US says it's leaving UN cultural agency UNESCO again, only 2 years after rejoining
'President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,' White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly told the New York Post. UNESCO and the White House did not immediately confirm the US move.
This will be the third time that the United States leaves UNESCO, which is based in Paris, and the second time during a Trump administration. President Donald Trump had already pulled out during his first term and the United States returned after a five-year absence after the Biden administration applied to rejoin the organization.
The decision will take effect at the end of December 2026.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Flurry of trade deals offers relief for some Asian countries, while others wait
BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced trade deals with Japan and a handful of other Asian countries that will relieve some pressure on companies and consumers from sharply higher tariffs on their exports to the United States. A deal with China is under negotiation, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying an Aug. 12 deadline might be postponed again to allow more time for talks. Steep tariffs on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum remain, however, and many other countries, including South Korea and Thailand, have yet to clinch agreements. Overall, economists say the tariffs inevitably will dent growth in Asia and the world. The deals reached so far, ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced a deal Wednesday that will impose 15% tariffs on U.S. imports from Japan, down from Trump's proposed 25% 'reciprocal' tariffs. It was a huge relief for automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda, whose shares jumped by double digits in Tokyo. Trump also announced trade deals with the Philippines and Indonesia. After meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Trump said the import tax on products from his country would be subject to a 19% tariff, down just 1% from the earlier threat of a 20% tariff. Indonesia also will face a 19% tariff, down from the 32% rate Trump had recently said would apply, and it committed to eliminating nearly all of its trade barriers for imports of American goods. Earlier, Trump announced that Vietnam's exports would face a 20% tariff, with double that rate for goods transshipped from China, though there has been no formal announcement. Talks with China may be extended Negotiations with China are subject to an Aug. 12 deadline, but it's likely to be extended, Bessent told Fox Business on Tuesday. He said the two sides were due to hold another round of talks, this time in Sweden, early next week. Meanwhile, Trump said a trip to China may happen soon, hinting at efforts to stabilize U.S.-China trade relations. A preliminary agreement announced in June paved the way for China to lift some restrictions on its exports of rare earths, minerals critical for high technology and other manufacturing. In May, the U.S. agreed to drop Trump's 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days, while China agreed to lower its 125% rate on U.S. goods to 10%. The reprieve allowed companies more time to rush to try to beat the potentially higher tariffs, giving a boost to Chinese exports and alleviating some of the pressure on its manufacturing sector. But prolonged uncertainty over what Trump might do has left companies wary about committing to further investment in China. No deals yet for South Korea and other Asian countries Pressure is mounting on some countries in Asia and elsewhere as the Aug. 1 deadline for striking deals approaches. Trump sent letters, posted on Truth Social, outlining higher tariffs some countries will face if they fail to reach agreements. He said they'd face even higher tariffs if they retaliate by raising their own import duties. South Korea's is set at 25%. Imports from Myanmar and Laos would be taxed at 40%, Cambodia and Thailand at 36%, Serbia and Bangladesh at 35%, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 30% and Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia at 25%. The status of talks with India remains unclear but progress appears to hinge on the country's heavily protected farm sector. It faces a 26% tariff. Nearly every country has faced a minimum 10% levy on goods entering the U.S. since April, on top of other sectoral levies. Economists expect tariffs to sap growth even with trade deals Even after Trump has pulled back from the harshest of his threatened tariffs, the onslaught of uncertainty and higher costs for both manufacturers and consumers has raised risks for the regional and global economy. Economists have been downgrading their estimates for growth in 2025 and beyond. The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday it had cut its growth estimate for economies in developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.7% in 2025 and 4.6% in 2026, down 0.2 percentage points and 0.1 percentage points. The outlook for the region could be further dimmed by an escalation of tariffs and trade friction, it said. 'Other risks include conflicts and geopolitical tensions that could disrupt global supply chains and raise energy prices,' as well as a deterioration in China's ailing property market. Economists at AMRO were less optimistic, expecting growth for Southeast Asia and other major economies in Asia at 3.8% in 2025 and 3.6% next year. While countries in the region have moved to protect their economies from Trump's trade shock, they face significant uncertainties, said AMRO's chief economist, Dong He. 'Uneven progress in tariff negotiations and the potential expansion of tariffs to additional products could further disrupt trade activities and weigh on growth for the region,' he said.
