Wisconsin Representative Thomas Tiffany (R-07-WI) wrote a letter to the Biden Administration demanding full membership to the United Nations for Taiwan. In a tweet about the letter, Tiffany said, “America doesn’t need a permission slip from Communist China to support our allies.”
Read the full storyTag: United Nations
Airbnb Offers Free Temporary Housing Across the World to 20,000 Afghan Refugees
Airbnb, a vacation home rental site, is offering free temporary housing to around 20,000 Afghan refugees across the world, the company announced Tuesday.
“As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees resettle around the world, where they stay will be the first chapter in their new lives,” Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said in a statement. “For these 20,000 refugees, my hope is that the Airbnb community will provide them with not only a safe place to rest and start over, but also a warm welcome home.”
Around 3.5 million people living in Afghanistan have been displaced, including around 270,000 due to Taliban advances since January, the U.N. reported on July 13. Around 10,400 people were evacuated by U.S. military flights from Afghanistan Sunday and another 6,660 were taken Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Read the full storyMark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies Explains Why He’s Called for the Withdrawal from the 1951 Refugee Convention Treaty
Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies to the newsmakers line to further outline his recent article at the National Review online which called for the withdrawal from the 1951 Refugee treaty with the UN.
Read the full storyTennessee Sen. Blackburn Introduces Legislation to Check Adversaries’ Power in United Nations
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX-10) introduced a bill Wednesday to counteract authoritarian regimes’ clout within the United Nations.
The legislation is designed to contravene “malign influence, require transparency, and promote accountability within the United Nations system.…”
Read the full storyAll Star Panelist Roger Simon Discusses Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Response to Cuba’s Call for Freedom
Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Roger Simon in studio to comment on Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s response to Cuba’s cries for freedom.
Read the full storyBiden to Name Cindy McCain to United Nations Position
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he would nominate Cindy McCain to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture with the rank of ambassador, according to a White House press release.
McCain, the widow of former Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain, has been a critic of Donald Trump and endorsed Biden in the 2020 election, according to the Associated Press.
McCain is the chairman and director of the Hensley Beverage Company, a Phoenix-based alcohol distributor representing Anheuser-Busch, according to the McCain Institute website.
Read the full storyGeorgia State Senate Democrats Want Washington, D.C. Statehood
Democrats in the Georgia General State Senate have proposed certain resolutions for this current session, all of which support politically left-leaning causes, one of which cites influence from the United Nations. Georgia State Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) and 15 other state senators filed a resolution that urges the U.S. Congress to grant statehood to Washington, D.C.
Read the full storyLamar Alexander Criticizes Trump’s Decision to Leave WHO
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said he disagrees with President Donald Trump’s decision to terminate the United States’ membership in the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Trump administration formally notified the United Nations this week of its decision to leave WHO, The New York Times reported.
Read the full storySenators Ask State Department to Monitor Free Speech Violations Concerning Coronavirus in China, Other Countries
Several senators across the United States have called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft to address concerns about free speech violations in several countries around the world.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) submitted the letter on Monday, pointing to crackdown on free speech concerning the coronavirus in China, as well as in Turkey, Bangladesh, Niger and Cambodia, as a reason for concern.
Read the full storyOhio State Rep. Galonski Wants The Hague to Prosecute President Trump Over His Coronavirus Response
An Ohio state representative says she wants to subject America’s sitting president to an international tribunal at The Hague over President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus.
State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-OH-35) from Akron tweeted, “I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been to The Hague. I’m making a referral for crimes against humanity tomorrow. Today’s press conference was the last straw. I know the need for a prosecution referral when I see one.”
Read the full storyNikki Haley Recounts How John Kelly and Rex Tillerson Allegedly Undermined Trump
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly often undermined President Donald Trump, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley reportedly noted in her upcoming book.
Read the full storyIlhan Omar Tweets Support for One of Al-Shabaab’s ‘Chief Financiers’
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) recently tweeted her support for Hormuud Telecom Somalia Inc., a private telecommunications company founded by one of al-Shabaab’s “chief financiers.”
