Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey come under federal scrutiny, President Donald Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland, and the United States severs aid to Somalia.
It’s Monday, January 19, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Minnesota Anti-ICE Protests Turn Violent</h2>
As left-wing protests in Minneapolis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jacob-frey-says-minneapolis-riots-about-love-but-videos-tell-a-more-violent-story">appear</a> to be growing more violent, the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Democrats for obstructing federal law enforcement. Last week, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz urged President Donald Trump to “turn down the temperature.” But over the weekend, violent left-wing agitators in his state continued demonstrations. Large groups of protesters clashed with law enforcement outside of federal buildings and other ICE facilities, and a number of conservative demonstrators were brutally attacked in broad daylight. In one instance, a right-wing activist was physically dragged from the steps of a government building by a large mob of leftist agitators. They proceeded to beat him with fists, rocks, and flag poles, as some in the crowd yelled “kill him” — all with police nowhere to be seen. 
On Sunday, dozens of protesters stormed the Cities Church in St. Paul as part of a “clandestine operation” to “disrupt business as usual,” activist leader Nekima Levy-Armstrong told ex-CNN host Don Lemon, who embedded with the protest group.
Clips from Lemon’s coverage of the protest spread on social media and drew the attention of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
“The [Civil Rights Division] is investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers,” Dhillon said in a <a href="https://x.com/aagdhillon/status/2013003168179724426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X.
Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are under federal investigation amid their opposition to the Trump administration’s massive immigration enforcement operation in the state. CBS News first <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-investigating-tim-walz-jacob-frey-minnesota/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> the details of the investigation, which focuses on allegations that Walz and Frey have interfered with federal immigration operations.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump’s Greenland Gamble Revives Trade War With Europe</h2>
Some European leaders want to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/europe-ramps-up-trade-fight-after-trump-threatens-tariffs-over-greenland">escalate</a> a trade war with the United States after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on eight countries. Trump has said he will back off the tariffs only when Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. Leaders in the European Union want to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-us-trade-deal-on-hold-after-new-trump-tariffs/">freeze</a> the trade agreement the bloc struck with the United States last year. Under that agreement, the EU would lift all levies on American goods, and in exchange, the United States would drop its tariffs on EU imports to 15%. The European Parliament was supposed to move forward on it next week, but instead the bloc is now expected to vote on Wednesday to put the deal on hold. It may also take additional steps to increase economic pressure on the United States. Some officials are concerned that the brewing trade war could mean trouble for the NATO military alliance, as well.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">State Department To Permanently End Aid To Somalia</h2>
The State Department will permanently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-to-permanently-end-aid-to-somalia-after-warehouse-of-food-disappears">end</a> foreign aid to Somalia after a warehouse full of U.S.-funded food disappeared. The Daily Wire obtained diplomatic cables from the United States embassy in Mogadishu showing corruption in Somalia that mirrors the fraud perpetrated by refugees in Minnesota. The U.S. embassy recommended that the State Department stop foreign aid after January 3, “at the direction of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Federal Government of Somalia, authorities at Mogadishu Port demolished the World Food Programme Emergency Response Warehouse with no prior notification or coordination with international donor countries, including the United States.” Seventy-six metric tons of food went missing, even as another 1,650 tons of commodities were on their way.

MRN_260119_V1

Morning Brief: Minnesota Church Stormed, Trump’s Greenland Gamble, & U.S. Ends Aid To Somalia

