Eduardo Cuevas 美国今日报
一名加利福尼亚州男子被指控向一名密西西比州法官发送威胁信息，该法官与 7 月诺兰·威尔斯的失踪及死亡案有亲属关系。此案发生之时，威尔斯的家人和朋友表示，在威尔斯死亡案件的调查过程中，他们面临着大量的威胁和骚扰。在另一起案件中，一名女性被指控针对参与调查的当地官员发出炸弹威胁。
根据一份联邦刑事起诉书，7 月 29 日，执法人员将 27 岁的约瑟夫·杜马斯关入萨克拉门托县看守所，他面临一项因威胁密西西比州大法官阿什利·科尔而产生的重罪指控。科尔的儿子沃伦·哈德逊是威尔斯的朋友。18 岁的威尔斯在与包括哈德逊在内的朋友前往密西西比州的屏障岛——角岛进行船旅时失踪。官员们在两天后发现了威尔斯的遗体。
威尔斯死亡的情况一直是个谜。威尔斯的家人要求透明化并公开批评此次调查，表示他们担心尽管存在疑虑，其死亡仍会被简单地定性为意外溺水。该家庭已启动独立调查并委托了独立尸检。杰克逊县警长约翰·莱德贝特表示，调查人员最初认为威尔斯的死亡并非由于刑事犯罪，但他补充说官员们仍在继续调查。
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以及美国众议员海莉·史蒂文斯，他们竞逐民主党提名，以接替自 2015 年起持有密歇根州席位的民主党参议员加里·彼得斯。彼得斯在 4 月宣布他将不寻求连任。
面对较为温和的史蒂文斯，埃尔-赛义德得到了美国民主社会主义者的支持。7 月 30 日的一项埃默逊民调显示，在民主党阵营中，埃尔-赛义德领先史蒂文斯 15 个百分点。
直到州参议员马洛里·麦克莫罗在 7 月初放弃竞选，民主党初选此前是一场三方竞争。尽管埃尔-赛义德得到了包括佛蒙特州独立参议员伯尼·桑德斯在内的民主社会主义者的支持，但他告诉 CNN，他“不是一个社会主义者”，并补充道：“我相信资本主义。我只是认为资本主义必须受到监管。”
4 月，埃尔-赛义德因与哈桑·皮克尔共同 campaigning 而招致批评，后者是一名坚定反以色列的播主，曾发表支持哈马斯的言论。这次露面引起了犹太团体和温和派民主党人的抵制，他们质疑埃尔-赛义德的判断力以及在秋季大选中的当选能力。
史蒂文斯的竞选活动更符合既定的温和民主党政纲，格雷琴·惠特默州长为其竞选背书。这场竞争正因人身攻击而变得激进。
埃尔-赛义德称史蒂文斯是“美国能力最差的候选人”。史蒂文斯在一次发帖中猛烈抨击了埃尔-赛义德在普选中的竞争力，指责这位穆斯林候选人想要“将你所有的所有问题都归咎于美国犹太人”。
“我有能力赢得我的竞争性初选和普选。你输了。你在格雷琴·惠特默面前输了 20 多个百分点，如果你这样说话，你也会输给迈克·罗杰斯，”史蒂文斯在 7 月 30 日（周四）的发帖中说道。
在另一党派方面，前美国众议员迈克·罗杰斯是密歇根州选票上唯一的共和党候选人。密歇根州的两个参议院席位自 2002 年以来一直由民主党持有，但唐纳德·特朗普总统在 2016 年和 2024 年的选举中都赢得了该州。
2024 年，罗杰斯在普选中输给了民主党参议员埃莉莎·斯洛特金，票数差距约为 19,000 票，即 0.3 个百分点。罗杰斯目前领先埃尔-赛义德 10 个百分点。
在一次关于 11 月潜在对决的民调中，但在 7 月 28 日的同一项密歇根州教育协会（Michigan Education Association）民调中，Stevens 领先 Rogers 2 个百分点。同样在竞选参议员的有：深红的堪萨斯州和蓝色弗吉尼亚州。堪萨斯州共和党参议员 Roger Marshall 和弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员 Mark Warner 正在寻求连任，且 双方党派正在决定谁将与他们竞争。这两个堪萨斯州的席位自 1939 年以来一直由共和党把持，但在一次针对 600 名潜在民主党选民的 GBAO 民调中，曾在奥巴马第二次就职典礼上讲道的堪萨斯城地区牧师 Adam Hamilton 在 11 名民主党候选人中处于领先地位，且他在支出方面领先于 Marshall。特朗普还支持了一位堪萨斯州州长候选人：州参议院议长 Ty Masterson，他与州参议员 Jeff Klemp 共同参选。Masterson 将面对六名堪萨斯州共和党对手，包括州务卿 Scott Schwab。
美国今日报 ❚ 星期二 2026 年 8 月 4 日 ❚ 3A
与威尔斯相关人员指称遭到威胁 7 月 10 日，在纽约市国家行动网络总部外，一个人举着一块写有“为诺兰正义”的标牌。诺兰·威尔斯死亡的情况一直笼罩在谜团之中。DAVID “DEE” DELGADO / 路透社
重罪指控称法官遭到极其严重的威胁 联邦调查局将该 Facebook 账户追踪到几个与 Dumarce 关联的电子邮件、CashApp 和 Google 账户，以及一个位于萨克拉门托的地址，宣誓书中如此写道。联邦调查局还确定了一个与 Dumarce 的地址一致的电话号码，该号码在 7 月 11 日向科尔工作的杰克逊县衡平法院（Jackson County Chancery Court）拨打了电话。
在 Facebook 帖子中，科尔对该案件发表了评论，并表示她的儿子正与执法部门合作。科尔此前表示，由于她和家人收到了死亡威胁，她停用了自己的社交媒体账户。她此前分享了来自一个 Facebook 账户的私信截图，联邦调查局称该账户属于萨克拉门托的 Dumarce。
联邦调查局拒绝置评。联邦法院记录中未列出 Dumarce 的律师，尽管美国今日报已尝试联系被羁押的他以及法院记录中列为他所有的电话号码。
根据联邦调查局特员 Brodey Gibson 在 7 月 24 日的宣誓书中引用的截图，Dumarce 被指控向科尔发送了多条 Facebook 消息，其中据称他表示将发送一个“会让你大吃一惊”的包裹，并称“最好让那些男孩们也在场看着”。Dumarce 还据称表示将会有“如此多的血随处可见”。
7 月 28 日，密西西比州联邦法院的一个大陪审团提交了一份起诉书，指控 Dumarce 跨州传输威胁性通信。法院记录显示，此项指控的最高刑期可达五年。
政治时事通讯 通过我们的政治团队获取政治分析和突破性见解，保持对话。扫描二维码注册。 更多选举报道：访问 usatoday.com 获取实时更新，五个州于 8 月 4 日（星期二）举行初选。
竞逐该席位。前底特律市长 Mike Duggan 是一位长期支持民主党的人士，他在 5 月下旬退出了独立参选，理由是全美范围内民主党的势头在激增。
堪萨斯州共和党参议员 Roger Marshall 在支出方面领先于其潜在的民主党竞争对手。他在共和党初选中面对挑战者 Pond Naramore。JASON ALATIDD / 美国今日报网络
根据 Emerson 的一项民调，获得特朗普支持的美国众议员 John James 以 40% 的支持率在共和党阵营中领先。千万富翁及前州长候选人 Perry Johnson 仍在竞逐该席位，其民调支持率比 James 低 8 个百分点，而 17% 的共和党选民仍未决定。
他自 2018. 起担任该职。这场竞争将考验 堪萨斯州 的 共和党 基础是否仍然与总统绑定，或者施瓦布在该州的知名度能否为他赢得另一次共和党提名。一名知名度较低的共和党初选挑战者庞德·纳拉莫尔（Pond Naramore）将于周二与马歇尔对阵。沃纳将晋级大选，因为他在初选中没有竞争对手。在共和党方面，三名挑战者——金·法灵顿（Kim Farrington）、伯特·水泽（Bert Mizusawa）和戴维·威廉姆斯（David Williams）——在试图罢免这位三任现任者的战斗中面临艰巨挑战。 弗吉尼亚州 自 2009, 以来就未曾持有参议院席位，且 弗吉尼亚州 2025 的州长竞选表明，该州的政治轨迹对共和党而言正变得愈发具有挑战性。在 民主党 方面，选民还将权衡现任州长凯利（Kelly）对 堪萨斯州 州参议员伊森·科森（Ethan Corson）的背书，科森目前正与另一名 堪萨斯州 州参议员辛迪·霍尔舍尔（Cindy Holscher）展开竞争。霍尔舍尔在最近的民调中领先于科森。“在 民主党 成员阿比盖尔·斯潘伯格（Abigail Spanberger）于 2025 年 11 月以 15 分之差赢得州长竞选后，共和党试图介入这场竞争看来极不乐观，” 库克政治报告 在其竞选评级中写道，该评级将该席位列为坚固的 民主党 席位。
密苏里州可能会给共和党带来一个新的国会席位 所有五个州的选民还将就美国众议员席位进行投票，因为两党都在争夺国会下议院的控制权。
民主党在特朗普测试背书权的同时捍卫州长席位 共和党主导的重新划分 堪萨斯州 国会选区地图的努力在 2025 年秋季失败了。 唐纳德·特朗普 敦促该州重新绘制选区，以赋予共和党优势，从而夺取目前由众议员莎里斯·戴维兹（Sharice Davids）持有的第三国会选区（原为 民主党 持有）的席位。根据 KCUR 的报道，获得 唐纳德·特朗普 背书的州长候选人马斯特森（Masterson）领导了重新划分选区的行动。
堪萨斯州和 密歇根州 的两名 民主党 州长在连续赢得两届任期后即将离任，而这两个州在总统大选中都由 唐纳德·特朗普 赢得。现在这两个席位均为空缺，问题在于如果没有现任者在选票上， 民主党 是否能够守住。 密歇根州 州长 格雷琴·惠特默 在 2018 和 2022 赢得了竞选，尽管 唐纳德·特朗普 在 2016 年总统大选中将该州变为红色，并在 2024. 再次如此。在 堪萨斯州 ，州长劳拉·凯利（Laura Kelly）在 2018 和 2022 完成了同样的壮举，而 唐纳德·特朗普 在 2016, 2020 和 2024. 年在该州以两位数之差获胜。
寻求接替 格雷琴·惠特默 的 密歇根州 民主党 州务卿乔塞林·本森（Jocelyn Benson）是领先的候选人。据《底特律自由新闻》报道，本森在民调中领先于她的 民主党 对手——吉尼西县警长克里斯·斯旺森（Chris Swanson）以及共和党人。
戴维兹和三位获得 唐纳德·特朗普 背书的共和党现任者——众议员特蕾西·曼（Tracey Mann）、德里克·施密特（Derek Schmidt）和罗恩·埃斯特斯（Ron Estes）——每人都面临来自本党的挑战者。密苏里州众议院的所有八个席位都将出现在选票上，就在法院于秋季维持由该州立法机关共和党人绘制的新地图几个月之后，尽管法律挑战仍在继续，且可能最终使该地图失效。第五国会选区目前由 民主党 众议员埃马纽埃尔·克利弗（Emanuel Cleaver）持有。
在监狱中。他被关在萨克拉门托县监狱，不符合保释条件。《萨克拉门托蜜蜂报》报道称，杜马斯（Dumarce）在 2019 年被警方逮捕，涉嫌在当地一所小学外暴露身体并试图绑架一名 13 岁女孩。加利福尼亚州的《梅根法案》（Megan’s Law）列出了性犯罪者，显示他在 2019 年有骚扰或猥亵儿童的刑事定罪，并在 2020, 年有发送有害物质以诱导的定罪。
次要。随着威尔斯调查的继续，更多威胁指控出现。在另一起案件中，7月31日，一名俄亥俄州女性因涉嫌在威尔斯死后在密西西比州发出炸弹威胁而被拘留。弗兰辛·爱德华兹（Francine Edwards）被捕的消息最早由《太阳先驱报》（Sun Herald）报道。根据联邦法院记录，官员指控爱德华兹在7月23日向乔治县法院书记员以及随后的杰克逊县警长办公室发出威胁。爱德华兹在密西西比州联邦法院被指控以跨州通信发出威胁。监狱记录显示，41岁的爱德华兹被关押在汉密尔顿县司法中心，不得保释。威尔斯的朋友表示他们收到了威胁。威尔斯的母亲克里斯汀·旺斯利（Christine Wonsley）表示她一直受到骚扰，包括收到信息和电子邮件，而且她在担任护士的工作场所还收到了差评。据报道，威尔斯家族的律师已向他的朋友、其家人及当地官员发送信函，指示不要删除任何记录，并告知他们诉讼是“可以合理预见的”。 贡献者：N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Bonnie Bolden, Evan Mealins 和 Molly Davis。
堪萨斯州大都会区被重新划分以利于一名共和党挑战者。克利弗（Cleaver）仍在参选，他是代表该州进入众议院的两名民主党人之一。共有六名共和党候选人出现在初选选票上，寻求罢免该国会议员，其中包括州参议员里克·布拉廷（Rick Brattin）和海军退伍军人泰勒·伯克斯（Taylor Burks）。密苏里大学政治学教授查尔斯·祖格（Charles Zug）对 KMIZ ABC17 表示：“所有这些共和党人宣布参选的原因是他们嗅到了机会。看来这次重新划分选区很有可能使其转向共和党。”
在经历了几个月政治版图混乱后，弗吉尼亚州选民将在与2024年相同的11个选区进行投票。4月，选民们勉强通过了一项宪法修正案，允许在十年周期中期重新划分选区，民主党希望这能给其政党带来优势并可能翻盘几个席位。但5月，弗吉尼亚州最高法院否决了民主党绘制的特定地图，因此本轮选举维持原有界限。民主党目前持有该州11个席位中的六个，共和党持有另外五个。在这几个共和党控制的弗吉尼亚州席位中，有两个被列入民主党国会竞选委员会试图将红色转为蓝色的全美30个席位名单中。在弗吉尼亚州第一选区，包括检察官香农·泰勒（Shannon Taylor）在内的七名民主党人出现在初选选票上，以寻求罢免现任众议员罗伯特·威特曼（Robert Wittman）。在3月的一项民调中，泰勒在普选中落后威特曼 4 个百分点，但选民投票给民主党的可能性也高出 2 个百分点。
前众议员、退役海军指挥官伊莱恩·卢里亚（Elaine Luria）出现在初选选票上，与另外三名民主党人竞争，试图翻盘弗吉尼亚州第二选区现任众议员詹妮弗·基根斯（Jennifer Kiggans）的席位。Tulchin Research 7月的一项民调显示，卢里亚和基根斯持平，得票率均为 47%。
堪萨斯州最高法院选票措施及华盛顿州。在本周华盛顿州的“前两名”初选制度中，无论是否来自同一政党，得票最高的两名候选人将进入普选。美国众议院的10名现任议员中有9名将寻求连任，其中排除共和党众议员丹·纽豪斯（Dan Newhouse），他将从代表第 4 国会选区的职位上退休。纽豪斯持有国会中两个共和党华盛顿席位之一，而另外八名代表和两名参议员均为民主党人。同样在堪萨斯州：选民将决定一项选票措施，该措施可能使堪萨斯州最高法院成为由选民选举的职位。希望影响投票的团体已花费 $10 million，共和党人正在推动该修正案。
[图注] 7月30日，在新泽西州帕赛伊克河（Passaic River）搜寻一名10岁女孩期间，一支搜寻队伍在灌木丛下进行搜寻。JULIAN LESHAY GUADALUPE / 美国今日报网络
Anthony Thompson 美国今日报