Read the full storyMike Pence Urges UN to Recognize Venezuela’s Guaido
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called on the United Nations on Wednesday to “stand up for democracy” and recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as that country’s legitimate leader. “While other international bodies have acted, the United Nations and this Security Council have refused to act,” Pence told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council called by the United States. “But now that nations across this hemisphere have spoken, the time has come for the United Nations to recognize interim president Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body,” Pence added. “This body should revoke the credentials of Venezuela’s representative to the United Nations, recognize interim president Juan Guaido, and seat the representative of the free Venezuelan government in this body without delay.” Pence said the United States is working on a U.N. resolution to recognize the legitimacy of the government of Guaido and urged the international community to support it. The United Nations should revoke the credentials of Venezuela’s ambassador to the @UN, recognize Interim President @jguaido, and seat a representative of the free Venezuelan government in this body without delay! pic.twitter.com/1CRhBBr5J6 — Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) April 10, 2019…
Read the full storyPompeo Urges International Support for Venezuelan Opposition Leader
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the international community to support the Venezuelan people and recognize the interim government of opposition leader Juan Guaido as he stands up to disputed President Nicolas Maduro. “Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side,” Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council during a rare Saturday morning session. “No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem.” Several European governments, including Britain, Spain, Germany and France, said Saturday they would recognize the 35-year-old Guaido as president if no election is called within eight days. The United States requested the Security Council meeting. Pompeo was accompanied by his newly appointed special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams. Pompeo called the Maduro regime an “illegitimate mafia state” and criticized countries including Russia, China, Iran and Cuba for supporting him. Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia shot back that regime change is “a favorite geopolitical game of the United States,” and he asked Secretary Pompeo directly whether the Trump administration plans to militarily intervene in Venezuela. “Does that mean that the United States is ready to use military force against a sovereign…
Read the full storyParis Climate Accord Backers Won’t Say if They Support Ban on Private Jets
by Michael Bastasch and Chris White Big businesses largely came out in support of the Paris Agreement on global warming, but most contacted by The Daily Caller News Foundation were silent on whether they would give up flying private jets. TheDCNF wanted to test the commitment of big companies, foundations and outspoken activists who back the Paris accord. The question: Would you support a ban on private jet travel to help stem global warming? Most companies and individuals TheDCNF reached out to did not respond, including Facebook, Apple, Google and other companies that often tout their “green image.” Not even former Vice President Al Gore, the father of climate activism, responded to TheDCNF’s question. In fact, all but two of the 26 corporations were silent when asked by TheDCNF if they would support a ban on private jets to help cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with what the United Nations says is needed to meet the Paris accord. TheDCNF asked a total of 31 companies, foundations and individuals if they would support a private jet ban. To keep projected global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, the main goal of the Paris accord, the U.N. says emissions need to…
Read the full storyUN Seeks $738 Million To Help Venezuela’s Neighbors Handle Migrant Flood
The United Nations said on Tuesday it was seeking $738 million in 2019 to help neighboring countries cope with the inflow of millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, who have “no prospect for return in the short to medium term”. It was the first time that the crisis was included in the U.N. annual global humanitarian appeal which is $21.9 billion for 2019 without Syria. Three million Venezuelans have fled the political and economic crisis in the Andean country, most since 2015, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. “There is one crisis for which we for the first time have a response plan, which is to help the countries neighboring Venezuela deal with the consequences of large numbers of Venezuelans leaving the country,” U.N. emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock told a Geneva news briefing. In Caracas, Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The majority of Venezuelans who have left have gone to 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, led by Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. “In 2019, an estimated 3.6 million people will be in need of assistance and protection, with no prospects for return in the short to medium term,” the…
Read the full storyUN Climate Summit to Emit More C02 Than 8,200 American Homes Do in a Year
by Michael Bastasch This year’s United Nations climate summit will have a carbon footprint equivalent to the yearly electricity usage of more than 8,200 American households, according to the international body’s own figures. The U.N. estimates the summit, called COP24, will emit 55,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide — the very greenhouse gas U.N. officials are trying to keep from accumulating in the atmosphere. Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) figures, that’s the equivalent of more than 11,700 cars driving for one year or 728 tanker trucks worth of gasoline. That amount of CO2 emissions is also the same as 8,243 American homes for an entire year, according to EPA. However, that’s a low-ball estimate because it only includes the emissions from the conference itself, and not emissions associated with the thousands of people who flew to the meeting in Katowice, Poland. More than a few summit-goers, including celebrities, likely flew private jets. When those emissions are factored in, COP24’s carbon footprint is likely much higher, according to environmental economist Richard Tol. “It is probably unusually high as Katowice would require multiple stops for anyone who’s not from Europe,” Tol told The Daily Caller News Foundation. The high…
Read the full storyUS Leads the World in Cutting CO2 Emissions, But That’s Not Good Enough for the UN