Donald Trump

European Union

Greenland

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Somalia

State Department

The State Department will officially terminate foreign assistance to Somalia after the African nation&#8217;s government demolished a warehouse containing 76 metric tons of food donated by America, a senior administration official told The Daily Wire. 
On January 3, &#8220;at the direction of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (HSM) and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), authorities at Mogadishu Port demolished the World Food Programme (WFP) Emergency Response Warehouse with no prior notification or coordination with international donor countries, including the United States,&#8221; a diplomatic cable from the United States Embassy in Somalia dated January 6 said.
The move &#8220;likely resulted in the destruction of these emergency food supplies,&#8221; and was approved by Somali&#8217;s president over the objections of the World Food Programme, the cable said. The apparent cause, it said, was corruption: the Mogadishu Port is managed by a Turkish company that wanted to expand, and Somalia&#8217;s Minister of Ports &#8220;acts as [Turkey&#8217;s] primary agent in Somalia.&#8221; Turkey has increasingly played a large role in Somalia industries, &#8220;often operating under corrupt contracts that uniformly favor Turkish interests,&#8221; the cable said.
An additional 1,650 metric tons of additional commodities were scheduled to arrive in early January, and had to be stored in an alternative warehouse. The World Food Programme, a project of the United Nations, said it will notify Somalia that the &#8220;demolition constitutes a breach of UN diplomatic protocols,&#8221; the cable said.
The embassy in Somalia requested that the Secretary of State &#8220;strongly consider pausing, canceling, or postponing U.S. assistance to [Somalia] until it returns or compensates the United States and other international donors for the stolen food assistance items,&#8221; the cable said.
The State Department announced on January 7 that it has &#8220;paused all ongoing U.S. assistance programs which benefit the Somali Federal Government. Any resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government taking accountability for its unacceptable actions.&#8221; But the administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, went further, saying that all aid will be permanently and officially ended by May.
The ports minister issued an eviction notice to the WFP in December, but the Somali government had later said the warehouse could still be used while a final decision was pending. The port manager claimed that the food was moved to two containers and remained accessible, but WFP said that was not true, and that it is likely ruined because it requires specialized storage.
The food was donated by Americans under the Title II &#8220;Food for Peace&#8221; program and International Disaster Assistance, while the World Food Programme administers its distribution. Hunter Biden served as chairman of the World Food Programme USA, which supports its work, from 2011 to 2015.
The disappearance of the Food for Peace food due to apparent Somali corruption comes as Somalis who migrated to the United States by claiming refuge status have themselves defrauded the U.S. government, including by asking to be paid by the government to watch their own children or their neighbors&#8217; children, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-putting-america-first-trump-admin-ends-temporary-protected-status-for-thousands-of-somalis">plunged</a> cities like Minneapolis into their own instability.
A member of Somalia&#8217;s parliament and its Foreign Affairs committee, Abdillahi Hashi Abib, wrote to United States officials saying that 90% of Somalia&#8217;s humanitarian assistance comes from America, and that the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) has been &#8220;defrauding&#8221; it because &#8220;the funds have been captured and monetized by a single-family network and its clan affiliates.&#8221;
For example, three brothers of the agency&#8217;s chairman, Mohamud Macallin Abdulle, each receive $15,000 a month salaries, paid through their wives, he said, and the Finance Department and Training Unit are both run by the his uncles. 
He said that &#8220;food donations from the US, EU, UAE, Qatar, and China are systematically sold in Magadishu markets after staged photo-ops,&#8221; in which starving people are paid $5 to pay for photos with the food, before it is taken away from them.
By diverting aid for 8,000 to 12,000 families, the clan generates half a million dollars a month for itself, he said. Foreign aid money has also been wasted as Somalis inflate the cost of items, charging $300,000 for ambulances and fire trucks that cost only $100,000, he said.
&#8220;The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and his extended family are beneficiaries of a system that has systematically looted U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance&#8221; by &#8220;installing a close relative&#8230; at the apex of Somalia&#8217;s humanitarian system,&#8221; he wrote.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

EXCLUSIVE: State Department To Permanently End Aid To Somalia After Warehouse Of Food Disappears

USAID

WASHINGTON—The State Department is shutting down a Biden-era program that allowed Afghan allies to enter the United States, citing serious concerns about President Joe Biden&#8217;s failure to follow security procedures in vetting Afghans.
The Biden administration set up the refugee program at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, to support Afghan allies who fled their country during the botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
Around 1,300 Afghans <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/afghan-refugees-us-camp-as-sayliyah-844d4c89?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcmolnrTV32c1lCdvly5ZZ9yXtjEnKPg3YdJUdmDRWrcQnKpmoZZZSPb_nsx_o%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6967aa02&amp;gaa_sig=Jv4emKo41qUqizTkV659y3ZHqrpn9wYfWdpr5tECaucKk9YeZddz9KDkNS4T0q62sQHbC1EcyGQOLTiZARMLwQ%3D%3D">have been waiting</a> at the former American military base for years, in cramped living conditions, to enter the United States. Many of them have feared that they will be returned to Afghanistan, where they will be tortured and killed for working with the United States.
As of Wednesday, The Daily Wire can first report, the State Department says that the Biden administration&#8217;s failure to properly vet these Afghans, throwing standard security procedures out the window during the withdrawal, will prevent them from ultimately entering the United States. They will be sent to &#8220;a third country&#8221; — though what country this is, the State Department has not yet confirmed.
A State Department spokesperson shared that the Afghan nationals who are currently at Camp As Sayliyah &#8220;do not have a viable pathway&#8221; to the United States and that hundreds of these nationals have &#8220;derogatory information&#8221; that presents serious security concerns.
But President Donald Trump does not want these vulnerable groups of people to be forced to go back to Afghanistan &#8220;under the brutal Taliban regime,&#8221; particularly the women and girls, so the United States has presented the Afghan nationals at the camp with a &#8220;safe, third-country option for resettlement.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1027715" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-department-shuts-down-biden-era-afghan-refugee-program/afghan-refugees-arrive-at-dulles-airport-after-us-pulls-out-final-troops-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1027715"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1027715" class="wp-image-1027715 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Refugees walk through the departure terminal to a bus at Dulles International Airport after being evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, in Dulles, Virginia.  (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The State Department says that it&#8217;s neither appropriate nor humane to keep the Camp As Sayliyah group as is, saying that a large minority of the population are women and children who are living in a confined space without much freedom to move around. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/afghan-refugees-us-camp-as-sayliyah-844d4c89?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcmolnrTV32c1lCdvly5ZZ9yXtjEnKPg3YdJUdmDRWrcQnKpmoZZZSPb_nsx_o%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6967aa02&amp;gaa_sig=Jv4emKo41qUqizTkV659y3ZHqrpn9wYfWdpr5tECaucKk9YeZddz9KDkNS4T0q62sQHbC1EcyGQOLTiZARMLwQ%3D%3D">According to the Wall Street Journal</a>, residents at the program spend most of their time inside due to the blazing desert temperatures, typically walking around the hangars or scrolling on their phones.
State believes that moving the group to &#8220;a third country&#8221; is a &#8220;positive resolution&#8221; that will offer the Afghan nationals safety and the opportunity to start new lives — and at the same time, protect the American people.
&#8220;The United States has kept its promise to those Afghans who risked their lives to support the U.S. government during our attempts to help Afghans build a better country for themselves,&#8221; the State Department spokesperson shared.
&#8220;We have resettled roughly 400,000 Afghans since 2001,&#8221; the spokesman added. &#8220;It is now more than four and a half years since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. It is long past time to move past this decades-long conflict, so costly in blood and treasure, and look ahead to the future.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1027709" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-department-shuts-down-biden-era-afghan-refugee-program/us-and-european-defence-forces-assist-in-evacuations-from-afghanistan-following-taliban-takeover-5" rel="attachment wp-att-1027709"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1027709" class="wp-image-1027709 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>In this handout image, Sgt. Juan Miranda, culinary specialist, 155th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, files in Afghan Special Immigrants into the dining facility, August 20, 2021, at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. (Photo by Sgt. Jimmie Baker / U.S. Army via Getty Images)</div>
The move comes on the heels of the tragic Thanksgiving week attack on members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/lakanwal-newly-indicted-shooting-guardsmen-near-white-house-killed-sarah-beckstrom">was brought into the country</a> by the Biden administration in 2021, shot and killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in an ambush-style attack on November 26.
Lakanwal was one of many thousands of Afghan nationals who were flown out of Afghanistan without proper vetting and put on &#8220;U.S.-controlled platforms for an eventual pathway to the United States.&#8221;
He is not the only Afghan national who has attempted to kill Americans: Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi were sentenced for intent to conduct a terrorist act in Oklahoma in October 2024, and Jamal Wali was killed in Fairfax, Virginia, after opening fire on police officers during a routine traffic stop in April 2025.
Two days after Lakanwal&#8217;s attack, and about 24 hours after President Trump pledged to dramatically shake up the United States immigration system in response, the State Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-orders-posts-to-refuse-visas-to-afghan-nationals?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=25&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=State+Department+Takes+Action+On+Afghan+Nationals+Following+Trump+Pledge">directed its posts</a> to refuse visas to Afghan nationals using Afghan passports.
Trump argued at the time that the “refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America.”
“As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” the president said. “Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”
On December 3, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-halts-immigration-from-19-high-risk-countries-following-national-guard-shooting">paused the processing</a> of all immigration applications for individuals from 19 “high-risk countries&#8221;: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
And in mid-December, the president <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-further-restricts-and-limits-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/">signed a proclamation</a> expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with &#8220;demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Shuts Down Biden-Era Afghan Refugee Program

