Defunding public broadcasting would be costly mistake
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CPB receives $535 million annually, about $1.60 per American. That's a heck of a bargain for a system that, for the last 50 years, has reached essentially everyone in the country with stories that can make a difference — and help make the world a better place.
Public media belongs to all of us. Let's fight for it.
Susan Goldberg
Boston
The writer is president and CEO of GBH.
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Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump administration reviewing Biden-era submarine pact with Australia, UK
US President Donald Trump's administration has launched a formal review of former President Joe Biden's AUKUS defense pact with Australia and Britain to allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a US defense official said. Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defense as tensions grow over China's expansive military buildup, said it remained committed to the project and looked forward to working closely with the US on the review. As well as causing alarm in Australia, the review could also throw a wrench in Britain's defense planning. AUKUS, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, is at the center of a planned expansion of Britain's submarine fleet. 'We are reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda,' the US official said of the review, first reported by Financial Times. 'Any changes to the administration's approach for AUKUS will be communicated through official channels, when appropriate.' AUKUS was formed in 2021 to address worries about China's growing power. It envisages Australia acquiring up to five US Virginia-class submarines from 2032. Then, Britain and Australia would design and build a new class of submarine, with US assistance. The UK would take first delivery in the late 2030s, with delivery to Australia in the early 2040s. Before that, the US and Britain would start forward rotations of their submarines in 2027 out of an Australian naval base in Western Australia. Vocal skeptics among Trump's senior policy officials include Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy adviser, who cautioned last year that submarines were a scarce, critical commodity, and US industry could not produce enough to meet American demand. Submarines would be central to US military strategy in any confrontation with China centered in the First Island Chain, running from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas. 'My concern is why are we giving away this crown jewel asset when we most need it,' Colby said last year. Only six countries operate nuclear-powered submarines: the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and India. A spokesperson for Australia Defense Minister Richard Marles said the US had informed Australia and the UK of the review. 'AUKUS will grow both US and Australian defense industry as well as generating thousands of new manufacturing jobs,' the spokesperson said. A British government spokesperson called AUKUS 'one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades' that also produces 'jobs and economic growth in communities across all three nations.' 'It is understandable that a new administration would want to review its approach to such a major partnership, just as the UK did last year,' the official said, adding that Britain will 'continue to work closely with the US and Australia … to maximize the benefits and opportunities' of AUKUS. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but one official told Reuters the Trump administration 'is regularly reviewing foreign agreements to ensure they align with the American people's interests – especially those initiated under the failed Biden foreign policy agenda.' US Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said AUKUS was 'critical to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific' and the administration should work to strengthen it and the US submarine industrial base. 'Anything less would play directly into China's hand,' said Kaine, who represents Virginia, where US submarines are built. AUKUS is Australia's biggest-ever defense project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion ($240 billion) over three decades to the program, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the U.S. production base. On Tuesday, Britain announced plans to invest billions of pounds to upgrade its submarine industry, including at BAE Systems in Barrow and Rolls-Royce Submarines in Derby, to boost submarine production as announced in Britain's Strategic Defence Review. Under this, it will build up to 12 next-generation attack submarines of the model intended to be jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under AUKUS. In the US Congress on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said 'we're having honest conversations with our allies' and added in reference to Australia: 'We want to make sure those capabilities are part of how they use them with their submarines, but also how they integrate with us as allies.' Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who signed a previous agreement to acquire French submarines shelved in favor of AUKUS, told CNBC last week it was 'more likely than not that Australia will not end up with any submarines at all, but instead, simply provide a large base in Western Australia for the American Navy and maintenance facilities there.' AUKUS expert John Lee at Washington's conservative Hudson Institute think tank said the Pentagon review was aimed at determining whether it could afford to sell up to five submarines when it was not meeting its own production targets. Kathryn Paik, a Biden White House official now at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said providing submarines to Australia would not sacrifice US readiness but instead boost collective deterrence. 'This review most definitely makes our allies in Canberra and London concerned, and could cause them to doubt US reliability as an ally and partner,' she said.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Development, public safety, highlighted in Monroe State of the County address