官员表示，一名在掉入新泽西州帕赛克河（Passaic River）后失踪的 10 岁女孩的尸体在经过两天的搜寻后，于 7 月 31 日被发现。帕赛克市市长海克多·洛拉（Hector Lora）表示，搜救人员在 7 月 31. 下午 7 点前不久，在马基特街大桥（Market Street Bridge）南侧的河中发现了该女孩的尸体。据 PIX11 报道，该儿童被确认为米利安·杜兰（Milian Dulan）。在紧急救援人员使用船只、声呐设备、无人机、直升机和搜救犬搜索了帕赛克河近 9 英里的河段后，发现了尸体。搜寻工作始于 7 月 29 日，当时三名儿童在新泽西州帕赛克市普拉斯基公园（Pulaski Park）的一个船只坡道附近进入水中并被冲走。官员表示，其中一名 11 岁女孩能够自行脱离河流。官员称，随后发现了她的 10 岁哥哥（被 PIX11 确认为迈克尔·克伦克 Michael Klenk）以及杜兰的尸体。
据 CBS 新闻报道，当局原本准备在 7 月 31 日晚上结束搜寻，这时一对住在马基特街大桥附近的一对夫妇报告称，他们从公寓窗户看到河里有东西。这对夫妇走到室外进行查看，在认为他们看到了失踪儿童的尸体后拨打了 911。官员表示，救援船在约 15 分钟内部署，并在新泽西州沃灵顿（Wallington）距离大桥约 100 英尺的地方寻获了杜兰。洛拉赞扬了这对夫妇及时通知当局，称他们的快速反应可能防止了尸体被河流的强电流进一步冲向下游。官员表示，女孩的母亲被带到现场并确认了女儿的身份。洛拉表示，该家庭在收到确认后既感到悲痛，也得到了一定的慰藉。
官员表示，这些孩子来自新泽西州加菲尔德（Garfield），尽管其中一个家庭与帕赛克市有联系。孩子们在普拉斯基公园的河岸附近玩耍，最后来到了一个通常由警察和消防人员使用的船只坡道上。洛拉表示，公园里的一位好心人试图营救孩子们，但由于河流深且水流湍急，无法触及他们。搜寻行动包括来自当地、县级和州级机构的 20 多个海军单位，以及潜水队和其他应急响应人员。到 7 月 30, 日，当局已将行动重点从救援任务转为遗体回收行动。
Jeanine Santucci 美国今日报
一个前往俄勒冈州的家庭度假之旅变成了悲剧，一名 5 岁儿童因一种在 7 月初突然发作的极罕见健康状况而去世，该男孩的家人告诉新闻媒体。据 KGW News 报道，即将进入幼儿园的贾斯汀·武（Justin Vu）与母亲及姐妹们从丹佛的家中出发，正享受着与家人的团聚，期间去了海滩和动物园等地方。他的母亲特雷斯·佩登（Terese Peden）告诉该媒体，贾斯汀在 7 月 3 日晚上开始抱怨腹痛。佩登表示，起初她认为这只是“普通”的疾病，但贾斯汀整个晚上都在呕吐，第二天早晨家人将他送到了附近的急诊室。KGW 报道称，医生最初认为贾斯汀可能是患了阑尾炎或细菌感染，但结果证明这是一种更为险恶、且在儿童中几乎闻所未闻的疾病。佩登告诉 KGW，7 月 5 日，医生告诉家人他必须依赖生命维持系统，生存机会仅有 50 / 50。
该诊断结果为克拉克森病（Clarkson’s disease）。据耶鲁大学医学院的理查德·皮尔斯（Richard Pierce）医生称，该病也被称为全身性毛细血管渗漏综合征，自 1958 年首次记载以来，仅在约 300 名成年人中记录过此诊断。皮尔斯在一家大学出版物中表示，自 1995 年一名 9 岁加拿大女孩死于该病并被记录首例以来，儿童病例仅有 30 例。佩登说：“我们被告知他的身体正在衰竭，那些药物是不够的。”佩登告诉 KGW，贾斯汀在 7 月 8 日去世时，家人都在他身边。为该家庭发起的在线筹款活动已筹集了近 $45,000。
贾斯汀·武是个可爱的孩子，热爱玩耍。他的父母告诉 KDVR，贾斯汀喜欢宝可梦、恐龙和鲨鱼。一项为该家庭发起的筹款活动写道：“他拥有富有感染力的笑容，他的笑声和无穷的活力充满了每个房间。他最快乐的时光之一是与兄弟姐妹和表亲们一起玩耍，创造了家人将永远珍惜的回忆。”佩登告诉 KDVR：“我们正试图弄清楚现在的生活将是什么样子，并一天天面对。”贾斯汀的父亲越·武（Viet Vu）告诉该媒体，他想给其他家长一个启示：“不要认为这一切理所当然。试着珍惜与他们在一起的每一刻。每一个拥抱，每一个吻，因为你不知道什么时候会是最后一次。”
什么是克拉克森病？ 克拉克森病发生在血浆从血管渗出到肌肉、组织、器官和体腔中，导致低血容量性休克。它可能突然发生，并导致血压下降，如果不治疗，可能会导致器官衰竭和死亡。
皮尔斯表示，在成年人中，这种情况通常发生在中年，平均诊断年龄为 42 岁。但对于儿童来说，平均年龄是 5½ 岁。
由于该病极其罕见，且其症状可能由其他原因引起，因此难以诊断。皮尔斯表示，由于医疗服务提供者缺乏意识，儿童群体中很可能存在诊断不足的情况。
皮尔斯说，儿童通常表现为水肿（由于液体积聚引起的肿胀）和分布性休克（一种由于器官无法获得充足血液而导致的医疗紧急情况）。他表示，患儿通常此前健康，但会经历两到三天的症状，标志着“渗漏发作”的第一阶段，该阶段可能持续一天到一周不等。
他指出，这些早期症状可能包括腹痛、食欲下降、恶心、肌痛（肌肉酸痛或疼痛）和发烧。皮尔斯说，医学检查可能会发现心率过快、低血压以及异常的心肺音。
目前尚无已知的克拉克森病治愈方法或明确病因，也没有针对渗漏发作的特异性治疗，但皮尔斯表示，有一些治疗方法可以帮助管理发作阶段以及进行长期治疗。
[图注] 唐纳德·特朗普总统表示，美国已经“准备就绪”，准备对他所描述的对伊朗的“大规模袭击”采取行动，但随后取消了该计划。DANIEL HEUER / REUTERS
Joey Garrison 美国今日报
华盛顿 – 伊朗否认了唐纳德·特朗普总统关于德黑兰准备与美国开启新一轮谈判的断言。此前特朗普表示，他暂缓执行“二战以来最大规模的袭击”，以允许谈判重启，此举与总统的说法相矛盾。特朗普周日在空军一号上告诉记者，美国在周末已经“准备就绪”，计划对他所描述的对伊朗的“大规模袭击”采取行动，但应沙特阿拉伯、阿拉伯联合酋长国和卡塔尔的要求取消了计划。特朗普表示，这三个中东盟友对达成一项关于重新开放霍尔木兹海峡并解决伊朗核能力问题的协议表示信心。他表示，伊朗也“非常强烈地”要求美国暂缓袭击。
“如果那两个人没有说什么，而且水流如此湍急且强劲，一直持续整夜，
[尸体]就有可能最终漂到纽瓦克湾，”洛拉（Lora）告诉哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS News）。“我们将发起一次二战以来最大规模的袭击，那对他们来说将是灾难性的，”特朗普说。但伊朗外交部发言人埃斯马伊尔·巴盖伊（Esmaeil Baghaei）周一表示，伊朗目前没有与美国进行谈判，他告诉记者，德黑兰目前是在与阿曼讨论一条通过霍尔木兹海峡的临时安全航线。据NBC新闻报道，巴盖伊表示：“我们目前没有与美国进行谈判。”他补充说，伊朗在未来几天没有接待外国代表团或派遣谈判代表出访的计划。
在特朗普的指示下，由于双方就和平协议努力而达成的谅解备忘录破裂，美国在7月连续13个夜晚对伊朗进行了空袭。从7月23日开始的停火
旨在给谈判另一个机会，但谈判进展并未实现。在伊朗战争期间，至少有18名美国服役人员在行动中牺牲，这场战争在美国民众中变得越来越不受欢迎。在7月份的一项《华盛顿邮报》 / Ipsos民意调查中，超过三分之二的受访美国人表示反对特朗普处理这场战争的方式。特朗普表示，如果伊朗抵制一项满足美国要求的协议，他所暂缓的大规模袭击仍是一个选项。“我们随时准备行动，”特朗普说。“我是否更倾向于达成协议？我不想杀人，因为人们会死，很多人会死，我们不希望那样。” 贡献：路透社
Daniel de Visé 美国今日报
联邦监管机构和政策制定者已引导加密货币从投资的边缘走向主流，将数字资产引入交易所交易基金和退休账户。
然而，一份新报告表明，加密货币投资者仍然相对稀少。 根据城市研究所（Urban Institute）7月9日的一份报告，大约 17% 的美国成年人曾拥有过加密货币。但目前只有约 9% 的美国人拥有加密货币。换句话说，美国近一半的加密货币投资者已经撤出。 该报告基于今年1月对 3,000 多名成年人的一项调查。在数字资产几乎任何业余投资者都能触及的当下，这是关于比特币及其他加密货币普及程度的最新解读。 总统唐纳德·特朗普曾向 ETF 投资者和退休储蓄者推销加密货币，并承诺将美国打造为“地球的加密货币之都”。 该竞选活动助力比特币价格在 2025. 创下历史新高。但自那时起，比特币已失去了约一半的价值，而且显然并未出现新加密货币持有者的爆发式增长。 “并没有出现新加密货币投资者的巨浪，”Motley Fool 的特约加密货币分析师 Alex Carchidi 表示，“事实上，许多专业加密货币投资者……自 10 月市场崩盘以来，一直在离开市场或以某种方式处于休眠状态。”
Daniel de Visé 美国今日报
销售税正在悄悄上升。所得税则在缓慢下降。这是来自税务与经济政策研究所（Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy）的一份新报告得出的结论，该报告描绘了各州不断变化的税收格局。ITEP 报告称，自 1990 年以来，各州上调销售税 68 次，但下调仅 29 次。在同一时期，州立法者削减最高个人所得税率 210 次，削减公司税率 168 次。然而，各州上调所得税仅 73 次，上调公司税仅 42 次。在一些政策专家看来，这一趋势标志着一种税收哲学战胜了另一种哲学。许多州正在削减“累进”税，即对高收入者征收更高税率的税种。而他们正更多地依赖“累退”税，例如销售税，这类税种给低收入纳税人带来了更大的负担。“人们应该对此感到担忧，”进步派智库经济政策研究所（Economic Policy Institute）州政策与研究主任 David Cooper 表示，“这无疑加剧了我们国家飞涨的不平等现象。”政策专家表示，相互竞争的税收哲学日益使各州极化，且在很大程度上是沿着政治路线划分的。虽然一些蓝色州将累进税推向极致，但许多红色州也在同样迅速地降低并平整其税率。但各州并非同步行动。虽然许多州降低了公司和高收入者的所得税，但其他一些州则在努力朝着相反方向推进。随着时间的推移，一些州在削减公司和个人所得税的同时，还提高了销售税率。ITEP 高级分析师兼该报告作者 Sarah Austin 表示，在 11 个州中，“这三件事同时发生了”。这些州是亚利桑那州、阿肯色州、爱达荷州、印第安纳州、爱荷华州、堪萨斯州、密西西比州、内布拉斯加州、新墨西哥州、北卡罗来纳州和俄亥俄州。非党派组织税务基金会（Tax Foundation）州税政策副总裁 Katherine Loughead 表示：“我们正看到这种明显的分歧，高税州变得更高，低税州变得更低。”根据左翼智库 ITEP 的报告，这种政策转变有利于富有的美国人和公司，并且往往会损害低收入美国人的利益。ITEP 报告称，自 1990 年以来，横跨政治光谱的 26 个州提高了销售税，而仅有 4 个州降低了销售税。除了上述 11 个州外，销售税提高的州还包括加利福尼亚州、印第安纳州、路易斯安那州、缅因州、马里兰州、马萨诸塞州、密歇根州、明尼苏达州、内华达州、南卡罗来纳州、南达科他州、田纳西州、佛蒙特州、弗吉尼亚州和怀俄明州。ITEP 报告称，在堪萨斯州，销售税已从 4.25% 上升至 6.5%；在爱荷华州、密歇根州和佛蒙特州，从 4% 上升至 6%；在印第安纳州，从 5% 上升至 7%；在阿肯色州，从 4% 上升至 6.5%。税务基金会的 Loughead 表示，销售税在数十年间逐渐走高。相比之下，州所得税的“单一税率革命”进展迅速。税务基金会报告称，自 2020 年以来，已有 8 个州通过法律将累进所得税改为单一税率所得税，并在这一过程中降低了整体税率。
Betty Lin-Fisher 美国今日报
想知道如何将衣柜和抽屉里不再穿着的衣服取出，并免费更新你的衣橱吗？ 让我为你介绍一下“衣物交换”的概念——你带上那些状态依然良好但你已不再需要的衣服，其他人也这样做。然后，你可以在聚会上像“购物”一样寻找新的宝藏。 交换的概念已经存在很长时间了：想想物物交换，或者只是和朋友交换衣服。但随着越来越多的人拥护可持续发展、二手购物和节俭，有组织的交换活动正日益普及。面对通货膨胀和成本上涨，更多的美国人也在尝试让手中的美元发挥更大作用。 衣物交换有多种形式（甚至包括家居用品等物品的交换）——你可以只邀请一群朋友计划一次，也可以参加由社区成员组织的更大规模的交换活动。
我是如何获得“对我而言是新品”的衣服的 最近，我搜集了 16 件不再使用的衣服，参加了我在俄亥俄州阿克伦社区的一次衣物交换活动。离开活动现场时我带走了 23 件衣服，但回到家后，我的衣橱最终增加了 26 件新衣服。这要归功于陪我一起去的成年女儿，因为我看中了她淘汰的几件衣服。 早在二手购物变得“流行”之前，我就已经是车库拍卖和二手购物的爱好者了。我的两个孩子在成长过程中一直陪我一起逛。
Lauren Anderson 自 2018 年起一直在俄亥俄州阿克伦组织衣物交换活动。她经常准备好一袋衣服以备下次交换。 图片由 LAUREN ANDERSON 提供
您可以在家中查看所在州或城市的头条新闻 财经 我们调查并汇总来自所有 50 个州以及华盛顿特区的顶级新闻报道。第 3B 页
询问强尼：每个员工的成长路径可能不同 不要假设对领导职位缺乏兴趣就意味着缺乏野心。第 4B 页
交换（续自第 1B 页）并且在成年后继续享受其中。随着近年来我的丈夫也被吸引进来，这已经变成了一项全家活动。现在我们还增加了遗产拍卖。我也是衣物交换的资深参与者，自 2020 年以来参加过多次，而且我非常热爱。很高兴我的 26 岁女儿 Becca 最近从外地回来探亲时能加入我。对我们两人来说，这都是一次奇妙的体验，不仅因为我们有机会通过这些“对我而言是新品”的衣服增强感情，还因为这践行了我们的信念：通过让弃置的衣服在他人手中获得新生命来减少浪费。“我喜欢衣物交换，因为我知道我赠出的衣服很可能会交给真正需要它们的人，”Becca 说道，“而不是如果我把它们捐给一家大型二手店，它们可能只是被装进袋子寄往其他地方。”在一次当地交换活动中，我偶然听到两个女人在讨论一件漂亮的复古绗缝夹克。其中一人评价另一人穿着这件夹克的模样多么好看，而对方恰好将这件衣服带到了交换现场。当然，我采访了她们，以了解这次圆满的邂逅。详情见后文。
我们的最佳发现 Becca 最好的发现是一件带有吊牌的新裙子。直到回家后，她才了解到这个品牌，并发现 Reformation 品牌的一款类似图案的连衣裙在官方网站上售价 218 美元。所以，说这是一个绝佳的发现绝对不为过。总共，她带了 12 件物品，离开时拿走了 13 件，最终保留了 10 件——将另外三件给了我。通常在交换活动中，你拿走的数量与带来的数量一致，但由于我们参加的活动最后总是剩下很多衣服，因此我们在活动接近尾声时被鼓励根据需要尽情拿取。
此次活动，其余部分则捐给慈善机构。通常在这种时候，我会把一些平时可能不会尝试的东西放进包里。我很喜欢在交换活动中获得的大部分东西。但我得说，一套可爱的紫白条纹 Old Navy 西装裤套装是我的最爱。我的收获还包括五条对我来说是全新的紧身裤、一件毛衣、两条牛仔裤、三件连衣裙、一件 T 恤和一条短裤。此外，还有三件 Becca 挑选但决定不喜欢，不过却适合我的东西。她说：“（这能让你在不）购买新品的情况下，找到一些你真正非常喜欢的东西。”若要寻找您附近的服装交换活动，请在社交媒体上搜索或尝试互联网搜索。