by Tim Pearce The United Nations is urging countries to pursue more aggressive emissions-cutting policies to keep post-Industrial Revolution global warming under 2 degrees Celsius. The U.N. released a report Tuesday that says the world must revamp efforts several times what they are currently to avoid climate change’s worst effects. The United States leads developed countries in cutting emissions. President Donald Trump ignited a furor in the environmental community when he announced he would pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris climate accord. The agreement outlined strategies and goals for combatting climate change, but the deal, without an enforcement mechanism, has done little to reduce the world’s carbon output. Most countries continue to increase their carbon emissions. China, the largest contributor to increasing emissions, has said it will continue to increase emissions for several more years before peaking and focusing on reducing emissions. India will continue to develop and increase its fossil fuel use. European countries increased emissions by 1.5 percent on average in 2017, according to an annual report by British Petroleum. Germany and France, both attempting to ratchet up environmental policies, increased emissions by 0.1 and 2 percent, respectively. “The science is clear; for all the…
Read the full storyWhile Media Focuses on Khashoggi, Hundreds of Journalists Believed to Have Been Killed in Syria
by Joe Simonson The disturbing slaying of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabian agents has rightfully garnered the attention of the national press. Yet the hours of coverage surrounding The Washington Post contributing columnist’s grim fate raises the question of why the hundreds of other journalists who have perished at the hands of dictators, such as Bashar al-Assad’s Syria — have not received similar concerns from America’s chattering class. Depending on the organization, the number of journalists or members of the media killed in Syria range from 123 to nearly 700. According to the American-based Committee To Protect Journalists, 18 of its estimated 123 reporters killed were murdered at the hands of the Syrian government or various rebel groups. Other groups, such as the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), believe the number killed from March 2011 to May 2018 is as high as 682. In addition, the SNHR believes as many as 1,116 journalists have been detained. A boy stands near a wall of his school riddled with holes, due to what activists said was an air strike carried out yesterday by the Russian air force in Injara town, Aleppo countryside, Syria. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi. The SNHR also claims 556 of those murdered…
Read the full storyPossible Replacements For Nikki Haley Already Being Floated As Trump Says Announcement Coming Soon
by Evie Fordham Pundits are already throwing out the names of individuals who could replace outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley after her Tuesday announcement that she intends to step down at the end of 2018. Current U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell is already getting a large share of the attention after President Donald Trump said at a Tuesday Oval Office press conference that the new U.N. ambassador will be announced within two to three weeks. Other possible candidates include former deputy national security adviser for strategy Dina Powell and even Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, who is one of his advisers. Richard Grenell Grenell is a Harvard-educated diplomat who was confirmed to his current post as U.S. ambassador to Germany in April. He is the longest-serving appointee at the U.N. in history, having served “as a U.S. spokesman and political appointee to the U.N.” for eight years, according to the Washington Examiner. He is also on good terms with national security adviser John Bolton after the two worked together in former President George W. Bush’s administration, according to the Washington Examiner. Grenell was on Donald Trump’s short list for U.N. ambassador during the 2016 presidential election, reported The New York Post. He…
Read the full storyTrump Promotes More Jobs for Americans … at the UN
by Fred Lucas The Trump administration is trying to secure more jobs for American citizens in the United Nations bureaucracy, as a recent State Department report finds woeful underrepresentation even though the United States contributes more to the world body than any other government. The U.S. funds almost one-quarter of key U.N. agencies, and their staffs play a key role in implementing international policy on health, aviation, labor, and security. However, the U.N. hasn’t made a good faith effort to hire Americans under existing rules, according to a State Department report obtained by The Daily Signal. The report, sent July 3 to members of Congress, asserts that five U.N. agencies aren’t abiding by their own rules on providing geographic representation among employees, which would require more Americans. As of last year, 739 American citizens worked in these five agencies among a total of 7,126 employees, according to the State Department. With the advent of the Trump administration, the State Department began moving to reverse the long-running trend, which Congress first tried to deal with through legislation in 1991. That legislation required the State Department to report to Congress on whether international organizations are making “good faith steps to increase…
Read the full storyResearchers: ‘Everything We’ve Heard about Global Urbanization Turns out to Be Wrong’
Reuters Widely accepted numbers on how much of the world’s population lives in cities are incorrect, with major implications for development aid and the provision of public services for billions of people, researchers say. The United Nations predicts the world’s urban population is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050 from 55 percent at present after becoming majority urban for the first time around 2008. Not so, say researchers based at the European Commission. Using a definition made possible by advances in geospatial technology that uses high-resolution satellite images to determine the number of people living in a given area, they estimate 84 percent of the world’s population, or almost 6.4 billion people, live in urban areas. “Everything we’ve heard about global urbanization turns out to be wrong,” said lead researcher Lewis Dijkstra. Asia and Africa, which are routinely cited as majority-rural continents that are rapidly urbanizing, turn out to be well ahead of figures in the U.N.’s latest estimates. Once thought to be about 50 percent and 40 percent urban respectively, the new research argues Asia and Africa are closer to 90 percent and 80 percent, or roughly double previous estimates. Those percentages translate to billions of…
Read the full storyTrump Supporters’ Message to World on Gallup Poll: ‘Get Used to It’
American leadership is polling low among world citizens, but that doesn’t exactly worry supporters of President Donald Trump. According to a Gallup poll, the country’s rating among respondents fell from 48 percent approval in 2016 to 30 percent approval in 2018.