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Wednesday, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello gave his state of the county address. The address highlighted accomplishments by the county in the past year and looked ahead to future projects and initiatives. On development: Bringing more power to Henrietta's business park on Sawgrass Parkway Progress on MCC Advanced Technology Center & URMC's new patient care tower fairlife looks to be exceeding its initial goals 'The fairlife project in Webster is now exceeding its $650 million investment, is on track to be the largest dairy processing plant in the northeastern U.S.,' he said. 'Once operational, this plant will take in 5-6 million pounds of milk per day, from local dairy farmers… More than 300 high-wage jobs will be created at this next-generation facility, with over 70% of the construction workforce drawn from our community.' On public safety: The JEDS program has lowered the re-offense rate to 3% In the 2025 budget a new Centralized Arraignment Part Court, creating a new streamlined arraignment process. On quality of life: There has been progress on the zoo upgrades Innovative Field has seen a slew of modernization projects The Rochester Embayment has been cleaned up and removed from the Areas of Concern list Bello also discussed housing: 'Across the country, governments are struggling to provide more housing options for people that won't break the bank,' he said. 'Last night, the legislature approved a package of housing programs that will make it easier for low-income and first-time homebuyers to take part in the American dream of homeownership. That includes $1.8 million to rehab houses in the county that will be made available to qualified homebuyers, and another 660,000 in down payment costs and counseling.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A Belgrade landmark bombed by Nato could get Trump makeover
One of the first sights that greets arrivals to the centre of Serbia's capital Belgrade are government buildings in an advance state of collapse. Nato planes bombed them back in 1999 – and they remain in much the same condition. The message they deliver to visitors could be "welcome to Serbia, our recent history has been tumultuous and complicated – and we still haven't quite finished processing it". Like a smile with a row of broken teeth, the Defence Ministry buildings are still standing. But they clearly took a serious hit when Nato intervened to stop Serbia's then military campaign in Kosovo. As a member of the Western military alliance, the US was implicated in the bombing. Given that history, last year it came as something of a jolt for Serbians when the government struck a deal with a company called Affinity Global to redevelop the site into a $500m (£370m) luxury hotel and apartment tower complex. Not just because the business concerned is American, but due to the fact its founder is Jared Kushner, best-known as Donald Trump's son-in-law. And because the planned development is due to be called Trump Tower Belgrade. While these has now been a major twist in the tale that puts the scheme in some doubt, the Serbian government's decision to strike the deal wasn't too surprising. Before he became US president in 2016, Donald Trump himself expressed interest in building a hotel on the site. The move also fits a government pattern - as alleged by the Serbian opposition - of allowing foreign investors to profit from public property. They cite, as a prime example, the Belgrade Waterfront residential and retail project, constructed by Emirati developers on land owned by Serbia's railways. Where there used to be rusting rolling stock and derelict sidings, there is now a swish shopping centre, smart restaurants and the oddly bulbous, 42-storey Belgrade Tower. It is not to everyone's taste. That, however, was a brownfield site, rather than a city centre landmark. The Defence Ministry complex is an entirely different proposition – not least because it acts as a memorial to the casualties of the 1999 bombing campaign. It is also a highly visual reminder of why the vast majority of Serbians remain opposed to Nato, and feel sympathetic towards Russia. In that context, granting a US developer a 99-year lease on the site, reportedly for no upfront cost, is a bold move. But Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, is unapologetic. "It's important to overcome the burden from 1999," he tells the BBC. "We are ready to build better relations with the US – I think that is terribly important for this country." That view garners a degree of sympathy from Belgrade's international business community. Foreign direct investment inflows have more than tripled over the past decade. But GDP per capita remains low compared to EU member states. It stands at just one third of the bloc's average. To keep those figures moving in the right direction, attracting new investors is vital. And while the financial details of the Ministry of Defence development have not been revealed, the New York Times has reported that the Serbian government will get 22% of future