INTERNACIONAL
Republican senators move to block Somalia funding until allies pay ‘fair share’
FIRST ON FOX : Fox News Digital has learned that the U.S. could withhold funding for the war against Islamist terror in Somalia until Europe, the African Union (A.U.) and the United Nations (U.N.) pay more of their «fair» share toward the cost of striking out and keeping the peace in the conflict-torn country.
These plans to «prohibit» the use of U.S. funds are key details, shown first to Fox News Digital, of a new bill to be introduced by three prominent Republican senators.
In line with President Donald Trump’s administration’s widespread moves to tighten fiscal controls in the U.S. and overseas, Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., are to introduce «the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) Funding Restriction Act of 2025.»
This is «to safeguard U.S. taxpayer funds and hold the U.N. and A.U. accountable in African peace operations,» Risch told Fox News Digital.
TRUMP SAYS HE ORDERED AIRSTRIKES ON ISIS LEADERS IN SOMALIA
Al-Shabab terrorists conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu’s Suqaholaha neighborhood of Somalia on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010. (AP Photo/ Farah Abdi Warsameh, file)
The bill also seeks to mandate the U.S. to oppose any U.N. Security Council action which enables such funding.
The East African country of Somalia has been wracked for decades by attacks and insurgency from Islamist terrorists, both from ISIS and the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab. In just the past five weeks, U.S. Africa Command reported that it has carried out four airstrikes; three against ISIS terrorists and one against al-Shabaab. At least one of these strikes, the command stated, was against multiple targets.
Chairman Risch told Fox News Digital, «The Trump Administration has taken decisive action to counterterrorist groups across Africa, and I’m very supportive.»
However, officials from the European Union, according to Risch, plan to skew payments for the AUSSOM peacekeeping and stablization operation more toward the U.S.; in other words, make the U.S. pay more than it should, he said.
«At the U.N., our European partners are looking to skirt their financial commitments to AUSSOM in Somalia by switching to a new imbalanced funding mechanism that pushes the burden on Americans,» he stated.
US–RUSSIA FLASHPOINT LOOMS OVER PUTIN’S PLANS FOR AFRICAN NAVAL BASE
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on April 26, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)
«We can’t let that stand,» Risch continued. «This bill will prohibit U.S. contributions to AUSSOM under this new funding scheme, until the A.U. and the U.N. can prove that they are using the funds they have responsibly, and prevent Americans from being locked into perpetually funding a broken system.»
Risch said, «President Trump has ushered in a new era of American foreign policy where American taxpayer dollars will be used only to secure a safe and prosperous America. For far too long, our allies have taken America for a ride, and profited off of America paying the lion’s share for global security. Europe must continue to shoulder this burden.»
The other two senators sponsoring the bill, Cruz and Scott, also serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The U.N. headquarters in New York City. (iStock)
Scott told Fox News Digital, «The United States will not allow our tax dollars to be exploited by the U.N. while our partners refuse to pay their fair share, much less for a mission that fails to spend these dollars responsibly or transparently. I am proud to join my colleagues on the AUSSOM Funding Restriction Act to ensure Americans’ interests are put first, and their tax dollars spent wisely.»
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The specific aims of the bill that have been shown to Fox News Digital are:
- Protect U.S. Taxpayer Funds: Prohibit U.S. financial contributions to AUSSOM under UNSCR 2719 and mandate U.S. opposition to any U.N. Security Council action enabling such funding.
- Ensure Rigorous Oversight: Require the Secretary of State to conduct annual, independent assessments of the A.U.’s compliance with UNSCR 2719 criteria for all A.U.-led peace operations.
- Enhance Transparency and Accountability: Mandate comprehensive reporting to Congress on the assessment findings, AUSSOM’s performance and funding, and any U.S. contributions under UNSCR 2719.
- Strengthen Congressional Consultation: Expand existing State Department briefings to include specific updates on A.U. peace operations funded under UNSCR 2719.
Costos y beneficios
Regreso al punto de partida
El presidente Donald Trump, a la izquierda, junto al primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, en el Ala Oeste de la Casa Blanca, el 7 de abril pasado. Foto AP
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FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to build a paper trail of former President Joe Biden’s autopen usage with the end goal of calling more hearings, passing legislation or amending the Constitution to best address «a mentally incapacitated president.»
Sen. Eric Schmitt, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is requesting special access under the Presidential Records Act to a trove of Biden-era documents and memos that chronicle his usage of an autopen.
In a letter to Secretary of State and Acting National Archivist Marco Rubio exclusively obtained by Fox News, Schmitt argued that creating a paper trail of key directives made toward the end of his presidency would help in «deciding which legislative remedy is most appropriate.»
TOP BIDEN AIDE ADMITS TO CONGRESS SHE DIRECTED AUTOPEN SIGNATURES WITHOUT KNOWING WHO GAVE FINAL APPROVAL
Neera Tanden, the former director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, testified for more than five hours Tuesday behind closed doors as part of House Republicans’ investigation into the former president’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool. (Getty Images)
«In particular, the increased use of the autopen to sign pardons, executive orders, and other documents as his Presidency progressed became a poignant symbol of President Biden’s mental decline and has created questions about the validity of those orders and pardons if President Biden did not direct the use of the autopen,» he wrote.
Schmitt requested access to a slew of documents, including memos about procedures for usage of the autopen, who was granted authority to use the autopen and emails from staff authorizing or requesting authorization for autopen usage.
SENATE HEARING ON WHO WAS ‘REALLY RUNNING’ BIDEN WHITE HOUSE KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Dirksen building Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Getty Images)
He also requested access to all White House records after Nov. 1, 2024, that refer or relate to presidential pardons; that prioritize briefing books, memos and decision memos for pardons; and, eventually, access to all White House records after Nov. 1.