Read the full storyCommentary: Nikki Haley Is the Biggest Surprise Of 2017
by CHQ Staff Persons of a certain age who lived or grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in the South and Midwest, will probably recall signs, many of them homemade, posted in fields and on barns demanding in bold letters “Get Us Out Of The United Nations.” The “Get Us Out Of The United Nations” movement withered as it became more and more closely associated with the John Birch Society. It later made a comeback in the late 1990s as Bill Clinton put American troops under UN command and American military personnel and their civilian supporters objected to what appeared to be Clinton’s unconstitutional transfer of the war making power to the discredited international body. However, if the idea of getting the United States out of the United Nations fell off the radar screen of the establishment’s political opinion leaders, it never died among the conservative grassroots. And it has come back with a vengeance as the UN has shown its complete lack of credibility and moral compass through its votes declaring that the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is null and void. Enter the biggest political surprise of 2017 – the rise…
Read the full storyCommentary: Give It Up, U.N. – Fighting Donald Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration Is a Lost Cause
This is why the United Nations is virtually useless – and anti-American. The U.N. Security Council is mulling a draft resolution that would overturn President Donald Trump’s announced recognition of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.
Read the full storyUS Vetoes UN Resolution Rejecting Trump’s Jerusalem Decision
The United States on Monday vetoed a draft UN resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, after all 14 other Security Council members backed the measure. The veto cast by US Ambassador Nikki Haley highlighted Washington’s isolation over Trump’s announcement that the US embassy will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively ignoring Palestinian claims on the city.
Read the full storyUN Security Council to Vote Today on Draft Rejecting US Decision on Jerusalem
The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a draft resolution that would reject US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, diplomats said. Egypt requested the vote on Sunday, a day after it presented the measure that is likely to be vetoed by the United States. Breaking with the international…
Read the full storyJapan PM: The Time for North Korea Dialogue Is Over
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday declared the time for dialogue with North Korea is over and rallied behind a US warning that “all options” are on the table Addressing the UN General Assembly, Abe said “there is not much time left” to take action on North Korea which in recent weeks has detonated another…
Read the full storyCommentary: President Trump Is Just the Guy to Rein in the United Nations
President Donald Trump took the United Nations to task in recent remarks at the global body’s New York headquarters, telling those attending a special forum on “management, security and development” that the entity was in dire need of reform. It’s about time America snipped the U.N.’s wings. Among Trump’s scolding was a quip that the United…
Read the full storyUS Leads Move to Impose New UN Sanctions on North Korea
The United States is seeking the quick adoption of a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would deprive North Korea of $1 billion a year in revenue that helps fuel its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile program. The move for additional sanctions is in response to Pyongyang’s two intercontinental ballistic missile launches on July 3 and…
Read the full storyAmy Grant and Michael W. Smith Among 100 Catholic and Evangelical Leaders Critical of Trump’s Plans to Cut Foreign Aid Funding
More than 100 Christian leaders from across the country have signed a letter asking Congress to protect funding for America’s foreign aid programs. The letter reveals divides among Christians over President Trump, whose plans continue to enjoy the support of many other Christians. The letter comes as Trump is proposing a 28 percent budget reduction for relief programs run by the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Trump’s budget for 2018 also calls for a 35 percent reduction in spending for the Department of the Treasury’s International Programs. Signers of the letter include Catholics and evangelical pastors, heads of faith organizations and recording artists and authors. Prominent names include Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Both Dolan and Rodriguez spoke at Trump’s inauguration. Other signers include World Vision USA president Rich Stearns, former Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd, Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford and Alec Hill, president emeritus of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Musical artists include Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Third Day. The letter noted that “many countries experience unparalleled suffering and loss of life due to extreme poverty, disease, natural disasters and conflict.” “Matthew…
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