🧨 Trump Targets Foreign Aid, Public Broadcasting in $9 Billion Senate Rollback
Humanitarian funding, disaster relief, and pro-democracy programs face deep cuts as Republicans move to bypass bipartisan spending norms—raising alarms over future aid and America’s global role.
President Donald Trump’s request to cancel about $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting spending is nearing passage in the Senate, an action that would have a tiny impact on the nation’s rising debt but could have major ramifications for future spending fights in Congress. Spending bills generally need bipartisan support to advance in the Senate. But the legislation before the Senate gives Republicans the opportunity to undo some of the previously approved spending without Democratic support as they follow through on Trump’s efforts to target the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and roll back help for nations suffering from conflict, drought and disease. The Trump administration is promising more rescission packages to come if the first effort is successful. Democrats say doing so jeopardizes a process that requires lawmakers from both parties to work together to fund the nation’s priorities. The move to cut a sliver of previously approved spending comes after Republicans muscled Trump’s big tax and spending cut bill to approval in both chambers without any Democratic support. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that measure will increase future federal deficits by about $3.3 trillion over the coming decade. The legislation would also claw back about $8 billion in foreign aid spending. Among the cuts are $800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation and family reunification for those forced to flee their own country and $496 million to provide humanitarian assistance such as food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts. There’s also a $4.15 billion cut for programs that aim to boost the economies and democratic institutions in developing and strategically important countries. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the legislation a “terrible bill that guts local news, defunds rural radio stations and makes America less safe on the world stage.” The legislation would claw back nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which represents the full amount it’s due to receive during the next two budget years. The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. The corporation distributes more than 70% of the money to more than 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations, with much of the remainder assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service to support national programming - AP
PBS and NPR are also tapping into their national network of donors to appeal directly to their lawmakers. Visitors to NPR’s website are greeted with a pop-up bearing a stark message: “Public media is facing its greatest threat in history.” It includes a link to Protect My Public Media, a site that provides information for listeners to call or email their senators. PBS has a similar call to action, affixing a bright red banner on its website with an all-caps plea for visitors to contact their representatives: “NOW IS A CRITICAL TIME TO ACT.” - NYT
As the Trump administration ends USAID's mission, a project to bring water to drought-ridden lands is now in peril. PBS’s The Newshour traveled to a community in central Kenya to look at the legacy of American foreign aid. Watch it here
Donald Trump believes Russia will eventually and inevitably emerge victorious in the war in Ukraine, a White House official has said. “The president’s view is that Russia is going to win. It’s a matter of how long it takes,” the senior official anonymously told Politico. The official noted that Russia has a larger economy, a bigger army, “more than enough bodies to throw into the meat grinder”, and simply does not care. “And although they are making slow progress, they are still making progress. The [US] president just wants to stop the killing,” the official said.
France, whose President Emmanuel Macron has long pushed for Europeans to build up their own defense industrial base by buying locally, will not participate in the U.S. weapons purchase plan for Ukraine, Politico reported. The French government is also struggling to boost its own defense spending as it tries to make budget cuts and rein in its staggering deficit. But given the limited European production capacity, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government believes that purchasing American weapons is one of the only ways to quickly provide Ukraine with the necessary armaments.
Ukraine's outgoing Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, 43, has been tapped to serve as Kyiv’s next ambassador to Washington, in what appears to be part of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s broader effort to strengthen ties with the Trump White House, according to RFE/RL. The outgoing prime minister, Denys Shmyhal is set to become defense minister in the reshuffle. If confirmed, Umerov would become the second high-profile defense-related figure appointed to a key diplomatic post abroad—following the assignment of former Armed Forces commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyy to London last year. That move was widely viewed as an attempt by Zelensky to sideline a popular potential rival, amid ongoing concerns over his consolidation of power. “Ukraine’s military needs are going to be among the main talking points between the US government and Ukraine. So having someone in Washington that can speak in depth on those issues is going to be very helpful,” sNick Piazza, a US investment banker active in Ukraine for the past quarter century and whose foundation advocates for the country, told RFE/RL. Alexseev said that Umerov, as a former businessman, will also understand Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy.