Afghanistan

Qatar

The State Department will freeze immigrant visa processing for the citizens of dozens of nations over welfare concerns.
The department announced on Wednesday that it will stop processing visas for 75 countries. The Trump administration plans to enact the pause because migrants from the countries in question “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
“The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the department <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/2011478657680757214">said</a>.
“The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival,” the statement continued. “We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”
The freeze is scheduled to go into effect on January 21. The pause will not affect non-immigrant visas, nor temporary tourist or business visas, which allow people to come to the United States on a temporary basis.
The freeze comes after investigations and public reporting has raised the prospect that fraudsters in Minnesota, especially from the Somali community in the Twin Cities area, have bilked taxpayers for billions of dollars in social service funding.
The freeze is just the latest action taken by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to restrict the number of immigrants allowed into and residing in the United States. The Secretary has previously taken steps to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubios-state-department-yanks-more-than-6k-student-visas-due-assault-burglary-support-terrorism">revoke</a> the visas of immigrants in the United States who have expressed support for terror groups or committed crimes.
The Trump administration has also <a href="https://time.com/7341347/travel-ban-immigration-countries/">restricted</a> the ability of residents of dozens of other countries to enter the United States. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/">order</a> adding 20 additional countries to a list that included 19 others setting restrictions and limits on nationals’ ability to travel to the United States. The countries on the restricted list include some in Latin America, such as Venezuela and Cuba.

Marco Rubio

State Department Freezes Immigrant Visas For 75 Countries Over ‘Unacceptable Rates’ Of Welfare

