标签： North America

Six months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s broad “Liberation Day” import tariffs as unlawful, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has disbursed $100 billion (equivalent to £78 billion) in tariff refunds to affected importing businesses, according to recent official court filings. This payout accounts for approximately 60 percent of the total tariff revenue the federal government collected under the contested policy.\n\nDespite the large-scale repayment to date, roughly $30.6 billion in outstanding refunds have yet to reach eligible importers. Of this unpaid sum, close to $29 billion is still going through routine review by U.S. trade regulatory bodies, while an additional $1.6 billion remains held up because claimant companies have not submitted the required banking information to process transfers.\n\nThe refund process was triggered by a landmark Supreme Court ruling issued in February this year. The court’s judges concluded that the sweeping import tariffs, which the Trump administration justified by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) — a law that grants the president authority to regulate international commerce during declared national emergencies — exceeded the legal powers granted to the executive branch under the legislation.\n\nWhen the tariffs were first implemented, the policy sparked widespread pushback both within the U.S. and among global trading partners. Businesses across sectors decried the sudden jump in taxes on goods entering the U.S. market, and economists raised widespread concerns that the additional costs would be passed to consumers in the form of higher retail prices across the economy.\n\nIn the months following the Supreme Court’s decision, dozens of large U.S. corporations have already secured substantial refunds. E-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon is one of the highest-profile beneficiaries: the company’s chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky confirmed during the firm’s second-quarter earnings call that Amazon received roughly $600 million in total tariff refunds over the three-month period. Olsavsky added that the company will pass specific refund amounts directly back to customers that were originally charged the tariff fees, while the remaining funds will be used to keep overall store prices lower for consumers.\n\nU.S. Customs officials expect the total value of disbursed refunds to continue climbing in the coming months, as agency reviewers work through the backlog of pending claims and importers submit the outstanding banking details needed to release the held funds.

After securing a win in Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate primary, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed has wasted no time advancing a bold progressive policy platform that aims to resonate with working-class voters across the state ahead of the general election in November. The son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed made history with his primary triumph, and a November victory would shatter another major political barrier: he would become the first Muslim American to serve in the United States Senate.

El-Sayed’s primary win marked a significant shift in the state’s political landscape, as his progressive platform—which includes policy priorities like expanded healthcare access, higher minimum wages, climate action, and campaign finance reform—drew widespread enthusiasm from young voters and progressive activists. His background as the son of working-class immigrants has shaped his policy outlook, with the candidate often emphasizing that he is fighting to represent communities that have been overlooked by establishment politics for decades.

Political analysts note that El-Sayed’s general election bid is already being watched closely across the nation, both for its potential to make history and for what it signals about the growing influence of progressive politics within the Democratic Party. If successful in November, his win would not only represent a personal milestone but also a landmark moment for Muslim representation in the highest levels of American government. El-Sayed has struck an inclusive tone in the wake of his primary win, reaching out to voters across party lines while reaffirming his commitment to the progressive priorities that fueled his primary victory.

A surprise political shift is reshaping the 2026 midterm election landscape in Michigan, where left-wing progressive outsider Abdul El-Sayed has been projected to claim the Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination, capping off a brutal primary race that laid bare deep ideological fractures within the national Democratic Party.

According to projections from CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. news partnership, the former public health official is on track to defeat four-term moderate Democratic incumbent congresswoman Haley Stevens in the state’s competitive primary. If the result is officially confirmed, El-Sayed will face off against former Republican congressman Mike Rogers, a close ally of former President (and current President, as of 2025) Donald Trump, in the critical November general election.

A son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed would make history as the first Muslim U.S. senator if he secures victory in November. His campaign has centered on a slate of bold progressive policy priorities: he has pushed for the implementation of universal single-payer healthcare (branded as Medicare for All), called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and broken with centrist party orthodoxy by demanding an end to unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. He earned high-profile endorsements from leading progressive figures, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, building a grassroots movement focused on reducing the influence of corporate money in politics.

In remarks to supporters on Wednesday, El-Sayed framed his campaign as part of a growing national movement for economic and social change. “The movement to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and pass Medicare for All is a big movement,” he said, echoing a core message he repeated throughout the primary campaign. Stretching a hand to unify the state’s Democratic electorate ahead of the general election, he added that he would represent all Michigan constituents, regardless of whether they supported him in the primary or backed Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Stevens, the 43-year-old moderate candidate who positioned herself as a centrist alternative capable of winning over swing voters in November, quickly conceded and pledged her full support to El-Sayed. “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for US Senate,” Stevens said in an official statement. “He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election.” Stevens ran on a platform focused on protecting Michigan’s manufacturing jobs, and counted endorsements from high-profile state Democrats including Governor Gretchen Whitmer and outgoing Democratic Senator Gary Peters, whose retirement opened up the Senate seat up for grabs.

The two candidates offered starkly different visions for the party and the country, with their opposing stances on U.S. policy toward Israel emerging as the most prominent dividing line of the campaign. While El-Sayed has criticized longstanding U.S. military involvement in the Middle East and called for reining in aid to Israel, Stevens has maintained a staunchly pro-Israel position, supporting the continuation of unconditional American military assistance.

