US ESG shareholder resolutions plunge in face of Republican pressure, report says

2026-04-16 / Reuters

By Ross Kerber

April 16, 2026 10:07 AM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

April 16 (Reuters) – Shareholders have filed 184 proposals promoting environmental, social and governance themes at U.S. companies so far this proxy season, a ​new study found, about half as many as last year, ‌as Republicans in Washington work to shift corporate power from investors to managers.

At a comparable point in last year’s springtime proxy season investors had filed 355 ​proposals, according to the report’s co-author Michael Passoff, CEO of Proxy Impact, ​an advocacy and proxy voting service for sustainable investors.

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The proposals ⁠urge companies to take steps like reporting more about their carbon ​emissions or workforce diversity. While most are nonbinding, they can lead to ​significant corporate changes.

Passoff attributed the decline in filings this year partly to a new willingness of company executives to bargain behind closed doors to avoid public controversies.

In ​addition, he cited new rules from Washington making it harder for activists ​to prevail in corporate contests. Regulators appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump restricted activists’ use ‌of ⁠a securities database and gave companies more freedom to skip votes.

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“Shareholders thought they weren’t going to get a fair shake in filing resolutions, so they thought, does it make sense to file resolutions or to focus ​on company dialogues,” Passoff ​said in ⁠a telephone interview.

With major shareholder meetings now underway, hot topics this year include rules for data centers being built ​for artificial intelligence and items pressing companies for more ​lobbying disclosure, ⁠he said.

Support for environmental and social measures has fallen in recent years. Big investors say companies have already made significant reforms, while ESG-focused critics say ⁠executives simply ​abandoned their onetime diversity and climate ambitions.

The ​report will be published by shareholder group As You Sow and was co-authored by Amy ​Galland of Empower Venture Partners.

Reporting by Ross Kerber; editing by David Gaffen

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Kennedy to tout new food policies but skip vaccines in remarks to US Congress

2026-04-16 10:04 GMT / Reuters

By Ahmed Aboulenein

April 16, 2026 10:04 AM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is interviewed after announcing new nutrition guidelines, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

• Kennedy omits vaccine overhaul and autism claims from written congressional testimony
• White House urged health officials to focus on nutrition, food safety to boost political support, sources say
• Kennedy’s changes to US vaccine policy face public opposition and recent legal setbacks

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) – U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. ​Kennedy Jr. will highlight nutrition and food safety when he appears before lawmakers on Thursday, leaving out references to overhauling ‌the vaccination schedule and identifying the causes of autism, his written testimony shows.

The omission from Kennedy’s 12-page testimony, submitted ahead of two hearings on Thursday, is the latest sign that the nation’s top health official is avoiding some of his most controversial positions ahead of November’s midterm elections.

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Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the ​White House recently urged health officials to redirect policy discussions toward more popular topics, as President Donald Trump and his Republican Party ​seek to shore up support for their slim majorities in Congress.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, faced a setback last ⁠month after a court ruling derailed key elements of his efforts to rewrite U.S. vaccine policy.

He is scheduled to appear on Thursday before two U.S. ​House of Representatives panels to discuss the health component of the Trump administration’s 2027 budget proposal, and faces four more hearings before House and ​Senate panels next week.

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PROPOSED HEALTH BUDGET FACES PUSHBACK

The budget requests $111 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, a 12.5% cut from current levels, including a $5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health and elimination of a low-income energy assistance program. Several key Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, have already criticized ​the cuts as unnecessary.

Democrats are expected to press Kennedy on rising healthcare costs, his undermining of confidence in vaccines, NIH grant cancellations that have ​delayed biomedical research, and his stewardship of the nation’s largest measles outbreak in decades.

A copy of Kennedy’s prepared statement emphasizes achievements under his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative ‌and other ⁠administration priorities, including efforts on nutrition, food safety, drug prices, fraud prevention, and cutting children’s access to gender-affirming care.

“We cannot hope to make America great again without first making Americans healthy again,” he plans to say. “The bedrock of health — the key to reversing the chronic disease epidemic — is nutrition.”

“Secretary Kennedy speaks about a broad range of issues that affect the health and well-being of American families, and his statement reflects the priorities Americans consistently ​say matter most to them, from ​chronic disease prevention, childhood nutrition, ⁠food quality, and affordable health care,” said Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon when asked about the omission.

Nixon did not address whether Kennedy plans to bring up vaccines or autism during the hearing, or ​if the White House had asked him to shift his focus to more popular policies ahead of ​the election.

NAVIGATING COMPETING CONSTITUENCIES

The ⁠Trump administration faces a delicate balancing act, standing by millions of MAHA supporters who helped reelect the president in 2024 but are now upset by Trump’s order to boost pesticide production, while managing low support among the wider public for Kennedy’s anti-vaccine platform.

