Latest news with #MikeWaltz
NHK
20 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
US nominee to be UN ambassador says he will work to counter China
US President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to the United Nations has said he will push to reduce costs and oppose China's growing influence at the global body. Mike Waltz made the comments on Tuesday, while attending a US Senate confirmation hearing on his appointment. Waltz served as national security advisor at the beginning of Trump's second term. But the president appointed him as UN ambassador in May amid criticism over Waltz's use of a private messaging app that resulted in the leak of information about a military operation. Waltz criticized the UN at the Senate hearing, saying, "The UN has ballooned to over 80 agencies with overlapping missions that waste resources." He also said that if confirmed he will push for cost reductions and other reforms. Waltz added he was "confident we can make the UN great again," under Trump's leadership. He also spoke about China, which is the second-largest financial contributor to the UN after the US, and is expanding its influence. Waltz said he supports any initiative to "block and tackle Chinese Communist Party influence." Senator Jeanne Shaheen of the opposition Democratic Party stressed in response that China is moving in to fill the void as the Trump administration presses ahead with budget cuts related to the UN and foreign aid. The senator added that a consistent policy is needed to push back against China's influence.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Mike Waltz Vows To Make UN "Great Again" At Senate Confirmation Hearing
Washington: Mike Waltz painted an image for lawmakers Tuesday of what the United Nations would look like as the U.S. — its largest donor — reviews its support, opting to go "back to basics" under a Trump administration push to "make the U.N. great again." During his Senate confirmation hearing to be , Waltz echoed the priorities of his bosses — President and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — of pursuing major reforms to the 80-year-old world body. It was the first time senators could grill Waltz since he was in May after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. He denied Tuesday that he was removed from the post, while laying out his plans to bring "America First" to the U.N. "We should have one place in the world where everyone can talk — where China, Russia, Europe and the developing world can come together and resolve conflicts," Waltz told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the U.N. "But after 80 years, it's drifted from its core mission of peacemaking." The U.N. is pursuing its own reforms while the Republican administration has spent the last six months reshaping American diplomacy and working aggressively to shrink the size of the federal government, including recent . On the agenda for Waltz would be combating China's influence, reviewing U.S. funding to U.N. agencies with "often duplicative and wasteful mandates," as well as rooting out what Waltz called deep within the U.N. system. The Signal episode — in which Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other high-level officials faced intense criticism — didn't come up at the hearing for more than an hour. It was revealed in March that Waltz added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. "We both know Signal is not an appropriate and secure means of communicating highly sensitive information," said Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, who was first to raise the issue. He added that Waltz shared "demonstrably sensitive information" in an improper manner. Fellow Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia called it "an amateurish move." Waltz, a former Florida congressman, said the chat met the administration's cybersecurity standards, "no classified information was shared" and the military was still conducting an ongoing investigation. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey blasted what he called a "lack of accountability" from Waltz and other administration officials. "I've watched this hearing, and I've been really disappointed," Booker said. "What's been troubling to me about your nomination from the beginning is your failure to just stand up and take accountability for mistakes that you made." If confirmed, Waltz would arrive at the U.N. at a moment of great change. The world body is to slash foreign assistance — — and it anticipates U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget. Facing financial instability, the U.N. has spent months while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms. The U.N. is also facing growing frustration over what and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict. "With Waltz at the helm, the U.N. will have what I regard as what should be its last chance to demonstrate its actual value to the United States," said Republican Sen. of Utah. "Instead of progressive political virtue signaling, the Security Council has the chance to prove its value, and settling disputes and brokering deals." Waltz said U.N. revenue "has quadrupled in the last 20 years" but that it hasn't been commensurate with increased peace. "The U.S. must ensure that every foreign aid dollar and every contribution to an international organization, particularly the U.N., draws a straight and direct line to a compelling U.S. national interest," Waltz said. He said the administration's diplomatic strategy would be focused on cutting costs to what he called "waste, fraud, and abuse that are endemic to the U.N. system." Waltz also accused the U.N. of "pervasive antisemitism." He testified that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has been promoting "antisemitic hate" in its schools in Gaza. U.N. Secretary-General appointed a British human rights activist on Tuesday to carry out a strategic review of UNRWA. Israel has alleged that 19 out of UNRWA's roughly 13,000 staffers in Gaza participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that launched the war. UNRWA said it fired nine workers after an internal U.N. investigation. Israel later alleged that about 100 other Palestinians in Gaza were Hamas members but didn't provide evidence to the United Nations. Waltz has spent the last few months on the White House payroll despite departing as national security adviser. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Waltz as an adviser earning an annual salary of $195,200. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Waltz stayed on to "ensure a smooth and successful transition given the extreme importance of the role of NSA." Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada, questioned why Waltz was still being paid by the administration. "Throughout this year, you've made (assertions) that, if confirmed, you would root out waste and unnecessary overhead at the U.N. So can you confirm for us whether you've been receiving a salary from the White House since being let go as the NSA?" Waltz denied the fact that he had been fired, saying he was being paid as an adviser "transitioning a number of important activities."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mike Waltz pitifully tries to pin Signal scandal on Biden as he seeks U.N. ambassadorship