与女儿建立纽带并“逛”服装交换会 你通常得猜测某件衣服穿起来是否好看，因为通常没有空间或时间试穿。但与人们聊天讨论他们寻找的东西，将他们可能喜欢的物品交给完全陌生的人，然后在回家后试穿你的发现，是一件很有趣的事。Becca 和我一直很享受一起淘旧货，所以当我能让她参与到我对服装交换的热情中时，我感到很兴奋。她喜欢可持续发展的方面，并担心在那些几年后可能不再想要的衣服上花太多钱。她不想“买入太多的快时尚产品，或导致更多衣服进入垃圾填埋场”。
我是如何了解到服装交换的 让我先回顾一下我是如何参加最近这次活动的。我第一次见到组织这次交换活动的 40, 岁女性 Lauren Anderson 是在 2014 年，当时她是阿克伦一家服装精品店的所有者。在 2023. 年底加入 美国今日报 之前，我曾在 美国今日报 旗下的《阿克伦信使报》（Akron Beacon Journal）担任记者和消费者专栏作家超过 28 年。她也尝试在居住地附近寻找服装交换活动，但还没有找到合适的。最近的一个活动仅针对 Z 世代进行营销，虽然 Becca 属于那个世代，但她不确定那个交换活动是否适合她。“有些人让服装交换听起来有点更像……”
比特币（接第 1B 页） 尽管有监管推动，加密货币仍处于边缘地位 城市研究所（Urban Institute）的发现与联邦储备委员会早期的研究一致，后者在其关于美国住户经济福祉的调查中追踪了加密货币的采用情况。这些报告中最新的一份（来自 5 月）显示，2025. 年有 10% 的成年人使用加密货币。根据美联储的数据，加密货币的采用可能在四年前的 2021, 年达到顶峰，当时有 12% 的美国人购买、出售、持有或以其他方式使用它。相比之下，大约 62% 的美国人持有股票。这些数字表明，尽管持续有推广活动，但加密货币可能并未在投资领域普及。
“人们仍将其视为一个更专业的资产类别，”晨星公司（Morningstar）的投资组合策略师 Amy Arnott 表示，“我认为波动性和这些周期性的剧烈下跌可能仍在让人们望而却步。”
加密货币是如何向普通投资者开放的 直到 2024, 年，普通投资者才……
税收（接第 1B 页） 税制变迁中的赢家与输家 批评者认为，降低所得税的趋势有利于富人和公司，并危及在基础设施、住房、教育和育儿方面的公共投资。相比之下，销售税率的上升往往会对低收入家庭造成伤害，因为他们在消费品上的支出占其收入的比例更高。包括特朗普白宫在内的税制转移支持者表示，削减所得税的州在吸引和留住公民及公司方面表现更好。
2B / 星期二 8 月 4, 2026 / 美国今日报 财经
“这让人感到压力，比如我担心我想带来的衣服不够好，”贝卡说道。我们在 2020 年重新取得了联系，当时我参加了由她组织的我的第一次服装交换活动。她喜欢我们参加的这些交换活动，因为参与者的年龄各异，且在寻找不同的服装风格。当安德森经营自己的精品店时（最初只销售新品），她“开始对二手服装产生更多热情”，尤其是当她注意到许多新品质量下降时。
夹克获得新生
对于我来说，最近这次交换活动的一个额外收获是见证了一个完整的轮回时刻：一名女性在试穿一件美丽的绗缝夹克，而另一名女性表示那是她带来的。安德森在 2018 年举办了她的第一次服装交换活动。她现在尝试每季举办一次女性服装交换，并经常与当地朋友合作，对方允许她免费使用场馆空间。
来自阿克伦的 83 岁安妮特·里佐普洛斯是由她的儿媳邀请参加第一次交换活动的。她试穿（并保留）的那件夹克曾属于 31 岁的马洛里·皮尔兹（同样来自阿克伦）已故的姑婆。皮尔兹告诉里佐普洛斯，当皮尔兹和她的家人帮助姑婆清理衣橱时，姑婆将这件夹克赠送给了她。
服装交换活动的普及度在增加
安德森看到全国各地的服装交换活动越来越受欢迎，特别是随着更多的人拥护可持续发展和二手购物。她说，现在二手购物和交换衣服的想法已经不再那么禁忌，来自所有社会经济预算层级的人都会参与其中。
里佐普洛斯说，她拿起那件夹克试穿是因为她的姐妹曾买过一件非常相似的新夹克。“我想也许我可以稍微改装一下，让它看起来更时尚一些，”里佐普洛斯告诉我。她说她很开心能给这件绗缝夹克找一个新家。“我在生活的每一个方面完全是一个回收利用主义者。”
一些服装交换活动会收取“门票”费，一些组织者则收取费用以补偿物流开支。安德森尝试过限制社区交换的人数，发现 40 人是一个合适的数字。但她始终将交换活动保持为免费活动。
如何举办服装交换活动？
“重点是让人们熟悉这种观念，即不必总是……”
以下是安德森关于举办交换活动的建议：
想要交易数字货币的人通常必须寻找加密货币交易所，这对不熟悉的投资者来说可能是个阻碍，“有一定的学习曲线”。
领先的加密货币比特币的价值已从 2025 年 10 月的约 $125,000 下跌至 2026 年 7 月下旬的约 $65,000。
这种情况在 2024 年 1 月发生了变化，当时联邦监管机构投票决定，普通美国投资者可以像交易股票一样买卖比特币现货 ETF。
如果投资者在回避加密货币，其价值下降可能是一个原因。“根据定义，这意味着人们在抛售，”Investopedia 总编辑卡莱布·西尔弗表示。“这可能意味着那些曾经尝试购买的人决定不再持有，因为他们看到了价格崩盘。”
在 2025 年的一项行政命令中，特朗普呼吁对数字货币进行联邦监管，并谈到建立国家加密货币储备。
特朗普在推行加密货币，因为他的家族企业从中获利。据《纽约时报》报道，2025 年，这些企业从各种加密货币项目中赚了 14 亿美元 billion。
许多加密货币投资者表示数字货币就是未来
今年，特朗普的劳工部发布了一项拟议规则，旨在减轻针对……的法律和监管障碍。
将加密货币和其他替代投资纳入退休计划。目前的加密货币投资者告诉城市研究所（Urban Institute），他们持有数字货币是为了实现投资多样化（45%），或者是对新技术感兴趣（37%），或者因为他们认为数字货币代表未来（27%）。加密货币应该出现在退休账户中吗？相比之下，前加密货币持有者似乎对该货币的承诺不那么感兴趣，而更关注投资回报。该规则的反对者认为，加密货币不应进入退休账户，因为其具有波动性，且许多美国人并不真正了解它。在受访美国人中，大约 8% 的人表示他们不再持有加密货币。与目前的加密货币投资者相比，前投资者更倾向于表示投资的主要原因是赚钱。他们停止投资加密货币主要是因为他们损失了——
“如果你了解加密货币如何运作，那没问题，”城市研究所高级研究员 Luisa GodinezPuig 说道。“但对于很多人来说，加密货币有点像个谜。它伴随着……” 除政治因素外，自由意志主义的卡托研究所（Cato Institute）税收政策研究主任 Adam Michel 表示，一个可靠的学术论点支持削减所得税并提高销售税。在针对时任总统巴拉克·奥巴马的强烈反弹中，部分地区从民主党控制转为共和党控制。Cooper 表示，自那时起，在这些州，“共和党政策重点的核心一直是减税，或者将税收转向更具累退性的方向”。亲商和反税组织认为，对公司和富人征收的高所得税是“破坏性”的，因为许多潜在纳税人会寻找逃税方法，无论是通过降低应纳税所得额还是直接搬走。相比之下，Michel 表示，销售税和财产税被认为破坏性较小。这些税种更难逃避，且税收流更加稳定。
根据税收基金会（Tax Foundation）的数据，2026 年有 41 个州对工资和薪金收入征税。其中，15 个州收取单一税率，而 26 个州采用累进税率。ITEP 报告称，北卡罗来纳州提供了一个累退税制的显著例子。自 2000 年以来，北卡罗来纳州的最高所得税率从 7.75% 降至 3.99%，企业税率从 6.9% 缩减至 2%。与此同时，该州的销售税率从 4% 上升到 4.75%。
反税运动始于 2010 年中期选举 来自 EPI 的 Cooper 将反税运动追溯到 2010 年的选举，当时有 20 个州立法机构发生了易主。结果，销售税现在占北卡罗来纳州州级和地方政府收入的 29%。
左侧的 Annette Rizopulos 正在展示一件由 Mallory Pilz 带来参加近期衣物交换活动的绗缝夹克。这件夹克曾属于 Pilz 的姑奶奶，Pilz 穿了几年，认为现在是时候让其他人来喜爱它了。由 BETTY LIN-FISHER 提供
h 主持人决定基调。如果你在主持一场规模较大的交换活动，请对客人可以携带的物品数量设置上限。否则，工作量会变得非常大（除非你有足够的专职助手）。 h 你制定规则。在规模较大的交换活动中，Anderson 通过让每个人在前五分钟选择一件物品，第二个五分钟选择两件物品，在那之后，客人们可以带走与他们带来数量相同的物品，从而减缓进程。Anderson 说，如果人们之后还留在现场，欢迎他们带走更多。“这在开始时降低了速度，让每个人都有机会找到真正棒的东西。之后就变成了自由选择阶段。” 在规模较小的交换活动中，她对时间限制较为宽松，或者人们可以直接铺开衣服并开始
在不遵循协议的情况下进行交换。具体说明哪些可以带来，哪些不能带来。安德森表示，你可以发挥创意并选择一个主题（仅限复古风、运动装、节日装）。安德森通常不设定主题，但要求人们不要带来：有污渍的物品（尤其是腋下区域）、磨损或撕裂的衣物、袜子或连裤袜。任何你不会送给朋友的东西。确保在交换结束后捐赠所有剩余物品，以免造成浪费。
资金。“在过去的 15 年中，有许多投资者购买加密货币仅仅是为了追涨，”西尔弗说。调查发现，大多数持有加密货币的人已持有数年。他们的余额通常较小：五分之二的加密货币投资者持有的数字货币不足 $250。研究发现，加密货币投资者主要是男性。亚裔美国人持有加密货币的可能性远高于其他种族的人。加密货币投资者倾向于年轻化。
加密货币是一项好的投资吗？城市研究所的报告建议，联邦监管机构应要求银行、交易所和其他加密货币提供商就加密货币的潜在风险“提供清晰、标准化的披露”。一些投资专家质疑加密货币是否具有分散投资组合价值以及提供股票对冲作用。在其他问题中，当股市下跌时，比特币的价格往往也会下跌。晨星公司的阿诺特在 2025 年的一篇帖子中写道：“而且几乎不可能确定其内在价值应该是多少。基于这些原因，投资组合权重在 5% 或以下似乎较为谨慎，许多投资者可能会完全跳过加密货币。”
收入，高于 2000 年的 21%。 “这次税制交换悄悄地让工人阶级家庭承担了更多资助学校、医疗保健和基础设施的责任，”奥斯汀写道。降低州所得税的运动是在各州“表现非常出色”的时代展开的”：卢格黑德表示，在新冠疫情后的几年里，各州一直处于盈余状态。但奥斯汀说，随着唐纳德·特朗普政府削减住房、医疗保健和教育领域反贫困计划的资金，单一税率革命可能会反噬一些州。她说：“许多州在收入充裕时开始讨论税制改革。”她表示，随着特朗普的计划削减开始生效，一些州可能会开始怀念失去的税收。
Arrests made as family, friends face harassment Eduardo Cuevas USA TODAY A California man has been charged with sending threats to a Mississippi judge who has a family connection to Nolan Wells’ disappearance and death in July. The case comes as Wells’ family and friends have said they’ve faced a flood of threats and harassment amid the investigation into Wells’ death. In a separate case, a woman was accused of making a bomb threat targeted at local officials involved in the investigation. On July 29, law enforcement officials booked Joseph Dumarce, 27, into the Sacramento County Jail as he faces one felony count for threatening Ashlee Cole, a chancery judge in Mississippi, according to a federal criminal complaint. Cole’s son, Warren Hudson, was friends with Wells. Wells, 18, went missing while on a boat trip with friends, including Hudson, to Horn Island, a barrier island in Mississippi. Officials found Wells’ body two days later. The circumstances of Wells’ death have been amystery. Wells’ family has demanded transparency and publicly criticized the investigation, saying they fear his death will be written off as an accidental drowning despite their concerns. The family has launched an independent investigation and commissioned an independent autopsy. