作者： root

At least 10 FBI staffers who worked on Mar-a-Lago documents case are fired, sources say

Updated on: February 25, 2026 / 10:00 PM EST / CBS News

At least 10 FBI employees who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s retention of classified records after he left the White House in 2021 were fired on Wednesday, multiple sources told CBS News.

The firings came after Reuters reported that the FBI had subpoenaed records of phone calls made by FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles when they were still both private citizens as part of Smith’s probe into Trump.

The Reuters article quoted Patel, who alleged that the FBI had secretly subpoenaed his phone records “using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight.” The Reuters article added that it had not independently verified any of Patel’s claims.

Patel did not provide any evidence of wrongdoing by the staff who were terminated.

Special Counsel Jack Smith oversaw two federal probes into now-President Trump. One case alleged he unlawfully tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, while the other focused on his retention of classified documents and efforts to obstruct the Justice Department when it asked him to return the files.

All of the FBI agents and analysts who were fired on Wednesday were involved with the classified documents case.

CBS News confirmed with a source familiar with the matter that Wiles’ records were reviewed as part of the documents case, but was unable to verify whether Patel’s were. In the case involving the 2020 election, known as Arctic Frost, Patel’s records were not subpoenaed, the source added.

1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the adVisit Advertiser website[GO TO PAGE]

CBS News has reached out to the FBI for comment.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents current and former agents, condemned the firings in a statement, saying they violate FBI employees’ due process rights.

“These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals—ultimately putting the nation at greater risk,” the group said.

Smith’s dual investigations into Mr. Trump led to the first federal criminal indictments against a former president in U.S. history. The classified document charges were dismissed by a federal judge in Florida in mid-2024 on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed, and Smith dropped the 2020 election charges after Mr. Trump won the 2024 race.

Since then, the Trump administration has taken aim at federal employees who worked on the two cases. The Justice Department fired a group of prosecutors who worked on Smith’s team, and the FBI has fired agents involved in the Arctic Frost election investigation.

The investigations into Mr. Trump drew another round of controversy late last year, after the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee revealed that the FBI obtained several Republican lawmakers’ phone records as part of the Arctic Frost probe. Those records included basic information about who the lawmakers called in the days surrounding the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, but didn’t include the contents of their phone calls.

Mr. Trump called for Smith, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and other officials to be “prosecuted for their illegal and highly unethical behavior” in October.

Attorneys for Smith called his actions “entirely lawful, proper and consistent with established Department of Justice policy.”

Pentagon removes senior official from Joint Staff post, sources say

February 26, 2026 2:55 AM UTC / Reuters

节点运行失败

A general view of the Pentagon on the day that at least 30 news organizations declined to sign a new Pentagon access policy for journalists, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice Admiral Fred Kacher has been removed from his position as director of the Joint Staff after only taking the post in December, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, with one source saying he was not the right fit for the job.

A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that Kacher will “return to service” with the U.S. Navy, when asked by Reuters about his removal from the position on the Joint Staff. Reuters was first to report the decision.

The Reuters Inside Track newsletter is your essential guide to the biggest events in global sport. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

“We are deeply grateful for Vice Adm. Kacher’s dedicated service to the Joint Force and his contributions to the Joint Staff,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine said in a statement provided to Reuters.

Reporting by Erin Banco and Phil Stewart; Editing by Himani Sarkar

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

欧盟：美国新关税或高于协议15%上限 涉42亿欧元商品

发布时间 / 来源：2026年2月26日 09:52 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普的新关税计划将使约42亿欧元(62.63亿新元)的欧洲联盟出口商品面临的关税高于欧美贸易协议所设的15%上限。

据了解欧盟税率评估的知情人士指出，特朗普的新政策将把奶酪、黄油、部分农产品，以及若干塑料制品、纺织品和化学品在内的欧洲出口商品关税升至高于协议允许的最高水平。

彭博社引述因讨论未公开消息而要求匿名的知情人士说，另一些商品如部分烈酒的税率将低于15%。

在美国最高法院裁定特朗普无权依据紧急状态法在全球范围内征收所谓“对等关税”后，特朗普旋即宣布新的10%全球关税，他随后威胁将税率提高至15%，但尚未正式落实。

这一关税是在所谓“最惠国待遇”税率基础上额外征收，可以持续五个月。

据欧洲联盟对税率的评估，按美国的新关税计划，欧洲商品面临的关税高于欧美贸易协议所设的15%上限。 （法新社）

问及此事时，欧洲委员会发言人奥洛夫·吉尔（Olof Gill）重申2月24日的声明称，“欧盟产品必须继续享有最具竞争力的待遇，关税不得超过先前商定的明确且全面的上限。”

吉尔还指出，在新的美国关税机制下，约7%的欧盟出口将面临高于15%上限的税率。

The FBI subpoenaed Kash Patel and Susie Wiles’ phone records in 2022 and 2023, when both were private citizens, as part of a federal probe into then former President Donald Trump, Fox News has confirmed.

