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Miami Herald
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Donald Trump remakes American diplomacy in Florida's image
From Panama to Singapore, President Donald Trump is deploying an unprecedented number of Floridians to represent the United States as he transforms the country's approach to diplomacy. One out of every three nominees to ambassador-level positions in the Trump administration hails from the president's adopted home state of Florida, a higher percentage than any other state has produced in the past two decades. The nation's top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is also from Florida. 'Clearly, Florida is the political epicenter of Trump world,' said Mauricio Claver-Carone, who recently left his role in the administration as the U.S. State Department's special envoy to Latin America and served in numerous roles in the first Trump administration. The nominations — highly coveted positions given to top supporters in any administration — come as the president has deprioritized career diplomats, radically remaking the country's foreign policy apparatus. The administration has shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, which annually gave billions in foreign aid, and fired more than a thousand U.S. State Department employees last week. Political nominees are often posted to friendly Western allies with little chance of major conflict, while career foreign service officers are often given the most sensitive assignments. This time around, the White House has so far only nominated three career foreign service officers to serve as an ambassador — far less at this point than any administration in the past 25 years — and Florida nominees, who have varying levels of experience, have been tasked with some of the most delicate appointments, including Panama, Mexico and Colombia. The list of Florida nominees features a mix of top campaign donors, Mar-a-Lago regulars and personal friends of the president including: South Florida healthcare entrepreneurs and top donors Benjamín León Jr., who gave $3 million to political committees supporting Trump last year, and Peter Lamelas, who gave more than $700,000 to Pro-Trump committees last year and another $250,000 to Trump's inaugural committee. Leon was tapped to be the ambassador in Spain and Andorra and Lamelas is the pick to represent the country in Argentina. Windermere trial lawyer Dan Newlin, who gave more than $5 million to pro-Trump committees during the 2024 election and $1 million to the inaugural fund, is Trump's choice to be the ambassador to Colombia. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-girlfriend and a former Fox News host, is the pick to represent the country in Greece. Michael Waltz, Trump's former national security adviser and a former Florida congressman, was nominated to be the ambassador to the United Nations Kevin Cabrera, a former Trump campaign staffer and Miami-Dade county commissioner, who successfully pushed for a street in Hialeah to be renamed 'President Donald J. Trump Avenue,' was nominated to be the ambassador to Panama. Trump's personal friends and golfing partners John Arrigo, a West Palm Beach car dealer, and Michel Issa, a Highland Beach investor, who were tapped to be ambassadors to Portugal and Lebanon, respectively. While many of the nominees have lived in Florida for decades, others are more recent arrivals drawn to the state because of Trump, said Yehuda Kaploun, the Miami-based founder of the Florida Orthodox Jewish Association and Trump's pick to be special envoy to monitor and combat anti-semitism. 'A lot of people have moved to Florida,' he said. 'You've not even done your homework' With the Senate under Republican control, Trump has prioritized moving ambassador nominees through the confirmation process as quickly as possible. 'They're going along as rapidly as the system can go along. We're ahead of, I guess, anyone else thus far,' Trump said in March at a gathering at the White House with several of his ambassador nominees. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is tasked with vetting nominees before they go to the Senate floor for a full confirmation vote. In March, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii put a hold on nominees reaching the Senate floor in protest of the shuttering of USAID, but it hasn't stopped the progress of nominees and several have already been confirmed through a process called cloture, which allows these votes to advance with a majority vote. Democrats have voiced their disapproval of several Florida nominees, but there's little else they can do to block their nominations. On Tuesday, Waltz faced tough questions about his participation in a group chat on the encrypted messaging platform Signal while he was national security adviser in which details of upcoming military strikes were shared with a journalist from The Atlantic. 'We both know Signal is not a secure way to convey classified information,' said Democrat Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware. 'And I was hoping to hear from you that you had some sense of regret over sharing what was very sensitive, timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app that's not, as we both know, the appropriate way to share such critical information.' Waltz denied that any classified information was shared by the group and said that the government recommended that some government officials use encrypted messaging tools like Signal. Last week, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, chided Anjani Sinha, the nominee to be ambassador to Singapore, for his lack of knowledge about the country. 