Latest news with #AmericanConservativeUnion
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Polish Trump fans gather to 'Make Poland Great Again'
The crowd, some with signature red hats bearing US President Donald Trump's name, cheered when the man on the stage asked if they were happy that America was becoming great again. But instead of somewhere in the United States, this scene was playing out in an arena in a southern Polish city, complete with a dusting of red or blue "Make Poland Great Again" hats. Hundreds had come for the first Polish edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a US convention that has been around for decades and has become a celebration of Trump. The event in Rzeszow is a sharp signal of the hold the US leader's particular brand of conservatism has in Poland, which is days from picking a new president from a field that includes a big Trump fan. "Are you happy that America is getting closer to being great again? Did the reelection of Donald Trump bring you joy, make you happy?" CPAC organiser Matt Schlapp asked the crowd, which responded with applause. "We thank you for your courage to be in this room, to stand with us as we fight a most venomous enemy," the chairman of the American Conservative Union said, decrying the "globalists" who he said threatened tenets like family, rule of law and freedom of religion. The event, which was organised in partnership with Poland's right-wing TV Republika, was held in a region populated by conservative voters. Vendors sold trucker hats with the slogan "Make Poland Great Again", CPAC Poland mugs and books including one by historian and nationalist presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki. Nawrocki, who got a standing ovation at the conference, is a Trump fan and met the US leader at the White House earlier this month. He claimed the US leader told him: "You will win". Poland's run-off election on Sunday is shaping up to be a very tight one in the polarised country of 38 million people, as the latest opinion surveys have the candidates tied. Nawrocki, who is backed by Poland's right-wing main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), will face off against pro-EU Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, the candidate of the ruling centrists led by former EU chief Donald Tusk. - 'American style: loud and big' - While most of the Rzeszow crowd was in suits and ties -- there were exceptions like Anna Maria Ziolkiewicz, who came dressed in Poland's national red-and-white colours with a Nawrocki election button on her lapel. "I'm a patriotic, religious person with right-wing views, so this event is right up my alley," the 61-year-old accountant and history buff from the central city of Lodz told AFP. "There's a positive atmosphere... It lifts spirits and motivates," she said. She praised Trump as "a wonderful man with character, brave and strong" -- though cautioned that he did not quite understand the danger posed by Russia. Ziolkiewicz believes Poland should be closer to the United States than to the European Union as "the US has never double-crossed us, never deceived us", while she said countries like France and Britain failed to help Poland at the start of World War II. Krzysztof Pietrzyk, a 43-year-old entrepreneur from nearby Lublin, regretted that the atmosphere at Tuesday's event was "a little bit too quiet". "I was hoping to have here more American style: loud and big," he said, recalling how tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk brandished a chainsaw on stage at this year's CPAC event near Washington. But he said he was looking forward to hearing a speech by special guest US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Another speaker was George Simion, the defeated hard-right candidate in Romania's presidential election, and a Nawrocki ally. "If we do not win this Sunday in Poland, we will confront the authoritarian regime of (French President) Emmanuel Macron and (EU chief) Ursula von der Leyen," Simion told reporters. Donning a well-worn "Make Poland Great Again" hat, unemployed engineer Zenon Fabianowicz said he covered more than 700 kilometres (over 400 miles) from the western village of Krzeszyce to attend. Poland is a "pro-American society. We have a lot in common with the United States. And I think Trump also has a fondness for Poland," the 62-year-old said. "It's the first time CPAC is happening in Poland and I couldn't miss the opportunity." amj/dt/jm
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Polish Trump fans gather to 'Make Poland Great Again'
But instead of somewhere in the United States, this scene was playing out in an arena in a southern Polish city, complete with a dusting of red or blue "Make Poland Great Again" hats. Hundreds had come for the first Polish edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a US convention that has been around for decades and has become a celebration of Trump. The event in Rzeszow is a sharp signal of the hold the US leader's particular brand of conservatism has in Poland, which is days from picking a new president from a field that includes a big Trump fan. "Are you happy that America is getting closer to being great again? Did the reelection of Donald Trump bring you joy, make you happy?" CPAC organiser Matt Schlapp asked the crowd, which responded with applause. "We thank you for your courage to be in this room, to stand with us as we fight a most venomous enemy," the chairman of the American Conservative Union