Happy Tuesday! Here's your Tuesday Tech Drop, a collection of the past week's top stories from the intersection of technology and politics. Former national security adviser Mike Waltz, who left his post amid backlash over his and other top Trump officials' roles in sharing sensitive military information with a journalist via an unsecured Signal chat, appeared before the Senate on Tuesday ahead of a vote on his nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz tried to downplay the scandal under fierce questioning from Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Chris Coons of Delaware. At one point, he told Coons that such use of Signal had been aligned with Biden-era federal guidance, adding that no classified information was shared. He also said the White House had concluded its investigation but said he thought the Defense Department's probe is ongoing. Indeed, Politico reported Monday that two close aides of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are under investigation at the Pentagon in the matter, so any suggestion that the Signal chat was completely on the up-and-up — and that this has been affirmed by independent officials — is dubious at best. Read more at The New Republic. A senior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official admitted that his agency has used a list compiled by Canary Mission — a controversial and shadowy website that has been accused of doxxing pro-Palestinian activists — in its efforts to target, detain and deport immigrants. Read more at CNN. After an incident in which Grok — Elon Musk's artificial intelligence tool — called itself 'MechaHitler' and spread antisemitic conspiracy theories and instructed one social media user how to commit rape, the federal government confirmed its plans to offer Musk's company, xAI, up to $200 million to institute Grok across the Defense Department. The same contract awards were offered to OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. Read more at CNBC. The FBI has reportedly been using polygraph tests to measure employees' loyalty and determine whether they have said negative things about FBI Director Kash Patel. It sounds like the conspiratorial Patel is living up to my MSNBC colleague Hayes Brown's description of him as a mixture of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and MAGA influencer Alex Jones. Read more at The New York Times. A team working under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has reportedly sought to use artificial intelligence tools to sift through emails at the nation's top spy agencies in an effort to root out people seen as disloyal to the Trump administration. As The Washington Post reported: A special team created by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has expressed a desire to gain access to emails and chat logs of the largest U.S. spy agencies with the aim of using artificial intelligence tools to ferret out what the administration deems as efforts to undermine its agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter. Read more at The Washington Post. Several Big Tech executives leaped to the defense of venture capitalist Shaun Maguire, who has been denounced for a bigoted tweet claiming New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is out to advance an 'Islamist agenda' and 'comes from a culture that lies about everything.' In response to a letter from hundreds of tech executives and employees denouncing the comments, various tech executives signed a letter calling Maguire's remarks 'the reflections of a principled thinker.' Read more at Business Insider. A far-right militia may have inspired a recent attack on an Oklahoma television station's weather radar. The vandalism comes as prominent Republicans — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin — have fueled conspiracy theories about natural disasters being geo-engineered by nefarious actors. Read more at NBC News. This article was originally published on
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Mike Waltz defends his use of Signal app during Senate hearing
National security adviser Mike Waltz faced questioning regarding his use of the encrypted app Signal for sensitive military discussions, a matter dubbed the 'Signalgate' scandal. During a Senate hearing, Waltz was questioned about adding The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat discussing a military operation in Yemen. Waltz defended his actions by asserting that the use of Signal was authorized under Biden -era Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidance. Conversely, Department of Defense policy explicitly prohibited the use of commercial encrypted messaging applications, including Signal, for transmitting non-public DoD information. Signal group chat.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Dems press Waltz on Hegseth sharing 'demonstrably sensitive information' in Signal chat
Democratic lawmakers zeroed in on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's role in a Signal group chat during a confirmation hearing for former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to serve as ambassador to the U.N. Waltz came under scrutiny after his team set up a Signal group chat to discuss strikes against the Houthis. A journalist from the Atlantic was accidentally included along with other top administration officials, including Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said it was an "amateurish move" for Waltz's office to include the journalist, Kaine said that nothing indicated Waltz shared classified information in the chat. But Kaine said there are at least two Pentagon investigations underway, one with the Pentagon inspector general and another with the Air Force, to determine whether Hegseth did disclose classified information in the chats when he discussed specific aircraft and times of the strikes. "They haven't yet reached a conclusion, but they certainly haven't reached a conclusion that no classified information is shared. Am I wrong about that?" Kaine said of the investigations. "I shouldn't and can't comment on ongoing investigations," Waltz said. "What I can do is echo Secretary Hegseth's testimony that no names, targets, locations, units, route, sources, methods, no classified information." "I got it. I'm sure Secretary Hegseth says he didn't share any classified information," Kaine said. "But the fact of the matter is there are two investigations going on at the Pentagon precisely to determine, in an objective and independent way, whether classified information was shared and, a minimum, sharing attack plans with sensitive military information that shouldn't have been shared." Sen. Chris Coons, D-Conn., also voiced concerns about the use of the Signal group chat after Waltz doubled down on the Trump administration's claims that no classified information was communicated over the chat. "You were sharing details about an upcoming airstrike and the time of launch and the potential targets," Coons said. "I mean, this was demonstrably sensitive information." Coons asked Waltz if the former national security advisor had spoken to Hegseth about his decision to share detailed information pertaining to the strike. "What we spoke about, Senator, was a highly successful mission that did something that the Biden administration did not do, (which) was actually target the Houthi leadership," Waltz said. Lawmakers, including Coons, voiced that they'd hoped Waltz would take ownership of what was discussed in the chat, while Waltz maintained no classified information was shared. "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," Coons said. "That's not, as we both know, the appropriate way to share such critical information." "Again, Senator, I think we have a fundamental disagreement, as there was no classified information on that chat," Waltz said. The Pentagon declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital. Waltz could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital. Waltz previously served as a U.S. congressman from Florida and is a retired Army National Guard colonel and former Green Beret. President Donald Trump announced Waltz would leave his role at the White House leading the National Security Council May 1, only to reveal hours later the former Florida congressman's nomination to represent the U.S. at the U.N.
