线航行。不过，许多船只转而选择走海峡对岸靠近阿曼的南部航线。

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃说，德黑兰正与阿曼首都马斯喀特磋商开辟新航线，但这与重新开放霍尔木兹海峡无关。

特朗普星期一（3日）在白宫警告说，这是伊朗“被斩首前的最后机会”。他称，已应沙特阿拉伯、阿联酋、卡塔尔和其他一些国家的请求，同意继续与伊朗进行谈判。

不过，伊朗外交部否认与华盛顿正在进行谈判，尽管特朗普坚称谈判正在进行。

特朗普称，谈判重点是重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，“明天就能实现”。至于伊朗的无核化问题，他称这可能“需要一些时间”。

他还预计星期二就会知道谈判进展，“无论结果如何”，但他坚称“这并不复杂”。“不管伊朗是否愿意承认，我们实际上是在讨论如何解决他们几十年来造成的问题。”

自2月28日美国和以色列对伊朗发动突袭以来，德黑兰和华盛顿一直处于战争状态。尽管双方此后数月曾达成停火协议和初步共识，但外交努力未能结束这场战争。

波音737 MAX 7历时近10年终获美国监管机构认证

2026年8月4日 18:27 / 联合早报

一架阿拉斯加航空波音737 MAX 9客机星期一（8月3日）飞抵美国洛杉矶国际机场。同日，美国联邦航空管理局正式批准波音737 MAX 7，推动波音股价大幅上涨。 （法新社）

（纽约/华盛顿综合电）美国联邦航空管理局星期一（8月3日）正式批准波音737 MAX 7，为这款首飞逾八年的客机投入商业运营扫清最后监管障碍。

MAX 7是737 MAX系列中最小的机型，也是波音自2018年和2019年两起致命空难，以及2024年阿拉斯加航空客机舱门塞脱落事故以来，首款获得认证的新机型。事故促使美国收紧认证要求，也使审批一再延误。

联邦航空管理局（FAA）说，这项认证历经近10年审查。波音须更新飞行控制软件、机组警报系统，并重新设计发动机防冰系统。为了取得认证，波音完成441次试飞，累计飞行686小时。

波音原计划于2019年开始交付MAX 7，目前正为首批交付做准备。作为启动客户，西南航空预计将在未来几个月让这款飞机投入运营。

Five things to watch in Tuesday’s US primaries

2026-08-04T10:06:24.762Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) – The Democratic Party’s ideological divide faces its biggest test of the 2026 primary season on Tuesday, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed looking to win Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination over center-left U.S. Representative Haley Stevens.

Michigan is one of five states holding primaries along with Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state. Democrats need ​to net four seats to retake the Senate, making Michigan — a state Donald Trump won in 2024 — central to those hopes.

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Here are five things we’re watching:

DEMOCRATS FIGHT THEIR CIVIL WAR IN ‌MICHIGAN

Progressives and democratic socialists have jolted the establishment with primary victories in battleground congressional districts and safe Democratic seats from New York to California.

But the biggest prize — and greatest risk — is Michigan, where El-Sayed, a former unsuccessful candidate for governor, is running against Stevens, a moderate congresswoman who flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018.

Stevens is backed by the Democratic establishment, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and has been the beneficiary of tens of millions of dollars in outside spending by a pro-Israel super PAC.

Progressives, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth ​Warren, have rallied around El-Sayed, whose victory would test the narrative that progressives can’t win in general election battleground districts or states.

Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority. And while Democrats are largely on offense ​in battleground states, they’re defending two seats in states Trump won: Michigan and Georgia. A loss in either state would make a Democratic Senate majority significantly more ⁠challenging.

Recent primary polls show El-Sayed leading Stevens by double digits, but surveys show Stevens is a stronger general election opponent.

Former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, the 2024 Republican Senate nominee who is running unopposed, will enter the general ​election with $4.5 million in his war chest, according to his most recent campaign finance disclosure. He lost the 2024 race by less than a percentage point to Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

DIVIDED MODERATES COULD GET CONQUERED

While Michigan’s Senate race is the state’s ​marquee matchup, the moderate-progressive divide will also play out in a Lansing-area battleground district represented by Republican Tom Barrett.

The three-way Democratic primary features two moderates — former U.S. Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink — and progressive climate activist William Lawrence.

Establishment Democrats would rather see Maasdam or Brink face Barrett in the general election, but there’s concern they could split the center-left primary vote and give Lawrence a path to victory.

Trump won Barrett’s district by 1.3 percentage points in 2024, when Barrett ​won the Democratic-held open seat by nearly 4 percentage points. Democrats need to net three seats in November to win a majority in the House of Representatives.

CORI BUSH’S COMEBACK BID

Former members of Congress have had a mixed ​record this year on comeback attempts, with only four so far advancing in primaries. Several others either suspended their campaigns or lost their primaries.

