Latest news with #Flake
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Flake pushes Republicans on Trump foreign policy: ‘Responsibility to speak out now rests with you'
Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) pushed Republicans to speak out on President Trump's foreign policy in a Thursday opinion piece for The Washington Post. 'America's global leadership has never been perfect, but it has been indispensable. For decades, our willingness to engage — to lead not only with our military or markets but also with our values — has helped sustain global stability and promote freedom. That role is now in jeopardy,' Flake said in the piece. 'That brings us to Congress — particularly my fellow Republicans. The responsibility to speak out now rests with you,' he added. During the first few months of his second term, the president has strained relationships with longtime allies like the European Union and Canada over trade policy and went after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who the U.S. had previously largely supported throughout his country's war with Russia. 'During President Trump's first term, those who valued America's global leadership could take some comfort in knowing that senior officials were quietly working behind the scenes to mitigate the president's more reckless instincts,' Flake, who served in Congress during Trump's first term, said in the Thursday piece. 'But today, that containment is gone,' he added. 'The voices of restraint within the administration have largely fallen silent. Degrading our allies and admiring autocrats are no longer exceptions — they are part of the message. Diplomatic damage control is rare, if it happens at all.' Flake also has his own notable foreign policy experience, having served during the Biden administration from 2022 to 2024 as the ambassador to Turkey. He also announced his backing of former Vice President Harris's failed 2024 presidential bid back in September. 'Having spent the past three years overseas as a U.S. Ambassador, I've seen up close that we have very real enemies abroad,' Flake said in a prior statement posted to the social platform X. 'We also have vital and indispensable allies.' 'I want to support a presidential candidate who understands and appreciates the difference,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Flake pushes Republicans on Trump foreign policy: ‘Responsibility to speak out now rests with you'
Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) pushed Republicans to speak out on President Trump's foreign policy in a Thursday opinion piece for The Washington Post. 'America's global leadership has never been perfect, but it has been indispensable. For decades, our willingness to engage — to lead not only with our military or markets but also with our values — has helped sustain global stability and promote freedom. That role is now in jeopardy,' Flake said in the piece. 'That brings us to Congress — particularly my fellow Republicans. The responsibility to speak out now rests with you,' he added. During the first few months of his second term, the president has strained relationships with longtime allies like the European Union and Canada over trade policy and went after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who the U.S. had previously largely supported throughout his country's war with Russia. 'During President Trump's first term, those who valued America's global leadership could take some comfort in knowing that senior officials were quietly working behind the scenes to mitigate the president's more reckless instincts,' Flake, who served in Congress during Trump's first term, said in the Thursday piece. 'But today, that containment is gone,' he added. 'The voices of restraint within the administration have largely fallen silent. Degrading our allies and admiring autocrats are no longer exceptions — they are part of the message. Diplomatic damage control is rare, if it happens at all.' Flake also has his own notable foreign policy experience, having served during the Biden administration from 2022 to 2024 as the ambassador to Turkey. He also announced his backing of former Vice President Harris's failed 2024 presidential bid back in September. 'Having spent the past three years overseas as a U.S. Ambassador, I've seen up close that we have very real enemies abroad,' Flake said in a prior statement posted to the social platform X. 'We also have vital and indispensable allies.' 'I want to support a presidential candidate who understands and appreciates the difference,' he added.