«With that information, the subcommittee will be better positioned to ensure that any potential proposed amendment will be sufficiently comprehensive so as to address any plausible contingency concerning a mentally incapacitated President,» Schmitt wrote.
«It would be challenging enough to amend the Constitution once — much less more than once if it then subsequently turned out not all contingencies around presidential incapacity were adequately considered.»
Schmitt’s letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Biden’s alleged mental decline while in office and how the autopen could have played a central role in his inner circle’s alleged attempt to skirt the Constitution while continuing to carry out the duties of the office.
EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en route from Calgary, Canada, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, late Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
It also explicitly mentions the closed-door, transcribed hearing with Biden’s former director of the Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, conducted by the House Oversight Committee this week.
A source told Fox News Digital that during the transcribed interview, which lasted five hours, Tanden testified she had «minimal interaction with President Biden» in her role as staff secretary and that to obtain autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle.
She said during the interview she was not aware of what actions or approvals happened between the time the memo was sent out and returned with approval.
However, Tanden’s opening statement, shared with Fox News Digital by her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that, as staff secretary, she was responsible for «handling the flow of documents to and from the President» and that she was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be «affixed to certain categories of documents.»
«We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations,» Tanden said. «We employed that system throughout my tenure as Staff Secretary.»
She was later named director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council and said she was no longer responsible for the flow of documents and was no longer involved in decisions related to the autopen.
«I would note that much of the public discussion on the subject matter of this hearing has conflated two very different issues: first, the president’s age and second, whether President Bident was in command as President,» she said. «I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President. He was in charge.»
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Schmitt requested that access to the swathe of memos and communications be granted no later than July 16.
«It is important for this subcommittee to have a clear picture of President Biden’s decision-making capacity at the end of his presidency and to know the extent to which members of his inner circle possibly usurped the President’s decision-making authority,» he wrote.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
China confirmó el acuerdo sobre tierras raras y exportaciones con EEUU tras una nueva ronda de negociaciones en Londres
China y Estados Unidos alcanzaron un acuerdo definitivo sobre la exportación de bienes estratégicos, incluidas las tierras raras, tras concluir su última ronda de negociaciones en Londres. Así lo confirmó este viernes el Ministerio de Comercio chino mediante un comunicado oficial, en el que informó que ambos gobiernos “mantuvieron una comunicación cercana” tras el encuentro y que “con aprobación, ambas partes confirmaron los detalles del acuerdo”.
El documento aclara que, como parte del entendimiento, “China revisará y aprobará las solicitudes de exportación de bienes controlados que cumplan con las condiciones con arreglo a la ley”, en una clara referencia a las restricciones impuestas por Beijing a principios de abril sobre la venta de minerales críticos como las tierras raras. Estos recursos son fundamentales para industrias clave, como la defensa, la tecnología avanzada o el sector automotriz.
A cambio, Estados Unidos se compromete a eliminar “una serie de medidas restrictivas” adoptadas contra China, aunque el comunicado no detalla cuáles serán levantadas ni en qué plazos. Esta medida corresponde a lo pactado en la conversación del 5 de junio entre el presidente chino Xi Jinping y su homólogo estadounidense Donald Trump, que habilitó la reanudación de los contactos comerciales a nivel técnico.
“Se espera que EEUU y China encuentren un término medio y cumplan con los importantes consensos y requisitos alcanzados por los jefes de Estado”, señala el comunicado, refiriéndose al diálogo presidencial que facilitó la reactivación de las negociaciones formales en la capital británica.
La confirmación de este acuerdo por parte del gobierno chino se produce un día después de que Trump asegurara que “Estados Unidos firmó un acuerdo con China” en una declaración pública, aunque sin ofrecer precisiones. Según había adelantado el mandatario republicano a mediados de junio, el pacto incluye un arancel del 55 % impuesto por EEUU a productos chinos y un 10 % recíproco por parte de Beijing sobre bienes estadounidenses.
El acuerdo de Londres sella un marco de cooperación basado en el “consenso” alcanzado en la llamada presidencial, pero se mantenía pendiente de la ratificación final de ambos líderes. La firma llega tras una serie de tensiones renovadas, motivadas por acusaciones cruzadas de incumplimiento del pacto alcanzado en mayo en Ginebra, que dio origen a una tregua comercial de 90 días.
En el marco de ese entendimiento previo, China había reducido sus aranceles a productos estadounidenses del 125% al 10%, mientras que Washington rebajó los suyos del 145% al 30% sobre bienes chinos. Sin embargo, ambas partes se acusaron mutuamente de violar el acuerdo: Beijing denunció restricciones estadounidenses sobre la exportación de chips de inteligencia artificial y software de diseño de semiconductores, así como medidas migratorias contra estudiantes chinos. Washington, por su parte, criticó las limitaciones chinas sobre la exportación de tierras raras.
La disputa comercial entre ambos países se intensificó desde el regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca, con una renovada ofensiva arancelaria que reactivó la guerra comercial iniciada en 2018. Esta escalada ha derivado en una situación de embargo parcial, con efectos globales sobre cadenas de suministro y mercados estratégicos.
Con este nuevo acuerdo, China y Estados Unidos buscan desescalar las tensiones mediante compromisos mutuos en comercio y exportaciones clave. No obstante, aún queda por determinar cómo se implementarán las medidas anunciadas y si ambas partes cumplirán los plazos y condiciones fijados. Por ahora, el entendimiento representa un paso más en la volátil relación bilateral entre las dos principales economías del mundo.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
Asia / Pacific,LIANYUNGANG
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