Immigration

A team of American diplomats arrived in Venezuela on Friday, marking the first time American officials have set foot in Caracas following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Acting U.S. Ambassador to Colombia John McNamara traveled to Caracas alongside security personnel from the Venezuela Affairs Unit, which is also based in Colombia, “to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” CNN <a href="https://x.com/jmhansler/status/2009642474659254408">reported</a>. President Donald Trump said last weekend that the United States would assume control of Venezuela for the foreseeable future after the U.S. military and law enforcement raided Maduro&#8217;s compound and took the Venezuelan dictator and his wife back to the United States to stand trial.
The State Department is visiting Caracas on Friday as the Trump administration seeks to reopen its embassy in the capital. The United States evacuated its embassy in Caracas in 2019 during the first Trump administration amid political upheaval and after Maduro ordered the American diplomats to leave the country.
The State Department visit comes shortly after President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-cancels-second-wave-of-attacks-as-venezuela-frees-political-prisoners?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Cancels+%E2%80%98Second+Wave+Of+Attacks%E2%80%99+As+Venezuela+Frees+Political+Prisoners">said</a> on Friday morning that the Venezuelan government cooperated with his request to release political prisoners. Trump said that he &#8220;cancelled&#8221; his plan to conduct a &#8220;second wave of attacks&#8221; on the country due to Venezuela&#8217;s cooperation.
After Maduro&#8217;s capture, Venezuela remains under the leadership of government officials who remain loyal to the socialist dictator. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has stood by Maduro since assuming the role, claiming that he remains the rightful leader of Venezuela. The socialist government continues to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-maduro-militias-crack-down-on-dissent-search-for-supporters-of-u-s-raid">crack down</a> on dissent and deployed paramilitary members to the streets of Caracas to search for Venezuelans who supported the U.S. raid.
Trump has not said exactly how long the United States will oversee Venezuela, but suggested earlier this week that American oversight of the South American country could last for years, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/trump-interview-venezuela.html">reported</a>.
“We will rebuild it in a very profitable way. We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need,” Trump said.
The Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-to-control-venezuelan-oil-sales-as-leverage-for-change-energy-secretary-says?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=U.S.+To+Control+Venezuelan+Oil+Sales+As+%E2%80%98Leverage%E2%80%99+For+%E2%80%98Change%2C%E2%80%99+Energy+Secretary+Says">plans</a> to control the sales of Venezuelan oil and use it as &#8220;leverage&#8221; for reforming the country, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“If we control the flow of oil, the sales of that oil, and the flow of the cash that comes from those sales, we have large leverage,” Wright said. “But without large leverage … you don’t get change.”
“This should be a wealthy, prosperous, peaceful energy powerhouse,” he added. “That’s the plan.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is taking a leading role in U.S. oversight of Venezuela, laid out parts of the Trump administration&#8217;s plan for the country. Rubio <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/politics/us-venezuela-plan-rubio.html">said</a> on Wednesday that the priority is “the stabilization of the country.” Next, Rubio said that the United States would focus on rejuvenating the Venezuelan economy by &#8220;ensuring that American, Western and other companies have access to the Venezuelan market in a way that’s fair.&#8221; Finally, the Secretary of State said that the Trump administration wants to see Venezuela rebuild its &#8220;civil society.&#8221;
Trump, Rubio, Wright, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are set to meet with executives from U.S. oil firms at the White House on Friday afternoon as American energy companies are expected to invest at least $100 billion to help rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry.

Caracas

U.S. Diplomats Arrive In Venezuela For ‘Initial Assessment’ Following Maduro’s Capture

Foreign Policy

Trump Administration

Venezuela

The United States withdrew from dozens of left-leaning international organizations on Wednesday, including groups focused on climate and gender activism. 
President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-international-organizations-conventions-and-treaties-that-are-contrary-to-the-interests-of-the-united-states/">executive order</a> on Wednesday officially pulling the United States out of 66 groups, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact. The withdrawals come after Trump, in February, directed a full review of the international organizations the United States was involved with. 
“These withdrawals keep a key promise President Trump made to Americans — we will stop subsidizing globalist bureaucrats who act against our interests,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2009059107819671646">said</a>. “The Trump Administration will always put America and Americans first.”
The State Department said the organizations identified on the list were determined to be &#8220;wasteful, ineffective, and harmful&#8221; to American interests.
As a result of the executive order, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the United States would withdraw from the Green Climate Fund, a group established by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that pushes climate activism in developing countries. 
“Our nation will no longer fund radical organizations like the GCF whose goals run contrary to the fact that affordable, reliable energy is fundamental to economic growth and poverty reduction,” Bessent <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0352">said</a>. 
The move to get out of the UN Climate groups was praised by critics of climate activism. 
&#8220;This action is a long overdue course correction that puts American sovereignty, economic strength, and energy security back first,” said American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac. “Withdrawing from international organizations that undermine U.S. interests frees our nation from unelected global bureaucracies that have used climate and ESG agendas to weaken American industry and raise costs for families.”
Other groups that the United States will no longer be involved in include the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Solar Alliance, and many more. 
The review of international organizations is still ongoing, according to the White House. Under Trump, the United States has already left groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Human Rights Council. 
“We will not continue expending resources, diplomatic capital, and the legitimizing weight of our participation in institutions that are irrelevant to or in conflict with our interests,” the State Department said. “We reject inertia and ideology in favor of prudence and purpose. We seek cooperation where it serves our people and will stand firm where it does not.”

President Trump Holds News Conference After US Captures Venezuelan President Maduro

Trump Pulls U.S. Out Of Dozens Of ‘Wasteful’ And ‘Radical’ International Organizations

Mass Exit: U.S. Leaves Dozens Of 'Wasteful' And 'Wasteful' International Organizations

