Trump better get used to it. The process of rewriting and adding Donald Trump to history took its first step when the Kennedy Center began removing Trump’s name and references to the current president from the living monument to former President John F. Kennedy.PoliticusUSA news and opinions are 100% independent. Support our work by becoming a subscriber.For those who don’t remember how we got here. Shortly after returning to the presidency, Donald Trump hijacked the Kennedy Center board and put himself in charge.Trump then had his board vote to rename the center in his name and that of President Kennedy.…
Author: Frank M. Everett
Since he will never face voters again, Donald Trump’s second term has been defined by his open disregard and, in some cases, complete disregard for the needs and concerns of the American people. Trump’s comments that he doesn’t think about or care about the financial concerns of the American people have been defining moments of the midterm elections so far. Given the importance of what the President said and the consequences his remarks have caused, it is not surprising that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked about it while testifying before the House about Treasury Department oversight.Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)…
While political attention was focused on a major defense gathering elsewhere in Southeast Asia, many missed a major announcement from Manila on May 30 that negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) were finally over. DEFA is the world’s first regional digital economy agreement, establishing common rules for cross-border data transfers, e-commerce, cybersecurity, AI and talent mobility, among other areas. With Southeast Asia’s digital economy expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, DEFA is ASEAN’s attempt to write the rules for its digital future. In recent years, the regional organization has also engaged in increasingly ambitious sustainable development…
It’s official. Senate Democrats scored two huge victories in the Republican reconciliation bill to defund ICE and the Border Patrol. Republicans have put themselves in the position of having to fund ICE and the Border Patrol themselves because Trump refused to negotiate reforms to ICE and the Border Patrol.PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions. Support us by becoming a subscriber.However, the president also tried to use a simple reconciliation bill to plunder the public treasury and give himself more gifts. Trump wanted $1 billion to build his White House ballroom and $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to pay his…
Read the original version from this story on RFA Mandarin.Hong Kong’s Victoria Park is now much quieter on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and residents told Radio Free Asia they found it shocking.The park was once the epicenter of peaceful democratic resistance, as hundreds of thousands of people turned out each year for candlelight vigils to commemorate the victims of the Chinese government’s June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing.Today, on this day, pro-Chinese protests are taking place in the park and local media no longer make any mention of the massacre.”It’s not that the Hong…
Imagine committing perjury and giving false testimony to protect your boss’s ego. That’s exactly what Secretary of State Marco Rubio did Wednesday when he refused to admit what was happening before his eyes as he took the oath of office and testified to Congress. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) said, “You’ve attended several meetings with President Trump. In a moment, I’m going to show you a video of one of those meetings. It’s from last December. It’s a cabinet meeting. I’m going to ask you to focus on President Trump and you’ll see that he’s asleep while you’re speaking.”PoliticusUSA provides 100%…
In Central Asia, Soviet Brutalist architecture survives amid the region’s rapidly developing cities, alongside newly constructed buildings, roads and other projects. Meanwhile, the sheer scale of urban reconstruction in Central Asia is exacerbating the impacts of climate change. The urbanization of Central Asia has been accompanied by indiscriminate felling of urban trees, which has transformed large areas into heat islands. In 2025, for various reasons, more than 4,000 trees were slaughtered in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan alone – an increase of 197.7 percent compared to the carnage in 2024. In Bishkek, we noticed vines growing on buildings and cascading…
For decades, Uzbek labor migration was centered on Russia. Millions of Uzbek nationals entered the Russian Federation each year, attracted by geographic proximity, residual infrastructure from Soviet-era networks, and a shared linguistic familiarity that made the journey manageable. This calculation is now subject to strong constraints. The political situation has transformed the migration corridor in such a way that Tashkent can no longer ignore. The number of Uzbek nationals drawn into combat in the Russo-Ukrainian war remains a persistent and worrying presence in official and NGO reports. For a government that has staked its post-Karimov legitimacy on protecting its citizens…
The new American president Donald Trump decree on artificial intelligence (AI) marks a more marked strategic turning point in Washington’s technology policy. This order brings the US national security state closer to companies developing AI models. Its primary goal is to preserve American innovation while ensuring the most powerful AI capabilities support U.S. cyber defense, critical infrastructure, and strategic competition with China. The result could be a more divided AI world order, with Chinese models facing increasing scrutiny over security, data and political alignment. From risk management to strategic competition Trump’s order “promoting advanced artificial intelligence innovation and safety,” issued…
Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers from around the world for their diverse perspectives on U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Pekka Virkki – co-founder of Mission Grayjournalist specializing in international power dynamics and author of the recently published book “Autopsy of post-Finlandization: the roots of European appeasement towards Russia (Ibidem 2026)» – is the 511th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series”. Examine the strategic link between the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca and the Baltic Sea. These are global choke points that demonstrate the return of strategic seas. Although…