Trump's Foreign-Aid Cuts Are Ending Lives — and US Influence
The budget act was hardly President Donald Trump's first assault on America's humanitarian leadership. On his inauguration day, he issued two executive orders concerning US refugee programs. One, titled ' Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, ' states that the America's 'foreign aid industry and bureaucracy' was not aligned with American interests, and acted in ways antithetical to the country's values. It called for a 90-day pause in development assistance and review of related programs to ensure their 'efficiency and consistency' with US foreign policy.
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Democratic US Senate candidate Nathan Sage says he'll visit 99 Iowa counties in 99 days
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Nathan Sage is kicking off a 99-county tour of Iowa — which he plans to complete in just 99 days. "In Iowa, you've got to go to where the voters are at, you've got to go to where the people are at," Sage said in an interview with the Des Moines Register. "We're going to go out there and have a chance to speak in front of these people, but also listen." Sage is the first Democrat running for U.S. Senate to launch a formal 99-county tour of the state, which will begin with an appearance at the National Balloon Classic in Indianola on Friday, Aug. 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sage said he initially wanted to complete the 99-county tour even faster, "but 99 days will do." "There's a lot of people out there that are grinding away trying to survive in this state, trying to survive in this country," he said. "And if I can't do 99 counties in 99 days, and they can do three jobs in one day to support their family then what am I doing? I need to be out there grinding just as hard." The former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce director is competing with state Rep. J.D. Scholten and state Sen. Zach Wahls for the Democratic nomination in 2026, while Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris and state Rep. Josh Turek have said they are considering running. Sage, who was the first Democrat to get into the race in April, outraised his fellow Democrats in the second quarter of the year, taking in $709,000. Wahls raised more than $656,000 and Scholten raised more than $175,000. Sage said the response he's gotten to his fundraising has been "jaw-dropping." "We are the campaign of the people," he said. "We have a lot of people that don't have a lot of money, but they're willing to give us the money to make this run because they know that I'm going to fight for them." Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst raised $723,000. Ernst has not announced a formal reelection campaign, prompting speculation about her intentions. Sage spent the spring raising money and holding around 20 events around the state to raise his name identification. He called the 99-county tour "the next phase of our campaign" and said he'll be doing a mix of events, including meet and greets, coffees, dinners, town halls, rallies and more casual appearances. "To me it's an important opportunity to meet me one on one and really feel like you're being listened to and feel like you're being heard, because that's what it is," he said. "That's what I want to do. I've said this many, many times: to speak to voters, you've just got to shut up and listen and they'll have those conversations with you." Sage's tour will take him to Indianola on Aug. 1; Osage, West Des Moines, Waverly and Iowa Falls on Aug. 2; and Audubon, Mapleton, Missouri Valley and Harlan on Aug. 3. Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@ or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democratic US Senate candidate Nathan Sage to launch tour of Iowa Solve the daily Crossword
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Brazil sees 35.9% of exports to US facing steeper tariff, sources say
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Vice President JD Vance says 'lawlessness' runs downtown Canton. Some residents disagree
CANTON ‒ John Strauss has lived in the area for 31 years, and he's been doing business downtown for 15 years. For him, crime has never really been an issue. "It's an extremely safe place to be," said the 66-year-old owner of Strauss Studios downtown. "People that come downtown to visit our store often remark on that. They say, 'We were afraid to come down here, but now that we're down here, we see that it's safe, and we didn't know what we were worried about.'" Vice President JD Vance, during a recent visit to the Metallus Faircrest Steel Plant in Perry Township to promote the Trump administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill," painted a much different picture of downtown. "How many of you all have wanted to go to downtown Akron or downtown Canton or downtown Columbus for a meal, but you're worried because the local authorities in these big cities have allowed lawlessness to run wild?" Vance asked steelworkers and others gathered at the plant. "We have got to make great American cities safe again for families and children." Following those remarks, The Canton Repository talked with people living and working downtown, as well as public officials about their opinions on crime and safety in the area. The city also provided crime statistics that show downtown is getting safer. "Having grown up in Chicago and lived in New York City, comparatively speaking, it's nothing like those areas," Strauss said. Has crime risen in Canton? Police data finds reduced levels Data from the Canton City Police Department from recent years shows a decrease in violent crime last year for the downtown area. Fifty-six incidents were recorded in 2024, down from 58 the previous year. In 2022, 72 violent crimes were recorded, and 69 the year before. "The notion of a lawless downtown Canton is baseless and statistically unfounded," Mayor William V. Sherer II said in a prepared statement. Property-related crime also went down last year downtown, with 77 incidents recorded. This is a more than 25% drop from 2023, when there were 104 incidents. Society related crimes also went down from six recorded incidents in 2023 to four incidents last year. The Washington, D.C.