'You've not even done your homework, sir,' Duckworth said. She said that the position was 'not a glamour posting' because of the country's strategic importance in the U.S. relationship with China. Duckworth said she had hoped the White House would nominate a career foreign service officer to fill the role rather than Sinha, a retired orthopedic surgeon living in West Palm Beach described by South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham as a 'a friend of President Trump for over a decade.' Democrats boycotted a May 8 hearing to protest what ranking Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, characterized as a break from the committee's 'long-standing rules and traditions' calling for bipartisan coordination. But the boycott wound up smoothing the path for a controversial Florida nominee. Lee Rizzuto, a former executive at the beauty accessories company Conair, was blocked from becoming an ambassador during the first Trump administration by the Republican-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee over concerns that the Boca Raton businessman had spread conspiracy theories. He was later appointed to lead the U.S. Consulate General in Bermuda, which didn't require Senate confirmation. This time around, there were no Democrats present to question Rizzuto about his nomination to be the ambassador to the Organization of American States. 'That's good news for you, because sometimes these can get a little testy,' the committee's Republican Chair Sen. James Risch said to Rizzuto and his fellow nominees at the May hearing. 'But obviously that won't happen this morning.' Sen. Shaheen objected to Rizzuto's nomination when it came up for a vote a week later, saying that Rizzuto 'has been willing to share unfounded conspiracy theories online to attack members of Congress, including members of this committee.' But Rizzuto's nomination was approved by a party line vote. 'A lot of gravitas' The United States is unique among Western countries for the number of political appointees who are appointed to be ambassadors. 'These are extraordinarily plum positions and are highly sought after,' said Rufus Gifford, a political appointee to two ambassador-level roles — chief of protocol in the Biden Administration and ambassador to Denmark in the Obama administration. Over the past 50 years, presidents have typically drawn about two-thirds of their ambassador nominees from the ranks of career foreign service officers, while roughly one-third have been political appointees, according to data from the American Foreign Service Association. That the White House has only nominated three career appointee is a major shift from prior administrations. 'I hope to see a stronger commitment to advancing qualified career foreign service officers who bring deep experience to our diplomatic corps,' Shaheen said. The White House and State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Research suggests that on average there aren't huge differences in performance between career appointees and political appointees, but that there is greater variation among political ambassadors, who come from a wide range of backgrounds. 'With career ambassadors in hand, you expect more of a steady hand, more predictability,' said Matt Malis, a political science professor at Texas A&M University. Veteran diplomats say that the specialized training and experience that foreign service officers receive is essential for leading politically sensitive embassies. 'In foreign policy, you have to know the nuances or you're going to get taken to lunch,' said Harry Thomas, a career foreign service officer who served as U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. Gifford said that he learned a 'tremendous amount' from his interactions with career appointees and that it is important for political appointees to adopt an apolitical mindset when becoming ambassadors. 'Government service is a different animal,' he said. 'You're not representing MAGA, you are representing every single American.' Political appointees do bring one big advantage over career ambassadors: their connection to the president. 'What distinguishes them from the foreign service is that some of them can pick up the phone and call Trump. That's usually not likely to happen to a career nominee,' said Tom Yazdgerdi, the outgoing president of the American Foreign Service Association and a former foreign service officer. Claver-Carone said that many foreign countries, particularly in Latin America, tend to take ambassadors more seriously if they have a close connection to the president. 'I think that that adds a lot of gravitas,' he said. But that loyalty to the president can come at a cost, said Mark Feierstein, a political appointee in multiple Democratic administrations, most recently as a top official at the United States Agency for International Development during the Biden Administration. 'You want people to feel free to push back. That's not what's happening now,' he said. The small number of career nominees, combined with the dismantling of USAID and cuts to the State Department, has Yazdgerdi concerned about what it could mean for the future pipeline of foreign service officers. 'Many people strive to be an ambassador, that's the pinnacle of a career,' he said. 'If that's really cut off, that demoralizes people. That's just one more thing that makes a career in the foreign service less attractive.' But Claver-Carone said that with a 'big pool' of potential candidates, he doesn't expect the administration to stop appointing political nominees anytime soon. What's more, he said, the range of countries where political appointees are jockeying to serve is greater than in past administrations, with Floridians, in particular, interested in a wider range of countries in Latin America. 'I don't recall seeing people fighting to become the ambassador to El Salvador,' he said. The most recent nomination hearings reflect Florida's continued overrepresentation in the nominee pool. Two out of three ambassador nominees at a hearing Tuesday hailed from Florida, and three of the five nominees at a hearing last week were also from Florida. At last week's hearing, Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody was on hand to introduce Jennifer Locetta, the former executive director of the Florida Republican Party and Trump's pick to serve in an ambassador-level role at the United Nations. 'This is just another great Floridian volunteering her time and coming up to DC to serve her country,' Moody said of Locetta. 'I'm thrilled that many great Floridians have volunteered to serve and have been nominated by this administration to carry out President Trump's vision for this country.'