profits. "For a small and specific market – ex-Yugoslavia, outside the EU – all publicity is good publicity," says James Thornley, a former senior partner at KPMG Serbia, who is now a partner at financial consultants KP Advisory in Belgrade. "If you have major international players coming in, it's a pull, it's a draw. You're getting the name and opportunity out there." Mr Thornley has lived in Serbia for 25 years and is fully aware of the sensitivities surrounding the Defence Ministry complex. But he believes that views would change once people saw the benefits of the development. "That site is an eyesore and should be resolved," he says. "Nothing's happened for 26 years, let's get it sorted out." But not everyone involved with international investment in Serbia is so enthusiastic. Andrew Peirson was the managing director of global real estate giant CBRE in Southeast Europe, and now holds the same role at iO Partners, which focuses entirely on the region. He admits that the shattered state of the Defence Ministry complex is "not good for the city's image", and that the deal to develop the site is "probably good news, because it shows the country can attract big investments". But he has serious qualms about how the government struck the deal with Affinity Global. Mr Peirson says that there was no open tendering process that would have allowed other firms to bid for the site. "With state-owned land, you should be able to prove you're getting market value for the site. The way you usually do that is to run a proper tender process," says Mr Peirson. "If it had been in UK, Germany, Hungary or even Romania or Bulgaria, there would have been a process; it would have gone through the open market. Developers that were looking to enter Serbia, or already active, would have been given the chance to buy it themselves." Back in 2023 Vucic said he met with Kushner and had an "excellent conversation" with Jared Kushner regarding the "potential for large and long-term investments." And Donald Trump Jr has since made follow up visits to Belgrade after Affinity Global announced that a Trump International Hotel would form part of the development. The role of Trump Jr and the family business is thought to be limited to the hotel. Questions have been raised about the Trumps making commercial deals while Donald Trump is in the White House but his press secretary has rejected any suggestion he is profiting from the presidency. Mr Peirson is concerned that the nature of the Ministry of Defence building deal may irk businesses which have already committed to Serbia. "If I'm an investor already putting tens or hundreds of millions into the country, I would feel sad that I hadn't been given the chance," he says. Both Affinity Global and the Serbian government did not respond to requests for comments about how the deal over the site was agreed, and whether or not there was an open tendering process. Ros Atkins on... Trump's deals in the Gulf Then there is the question of whether a commercial development should be taking place at all. The site, even in its current state, remains architecturally and historically significant. The buildings were originally constructed to welcome visitors to the capital of Tito's Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Architect Nikola Dobrovic created two structures on either side of Nemanjina Street which, viewed together, took the form of a gate. The design also echoes the contours of Sutjeska Gorge, the site of the Yugoslav Partisans' pivotal victory over Nazi forces in 1943. And in 2005, it was granted protected status under Serbia's cultural heritage laws. "No serious city builds a modern future by demolishing its historical centres and cultural monuments," says Estela Radonjic Zivkov, the former deputy director of Serbia's Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments. "For Serbia to progress, it must first respect its own laws and cultural heritage," she insists. "According to Serbian law, it is not possible to revoke the protection of this site." But just when it seemed the site's fate was sealed, Serbian organised crime prosecutors delivered a twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller. On 14 May, police arrested the official who had given the green light for the lifting of the Defence Ministry complex's protected status. Prosecutors said Goran Vasic, the acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, had admitted to fabricating an expert opinion which had been used to justify the change of status. He faces charges of abuse of office and forgery of official documents. This admission has been seized on by those opposed to the project as evidence Kushner got preferential treatment. The Serbian government denies this. Where this leaves the Affinity Global project – Trump International Hotel and all – is not entirely clear. Repeated efforts to arrange an interview with the company have been unsuccessful, though it did issue a statement insisting that Mr Vasic had "no connection to our firm", adding that it would "review this matter and determine next steps". Vucic, meanwhile, denies there is any problem with the development. During a meeting of European leaders in Tirana, he said "there was not any kind of forgery". Still, it seems the Defence Ministry's shattered visage will remain unchanged for a while at least. And thanks to the Trump connection, it will offer even more of a talking point for first-time visitors to Belgrade. Winemakers finding Trump's tariffs hard to swallow Did Trump really strike Gulf deals worth $2tn? The world's most dangerous country for trade unionists Is the US finally on track to build a high-speed rail network?