Climate Change

United Nations

WASHINGTON — The State Department is flipping the script on mass migration, framing the issue as a human rights concern and pushing host governments to share information on the negative effects of mass migration on their countries.
Historically, when lawmakers warn of a humanitarian crisis involving migrants, they are referring to the migrants themselves, and calling for them to be admitted into countries like the United States. But the Trump State Department is taking a different approach, warning that mass migration is linked to violent crime and human rights abuses that impact both the migrants and the countries they are entering.
In an internal cable exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire, the State Department warns that these threaten national sovereignty, rule of law, and American security. It specifically states in the cable: &#8220;Mass and illegal migration is a major human rights concern.&#8221;
The cable calls for diplomats at State Department posts around the world to regularly engage with host governments of migrant populations and track data about the violent crimes and human rights abuses associated with these migrant populations, as well as their impact on local crime.
&#8220;Crimes and human rights abuses perpetrated by migrants, as well as the activities of drug cartels, narco-terrorist organizations, and human trafficking syndicates that move them, result in widespread violence, corruption, forced displacement, and exploitation across the region,&#8221; the cable reads. &#8220;Facilitators of mass and illegal migration routinely engage in human trafficking, sexual violence, extortion, forced labor, and narcotics production—particularly of cocaine, synthetic opioids, and methamphetamine—contributing to ongoing national security threats, human rights abuses, and rule of law challenges for the United States and its hemispheric neighbors.&#8221;
State also orders its posts to engage with government officials, local businesses, media, &#8220;relevant civil society organizations,&#8221; and other affected individuals in order to obtain a full picture of the effects of mass migration on public order and security. The State Department posts will report claims of crimes and human rights abuses by these migrant populations, and they&#8217;ll provide analysis of government responses.
&#8220;The criminal networks and routes used for mass and illegal migration flows are used by transnational criminal organizations to facilitate the U.S.-bound movement of illicit commodities and create conditions for rampant crime and human rights abuses,&#8221; the cable reads.
&#8220;Within the United States, the influx of narcotics has led to an unprecedented level or overdose deaths, while economic migration undermines economic security for American workers and affects community safety. Similarly, criminal activity perpetrated by migrants and those facilitating mass and illegal migration routinely overwhelms and threatens American communities and their safety.&#8221;
If law enforcement are unduly favoring migrants at the expense of citizens, State wants to know. It also wants to know if governments or media are covering up or diluting information about migrant crime and punishment — or the lack thereof.
<div id="attachment_1020861" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-deptartment-flips-script-on-migration-crisis-warns-of-major-human-rights-concern/president-trump-holds-cabinet-meeting-13" rel="attachment wp-att-1020861"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1020861" class="wp-image-1020861 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249027273-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249027273-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249027273-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249027273-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249027273.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Doug Burgum, Marco Rubio, and US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington, DC.  Photographer: Yuri Gripas/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
&#8220;Reporting on incidents affecting U.S. citizens or American economic and security interests is especially welcomed and encouraged,&#8221; the cable states.
The point of the message, the cable says, is to &#8220;strengthen regional resolve to combat human rights abuses endemic to mass and illegal migration, including those involving organized criminal activity, sexual assault, and the destruction of public order, as well as to aggregate reporting for the 2025 human rights reports and other human rights-related engagements.&#8221;
The State Department will encourage governments facing migrant influxes to strengthen laws and authorities responsible for making sure that migrants are punished for crimes, without bias, to reinforce borders and shut down corruption, to discourage governments from displacing or seizing property from citizens, to limit government programs that are enabling mass migration and putting the public at risk, and more.
In talking points included in the cable, State urges posts to note that the United States is &#8220;deeply concerned about the convergence of mass and illegal migration, organized crime, and human trafficking across Latin America, which has fueled violence, corruption, and human rights abuses throughout the region.&#8221;
&#8220;Mass and illegal migration is a major human rights concern,&#8221; another talking point states. &#8220;Criminal groups, including cartels and terrorist organizations, control key migration routes, exploiting vulnerable people through kidnapping, extortion, sexual violence, and human trafficking via forced labor, sex trafficking, and child sex trafficking, making mass migration a significant human rights crisis in Latin America.&#8221;
The talking points argue that mass migration has put an enormous strain on United States asylum systems, resulting in &#8220;an overwhelming number of protections claims and a windfall for immigration lawyers and mass migration-promoting NGOs.&#8221;
State will be encouraging host governments to prioritize enforcement of their laws protecting their borders and holding human rights abusers accountable. That includes abuses committed by migrants and those facilitating mass migration or illegal immigration. State will also be highlighting how mass and illegal migration affects the citizens of the host governments, and the duty that these governments have to protect their own citizens, specifically when it comes to border enforcement and judicial cooperation.
<div id="attachment_1020871" style="width: 848px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-deptartment-flips-script-on-migration-crisis-warns-of-major-human-rights-concern/national-guard-members-shot-in-washington-d-c" rel="attachment wp-att-1020871"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1020871" class="wp-image-1020871 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248600733-838x576.jpg" alt="" width="838" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248600733-838x576.jpg 838w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248600733-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248600733-768x528.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248600733.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px" /></a>Members of law enforcement, including the U.S. Secret Service and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, respond to a shooting near the White House on November 26, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;Respect for national sovereignty, human rights, and the rule of law is critical to international cooperation, domestic prosperity, and human flourishing,&#8221; another talking point states.
The United States, in particular, will highlight the threat of violent Islamists as well as Russian, Iranian, and Chinese nationals who are &#8220;seeking to take advantage of mass and illegal migration pathways to enter the Western Hemisphere.&#8221; State will also point to the mass migration of Venezuelans under Nicolás Maduro, border disputes between Chile and Peru, and more to show that these issues are relevant not only to the U.S. but to, many governments throughout the Western Hemisphere.
&#8220;We call on your government to work closely with local communities, law enforcement, and civil society to develop transparent, effective policies that uphold sovereignty, maintain law and order, and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms,&#8221; reads another suggested talking point. &#8220;The United States stands ready, willing, and able to assist countries in solving the global crisis of mass and illegal migration, particularly our neighbors in Latin America.&#8221;
And the final talking point states: &#8220;As President Trump stated, &#8216;A nation without borders is not a nation,&#8217; emphasizing that safeguarding sovereignty and security is essential for the well-being of all citizens.&#8221;
The State Department believes that the mass and illegal migration in Latin America has created possibly the &#8220;most serious humanitarian and security challenges facing the Western Hemisphere,&#8221; pointing to the criminal groups exploiting the immigration routes for trafficking both humans and drugs. It also highlights the massive amount of sexual violence in Latin America due to the flow of migration throughout the region.
Doctors without Borders documented 676 cases of sexual assault in 2023 in Panama&#8217;s Darién Gap, the State Department notes, &#8220;indicating migration trains were easily exploited by armed gangs and traffickers.&#8221; And State&#8217;s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report for Guatemala found that even local police and border officials extorted or coerced migrants into sexual exploitation.
&#8220;This demonstrates how uncontrolled migration corridors enable criminal activity, facilitate human rights abuses, and expose migrants—especially women and children—to extreme violence,&#8221; the cable notes.
&#8220;Migrants and local populations alike suffer from systemic human rights abuses,&#8221; State adds. &#8220;The infiltration of cartels into law enforcement and political systems also undermines the rule of law. The production and trafficking of cocaine and synthetic opioids through Mexico and Central America have fueled a public health catastrophe in the United States, where overdose deaths have reached historic highs.&#8221;
The move comes on the heels of another massive action from the State Department. In late November, immediately following a fatal attack on two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan national, State directed its posts to refuse visas to Afghan nationals using Afghan passports, ordering diplomats and consular officers to refuse “all otherwise eligible Afghan nationals” whether they’re applying for a non-immigrant visa, special immigrant visa, or immigrant visa.
The move was intended to “ensure that such applications have undergone necessary security vetting and to validate screening protocols ensuring the applicant’s identity and eligibility for a visa under U.S. law.&#8221;
The man who shot the National Guardsmen was 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/afghan-national-in-custody-for-national-guard-attack-was-in-country-illegally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire reported.</a> Lakanwal was let into the country during President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021, admitted as part of the former president’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” the Afghan refugee program in the wake of Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal.

