Trump claims he’ll rename the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’
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(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — President-elect Donald Trump declared in a left-field proposal on Tuesday that his administration will rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” in his latest attack on Mexico.
“We’re going to change because we do most of the work there and it’s ours,” Trump said. “It’s appropriate, and Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country,” Trump said in a long, winding news conference.
Trump criticized Mexico for the increase of drugs into the U.S. and said that he would make Mexico and Canada pay through “substantial tariffs.”
“We want to get along with everybody. But you know … it takes two to tango,” he said.
The gulf has been identified by several names throughout its history, with “Golfo de Mexico” first appearing on maps in the mid-16th century when Spain occupied the areas now known as Cuba to the south, Mexico to the west and the the U.S. states that surround it to the North.
It’s the ninth-largest body of water in the world and covers some 600,000 square miles.
Trump’s promise to rename the gulf isn’t the first.
In 2012, then-Mississippi State Rep. Steve Holland proposed a bill that also would have renamed the gulf into the “Gulf of America,” however the Democrat backtracked and said he was joking and using it as a way to criticize his Republican colleagues over their anti-immigrant stances.
“They are trying to really discriminate against immigrants, which offends me severely,” Holland told ABC News in 2012. “I just thought if we’re gonna get into it, we might as well all get into it, it’s purely tongue and cheek.”
Stephen Colbert suggested the same name during the 2010 BP oil spill on his Comedy Central show “The Colbert Report.”
(NEW YORK) — Linda McMahon’s background — in both education and as a co-founder of sports entertainment company World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. — has come under scrutiny since President-elect Donald Trump named her as his pick to lead the Department of Education on Tuesday.
McMahon is a longtime ally of Trump who served as his transition co-chair and the former head of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Though she is primarily known for founding and leading the WWE, she has had several stints in education — starting with her nomination to the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009.
At the confirmation hearing in 2009, she said education was her passion and that her work as CEO of the WWE taught her “firsthand the skills Connecticut students need to obtain through education to be successful.”
She said that youth-oriented programs at WWE — such as the GET R.E.A.L. Program, which brought WWE stars into schools to teach students messages about “Respect, Education, Achievement and Leadership” — were examples of her past educational pursuits.
However, McMahon had written on her board application that she had a degree in education, even though her degree from East Carolina University was in French, according to local reports from that period. Her spokesman at the time called it an “honest mistake” in the Connecticut Post.
Regardless, McMahon stepped down from her post on the Connecticut State Board of Education — and her position as CEO of WWE — shortly after, in 2010, to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.
On her 2010 campaign website, she signaled support for “competition and choice through charter schools” and “secondary school reform” — a position that is reflected in her views today.
“I believe in local control. I am an advocate for choice through charter schools,” her campaign website at the time stated.
She lost that race, as well as her second attempt in 2012.
Other forays into education included her role as a member of the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She was on the board from January 2004 to February 2017. She returned after serving in Trumps first administration, in 2021.
McMahon also co-founded the conservative research group America First Policy Institute in April 2021, which says its mission is to “provide sound research and carefully crafted policy recommendations to advance the America First agenda,” according to a press release.
During that time, McMahon vouched to expand Pell Grant access for short-term workforce training programs.
“The country is facing a historic labor shortage, and a multiyear degree program is not necessary for many Americans to obtain high-paying, fulfilling careers,” said McMahon.
While announcing her as his choice as secretary of education, Trump said McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America.”
The nomination was criticized by the National Education Association, which argued that her “only mission is to eliminate the Department of Education and take away taxpayer dollars from public schools, where 90% of students — and 95% of students with disabilities — learn, and give them to unaccountable and discriminatory private schools.”
According to his Agenda47 policy platform, Trump’s top education priorities do include eliminating the Department of Education. They also include expanding school voucher programs and giving more power to parents in classrooms.
School “choice” has been a key proponent of conservative education policy in recent years, aiming to expand “education savings” policies so that families can redirect public school funding toward private schools or homeschooling.
Arizona passed the country’s first of such program in 2011, and at least eight other states have followed its lead: Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah and West Virginia.
However, voters in three states — Nebraska, Kentucky and Colorado — rejected efforts to codify or expand this kind of program.
