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Clintons Refuse to Testify in House Epstein Investigation as Act of Resistance Against Weaponizing Government

Hillary, Chelsea and Bill Clinton at Clinton Global Initiative 2025. The Clintons have spent their time out of public office developing ongoing programs that benefit millions of people around the world. Over the last 20 years, the CGI community across business, philanthropy, and government – more than 10,000 organizations and individuals – have partnered to launch more than 4,200 commitments that have improved the lives of more than 500 million people in over 180 countries © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

In what can only be considered a kangaroo court intended to trap former President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton in further prosecution (echoing the perjury charge that led to Clinton’s impeachment because, as Senator Lindsey Graham said, “character counts”), the Clinton have refused to testify before the House Oversight Committee. MAGA GOP Chairman James Comer promised to bring charges of contempt of Congress. In a letter to Comer, they lay out why they are resisting this latest act of weaponizing government for retribution and political gain—Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com

Chairman Comer,

We want to take a moment, given everything, to address you directly.

This past year has seen our Government engage in unprecedented acts, including against our own citizens. People have been seized by masked federal agents from their homes, their workplaces, and the streets of their communities. Students and scientists with visas permitting them to study and work here have been deported without due process. The people who laid siege to the U.S. Capitol have been pardoned and called heroes. Agencies vital to the country’s national security have been dismantled. Universities, media companies, and law firms have been subjected to threats to their funding, access, and licensing unless they made concessions and surrendered their right to constitutionally protected free speech. American troops have been deployed on the streets of our towns and cities. The Justice Department has been used as a weapon, at the direction of the President, to pursue political opponents. And most recently and searingly, an ICE agent killed an unarmed mother only days ago.

Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences.

For us, now is that time.

We are lucky by virtue of the positions we held, and the protections afforded by them. But we are not blind. Every day we see the country we have dedicated our lives to improving take step after step after step backwards.

As chairman of this powerful congressional committee, you have immense power to target anyone and subject them to closed door interrogation and more. The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering the facts about the government’s role.

The facts speak for themselves: You subpoenaed eight people in addition to us. You dismissed seven of those eight without any of them saying a single word to you. You made no attempt to force them to appear. In fact, since you started your investigation last year, you have interviewed a total of two people. Two.

A legal analysis prepared by two law firms and provided to you yesterday makes clear your subpoenas are legally invalid. You claim your subpoenas are inviolate when they are used against us yet were silent when the sitting President took the same position, as a former president, barely more than three years ago. We call on you to release that analysis to the public to allow them to see how this is yet another example of the casual disregard of the law of the land. All the while, you have done nothing with your oversight capacity to force the Department of Justice to follow the law and release all its Epstein files, including any material regarding us as we have publicly called for.

Over the last year in the House, extending health care for Americans in any state succeeded only because enough Republicans joined with Democrats. The fact that the public and we are seeing any of the Department of Justice’s Epstein files is only because four Republicans, out of 220, joined every Democrat to reach the minimum number of Members to force a vote. You were not one of those four. Even now, despite the Department of Justice’s failure to follow the law the Congress passed, you have chosen not to consider subpoenaing the sitting Attorney General to follow the law.

Despite everything that needs to be done to help our country, you are on the cusp of bringing Congress to a halt to pursue a rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment. This is not the way out of America’s ills, and we will forcefully defend ourselves.

Indeed, bringing the Republicans’ cruel agenda to a standstill while you work harder to pass a contempt charge against us than you have done on your investigation this past year would be our contribution to fighting the madness.

We have tried to give you the little information we have. We’ve done so because Mr. Epstein’s crimes were horrific. If the Government didn’t do all it could to investigate and prosecute these crimes, for whatever reason, that should be the focus of your work – to learn why and to prevent that from happening ever again. There is no evidence that you are doing so. Instead, you have forced the victims to relive their painful experiences, while doing little to give them and everybody else what’s deserved: truth and justice. There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics.

You accepted the least from those who know the most but demand the most from those who know the least. To say you can’t complete your work without speaking to us is simply bizarre.