Next up is Cori Bush, a progressive Missouri Democrat seeking to unseat U.S. Representative Wesley Bell in a ‌rematch of 2024.

A ⁠pro-Israel super PAC spent $8 million to help unseat Bush, a vocal critic of Israel, last cycle. That same super PAC, United Democracy Project, has spent more than $3 million this cycle to keep Bush out of Congress.

The winner is heavily favored to win in November, as the St. Louis-area district is safely Democratic.

CAN THANEDAR WIN A TWO-MAN RACE?

U.S. Representative Shri Thanedar, a wealthy Indian American, was elected to his Detroit-area district in 2022 after prevailing in a crowded open-seat primary. He defeated two Black women in a 2024 primary but has a single opponent this time: Donavan McKinney, a Black state representative backed by several progressive lawmakers, including Sanders and U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

Black ​Michiganders comprise about 45% of the district’s population. Democratic congressional ​leaders — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who ⁠is Black — have endorsed Thanedar’s reelection. McKinney is backed by many members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including former CBC Chair Steven Horsford of Nevada.

McKinney has raised more than $1.3 million, but Thanedar has millions of dollars from his personal wealth to spend. An opinion poll last month sponsored by the progressive group Justice Democrats found Thanedar narrowly ​leading, though respondents favored McKinney by a wider margin after being shown biographies of both candidates.

The winner is expected to win in November.

KANSAS CONSIDERS SUPREME COURT ​REFORM

Voters in Kansas will consider a ⁠referendum that critics warn could lead to the overturning of abortion rights in the state.

In 2022, nearly 60% of voters rejected a constitutional amendment to restrict access to abortion. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the state’s constitution protected Kansans’ decision of whether to continue a pregnancy. The court reaffirmed that right in 2024.

The new referendum would change how state Supreme Court justices are chosen, if successful. Justices are currently selected by a process in which the governor ⁠chooses among three ​finalists selected by a nine-member commission.

The referendum would allow voters to elect justices to six-year terms, with three seats up in 2028, ​two seats up in 2030 and the final two seats up in 2032. Vacancies would be filled by special elections.

Kris Kobach, now the state’s Republican attorney general, said in 2022 that electing justices by popular vote was the next best way to overturn the court’s abortion decision ​after the referendum failed. Kobach said Supreme Court elections would allow the state to “slowly and quietly” put anti-abortion justices on the bench to eventually restrict abortion access.

Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump lashes out as political losses pile up

2026-08-04T08:00:25.734Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/donald-trump-reflecting-pool-save-act-losses

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

President Donald Trump lashed out at oil companies and his own US attorney in the gilded Oval Office on Monday as his spin ran into the real world.

It was more evidence that Trump 2.0 is losing some of its juice.

Oil executives are capitalizing on Trump’s war against Iran and “making too much money,” the president said. He singled out Chevron and warned it to make gasoline cheaper even though, he said, he’s a “big free enterprise guy — nobody bigger.”

Jeanine Pirro, his handpicked US attorney for Washington, DC, “choked,” Trump said, when she about-faced in court papers and admitted it was a botched rehab by the Interior Department and not vandalism that caused setbacks in the renovation of the Reflecting Pool, which Trump has taken on as a pet project. It was he, he said Monday, who had the idea of applying material meant for swimming pools to the 100-plus-year-old landmark.

“She folded like an umbrella,” Trump added of his longtime ally.

CNN reported Monday that he is now considering removing the former Fox News personality from her position.

Pirro’s transgression, in Trump’s eyes, is that she was forced to admit that the narrative he’s pushed in public is not one that can be prosecuted in court.

Trump’s victory to open the week is winning enough support for Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, to be confirmed as attorney general.

But there’s a loss in the fine print of that deal. Blanche, currently acting attorney general, had to officially and permanently squelch the $1.8 billion fund widely seen as a way to pay Trump’s political supporters.

In Trump’s world, the fund — part of a settlement between him and his own Department of Justice — was a way to right wrongs against his allies. Other people saw it as an ethical minefield that would put taxpayer money in the pockets of people Trump previously pardoned.

Blanche’s promise not to pursue the fund wasn’t enough for Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Thillis, who wanted it rescinded in writing.

While CNN reported Monday that the White House was deeply involved in the decision to rescind the settlement, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted that Trump and his lawyers have not signed the document clawing back the agreement. That means Trump or his attorneys could, in theory, sue to have it reinstated.

“For all the drama around this written document from Todd Blanche, it really accomplishes essentially nothing as a legal matter,” he said Monday on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”

Those same two Republicans who insisted on having Blanche kill the settlement in writing have also been vocal in arguing the GOP should move on, for now, from Trump’s voting restrictions bill, which would impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements in addition to voter ID conducted in the states.