Kennedy, who co-founded the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, ⁠has during his ​tenure pushed to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines, overhauled a CDC advisory ​panel of independent vaccine experts, and pledged to identify the cause of autism.

Kennedy and his supporters have repeatedly linked autism to vaccines, a theory long debunked by science, at times ​with Trump’s explicit backing.

Pollsters and strategists expect healthcare costs to be a primary issue for voters this November.

Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Fed leadership transition on shaky ground as clock ticks on Powell’s term

2026-04-16 10:08:20 UTC / Reuters

By Ann Saphir

April 16, 2026 10:08 AM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

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Item 1 of 3 U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Jerome Powell, his nominee to become chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 2, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

[1/3]U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Jerome Powell, his nominee to become chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 2, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Senate confirmation hearing for Fed chief nominee Warsh set for April 21
• Powell’s term as head of US central bank ends on May 15
• Key Republican senator has vowed to block Warsh confirmation until probe into Powell ends
• Powell says he’ll fill any leadership gap as ‘pro tem’ Fed chair
• Trump threatens to fire Powell if he stays on; president’s right to do so is contested

April 16 (Reuters) – The prospect of a smooth-and-on-time ​transition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick for the next Federal Reserve chief, Kevin Warsh, looks increasingly to be on shaky ground, setting up a possible clash over who runs things in ‌the meantime.

There are growing doubts that Warsh will win confirmation from the full Senate by the end of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s leadership term on May 15, even as the Senate Banking Committee is set to proceed next Tuesday with a hearing on the nomination.

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The storm clouds have gathered over Warsh’s confirmation largely as a result of opposition from Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has vowed to block the process until the Department of Justice ends an investigation of Powell’s oversight of renovations to ​the Fed’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

And while Republican Senator Tim Scott, who chairs the banking committee, says he is confident the DOJ will wrap up its probe in the next “several weeks,” there’s no ​sign of an off-ramp. Trump said he wants to see the investigation through, even after a federal judge this month quashed the government’s subpoenas as no more than ⁠a pretext for putting pressure on Powell to lower interest rates, as the president wishes.

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U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, a close ally of Trump, has promised to appeal the judge’s decision, and on Tuesday ​two government prosecutors and an investigator visited the Fed’s renovation job site and asked to tour it, but were turned away.

The incident drew an emailed rebuke from a Fed lawyer and a tweet from Tillis with a ​photo of the notoriously hapless “Three Stooges” comedy troupe.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MAY 15?

If Warsh is not confirmed by May 15, Powell has said he will serve as the “pro tem” chair of the Fed’s seven-member Board of Governors, because “that is what the law calls for” and that is what the central bank has done previously.

Trump said on Wednesday that he would fire Powell if he stayed on. Such a move would be unprecedented and would surely invite a legal challenge, as did the president’s attempt last summer to fire ​Fed Governor Lisa Cook.

That case is pending at the U.S. Supreme Court, and Cook remains in her job.

The White House also could try to appoint another Fed governor – perhaps Stephen Miran, Trump’s former economic advisor – in ​Powell’s place, analysts said.

Whether such a move would hold up in the courts is not clear.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter avoided a gap in the Fed leadership when he appointed Arthur Burns to remain as acting Fed chief while Carter’s ‌pick for the ⁠top job was going through the confirmation process.

But that move occurred before the law changed to require Senate approval of a president’s Fed chief pick. Another piece of legislation enacted since then – the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 – bars the president from designating an acting officer to run a multi-member board at agencies.

“On the White House side, it’s their choice whether or not to challenge it,” said Derek Tang, an analyst with forecasting firm LH Meyer. “If the White House does go after the nuclear option and start suing and challenging things, then it might shake the (market’s) confidence in the Fed,” though he added that markets so far seem unfazed by the ​potential drama ahead.

TRICKY TIMING

With high oil prices from the Iran ​war pushing up inflation and squeezing family ⁠budgets, the Fed is seen as unlikely to deliver a rate cut anytime soon.

“Political pressure on the central bank at a time of an energy price shock is not risk-free, even if it ultimately goes nowhere,” Evercore ISI Vice Chairman Krishna Guha said. “It increases – at least at the margin – the risk inflation expectations could rise on ​fears the Fed will not be able to do whatever is required to return inflation to target in the medium term.”

At next week’s Senate banking ​panel hearing, Warsh is likely ⁠to face a friendly Republican majority and hostile questioning from Democratic lawmakers who worry that confirming Trump’s pick for the job will imperil the central bank’s independence.

“The White House remains focused on working with the Senate to swiftly confirm Kevin Warsh as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

Tillis’ opposition aside, the timing is tight. The Senate has squeezed a Fed nominee through from hearing to confirmation in less ⁠than a month ​only once, and that was just for a regular Fed governor, not for the leader of the world’s most important central ​bank.