Meat Grinder: Russian Casualties in Ukraine Hit Grim Milestone
Russian losses in Ukraine have reached staggering new heights—the highest since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Independent estimates suggest Russian forces are now suffering up to 1,500 casualties—killed or wounded—each day. Even the hundreds or possibly thousands of North Korean troops reportedly deployed to support Russian operations have fared no better.
Since the start of the war, total Russian casualties are estimated to have surpassed one million. A key driver of these losses is Moscow’s continued reliance on large-scale offensives that send wave after wave of infantry into battle, often with little regard for human cost. Meanwhile, Ukrainian defenses have grown increasingly effective and adaptive.
Despite mounting losses, the Kremlin appears willing to absorb extreme levels of attrition for marginal territorial gains. Russia has turned to aggressive recruitment campaigns—including offering amnesty to prison inmates and hefty enlistment bonuses—to sustain its war machine. Notably, however, these efforts have largely spared the elites of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Israeli army has launched air attacks on the Syrian Defence Ministry and near the presidential palace in the capital, Damascus, killing at least three and wounding 34. The strikes come after Israel threatened to increase attacks if Syrian government forces are not withdrawn from the south of the country where there has been fighting between Druze and security forces. Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks on Damascus and Suwayda in the “strongest terms.” “The attack is part of a systematic Israeli policy to ignite tension and chaos and undermine security in Syria. The Israeli aggression represents a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.” It called on the international community and the UN Security Council to take “urgent action” against repeated Israeli aggression. In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, the Health Ministry says at least 21 people have been killed at a food distribution site of the controversial US- and Israeli-backed GHF - Al Jazeera
Vietnam will ban fossil-fuel motorcycles and mopeds in the heart of the capital, Hanoi, starting July 2026, as part of a nationwide effort to curb air pollution, state media reported. The directive issued by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh applies to the area inside and along the main ring road that encircles the center of Hanoi. The local government has been tasked with phasing out the two-wheelers by the deadline. Like the rest of Vietnam, motorcycles are the main mode of transport for most of Hanoi’s 8 million residents. The city has nearly 7 million motorcycles and just over a million cars. But as incomes rise and more people switch to private vehicles, air pollution from traffic has become a growing concern. Hanoi is often enveloped in thick smog, ranking among the most polluted cities worldwide - AP
A Thai woman accused of having sex with Buddhist monks before blackmailing them with videos and pictures has been arrested by local authorities. The woman, referred to as “Ms Golf” by police, is believed to have had sex with at least nine monks over the past three years, who she later extorted for over 385 million baht ($11.9 million). A search of her home later uncovered more than 80,000 illicit photos and videos of her encounters. Police say the case first came to their attention in June when an abbot in Bangkok suddenly quit being a monk after being extorted by a woman in 2024, with further investigation revealing she claimed to have had his baby and demanded child support of over seven million baht ($214,000). Ms Golf is facing charges of extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods, police have said. The scandal is the latest to rock Thailand’s Buddhist monks, who have been blighted by scandals involving sex offenses and drug trafficking in recent years - Daily Beast
Bangladeshi security forces on Wednesday clashed with supporters of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leaving at least three people dead and scores injured, a hospital official said. The violence erupted in the morning and spread as a new political party formed by students who led the uprising against Hasina in August last year announced a march toward southwestern Gopalganj district, Hasina’s ancestral home, and her Awami League party’s stronghold. TV footage showed pro-Hasina activists armed with sticks attacking police and setting vehicles on fire as a convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying the leaders of the National Citizen Party arrived as part of commemorations of the uprising. Top leaders of the party took shelter in the office of the local police chief as footage showed some of them were being escorted by soldiers to an armored vehicle for safety. Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since Hasina was toppled and fled to India. The interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, took over three days after her ouster and pledged to restore order. He said a new election would be held in April next year - ABC
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