For months, Trump has argued the bill is required to address the threat of mass voter fraud. There’s no evidence for that kind of fraud in the real world, as CNN’s Daniel Dale has repeatedly documented, but it remains an animating principle of Trump’s presidency. None of the political pressure from Trump or from the MAGA side of the GOP has created momentum to get enough votes for the legislation. And there wouldn’t be enough time to implement it before the midterm elections.

Neither Tillis nor Cornyn will be on the ballot in November. Tillis, a longtime but selective Trump critic, is not running for reelection. His North Carolina seat is considered a strong pickup opportunity for Democrats by political handicappers.

Cornyn lost a primary election runoff against a more MAGA opponent who won Trump’s late endorsement. Democrats are salivating over the prospect of making Texas competitive this year.

A pause on handing more power to Trump’s political appointees

Another Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, slipped language into a spending bill unveiled by Republican leaders to block, for now, a rule proposed by Trump’s Office of Management and Budget that would give political appointees, rather than subject experts, more power over federal grants. Collins, the only Republican running for reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, is locked in a tight reelection battle.

Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating is dipping to record lows — about one-third of Americans approved of his job as president in a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS and released last week. The last time a US president drew approval that low was at the tail end of Trump’s first term, after the storming of the Capitol by his supporters in January 2021.

Two major drags on his popularity have been his handling of the economy and the war he launched on Iran. In Trump’s telling, the war would last at most a couple of months and the US would have more control over worldwide oil markets as a result.

Things have not worked out that way. Instead, despite Trump’s repeated claims that Iran wants badly to negotiate an end to the war, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and the status of talks is unclear.

Disruptions to oil from the Middle East, paired with the opening of markets in Venezuela thanks to Trump’s order to snatch then-President Nicolás Maduro from his bed, have created a situation where US oil companies are benefiting more than they have since the 2022 inflation crisis.

For those who need their memories jogged, the Biden administration’s refusal or inability to acknowledge the economic pain Americans were feeling then sapped much of the juice from Joe Biden’s presidency.

波音737 MAX 7历时近10年终获美国监管机构认证

2026年8月4日 18:27 / 联合早报

一架阿拉斯加航空波音737 MAX 9客机星期一（8月3日）飞抵美国洛杉矶国际机场。同日，美国联邦航空管理局正式批准波音737 MAX 7，推动波音股价大幅上涨。 （法新社）

（纽约/华盛顿综合电）美国联邦航空管理局星期一（8月3日）正式批准波音737 MAX 7，为这款首飞逾八年的客机投入商业运营扫清最后监管障碍。

MAX 7是737 MAX系列中最小的机型，也是波音自2018年和2019年两起致命空难，以及2024年阿拉斯加航空客机舱门塞脱落事故以来，首款获得认证的新机型。事故促使美国收紧认证要求，也使审批一再延误。

联邦航空管理局（FAA）说，这项认证历经近10年审查。波音须更新飞行控制软件、机组警报系统，并重新设计发动机防冰系统。为了取得认证，波音完成441次试飞，累计飞行686小时。

波音原计划于2019年开始交付MAX 7，目前正为首批交付做准备。作为启动客户，西南航空预计将在未来几个月让这款飞机投入运营。

黑海两艘船遭无人机袭击 土耳其促俄乌保障航行安全

2026年8月4日 18:31 / 联合早报

土耳其外交部星期二（8月4日）称，两艘船只于星期一（3日）晚间离开俄罗斯新罗西斯克港后遭到袭击，多人受伤。 （路透社）

土耳其官员说，两艘民用船只在黑海遭到无人机袭击，造成船员受伤。

法新社报道，土耳其外交部星期二（8月4日）称，这两艘船只于星期一（3日）晚间离开俄罗斯新罗西斯克港后遭到袭击，多人受伤，“他们的状况正受到密切关注”。

外交部说：“我们对俄乌在黑海不断升级的冲突深表关切，尽管我们已多次发出警告，但冲突仍在影响民用航运。”

土耳其外交部呼吁，各方“紧急采取具体措施，确保黑海航行安全”，并警告称食品供应可能受到影响。

据监测网站MarineTraffic显示，这两艘被土耳其外交部确认为“亚沙尔号”和“娜杰日达号”的船只分别悬挂巴拿马国旗和喀麦隆国旗，但都属于土耳其公司所有。

俄罗斯和乌克兰已连续数周加大对货船的袭击力度。

6月下旬，一艘土耳其渔船在克里米亚海岸附近的黑海海域遭到袭击，造成一人死亡，四人受伤。

5月底，土耳其曾警告称，在一艘土耳其货船遭到无人机袭击后，黑海地区局势可能出现“失控升级”。乌克兰海军则声称，发动袭击的是一架俄罗斯无人机。