US-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-RUBIO

State Department Flips Script On Migration Crisis, Warns Of ‘Major Human Rights Concern’

Border Crisis

migration

The State Department sanctioned five European figures in the &#8220;global censorship-industrial complex&#8221; on Tuesday, barring them from entering the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move is in response to European &#8220;ideologues&#8221; who have sought to clamp down on Americans&#8217; free speech. He added that the list could be expanded to other European leaders if they continue their censorship actions.
&#8220;For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,&#8221; Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2003547575580815814">said</a>. &#8220;Today, @StateDept will take steps to bar leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex from entering the United States. We stand ready and willing to expand this list if others do not reverse course.&#8221;
The sanctions do not include financial penalties, but the five individuals targeted have had their U.S. visas denied. They are European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton, a Frenchman; Imran Ahmed, a British chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; British businesswoman Clare Melford, who leads the Global Disinformation Index; and Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, who both lead the German group HateAid.
Breton helped create the European Commission&#8217;s Digital Services Act, which establishes regulations requiring social media companies to prevent what the European Union deems illegal content and misinformation. The Digital Services Act was recently used to punish Elon Musk&#8217;s X, a move condemned by the Trump administration.
Ahmed&#8217;s Center for Countering Digital Hate has been accused of colluding with the Biden administration and social media companies to censor Americans, especially during the COVID pandemic. The Biden administration referred to the British nonprofit&#8217;s &#8220;disinformation dozen&#8221; list, which called out 12 accounts on Facebook that it accused of producing 65% of anti-vaccine &#8220;misinformation&#8221; on the platform, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/16/us/politics/biden-facebook-social-media-covid.html">reported</a>. One of those 12 accounts belonged to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now President Donald Trump&#8217;s Health and Human Services secretary, <a href="https://x.com/UnderSecPD/status/2003567950541058394">according</a> to Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers.
The Global Disinformation Index, led by Melford, was funded through a program used by the Biden administration to target &#8220;misinformation&#8221; until Rubio shuttered it earlier this year. It placed American media outlets on a “Dynamic Exclusion List” that was distributed to advertisers and named mainstream publications like the New York Post, Reason Magazine, The Daily Wire, and the Federalist as &#8220;risky,&#8221; The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-shutters-misinformation-censorship-agency-salts-the-earth">reported</a>. The Daily Wire has an active lawsuit against the State Department, alleging that it suppressed conservative media outlets on social media under former President Joe Biden.
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Ballon and Hodenberg&#8217;s HateAid is considered a &#8220;trusted&#8221; censor under the Digital Services Act and has routinely targeted Right-wing voices, according to the State Department. Earlier this year, Ballon was interviewed on &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/60Minutes/status/1891284163845628348">60 Minutes</a>&#8221; and said, &#8220;Free speech needs boundaries … Without boundaries, a very small group of people can rely on endless freedom to say anything that they want, while everyone else is scared and intimidated.&#8221;
French President Emmanuel Macron <a href="https://x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/2003781877165879782">condemned</a> the United States over the travel bans, saying, &#8220;These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.&#8221;
Trump and Rubio have recently called out Europe over its social media censorship and its targeting of American social media companies. Rubio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-issues-stark-warning-about-europes-free-speech-erosion-and-how-it-could-affect-americans">told</a> The Daily Wire last week that he is “concerned” that “freedom of expression” is “eroding” in Europe.
“Are we going to live in a world where some American puts up a social media post and then gets to some airport somewhere and is arrested? We’re also concerned about the impact that some of their policies are having on our social media platforms,” he said.
Trump, meanwhile, issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/europe-has-to-be-very-careful-trump-issues-stern-warning-after-eu-fines-elon-musks-x">warning</a> to Europe after the European Commission fined X earlier this month.
“Look, Europe has to be very careful,” Trump said. “They’re doing a lot of things. … Europe is going in some bad directions. It’s very bad for the people.”

