Latest news with #McCain
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
State Department accuses Cindy McCain of complaining about Gaza famine after World Food Programme chief's interview
State Department press secretary Tammy Bruce seemed to blame aid shortages in Gaza on the UN World Food Programme and its chief, Cindy McCain, on Tuesday as she answered a question about trucks carrying food, water and medicine into the ravaged Gaza Strip. Bruce was questioned at a press briefing about aid trucks traveling into Gaza at the Kerem Shalom crossing, which resumed last Monday after a three-month blockade imposed by the Israeli military. The State Department spokeswoman appeared to be unaware of any blockade, and seemed to misunderstand the intent of NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell's question as Bruce quipped that McCain should have 'spoken up' about finding a way to get aid into Gaza sooner. Bruce's remark came in response to a question about McCain's own comments Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation about the resumption of the truck crossings. 'This is, however, the first delivery of major aid, if not the only aid we've been hearing for months. I wish that Cindy McCain had spoken up that they had found a way to move food into Gaza, because that certainly hadn't been conveyed to us,' said Bruce on Tuesday. 'But now – which, if that's the case, that's great.' McCain had refuted claims on Face the Nation from the U.S. and Israeli governments blaming Hamas for supposedly looting aid trucks. In actuality, she said, Palestinian residents of Gaza were so desperate for food after a three-month blockade that starving people were rushing aid trucks on the road. "Listen, these people are desperate, They see a World Food Programme truck coming in, and they run for it," McCain said. "This doesn't have anything to do with Hamas or any kind of organized crime, or anything." Trucks have entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing at a rate of about 100 per day, McCain said on Sunday. That statistic makes Bruce's reference to a singular aid delivery all the more bewildering — especially given that the holdup has never been a result of the World Food Programme or the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), its partner, being unable to 'find' ways to get aid across the border. All crossings are controlled by the Israeli government with the exception of the Rafah crossing, which is controlled by Egypt. Israel's government has demanded that any physical aid delivered to Gaza must cross through an Israeli-controlled point of entry. Bruce's misunderstanding was revealed in the rest of her exchange with Mitchell. Until 'now there has been a blockade, a blockade by Israel of the food, so no one has been able to get through those crossings,' Mitchell explained to the press secretary. 'Well, I thought you just said Cindy McCain said that she was able to do that. But I would also say that this process managed to overcome that dynamic, and the dynamic has changed,' Bruce said, before beginning to repeat that 'whatever it was' blocking aid had been resolved. 'Israel was blocking it,' Mitchell spelled out again. Bruce noted: 'It clearly needs to expand. I don't speak for this foundation, but clearly we've got to welcome any dynamic that allows getting aid and food into the region, which is happening right now. And that's the story.' The Independent reached out to the State Department for further comment. Tuesday's briefing is not the first time Bruce, a veteran of Fox News on her first assignment in the federal government, has seemed to have been caught off guard at a press briefing thanks to a lack of preparedness or communication throughout the broader administration or even just her agency. In one moment at a briefing on May 1, the press secretary declined to comment on an announcement that occurred during her news conference stating that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be taking on a second role as national security adviser: 'I just heard this from you,' she told ad reporter. During an interview with CNN days later she got into a back-and-forth with anchor Kasie Hunt after refusing to answer repeated questions about Rubio's work at the agency, including whether the secretary had spoken with El Salvador's president regarding a man the Trump administration has alternated between admitting and refusing to admit that it deported illegally, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. After Bruce said she wouldn't comment on Rubio's basic day-to-day actions as secretary, an exasperated Hunt responded, 'You're the spokeswoman for the State Department! I mean, with all due respect, like … ?'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
State Department accuses Cindy McCain of complaining about Gaza famine after World Food Programme chief's interview
State Department press secretary Tammy Bruce seemed to blame aid shortages in Gaza on the UN World Food Programme and its chief, Cindy McCain, on Tuesday as she answered a question about trucks carrying food, water and medicine into the ravaged Gaza Strip. Bruce was questioned at a press briefing about aid trucks traveling into Gaza at the Kerem Shalom crossing, which resumed last Monday after a three-month blockade imposed by the Israeli military. The State Department spokeswoman appeared to be unaware of any blockade, and seemed to misunderstand the intent of NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell's question as Bruce quipped that McCain should have 'spoken up' about finding a way to get aid into Gaza sooner. Bruce's remark came in response to a question about McCain's own comments Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation about the resumption of the truck crossings. 'This is, however, the first delivery of major aid, if not the only aid we've been hearing for months. I wish that Cindy McCain had spoken up that they had found a way to move food into Gaza, because that certainly hadn't been conveyed to us,' said Bruce on Tuesday. 