The U.S. Dumps Unesco Again
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said participation in Unesco was no longer in the U.S. national interest because the group has 'strayed from its founding mission.' The organization built to encourage education and cultural understanding has evolved into one that 'works to advance divisive social and cultural causes.'
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2 hours ago
As US grapples with China relations, Taiwan's president scraps stop on American soil
WASHINGTON -- The Taiwanese government has called off a plan for its president to transit through the United States on his way to Latin America, The Associated Press has learned — a decision leading to conflicting accounts of the reason for the cancellation. Amid speculation that the Trump administration had opposed a proposed stopover by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in New York, Taipei said Lai had no overseas travel plans due to domestic issues, including natural disasters and tariff negotiations with the United States. The other proposed stop on Lai's itinerary was Dallas, Texas. Whatever the reason, the cancellation is certain to hand a major diplomatic victory to Beijing and has drawn concerns from experts that the White House is setting a bad precedent for U.S.-China relations. Details about the administration's decision were scant, but one person with knowledge of the discussions told AP that the U.S. 'had asked Taipei to rearrange the transit — not go through New York.' Another person with knowledge of the discussions said Beijing had sensed that it could ask President Donald Trump not to allow Lai to transit through the U.S. because of the perceived 'desperation' by Trump to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because they are in current sensitive discussions with administration officials. The White House said it had nothing to say on this matter. Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the State Department, said it was a 'hypothetical' issue because Taiwan had not announced any travel plans for Lai. 'There are a lot of questions and a lot of suppositions that have happened," she told reporters on Tuesday. 'But I can say that it is a hypothetical at this point. There have been no plans.' By the end of last week it was clear that the Trump administration was discussing the likely transit by Lai, though it was unclear if the administration had moved to block it, according to one of the people. It was also unclear if the Trump administration would be open to allowing Lai to transit through a city other than New York. The United States is obligated by its own laws to give military support to Taiwan, which split from China in 1949 during a civil war. Beijing claims the island off its southeastern coast as sovereign territory and has vowed to seize it, by force if necessary. Jason Hsu, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former legislator in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, said Taiwan always consults with the United States on transit and called it 'abnormal' for Washington not to agree when such stopovers are permitted under the Taiwan Relations Act. Bruce said transits by high-level Taiwanese officials, including presidents, 'are fully consistent with our longstanding policy and practice.' In Taipei, Karen Kuo, spokesperson for the presidential office, said there was no immediate plan for Lai to travel. "Considering the recent typhoon disaster recovery efforts in southern Taiwan, the U.S.-Taiwan reciprocal tariff measures and regional developments, the president currently has no plans for overseas visits in the near future,' Kuo said. The Chinese Embassy did not respond to an AP request for comment. Beijing, however, has routinely protested any transit through the U.S. by Taiwanese leaders. Lai was elected president of Taiwan in 2024. On his first overseas trip last November he made stops in Hawaii and Guam, where he was received by U.S. politicians. While such transits had been routine by previous Taiwanese presidents and under previous U.S. administrations, the person familiar with the discussions said Beijing considers Lai an exception because it views him as being more aggressive in seeking Taiwan independence. Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that while recent U.S. administrations have not allowed Taiwan to be used in negotiations with Beijing, "this decision raises questions about whether the Trump administration is reconsidering that approach.' And Jason Hsu, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and a former legislator from Taiwan's KMT party, said that in preventing Lai's stopover 'the Trump administration appears to be accommodating China's red lines.' Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said on Tuesday that Trump is folding to Beijing. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, who is the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, called it 'another example of the Trump Administration caving to China in hopes of reaching a trade deal.'
The Hill
5 hours ago
- The Hill
Pete Buttigieg says Dems are too attached to a ‘failing' status quo
In a recent interview with NPR, Pete Buttigieg shared some powerful thoughts about where the Democratic Party — and the country — needs to go from here. He made a compelling point: it's not enough to just fix what Donald Trump broke. Instead, Buttigieg argues, Democrats have to go further. They need to reimagine the entire system so that it actually works for people today. It's a wake-up call. For years, Buttigieg has pushed the idea that the government needs more than a fresh coat of paint — it needs a full renovation. In his conversation on 'Morning Edition,' Buttigieg highlighted a few critical points. 'Democrats have been slow to understand the changes in how people get their information,' he said. 'Slow to understand some of the cultural changes that have been happening and — maybe most problematic of all — too attached to a status quo that has been failing us for a long time.' And that's really the crux of it. There's a gap between the way the party sees the world and how everyday Americans are experiencing it. Buttigieg is saying out loud what many have been whispering: the old ways of doing things just aren't cutting it anymore. He went on to say: 'Right now, you've got an administration that is burning down many of the institutions that we have in this country, which is wrong. It is also wrong to imagine that we should have just kept everything going along the way it was. If our politics, our economy and our culture were healthy, the rise of a figure like Donald Trump would have never happened in the first place.' He's not just criticizing Trump—he's challenging Democrats, too. Buttigieg is pointing to something deeper: that the system itself hasn't been working for a long time. And pretending we can go back to 'normal' just isn't going to cut it. Instead of just repairing departments like Education or USAID, he is pushing for transformation. He wants these institutions to be more modern, more accountable, and more connected to the real needs of today's America. But it's not just about structure. It's about trust. Buttigieg is warning that public faith in government has eroded — and that's opened the door for conspiracy theories, misinformation, and extreme politics. If Democrats want to win people back, they have to stop avoiding the hard questions and start making bold, meaningful changes. In the end, Buttigieg's message is simple but urgent: the Democratic Party has to evolve. That means letting go of what no longer works and being brave enough to build something new. It's about tuning in to how people live now — how they get their news, who they trust, what they need — and designing a government that reflects that. Looking ahead to 2028 and beyond, this could be a real blueprint for Democrats. Buttigieg isn't asking them to look back; he's challenging them to look forward — with open eyes, open ears, and the courage to truly listen to the people they're supposed to represent.