State Department Bans Five Europeans From Entering U.S. After They Helped Censor Americans

Europe

Free Speech

Social Media

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “concerned” that “freedom of expression” is “eroding” in Europe, he told The Daily Wire at his year-end press conference on Friday.
Rubio said that his top priority is situations where “American free speech could be implicated.”
“Are we going to live in a world where some American puts up a social media post and then gets to some airport somewhere and is arrested? We&#8217;re also concerned about the impact that some of their policies are having on our social media platforms,” he said.
Freedom of speech concerns in Europe have garnered the attention of the United States under the Trump administration, as the State Department said in a post on X in July, “In Europe, thousands are being convicted for the crime of criticizing their own governments. This Orwellian message won&#8217;t fool the United States. Censorship is not freedom.” The post was in response to the French Mission of United Nations said that in Europe, people are &#8220;free to speak, not free to spread illegal content.”
In the United Kingdom, roughly 30 people a day are arrested over “offensive online messages,” according to <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/police-make-30-arrests-a-day-for-offensive-online-messages-zbv886tqf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Times</a>. In addition, groups across the political spectrum like the Alliance Defending Freedom and Amnesty International, have sounded the alarm for years over free speech woes, including in countries like France.
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“As you recently saw, you know, X is facing this massive multi-million dollar fine that they&#8217;re going to have to pay, I guess, because they want to continue to operate,&#8221; Rubio continued.
The secretary then dived into the importance of working with nations in Europe because of shared “values and principles,” including freedom of speech, which is what makes the concerns paramount.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/europe-union-ignored-free-speech-concerns-plows-ahead-with-global-censorship-regime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported last month on how the European Commission did not factor in censorship risks when it came to the Digital Services Act, which has tech companies pay up for allowing “illegal content” or disinformation to not be effectively counteracted.
“I think the concerns on free speech are very substantive, and they need a robust response, and we feel that the European Commission has not actually conducted a robust review in the sense of actually inviting all voices and all partners to the table,” Dr. Adina Portaru, a senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, told The Daily Wire in an interview at the time.
“The DSA can impact anyone, can impact content creators and influencers and preachers and political dissidents and any kind of content online can be regulated by the DSA through its architecture,” she added.

Rubio Issues Stark Warning About Europe’s Free Speech Erosion And How It Could Affect Americans

Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid waste to the notion that the State Department existed as a failsafe that could potentially serve as a check on the White House: &#8220;That&#8217;s ridiculous. That&#8217;s stupid, really.&#8221;
Rubio gave reporters a brief civics lesson on Friday, explaining that it was his job to serve at the will of the President of the United States and to implement the foreign policy vision of the president and his administration, not undermine the president if they were ever at odds over any specific issue.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 JUST IN: INCREDIBLE mic drop from Sec. Marco Rubio. BOOM! 🔥
&#8220;The Constitution does not say you elect the President and then you put in place a State Department to undermine the President if the person who&#8217;s the Secretary of State doesn&#8217;t agree with him. That&#8217;s ridiculous.… <a href="https://t.co/Z1slwgvNW0">pic.twitter.com/Z1slwgvNW0</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2002066653719261463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The State Department is not its own government,&#8221; Rubio began, adding that the Secretary of State could not therefore act unilaterally to implement his own policies in place of those laid out by the president.
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&#8220;At the end of the day, the person the people of the United States elected to be the President of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief is Donald J. Trump. That&#8217;s who they elected. And my job, and the job of the people in our administration, is to implement the President&#8217;s foreign policy,&#8221; he explained, adding that his role was often to advise the president on how to best implement his policies, but it was never to supplant them with his own. &#8220;Why people think that somehow foreign policy can be divorced from our republic? That&#8217;s not the way our Constitution works.&#8221;
Rubio continued the civics tutorial, adding, &#8220;The Constitution does not say you elect the President and then you put in place a State Department to undermine the President if the person who&#8217;s the Secretary of State doesn&#8217;t agree with him. That&#8217;s ridiculous. That&#8217;s stupid, really. I don&#8217;t know why anybody would think that. So that&#8217;s the job I have, and that&#8217;s the job I&#8217;m proud to do.&#8221;

Marco Rubio Destroys Argument That State Department Should Check The President

Marco Rubio Absolutely Destroys Argument That State Department Should Check The President