'But now – which, if that's the case, that's great.' McCain had refuted claims on Face the Nation from the U.S. and Israeli governments blaming Hamas for supposedly looting aid trucks. In actuality, she said, Palestinian residents of Gaza were so desperate for food after a three-month blockade that starving people were rushing aid trucks on the road. "Listen, these people are desperate, They see a World Food Programme truck coming in, and they run for it," McCain said. "This doesn't have anything to do with Hamas or any kind of organized crime, or anything." Cindy McCain, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, says she has seen no evidence behind Israel's claims that Hamas carried out the looting of food trucks that entered southern Gaza en route to bakeries."Listen, these people are desperate, and they see… — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 25, 2025 Trucks have entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing at a rate of about 100 per day, McCain said on Sunday. That statistic makes Bruce's reference to a singular aid delivery all the more bewildering — especially given that the holdup has never been a result of the World Food Programme or the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), its partner, being unable to 'find' ways to get aid across the border. All crossings are controlled by the Israeli government with the exception of the Rafah crossing, which is controlled by Egypt. Israel's government has demanded that any physical aid delivered to Gaza must cross through an Israeli-controlled point of entry. Bruce's misunderstanding was revealed in the rest of her exchange with Mitchell. Until 'now there has been a blockade, a blockade by Israel of the food, so no one has been able to get through those crossings,' Mitchell explained to the press secretary. 'Well, I thought you just said Cindy McCain said that she was able to do that. But I would also say that this process managed to overcome that dynamic, and the dynamic has changed,' Bruce said, before beginning to repeat that 'whatever it was' blocking aid had been resolved. 'Israel was blocking it,' Mitchell spelled out again. Bruce noted: 'It clearly needs to expand. I don't speak for this foundation, but clearly we've got to welcome any dynamic that allows getting aid and food into the region, which is happening right now. And that's the story.' The Independent reached out to the State Department for further comment. Tuesday's briefing is not the first time Bruce, a veteran of Fox News on her first assignment in the federal government, has seemed to have been caught off guard at a press briefing thanks to a lack of preparedness or communication throughout the broader administration or even just her agency. In one moment at a briefing on May 1, the press secretary declined to comment on an announcement that occurred during her news conference stating that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be taking on a second role as national security adviser: 'I just heard this from you,' she told ad reporter. During an interview with CNN days later she got into a back-and-forth with anchor Kasie Hunt after refusing to answer repeated questions about Rubio's work at the agency, including whether the secretary had spoken with El Salvador's president regarding a man the Trump administration has alternated between admitting and refusing to admit that it deported illegally, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. After Bruce said she wouldn't comment on Rubio's basic day-to-day actions as secretary, an exasperated Hunt responded, 'You're the spokeswoman for the State Department! I mean, with all due respect, like … ?'
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
No Aid Trucks Entering Gaza Looted by Hamas, Israeli Sources Confirm
DayofPal– Contrary to longstanding allegations, none of the 110 incidents involving the looting of aid trucks in Gaza were carried out by Hamas, according to an Israeli military report cited by Channel 12. The revelation emerged during a high-level military meeting aimed at assessing the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip. The report instead attributes the looting to Israeli-backed armed gangs and local organized clans, which, it claims, operate under the full protection of Israeli forces. A senior Israeli military official present at the meeting stated plainly, 'There is no famine in Gaza; we are not close to that point.' Notably, the same report acknowledged that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted Palestinian police units attempting to prevent such looting. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has echoed these findings. In an interview with CBS, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain dismissed accusations that Hamas was stealing humanitarian aid. 'No, not at all,' she said when asked whether Hamas had looted 15 WFP trucks entering southern Gaza. 'This doesn't have anything to do with Hamas.' According to the WFP, a convoy of aid trucks was en route to a warehouse in Deir Al-Balah when it came under fire. A police unit escorting the trucks confronted looters when Israeli warplanes launched eight consecutive airstrikes on the scene, killing six officers and injuring 20 others. Local authorities in Gaza argue that these attacks reflect a broader Israeli policy aimed at destabilizing the Strip by deliberately obstructing aid delivery. Officials have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, an allegation supported by several human rights organizations. Following the closure of Gaza's main border crossings on March 2, Israel cut off access to food, medicine, and humanitarian supplies, precipitating what observers describe as an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of diverting aid meant for civilians. Hamas, for its part, denies the claim, insisting that several of its members have been killed defending aid convoys from looters operating with Israeli protection. A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns that nearly a quarter of Gaza's population is expected to experience 'catastrophic levels of food insecurity'—the highest alert level, IPC Phase 5—in the coming months. After nearly 80 days of total blockade and mounting international condemnation, Israel announced roughly a week ago that it would allow a limited number of aid trucks to enter the enclave. But aid organizations warn that these efforts are far from sufficient. 'This is a drop in the bucket,' said McCain. 'We have 50,000 people inside of Gaza that are extremely food insecure and could be on the verge of famine if we don't help bring them from that.' She contrasted current efforts with previous ceasefire conditions, under which 'we were getting in 600 trucks a day. Right now, we are getting in maybe a hundred.' The United Nations has confirmed that Israel continues to restrict the flow of humanitarian assistance, with only a small fraction of aid trucks allowed through. UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized the limited access, saying that Israel had only permitted what 'amounts to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required.' Doctors Without Borders also condemned the inadequate aid, describing the current trickle of humanitarian relief as a 'smokescreen' designed to 'pretend the siege is over.' Tom Fletcher, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, issued a dire warning: '14,000 babies are at risk of dying if humanitarian aid does not reach them'—a figure he called 'utterly chilling.' Shortlink for this post:
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Starlink, Oura Rings to help monitor sailor fatigue underway
When the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group gets underway later this year, 1,600 sailors equipped with Oura Rings will embark on the largest volunteer study of crew fatigue to date. During the deployment, the rings will monitor the wearers' sleep length and quality, along with a range of other biometric indicators, to provide commanders with a near real-time picture of units' rest levels and allow them to make changes to support performance and address fatigue. The Starlink internet access now being provided onboard deployed Navy ships will allow the data from the rings to be uploaded securely and anonymously for review both by unit leaders and researchers in San Diego, who will track trends and hotspots and produce reports on the data. It's a step toward the Navy's ultimate goal to monitor real-time fatigue for all underway sailors and prevent future disasters linked to exhaustion. The origins of the upcoming sleep experiment date back to 2017, when the Navy lost 17 sailors in two separate collisions — from the destroyers McCain and Fitzgerald — with commercial ships in the Pacific. Investigations would cite crew fatigue as a factor in both tragedies. While some changes were made quickly — such as instituting a watchstanding schedule that more closely aligned with sailors' natural circadian rhythms — other changes have been slow to materialize. A 2021 Government Accountability Office report recommended that the Navy require 'systematic collection of quality and timely fatigue data' from sailors and use that data to better understand factors contributing to fatigue and how to address them. But as of 2023, the GAO found the Navy still had not fully implemented its plan to use wearables to collect biometric sleep and health data from sailors in real time. Called the Command Readiness, Endurance and Watchstanding, or CREW, program, this line of effort was developed by the Naval Health Research Center and equipped its first sailors with wearables in 2021. But the effort has struggled to secure the funding needed to propel it out of the research phase, said Dr. John Cordle, a human factors engineer with the Navy. 'There's no program of record; there's no research sponsor,' Cordle told Military Times. 'It's an example of a fleet initiative that needs to find a home, up in Washington, but has yet to become interesting enough for that to happen.' With a carrier strike group now equipped with the tech, researchers are hopeful the results will grab attention. 'We're … after helping leadership on these ships understand how the mission is impacting the sleep and the recovery of their sailors, especially as they go on these deployments that involve a lot of stress,' said Dr. Rachel Markwald, a senior sleep physiologist at the Naval Health Research Center and the implementation lead for the CREW Program. 'I think most people understand that sleep is incredibly important to help restore our performance, our health, our capacity,' Markwald added. 'And if we have no idea where folks are related to their own capacity, then we'll continue to just do what we've been doing and push forward without those insights.' While the 2017 collisions created the most significant moment of reckoning for the Navy, they're not the only recent examples of mishaps in the wee hours with indicators that fatigue played a role. Naval Safety Command published a rundown of smaller fatigue-related mishaps in the wake of the collisions. And in a presentation delivered earlier this year, Cordle pointed out that recent mishaps, including the February collision of the carrier USS Harry S. Truman with a Panama-flagged merchant vessel near the Suez Canal and the May 2024 collision of two landing craft air-cushion (LCAC) vessels off Jacksonville, Florida, took place between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Investigations into both of those incidents have yet to be released. For the current study, participation was entirely voluntary, but came with an incentive: if sailors wear their Oura rings — which track 20 different biometric factors and retail for about $200 — for at least 75% of the deployment, they get to keep the tech. Sailors who are less consistent won't face a penalty, but will need to give the rings back. The rings were chosen, in part, because they don't give off a signal or GPS data and are considered passive, Cordle said. 'They connect to your phone [via Bluetooth], but if the phone is not there, it's not a problem,' he said. 'The Chinese can't find a ship because the crew is wearing Oura rings.' Still, even beyond securing a resource sponsor, the researchers know they'll face more obstacles on the way to the CREW vision of service-wide implementation of biometric fatigue monitoring underway. One unanswered issue is whether the service will be able to require sailors to wear the devices. Another concerns the infrastructure that will need to be added to ships to create secure local upload points to transfer biometric data to a central location while bypassing the cloud for privacy and safety. But Markwald said she believes the value of the devices will become clear not only to unit leaders monitoring fatigue but also to the sailors who will get a better sense of their own performance and needs. 'It's not just, hey, wear this device so that we can step in before fatigue becomes a problem,' she said. 'This is a self-management tool as well, and we want it to really be something that the individual can use and hopefully finds some value [in].'
Barnama
6 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
WFP Chief Warns 500,000 Gazans On Brink Of Famine, Urges Scaled-Up Aid
ISTANBUL, May 26 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain warned on Sunday that half a million people in Gaza are "extremely food insecure" and at risk of famine, urging the international community to step up efforts to deliver humanitarian aid on a large scale, Anadolu Ajansi reported. McCain, speaking on CBS's Face the Nation, described the situation as a "catastrophe", criticising Israeli authorities for allowing only limited aid entry between March and mid-May. 'They have let a few trucks in. This is a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed,' she said. McCain said the WFP was able to bring in around 600 trucks per day during the last ceasefire, but deliveries have now dropped to about 100, which is "not nearly enough".