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said investigators didn’t initially believe Wells’death was foul play but added officials continue to investigate. Primaries Continued from Page 1A and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination to succeed Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat who has held the Michigan seat since 2015. Peters announced in April that he was not seeking reelection. El-Sayed has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America against the more-moderate Stevens. A July 30 Emerson poll showed El-Sayed leading Stevens by 15 points on the Democratic side. The Democratic primary was a three-way race until state Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped her bid in early July. Despite El-Sayed’s support from democratic socialists such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, he told CNN that he is “not somebody who is a socialist,” adding, “I believe in capitalism. I just believe that capitalism has to be regulated.” In April, El-Sayed drew criticism for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a staunchly anti-Israel streamer who has made comments supporting Hamas. The appearance prompted pushback from Jewish groups and moderate Democrats, who questioned El-Sayed’s judgment and electability in the fall. Stevens’ campaign is more in line with the established, moderate Democratic platform, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed her campaign. The race is taking a combative turn with personal attacks. El-Sayed called Stevens the “least capable candidate in America.” Stevens slammed El-Sayed’s competitiveness in the general election in a post that accused the Muslim candidate of wanting to “blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.” “I was capable of winning my competitive primary and general election. You lost. You lost by over twenty points to Gretchen Whitmer and you will lose to Mike Rogers by talking like this,” Stevens said in the Thursday, July 30 post. On the other side of the aisle, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is the only Republican on the ballot in Michigan. Both Michigan Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2002, but President Donald Trump carried the state in both the 2016 and 2024 elections. In 2024, Rogers lost the general election to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin by around 19,000 votes, or 0.3 percentage points. Rogers is leading El-Sayed by 10 points in a poll on the possible November matchup, but in the same Michigan Education Association poll from July 28, Stevens is leading Rogers by 2 points. Also racing for Senate: Ruby-red Kansas and blue Virginia Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner are up for reelection and NEWS USA TODAY ❚TUESDAY AUGUST 4, 2026 ❚3A People linked to Wells allege threats A person holds a placard that reads “Justice for Nolan” outside the National Action Network headquarters in New York City on July 10. The circumstances of Wells’ death have been shrouded in mystery. DAVID “DEE” DELGADO/REUTERS Felony charges allege graphic threats against judge everywhere.” The FBI traced the Facebook account to several email, CashApp and Google accounts connected with Dumarce and an address in Sacramento, the affidavit said. The FBI also identified a phone number consistent with Dumarce’s address that made calls to the Jackson County Chancery Court, where Cole works, on July 11. In Facebook posts, Cole had commented on the case and said her son is cooperating with law enforcement. Cole previously said she deactivated her social media account because of death threats she received directed to her and her family. She previously shared screenshots of direct messages from a Facebook account that the FBI said belongs to Dumarce, of Sacramento. The FBI declined to comment. A lawyer for Dumarce wasn’t listed in federal court records, though USA TODAY has reached out to him in custody as well as a phone number listed in court records as belonging to him. Dumarce is accused of sending several Facebook messages to Cole, including allegedly saying he’d send a package that “would blow you away”and that it’s “probably best to have the boys there to see as well,” according to screenshots cited in FBI Special Agent Brodey Gibson’s July 24 affidavit. Dumarce also allegedly said there’d be “So much blood On July 28, a grand jury in Mississippi federal court returned an indictment charging Dumarce with interstate transmission of threatening communication. Court records indicate it carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in On Politics newsletter Stay in the conversation with political analysis and breaking insights from our politics team. Scan the QR code to sign up. More elections coverage : Visit usatoday.com for live updates as five states hold primaries Tuesday, Aug. 4. vying for the seat. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, dropped his independent bid in late May, citing surging Democratic energy nationally. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall leads his potential Democratic rivals in spending. He faces challenger Pond Naramore in the GOP primary. JASON ALATIDD/USA TODAY NETWORK Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. John James is leading the Republican pack with 40%, according to an Emerson poll. Perry Johnson, multimillionaire and former gubernatorial candidate, is still vying for the seat, polling 8 points behind James, while 17% of Republican voters are still undecided. the opposing parties are deciding who to run against them. Both Kansas seats have been held by Republicans since 1939, but Kansas City-area pastor Adam Hamilton, who preached at Obama’s second inauguration, leads the pack of 11 Democrats in a GBAO poll of 600 likely Democratic voters, and he leads Marshall in spending. Trump also endorsed a gubernatorial candidate in Kansas: state Senate President Ty Masterson, who is running alongside state Sen. Jeff Klemp. Masterson will take on six Kansas Republican opponents, including Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who has served in his role since 2018. The race will test if the Republican base in Kansas remains tied to the president, or if Schwab’s popularity in the state will win him another GOP nomination. One lesser-known GOP primary challenger, Pond Naramore, will be up against Marshall on Tuesday. Warner will advance to the general election, as he is uncontested in the primary. On the Republican side, three challengers – Kim Farrington, Bert Mizusawa and David Williams – face an uphill battle to oust the three-term incumbent. Republicans haven’t held a Virginia Senate seat since 2009, and the Virginia’s 2025 governor’s race has shown that the state’s political trajectory has only grown more challenging for the GOP. On the Democratic side, voters will also weigh an endorsement by Kelly, the current governor, for Kansas state Sen. Ethan Corson, who is battling Cindy Holscher, another Kansas state senator. Holscher is leading Corson in recent polls. “After Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race in November 2025 by 15 points, Republicans