You have asked what we know. To answer your inquiry, we are providing you with the same or more than seven of the other eight individuals you subpoenaed regarding the handling of the Epstein investigations and prosecutions, which may be why you have not publicly released their written statements.

We expect you will say it is not enough. We expect you’ll reject it. You may even set out an empty chair or stand in front of the cameras and outright dismiss what we have provided. We expect you will direct your committee to seek to hold us in contempt. You may even release irrelevant, decades-old photos that you hope will embarrass us. You will say your caucus, and the Speaker and the President are behind you 100%. We hope, perhaps in vain, that they will not allow you to singlehandedly hijack the Congress by unilaterally making this decision for your colleagues, your party, and our country.

You will say it is not our decision to make. But we have made it. Now you have to make yours.

We are prepared to make our case to your 45 committee members, and if need be, more. Importantly, we also will defend ourselves in the public arena and ensure this country knows exactly what you are doing and why you are doing so, instead of helping the American people who need this Congress’s work and protection.

For most people, maybe even the bulk of the Congress, today will be the first they learn of this dispute. We are confident that any reasonable person in or out of Congress will see, based on everything we release, that what you are doing is trying to punish those who you see as your enemies and to protect those you think are your friends.

Continue to mislead Americans about what is truly at stake, and you will learn that Americans are better at finding the truth than you are at burying it.

Continue to pursue autopens instead of penning laws Americans need, and you will learn that you are signing away any remaining chance of being on the right side of history.

Continue to abet the dismantling of America, and you will learn that it takes more than a wrecking ball to demolish what Americans have built over 250 years.

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Later, a spokesperson for the Clintons added:

You probably don’t know this because James Comer doesn’t want you to. President and Secretary Clinton swore to the truth under penalty of perjury. James Comer hasn’t told you that and has instead resorted to lying in every appearance he’s made this week. 

We are fighting back with facts and accountability. 

He is lying with impunity.

FACT: Bill & Hillary Clinton took the extraordinary step of – without being asked – each submitting comprehensive statements to Jim Comer directly in two documents. Each was a sworn legal document listing everything they have to offer. Read what the Clintons said. It’s a lot. And when Comer says it’s not enough, he won’t admit he was given the opportunity to tell us what else he wanted. 

TRUTH: Below is what the Democrats on the Committee said today. It’s all worth reading – but the most important part is in bold. The Clintons have provided sworn legal statements (attached), going above and beyond what others Comer excused have done. You can see for yourselves how comprehensive they are, how little the Clintons know, and why there is absolutely no reason for them to appear. We have, from the beginning, over and over, approached this process in a good faith and truthful manner and will continue to do so, no matter the transparent game he is playing.

If you’d like to see any of the letters we’ve sent to Comer, or the sworn declarations provided by the other individuals he’s excused, we’re happy to share those as well. As a comparison, you can see how much more we provided. 

Statement read into the record today by Oversight Committee Democrats. 

Committee Democrats support cooperation with the Committee and believe that anyone with firsthand knowledge of the crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, or the actions of their co-conspirators, should come forward and provide that information to the Committee. That commitment flows directly from Oversight Democrats’ determination to pursue the truth about the horrific crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell—no matter where the facts lead.

With today’s proceeding, the Majority has relentlessly pursued Secretary Clinton, yet the Majority has taken no steps to enforce the duly issued, bipartisan subpoena for the release of the full Epstein files in the possession of the Department of Justice. Nor has the Majority moved to compel numerous other witnesses with firsthand knowledge of Epstein’s criminal enterprise—including Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell—to appear before this Committee. 

Adding to these concerns is President Trump’s direction to his Attorney General, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation—via a Truth Social post—to initiate a criminal investigation into prominent Democrats, including President Clinton, to distract from his own close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.  And President Trump likewise has, for years, famously and repeatedly demanded that DOJ investigate and prosecute Secretary Clinton.