For Trump and national Republicans, the primary result was met with open celebration. Trump declared the Michigan outcome “Great news for the Republican Party” in a post on his Truth Social platform, doubling down on his familiar attacks on Democrats by mislabeling the party the “Dumocrats” and claiming that their “crazy policies will only get worse!”

Even before the final projection was confirmed, El-Sayed had signaled his priority of uniting the Democratic base to block Rogers from winning the seat in November. “Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that [Republican] Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the US Senate,” he told supporters Tuesday night as votes were still being counted.

Tuesday’s primary voting also included contests for U.S. House seats across Michigan, Virginia, and Washington state, where Democratic voters selected their general election candidates. The open Michigan Senate seat has not been won by a Republican candidate since 1994, but the state remains one of the most critical swing states in national presidential politics: Michigan backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, but flipped to support Trump in his successful 2024 presidential run.

The November 2026 midterm elections will decide partisan control of both chambers of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s second presidential term, making every competitive Senate race a high-stakes contest for both parties.

Three months out from the pivotal 2026 US midterm elections that will determine partisan control of Congress and key state governorships, Tuesday’s primary results across five states have delivered a sharp, revealing snapshot of the American electorate’s current mood. The outcomes exposed deepening ideological rifts within the Democratic Party, cemented former President Donald Trump’s continued dominance over Republican primary politics, and offered early signals of which issues and candidates could shape November’s general election outcomes. Below is a breakdown of the four most consequential takeaways from Tuesday night’s voting.

A sitting Republican congressman from North Carolina has announced he will end his campaign for a new term, a decision that comes just days after a congressional investigative panel officially censured him over findings of persistent sexual harassment. Chuck Edwards made the announcement of his withdrawal from the 2026 re-election race in a public social media statement published in the early hours of Wednesday.

In his statement, Edwards framed the choice as a difficult one, reached after a period of deep personal reflection, prayer and extensive discussions with his immediate family. The announcement caps off a months-long ethics probe conducted by the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee, which concluded last week that Edwards had repeatedly engaged in unprofessional and inappropriate behavior that violated House conduct standards, aligned with the sexual harassment allegations first brought against him.

Crucially, Edwards has maintained his innocence from the start of the investigation, and the committee’s censure and investigative findings do not constitute a formal legal finding of criminal or civil guilt. This story remains actively developing as new details about the race for Edwards’ now-open congressional seat emerge, and updates will be issued as more information becomes available.

A 38-year-old man has been taken into custody near former President Donald Trump’s Southern California golf course, just hours before Trump was set to arrive for a high-profile Republican fundraising event, law enforcement officials confirmed this week.

Jeanine John Taele was first spotted on the grounds of Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, an affluent coastal community roughly 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, where investigators say he was roaming the property capturing photos and videos while apparently tracking the venue’s security preparations ahead of Trump’s visit. Plainclothes federal agents alerted local sheriff’s deputies to the suspicious individual Sunday afternoon, leading to Taele’s immediate detention.

When officers stopped and searched Taele, they quickly uncovered a 16-round ammunition magazine loaded with prohibited hollow-point bullets on his person. A further search of his vehicle, parked on the golf course lot, turned up a loaded pistol and an additional loaded high-capacity magazine also holding hollow-point ammunition. Investigators later confirmed that Taele was already a person of interest in an ongoing armed robbery investigation being handled by the El Segundo Police Department, located approximately 15 miles north of the golf course.

On Monday, a joint team of FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau agents executed a search warrant at Taele’s residence in Downey, another Los Angeles-area suburb. The search yielded a large cache of illegal weapons and related materials: an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, an additional .45 caliber pistol, body armor, multiple high-capacity magazines, a large stockpile of loose ammunition for both handguns and rifles, and several notebooks filled with what authorities described as “concerning statements.”

Taele is currently being held on initial charges of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of prohibited armor-piercing ammunition. Law enforcement officials note that the investigation, which is being supported by the U.S. Secret Service, remains active and ongoing, and additional charges are expected to be filed as the case progresses.

In an official statement, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department emphasized that as of the latest updates, investigators have not found any evidence of a credible, active threat to general public safety in local communities. Still, department officials highlighted that the incident underscores the critical need for sustained vigilance and cross-agency collaboration between local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. “This case demonstrates the value of proactive monitoring and rapid response to suspicious activity, stopping potential harm before it can escalate into a crisis,” the statement read.

Sunday’s arrest unfolded during a rare visit to deep-blue California by Trump, who headlined a closed-door Republican fundraising dinner at his golf course. According to White House officials, Trump used the event to deliver a sharp criticism of California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who is widely speculated to be preparing a 2028 presidential campaign. Following the California event, Trump is scheduled to travel to Las Vegas Wednesday to deliver a keynote address at a local casino. The two-state swing comes as Republican and Democratic campaign operations ramp up across the country ahead of November’s midterm elections, which will determine which party controls a majority in both chambers of Congress for the second half of Trump’s second term.