said, decrying the "globalists" who he said threatened tenets like family, rule of law and freedom of religion. The event, which was organised in partnership with Poland's right-wing TV Republika, was held in a region populated by conservative voters. Vendors sold trucker hats with the slogan "Make Poland Great Again", CPAC Poland mugs and books including one by historian and nationalist presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki. Nawrocki, who got a standing ovation at the conference, is a Trump fan and met the US leader at the White House earlier this month. He claimed the US leader told him: "You will win". Poland's run-off election on Sunday is shaping up to be a very tight one in the polarised country of 38 million people, as the latest opinion surveys have the candidates tied. Nawrocki, who is backed by Poland's right-wing main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), will face off against pro-EU Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, the candidate of the ruling centrists led by former EU chief Donald Tusk. - 'American style: loud and big' - While most of the Rzeszow crowd was in suits and ties -- there were exceptions like Anna Maria Ziolkiewicz, who came dressed in Poland's national red-and-white colours with a Nawrocki election button on her lapel. "I'm a patriotic, religious person with right-wing views, so this event is right up my alley," the 61-year-old accountant and history buff from the central city of Lodz told AFP. "There's a positive atmosphere... It lifts spirits and motivates," she said. She praised Trump as "a wonderful man with character, brave and strong" -- though cautioned that he did not quite understand the danger posed by Russia. Ziolkiewicz believes Poland should be closer to the United States than to the European Union as "the US has never double-crossed us, never deceived us", while she said countries like France and Britain failed to help Poland at the start of World War II. Krzysztof Pietrzyk, a 43-year-old entrepreneur from nearby Lublin, regretted that the atmosphere at Tuesday's event was "a little bit too quiet". "I was hoping to have here more American style: loud and big," he said, recalling how tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk brandished a chainsaw on stage at this year's CPAC event near Washington. But he said he was looking forward to hearing a speech by special guest US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Another speaker was George Simion, the defeated hard-right candidate in Romania's presidential election, and a Nawrocki ally. "If we do not win this Sunday in Poland, we will confront the authoritarian regime of (French President) Emmanuel Macron and (EU chief) Ursula von der Leyen," Simion told reporters. Donning a well-worn "Make Poland Great Again" hat, unemployed engineer Zenon Fabianowicz said he covered more than 700 kilometres (over 400 miles) from the western village of Krzeszyce to attend. Poland is a "pro-American society. We have a lot in common with the United States. And I think Trump also has a fondness for Poland," the 62-year-old said.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Polish Trump Fans Gather To 'Make Poland Great Again'
The crowd, some with signature red hats bearing US President Donald Trump's name, cheered when the man on the stage asked if they were happy that America was becoming great again. But instead of somewhere in the United States, this scene was playing out in an arena in a southern Polish city, complete with a dusting of red or blue "Make Poland Great Again" hats. Hundreds had come for the first Polish edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a US convention that has been around for decades and has become a celebration of Trump. The event in Rzeszow is a sharp signal of the hold the US leader's particular brand of conservatism has in Poland, which is days from picking a new president from a field that includes a big Trump fan. "Are you happy that America is getting closer to being great again? Did the reelection of Donald Trump bring you joy, make you happy?" CPAC organiser Matt Schlapp asked the crowd, which responded with applause. "We thank you for your courage to be in this room, to stand with us as we fight a most venomous enemy," the chairman of the American Conservative Union said, decrying the "globalists" who he said threatened tenets like family, rule of law and freedom of religion. The event, which was organised in partnership with Poland's right-wing TV Republika, was held in a region populated by conservative voters. Vendors sold trucker hats with the slogan "Make Poland Great Again", CPAC Poland mugs and books including one by historian and nationalist presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki. Nawrocki, who got a standing ovation at the conference, is a Trump fan and met the US leader at the White House earlier this month. He claimed the US leader told him: "You will win". Poland's run-off election on Sunday is shaping up to be a very tight one in the polarised country of 38 million people, as the latest opinion surveys have the candidates tied. Nawrocki, who is backed by Poland's right-wing main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), will face off against pro-EU Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, the candidate of the ruling centrists led by former EU chief Donald Tusk. While most of the Rzeszow crowd was in suits and ties -- there were exceptions like Anna Maria Ziolkiewicz, who