Media

Politics

The Trump administration is ramping up its America First Global Health Strategy in its latest efforts to ditch the traditional USAID model by delivering billions in aid directly to several countries in Africa.
Under the new model so far, which bypasses the propping up of the “NGO industrial complex,” the United States has signed six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with six African countries totaling over $4 billion in direct U.S. investment matched by over $1.6 billion from signatory countries.
According to a senior State Department official, the old USAID system was unsustainable, “enriched beltway bandits,” and was designed to perpetuate itself rather than help countries become self-reliant.
“Now, under the Trump administration, we are committed to ensuring that every tax dollar spent overseas delivers real results by ensuring aid gets directly to its intended recipients and creating a structure that helps partner countries move toward self-reliance,” the official told The Daily Wire.
Countries that have signed so far include Kenya, Rwanda, Liberia, Uganda, Lesotho, and Eswatini, while Mozambique and Ethiopia are expected to sign similar MOUs next week.
According to the senior official, the Trump administration&#8217;s goal is to sign a dozen agreements before the end of the year.
The five-year MOU signed with Eswatini, a country in southern Africa, on Friday focuses on improving public health data systems, modernizing disease surveillance and outbreak response technology, and HIV prevention and treatment. In Eswatini, <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.AIDS.ZS?locations=SZ">where 23.4% of people</a> aged 15–49 live with HIV, the government plans to boost domestic health spending by $37 million over the five-year, $242 million MOU, according to the State Department.
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Last week, when announcing the new initiative, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the previous system was inefficient by funneling aid through foreign or U.S.-based NGOs that absorbed funding through overhead and administrative costs while limiting host-country control.
“We would go to a country and say we are going to help you with health care needs and then we would drive over to northern Virginia somewhere and find an NGO, one of these organizations, and give them all the money and tell them to go to this country and do their health care program for them,” Rubio said. “By the time it got down to it, the host country had very little influence … and only a percentage of the overall money ever actually reached the patients.”
Rubio added that he hopes to sign 50 such agreements with other countries.
“If we’re trying to help countries, help the country. Don’t help the NGO to go in and find a new line of business,” he said.
Top executives at health NGOs backed by American taxpayer dollars frequently have very high salaries. In 2024, the president of Research Triangle Institute earned over <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/560686338/202412259349302301/full">$1.4 million</a>, and two of its vice presidents earned more than $850,000 each. At Johns Hopkins University’s Jhpiego Corporation, one executive earned over <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237424444/202501339349305895/full">$1.08 million</a>. Other top salaries included <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/42482188/202443559349300519/full">$598,348</a> at Management Sciences for Health, <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237413005/202542269349302344/full">$545,290</a> at Family Health International, and <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/132702768/202502279349303495/full">$506,371</a> at Pact Inc.
In 2023, the president of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation earned <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954191698/202413199349312336/full">$577,275</a>, and the president of PATH earned <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/911157127/202442559349300319/full">$703,405</a>.

President Trump Meets With Visiting Crown Prince Of Bahrain

State Department Ditches Old USAID Model, Sends $4 Billion Directly To African Nations

Global Politics

World

The Biden administration’s State Department went full DEI on its diplomats — so full that it changed the official typeface of America’s foreign service, a problem that has been rectified by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In 2023, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, following the sage advice of the department’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, decreed that all official communications ditch the venerable Times New Roman font and adopt the modern, sans-serif Calibri. The rationale? Accessibility. Calibri, with its soft curves and wide spacing, is supposedly easier for readers with dyslexia, low vision, or those using screen readers. The Biden administration decided that the shape of letters could save the planet — or at least make it slightly easier for a diplomat to decipher a memo.
Enter Rubio, who on Tuesday <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/us/politics/rubio-state-department-font.html">dropped</a> the bureaucratic hammer: Calibri was canceled. Times New Roman, back in all its serif glory, was reinstated, 14-point and all.
Rubio’s <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rubio-stages-font-coup-times-new-roman-ousts-calibri-2025-12-09/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">cable</a> to all American diplomatic posts, titled, “Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper,” stated, “To restore decorum and professionalism to the Department’s written work products and abolish yet another wasteful DEIA program, the Department is returning to Times New Roman as its standard typeface. &#8230; This formatting standard aligns with the President’s One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations directive, underscoring the Department’s responsibility to present a unified, professional voice in all communications.”
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Rubio called the Calibri switch “wasteful” and “the degradation of the department’s official correspondence.” Serif fonts, he pointed out, have gravitas, history, and small decorative strokes — small strokes that apparently signal “professionalism” to anyone who matters in international diplomacy. Calibri, by contrast, was informal and clashed with official letterhead.
The lengths the Biden administration went to in the name of DEI here are almost comical. Not content with conventional anti-discrimination or accessibility programs, they weaponized typography, tinkering with letter shapes and point sizes — moving from 14 to 15 points — for the supposed benefit of readers who might struggle with letters. Accessibility advocates cheered; traditionalists grimaced.
Rubio’s reversal reads like a return to classical civilization, citing Roman antiquity and the script on the side of Air Force One as justification for reinstating serifs. The underlying story is less about fonts than about the extreme lengths to which the Biden administration pursued DEI, turning even the most mundane elements of office life — point sizes, font shapes, the very appearance of text — into battlegrounds for ideology.
Under Biden, DEI became so pervasive, so absurdly detailed, that the font on your official memo wasn’t just about readability — it was a statement, a policy, and, apparently, a revolutionary act. Rubio just undid it, and the world of diplomacy is back to serif conservatism.

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