President Trump’s targeting of the Clintons is part of a continuing pattern in which President Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice against his perceived political enemies, including, among others, former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and most recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Against that backdrop, Oversight Democrats have grave concerns about the President’s publicly stated expectation that DOJ and the FBI will incriminate leaders of the opposition party, as well as the President’s demonstrated willingness to use the nation’s law enforcement agencies to distract from his own lengthy relationship and interaction with Epstein.

Finally, yesterday the Committee received factual declarations from former President Clinton and Secretary Clinton regarding their interactions with Jeffrey Epstein. I am entering those declarations, both dated January 13, 2026, together as Exhibit A.

Committee Democrats reaffirm that this investigation is not political and not partisan. Its purpose is truth and justice for the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes.

See: CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE STEPS UP COMMITMENT TO MEET UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES TO CLIMATE ACTION, GLOBAL HEALTH, HUMANITARIAN AID, DEMOCRACY, FREE PRESS

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Clinton Global Initiative Steps Up Commitment to Meet Unprecedented Challenges to Climate Action, Global Health, Humanitarian Aid, Democracy, Free Press

President Bill Clinton, President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization and Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen discuss “We’re Next” at the 20th anniversary  Clinton Global Initiative, themed “What’s Next.” © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

By Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com, news-photos-features.com

Each year for the past 20, there has been a respite, an oasis of hope, positivity, possibility and promise: the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The invention of the Clinton Foundation, CGI devised a platform and mechanisms to actually solve the most intractable problems confronting the world, that politicians love to talk about but are too hamstrung to.  

Each year there were challenges to overcome, but this year, there was an unusual pall over the gathering as the reality of backsliding on all the progress that has been made in health care, clean air and water (which 3 billion people lack), democracy, free press, conflict resolution, education, poverty, women’s rights and empowerment, gender rights, climate change, global migration. In many ways, there were the same topics of 20 years ago, but instead of focusing on the crisis in democracy, free press, disease and health care in developing countries across oceans, there was equal focus on the USA.

Bill Clinton and California Governor Gavin Newsom discuss the urgent need for climate action © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

In the past, there have been American administrations which did not further the aims of a more just, equitable future in which each could fulfill their potential, but never in the past was an administration using the might and wealth its predecessors built to actively undermine and reverse the progress of 150 years.

They are up against huge forces – the US with just 5% of the world’s population, has amassed 35% of global wealth and generates 14% of the carbon emissions (down from 20% thanks to Obama and Biden) that so endanger public health, food and water supply, and created the disasters that forced millions to flee their homes, creating the migrant crisis that has destabilized liberal democratic governments.

The conference convened just a day after Donald Trump, who has made good on his fantasy to tear up the Constitution and become a “dictator on day 1”, who effectively made illegal DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – foundational principles of CGI) and who clawed back billions in foreign aid and humanitarian aid, and withdrawn from agencies including the World Health Organization, addressed the United Nations (a “failed” organization).  Trump told the General Assembly that climate change was a “hoax” and a “green scam” and that as nations, they should do what the US has done: evict migrants and shut their borders to refugees in order to preserve their “heritage” and nationhood or else, “your countries are going to hell.”

In the final CGI panel discussion, “We’re Next,”  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), recalled where he was on the day he heard (was not informed by Trump) that the USA, its largest donor, was withdrawing and taking with it  its funding, immediately – not in six months to give the WHO time to reorganize. He noted that where he was when he heard was in Sana’a, capital of Yemen, when Israel bombed it, killing someone close to him and wounding others.  It triggered memory as a child of war in his native country of Ethiopia –“the smell, image, even the sound” – when close relatives were killed, and reignited the PTSD.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization, describes the challenge of having to reprioritize, reorganize after Trump pulled all funding from theWHO © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“In 2020, with the first US withdrawal, the first round of cuts came, and war in my country and Covid. it was difficult situation. but if there is one thing that But I try to see what is beyond my control and focus on what I can do. It encourages me encourages me to do more as an individual.” And so he will figure out a way for the World Health Organization to continue to function.