came dressed in Poland's national red-and-white colours with a Nawrocki election button on her lapel. "I'm a patriotic, religious person with right-wing views, so this event is right up my alley," the 61-year-old accountant and history buff from the central city of Lodz told AFP. "There's a positive atmosphere... It lifts spirits and motivates," she said. She praised Trump as "a wonderful man with character, brave and strong" -- though cautioned that he did not quite understand the danger posed by Russia. Ziolkiewicz believes Poland should be closer to the United States than to the European Union as "the US has never double-crossed us, never deceived us", while she said countries like France and Britain failed to help Poland at the start of World War II. Krzysztof Pietrzyk, a 43-year-old entrepreneur from nearby Lublin, regretted that the atmosphere at Tuesday's event was "a little bit too quiet". "I was hoping to have here more American style: loud and big," he said, recalling how tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk brandished a chainsaw on stage at this year's CPAC event near Washington. But he said he was looking forward to hearing a speech by special guest US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Another speaker was George Simion, the defeated hard-right candidate in Romania's presidential election, and a Nawrocki ally. "If we do not win this Sunday in Poland, we will confront the authoritarian regime of (French President) Emmanuel Macron and (EU chief) Ursula von der Leyen," Simion told reporters. Donning a well-worn "Make Poland Great Again" hat, unemployed engineer Zenon Fabianowicz said he covered more than 700 kilometres (over 400 miles) from the western village of Krzeszyce to attend. Poland is a "pro-American society. We have a lot in common with the United States. And I think Trump also has a fondness for Poland," the 62-year-old said. "It's the first time CPAC is happening in Poland and I couldn't miss the opportunity." A Polish edition of an American conservative conference was held in a region populated by right-wing voters AFP
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Elaine L. Chao: Our Air Traffic System Needs a Complete Overhaul. Immediate Relief Is in Reach
I grew up in the New York City area, and having served as secretary of Transportation and secretary of Labor, I am intimately familiar with Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Regardless of the occasion, I have always been impressed by the hardworking aviation professionals who keep EWR, one of our nation's busiest international hubs, humming. They, alongside air traffic controllers (ATC), airline pilots, and crew, work tirelessly to ensure that travel through Newark is safe. And it is—safety has never been compromised at EWR, and it remains a core pillar of the entire U.S. aviation system. In recent weeks, aging air traffic technology coupled with longstanding staffing shortages have unleashed prolonged operational disruptions, putting EWR in the headlines. When airport capacity is already an issue, issues quickly multiply. We've seen this firsthand at EWR—a major hub that routinely schedules more flights than the airport can handle. Any disruption, whether it be technology, staffing, or weather, has a ripple effect that impacts the national airspace and the countless travelers who depend on it. Former Secretary of the Department of Transportation Elaine L. Chao speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union on February 28, 2020, in National Harbor, Md. Former Secretary of the Department of Transportation Elaine L. Chao speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union on February 28, 2020, in National Harbor, this happens, dedicated air traffic controllers take immediate action to keep travelers safe. They slow down traffic and implement delay programs to distance aircrafts in the air and on the ground. These actions are necessary for safety, but they are not a replacement for a long-term solution. In fact, they tend to exacerbate travel disruptions by forcing airport operators, ATC, and airlines to further delay, divert, or cancel flights altogether. So what can be done? Simply put, these issues require a complete and pressing overhaul of our nation's air traffic system. I don't mean an upgrade—I mean a bold effort to rebuild from the ground up by updating our technology and revitalizing our air traffic control system altogether. A critical first step is to update our technology. I am encouraged by Secretary Sean Duffy's recent announcement of such a plan, one that will replace outdated infrastructure and technologies. Such a plan is long overdue, and I applaud this administration's decision to take aggressive steps to address the root causes of the issues we've recently seen bubble up in Newark and elsewhere. In 2017, we proposed an ATC overhaul and new funding for the system, but it was unsuccessful in Congress. Second, we must also move urgently to attract, train, and retain air traffic control talent. This includes continuing to expand our ATC training capabilities, streamline hiring, and structure working conditions and compensation to attract the best ATC professionals in the business. Air traffic controllers have immense responsibility on their shoulders and too often get burned out by long hours, overtime, and the frustration of working on systems that date back to the 1970s. Such sweeping reforms take time and the traveling public can't afford to