Trump administration officials have expressed confidence that Warsh will be confirmed in time.

It may be a case of “be careful what you wish for.”

“In the next few months, the reality on the ground is inflation is going to be really high,” LH Meyer’s Tang said. “Do ​you really want one of your guys in place to be the fall guy for keeping rates high?”

Reporting by Ann Saphir, Jacob Bogage, Howard Schneider and Michael S. Derby; Editing by Dan Burns and Paul Simao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

新科宇航前总裁因酒驾追尾德士，导致两人受伤，星期四（4月16日）被判入狱六个月、罚款5000元，以及吊牌七年。 （新明日报）

新科宇航前总裁为朋友庆生饮酒后驾车，在红灯前变转换车道后追尾前方德士，导致德士司机受伤、后座的女乘客重伤，女乘客因伤拿了210天住院假。

新科宇航（ST Aerospace）前总裁郑国强（77岁）共面对三项抵触公路交通法令的控状，他星期四（4月16日）承认其中两项，法官将另一项纳入考量后，判他入狱六个月、罚款5000元，以及吊销各级驾照七年。

这起车祸发生在2023年9月22日晚上约10时40分，地点是英娘道往武吉知马路方向的路段。

根据案情，被告当晚在新加坡岛屿乡村俱乐部为友人庆生，席间先后饮用香槟、白酒、红酒各半杯，以及掺了苏打水的威士忌。晚上约10时30分，他结束聚会独自驾车回家。

案发路段共有两条车道，被告沿英娘道驶至与万达兰路（Vanda Road）的交界处时，刚好是红灯。他原本在第一车道行驶，为避开前方排队等候右转的车辆，转换至第二车道直行。

然而，被告在转换车道后未减速，径直撞上停在红灯前的德士车尾，德士被撞至打转后才在路口后停下。

交警到场时发现被告满身酒气，随即为他进行酒测，以涉嫌酒驾逮捕他。被告被带往交警总部后，在厕所意外跌倒，被送往医院。

验血结果显示，被告当时每100毫升血液中含有154毫克酒精，超过法定上限的80毫克。

72岁的德士司机颈部和背部扭伤、右胸挫伤，留院观察后在9月23日出院，拿了三天病假。过后，他到医院复诊，再获得七天病假。

45岁的后座女乘客伤势严重，包括创伤性脑损伤、额骨骨折、多处脊椎及肋骨骨折，以及肺部和心肌钝挫伤等。她在10月19日出院，共拿了210天住院假。

被告的汽车车头与德士车尾也因车祸严重损毁。被告已作出全额赔偿，金额约1万4624元。

控方指出，这起事故导致女乘客重伤并拿了长达210天住院假，过后还出现疲劳、情绪低落、头晕及思维反应迟缓等症状，生活受到影响。因此，促请法官判被告坐牢六至八个半月、罚款5000元至7000元，以及吊销驾照七至八年。

被告律师求情时说，被告对酿成车祸并造成他人受伤感到抱歉，此后应不会再驾车，恳请法官从轻发落。

三成本地求职者已用AI寻职 更快判断职位是否适合

2026年4月16日 19:27 / 联合早报 谢慧平

招聘网站Indeed星期四（4月16日）发布《2026年东南亚人才报告》。这项报告针对约4300名来自新加坡、马来西亚和菲律宾的求职者展开调查，旨在了解劳动力市场收紧及招聘方式的转变，如何影响求职者的预期。 （档案照片）

人工智能工具使用逐渐普及，约三成本地求职者已借助人工智能寻找适合的工作。不过，尽管人工智能应用广泛，仍有近四成受访者对于能否在骤变的科技时代中保持竞争力缺乏信心。

招聘网站Indeed星期四（4月16日）发布《2026年东南亚人才报告》。这项报告针对约4300名来自新加坡、马来西亚和菲律宾的求职者展开调查，旨在了解劳动力市场收紧及招聘方式的转变，如何影响求职者的预期。

报告指出，在东南亚各地区，求职者普遍承认在求职过程中使用AI。平均而言，29%至38%的人使用AI工具配对岗位，20%至32%的人用于薪资基准比较。

在本地，约34%的求职者已使用AI工具配对岗位，以更快判断职位是否适合自己。18岁以下群体中，新加坡求职者的AI使用率更高达83%。

59%的本地受访者希望雇主提供培训，帮助他们培养AI及数据相关技能，也有36%的受访者对保持未来竞争力信心不足。

针对这一趋势，Indeed职业专家昌德（Saumitra R Chand）分析：“对许多求职者来说，问题不再仅仅是‘我想要这份工作吗？’，而是‘这份工作能让我保持竞争力吗？’这就是为什么现在透明度更加重要。人们想知道一个岗位的薪资是多少、招聘流程如何运作，以及在AI重塑市场的情况下，雇主是否真正愿意帮助他们成长。”

