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The Weekly GAB Friday, August 31, 2018
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=yjKhe2pyYGIsDesR0kSObw

USGLC in the News

THE WASHINGTON POST
Administration Decides Not to Roll Back Foreign Aid Funds |Carol Morello, Erica Werner

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=ad3m82193tVLfCG7e2y2AQ

The administration has dropped a proposal to cut billions of dollars
in foreign aid after bipartisan resistance from members of Congress
who considered it a back­door effort to hijack spending they had
already approved. The Office of Management and Budget, which had
considered taking back more than $3 billion in unspent foreign aid as
the fiscal year nears an end, notified members of Congress on Tuesday
that the rollback will not occur.

DEVEX
White House Abandons Plan to Rescind Billions in US Foreign Aid |Michael Igoe

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=0fdX_I_DKK_9Kd5Jf4_74g

Facing broad pushback, both from within the administration and from
lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the White House abandoned its plan to
rescind unobligated foreign assistance funding on Tuesday. The
decision represents a victory for development and diplomacy leaders in
the administration - such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- and for aid advocates who lobbied members of Congress to
convince the White House not to follow through with the plan.

THE GAINESVILLE SUN
Strengthen U.S. Investments Overseas

Jackson Streeter, CEO of the Institute for the Commercialization of
Public Research and member of USGLC's Florida Advisory Committee

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=BIECb6sAo0bXY3XaFez70g

Beijing understands that investing in the developing world pays off
- big time. China has increased foreign assistance by more than
500 percent over the past 15 years, and has doubled its spending on
diplomacy in the last five years alone. Fortunately, both Congress and
the Administration understand OPIC's value and potential.
Bipartisan legislation known as the BUILD Act recently passed the
House of Representatives thanks in large part to Gainesville's
Rep. Ted Yoho, who has championed this agenda in Congress. Once it
passes the Senate, this bill will create a new U.S. development
finance institution to streamline existing programs and double the
size of America's financing portfolio.

Development & Diplomacy

THE WASHINGTON POST
Why Trump Cancelled Pompeo's Trip to North Korea |Josh Rogin

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Qfm2J10fEcwoRz4EusG3KA

The cancellation came after a top North Korean official sent a secret
letter to Pompeo that convinced both he and Trump the visit was not
likely to succeed. Pompeo received the letter from Kim Yong Chol, vice
chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party Central
Committee, on Friday morning, and showed it to Trump in the White
House, two senior administration officials confirmed. The exact
contents of the message are unclear, but it was sufficiently
belligerent that Trump and Pompeo decided to call off Pompeo's
journey, where he was set to introduce his newly announced special
envoy, Stephen Biegun, to his North Korean counterparts.

ABC NEWS
Congo's Latest Ebola Outbreak Could Become 'Worst Ever' in East
Africa, IRC Warns |Morgan Winsor

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=CoMqED_9I-0scumuNWWA_A

A fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
could become "the worst ever seen in East Africa," a humanitarian aid
group warned Wednesday, after the deadly virus spread to an area
surrounded by armed militants. Since the latest outbreak was declared
on Aug. 1, a total of 115 people have reported symptoms of hemorrhagic
fever in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, including 85
cases that tested positive for Ebola virus disease and 30 probable
cases.

THE WASHINGTON POST
Venezuela's Migrant Crisis Is Reshaping Latin America |Anthony Faiola, Marina Lopes

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=ao8QqkAUjRa8a4lZOdh64Q

Waves of newcomers are overwhelming Boa Vista, inundating hospitals
and sparking a 1,000-percent increase in emergency calls to police.
Schools are scrambling to put up bilingual signs for Spanish-speaking
students reaching Portuguese-speaking Brazil. Thousands of migrants
are living on the streets, willing to work for a third of the wages of
Brazilians. Refugee camps have sprung up in the urban core, giving
rise to fears of long-term ghettos.

