鲍威尔称无意在司法部调查结束前离开美联储

2026-03-19T12:22:25.000Z / 联合早报

鲍威尔周三（3月18日）在记者会上说，如果新任美联储主席的提名没能及时得到国会参议院确认，自己将按照规定担任临时主席，直至新任主席提名得到确认。 （路透社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国联邦储备局主席鲍威尔说，在美国司法部针对美联储和他的刑事调查以透明方式彻底结束前，自己无意离开美联储。

美国司法部今年1月就美联储华盛顿总部翻新工程超支展开调查，并向美联储和鲍威尔发出传票。鲍威尔称该调查实质上是在惩罚美联储不遵从总统特朗普的货币政策要求。一名联邦法官本月驳回上述传票，司法部表示将对此提出上诉。

鲍威尔周三（3月18日）在记者会上说：“在调查以透明且终结的方式彻底结束之前，我无意离开理事会。”

他还说，如果新任美联储主席的提名没能及时得到国会参议院确认，自己将按照规定担任临时主席，直至新任主席提名得到确认。鲍威尔的美联储主席任期将于5月到期，但其美联储理事职位任期将持续至2028年1月底。

特朗普一再对鲍威尔施压，公开要求美联储降息，并一度威胁要在鲍威尔任期结束前将其撤职。

特朗普已正式提名美联储前理事沃什担任下任主席，不过参议院银行委员会关键成员、共和党参议员蒂利斯日前表示，在华盛顿特区联邦检察官办公室撤销对鲍威尔的刑事调查之前，他将阻止沃什的提名在参议院进入审议程序。

美联储委员会周三宣布将联邦基金利率目标区间维持在3.5%至3.75%之间不变。这一决定符合市场预期。美联储表示，中东局势对美国经济的影响尚不明确，经济前景面临较大不确定性。

California community ties U.S. temperature record for March, with more than 41 million under heat alerts

Updated on: March 19, 2026 / 11:32 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Temperatures in a small Southern California desert community soared to 108 degrees on Wednesday, tying the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S. The blistering conditions came as the Southwest experiences a record-shattering winter heat wave, which is forecast to stick around through the first half of next week.

Heat alerts remain in effect through Sunday for more than 41 million people, said CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan.

The 108-degree day in North Shore, California, ties a mark first reached by Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954. The ongoing heat wave could potentially produce hundreds of additional record temperatures before letting up, Nolan said.

The aptly named Thermal, California, was forecast to hit 110 degrees on Friday.

Triple-digit temperatures also came earlier than ever before in Phoenix when the Arizona capital hit 102 degrees Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was set almost 40 years ago, on March 26, 1988, the only other time Phoenix temperatures have climbed into the hundreds during the month of March.

Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the weather service, said this has been one of the most significant March heat waves in recorded history.

“We’ve broken so many records yesterday and even today we’ve broken quite a few so far,” he said.

Map shows areas under heat alerts through Sunday, March 22, 2026. CBS News

Las Vegas hit 99 degrees Wednesday, smashing its hottest March day on record, which had been 93 degrees in 2022.

Downtown Los Angeles reached 94 degrees, beating its previous daily high of 87 degrees in 1997.

And the desert destination of Palm Springs, California, was 104 degrees, tying its hottest March day on record from 1966.

It will continue to be 20 to 30 degrees above normal March temperatures for the rest of the week in the Southwest before dropping slightly over the weekend. Many other cities in the region are expected to see their earliest 100-plus degree day on record, according to the National Weather Service.

© 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US official warns small airports could soon shut down over TSA absences

March 19, 2026 1:12 PM UTC / Reuters

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Thursday that if a partial government shutdown continues, small ​airports could soon shut down as 50,000 airport security officers go ‌without pay.

Since Sunday, around 10% of Transportation Security Administration airport personnel have failed to show for work daily – about five times the normal rate. That’s led to long ​security lines at a number of major airports.

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Duffy said in a ​CNBC interview that if the standoff continues into next week, the ⁠government might have to take extraordinary steps.