As head of the Department of Education, McMahon would oversee federal policies impacting millions of students in the U.S.
The purview reaches far beyond curricula. For example, the department investigates the handling of sexual misconduct allegations under Title IX.
At the same time, McMahon’s nomination comes as she and her husband Vince, co-founders of WWE, are facing allegations that they created a culture of tolerating and fostering the alleged sexual abuse against underage “ring boys.”
“Linda McMahon was in the thick of it, acting as Vince’s wife, confidante, co-leader in running the business, and the leader in trying to conceal the sordid underbelly of WWE’s sexual abuse culture,” according to the current lawsuit.
ABC News reached out to both Trump’s and McMahon’s teams for comment.
“This civil lawsuit based upon thirty-plus year-old allegations is filled with scurrilous lies, exaggerations, and misrepresentations,” said McMahon’s lawyer in a statement to ABC News. “The matter at the time was investigated by company attorneys and the FBI, which found no grounds to continue the investigation.”
“Ms. McMahon will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and without doubt ultimately succeed,” the statement continued.
On Wednesday, McMahon accepted the president-elect’s nomination and said she is “hopeful” for Senate confirmation, which is a requirement of the role, in a post on X.
McMahon wrote, “I look forward to working collaboratively with students — educators — parents and communities to strengthen our educational system; ensuring every child regardless of their demographics is prepared for a bright future.”
She added: “Thank you for this extraordinary opportunity. I am ready to Serve!”
(GERMANTOWN, PA) — In the final sprint of the election campaign, local officials in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania have mounted an unprecedented push to engage some of the state’s newest and untested voters: 18-year-old high school seniors.
“They’re the largest registered bloc of voters in the city. It’s just a matter of getting them energized to come out and turn out to vote,” said Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein.
Fewer than half of 18- and 19-year-old voters nationwide cast ballots in the 2020 election, according to the Center for Information and Research on Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.
But Pennsylvania teens have historically participated at a higher rate than the national average and may be helping to close the gap with other voting groups, experts say. More than 70,000 young Pennsylvanians reach voting age every year.
“There’s really been a much greater and much more visible investment in registering new voters and doing get-out-the-vote efforts in Philadelphia this year,” said political scientist Matt Levendusky at the University of Pennsylvania.
President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania by just 80,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election. Both political parties say they are fighting for every last vote in 2024.
“Really it’s sort of a battle of inches between Trump and Harris. So the campaigns will really be trying to get all of these teenage voters out,” Levendusky said.
With razor thin polling margins in races up and down the ballot, state school district officials, city council members and nonprofit civic groups have joined forces to organize nonpartisan bus tours and student field days to target voting-eligible teens and educate them on how and why to cast ballots.
“We make sure they understand that elected leaders are being hired. When we vote, we’re hiring them to do a job. And when they don’t do that job, we have the power to fire them through our votes,” said Angelique Hinton, who helped create PA Youth Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group leading the effort.
At Martin Luther King High School in Germantown, ABC News joined hundreds of high school seniors assembled for an outdoor field day of election-themed activities.
Students participated in a relay race to the ballot box, a mock election with sample 2024 ballots, and a tug of war meant to illustrate how the number of people on each side can sway the outcome of a contest.
“We want them to have that mindset — run to the polls on Election Day! We have the mock election so they can actually practice voting for the first time,” said Kamryn Davis, the PA Youth Vote program director.
Many of the students said they appreciated the outreach and felt increasingly empowered.
“I am following the political election a lot. I am into the debates, and I am watching the debates. So I do feel pretty positive about who I’m taking on voting for this year,” said Jymirah Wood.
She and fellow senior Janeeiah Simmons said they also volunteered to be poll workers on Election Day.
“I’m not, like, someone who’s super duper political myself,” Simmons said, “but I feel like in this year with the election, it’s really important because so many changes can happen depending on who wins.”
Still, voter apathy remains a big challenge in underfunded communities, organizers said. Many students told ABC News they worried about uncontrolled gun violence, rampant substance abuse, the rising costs of food, and the stress of a better future that often seems out of reach.
Several students said they were unfamiliar with the candidates or unhappy with the choices.