putting this race into play looks incredibly doubtful,” the Cook Political Report wrote in its race rating, which lists the seat as solidly Democratic. Missouri could hand Republicans a new congressional seat Voters in all five states will also cast ballots for U.S. House of Representatives seats, as both parties battle to control the lower chamber of Congress. Dems defend governor seats as Trump tests endorsement power GOP-led efforts to redistrict the Kansas congressional map failed in the fall of 2025. Trump urged the state to redraw the districts and give an edge to Republicans to pick up a Democrat-held seat in the 3rd congressional district, currently held by Rep. Sharice Davids. Masterson, the Trump-endorsed governor candidate, led the redistricting charge, according to KCUR. Both Democratic governors in Kansas and Michigan are leaving office after being termed out from back-to-back wins in states that Trump carried. Now both seats are open, and the question is whether Democrats can hold on without their incumbents on the ballot. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won races in 2018 and 2022 despite Trump flipping the state red in the 2016 presidential race and again in 2024. In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly pulled off the same 2018 and 2022 feat in a state Trump won by double digits in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Looking to succeed Whitmer, Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the leading candidate. According to the Detroit Free Press, Benson is leading in the polls over both her Democratic opponent, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, and Republicans Davids and the three Republican Trump-endorsed incumbents – Reps. Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt and Ron Estes – each face challengers from their own party. All eight Missouri House of Representatives seats are on the ballot, just months after a court upheld new maps drawn by Republicans in the state legislature in the fall, although legal challenges continue to play out and could yet invalidate the map. The 5th congressional district, currently held by Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in the prison. He’s held in Sacramento County Jail and is ineligible for bail. The Sacramento Bee reported Dumarce was arrested in 2019 by police on suspicion of exposing himself and then trying to kidnap a 13-year-old girl outside of a local elementary school. California’s Megan’s Law, which lists sex offenders, indicates he has criminal convictions in 2019 of annoying or molesting a child and, in 2020, of harmful matter sent to induce a minor. More allegations of threats as Wells investigation continues In another case, on July 31, an Ohio woman was taken into custody on suspicion of placing bomb threats in Mississippi after Wells’ death. Francine Edwards’ arrest was first reported by the Sun Herald. Officials accuse Edwards of making threats to the George County Chancery Clerk and later to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on July 23, according to federal court records. Edwards is charged with threatening interstate communication in Mississippi federal court. Edwards, 41, is held in the Hamilton County Justice Center without bond, jail logs showed. Wells’ friends have said they’ve received threats. Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, has said she’s been harassed, including messages and emails, but also bad reviews at her workplace as a nurse. Lawyers for Wells’ family reportedly sent letters to his friends, their families and local officials instructing not to delete any records while notifying them litigation is “reasonably anticipated.” Contributing: N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Bonnie Bolden, Evan Mealins and Molly Davis Kansas City metropolitan area, was carved up to favor a Republican challenger. Cleaver, who is still running, is one of two Democrats representing the state in the House. Six Republican candidates are on the primary ballot seeking to oust the Congress member, including state Sen. Rick Brattin and Navy veteran Taylor Burks. “The reason all these Republicans have announced is because there’s blood in the water. It looks like there’s a good chance with this redistrict that it will go to a Republican,” Charles Zug, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, said to KMIZ ABC17. Virginians will vote in the same11districts as 2024, after a chaotic few months for the state’s political map. In April, voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment allowing middecade redistricting, which Democrats hoped would give their party an edge and potentially flip several seats. But in May, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the specific maps Democrats had drawn, thus leaving the old lines in place for this cycle. Democrats currently hold six of the state’s 11 seats, with Republicans holding the other five. Two of those Republican Virginia seats are on a list of 30 seats nationally that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is trying to flip from red to blue. In Virginia’s first district, seven Democrats, including prosecutor Shannon Taylor, are on the primary ballot to oust incumbent Rep. Robert Wittman. In a March poll, Taylor trailed Wittman by 4 percentage points in the general election, but voters were also 2 points more likely to vote Democrat. A former House of Representatives member and retired Navy commander, Elaine Luria, is on the primary ballot against three other Democrats vying to flip incumbent Rep. Jennifer Kiggans’ seat in Virginia’s second district. A Tulchin Research poll in July showed Luria and Kiggans split even, both at 47%. Kansas Supreme Court ballot measure and Washington state In the Washington state’s top-two primary system this week, the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of if they are from the same party. Nine of the 10 incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives will seek reelection, excluding Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse who is retiring from his post representing the 4th Congressional District. Newhouse held one of two Republican Washington seats in Congress, as the other eight representatives and both Senators are Democrats. Also in Kansas: voters will decide on a ballot measure that could make the Kansas Supreme Court a voter-elected office. $10 million has been spent by groups hoping to influence the vote, and Republicans are pushing for the amendment.