受访求职者普遍面临类似痛点，如招聘等待时间过长、面试轮次过多。文告指出，在东南亚各市场，求职者有明确的心理预期，近一半的求职者不愿等待超过两到四周，并认为两到三轮面试是合理的。超过这一范围，求职者便会认为流程过于僵化或与实际情况不符。

就新加坡而言，求职者希望招聘广告更清晰（26%）、希望薪资更透明（20%）、希望缩短招聘流程时间（19%）。

决定是否换工作 薪资仍是重要考量

报告显示，在决定是否换工作的原因中，薪资仍是一个重要考量。在本地18岁至28岁年龄段的员工中，有54%因薪资增长而留下；18岁以下群体中，这一比例为33%。

此外，36%的本地员工会因10%至20%的加薪而选择跳槽。

不过，除了薪资，本地受访者也比其他国家的人更重视职业的可持续性与岗位设计。39%的新加坡受访者认为，追求工作与生活的平衡是促使他们换工作的一个因素；31%认为这是让他们留在当前岗位的原因。

相比之下，马来西亚和菲律宾的员工换工作时，则更关注升迁机会和较高薪资。

报告指出，明确的期望、清晰的晋升路径和合理的工作量，正变得与薪资同等重要。如果缺乏这些条件，求职者就不会积极应聘。

昌德说：“招聘流程越来越被看作是雇主的一面镜子。在新加坡，沟通缓慢、薪资不明确、面试拖沓，越来越被解读为内部决策犹豫不决的信号。这正成为一种真正的竞争劣势。”

Trump tries economic reset as Republicans fret over high gas prices

2026-04-16 10:08:30 UTC / Reuters

By Jarrett Renshaw, Jacob Bogage and Steve Holland

April 16, 2026 10:08 AM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

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U.S. President Donald Trump walks to speak to reporters as he arrives at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 27, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Republicans worry high living costs may overshadow tax cuts and economic gains
• Democrats favored to win House majority, key Senate races shifting their way, prognosticator says
• White House touts record tax refunds, with average refund exceeding $3,400 this year

LAS VEGAS, April 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will look to brush off concerns about the economy and the sagging political prospects of his Republican Party during a campaign-style swing through the battleground ​states of Nevada and Arizona this week, as the war with Iran pushes gasoline prices higher.

Trump is set to use a Thursday stop in Las Vegas to tout his tax and immigration bill ‌that includes campaign promises tailored to court hourly and hospitality workers.

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But spiking prices nationwide — from gas to groceries, housing to insurance — have shaken the U.S. economy and with it Trump’s clout to drive support to fellow conservatives in November’s midterm elections. Five Republican strategists told Reuters they fear the White House has lost control of the affordability debate, neutralizing the political tailwind from the tax bill and the resilient economy that has powered past much of Trump’s trade war and previous military interventions.

“The cost of living is going to trump ​anything — no pun intended — over any small change in tax returns,” said David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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Some of Trump’s political advisers have a rosier outlook, predicting the ​president will soon clinch a deal with Iran to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and that the corresponding economic anxiety will cool in the months before the ⁠midterms.

White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump has always been clear about the short-term economic impact of the Iran war and the tax benefits he helped deliver “reflect how the Administration hasn’t lost focus on delivering on our affordability ​agenda at home.”

It could take weeks for global oil producers to restart production after hostilities cease around the waterway, however, and higher fuel prices mean sticky inflation on all manner of consumer goods and services.

That presents pronounced risks for ​Republicans, who face an increasingly hostile reelection map in the House of Representatives and Senate.

TRICKY MIDTERM MAP

Democrats are the overwhelming favorite for taking the majority from Republicans in the House, while key Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and even deeply conservative Nebraska are sliding toward Democrats, according to the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, a leading election prognosticator. Trump’s approval rating in a late-March Reuters/Ipsos poll fell to 36%, marking a low point in his second term.

Nevada and Arizona also have competitive Senate and House races. On ​Friday, Trump is expected to participate in an event hosted by conservative group Turning Point USA in Phoenix.

Republican lawmakers had hoped provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – Trump and Republicans’ $4.1 trillion agenda enacted last year, including ​no taxes on tips or overtime wages – would resonate with voters seeking economic relief.

“I think that’s been wiped out,” said one of the Republican strategists, who is consulting on congressional races. The strategists spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive matters.

The challenge for Republicans ‌has been compounded ⁠in recent weeks by Trump’s focus on the conflict in Iran, as well as his public dispute with Pope Leo and criticism over his social media post of an image depicting himself in religious imagery resembling Jesus Christ.

