A report of STAT News The fact that a 79-year-old man had unprecedented access to a weight-loss drug under the compassionate use provision, which is primarily used for the terminally ill, sparked a storm of speculation that it was Donald Trump who was ill and received the drug. The White House, after refusing to answer several questions from reporters, denied that the person to whom this treatment had been administered was Trump. But after the president abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill on Wednesday, questions are now being raised by members of Congress about Trump’s health.PoliticusUSA…
Author: Frank M. Everett
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 Akhil Ramesh – director of the Economic Statecraft Initiative at the Pacific Forum – is the 514th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.” Explain how the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative integrates economic security with foreign policy. Pax Silica can be understood through two complementary lenses. First, it reflects a distinctive Trump administration initiative that utilizes critical technology cooperation. – particularly across the silicon and semiconductor value chain – as a tool…
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is currently visiting China. But from tea stalls to social media in Bangladesh, people are talking about Malaysia – especially a 2-minute, 40-second video chronicling Rahman’s recent visit. Released from the verified Facebook page by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the video features the popular Bengali song “Amar Bondhu Moha Jadu Jane” (My Friend Knows Great Magic) playing in the background. The clips focused on the warm hospitality extended to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and striking moments showcasing the chemistry between the two leaders, starting with the red carpet reception given to Rahman at the…
On May 26, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke with former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The results of the U.S.-China summit attracted a lot of attention, but the most telling aspect was the frankness with which Greer discussed the direction of the trade order being pursued by the Trump administration. Greer argued that China’s state economy is not simply an economic system but is part of China’s political system itself, and that it is unrealistic to expect Beijing to reform state-owned enterprises, reduce subsidies, or shift to a domestic demand-driven economy. He…
According to those who have known him for decades, Donald Trump has always been, among other more dangerous things, strange. Given that the words “normal” and “Donald Trump” have never kept company, it makes sense that as this president gets older, he gets even weirder.PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Republicans are counting on Trump to save them in the midterm elections. So he made a rare trip to Pennsylvania to talk about the economy, but what he discovered in the Keystone State made it clear that it’s not 2024 anymore.A recent Franklin and…
The situation is becoming desperate for Donald Trump and his allies in Congress. Trump is expected to pressure Republican senators on Wednesday to end the filibuster and pass his election-rigging bill, the SAVE America Act. PoliticusUSA is 100% independent, with no corporate or political party influence. Support our work by becoming a subscriber.Senate Republicans reiterated Tuesday that SAVE America would not happen and that Trump should move on. Politico reported:Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — who are also leaving the Senate in part because of Trump — said Monday that they, too, would be at the closed-door…
On June 19, the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan (ECGB) announced the final election results. June 7 pollsthe Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) having won nine seats out of 21. The delay in finalizing the results of the elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, a territory which is part of the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, was largely due to the numerous allegations of misappropriation made by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The PTI insisted that, as 2024 general electionsthe Gilgit-Baltistan polls were also rigged by the military establishment to sideline the party. Eyewitnesses confirmed discrepancies in voting patterns and final results between polling…
In a move that reflects a stark recalibration of South Asian geopolitics, the United States has quietly shifted its strategic focus. He returned his “Indo-Pacific Command” to its traditional designation of U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM). The reversal effectively cancels a 2018 policyreleased during the first Trump administration, which symbolically merged U.S. maritime interests in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Under the recently restructured USPACOM, the Indian Ocean is largely treated as a strategic backup plan. This policy shift sends a clear signal that Washington views its ties with New Delhi as subsidiary to its broader relations with China and Pakistan,…
Since its conception more than two decades ago, the Quad’s obituary has been written repeatedly by commentators and strategic rivals. After its revival in 2017, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi predicted that the regrouping between Australia, the United States, Japan and India “dissipate like sea foam.» More recently, an Australian analyst observed in November 2025″The Quad is either dead or on life support so deep that there are few signs of life.” A failure vaccine rollout, diplomatic disputesand a lasting “consistency problem” have done little to prove his critics wrong. Since the advent of Trump 2.0, India-US tensions have threatened…
In late 2013, Matthew Winkler, then editor-in-chief of Bloomberg, launched an investigation into the hidden wealth of China’s elite. Releasing it, he warned in a phone call, “would destroy everything we’ve tried to build.” More than a decade later, this trade-off between access and accuracy has become a habit. Journalists have learned where China’s red lines are, and the words are quietly disappearing from drafts. In 2022, the Société Radio-Canada (CBC) closed its Beijing office after more than 40 years. There was no expulsion; Chinese authorities have simply stopped issuing visas to CBC correspondents. As editor Brodie Fenlon says, “the…