U.S. has 'no plans' to recognize Palestinian state, Vance says before talks with UK foreign secretary
By DANICA KIRKA and MEG KINNARD
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday at a stately home south of London, with the two leaders saying the agenda includes global economics and the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Taking questions from reporters before their talks, Vance addressed the UK decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying he wasn't sure what such recognition would even mean, 'given the lack of a functional government there.'
Asked whether Trump had been given a heads up on Israel's announced intent to occupy Gaza City, Vance said he wouldn't go into such conversations.
'If it was easy to bring peace to that region of the world, it would have been done already,' he said.
The meeting comes amid debates between Washington and London about the best way to end the wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Hamas. It's also taking place as the United Kingdom tries to come to favorable terms for steel and aluminum exports to the U.S., and the two sides work out details of a broader trade deal announced at the end of June.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he hoped to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump next week, comments that came a day before Trump's deadline for Moscow to show progress in ending the nearly 3½-year war in Ukraine.
While Trump has focused on bilateral talks with Putin, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders have stressed that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations on ending the war.
The U.S. and Britain, which have historically close ties known as 'the special relationship,' have also disagreed on their approach to ending the war in Gaza.
The meeting took place at Chevening, an almost 400-year-old mansion surrounded by 3,000 acres (about 1,200 hectares) of gardens that serves as the foreign secretary's official country residence.
About two dozen protesters were spotted on the road before the turnoff to the stately home. A few were wearing keffiyeh scarves and another held up a round sign that had a meme making fun of Vance printed on it.
Vance and Lammy, who come from opposite ends of the political spectrum but have made a personal connection through their hardscrabble childhoods and Christian faith,
While Lammy is a member of the left-leaning Labour Party and Vance is a conservative Republican who supports Trump's 'America First' agenda, the two men have bonded in recent months.
Lammy told the Guardian newspaper that the two men can relate over their 'dysfunctional' working class childhoods and that he considers Vance a 'friend.'
Lammy attended a Catholic Mass at the Vance home in Washington earlier this year, and the two men met again at the U.S. Embassy in Rome when he and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in May.
'I had this great sense that JD completely relates to me and he completely relates to Angela,' Lammy told the Guardian. 'So it was a wonderful hour and a half.'
After spending a few days at Chevening, Vance and his family will head to the Cotswolds, an area that has become popular with wealthy American tourists because of its quaint villages, stone cottages and rural countryside that hark back to old England. The Vance family's trip will include official engagements, fundraising, visits to cultural sites and museums and meeting with U.S. troops, according to a person familiar with Vance's trip who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A host of celebrities descended on the area two weeks ago for the wedding of Eve Jobs, the daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and Harry Charles, a member of the British equestrian team at last summer's Olympic Games in Paris.
The Cotswolds cover about 800 square miles (2,000 square kilometers) and parts of five counties in the west of England. Vance and his family have reportedly rented a house in the village of Charlbury, 12 miles west of Oxford, according to British media outlets.
'That area is very fashionable,' Plum Sykes, a socialite and journalist, told London-based newspaper The Times.
'If you wanted to be in the super-hot, super-social Cotswolds, that's where you'd go,' she said. 'There's been this mass exodus from America to the Cotswolds. Americans just cannot get over the charm. Then power and money attract power and money.'