wait. That's why it's vital that we consider the full suite of policy solutions to address this challenge, including a third step to impose stronger capacity controls at the overburdened EWR airport. It may surprise you to learn that Newark is the only major airport in the New York City-area that operates without capacity controls—a global standard for managing air traffic demand at constrained airports. New York's other two airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), have such controls in place. Taking this step to manage flight traffic will help align demand with real-world capacity, giving air traffic controllers and pilots the breathing room they need to operate efficiently, and providing passengers and crew the enjoyable, convenient travel experience they deserve. This solution cannot stand alone and must be complemented by a broader system transformation. But with Memorial Day Weekend kicking off the summer travel season, it is a small step we can take now to protect the reliability of the system and mitigate travel disruptions in the short-term. I'll reiterate again that EWR and U.S air travel overall remains safe despite the travel disruptions captured in the headlines. But these disruptions do come at a high price—both in terms of the economic costs incurred by passengers, employees, the airport, airlines, and local businesses, as well as the personal costs of missing a long-awaited vacation or the last flight home after days away on business. Travelers deserve better. And the system itself—our national airspace—deserves a chance to function the way it was designed to: safely, reliably, with integrity, and with passengers top-of-mind. The Honorable Elaine L. Chao was the 18th U.S. secretary of Transportation, 24th U.S. secretary of Labor, and first Asian American woman named to the president's cabinet in history. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This Albanian Politician Can't Enter The U.S. Due To Alleged Corruption. Trump's Team Is Helping Him Anyway.
A growing team of political operatives affiliated with Donald Trump is assisting in the election of an Albanian politician who is under travel sanctions for alleged corruption. Sali Berisha, who has called Trump's election 'a miracle,' appears to have engaged several people close to Trump in consulting work — while his team suggests their goal is the removal of the sanctions. Chris LaCivita, co-manager of Trump's 2024 campaign, was in Albania in February as part of his contract to help the campaign of Berisha, an Albanian presidential candidate under U.S. sanction, as reported by The New York Times. With him was Paul Manafort, who pleaded guilty for failing to register as a foreign agent in 2018. (Trump pardoned Manafort in December 2020.) As Albania's May 11 elections approach, HuffPost has found the team working with LaCivita appears to have expanded to include Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio and longtime Manafort associate Phil Griffin. Additionally, representatives from American Conservative Union, the organization behind the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, have also recently met with Berisha. The ACU meeting resulted in the scheduling of CPAC Balkans for the end of April, which would be co-organized by Berisha's party, the candidate wrote on X (formerly Twitter). This all follows the Trump administration's push to further defang the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), paving the way for political operatives to collect large checks on behalf of foreign parties and leaders, all without any oversight in the U.S. While registration with FARA is still technically required, there are no longer any criminal penalties, like those previously used against Manafort, for not registering. As part of these efforts, the administration has disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force, which monitored and investigated foreign influence and lobbying. A search of FARA Friday morning showed that no one involved in Berisha's campaign has registered to lobby on behalf of the Albanian candidate. Berisha, the head of Albania's right-wing Democratic Party, has been under sanctions in both the United States and the United Kingdom for several years. The State Department declared Berisha and his family personanon grata in May 2021 due to 'his involvement in significant corruption.' In July 2022, the U.K. banned him from traveling to the country 'on the grounds of criminality and corruption,' noting that Berisha's presence 'was not conducive to the public good.' Berisha was formally charged with corruption last fall, for his alleged participation in a scheme that granted his son-in-law permits to make millions of euros by building apartments in Albania's capital. Berisha spent time under house arrest after refusing to comply with the terms ordered by the court, claiming he was being politically persecuted. Berisha has expressed hope that Trump's administration would be willing to end the sanctions. On Inauguration Day, Berisha told Albanian media that he considered the election of Trump 'a miracle' and would ask him to remove his persona non grata designation. In a Jan. 27 interview, the Democratic Party's press secretary, Floriana Garo, was asked if Trump would lift the sanctions on Berisha. According to a translation shared with HuffPost, Garo responded, 'The sanctions of Mr. Berisha, I believe, the way I see — I believe they will be removed and lifted. It will be lifted, but it won't be