Patel is the current FBI director, and Wiles is White House chief of staff.

At least 10 FBI employees were also fired Wednesday, Fox News was told. Names were not given due to privacy reasons, with the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) later criticizing the firings.

“The FBIAA condemns today’s unlawful termination of FBI Special Agents, which—like other firings by Director Patel—violates the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect our country,” the organization said in a statement.

“These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals—ultimately putting the nation at greater risk.”

Reuters first disclosed the subpoenas, which were issued during the Biden administration, while special counsel Jack Smith was investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Smith ended up charging Trump in 2023 with multiple felony offenses related to alleged efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of the documents after he left office.

A federal judge later dismissed the election interference case after Smith moved to drop it following Trump’s re-election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Smith also dropped the Justice Department’s appeal of a separate ruling that dismissed the classified documents case. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in both matters.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM JACK SMITH’S TESTIMONY ON CAPITOL HILL

In a statement to Fox News Wednesday, Patel called the move to seize the phone records “outrageous and deeply alarming.”

“It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” he said.

The FBI had found the phone records in files labeled as “Prohibited,” Reuters reported.

Patel also said he recently ended the FBI’s ability to categorize files as “Prohibited.”

Fox News also learned from two FBI officials that in 2023, FBI agents recorded a phone call between Wiles and her attorney.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS RELEASE OF JACK SMITH REPORT’S SECOND VOLUME

According to those officials, Wiles’ attorney was aware the call was being recorded and consented, but Wiles was not informed.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Smith testified last year that records of members’ calls helped investigators verify the timeline of events surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

He said prosecutors “followed all legal requirements in getting those records” and told a House panel the records obtained from lawmakers did not include the content of conversations, Reuters reported.

津巴布韦暂停锂精矿和原矿出口 立即生效

发布/2026年2月26日 10:25

津巴布韦暂停了锂（Lithium）精矿和原矿出口，以推动矿业企业在该国建立加工业务。

矿业部长坎巴穆拉（Polite Kambamura）星期三（2月25日）在首都哈拉雷对记者说，出口禁令立即生效，直至另行通知。

在盛新锂能、华友钴业和中矿资源等中国企业投入数以十亿美元开发矿山之后，这个非洲国家迅速成为中国炼厂的重要锂精矿供应国。

为了提高本国资源的经济效益，非洲各国政府一直敦促矿业公司在当地提炼矿产。根据官方数据，津巴布韦的锂储量位居非洲前列，也是全球最大生产国之一，其资源量估计为1.26亿吨。

彭博社引述坎巴穆拉说，只有在矿企遵守政府要求后，禁令才会解除。

去年，津巴布韦说，作为推动外资矿业公司在本地建设精炼业务的一部分，将于2027年禁止锂精矿出口。

深度求索据报未与英伟达等美国科企分享最新AI模型

发布时间 / 来源：2026年2月26日 08:59 / 联合早报

中国人工智能初创企业深度求索（DeepSeek）据报未按照业界惯例，预先与包括英伟达在内等美国AI晶片制造商分享即将发布的最新AI模型。 （路透社档案照）

英国媒体报道，中国人工智能（AI）初创企业深度求索（DeepSeek）未按照业界惯例，预先与包括英伟达在内等美国AI晶片制造商分享即将发布的最新AI模型。

路透社星期三（2月25日）引述两名知情人士报道上述消息。

AI模型开发者一般都会预先与英伟达、超微（AMD）等领先AI晶片制造商分享即将发布的最新AI模型，以确保所使用的软件能在广为使用的硬件上有效运行。深度求索此前曾与英伟达技术团队密切合作。

知情者透露，深度求索V4模型预计将在农历新年期间发布，但这次未预先与英伟达、超微等分享这款模型，而是让华为等中国AI晶片制造商提前数周协助优化模型所使用的软件。

总部位于美国的技术分析和市场研究公司Creative Strategies首席执行官巴贾林（Ben Bajarin）说：“这对英伟达和超微的AI加速器影响极小，因为多数企业都不适用深度求索。深度求索此举或是中国政府广泛战略的一部分，尝试让美国硬件和模型在中国处于劣势”。

此前，路透社星期一（23日）引述特朗普政府一名高级官员报道称，深度求索即将发布的最新AI模型，是使用英伟达最先进的人工智能晶片Blackwell训练完成。美国政府目前禁止对中国出口这款最先进的人工智能晶片。