He noted that next week TSA officers are ​set to miss another full paycheck on March 27 and said things are ​likely to get worse as that approaches.

“As we get into next week and they are about to miss another payment, this is going to look like child’s play what’s happening ​right now,” Duffy said. “You’re going to see small airports, I believe, shut ​down. You’re going to see extensive lines.”

On Tuesday, around 30% of TSA officers did not show ‌up ⁠at New York JFK, Pittsburgh and Houston Bush and 40% at Houston Hobby, the Homeland Security Department said.

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Some airports have closed a number of security checkpoints and others are working to raise money to help TSA workers buy ​food or other essentials ​as they go ⁠without pay. Major airline CEOs have called for a quick end to the standoff.

DHS said 366 TSA officers ​have left during the shutdown. Last fall, a 43-day government shutdown ​led ⁠to widespread flight disruptions and the FAA ordered a 10% flight cut at major airports.

DHS funding lapsed on February 13 after Congress failed to reach a deal on ⁠immigration enforcement ​reforms demanded by Democrats.

Airlines are expecting a ​record-breaking spring travel period, with 171 million passengers expected to fly, up 4% from the same two-month ​period last year.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Porter

乍得：苏丹无人机袭击致17死，边境局势升级 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月19日 20:50

乍得政府星期四说，一架来自苏丹的无人机轰炸了乍得东部边境城镇蒂内，造成17人死亡，另有数人受伤。

综合法新社和新华社报道，这起发生于星期三（3月18日）晚的事件，是苏丹冲突外溢至乍得的最新一例。自2023年4月以来，苏丹快速支援部队（RSF）一直在与苏丹军方交战。

乍得政府星期四（19日）凌晨发布声明说，尽管已向苏丹冲突各方发出严厉警告，当地仍遭袭击。乍得已指示国防与安全部队加强戒备，在严格遵守国际法的前提下，乍得部队保留在苏丹领土上进行合法追击的权利。

乍得总统兼武装部队最高统帅代比星期三晚紧急下令部队进入“最高警戒状态”，对来自苏丹方向的任何袭击进行反击，并下令全面关闭乍得与苏丹之间长达1300公里的边境。

美国称迄今已打击伊朗境内7000个目标

发布时间：2026年3月19日21:09 / 来源：联合早报

美国战争部长赫格塞斯说，美国的目标仍然是摧毁伊朗的导弹发射装置、国防工业基础和海军，并绝不允许伊朗获得核武器。 （法新社）

美国战争部长赫格塞斯说，自美伊冲突爆发以来，美国在对伊朗战争中的目标从未改变。

路透社报道，美国战争部长赫格塞斯星期四（3月19日）说，自2月28日发动打击以来，美国在对伊朗战争中的目标从未改变。

五角大楼称，美国迄今已对伊朗境内的7000个目标实施打击，并击中了40多艘伊朗布雷艇和11艘潜艇。

赫格塞斯说：“我们的目标，直接来自我们‘美国优先’的总统，至今依然与第一天完全相同。我们的目标——始终如一、精准到位，按计划推进。”

他说，美国的目标仍然是摧毁伊朗的导弹发射装置、国防工业基础和海军，并绝不允许伊朗获得核武器。

此外，美国参谋长联席会议主席凯恩（Dan Caine）说，美军已对伊拉克境内与伊朗结盟的民兵组织发动打击。

凯恩上将星期四说：“阿帕奇AH-64作战直升机一直在对伊朗支持的民兵组织实施打击，以确保我们压制在伊拉克境内针对美军或美国利益的任何威胁。”

Paxton racks up Texas endorsements as bitter Cornyn runoff hits fever pitch

Paxton said that ‘Texans are ready for a change’ and vowed to ‘work tirelessly to help Texas and support President Trump’

By Peter Pinedo
Fox News
Published March 19, 2026 10:11am EDT

Video

Scott Presler discusses SAVE America Act, Ken Paxton’s proposal on bill’s passage

Early Vote Action founder Scott Presler discusses President Donald Trump’s call for the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, requiring a valid ID to vote.