The White House is dispatching senior adviser James Blair to work with midterm campaigns, Trump said last week, in a sign of growing concern about the party’s prospects.

WEST COAST SWING

Trump will host a roundtable on Thursday focused on his elimination of federal taxes on tips, a policy aimed at service workers in a city where hospitality jobs dominate the economy. Supporters say it will boost take-home pay for restaurant, hotel and casino workers who rely heavily on gratuities.

The “no tax on tips” provision in Trump’s 2025 ​tax law allows eligible workers to deduct up to $25,000 ​in tip income from federal taxes, though payroll ⁠taxes still apply and the benefit phases out for higher earners. About 4 million Americans work in tipped jobs, with analysts estimating average benefits of roughly $1,400 annually for those who qualify.

More than 53 million tax filers claimed at least one of Trump’s signature tax cuts this filing season, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday. The average tax ​refund exceeded $3,400, she said.

Gas prices remain a vulnerability. Trump has offered mixed messages on how long higher fuel costs will last, at times suggesting Americans may have to ​endure prolonged pain because of global ⁠supply disruptions, while at other times saying prices will fall sharply once the war ends.

The administration has few options to lower energy prices beyond a complex diplomatic effort tied to the Strait of Hormuz, according to people familiar with discussions inside and around the White House.

Officials have released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, adjusted shipping rules and eased sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil. But prices remain elevated, with global benchmarks over $90 a barrel.

“All that is left are bad options, and ⁠we have urged ​the White House not to pursue them,” one oil executive involved in discussions said.

Trump has sought to temper expectations by portraying midterm losses ​as customary for the party in power, while insisting his administration can reverse that trend.

“Even when you have a great president, they tend to lose the midterms,” he told Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” program on Wednesday. “So we’re going to try turning it around.”

“We have to explain to ​the voters, so importantly, the great job that we’ve done, because there’s no reason why the Republicans should be losing.”

Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw, Jacob Bogage and Steve Holland; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rod Nickel

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刘镇东：亚细安应在危机中深化合作 以求“集体保命”

2026年4月16日 19:31 / 联合早报 萧郡瑜 吉隆坡特派员

马来西亚财政部副部长刘镇东星期三（4月15日）在吉隆坡出席《联合早报》主办的“东南亚讲堂”。他针对亚细安应如何在全球动荡的环境下自保，并崛起成为新的中间力量提出看法。 （联合早报）

在全球秩序重塑与中东局势动荡的历史拐点，亚细安应构建更具韧性的安全合作机制，以实现集体“保命”，并借此推动东南亚崛起为全球新格局中的第三方力量。

马来西亚财政部副部长刘镇东星期三（4月15日）在吉隆坡出席《联合早报》主办的第四届“东南亚讲堂”上，提出上述观点。他以华语演讲时指出，随着地缘政治的紧张局势加剧，冷战后由美国主导的单极体系加速瓦解，国际秩序正经历前所未有的变化。

他说，二战以来支撑美国单极霸权的三大支点——美元体系、美国市场和美军布局，正面临80年来最严峻的挑战。随着美国中产阶级财富停滞与国内矛盾加剧，美国作为全球首选出口市场的传统地位开始动摇；中美贸易战和中东形势则明显反映出美国力量面对的局限。

例如，美国总统特朗普发起贸易战时信心十足，不料遭中国以稀土出口反制。“贸易战是先给中国的稀土打败……掐不到人，反被掐脖子。”

在中东，美国本来预期开战后两周内可瓦解伊朗，不料战事却陷入僵局。“伊朗被美国制裁数十年，现在却能倒转过来，利用霍尔木兹海峡制裁美国，这是美国或特朗普始料不及的。”

刘镇东认为，关税壁垒与美伊僵局凸显了美国力量的局限。不过，这并不意味着霸权地位将易主，而是全球正加速迈向多极化，东南亚中等强国唯有通过亚细安加速整合，才能在大国博弈中握有更多筹码。

亚细安应摒弃逐底竞争 建立三大安全合作

在这方面，刘镇东主张亚细安重新自我定位。他提出三个“中间战略”，包括在供应链中占据中间位置；在外交上坚持不选边站的中间路线；以及培育本土中产阶级，从而降低对美国等外部市场的依赖。

目前，全球供应链趋向去风险化，更强调安全因素。刘镇东指出，东南亚虽未掌握高端科技，但在中国以外已形成相对完整的产业链，在讲求安全的时代具备战略优势。

他强调，亚细安应摒弃以削减税务、压低工资以及牺牲环境的逐底竞争（race to the bottom），转向构建供应链、能源与粮食都受保障的合作架构。他以半导体产业为例说，马来西亚、新加坡和越南具备互补优势，三方应致力于战略协作而不是恶性竞争。

