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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 25 July 2023

Oui, oui: Jill Biden is in Paris to mark the U.S. return to the U.N.’s

educational and scientific agency

Continued from Front science, and culture.” U.S. would withdraw from
The U.S. pulled out of the UNESCO, citing anti-Israel
UNESCO aims to foster glo- Paris-based organization in bias. That decision that
bal collaboration in educa- 2018, under then-President took effect a year later.
tion, science and culture. It Donald Trump, a Republi- The U.S. and Israel stopped
also designates World Her- can who claimed UNESCO financing UNESCO after it
itage sites, deeming them was biased against Israel. voted to include Palestine
worthy of eternal preserva- The administration of Biden, as a member state in 2011.
tion. a Democrat, pushed to The Biden administration
The agency on Sunday rejoin over concerns that has requested $150 million
condemned Russia’s at- China was filling the void in for the 2024 budget to go
tack on a cathedral in leadership created by the toward UNESCO dues and
Odesa and other heritage U.S. absence. arrears. The plan foresees
sites in Ukraine in recent The administration an- similar requests for the ensu-
days and said it will send a nounced in June that it ing years until the full debt
team to the Black Sea port First lady Jill Biden speaks during an event with the National would apply to rejoin the of $619 million is repaid.
city to assess damage. Education Association in the South Court Auditorium on the 193-member organization, That makes up a big chunk
In a statement, UNESCO White House campus, Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Washington. which also plays a major of UNESCO’s $534 million
noted that Odesa’s his- Associated Press role in setting international annual operating budget.
toric center was declared standards for artificial intel- Before leaving, the U.S.
a UNESCO World Heritage service members buried zations to serve as a coun- ligence and technology contributed 22% of the
site earlier this year and there, most of whom died ter to nations that do not education. agency’s overall funding.
said attacks by Russian in Normandy and Brittany share U.S. values. The organization’s govern- The United States previ-
forces contradict recent during World War II.She will Others said Jill Biden, who ing board voted earlier this ously pulled out of UNESCO
promises by Russian author- also stop at the Elysée Pal- teaches English and writ- month to approve the Bi- under the Reagan admin-
ities to take precautions to ace in Paris on Tuesday to ing at a Virginia community den plan to rejoin, and the istration in 1984 because
spare such sites across the catch up with Brigitte Ma- college, was best suited to U.S. delivered a document it viewed the agency as
country. cron, a former teacher and represent the United States certifying that it would ac- mismanaged, corrupt and
Before returning to Wash- the wife of French Presi- in Paris on Tuesday. cept the invitation to be- used to advance Soviet
ington on Wednesday, dent Emmanuel Macron. “The first lady, as a lifelong come the 194th member of interests. It rejoined in 2003
Biden will tour a historic The women have met sev- educator and believer in UNESCO. during George W. Bush’s
venue in France, Mont- eral times over the past two the power of education- “Our organization is once presidency. Bush’s wife,
Saint-Michel, a 1,000-year- years, including in Washing- al opportunity across the again moving towards uni- Laura, a former elementary
old Benedictine abbey that ton last December when world, is honored to help versality,” UNESCO Direc- school teacher and librar-
was listed as a World Herit- Macron was on a state visit celebrate this important tor-General Audrey Azou- ian, spoke at that ceremo-
age site in 1979. It sits on to the U.S. milestone,” said Elizabeth lay said at the time. She ny.
an island in Normandy, in Senior Biden administration Alexander, a spokesper- cast the U.S return as “ex- Standing in for the presi-
the north of the country.A officials said returning to son. “She looks forward to cellent news for multilater- dent at home and abroad
daughter and mother of UNESCO fits President Joe raising the flag for the Unit- alism as a whole. If we want has become a big part of a
U.S. service members, the Biden’s goal of strengthen- ed States once again at to meet the challenges of first lady’s unofficial job de-
first lady will also visit Brittany ing global partnerships and the UNESCO headquarters, our century, there can only scription, and Jill Biden trav-
American Cemetery and recommitting to American showing our country’s com- be a collective response.” els at least several times a
Memorial to pay respects leadership at the U.N. and mitment to international The Trump administration in week to promote adminis-
to the more than 4,400 U.S. other international organi- cooperation in education, 2017 announced that the tration initiatives.q

Biden administration sues Texas

governor over Rio Grande buoy barrier

roughly 1,000-foot (305-me- In anticipation of the law- warned Texas in a letter last
ter) line of bright orange, suit, Abbott sent President week that the state had un-
wrecking ball-sized buoys Joe Biden a letter Monday til Monday to commit to re-
that the Biden administra- that defended Texas’ right moving the barrier or face
tion says raises humani- to install the barrier. He ac- a lawsuit. The letter said the
tarian and environmen- cused Biden of putting mi- buoy wall “poses a risk to
tal concerns. The suit also grants at risk by not doing navigation, as well as pub-
claims that Texas unlawfully more to deter them from lic safety, in the Rio Grande
installed the barrier along making the journey to the River, and it presents hu-
Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico walk past without permission near the U.S. manitarian concerns.”
large buoys being deployed as a border barrier on the river in border city of Eagle Pass. “Texas will see you in court, The state deployed the
Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The buoys are the latest es- Mr. President,” Abbott buoys without notifying
Associated Press calation of Texas’ border wrote in his letter. the International Boundary
By PAUL J. WEBER and bott over a floating bar- security operation that also The Biden administration and Water Commission or
VALERIE GONZALEZ rier that the state placed includes razor-wire fencing, has said illegal border the U.S. Army Corps of En-
Associated Press on the Rio Grande to stop arresting migrants on tres- crossings have declined gineers. Mexico’s secretary
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The migrants from crossing into passing charges and send- significantly since new im- of state asked the federal
Justice Department on the U.S. from Mexico. ing busloads of asylum- migration rules took effect government to intervene,
Monday sued Texas Re- The lawsuit asks a court to seekers to Democratic-led in May. saying the barrier violates
publican Gov. Greg Ab- force Texas to remove a cities in other states. The Justice Department international treaties.q