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Israel's plan to take over Gaza City stirs fears for civilians and hostages
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and renewing international pressure for an end to the conflict. Israel's air and ground war has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation is unclear. It will likely require mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly worsening Gaza's humanitarian crisis. An official familiar with the plans to take over Gaza City said the operation would be "gradual" and that there is no start date. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The U.N. Security Council announced an emergency meeting on Israel's plans was rescheduled to 10 a.m. EDT on Sunday after originally being scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday. The U.N. Mission of Panama, which holds the council presidency this month, provided no details, but Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath and Israel is certain to want to speak at the meeting. Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are preparing a new framework that will include the release of all hostages -- dead and alive -- in one go, in return for an end of the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, two Arab officials told The Associated Press. Before Israel's Security Cabinet approved the plan to take over Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had outlined more sweeping plans Thursday in an interview with Fox News, saying Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza. Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory. Hamas rejected Israel's plans. "Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park," the group said in a statement. Netanyahu had signaled plans for even broader war International powers, including Israeli allies France, Britain and Canada, have stepped up criticism of the war amid mounting shock over media reports showing starvation. Germany said Friday it would not authorize the export of military equipment that could be used in Gaza until further notice. Tensions could rise further if Netanyahu follows through on the more sweeping plans to take control of the entire territory, two decades after Israel's unilateral withdrawal. Israel's new plan may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel's terms. It may also reflect the reservations of Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and further strain Israel's army after nearly two years of regional wars. The military "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Netanyahu's office said in a statement after the Security Cabinet meeting. Amir Avivi, a retired brigadier general and chairman of Israel's Defense and Security Forum, estimated it would take less than three months to mobilize some 30,000 troops, evacuate Palestinian civilians and take over Gaza City. Hamas-led militants triggered the war when they stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 people. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and independent experts view the ministry's figures as the most reliable estimate of casualties. Israel has disputed them without offering a toll of its own. Mediators try again to end the war The efforts for a new ceasefire have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, according to two officials who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions. One is involved directly in the deliberations and the second was briefed on the efforts. The monarchies are concerned about further regional destabilization if Israel fully reoccupies Gaza, the officials said. The yet-to-be finalized framework aims to address the contentious issue of what to do with Hamas' weapons, with Israel seeking full disarmament and Hamas refusing. The official directly involved in the efforts said discussions are underway about "freezing arms," which may involve Hamas retaining but not using its weapons. It also calls for the group to relinquish power in the strip. A Palestinian-Arab committee would run Gaza and oversee the reconstruction efforts until the establishment of a Palestinian administration with a new police force, trained by two U.S. allies in the Middle East, to take over the strip, the official said. It is unclear what role the Western-backed Palestinian Authority would play. The second official said the U.S. administration has been briefed on the broad lines of the framework. A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief the media, said the group has yet to receive details on the latest efforts to revive ceasefire talks. AP reached out to the governments in Qatar, Egypt and Israel as well as the White House for comment. Wishes for an end to the war U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families during his recent visit that Israel was shifting its approach to pursue a comprehensive "all-or-nothing" deal aimed at ending the war and securing the release of hostages, a person who attended the meeting told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak about the private meeting. Israelis united behind the war in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, but dissent has steadily grown as hostages have languished in captivity. Some families of the hostages and their supporters have staged large protests calling for a ceasefire with Hamas that would bring their loved ones home. "All of Israel wants a comprehensive deal and an end to the war," Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said in a statement on Friday. "For the State of Israel to guarantee the security of its citizens, we must end this injustice that has been done to our loved ones for 22 months." 'There is nothing here to occupy' Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and carried out numerous raids there, only to return to neighborhoods again and again as militants regrouped. Today, it is one of the few areas in Gaza that hasn't been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders. Umm Youssef from Gaza City said she had left the city for over 16 months before returning to her home. 'The area is all rubble. Rubble is an overstatement, it is a sandpile. There is nothing here to occupy. There is no life here," she said. A major ground operation there could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the hunger-stricken territory. At least six Palestinians were shot dead and more than 140 were wounded on Friday at the Israeli-run Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza, where U.N. aid convoys enter, according to Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital, which received the dead and wounded. He said all six were killed by Israeli gunfire. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. It's unclear how many people are still in Gaza City. Hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the conflict, but many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
America's Ceos Come to the White House Bearing Gifts and Flattery