在能源合作方面，刘镇东提醒，亚细安应加快落实亚细安电网，但目标必须是实现区域能源保障，而不能单纯追求商业利益。

他指出，目前各方都紧盯着新加坡的高价能源市场。

“砂拉越、越南、澳大利亚，每一个国家都想卖给新加坡，要卖新加坡的价钱。我们要有一个思维，亚细安电网的设立之本，不是要赚钱，是要先确保东南亚的能源安全，在这样的基础上你可以赚钱，而不是本末倒置。”

在粮食保障方面，他建议通过柔新经济特区、亚细安东部成长区与湄公河下游三角洲进行合作，提升粮食产能与保障。

亚细安须发展“不选边”的底气

在与《联合早报》国际新闻主任吴汉钧的对谈环节中，刘镇东谈到亚细安应如何在危机中与外界建立更有效的协作机制。

他指出，中国在新能源领域具备显著优势，可为区域能源转型提供动力。尽管中国自身石油储备有限，但在新能源领域具备明显优势，可发挥领导作用，以较低廉的成本协助亚细安各国大规模采用新能源。

刘镇东坦言，亚细安短期内仍无法脱离美元体系与美国市场，因为大部分贸易结算与出口依然高度依赖美国。不过，世界不应是由中美主导的二元格局。

他用食物比喻多极化世界：“在麦当劳与点心之外，世界上还有咖喱，以及其他各种各样的食物。”

他强调，亚细安和欧盟应构建强大的第三方力量，以缓冲中美竞争。“你要怎么样把第三方做大做强，做到可以缓冲两个老大哥，这是我们现在要思考的。”

面对全球新格局，刘镇东认为，亚细安须具备新思维，思考如何通过合作实现“集体保命”，并拥有足够的力量，确保在大国博弈中有不选边站的自由。

“亚细安要发展出这样一种底气，就是我跟你两家做生意与合作，但有些时候我可以跟你们两家轻声地说不。我希望亚细安最后有这样的底气，我也希望马来西亚有这样的底气。”

台湾外交部星期四（4月16日）在官网发布新闻稿称，“中华民国台湾”与中国大陆互不隶属，台湾总统出访符合国际惯例，大陆无权置喙。 （赖清德脸书）

台湾总统赖清德将出访在非洲唯一的邦交国斯威士兰（台译史瓦帝尼），随后中国大陆国台办在星期三（4月15日）称希望有关国家认清大势。台湾外交部星期四（16日）回应，“中华民国台湾”与大陆互不隶属，台湾总统出访符合国际惯例，大陆无权置喙。

赖清德时隔一年多后再出访，下周将率团访问斯威士兰。国台办发言人陈斌华星期三称，一贯以一个中国原则对待台湾对外交往问题，坚决反对任何企图在国际上制造“两个中国”、“一中一台”和“台湾独立”的行径。陈斌华表示，希望有关国家认清大势，尽快纠正错误，站到历史正确的一边。

对此，台湾外交部星期四通过新闻稿回应，“中华民国台湾”与大陆互不隶属，台湾总统出访既符合国际惯例，也是常态，大陆无权置喙。

台湾外交部称，台湾有权利自主选择与世界各国交往及发展关系，不接受任何国家以任何理由干涉或打压，更不会因为遭到恫吓或干预就自我设限。

台湾外交部也指出，大陆对台湾粗暴野蛮的打压，企图封锁台湾的外交空间，扼杀台湾国际人格，不仅无助于两岸关系良性发展，也伤害台湾人民的权益，“呼吁北京当局立即停止，不要一再成为国际社会的麻烦制造者，以及两岸关系的破坏者”。

延伸阅读

赖清德出访非洲友邦 不过境不飞越中东地区

赖清德自2024年5月上任以来，仅在同年11月访问过马绍尔群岛、图瓦卢和帕劳三个南太平洋邦交国，期间过境美国夏威夷和关岛。

去年8月一度传出赖清德拟访问巴拉圭，并过境美国本土的纽约和达拉斯。但据报美国总统特朗普拒绝让赖清德过境纽约，台湾总统府也否认有这项出访计划。

New Jersey voters decide who will fill Mikie Sherrill’s House seat

2026-04-16 10:05 GMT / Reuters

By Nolan D. McCaskill

April 16, 2026 10:05 AM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

节点运行失败

Item 1 of 2 New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill delivers a speech during her inauguration ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

[1/2]New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill delivers a speech during her inauguration ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

• Summary

• Democrat Mejia favored over Republican Hathaway for Sherrill’s vacated seat
• Mejia’s win would narrow Republicans’ House majority
• Democrats have overperformed in recent special elections

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) – Voters in northern New Jersey will choose their next representative in a special election on Thursday that could narrow Republicans’ grip on the U.S. ​House of Representatives heading into the November midterm elections.