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Sainsbury's meal deal hack lets you get ice cream 'for free' in hot weather
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's is offering a free ice cream or lolly with your meal deal this summer but not everyone knows about the deal - here's how to get it Navigating the working day during the sweltering summer months can present a few challenges - from choosing an appropriate outfit, finding a spot to soak up some rays outside the office, to deciding on a suitable summer lunch. For many of us, a meal deal is a quick and convenient option for a work lunch - it's speedy to grab some snacks, making it perfect for those with short breaks, and it doesn't dent the wallet too much. Typically comprising a main or sandwich, a snack (like a pack of crisps or fruit) and a drink, meal deals are readily available in our local supermarket branches - from Tesco Express to Sainsbury's Local. But one thing you might not be aware of is that you can include an ice cream or lolly within your meal deal. And this even extends to the more expensive ice cream options - like a posh Magnum - meaning you can save a few quid while savouring a delicious cold treat in the sunshine, reports Bristol Live. Sainsbury's Meal Deals can be a bit perplexing, with various 'tiers' of meal deal - starting from the basic tier priced at £3.75, the second more premium tier offering a £5 meal deal, and the most expensive yet even more premium tier costing you £7. Just to the left of the entrance in the Bristol city centre store, and the array of meal deal food, was a small vat of ice creams and lollies to choose from - and if you look carefully, you'll notice stickers decorating the area, indicating that you can include one of these frozen delights in your meal deal. However, not everyone notices these. The selection ranged from Flake ice creams, to Cornettos, Fruit Pastille lollies, Calippos and Twisters - and even limited edition Magnums. I chose a Flake ice cream, as it reminded me of times when a Mr Whippy ice cream during the summer months cost just 99p with a flake from the local ice cream van, writes Ellie Kendall. While this one didn't cost me 99p, combined with a limited edition 'Nduja chicken and bacon caesar tortilla wrap and a bottle of classic Ribena, my lunch came to £5 and saved me a total of £3.90. And it hit the spot - the tortilla wrap was absolutely scrumptious. The Flake ice cream would have cost £2.75 on its own, while the wrap was usually priced at £4.30 and Ribena at £1.85. We grabbed our selection, headed to the self service checkouts and then ventured up to sit on Queen Square in the sunshine - and it took us hardly any time at all, meaning we could enjoy a nice sunny lunch break before duty called once more. The only thing I would say you may need to consider, is eating your ice cream or lolly before your main, especially in the hot weather. Unless, of course, you have access to a freezer in your office. All in all, it certainly made the otherwise rather mundane task of buying lunch feel a little more summery. And, if you're venturing out with the kids in the summer holidays, this could also be a neat little hack to treat them to an ice cream and get them to eat a bit of lunch.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Antony Blinken speaks in Utah about Ukraine, Trump's cuts to foreign aid and tariffs
Antony Blinken's stepfather was held in a Nazi death camp for two years during World War II. He escaped with a friend during a forced march in Bavaria, and as they ran for their lives they came upon a tank, Blinken said. The tank had a five-pointed star on it, and as the men approached an American G.I. poked his head out of the top. Blinken's stepfather then said the three English words he knew, 'God bless America.' Blinken, the first Jewish U.S. secretary of state, told the story during a conversation in Salt Lake City on Thursday with former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake, who is now chairman of the board at World Trade Center Utah. After serving for four years during the Biden administration, Blinken said he is now 'retired,' which means he's primarily spending time with his two young children, who are 6 and 5 years old. During his remarks to Utah's political and business leaders at the Crossroads of the World International Trade Summit, a two-day, invitation-only event sponsored by Zions Bank and World Trade Center Utah, Blinken called for the U.S. to remain the 'last, best hope' of the world by continuing to assert global leadership. He also spoke about why he felt it was important for the U.S. to back Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2022, and the war in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks. Blinken was among the many global leaders who were in Salt Lake City on Wednesday and Thursday to speak at the summit. Earlier on Thursday, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with Harris Simmons, chairman and CEO of Zions Bancorporation. Her remarks were off the record. Simmons told the Deseret News that tariffs and supply chain issues are top of mind for people at the summit. 'Secretary Rice made the observation that we're not going back to a China where we have the kind of supply chain that has existed for the last two to three decades — that's a thing of the past," he said. That's different, he said, than what was expected after China joined the World Trade Organization, and will lead businesses to review their supply chains. 