5 hours ago
Trump suggests US will help with Gaza aid as Europeans join effort
After the White House said Monday that President Donald Trump will present a "new aid plan" for Gaza, officials on Tuesday could share no details on how the U.S. might join European and Arab allies in moving aid into the enclave during "tactical pauses" in the fighting there. "That's a lot of money for food, a lot of money that can take care of people for a long time," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday as he returned from Scotland. "And we want to make sure it's going to be -- it's being spent properly. And part of the spending is the distribution." The dire humanitarian situation has seen deaths from malnutrition rise and led to international outcry over limited aid. "This is not about what has not worked," said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, who said the hunger is the fault of Hamas' "recalcitrance and refusal to lay down its arms, [and its] refusal to release the hostages." "There's always had to be more. The calls from the president, from Secretary [Marco Rubio], and even [Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] has been [to] have more join us," she said. Bruce said "more good news" on aid would come when the president returns from his trip to the United Kingdom, where he met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but didn't want to get ahead of the president regarding announcements. Aid distribution in Gaza is run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S. contractor backed by a $30 million U.S. donation. The U.N., Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international nonprofits have said GHF is ill-equipped to handle Gaza's massive needs. Israel and the Trump administration have accused Hamas of stealing aid provided by the U.N. and others to fund its militant activity, claims which Hamas denies. Trump suggested Monday that he would advocate for "food centers" and has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. gave $60 million in aid to Gaza. Bruce said she was only aware of $30 million announced by the State Department, but cautioned that might not represent the "full picture." GHF did not respond to ABC News inquiries over the $30 million discrepancy or so-called "food centers" after Trump lamented queues for emergency aid in Gaza -- which are run by GHF -- have left some Gazans dead at the sites. The United Nations has said more than 1,000 people have died in recent weeks at food aid sites, most of which are run by GHF. Bruce would not respond to a question Tuesday on the U.N. assessment and Israel has said casualty counts at aid sites were inaccurate. Trump's teasing of a new plan comes as European countries including the United Kingdom and France have joined an airdrop effort by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S., which coordinated with Amman on airdrops from Jordanian aircraft in 2024, is absent from the effort. Trump on Monday said the U.S. was "going to do more" in Gaza, acknowledging starvation that has gripped the enclave. But the U.S. has not made new aid commitments during pauses introduced by Israel. The U.S. did convey support to the U.K. for London's participation in the airdrop effort, a source familiar with the operations told ABC News. Six countries have joined the airdrop campaign to this point, the source said. The break with Europe took another blow Tuesday when the U.K. announced it would recognize Palestinian statehood in September "unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long term sustainable peace," following France's announcement last week of the recognition of statehood before the U.N. general assembly in September Trump told reporters he didn't discuss the issue of statehood with Starmer. And British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said at the U.N. that the U.K. made the decision unilaterally. "We have always been clear that no country has a veto on solemn decisions that we make in the United Kingdom," he said. France, another key U.S. ally, is taking part in a U.N. conference over a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, which Bruce called "ill-timed and unproductive" and a "stunt." Meanwhile, aid reaching Gaza continues at a trickle -- even during 10-hour windows that Israeli authorities say will allow more aid to reach Palestinians. On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said the worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in Gaza, warning that starvation-related deaths are rising at dangerous levels. Aid organizations told ABC News that early movements of aid aren't sufficient since the pauses were announced. "There is nowhere in the world where you see food being airdropped and bombs being dropped at the same time ... so I don't know how much we can say that there's a tactical pause," said Jasmin Kozowy, the founder of Instant Aid, which hopes to transport food into Gaza as a part of its mission supporting women and girls. The World Food Programme, which intended to move 80 to 100 trucks into Gaza when the pauses began, has moved only half of that, according to Abeer Etefa, WFP's senior spokesperson for the Middle East. "Because of the desperation of people, we are not yet able to do proper distributions -- communities are looting the trucks on the way to their final destinations," Etefa said. "And we continue to see casualty incidents as live fire is directed at crowds." Yet Kozowy said the first days of the new pause policy has represented a "slight opening," citing the resumption of humanitarian aid by the Global Empowerment Mission, a nonprofit that is able to deliver 20 million meals to Gaza. "But is it enough? No," she said.