Democrat Analilia Mejia, former national political director of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is ‌favored over Republican Randolph Township Councilman Joe Hathaway to fill the seat vacated by former U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill, who was elected governor in November.

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The special election comes days after two members of Congress – Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas – announced their resignations following separate sexual misconduct allegations and a new member, Republican Representative ​Clay Fuller of Georgia, was sworn in.

Mejia has raised $1.1 million through March 27, according to recent campaign filings, more than double Hathaway’s $525,000. The ​filings show Mejia entered the final stretch of the campaign with three times as much money in the bank as ⁠Hathaway.

Mejia, a progressive outsider, won a crowded primary that featured millions of dollars in outside spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC. Hathaway ran ​unopposed for the Republican nomination.

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by nearly 9 percentage points in 2024, when Sherrill won reelection by nearly 15 ​percentage points. Sherrill carried the district by a similar margin in the 2025 gubernatorial election, en route to a 14-point win statewide.

MEJIA’S ELECTION WOULD SHRINK REPUBLICANS’ MAJORITY

If Mejia is elected, House Republicans will hold a 217-214 majority with one independent caucusing with Republicans and three vacancies to be filled later this year in Texas and California due to the pair of ​resignations this week and the death of former Republican Representative Doug LaMalfa.

United Democracy Project, the pro-Israel super PAC, has signaled it will spend to elect another ​Democrat over Mejia in the state’s June 2 primary. The winner of that race will be favored to win a full two-year term in November.

But none of the top ‌three candidates ⁠who ran against Mejia in the February 5 primary has filed to run against her in June. The three candidates who have filed paperwork are Chatham Borough Councilman Justin Strickland, who won 2% of the vote in February, former Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello and tech engineer Joseph Lewis.

DEMOCRATS HAVE OVERPERFORMED IN SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS

Democratic candidates have overperformed their party’s margins in the 2024 presidential election by an average of 18 points in six special congressional elections this cycle in Florida, ​Virginia, Arizona, Tennessee and Georgia. A ​seventh special election in Texas featured ⁠two Democrats in a runoff.

While the party hasn’t flipped any federal seats this Congress, the consistent overperformance suggests more enthusiasm for Democrats, who have rallied behind an affordability message, charging that President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are ​making life more expensive for Americans.

Democrats instigated a record-long government shutdown last year over expiring healthcare subsidies. Congress failed ​to extend the subsidies, ⁠leading to spiking healthcare premiums for millions of Americans. The president has since launched coordinated strikes with Israel against Iran, sparking a foreign conflict that’s affecting voters’ pocketbooks with rising gas prices.

Trump’s approval on the economy was just 29% as of a March 20-23 Reuters/Ipsos poll, as Americans have responded negatively to the surge in energy prices.

Democrats ⁠would need ​to flip just a handful of seats in November to win control of the House of ​Representatives for the final two years of Trump’s presidency. The president’s party traditionally suffers losses in the midterms, but Trump has pushed Republican state legislators to redraw congressional districts to buck historical ​trends. Democratic state legislators have moved to counter Republican gerrymandering by redrawing maps to benefit Democrats in their states.

Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; editing by David Gaffen

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

House showdown: Democrat backed by Sanders, AOC faces Republican trying to flip blue-leaning district

2026-04-16 05:00:19 EDT / Fox News

‘Test drive a Republican’: GOP congressional candidate makes bold pitch in Democrat-controlled district

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published April 16, 2026 5:00am EDT

Republican Joe Hathaway tells Fox News Digital voters in the special U.S. House election in New Jersey will ‘choose common sense over socialism’

Joe Hathaway, the Republican in Thursday’s special congressional election in New Jersey, charges that his Democratic rival Analilia Mejia is running on ‘far left-wing ideology.’

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RANDOLPH, N.J.— Republican Joe Hathaway aims to flip a vacant U.S. House seat in a blue-leaning district in northern New Jersey.

“I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing,” an optimistic Hathaway said this week in a Fox News Digital interview.

Hathaway is facing off against Democrat Analilia Mejia, who is backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of neighboring New York, in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The winner will fill out the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.

FIRST ON FOX: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TARGET DOZENS OF ‘VULNERABLE’ DEMOCRATS ON EVE OF TAX DAY

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill prepares to speak after taking the oath of office during an inauguration ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Newark, N.J.(Seth Wenig/AP)

The special election comes as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority and would relish the opportunity to flip a suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year’s gubernatorial election. But given a rough political climate and traditional headwinds for the party in power, it’s a tough task for a candidate with an R next to their name on the ballot.

To have any chance of winning, Hathaway will need the support of independents and crossover Democrats.