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up 3.5%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rallied on Wednesday, with Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index up 3.5% after Japan and the U.S. announced a deal on President Donald Trump's tariffs. The agreement as announced calls for a 15% import duty on goods imported from Japan, apart from certain products such as steel and aluminum that are subject to much higher tariffs. That's down from the 25% Trump had said would kick in on Aug. 1 if a deal was not reached. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' Trump posted on Truth Social, noting that Japan was also investing 'at my direction' $550 billion into the U.S. He said Japan would 'open' its economy to American autos and rice. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 3.5% in afternoon trading to 41,171.32. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.4% to 25,470.25, while the Shanghai Composite index was little changed, gaining less than 0.1% to 3,582.30. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.7% to 8,737.20 and the Kospi in South Korea edged 0.4% higher to 3,183.77. 'President Trump has signed two trade deals this week with the Philippines and Japan which is likely to keep market sentiment propped up despite deals with the likes of the EU and South Korea remaining elusive, for now at least,' Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at Kohle Capital Markets, said in a report. Japanese companies tend to be cautious about their public reactions, and some business officials have privately remarked in off-record comments that they hesitate to say anything because Trump keeps changing his mind. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association also said it had no comment, noting there was no official statement yet. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the agreement as beneficial to both sides. Toyota stock jumped 14% in Tokyo trading, while Honda was up nearly 11% and Nissan added 8%. In other sectors, Nippon Steel, which is acquiring U.S. Steel, rose 2.4% while video game maker and significant exporter Nintendo Co. added 0.7%. Sony Group surged 4.6%. Wall Street inched to another record on Tuesday following some mixed profit reports, as General Motors and other big U.S. companies gave updates on how much Trump's tariffs are hurting or helping them. The S&P 500 added 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 44,502.44. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. So far, the U.S. economy seems to be powering through the uncertainty created by Trump's on-and-off tariffs. Many of Trump's proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and the next big deadline is Aug. 1. Talks are underway on possible trade deals with other countries that could lower the stiff proposals before they kick in. Trump said he reached a trade agreement with the Philippines following a meeting Tuesday at the White House, that will see the U.S. slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there. In the bond market, Treasury yields sank as traders continue to expect the Federal Reserve to wait until September at the earliest to resume cutting interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.34% from 4.38% late Monday. In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 15 cents to $65.46 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard added 16 cents to $68.74 a barrel.
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
The far left says AOC didn't go far enough against Israel. That's concerning.
The far left is so far gone that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is somehow seen as not anti-Israel enough. On July 18, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, introduced a defense appropriations amendment that would strip Israel of funding for its Iron Dome missile defense system. The amendment garnered just six votes in support. One of the surprising votes against the amendment came from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, who is not an ally of Israel. Ocasio-Cortez has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and voted against all other funding for Israel's offensive capabilities. So voting against stripping Israel of Iron Dome funding might seem like a switch for her. It's not. She ultimately voted against the larger legislation to help Israel. Still, her vote on the failed amendment was met with backlash from the far left because she wasn't aggressive enough in her denunciation of Israel. That criticism of AOC makes it clear that even just opposing Israel's offensive in Gaza is not enough for the anti-Israel left, who demand that you also support stripping Israel of its defenses. They are not interested in peace; they are interested in more dead Jewish far left and far right have something in common there. AOC's position on Israel isn't enough for the far left 'Marjorie Taylor Greene's amendment does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza,' said Ocasio-Cortez on X. 'What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.' While I disagree with Ocasio-Cortez's characterization of Israel's campaign in Gaza, her position makes sense from her perspective that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Opinion: What does antisemitism look like in America? A grandmother killed in the street. AOC eventually voted against the final defense spending bill itself, which authorized an additional $600 million in aid to Israel. However, that wasn't enough for the far left. The Democratic Socialists of America, by whom AOC was once endorsed, demanded she go further against Israel. They are upset that AOC didn't also support the amendment. 'An arms embargo means keeping all arms out of the hands of a genocidal military, no exceptions,' wrote the Democratic Socialists of America in a statement. 'This is why we oppose Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's vote against an amendment that would have blocked $500 million in funding for the Israeli military's Iron Dome program.' The Iron Dome is Israel's only defense against rocket attacks from any of its hostile neighbors. About 30,000 projectiles have been fired into Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, which started the latest war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip. Democrats remain divided on Gaza Those who are against funding for the Iron Dome aren't trying to limit Israel's ability to continue its military campaign in Gaza. They are trying to strip Israel of its defensive capabilities, leading to its destruction. The very same can be said about the Republicans who voted in favor of Greene's amendment. Opinion: America's mental health field is overrun with antisemitism. It's dangerous. In 2024, the issue of Gaza isn't why the Democrats lost, but it certainly did not help. People have theorized that it contributed to why Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate in her presidential campaign, and it probably contributed to Harris losing the swing state of Michigan. The anti-Israel left is not the dominant wing of the Democratic Party, but they certainly have influence. AOC is learning this now, and it's something she needs to navigate if she has aspirations to higher office as a Democrat. The far left demands complete agreement on their slate of issues, and that makes them a difficult group to navigate for Democrats, even for someone like AOC. They must figure out how to win without these voters, or how to weave them back into the fold if they want electoral success. Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.