lifted just for Sali Berisha, it will be removed as a 'bloc.' It will include sanctions on other people.' But on Feb. 5, according to a report in the Albanian Times, Berisha said at a press conference that he believed there was no hope Trump would lift the ban on his travel. He claimed he had not engaged in any lobbying efforts to get off the persona non grata list. By Feb. 10, LaCivita and Manafort were in Albania to meet with Berisha's campaign. LaCivita told The New York Times he was not there to lobby, only to consult on the campaign. That day, Belind Këlliçi, a Democratic Party political leader, shared a livestream of the press conference with LaCivita. He captioned it, 'say hello to all those worrying about the sanction.' Over a week after LaCivita's visit, Euronews Albania posted a videosaying that Democratic Party leaders have been suggesting LaCivita's influence on Trump will help end the sanctions. In January, the Times reported LaCivita and Manafort, along with Fabrizio, were seeking consulting contracts with foreign right-wing political parties. Last month, a conservative Albanian politician who is a strong ally of Berisha shared a video of himself with LaCivita in Washington, D.C., on the social media platform Threads. He claimed to have had a meeting in Washington with LaCivita and Griffin, and posted a photo of himself with the pair on Facebook. The politician said Griffin and LaCivita were working with Fabrizio. While it did not get picked up in U.S. media, Albanian media had also reported on Fabrizio's involvement in February. Fabrizio has a long history of working with Manafort. Before Manafort brought him into the Trump 2016 campaign, Fabrizio's firm did work for Manafort in Ukraine from 2012 to 2013. Fabrizio was also the silent owner of a company that received about $19 million from a super PAC Manafort helped start during the 2016 election season. Since the 2024 U.S. election, Fabrizio and LaCivita have signed on as senior advisers for Building America's Future, a 501(c)(4) funded by Elon Musk. Griffin also has a long working relationship with Manafort, going back at least as far as 2004, when Griffin was employed by Manafort's firm, Davis Manafort Partners. Griffin worked closely with Manafort for clients in Ukraine, ultimately recruiting Konstantin Kilimnik. Kilimnik became Manafort's number one man in Ukraine and 'likely served as a channel to Manafort for Russian intelligence services, and that those services likely sought to exploit Manafort's access to gain insight into the Campaign,' according to a 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report. Griffin is already in Albania in preparation for the Democratic Party campaign launch, which is scheduled to take place Friday evening. Earlier this week, Garo, the press secretary of Berisha's Democratic Party, shared a photo of herself with Griffin and Alfred Lela, the party's director of press communications. The Washington Examiner ran an article by Lela in February, imploring Secretary of State Marco Rubio to rethink Berisha's sanctions. (Lela, who lived in Boston in the 2000s, noted in his bio that he is an American citizen.) Këlliçi recently claimed that Berisha's sanctions have been lifted. The claim appears baseless, though neither the Albanian Democratic Party nor the U.S. State Department responded to attempts to verify the sanctions were still in place. Despite Berisha's statement that CPAC Balkans would take place this month, the event still lacks a functioning website, providing no information on the event, including dates. CPAC has made an effort to hold events in countries with right-wing leadership aligned with Trump. A conference co-hosted by Berisha's party would be an implicit endorsement of his candidacy. When reached for comment about the organization's meeting with Berisha and asked whether the event would happen on schedule, a spokesperson for CPAC replied, 'CPAC is meeting with leaders around the world and is planning to expand to more countries in the coming year. We are looking to do a CPAC in the Balkans as a rallying cry for common sense policies and a finger in the eye to the globalists.' LaCivita, Fabrizio, Manafort, Griffin and Berisha did not respond to requests for comment. On Thursday night, however, LaCivita posted twice on X about Albania. In one post, containing a video of an owl, he wrote, 'Who's the 'Owl' and who's the mouse ….#Albania' The commentary references a riff between Berisha and his opponent, Edi Rama. The fight centers on Rama referring to Berisha as a 'swamp owl,' and Berisha responding by embracing the insult, bringing an owl figurine to a press conference. Rama has also praised Trump, and he has entered into contracts with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Both Berisha's and Rama's parties have been under investigation by SPAK, an Albanian anti-corruption organization that has relied on funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since Trump took office, SPAK and the U.S. Embassy have not shared much information about the status of the program, but some reporting in Albania has suggested that the Americans involved with it briefly left the country. In another post, LaCivita linked to an article that referred to him as the sheriff coming back to town. The article was on a news site owned by Berisha's son. Berisha's team has announced that LaCivita will be present for the official campaign launch, and Albanian media showed him arriving in the country Friday morning.