He said his message to those voters is, “even if you’ve never voted for a Republican before, you got the chance to test drive one for the next six months, send me to Washington. Let me prove to you I’m going to do what I say.”

Pointing to Mejia, Hathaway argued that voters in the district will “choose common sense over socialism in this race.”

Mejia, a progressive organizer who served as national political director on the 2020 Sanders presidential campaign, pulled off an upset in the February Democratic primary, narrowly edging out more moderate rival former Rep. Tom Malinowski in a field of 11 candidates. While Mejia was the clear choice of the party’s left flank, the rest of the field appeared to divide the moderate and center-left vote.

HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON GETS REINFORCEMENT AS GOP CLINGS TO RAZOR-THIN MAJORITY

Analilia Mejia secured the Democratic Party nomination in a special election to find out who will take over newly-elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vacant House seat.(Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Her victory was another boost for the left against the establishment after democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.

Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was uncontested for the GOP congressional nomination, emphasized that the choice for voters is “between a common sense, practical independent leader who’s gotten things done at the local level in New Jersey and knows the issues, contrasted with someone who’s running on pure ideology, far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology.”

Mejia recently appeared at a town hall with Malinowski and on Sunday teamed up with Sherrill on the campaign trail as she aimed to unite Democrats, who enjoy a sizable registration advantage in the district.

Hathaway claimed that Mejia is now trying “to hide from that a little bit in some of her rhetoric, because she knows that those policies are completely out of touch, but it’s not fooling voters. It’s certainly not fooling us.”

Jewish voters make up a key part of the district’s electorate, and Hathaway, in the only debate in the special election, claimed Mejia was antisemitic, noting that she has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

“She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on October 7,” Hathaway said. “I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric.”

PROGRESSIVES NOTCH ANOTHER WIN OVER DEMOCRATIC MODERATES AS SANDERS-AOC ALLY NEARS CONGRESS

Republican congressional candidate Joe Hathaway speaks with voters at the Randolph Diner, on April 13, 2026, in Randolph, New Jersey(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Hathaway said, “I’ve spoken to more members of the Jewish community who have told me they’ve never voted for a Republican in their life, who are going to vote for me in this race. I mean, that shows you where the Jewish community is on the importance of this race and how they are not aligned with Mejia… and her platform.”

Mejia has pledged to “protect the rights of Jewish constituents,” and has said her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mejia said that “Joe Hathaway’s inability to distinguish between criticism of a government or government official and bigotry is troubling and disgusting in equal measure.”

Mejia last week wrote that she was “honored” after being endorsed by the liberal pro-Israel political group J Street PAC. But her acceptance of the endorsement triggered pushback on the left, with the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America calling her move a “heel turn.”

Hathaway, as he aims to win over independents and Democrats, is pointing out where he agrees and disagrees with President Donald Trump, who lost the district by eight points in the 2024 presidential election.

REPUBLICANS WIN BUT DEMOCRATS ALSO CLAIM VICTORY WITH BALLOT BOX SURGE IN TRUMP TERRITORY

U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the media after walking off of Air Force One at Miami International Airport on April 11, 2026, in Miami, Fla.(Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

“I’m always going to do what’s right for this district first. And I’ve been clear: If the president’s going to do things that are good for the district, increasing the SALT cap deduction, putting money back in people’s pockets, especially New Jersey, affordability is so tough here. If we’re doing things like border security, reducing fentanyl deaths like we’ve seen in our community. Those are good things. I support those policies,” Hathaway said.

“But on the other hand, if the president’s going to do things that aren’t in the best interest of our district, it’s my job to push back, and that’s exactly what I’ve done,” he spotlighted.

Hathaway pointed to Trump’s move last year to terminate billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York, and the president’s plans to cut roughly 1,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in funding for an Army base located in New Jersey.

“I’m going to call balls and strikes in this race. I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody,” Hathaway said.

He touted, “I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing on April 16.”

Campaign signs for Republican candidate Joe Hathaway and Democrat Analilia Mejia in the NJ-11 special congressional election, in Randolph, New Jersey on April 13, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Dan Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor and pollster, calls Hathaway’s hopes of capturing crossover Democrats “a pipe dream.”

“Democrats as a whole do not seem interested in finding common ground with Trump,” he said as he predicted that most voters in the special election will be strong partisans. “Democratic turnout is through the roof and Republican turnout is depressed at this point.”

Cassino noted that “right now, national politics drives everything. We say all politics is local. Today, unfortunately, all politics is national.”

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Mejia, meanwhile, has tied Hathaway to Trump and Republicans in Congress.

“MAGA Republicans are driving up everyday costs with extreme policies my opponent supports. Healthcare and critical programs are being gutted just to fund tax breaks for the ultra-rich. We can’t afford another vote for Trump in Congress,” she wrote in a social media post.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.