Politico
an hour ago
- Politics
- Politico
Vance heads to Rust Belt city to kick off administration's megalaw messaging effort
But as Democrats have homed in on the legislation's cuts to Medicaid, which they say is a betrayal of Trump's promise to protect the working class voters who elected him, Republicans are keen to point out the law's more popular, and populist, benefits. The person familiar with Vance's remarks noted that the vice president is still expected to highlight how the law is 'permanently fixing the Biden border crisis with the ICE funding boost and border wall funds.' Trump has mostly touted the legislation as 'the biggest tax cut in the history of our country' while slamming Democrats for not voting on it — and name-dropping the handful of Republicans who spurned him. 'We had the most successful economy in the history of the country during my first term and we passed a bill — but that bill honestly, as good as it was, was nothing compared to this one,' Trump said Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He urged Republicans to talk about the legislation's specifics. 'I say to people, Republicans, or anybody, explain the bill, because it's so big and so good,' he said on Saturday on Fox News. 'The Democrats, they only do one thing good, and that's complain, and they say it's going to cause death, and this and that, they don't mean it, it's a sound bite.' Vance's rally is in one of the purplest areas in the country: Pennsylvania's eighth congressional district, where Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan narrowly unseated Democratic incumbent Matt Cartwright in November. It's also only about a dozen miles from Scranton, Joe Biden's hometown, which the former Democratic president often invoked to bolster his working-class background. 'Democrats in that part of the state are definitely working-class voters, and they're the quintessential type of voters that have come over to Trump over the past few cycles,' said Joshua Novotney, a veteran Republican strategist in Pennsylvania. Vance is 'just trying to continue to message to them and make sure that they continue to vote that way and understand that the bill is not going to hurt them.'
Local Spain
2 hours ago
- Business
- Local Spain
Spain's Extremadura is still offering digital nomads €10,000 to move there
While many areas in Spain are suffering from overtourism and locals are complaining about foreign remote workers driving up rental prices and cost of living in general, there are still some areas of the country which are actively trying to attract digital nomads. One of these is Extremadura, one of the least populated regions in the country. It lies to the west of Spain, boarding Portugal, Andalusia to the south and Castilla y León to the north. In fact, the local government has a plan in in place to try and draw in more people and reverse the effects of depopulation, which is scheduled to continue all the way until 2030. In August 2024, The Local Spain broke the news in English that Extremadura was offering up to €15,000 for digital nomads to move there, which led to a lot of international coverage from Fox News, New York Post, CNBC, The Sun, Forbes and other media outlets overseas. Almost a year after the initial report, we can confirm that Extremadura is continuing to give grants of up to €10,000 to those who move to the region. To date the government has received 470 applications and already 195 of those have been approved. Given the high demand, Extremadura's regional government have also said they expand the aid by €1 million. Applications are currently open until October 8th 2025, so if you want to benefit and think Extremadura would be a good place for you, then you only have a few months left to apply. The aid is specifically aimed at highly qualified professionals in technological sectors who can work remotely or are self-employed. This makes it ideal for digital nomads and remote workers from abroad too. It's available to those who are already legally living in Spain and want to move from other regions, as well as those moving from abroad. Keep in mind, however, if you're from a non-EU country and want to move from abroad, you will first need to apply for Spain's digital nomad visa and meet all the requirements for that. Once you have been granted the visa and you have your TIE residency card, then you can apply for aid. The requirements to apply for the €10,000 grant are as follows: Workers must carry out all their professional activity remotely and "through the exclusive use of media and IT systems, telematics and information fields", in other words fully online. You must keep your remote job and continue to live in Extremadura for at least two years following the application. You must have been living outside of Extremadura for at least six months before you apply. Foreigners must be living here legally and already have a NIE - foreign identity number as well as their green EU certificate or their non-EU TIE residency card. Will I get the full €10,000? That depends. You will receive the full amount if you are under the age of 30, female or move to a town with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. All other people who qualify and do not fall into those categories will receive €8,000. The grant is paid as single payment, once your application has been successful and you can provide proof registration in Extremadura. Why should I consider Extremadura? Filled with natural parks and meadows of holm and cork oaks, Extremadura is a great region for those who love the outdoors with lots of opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and climbing. It's also ideal for history buffs with several historic cities including Mérida with its countless ancient Roman sites and UNESCO