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EXCLUSIVE: The Texas Senate primary runoff is reaching a fever pitch as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton receives a slate of new endorsements from major state lawmakers and candidates over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

The bitter rivals have been lobbing increasingly personal attacks at each other after a bruising primary election in which neither candidate achieved the 50% threshold to receive the GOP nomination.

Now, Paxton has received 13 new state-level political endorsements, including prominent Texas Republican Sens. Bob Hall and Donna Campbell, and state Rep. Janis Holt. This brings his total to 250 Texas leaders, including Texas members of Congress Reps. Lance Gooden and Troy Nehls, who have endorsed Paxton.

[JAMES TALARICO’S PAST ANTI-MEAT STANCE GOES VIRAL, DRAWS REPUBLICAN FIRE FROM ACROSS TEXAS POLITICAL LANDSCAPE]

While an endorsement from President Donald Trump has remained notably absent for either candidate, the new endorsements represent a groundswell of renewed grassroots enthusiasm for Paxton as he and Cornyn close in on their May runoff election.

Whichever candidate emerges victorious will have to defend the critical GOP Senate seat against progressive Democratic candidate state Rep. James Talarico.

In response to the endorsements, Paxton told Fox News Digital he is “honored to be endorsed by leaders all across the state who are fighting for Texas and our future.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his rival, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, are heading to a runoff in Texas, further extending their bruising primary battle until late May.(Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images | Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“The momentum behind our campaign continues to grow stronger every single day,” Paxton continued, adding that “Texans are ready for a change and are ready to be represented by an America First warrior who is going to work tirelessly to help Texas and support President Trump.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve done as Attorney General, and it’s what I’ll continue to do as our next United States Senator,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak told Fox News Digital that “Ken Paxton will be a down-ballot dead weight if he is the GOP nominee, while Sen. Cornyn will provide the strongest up-ballot support for all Republicans and give the GOP the best possible chance to win the five new congressional seats that are critical to Trump’s legislative agenda.”

Cornyn “has earned the endorsement of more than 500 current and former elected officials from every corner of the state who appreciate his integrity, work ethic, and effectiveness in fighting for Texas and enacting Trump’s agenda,” Mackowiak added.

While Paxton’s list of state-level endorsements continues to grow, Cornyn, a leading member of the Senate who has filled the seat since 2002, has been endorsed by the likes of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who called him a “very effective, conservative senator for the state of Texas and does a lot of good things for our country on so many issues.”

He has also received the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Border Patrol Council and a long list of local leaders, including the famed business leader and sports gambler Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.

[CORNYN BLASTS ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ DEMOCRAT FOR HOLDING TSA AGENTS ‘HOSTAGE’ DURING AIRPORT CLASH]

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico speaks at a campaign rally March 2, 2026, in Houston.(Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)

Both candidates continue to vie for the all-important endorsement from Trump.

While the president has yet to weigh in, he has repeatedly hinted at doing so. Trump has emphasized that he likes both candidates.

He recently suggested that a voting integrity bill being voraciously debated in the Senate will play a role in his endorsement decision.

“A lot has to do with the SAVE America Act,” Trump said, “A lot is going to determine — Republicans have to get that passed, because that will secure voting in this country.”

[DEMOCRAT DARLING TALARICO CALLED OUT FOR MAKING SIXTH-GRADE PUBLIC STUDENTS WRITE ‘OBAMA MEMOIRS’]

Both candidates continue to vie for the all-important endorsement from President Donald Trump.(Manuel Balce Ceneta/The Associated Press)

Cornyn has notably reversed his previous position on nixing the filibuster to get the SAVE America Act passed.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Related Topics

• Texas
• Elections
• Senate
• Republicans
• Donald Trump

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Trump Homeland nominee Markwayne Mullin advances to vote before full Senate | Reuters

By Ted Hesson
March 19, 2026 1:44 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

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U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Homeland Security secretary, tesifies before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Senate committee advances nomination in 8-7 vote
• Top Republican opposed while one Democrat supported
• Mullin could head to full Senate vote as soon as next week

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday voted to advance the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to become ​homeland security secretary, even as the committee’s Republican chairman criticized Mullin and voted against him.

