China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
Trump Administration Halts Immigration, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing for 19 Countries 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Former President Barack Obama recently came under fire for his criticism of the slogan “Defund the police.” In a recent interview to promote his memoir, A Promised Land, Obama expands on his criticism of the saying.
Obama appeared on The Daily Show as part of the promotion of his book that recounts his time in the White House. Speaking to host Trevor Noah, Obama explained his criticism of the “Defund the Police” calls made by protesters during the civil unrest that took over the US several months ago. It has since become a rallying cry among the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the more progressive wing of the Democratic party, who demanded that funds be given to the social and public health sectors rather than the law enforcement. Obama previously criticized the saying, saying that its use would not appeal to the more moderate faction of the party.
Obama then explained that the issue is not on the meaning of the saying, but rather how it is said. “That particular slogan I think the concern is there may be potential allies out there that you’d lose. The issue always is how do you get enough people to support your cause that you can actually institutionalize it and translate it into laws?” said the former president. Obama also noted that roles in society need the appropriate language, even if the roles are pushing for the same goals and calling for the same changes.
The former president also clarified his criticisms for those who took it to mean that he is a little against the Black Lives Matter movement. Obama praised the activists and demonstrators for their efforts to demand change.
In the interview, Obama also touched on the state of the Republican party and described the political party as the “minority” in the country. The former president explained that while Republicans do not appear to be a minority in terms of the structures in government like the Senate and the Electoral College, it is a minority in terms of diversity. Obama cited the time he went into the House Republican caucus as where he noticed a lack of diversity among the lawmakers.