ABC NEWS
Nicaragua to Expel UN Team After Critical Report |Luis Manuel Galeano

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=R7f_CLABxN3F--e8c35m0w

The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is expelling a
United Nations human rights team two days after the body published a
critical report blaming it for the violent repression of opposition
protests.The report released Wednesday by the Office of the U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights described repression that stretched from
the streets to courtrooms, where some protesters face terrorism
charges. More than 300 people have been killed since popular protests
began in mid-April triggered by cuts to the country's social security
system.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
To Counter China, U.S. Looks to Invest Billions More Overseas |Josh Zumbrun, Siobhan Hughes

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=JR4xVIeEzBhwuoeizaEq4w

The U.S. is finalizing plans to double funding for big infrastructure
projects around the world, seeking to counter China's growing
influence. Congress is working to resolve the last barriers to passing
a bill that would boost the U.S.'s role in international
development. It would combine several little-known government agencies
into a new body, with authority to do $60 billion in development
financing-more than double the cap of the current agency that
performs that function. The measure, supported by the Trump
administration, easily passed the House this summer; it faces its
biggest test in the Senate.

Politics & Foreign Policy

THE WASHINGTON POST
Trump Administration to End U.S. Funding to U.N. Program for
Palestinian Refugees |Karen DeYoung, Ruth Eglash

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=0vo_owiNoCbZJTvO8qrwgA

The Trump administration has decided to cancel all U.S. funding of the
United Nations aid program for Palestinian refugees, part of its
determination to put its money where its policy is as it seeks a
recalculation of U.S. foreign aid spending and prepares its own
Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. In an announcement to be made within
the next several weeks, the administration plans to voice its
disapproval of the way the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA,
spends the funds and to call for a sharp reduction in the number of
Palestinians recognized as refugees.

THE WASHINGTON POST
U.N. Watchdog Says Iran Continues to Comply with Nuclear Restrictions
Despite U.S. Pullout |Tamer El-Ghobashy

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=sJtW9NPlCnff4Z2OWbtwMQ

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog said Thursday that Iran continues
to comply with the terms of a 2015 nuclear pact, despite the United
States' withdrawal from the deal and renewed sanctions that have
contributed to an economic crisis. The International Atomic Energy
Agency certified that Tehran is complying with restrictions on its
enrichment of uranium and uranium stocks in addition to other
provisions. It is the 12th consecutive report affirming Iran's
adherence to the deal that President Trump formally rejected in May by
withdrawing from it and reimposing sanctions on Tehran.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
U.S., Canada Cast Doubt on Reaching a NAFTA Deal by Friday |Paul Vieira, Jacob M. Schlesinger

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=LgwH_5RYIT_gc5gW9OiPEQ

U.S. and Canadian officials cast doubt about their ability to complete
a deal on a revised North American Free Trade Agreement by a Friday
deadline set by the Trump administration, with Canada's chief
negotiator saying the sides "are not there yet." Following
a roughly two-hour Friday morning meeting with U.S. Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia
Freeland said the country was determined to "stand up" for
its national interests. "We are looking for a good deal, not
just any deal. We are not there yet."

THE WASHINGTON POST
Trump Administration Seeks to Ease Tensions with Moscow as New
Sanctions Loom |John Hudson

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=eZVMEKI0VYgg8FxKx6P5dg

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is trying to reach an understanding
with Moscow before a deadline for imposing sweeping new sanctions
against Russia for allegedly poisoning a former Russian spy in
Britain. The outreach reflects a desire by President Trump to open up
a constructive dialogue with Moscow and break the cycle of tit-for-tat
sanctions that the Kremlin has decried as ruinous to bilateral
relations.

CNN
US Extends Ban on Americans Traveling to North Korea |Jamie Crawford, Nicole Gaouette

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=N-o_IziE3Vt2fdMP_tbh8g

The US State Department is extending the ban on US citizens traveling
to North Korea for another year. The ban, which was set to expire
Sept. 1, restricts US passport holders from traveling to or through
North Korea. However, the official said that "individuals who wish to
travel to or within North Korea for extremely limited purposes," and
whose travel is in the US national interest, can apply for a "special
validation" from the State Department.


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