[图注] A search team looks under brush during a search for a 10-year-old girl in the Passaic River on July 30 in New Jersey. JULIAN LESHAY GUADALUPE/USA TODAY NETWORK
Anthony Thompson USA TODAY
The body of a 10-year-old girl who went missing after being swept into New Jersey’s Passaic River was found July 31 after a two-day search, officials said. Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said crews recovered the girl’s body in the river south of the Market Street Bridge shortly before 7 p.m. on July 31. The child was identified as Milian Dulan, according to PIX11. The discovery came after emergency crews searched nearly 9 miles of the Passaic River using boats, sonar equipment, drones, helicopters and cadaver dogs. The search began July 29 after three children entered the water near a boat ramp at Pulaski Park in Passaic, New Jersey, and were swept away. One child, an 11-year-old girl, was able to get out of the river on her own, officials said. The bodies of her 10-year-old brother, identified by PIX11 as Michael Klenk, and Dulan were later recovered, officials said. Authorities were preparing to end the search for the night on July 31 when a couple living near the Market Street Bridge reported seeing something in the river from their apartment window, CBS News reported. The couple went outside to investigate and called 911 after believing they had seen the missing child’s body. Officials said rescue boats were deployed within about 15 minutes and recovered Dulan approximately 100 feet from the bridge in Wallington, New Jersey. Lora praised the couple for alerting authorities, saying their quick response may have prevented the body from being carried farther downstream by the river’s strong current. The girl’s mother was brought to the scene and identified her daughter, officials said. Lora said the family experienced both grief and some comfort after receiving confirmation. Officials said the children were from Garfield, New Jersey, though one family has ties to Passaic. The children were playing near the riverbank at Pulaski Park before ending up on a boat ramp normally used by police and fire crews. A good Samaritan at the park tried to rescue the children but was unable to reach them because of the river’s depth and strong current, Lora said. The search operation included more than two dozen marine units from local, county and state agencies, along with dive teams and other emergency responders. By July 30, authorities had shifted the effort from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.
Jeanine Santucci USA TODAY
A family vacation to Oregon turned tragic when a 5-year-old died of an extremely rare health condition that came on suddenly in early July, the boy’s family told news outlets. Justin Vu, a soon-to-be kindergartener, his mom and sisters had traveled from their home in Denver and were enjoying a visit with family filled with trips to such places as the beach and zoo, KGW News reported. Justin began complaining of a stomachache the night of July 3, his mother, Terese Peden, told the outlet. At first, Peden said she thought it was a “normal” illness, but Justin spent the night vomiting, and the family took him to a nearby emergency room the next morning. Doctors first thought Justin could have appendicitis or a bacterial infection, KGW reported, but it turned out to be something much more sinister, and virtually unheard of in children. On July 5, doctors told his family he had to be put on life support and only had a 50/50 chance of survival, Peden told KGW. The diagnosis was Clarkson’s disease. Also called systemic capillary leak syndrome, the diagnosis has been recorded in only about 300 adults since it was first documented in 1958, according to Dr. Richard Pierce of the Yale School of Medicine. There have been only 30 cases among children since the first case was recorded in 1995 in a Canadian girl who died of the condition at age 9, Pierce said in a university publication. “We were informed that his body was dying, and those medications were not going to be enough,” Peden said. Justin was surrounded by family members when he died July 8, Peden told KGW. An online fundraiser for the family has raised nearly $45,000. Justin Vu was a sweet boy who loved to play Justin loved Pokémon, dinosaurs and sharks, his parents told KDVR. “He had a contagious smile, and filled every room with his laughter and endless energy. Some of his happiest moments were spent playing with his siblings and cousins, creating memories that his family will cherish forever,” said a fundraiser for the family. “We’re trying to figure out what life looks like now and taking it day by day,” Peden told KDVR. Viet Vu, Justin’s father, told the outlet he has a message for other parents: “Don’t take it for granted. Try to cherish every moment you have with them. Every hug and every kiss because you don’t know when it’s going to be the last time.”
What is Clarkson’s disease? Clarkson’s disease happens when plasma leaks out of the blood vessels into muscles, tissues, organs and body cavities, causing hypovolemic shock. It can happen suddenly, and leads to a drop in blood pressure that can cause organ failure and death if untreated. Among adults, the condition usually happens in middle age, with an average diagnosis age of 42, Pierce said. But for children, the average age is 5½, he said. Because the condition is so rare and presents with symptoms that may have other causes, it’s difficult to diagnose. It’s likely underdiagnosed in children because of lack of awareness by providers, Pierce said. Children typically present with edema (swelling because of fluid buildup) and distributive shock (a medical emergency where enough blood can’t get to the organs), Pierce said. The child usually will have been previously healthy but went through two to three days of symptoms that signal the first phase of a “leak episode,” which can last between one day and a week, he said. Those early symptoms can include abdominal pain, a lowered appetite, nausea, myalgia (muscle aches or pains) and fever, he said. A medical exam may find high heart rate, low blood pressure and unusual heart and lung sounds, Pierce said. There is no known cure or definite cause of Clarkson’s disease, and there aren’t specific treatments for a leak episode, but Pierce said there are treatments that can help manage an episode as well as long-term therapies.