Lavish gifts, public flattery and hefty domestic investments have become the currency of influence in Trump's Washington. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and the leaders of other highly valued tech companies have forged alliances with President Donald Trump through sometimes-fawning spectacles and delicate behind-the-scenes conversations. The administration has rolled out industry-friendly executive orders and exemptions from policies that threatened these owners' multitrillion-dollar businesses. The exchanges highlight how corporations have changed their lobbying strategies to adapt to a uniquely transactional president who prioritizes wins and deals. Executives who have long outsourced the messy practice of lobbying to consultants or dark-money groups have learned that the best way to shape Trump's policies is often through a late-night call to the president or a visit to one of his golf resorts. The CEOs who have pulled off these charm offensives largely have been rewarded by Wall Street, with some companies reaching record valuations. But Trump has also used the powers of his office to threaten those who don't stay on his good side. 'The administration has a good working relationship with industry leaders, businesses and other stakeholders to deliver on President Trump's mandate to Make America Wealthy Again,' White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. 'The only special interest that guides President Trump's decision-making, however, is the best interest of the American people.' Apple CEO Tim Cook 'This glass comes off the Corning line and was engraved for President Trump. It's a unique unit of one. … And the base, comes from Utah and is 24-karat gold.' – Cook said Aug. 6 as he gifted a customized plaque with a 24-karat gold base to Trump Cook was the first Silicon Valley CEO to tame Trump during the president's first term. But in the Oval Office on Wednesday, it appeared Trump brought the leader of the $3 trillion company to heel. Cook joined Trump to announce that Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing over the next four years. He presented the president a glass plate made in Kentucky, a symbol of the company's plans to shift manufacturing of the high-tech glass needed for iPhones and Apple watches to the United States. The gift also had a 24-karat gold base, which was manufactured in Utah. 'You've been a great advocate for American innovation and manufacturing, and I'm grateful for your leadership and your commitment,' Cook said. 'That's a commitment we share at Apple, because American innovation is central to everything we do.' The flattery appears to have paid off. Trump announced in the same meeting that he planned to levy 100 percent tariffs on semiconductors imported to the United States. Apple would be exempt, he said, because the company is building in the United States. 'Companies agreeing to reshore manufacturing back to the United States is the very point of the Administration's sectoral tariffs,' Ingle said. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang 'America's unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump.' – Huang said July 23 at an artificial intelligence summit Trump and Huang, the CEO of the AI chip powerhouse, met for the first time in January. But they have become fast allies. Huang has made frequent visits to Mar-a-Lago and the White House, according to people familiar with their relationship, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meetings. Huang's warm relationship with Trump was on display at the 'Winning the AI Race' summit in Washington last month. After he praised the president onstage, Trump riffed about how he had talked with his aides about breaking the company up before he knew what it did. But Trump said his staff told him it would take 'the greatest minds' at least 10 years to catch Huang even if he ran Nvidia completely incompetently. 'And then I got to know Jensen and now I see why,' Trump said, asking Huang to stand up. 'What a job you've done.' Trump in July granted Nvidia permission to sell to China its advanced H20 computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence, despite concerns from national security officials and prominent conservatives that such sales present a national security risk. That same month, Nvidia became the first company to reach a $4 trillion valuation. Tesla CEO Elon Musk 'This man has devoted his energy and his life to doing this, and I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people. And I just want people to know that you can't be penalized for being a patriot. And he's a great patriot.' – Trump, March 11 As Tesla's reputation suffered from Musk's stint in government, the president turned the White House lawn into a car show, announcing he would buy a Tesla. 'This man has devoted his energy and his life to doing this, and I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people,' Trump said, before he climbed into a cherry red Tesla Model S. 'And I just want people to know that you can't be penalized for being a patriot. And he's a great patriot.' The episode highlighted Trump's willingness to use his bully pulpit to improve the fortunes of his friends. The months that followed highlighted the political peril of ending up on Trump's bad side. After he and Musk publicly split in June, Trump threatened to revoke the government contracts and subsidies that have fueled Musk's businesses. Trump later walked back some of those threats, but he did sign legislation into law in July that eliminated tax subsidies for electric vehicles. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman 'We wouldn't be able to do this without you, Mr. President. … The fact that we get to do this in the United States is, I think, wonderful.' – Altman, Jan. 21 On Trump's second day back in the White House, a group of powerful CEOs stood by him at his first news conference. Altman, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son joined Trump at the White House to unveil a $100 billion investment in AI data centers throughout the United States. The deal was the beginning of several multibillion-dollar corporate investments that the White House has dubbed the 'Trump effect,' touting the positive impact of Trump's policies on jobs and domestic manufacturing. In fact, the deal the companies announced began under the Biden administration, and so far, has not come to fruition. The only Stargate data center announced as of August is in Abilene, Texas, and work on that structure predated Trump's inauguration. In the months that followed, the White House has rolled out executive orders friendly to AI companies, including one that accelerates the federal permitting process for data centers. The AI policies reflect Trump's positions on the campaign trail, Ingle said. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Musk After Trump left the White House in disgrace after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, tech executives kicked him off their platforms and landed on his enemies list. Four years later, they were guests of honor at his inauguration celebrations. Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Bezos, Pichai, Zuckerberg, Cook and Musk had seats of honor among Trump's family members and Cabinet secretaries. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also was in the Rotunda, among a select number of guests permitted to attend after cold weather forced the event indoors. The executives scored their seats after making big donations to Trump's $239 million inauguration fund. While they haven't received everything on their wish lists, they have largely averted new law enforcement investigations under the new administration. Trump has also signed executive orders to reprieve TikTok from a ban, which was mandated by a bipartisan law passed by Congress.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Smithsonian Restores Trump to Impeachment Display in American History Museum