美国商务部星期二（24日）称，英伟达第二先进的AI晶片H200迄今尚未售予中国客户。

津巴布韦暂停锂精矿和原矿出口 立即生效

2026年2月26日 10:25 / 联合早报

津巴布韦暂停了锂（Lithium）精矿和原矿出口，以推动矿业企业在该国建立加工业务。

矿业部长坎巴穆拉（Polite Kambamura）星期三（2月25日）在首都哈拉雷对记者说，出口禁令立即生效，直至另行通知。

在盛新锂能、华友钴业和中矿资源等中国企业投入数以十亿美元开发矿山之后，这个非洲国家迅速成为中国炼厂的重要锂精矿供应国。

为了提高本国资源的经济效益，非洲各国政府一直敦促矿业公司在当地提炼矿产。根据官方数据，津巴布韦的锂储量位居非洲前列，也是全球最大生产国之一，其资源量估计为1.26亿吨。

彭博社引述坎巴穆拉说，只有在矿企遵守政府要求后，禁令才会解除。

去年，津巴布韦说，作为推动外资矿业公司在本地建设精炼业务的一部分，将于2027年禁止锂精矿出口。

The Chagos Islands deal fell into disarray Wednesday amid conflicting U.K. government messages about whether ratification was paused for talks with the United States over the strategic Indian Ocean military base Diego Garcia.

Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer had told members of Parliament that ratification of the deal to cede the islands to Mauritius had been paused while discussions with Washington continued.

A U.K. government spokesperson later denied there was any formal suspension of the process, insisting no deadline had ever been set and reiterating that Britain would not move forward without American backing.

[image_1]

“We are continuing discussions with the U.S., and we have been clear we will not proceed without their support,” the spokesperson said, Reuters reported.

[image_2]

Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands is a strategic Indian Ocean military base hosting 2,500 U.S. personnel.(Reuters)

The confusion saw critics claim the deal reveals weaknesses that could affect Western security amid heightened tensions.

“The U.S. saw this first-hand when the U.K. alerted Mauritius to an impending operation against Iran — an alert Mauritius then protested,” Robert Midgley, spokesperson for Friends of the British Overseas Territories, told Fox News Digital.

“This is what prompted President Donald Trump’s statement,” Midgley said, after Trump publicly criticized the deal despite having initially supported it.

Trump had reignited the controversy Feb. 18 in a post on Truth Social, urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to abandon the agreement.

“DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!” Trump wrote, calling the deal a “big mistake” and placing additional strain on transatlantic negotiations.

[image_3]

[STARMER SENDS UK STRIKE GROUP TO ARCTIC, CITES RISING RUSSIA THREAT AS TRUMP PUSHES GREENLAND DEAL]

[image_4]

The agreement would see Britain cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease over Diego Garcia, the strategically vital island that hosts a major joint U.S.-U.K. military base.(Planet Labs PBC)

Midgley argued the deal should be “withdrawn” in line with Trump’s wishes.

“The U.K. government should now go one step further and withdraw the bill from Parliament and find an alternative solution,” he said.

“Ministers have inadvertently exposed that the deal has no legal basis and risks creating a more insecure world in the face of states like China and Iran,” he added.

The agreement, struck last year, would see Britain cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease over Diego Garcia, the strategically vital island that hosts a major joint U.S.-U.K. military base.

The base plays a central role in operations across the Middle East, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, meaning the proposal has faced mounting political pressure on both sides of the Atlantic.

[TRUMP SIGNALS WILLINGNESS TO DEFEND DIEGO GARCIA MILITARY BASE IF FUTURE DEAL THREATENS US ACCESS]

[image_5]

President Trump has urged the United Kingdom to not give away Diego Garcia.(Reuters Photos)

[image_6]

The legislation is currently before the House of Lords, where objections have been raised. No date has yet been set for a debate or vote, further adding to the uncertainty.

Midgley urged Washington to continue to resist the agreement and back Britain in retaining control of the territory.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

“The U.S. should stand firm, continue to reject the deal, and support the U.K. in asserting sovereignty to help preserve the future of Western security,” he warned.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the UK government for comment.

Mayor touts Baltimore as a changed city despite Trump’s criticisms: “The greatest comeback story in the country”

February 25, 2026 / 8:48 PM EST / CBS News

Baltimore — Walk a few blocks in Baltimore with Mayor Brandon Scott, and there’s no missing the problem: The city has thousands of broken-down, boarded-up row houses, the result of a long civic spiral, with people and businesses leaving and blight and crime moving in.