[图注] President Donald Trump said the United States was “all set to go” with what he described as a “massive attack” on Iran but scrapped the plan. DANIEL HEUER/REUTERS
Joey Garrison USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Iran denied President Donald Trump’s assertion that Tehran is set to begin a new round of negotiations with the United States, contradicting the president after Trump said he held off on carrying out “the biggest attack since World War II” to allow talks to restart. Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, said the United States was “all set to go” with what he described as a “massive attack” on Iran over the weekend but scrapped the plans at the request of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Trump said the three Middle East allies expressed confidence about a deal emerging to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address Iran’s nuclear capability. He said Iran “very strongly” asked that the United States hold off on the attack as well. “Had that couple not said anything, and the current, as fast and as strong as it was, would’ve continued all night, there could be a possibility [the body] would’ve ended up by the Newark Bay,” Lora told CBS News. “We had an attack that would be the biggest attack since World War II, and it would have been disastrous for them,” Trump said. But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday said Iran is not currently holding talks with the United States, telling reporters Tehran is instead in discussions with Oman about a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz. “We currently do not have negotiations with America,” Baghaei said, according to NBC News. He added that Iran has no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days. At Trump’s direction, the United States hit Iran with 13 nights of consecutive airstrikes in July after a memorandum of understanding for the two sides to work on a peace deal fell apart. The pause, which began July 23, was intended to give negotiations another chance, but progress on talks has not materialized. At least 18 U.S. service members have died in action during the war in Iran, which has turned increasingly unpopular among Americans. More than two-thirds of Americans surveyed in a Washington Post/Ipsos poll in July said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war. Trump said the massive attack on Iran that he held off remains an option if Iran resists a deal that meets U.S. demands. “We’re ready to go anytime we want,” Trump said. “Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people, because people die, a lot of people die, and we don’t want that.” Contributing: Reuters
Daniel de Visé USA TODAY
Federal regulators and policymakers have shepherded cryptocurrency from the fringes of investing into the mainstream, introducing digital assets to exchange-traded funds and retirement accounts.
A new report suggests, however, that crypto investors remain relatively rare. Roughly 17% of American adults have ever owned crypto, according to a report July 9 from the Urban Institute. But only about 9% of Americans own crypto now. In other words, nearly half of America’s crypto investors have bailed. The report draws from a survey of more than 3,000 adults in January. It’s the latest reading on the reach of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency at a time when digital assets are accessible to any casual investor. President Donald Trump has promoted crypto for ETF investors and retirement savers, pledging to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet.” That campaign helped push the price of Bitcoin to record highs in 2025. But Bitcoin has shed roughly half of its value since then, and the crush of new crypto owners apparently hasn’t arrived. “There’s not a big wave of new crypto investors,” said Alex Carchidi, contributing cryptocurrency analyst at The Motley Fool. “And in fact, many of the professional crypto investors ... have been leaving the market or hibernating in some way since the market collapsed in October.”
[图注] ILLUSTRATION BY ABEL MUNIZ MONTENEGRO/USA TODAY NETWORK; AND GETTY IMAGES
Daniel de Visé USA TODAY
Sales taxes are creeping up. Income taxes are inching down. That’s the takeaway from a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which portrays a shifting tax landscape in the states. Since 1990, ITEP reports, states have raised sales taxes 68 times but lowered them only 29 times. Over the same period, state lawmakers have cut top personal income tax rates 210 times and slashed corporate tax rates 168 times. But states have raised income taxes just 73 times and corporate taxes only 42 times. To some policy experts, the trend signals the victory of one philosophy of taxation over another. Many states are cutting “progressive” taxes, which tax larger incomes at higher rates. And they’re relying more on “regressive” taxes, such as sales tax, which put a larger burden on lower-income taxpayers. “People should be concerned about this,” said David Cooper, director of state policy and research at the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank. “It has certainly contributed to the skyrocketing inequality in our country.” Competing tax philosophies have increasingly polarized the states, largely along political lines, policy experts say. While some blue states push progressive taxation to the limit, many red states are moving just as swiftly to lower and flatten their tax rates. But states are not moving in lockstep. While many states roll back income taxes for corporations and top earners, other states are pushing hard in the opposite direction. Over time, some states have slashed corporate and personal income taxes while also raising the sales tax rate. In 11 states, “all three of those things have happened,” said Sarah Austin, a senior analyst at ITEP and author of the report. Those states are Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina and Ohio. “We are seeing this stark divergence, where high-tax states are getting higher and low-tax states are getting lower,” said Katherine Loughead, vice president of state tax policy at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The policy shift favors wealthy Americans and corporations, according to the report from ITEP, a left-leaning think tank. And it tends to hurt lower-income Americans. Twenty-six states spanning the political spectrum have increased sales taxes since 1990, ITEP reports, while only four states have cut them. In addition to the 11 above, the states with higher sales taxes are California, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming. In Kansas, ITEP reports, the sales tax has risen from 4.25% to 6.5%; in Iowa, Michigan and Vermont, from 4% to 6%; in Indiana, from 5% to 7%; and in Arkansas, from 4% to 6.5%. Sales taxes have drifted gradually higher over multiple decades, said Loughead of the Tax Foundation. By contrast, the “flat tax revolution” in state income taxes has unfolded quickly. Since 2020, eight states have passed laws to move from progressive to flat income taxes, lowering the overall tax rate in the process, the Tax Foundation reports.
Betty Lin-Fisher USA TODAY
Want to learn how to take clothes you’re done wearing from your closets and drawers and refresh your wardrobe – all for free? Let me tell you about the concept of “clothing swaps” – where you bring clothes that are still in good shape, but you’re just done with, and other people do the same. Then you get to “shop” at the gathering for new treasures. The concept of swaps have been around for a long time: Think of bartering or just trading clothes with a friend. But the idea of organized swaps is growing in popularity as more people embrace sustainability, thrifting and frugality. More Americans also are trying to stretch their dollars as they deal with inflation and rising costs. There are different kinds of clothing swaps (or even swaps of items like housewares) – you can plan one just with a group of your friends or participate in a larger swap organized by someone in your community. Here is how I got ‘new to me’ clothing Recently, I gathered 16 pieces of clothing I was no longer using and went to a clothing swap in my community in Akron, Ohio. I left the swap with 23 pieces of clothing but ended up with 26 new pieces for my wardrobe after I got home. That’s thanks to my adult daughter who came with me because I liked a few of her cast-offs. I have been a fan of garage sales and thrifting since before it was “trendy.” My two kids grew up tagging along with me
[图注] Lauren Anderson has been organizing clothing swaps in Akron, Ohio since 2018. She often has a bag of clothes ready for the next swap. PROVIDED BY LAUREN ANDERSON
You can check the headlines from your home state or city MONEY We survey and compile the top news stories from all 50 states plus Washington, DC. Page 3B
Ask Johnny: Growth can look different for each worker Don’t assume a lack of interest in leadership means a lack of ambition. Page 4B
Swaps Continued from Page 1B and continue to enjoy them as young adults. It has become a full family activity now that I got my husband hooked in recent years. Now we’ve added estate sales. I’m a veteran of clothing swaps as well, participating in several since 2020, and I love them. I was happy to have my 26-year-old daughter, Becca, join me recently when she was visiting from out of town. It was an amazing experience for both of us, not just because we got the chance to bond over “new to us” clothes but because it embraced our beliefs in reducing waste by giving our discarded clothes a new life with someone else. “I like clothing swaps because I know that my clothes that I’m giving are most likely going to go to someone who actually wants them,” Becca said, “rather than if I donate them to a big thrift store; they might just get put in a bag and sent somewhere else.” While at the local swap, I overheard a conversation between two women about a beautiful vintage quilted jacket. One commented how wonderful the other looked in the jacket, which she happened to have brought to the swap. Of course, I interviewed them to learn about the full-circle moment. More on that later. Our best finds Becca’s best find was a cute dress that was new with tags. She didn’t know anything about the brand until she got home and found a similar pattern of the Reformation brand dress being sold on the store’s website for $218. So it’s an understatement to say it was a great find. Altogether, she brought 12 items, left with 13 items and ultimately kept 10 – giving the other three items to me. Typically at the swaps, you take as many items as you bring, but since the swaps we’ve attended always have so many clothes left over, we’re encouraged to take as much as we want toward the end of the event and the rest is donated to charity. That is usually when I put something in my bag that I may not otherwise try. I love so many of the things that I got at the swap. But I’d say a cute purple and white striped Old Navy pantsuit was my Bitcoin Continued from Page 1B Despite regulatory push, crypto remains on the margins The Urban Institute’s findings align with earlier research from the Federal Reserve, which has tracked crypto adoption on its survey of Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households. The latest of those reports, from May, shows10% of adults used cryptocurrency in 2025. According to the Fed, crypto adoption may have peaked four years earlier, in 2021, when12% of Americans bought, sold, held or otherwise used it. By contrast, roughly 62% of Americans own stocks. The numbers suggest crypto may not be spreading across the investing landscape, despite a continuing campaign to promote it. “People still view it as a more specialized asset class,” said Amy Arnott, a portfolio strategist at Morningstar. “And I think that volatility and these periodic huge declines are still probably keeping people away.” How crypto became available to everyday investors Until 2024, everyday investors who Taxes Continued from Page 1B Winners and losers in the shifting tax landscape Critics say the trend toward lower income taxes favors wealthy people and corporations and imperils public investments in infrastructure, housing, education and childcare. Rising sales tax rates, by contrast, tend to hurt low-income households because they spend a larger share of their income on consumer goods. Supporters of the tax shift, including the Trump White House, say states that cut income taxes do a better job at attracting and retaining citizens and corporations. 