World Heritage Cáceres with its mix of architectural styles and old stone walls. It's not just what Extremadura has that can be attractive, however, it also has a much lower cost of living than many other regions in Spain. With skyrocketing rents, house prices and general costs in Spain's big cities, many will be looking at where their money can go further. For example, according to cost of living comparison site Expatistan living in Cáceres is 46 percent less than in Barcelona and 37 percent less than Madrid. How to apply Your application must be submitted electronically via the Extremadura General Electronic Access Point. In order to apply you must have a digital certificate or electronic Spanish ID card so that you can identify yourself online. You will also need to provide: An official document issued by your country or other region in Spain to show where you've been living. A certificate from the company you work for which authorises you to work in Extremadura or remotely in Spain. If you are self-employed, a document(s) that proves the terms and conditions in which you will carry out your professional activity remotely. If you are moving from another region in Spain, you will need: An original report, issued by the General Treasury of Social Security, showing you are up to date with any payments. A document that certifies you are up to date with your tax obligations with the State Treasury. A certificate that proves you don't have any debts with the Treasury of Extremadura. All documents must be officially translated if they're not already in Spanish. Processing of the application takes a total of three months.
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
The Quiz #468
Take The Quiz…True Crime Edition! Play. Share. Listen with Fox News contributor and former NYPD inspector, Paul Mauro.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
US House speaker Mike Johnson calls for release of Epstein files amid backlash
Mike Johnson, speaker of the House, called for the justice department to make public documents related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, breaking with Donald Trump over an issue that has roiled the president's rightwing base. It was a rare moment of friction between Trump and the speaker, a top ally on Capitol Hill, and came as the president faces growing backlash from conservatives who had expected him to make public everything known about Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody as he faced sex-trafficking charges. Last week, the justice department announced that his death was a suicide and that, despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, there was no list of his clients to be made public nor would there be further disclosures about the case. Conservative allies of the president have since criticized him and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, for what they see as opaque handling of a case that Trump campaigned on getting to the bottom of. 'It's a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,' Johnson told Benny Johnson, a rightwing podcaster, in an interview released on Tuesday. 'I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there.' Referring to a comment Bondi made to Fox News this year that Epstein's client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review', Johnson said: 'She needs to come forward and explain that to everybody. 'We need the DoJ focusing on the major priorities. So let's get this thing resolved,' the speaker added. US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House. File picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Earlier in the day, Republicans voted down an attempt by Democrats to insert language into legislation that would require files related to the Epstein case to be made public. But the minority party is determined to keep the issue alive, and Democrats on the House judiciary committee have demanded that its Republican chair, Trump ally Jim Jordan, hold a hearing with Bondi and her deputy as well as the leaders of the FBI to answer questions about Epstein. Trump has sought to quell the furor that has erupted within his Maga base over the justice department's conclusion. Over the weekend, he wrote on Truth Social: 'One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World. Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.' As he departed the White House for Pittsburgh earlier on Tuesday, Trump defended Bondi, but hinted that more documents could be forthcoming. 'She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,' he said. Speaking to NBC News on Tuesday, Bondi was asked about the frustration from Trump's Maga base surrounding her department's handling of the Epstein investigation. 'We're going to fight to keep America safe again,' she said on a different topic. 'We're fighting together as a team. That's what's so important right now. We've got a war on drugs. We've got a war on human trafficking, we've got cartels in this country … we have got foreign adversaries around this world as well, and we're all going to work together as a team.' Asked about Trump's earlier remarks that she should release whatever files she thinks are 'credible', Bondi added: 'Today, our memo speaks for itself. We'll get back to you on anything else. I haven't seen all of his statements today.' At a press conference earlier on drug enforcement, Bondi had refused to answer questions about Epstein. 'Today is about fentanyl overdoses throughout our country and people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl,' she said. 'That's the message that we're here to send today. Not Epstein. Not going to talk about Epstein.' — The Guardian Read More Trump administration ending deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in LA