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on Friday unveiled an updated impeachment display that now includes context about President Donald Trump's historic cases – a change the institution made a week after The Washington Post reported that a temporary placard containing his name had been removed from the exhibit as part of a Smithsonian content review prompted by White House pressure to oust a museum director. The new text makes minor changes to – and offers slightly fewer details than – the temporary signage. 'The National Museum of American History has completed its update to the Impeachment case within 'The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden' exhibition,' the Smithsonian said in a statement on Friday. 'The updated display now reflects all presidential impeachments. Adhering to principles foundational to our role as the nation's museum, we take great care to ensure that what we present to the public reflects both intellectual integrity and thoughtful design.' The statement said that the interim sign, which had been in place from September 2021 until this July, was removed because it was not consistent with other sections of the exhibit and blocked the display case. 'We removed it to make way for a more permanent update to the content inside the case,' the Smithsonian said. The removal drew swift outcry from some members of the public as well as several Democratic leaders. The Smithsonian Institution has faced growing concerns about political interference at the education and research complex amid the Trump administration's efforts to exert more control over its work. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer called the removal 'pathetic' during Senate floor remarks last week. 'You can't make this up,' he said. 'This is a man rewriting history – or thinking he can rewrite history. He can't, but he thinks he can.' The Smithsonian said last week that no government official asked them to remove content from the exhibit. It also said that no other changes had been made at the museum. In a statement, Lindsey Halligan, a White House official charged with scrutinizing 'improper ideology' at the Smithsonian, reiterated that the White House wasn't involved with the revision. 'That said, it's encouraging to see the institution taking steps that align with President Trump's Executive Order to restore truth to American History. As part of that truth, it's important to note that President Trump was acquitted twice by Senate, fully and on every count – a fact that belongs in the historical record.' Some edits to the display's text are evident, including the addition of the word 'alleged' in the placard's description of the conduct that led to Trump's first impeachment. The display's main panel was also updated to reflect include Trump's name alongside Andrew Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton. Of Trump's first impeachment, the impeachment display now reads: 'On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges focused on the president's alleged solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election and defiance of Congressional subpoenas. Trump was acquitted in January 2020.' The temporary placard had read: 'On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges focused on the president's solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election and his defiance of Congressional subpoenas. President Trump was acquitted in January 2020.' Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice. In 2019, he was charged by the House with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for his attempts to withhold military aid meant for Ukraine and pressure its government to investigate his political rival Biden. He was acquitted by the Senate in 2020. Then, just over a year later, Trump was impeached again, on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. He was acquitted a second time, after leaving office. Of his second impeachment, the display reads: 'On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection based on his challenge of the 2020 election results and on his speech on January 6. Because Trump's term ended on January 20, he became the first former president tried by the Senate. He was acquitted on February 13, 2021.' The temporary placard had read: 'On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection, based on repeated 'false statements' challenging the 2020 election results and his January 6 speech that 'encouraged – and foreseeably resulted in – imminent lawless action at the Capitol.' Because Trump's term ended on January 20, his acquittal on February 13 made him the first former president tried by the Senate.' Since returning to the White House in January for his second term, Trump has attempted to exert influence over prominent cultural institutions, including by taking over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, making drastic changes at the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and imposing budget cuts on the National Park Service. In March, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate 'divisive narratives' across the Smithsonian museums and 'restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.' Months later, he attempted to fire Kim Sajet, the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, for being a 'highly partisan' person – though he had no authority to do so. The White House provided a list of 17 instances it said supported the president's claims about her, including the caption for the museum's presidential portrait of Trump mentioning his two impeachments and 'incitement of insurrection.' Early Friday afternoon in the 'American Presidency' exhibition, visitors milled about the display case. Some had been aware of the Trump text's removal. 'I heard it was taken out, and I came here to see it,' said Jodi Lindstrom, 49, visiting from Minneapolis. 'I don't think it's a good idea for the president to have a say over what is history. … You can't erase it. It's what happened. So I'm very happy to see it back in.' Following The Post's reporting about the change, the Smithsonian said it would restore Trump to the impeachment display 'in the coming weeks.' 'It does say four now,' said Ed Burk, 75, of Washington, D.C., leaning in to examine the display. But he wasn't satisfied by the alterations. 'Clinton gets a little more attention. Why not something as big for Donald Trump?' Mindy Kiser, 52, visiting from Wichita, had not previously heard about the exhibition's alterations. 'It's disappointing to know that the museum may have caved to outside influences but also reassuring to know that they did the right thing and restored whatever they took away,' Kiser said. Her eyes lingered on the other items in the display case, and then the Trump text, displayed low with two small artifacts: admission to the Senate gallery for impeachment proceedings. 'The fact that he's been impeached twice, it does seem to be a little bit smaller, in my opinion,' she said. But 'in these days, we should just be happy that it's represented at all.'