'We all hope that President (Donald) Trump is successful in negotiating trade deals that are in the mutual interest of the U.S. and our trading partners,' Simmons said. 'It is going to cause some disruption.' In addition to Blinken and Rice, Thursday's summit attendees also heard from former U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. At the beginning of their conversation, Flake joked about getting to question a 'tough boss.' As secretary of state, Blinken oversaw Flake during his time as ambassador to Turkey. Flake served during a tenuous time in the region, including during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan — which did not come up during his conversation with Blinken — and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which they did discuss. Blinken had high praise for Flake and his service as ambassador. He called Flake 'the right person in the right place at the right time.' President Trump is taking a very different approach to foreign policy than the Biden administration did, asserting an 'America first' policy on the global stage that includes tariffs, a reduction in foreign aid and criticism of even close allies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also attempting to negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, and he and special envoy Steven Witkoff are also trying to stop the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Blinken said he hopes the U.S. will maintain its position as a leader in the world. 'The world doesn't organize itself,' he said. The lack of American leadership could lead to a vacuum that is filled by others looking to take its place. His second concern is related to the Trump administration's decision to cut funds for USAID and other foreign aid organizations. 'The return on that investment is extraordinary,' he said. Without those tools of soft power, the U.S. will need to find other ways to communicate and cooperate with others, he said. In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine for the second time in a decade, Blinken said the Biden administration believed strongly they had to help them. 'This was an aggression not just against Ukraine, but against the very principles that had been at the heart of the international system since the end of World War II,' he said. Blinken said if they had let that aggression go forward, others would think they could also get away with it, pointing specifically to China's ambitions with Taiwan. He said he believes if the ceasefire and peace deal the Trump administration is trying to negotiate moves forward, it will just give Russian President Vladimir Putin time to retrench and rebuild his forces. To stop that, he said, the U.S. should support Europe's aims to put troops along the demarcation line, or the U.S. should welcome Ukraine into NATO. The Trump administration says they want to stop the killing of troops and civilians on both sides of the border. While its tough to be sure, estimates are that more than half a million soldiers and civilians have been killed in the war. Trump is also staunchly opposed to inviting Ukraine to join NATO, and instead has signed a critical minerals agreement with Kyiv to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Flake asked Blinken whether Trump's decisions to put additional tariffs on goods coming into the U.S. from China was a good decision. Blinken said he agreed with the tariffs Trump levied during his first four years in office, which were continued during the Biden administration, but said instead of additional tariffs President Joe Biden took a different approach with China. In order to counter some of China's trade practices, Biden wanted to 'invest in ourselves,' by spending money on infrastructure and to boost chip manufacturing. The administration also tried to align with European and other allies to counter China's dominance in manufacturing. China manufactures one-third of the goods consumed across the world, he said. Blinken said decoupling U.S. and Chinese markets is a 'fantasy,' and said instead the U.S. should engage in 'derisking.' On Trump's decision to levy 10% across the board tariffs, Blinken said the industrial tax increase will be a 'sea change' for the global economy. He said he hopes the tariffs will eventually be much more narrowly focused. Blinken called the Hamas attacks 'one of the most horrific events in my lifetime. The worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.' The 'deepest poison' in the world is dehumanization, Blinken said. When that sets in, everything bad is so much easier, and everything good is so much harder, he said. 'Nowhere is that more clear, evident, powerful than in the Middle East,' he said. Blinken said the Biden administration felt strongly they had to defend Israel after Hamas attacked, while also trying to contain the fighting so it didn't become a regional conflict. He also expressed concerns about the Palestinians and how they have suffered because of Hamas. A final agreement, Blinken said, should include a state for Palestinians — something Trump has said he doesn't support. At the end of his remarks, Blinken circled back to the anecdote he told about his stepfather at the beginning. He said he hopes the U.S. will maintain the trust of its allies so it can remain the world's 'last, best hope.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why is the world coming to Utah?