-based Council on Criminal Justice said in a July 2025 crime trend report that homicides in the first six months of 2025 were down 17% from the first six months of 2024. The nonpartisan criminal justice think tank tracked 13 offenses across 42 U.S. cities. Of those 13 offenses, 11 decreased in the first six months of the year compared to the first six months of 2024; aggravated assaults dropped 10%, gun assaults dropped 21% and sexual assaults dropped 10%. As for property crimes, robberies were down 20% from the first six months of 2024 to the first six months of 2025, and carjackings were down 24%. The two offenses that did not decrease were drug offenses, which remained steady, and domestic violence, which rose 3%. That doesn't mean Americans believe cities are safer. Public perceptions of crime don't always follow real crime trends. In an October 2024 Gallup poll, 49% of Americans said there was more crime in their areas than there was a year ago. Another 34% said there was less crime, and 13% said it remained the same. Asked whether there was more crime in the U.S. than there was a year ago, 64% said there was more, and 29% said there was less. The 2024 Gallup poll showed improved perceptions from the previous year: in October 2023, 55% of Americans said there was more crime in their area than the year before, and only 28% said there was less crime. And 77% said there was more crime in the U.S. in 2023, with only 16% saying crime in the U.S. was down from the previous year. Strauss on Vance's comments: 'I have no idea where that statement's coming from.' Strauss said crime has posed little impact on his business. "In 15 years, we did have one rock go through a window once that just seemed to be random vandalism, but they weren't interested in breaking in or stealing anything," he said. "I have no idea where that statement's coming from." Strauss said the notion that Canton is riddled with crime is likely based in fear, and the best way to combat it is to encourage people to visit. "We just haven't had any problems," he said. "If you want to make up a problem and make up a big story, I guess you can do that if you're a politician, but it's not based in any reality that I've seen." 'I feel a whole lot safer now than what I have in the past,' Canton hotel worker says Toni Simpson, a hotel worker living in the Canton area, said she feels like there is crime that can go unseen, but there is a lot of good work being done by police. "I kind of got into a situation ... and it scared me to death, I don't really want to go into the details, but it was a really scary situation, and I'll be honest, the cops came within like 10, 15 minutes," she said. "(Before), I was like, 'These cops don't care,' but ... they stepped in to protect me. I felt so much better." Simpson said that experience gave her a new appreciation for police in the downtown area. "I feel a whole lot safer now than what I have in the past," she said. Simpson said it seems like crime has decreased in the area in recent years. "I feel like it's obviously down because I'm seeing cop cars every five or 10 minutes," she said. "And I do feel like they kind of got it under control." 'This is one of the safest cities I've ever been in,' says Canton-area line cook Kahli Murphy, 44, a line cook at Bubba's 33 in Jackson Township, said he's been living in Canton for the past three years. He said the idea of the downtown area being run with "lawlessness" didn't seem to fit. "There's negative and positive with everywhere you (could) go, but as a whole, this is one of the safest cities I've ever been in," he said. "I just think they're doing an excellent job, honestly." Murphy was impacted by a fire at an apartment building on 415 11th Street NW earlier this year, and he said the city's response in handling it has been great. "The mayor, he's done a great job," he said. "They put us in hotel rooms for up to a month as well as supplied most of us with housing vouchers (for) the ones of us who haven't found housing yet." Murphy said though there is crime in the downtown area, it's not a defining factor of the city by any stretch. "If you're in a beautiful forest, and you see two bad trees, you're not going to say, 'Oh it's a terrible forest because of these two bad trees,'" he said. "You've got to look at the whole forest." Murphy said if there's anything that needs to be addressed in the area, it's poverty. "Employment is what's needed, he said. "I always thought employment helped keep poverty and threats and harm down ... when everybody's working together, pulling their own part in the community." 'It has its ups and downs': Canton native weighs in on perceptions of crime Kylee Marmet, 18, said she is divided on the issue, as she feels there is merit to both sides of the argument. "Since I grew up here, I (feel safe)," she said. "I know that a lot of my friends outside of Canton that don't live here, when they come over here, they don't feel safe." Marmet said there is some inherent danger that the area may see during the night, but the same could be said elsewhere. "Past a certain time, you shouldn't be in the bad areas of Canton at night for sure, but overall, it has its ups and downs just like every other city," she said. "I don't think it's that unsafe compared to any other city." Marmet said she felt like the police could be doing more to alleviate the problem, but there doesn't seem to be a lot that can be done overall to stop or mitigate crime in the area after a certain point. "Sometimes I'll witness people doing things around the city, and the cops would be right there, and they're not really doing anything about it," she said. "I don't think anything is really gonna stop the crime rate around here from going up or down. It's gonna fluctuate." Canton officials reject Vance claims of 'lawlessness' Sherer said the vice president's claims don't match the data, which shows crime reductions in key incidents in downtown Canton. "The City of Canton is experiencing record lows in homicide rates, and a reduction in violent crime, due to the exceptional work of our investigators," he said. Sherer also noted that the city has recently established a police substation downtown to support residents and business owners more directly. "Our downtown is a safe space for our families to enjoy," he said. Police Chief John Gabbard said crime statistics don't support the vice president's remarks. "I am very encouraged by the crime statistics downtown and it is not surprising," he said in a prepared statement. "We have had significant reductions in crime throughout the city for three consecutive years. I believe our downtown business district is among the safest downtowns in Ohio. With the addition of our new substation, I expect those statistics to continue to fall." Includes reporting by Canton Repository staff writer Nancy Molnar and Columbus Dispatch staff writer Bailey Gallion. This article originally appeared on The Repository: Does downtown Canton have a 'lawlessness' problem? What residents say Solve the daily Crossword