“When it looks like someone doesn’t care, right, people who want to do bad things are going to come,” Scott told CBS News when asked about the relationship between building vacancies and crime.

Scott, who has served as mayor since 2020, counters, though, that despite the view on the ground in certain areas, Baltimore is a changed city that is showing major improvement.

Since 2019, when Baltimore’s murder rate hit an all-time high, according to city data — and had one of the highest homicide rates in the nation — something has indeed changed. The number of vacant buildings is down 25%, the population grew in 2024, and murders have hit a nearly 50-year low, per city data.

“It’s a 15-year, $3 billion strategy of how we’re going to deal with vacants in Baltimore, block by block,” Scott said.

President Trump, however, has held onto a far grimmer picture, declining Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s invitation last year to walk Baltimore’s streets.

“I’m not walking in Baltimore right now,” Mr. Trump said in August of 2025. “Baltimore is a hellhole.”

The president even floated the idea of sending in the National Guard, as he has elsewhere. In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Mr. Trump took credit for the reduction in the murder rate nationwide.

“Baltimore’s responsible for Baltimore,” Scott said when asked about Mr. Trump’s remarks. “We have a strategy.”

That strategy includes targeting those most likely to commit gun violence.

Scott also showed CBS News areas that are seeing new housing construction. And as blighted buildings come down, piles of illegally dumped trash are getting picked up. In one case, the pickup occurred just minutes after the mayor spotted the trash while walking with a CBS News crew.

“They’re coming to pick it up right now,” Scott told CBS News.

It’s all part of a reversal the mayor hopes means an update to his city’s reputation.

“We are doing all of this together because Baltimoreans believe that we are the greatest comeback story in the country,” Scott said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/baltimore-mayor-discusses-how-city-is-addressing-crime-cleaning-up-city/

朝鲜劳动党九大闭幕 金正恩在阅兵式上宣布扩充核武器 | 联合早报

发布/2026年2月26日 11:23

朝鲜领导人金正恩宣布，他将致力于扩大朝鲜的核武库，并称改善朝鲜与美国关系的前景完全取决于华盛顿的态度。

路透社引述朝鲜中央通讯社星期四（2月26日）的报道说，为期一周的朝鲜劳动党第九次代表大会25日在首都平壤金日成广场举行的阅兵式后闭幕。金正恩指出，随着朝鲜制定未来五年的主要政策目标，“国际地位显著提升”。他说：“我们计划加强国家核力量，并确立核国家地位与行使权力。我们将重点推进增加核武器数量和扩大核作战手段的项目。”

新华社引述金正恩说，在亚太地区，以美国为首的侵略集团军事活动严重威胁朝鲜半岛和地区安全。扩大和加强国家核力量，彻底行使核国家地位，是朝鲜坚定不移的意志。朝鲜的核国家地位在遏制潜在威胁、维护地区稳定方面发挥着重要作用，国家核力量是国家安全、利益和发展权的基本保证和强有力的安全机制。

他说，为在新五年计划期间提升朝鲜武装力量的军事技术能力，朝鲜提出了新的秘密武器和特殊战略资产在朝军服役的重大课题，研究制定新的国防发展计划，并批准了前瞻性计划。

据斯德哥尔摩国际和平研究所（SIPRI）去年估计，朝鲜已组装约50枚核弹头，拥有足以制造多达40枚核弹头的裂变材料，并且正在加速生产更多裂变材料。朝中社报道称，金正恩还阐述了朝鲜发展更强大的洲际弹道导弹的计划，包括水下发射导弹、利用人工智能的攻击系统以及无人机。

金正恩：韩国为“最具敌意的敌人”

朝鲜官方媒体发布的阅兵式照片显示，士兵们列队行进在灯火通明的金日成广场上，金正恩及其女儿与高级官员站在讲台上。一些士兵身着迷彩服和特种作战装备，一队战机进行了飞行表演。目前尚不清楚是否有任何军事装备展出。金正恩的女儿金珠爱出席阅兵式，将进一步引发外界对她是否获培养为金正恩接班人的猜测。

金正恩也说，如果美国撤回对朝敌视政策，朝鲜没有理由不与美国友好相处。如果美国不改变对朝一贯做法，坚持对抗到底，朝鲜也将坚决予以应对。“朝美关系前景完全取决于美方态度。”

在美国总统特朗普的第一任期内，特金曾三度会面；而在特朗普第二任期至今，金正恩并未接受特朗普提出的邀约。

此外，金正恩称韩国为“最具敌意的敌人”，排除与韩国对话的可能，还说若韩国对朝鲜有“恶劣行径”，朝鲜可以采取任意行动。他说：“不排除韩国彻底崩溃的可能性。”