Some of the world's most influential experts on international relations will convene in Salt Lake City this week to help Utah businesses navigate the upheaval of global markets. The second annual Crossroads of the World International Trade Summit will feature conversations with three former U.S. secretaries of state and two former prime ministers. 'It just shows once again that Utah is not just the crossroads of the West, it's a crossroads of the world,' said Jeff Flake, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, in a Deseret News interview. 'There are not many gatherings anywhere — in Washington, D.C., or New York, or L.A. — that have three former secretaries of state, along with former heads of state, ambassadors. So it just shows again that Utah is a significant player in international trade." Sponsoring the event is the state's largest financial institution, Zions Bank, and the state's nonprofit arm for international business outreach, World Trade Center Utah, which recently led a trade mission with Gov. Spencer Cox to Canada. On Wednesday, attendees will hear from Flake, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a number of Utah executives, legislators and manufacturers, and Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On Thursday, attendees will hear from Cox, former secretaries of state Antony Blinken and Condoleezza Rice, former prime ministers Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and Theresa May of the United Kingdom, and Australia Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd. 'It's an impressive list that I don't think most states could do,' said Shad Morris, the director of the Whitmore Global Business Center at Brigham Young University's Marriott School. The fact that these high-profile players on the world stage are considering Utah's important role during a period of economic turmoil is a sign that the state's rapid acceleration is being noticed worldwide, Morris said. Over the past decade, Utah has led the nation in GDP growth, according to the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Institute, and was the fastest growing state in the nation according to the most recent census. 'Coming to Utah just for this I think shows that Utah has been doing something right,' Morris told the Deseret News. 'In the way we're dealing with international trade, with economic policy, with business development.' Building on past momentum This year's event hopes to build on momentum from World Trade Center Utah's first global summit in 2024, which featured remarks from former President George W. Bush, former Mexican President Vicente Fox and past Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. World Trade Center Utah CEO Jonathan Freedman, who has held the position since 2023, said his goal is for the annual event to become a 'world-class' conference 'that just happens to be in Utah.' 'We want it to be known around the world,' Freedman said. Appointing Flake as the board chairman for World Trade Center Utah in September was a big step in this direction, Freedman said. Other board members with international experience, including Scott Anderson, the former CEO of Zions Bank, contribute to World Trade Center Utah's strength which is its 'global network,' Freedman said. But in addition to raising Utah's status on the global stage, events like Crossroads of the World provide essential resources for the small, medium and large businesses that make up the membership of World Trade Center Utah, Freedman said. The organization has created a tariff dashboard to help Utah businesses navigate the complex timeline of executive orders, retaliatory actions and temporary pauses that have filled the months since President Donald Trump started his second term. Many of the companies Freedman works with are struggling to plan for the future as the price of imported goods varies from day to day, he said. For some, the uncertainty has ruined their operations entirely. 'Companies need predictability, they need certainty, and they need to know where they can turn for answers,' Freedman said. 'And although we do not have all the answers, we do not have a crystal ball, we can provide lots of resources to companies such as access to the best information.' Conversations on Wednesday will focus on how businesses can handle 'policy whiplash' and will give leaders the rare opportunity to engage with former officials from Republican, Democratic and foreign administrations who are able to speak candidly about the realities of global trade and foreign policy. 'Everyone is wondering how they navigate the situation we're in; it's a difficult environment for any companies here that rely on trade,' Flake said. 'A lot of other companies benefit from hearing those who are going through this, have gone through it before, and have experience.' Utah: A global hub? Freedman's hope is that as Utah shows an eagerness to strengthen ties with the world, the world will look to Utah as a hub for trade. 'I want people around the world to look at Utah as a source of answers and predictability, as a safe haven for investment, as a destination for a talented, skilled workforce,' Freedman said. 'These are all the things that we're proud of in Utah.' Utah already stands out from its competitors because of its highly educated population, according to Morris. The state has the third most well-trained adult population in the country in terms of post-secondary degrees, credentials and certificates, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute. Morris has lived around the country and the world but says he has never lived in a place as entrepreneurial as Utah, from its 'Silicon Slopes' tech sector, to its university system, health care and life science industries. But one of the things that sets it apart most is its orientation toward the rest of the planet, Morris said. The state sends young people to countries around the world, and this exposure to the world has allowed Utah innovators to bring the world back home. 'We're not an insular or protectionist state,' Morris said. 'We're very much a state focused on growth and development and bringing in ideas, regardless of where they're coming from, that are good for the economy, for the people, for the culture, for society.'