The 8-7 vote sends President Donald Trump’s homeland pick ‌to the Republican-controlled full Senate for a vote, where Mullin will need a majority to be confirmed. The committee vote was mostly along party lines, with the exception of Republican Chairman Rand Paul, who voted against Mullin, and Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who voted in support.

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Trump fired embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier this month after she was criticized by Republican ​lawmakers over her handling of Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and management of the 260,000-person department.

The Republican president then nominated Mullin, a businessman who spent a ​decade in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming a senator in 2023, to take over the role.

During a confirmation ⁠hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Paul criticized Mullin for making violent statements, including showing support for a man who attacked Paul ​in 2017. Paul voted against Mullin’s nomination, putting it in jeopardy on a committee where Republicans hold an 8-7 advantage over Democrats.

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Fetterman, a moderate from Pennsylvania who had ​previously said he would vote for Mullin, praised him during Wednesday’s hearing for his approach to border security and immigration enforcement. Fetterman’s backing proved crucial to advancing the nomination as other Democrats voted against it.

Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the committee’s top Democrat, criticized what he called Mullin’s willingness to condone political violence and the message that sends. Peters cited a 2023 ​incident where Mullin – then a freshman senator – challenged Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fight during a Senate hearing.

“There will be no shortage of political disagreements ​facing the next DHS secretary,” Peters said, echoing Paul’s criticism a day earlier. “The department and the American people deserve a leader who is steady and proven under pressure, not ‌just someone ⁠better than the very low bar set by his predecessor. I’ll be voting no.”

If confirmed, Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, would be the second Native American to serve as a Cabinet member. His nomination could head to the full Senate as soon as next week.

MULLIN SIGNALS SOME DIFFERENCES WITH NOEM

Trump surged federal agents into U.S. cities beginning in mid-2025 to make immigration arrests, with major operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, where masked officers employing militaristic tactics led to legal ​challenges and public criticism.

Support for Trump’s immigration approach ​decreased as agents clashed with city ⁠residents and fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, Reuters/Ipsos polls show.

Mullin signaled at the hearing on Wednesday that he would approach some issues differently than Noem if confirmed as secretary.

The Trump administration issued an internal policy last year that ​told federal immigration officers they could enter private homes without a judicial warrant, a controversial policy that Democrats and ​civil rights groups oppose.

Mullin ⁠said that under his leadership, officials would need a judicial warrant to enter a home or business unless they were pursuing someone into the building.

He said he would revoke a Noem policy that required her to personally approve any DHS contracts over $100,000, which led to criticism that it had delayed disaster recovery grants.

“That’s called micromanaging,” Mullin ⁠said. “I don’t ​know if the secretary put that in or someone else did. I’m not a micromanager.”

Elissa Slotkin, ​a Democrat from Michigan, said significant and lasting reforms still needed to be made to put guardrails on Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“The trust is gone, and not just with Democrats,” she told Mullin on ​Wednesday. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why your predecessor was fired. And there needs to be fundamental reform.”

Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Nick Zieminski

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美国战争部长赫格塞斯说，美国的目标仍然是摧毁伊朗的导弹发射装置、国防工业基础和海军，并绝不允许伊朗获得核武器。 （法新社）

美国战争部长赫格塞斯说，自美伊冲突爆发以来，美国在对伊朗战争中的目标从未改变。

路透社报道，美国战争部长赫格塞斯星期四（3月19日）说，自2月28日发动打击以来，美国在对伊朗战争中的目标从未改变。

五角大楼称，美国迄今已对伊朗境内的7000个目标实施打击，并击中了40多艘伊朗布雷艇和11艘潜艇。

赫格塞斯说：“我们的目标，直接来自我们‘美国优先’的总统，至今依然与第一天完全相同。我们的目标——始终如一、精准到位，按计划推进。”