“We’ve just got to find the right language to connect with our young people,” Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said. “It is not lost on us that the students who are here today registering to vote may very well determine how the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania votes in the presidential election on November 5th.”
Senior and JROTC cadet Gio Arzu, the oldest of seven who works at a fast food restaurant after school to support his family financially, said he is imploring his classmates to participate.
“Don’t be scared to speak, to speak out. To get your voice out there and you’re good,” he said. “Just get your voice out there and just get your votes in.”
As the presidential candidates make their final pitch in Pennsylvania, many of the state’s youngest voters said they are listening.
“Especially coming from, like, an immigrant family, it’s a really important time to educate others on how one can make change and actually stepping up and doing something,” Rochelle Meneses said.
Added Gianna Tran: “I’m voting because I think there’s a lot of change that I want to see in, not just the city, but Pennsylvania state as a whole. And the only way to change it is through voting.”
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI and Defense Department are investigating what could be a significant intelligence breach, disclosing what appears to be classified information about Israel’s plans to strike Iran, U.S. officials said Monday.
Here’s what we know so far:
Two leaked documents seem to divulge US analysis on Israel’s plans against Iran
Earlier this month, Israel vowed to retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile attack, when Iran launched 200 missiles at various targets inside Israel. It wasn’t clear, however, how or when Israel would respond.
Amid speculation on Israel’s next move, two documents marked “top secret” surfaced on social media last week that purported to show analysis by the U.S. military on Israeli operations.
One document purports to be from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), a military agency that collects, analyzes and distributes intelligence gleaned from satellite and aerial imagery. The second claims to contain intelligence generated by the National Security Agency. (NSA).
ABC News is not quoting directly from or showing the documents, which appear to detail movement of Israeli military equipment and munitions that could be used in a potential strike.
One of the documents claimed Israel could strike Iran without the U.S. seeing any further visual clues from above.
According to one person familiar with the investigation, the FBI was investigating the leak as part of a criminal probe. The White House said Monday the Defense Department was also investigating the disclosure and that officials have discussed the suspected breach with Israel.
“We’re deeply concerned, and the president remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen, and it’s unacceptable when it does, so he’s deeply concerned about that,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
Kirby said there is no indication more documents could be released, but “we’re certainly going to keep our antenna up and our eyes open for any potential future disclosures.”
When asked Monday about the leak, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to talk specifics other than to say “we take these types of things very seriously. Very, very seriously.”
It’s not clear yet if the documents were leaked by an insider or stolen by a hacker
Both documents have markings indicating that, if authentic, they would have been shared with the so-called Five Eyes, the intelligence-sharing alliance made up of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The documents surfaced on a Telegram channel called Middle East Spectator, an anonymous blog that frequently publishes pro-Iran content. The channel’s administrator told ABC News they obtained the documents through an acquaintance who received them from an unknown source. The administrator denied being affiliated with any government.
The documents have markings indicating that, if authentic, they would have been shared with the so-called Five Eyes, the intelligence-sharing alliance made up of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
It’s possible that a foreign entity such as the government of Iran stole the documents by hacking the systems of nations with access to the intelligence. But at least one official familiar with the investigation said the probe will focus aggressively on anyone who works for or with the U.S. government and had access to the material.
When asked about the possibility that the leak was done by an insider, Kirby declined to speculate.
“We’ll let the investigation pursue its logical course there,” Kirby said.
Earlier this year, Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. According to prosecutors, Teixeira leaked information in a Discord chat room on the type of equipment the U.S. was sending Ukraine, troop movements in Ukraine and a plot by a foreign adversary to attack U.S. forces abroad.
What’s next?
Lawmakers are likely to have serious questions about how another major public disclosure of classified information could happen again after the Teixeira case.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN on Sunday that lawmakers were receiving a classified briefing.
Another question is whether the leak has forced Israel to adjust its military plans.
“If it is true that Israel’s tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on Oct. 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,” said Mick Mulroy, an ABC News national security and defense contributor who served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.
“Everyone that has access to this information has an obligation to keep it secure,” Mulroy said. “The men and women of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] that would carry out this mission could be compromised because of this, the future coordination between the U.S. and Israel could be challenged as well.”
ABC News’ Christopher Looft and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