2B | TUESDAY AUGUST 4, 2026 | USA TODAY MONEY favorite. Other things in my haul included five new-to-me leggings, a sweater, two pairs of jeans, three dresses, a Tshirt and shorts. There were also the three things Becca picked out that she decided she didn’t like but worked for me. purchase new and to find some things that you really really like,” she said. To look for a clothing swap near you, search on social media or try an Internet search. Bonding with my daughter and ‘shopping’ a clothing swap You often have to guess if something will look good because there’s usually no room or time to try things. But it’s fun to chat with people about what they’re looking for, hand complete strangers items they might like, and then model your finds once you get home. Becca and I have always enjoyed thrifting together, so I was excited when I could include her in my clothing swap passion. She likes the sustainability aspect and worries about spending too much money on clothes she may not want in a few years. She doesn’t want to “buy into too much fast fashion stuff or contribute to more clothes just going to the landfill.” How I learned about clothing swaps Let me back up and explain how I ended up at this recent event. I first met Lauren Anderson, 40, who organized the swap I attended, in 2014 when she was the owner of an Akron clothing boutique. I was a reporter and consumer columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, for more than 28 years before coming to USA TODAY in late 2023. She has also tried to find clothing swaps near where she lives but hasn’t found the right one. A recent one was exclusively marketed to Gen Z, and though Becca is of that generation, she wasn’t sure the swap was right for her. “Some people make clothing swaps sound a little bit more intimidating, like maybe the stuff that I want to bring won’t be good enough,” Becca said. We reconnected in 2020, when I attended my very first clothing swap, which she organized. She likes the swaps we have gone to because participants have been of various ages and looking for different clothing styles. When Anderson owned her boutique, which originally featured only new clothes, she “started to feel more passionate about having secondhand clothing,” especially as she noticed the declining quality of many new items. Jacket gets a new life A bonus for me at this recent swap was witnessing the full-circle moment when one woman was trying on a beautiful quilted jacket and another woman said she brought it. Anderson hosted her first clothing swap in 2018. She now tries to host a women’s clothing swap once a season and often partners with local friends who let her use their venue space for free. Annette Rizopulos, 83, of Akron was invited to her first swap by her daughter-in-law. The jacket she tried on (and kept) was once owned by the late greataunt of 31-year-old Mallory Pilz, also of Akron. Pilz told Rizopulos she was gifted the jacket by her great-aunt when Pilz and her family were helping her purge her wardrobe. Clothing swaps have grown in popularity Anderson has seen clothing swaps around the country grow in popularity, particularly as more people embrace sustainability and thrifting. The idea of thrifting and swapping for clothes is also less taboo now, and people from all socio-economic budgets participate, she said. Rizopulos said she picked the jacket up to try since her sister had a similar jacket she bought brand new. “I thought maybe I’ll doctor this up a little bit to make it a little more funky looking,” Rizopulos told me. She said she loved giving the quilted jacket a new home. “I’m totally a recycler in every aspect of my life.” Some clothing swaps charge for “tickets,” and some organizers charge to help compensate them for logistics. Anderson has experimented by limiting her community swaps and finds that 40 is a good number. But she always has kept the swap a free event. How do you host a clothing swap? “The point is to get people familiar with the idea of not always having to Here are tips from Anderson on hosting a swap: wanted to trade digital currencies generally had to seek out crypto exchanges, a potential deal-breaker for unfamiliar investors. a bit of a learning curve.” The value of Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, has fallen from around $125,000 in October 2025 to about $65,000 in late July 2026. That changed in January 2024, when federal regulators voted that ordinary American investors could buy and sell spot Bitcoin ETFs in the same way they trade stocks. If investors are shying away from crypto, its declining value could be a reason. “By definition, that means people are selling,” said Caleb Silver, editor in chief of Investopedia. “And that likely means that people who may have experimented in buying it have decided that they don’t want to own it anymore because they’ve seen the price crash.” In an executive order in 2025, Trump called for federal regulation of digital currencies and spoke of creating a national cryptocurrency stockpile. Trump is pushing cryptocurrency as his family businesses profit from it. In 2025, those businesses earned $1.4 billion from various crypto projects, according to The New York Times. Many crypto investors say digital currency is the future This year, Trump’s Labor Department issued a proposed rule that would ease legal and regulatory barriers against adding crypto and other alternative investments to retirement plans. Current crypto investors told the Urban Institute they own digital currencies as a way to diversify their investments (45%), or out of interest in new technologies (37%), or because they think digital currencies are the future (27%). Does crypto belong in retirement accounts? Former crypto owners, by contrast, seem less interested in the currency’s promise and more concerned with investment returns. Opponents of that rule say cryptocurrency has no place in retirement accounts, because it is volatile, and because many Americans don’t really understand it. Roughly 8% of Americans surveyed said they no longer own crypto. By comparison with current crypto investors, former investors were more likely to say a primary reason for investing was to make money. They stopped investing in crypto primarily because they were los- “If you understand how crypto works, that’s OK,” said Luisa GodinezPuig, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. “But for a lot of people, crypto is a bit of a mystery. It comes with Politics aside, a credible academic argument supports cutting income taxes and raising sales taxes, said Adam Michel, director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute. from Democratic to Republican control in a backlash against then-President Barack Obama. Since then, in those states, “a centerpiece of Republican policy priorities has been cutting taxes, or shifting taxes to be more regressive,” Cooper said. Pro-business and anti-tax groups say high income taxes on corporations and wealthy people are “destructive” because many would-be taxpayers find ways to evade them, whether by reducing their taxable income or just moving away. Sales and property taxes, by contrast, are considered less destructive, Michel said. It’s harder to avoid them, and the tax streams are more stable. Forty-one states tax wage and salary income in 2026, according to the Tax Foundation. Of those, 15 charge a single rate, while 26 have progressive tax rates. North Carolina offers a striking example of regressive taxation, ITEP reports. Since 2000, the top income tax rate in North Carolina has slipped from 7.75% to 3.99%, and the corporate tax rate has dwindled from 6.9% to 2%. Meanwhile, the state sales tax rate has risen from 4% to 4.75%. Anti-tax movement began after 2010 midterms Cooper, of EPI, traces the anti-tax movement to the 2010 elections, which saw 20 state legislative chambers flip As a result, sales tax now makes up 29% of North Carolina state and local Annette Rizopulos, left, shows off a quilted jacket that Mallory Pilz brought to a recent clothing swap. The jacket had belonged to Pilz’s great aunt and Pilz wore it for several years and decided it was time for someone else to love it. PROVIDED BY BETTY LIN-FISHER h The host sets the tone. If you’re hosting a larger swap, set a limit on how many items guests can bring. Otherwise it can become a lot of work (unless you have plenty of dedicated helpers). h You set the rules. At a larger swap, Anderson slows down the process by letting everyone choose one item during the first five minutes, two items the second five minutes, and after that, guests can take as many items as they brought. If people stick around after, Anderson says, they are welcome to take more. “This slows things down at the beginning and gives everyone an opportunity to find something really great. Then it’s a free-for-all.” With a smaller swap, she is more laid-back about time limits, or people can lay out their clothes and start swapping without following a protocol. h Be specific about what to bring and what not to bring. Anderson said you can get creative and choose a theme (vintage only, activewear, holiday). Anderson doesn’t usually have a theme but asks people not to bring: Items with stains (especially in the underarm area) Worn-out or ripped clothing Socks or pantyhose. Anything you wouldn’t give to a friend. h Make sure to donate any remainingitemsaftertheswapsonothinggoes to waste. ing money. “There are many investors who bought crypto over the last 15 years who were simply chasing price,” Silver said. Most people who own crypto have held it for several years, the survey found. Their balances are generally small: Two-fifths of crypto investors own less than $250 in digital currency. The study found that crypto investors are predominantly male. Asian Americans are far more likely to own crypto than people of other races. Crypto investors skew young. Is crypto a good investment? The Urban Institute report suggests federal regulators should require banks, exchanges and other crypto providers to “provide clear, standardized disclosures” about the potential risks of crypto. Some investment experts question whethercryptohasmuchvaluetodiversify an investment portfolio and to provide a hedge against stocks. Among other problems, Bitcoin’s price tends to sink when the stock market is falling. “It’s also nearly impossible to pin down what its underlying value should be,” Arnott of Morningstar wrote in a 2025 post. “For those reasons, a portfolio weighting of 5% or less seems prudent, and many investors may want to skip cryptocurrency altogether.” revenue, up from 21% in 2000. “This tax swap has quietly left working-class households carrying more of the responsibility for funding schools, health care, and infrastructure,” Austin writes. The campaign to lower state income taxes has unfolded in an era when states “have been doing very well”: States have run surpluses in the post-COVID years, Loughead said. But the flat tax revolution could come back to haunt some states, Austin said, as the Trump administration cuts funding for anti-poverty programs in housing, health care and education. “A lot of states started these conversations about tax changes when they had robust revenues,” she said. As Trump’s program cuts kick in, she said, some states may start to miss their lost tax dollars.
本次翻译存在严重的内容组织缺陷，出现了大规模的文本乱序、重复、片段性截断以及段落错位。译文在处理多栏 PDF 布局时未能正确解析读取顺序，导致不同新闻板块的内容在同一个页面内交织出现，严重影响可读性。
remote_md_026_USA_Today_-_04_08_2026 这种内部处理标签，属于交付缺陷。结论：Blocking Issue Found (存在阻断性问题)
核心原因： 翻译软件/模型在处理多栏 PDF 布局时发生了严重的“阅读顺序”错误，将不同页面的不同文章片段（威尔斯案 $\rightarrow$ 政治初选 $\rightarrow$ 罕见病 $\rightarrow$ 伊朗袭击 $\rightarrow$ 比特币 $\rightarrow$ 税收 $\rightarrow$ 服装交换）揉杂在一起。
处理建议： 必须重新解析 PDF 结构，确保文章完整性后再进行翻译，目前的译本无法直接使用。