他说，美国的目标仍然是摧毁伊朗的导弹发射装置、国防工业基础和海军，并绝不允许伊朗获得核武器。

延伸阅读

美情报总监拒确认伊朗构成迫在眉睫威胁

以总理出示“暗杀名单” 伊朗促国际社会不应双标

此外，美国参谋长联席会议主席凯恩（Dan Caine）说，美军已对伊拉克境内与伊朗结盟的民兵组织发动打击。

凯恩上将星期四说：“阿帕奇AH-64作战直升机一直在对伊朗支持的民兵组织实施打击，以确保我们压制在伊拉克境内针对美军或美国利益的任何威胁。”

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美国美伊冲突伊朗中东局势

上一篇 乍得指苏丹无人机袭击致17人死 边境紧急关闭 下一篇 美国科罗拉多11岁男孩被控谋杀5岁弟弟

Over a third of TSA officers call out at 3 major U.S. airports in single day as ‌funding standoff continues

March 19, 2026 / 9:37 AM EDT / CBS News

More than 40% of TSA officers called out of work on Tuesday at an airport in Houston – one of three major airports in the U.S. where over a third of workers called out that day.

The workers aren’t getting paid, leading to a spike in call-out rates, as a partial government shutdown over a funding dispute continues.

At William P. Hobby Airport in Texas, 40.8% of TSA workers called out on Tuesday. At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, nearly 36% of TSA officers called out, while more than 34% called out at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to TSA data.

“The morale is getting worse by the day because no one knows when this is gonna end,” said Cameron Cochems, a union steward and lead TSA officer in Boise, Idaho.

Cochems said people are “waiting in line because the government can’t do their job, and it’s ruining people’s lives.”

Screening lines at airports are long because of the shortages of TSA employees. They missed their first full paycheck last Friday, and since then, the agency has seen a higher-than-average number of unscheduled absences.

An underlying stalemate in Washington isn’t budging, leaving TSA and the Department of Homeland Security without funding.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Trump’s pick to lead the Homeland Security department, said at his confirmation hearing Wednesday, “we have to get DHS funded. We have to. My friends, we have to set the partisan side down.”

In Philadelphia, flyers found three of six TSA checkpoints closed on Wednesday. In Atlanta, one traveler, Reggy Monsanto, said he got to the airport with five hours to spare.

“It’s a 45 minute flight,” he said. “We got up at 6, to get on a flight at 2.”

Acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl told CBS News that if the call-out rate climbs, “there could be scenarios where we may have to shut down airports.”

“This is a serious situation,” he said.

Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/over-a-third-of-tsa-officers-called-out-at-3-major-airports-tuesday-amid-partial-shutdown/

美国11岁男童涉嫌谋杀5岁弟弟，被控一级谋杀罪 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月19日 21:32

美国科罗拉多州一名11岁男孩，因涉嫌杀害自己5岁弟弟而被控谋杀。 （档案示意图）

美国媒体报道，美国科罗拉多州一名11岁男孩因涉嫌杀害5岁弟弟而被控谋杀。

法新社引述美国媒体报道，3月11日，这名5岁男童的尸体在科罗拉多州丹佛郊区的一处住宅内被发现。

阿拉帕霍县警长办公室上周透露，嫌犯是受害者的哥哥，死亡原因仍在调查中。

警长办公室说：“由于受害者和嫌疑人均为未成年人，我们将限制公布的信息资料。”

地方检察官办公室星期二（17日）说，这名11岁男孩已正式被控一级谋杀罪。检方还补充说，在科罗拉多州，青少年案件记录不向公众公开。

警长布朗在早前的声明中说：“我们向这两名年幼男孩的家人，以及社区中所有为此感到悲痛的人致以深切慰问。”

布朗说：“涉及儿童被杀的案件，是我们警员和调查人员所面对的最艰难案件之一……我们知道，这样的悲剧不仅会影响到当事家庭，也会影响整个社区的同学、老师和邻居。”