President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo tells President Clinton that democracy, rule of law, freedom and peace are the keys to economic prosperity © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Another child of war, President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo told President Bill Clinton, that it is peace and democracy that brings economic prosperity and progress (not tariffs and authoritarianism). “When you never take your freedom, your freedoms for granted, when you focus on the rule of law, democracy, human rights, then economic empowerment and prosperity comes. What you stand for in the most difficult times matters.”

But in inimitable fashion, the Clintons set a tone of positivity and everyone set out with renewed resolve, determination and resilience to figure “workarounds” to the unprecedented challenge.

Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, discusses the crisis in food programs on a CGI panel with Tony Capuano of Marriott International and Janti Soeripto of Save the Children US © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

CGI, offered panels themed “A Critical Moment for Humanitarian Response,” “Protecting Progress, Prevention and Management of Infections and NonCommunicable Diseases,” “A New Blueprint for Global Health,” “New Approaches to Climate Finance,” “Bold Solutions for Effective Philanthropy,”  “Protecting Truth and Information in a Fractured World,” “Putting People First,” all asking the question, “What’s Next,”  and, finally, “We’re Next.” It went back to an earlier framework to focus on “working groups” – small groups focused around a particular issue to bring together NGOs, business entities, philanthropists, activists and experts who could form partnerships to fulfill innovative commitments.

Matt Damon, the acclaimed actor, relayed how Clinton Global Initiative 17 years ago helped him realize his goal of bringing safe water and sanitation to the millions upon millions of people who lacked such basic necessities. CGI introduced him to Gary White, an engineer, who also had no idea how to achieve that goal, and together they formed Water.org.

Matt Damon discusses how Clinton Global initiative was essential to the success of water.org beginning 17 years ago with a commitment to bring clean water and sanitation to 100,000, his success at delivering to 1 million and his new CGI commitment to reach 100 million © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“It was like a first date – nervousness, awkwardness. But we realized that together could do a lot more than on own and really scale.” The first year’s CGI commitment was to build systems to serve 100,000. “Innovation-led, partners would follow. We got bigger and the numbers ran up. We hoped to reach 1 million a year. Today, we reach 1 million every six weeks.

“Our current commitment is already underway. In 2022, we pledged to help 100 million in Africa, Asia, and Latin America gain access to water, sanitation. We have already reached more than 30 million people who no longer have to take long walk for water.

“For Gary and me, CGI was the start. We thank President Clinton for introducing us, inspiring us to think better and doing all he can to help us reach those goals. There is more distance to go, with more than 2 billion people who lack access to safe water; 3 billion to sanitation.”

It was an invitation for others to join the partnership, or form their own, which is the essence of CGI.

Bulbul Gupta, CEO, Pacific Community Ventures; Hawaii Governor Josh Green; Jennifer Prayce, CEO of Calvert Impact Capital speak with Matthew Bishop, founder, social Progress Imperative on investing in community resilience © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

We saw it in real time when Hawaii Governor Josh Green, on the “Investing in Community Resilience” panel with Jennifer Pryce, CEO of Calvert Impact Capital, learned about new ways to multiply the benefit of Hawaii’s newly imposed climate fee on visitors through community development bond instruments such as issued by Calvert Impact. Hawaii hopes to use the fee (about $3 on a $400/night hotel stay) to bond out $2 billion which will go to sustainability, environmental protection, prevention, resiliency (helps with insurance costs), and to sustain tourism, replenish coral reefs and beaches.

4,200 Commitments, 500 Million People, 180 Countries, 10,000 Partners

Secretary Hillary Clinton marked the 30th anniversary of her remarks at the UN World Conference on Women, when her statement, “Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights,” became a clarion call. She announced a new commitment: a landmark report outlining policy priorities critical to advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in the 21st century, including in areas of democracy, human rights, technology, economic participation, conflict and climate © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This year President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Foundation Vice Chair Dr. Chelsea Clinton concluded the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025 Annual Meeting with the launch of 106 new Commitments to Action.

Since President Clinton founded CGI in 2005, the convening has asked attendees to come with Commitments to Action — specific, measurable partnerships and projects that address an urgent global challenge (there are regular reports issued).

Stacy Abrams, of American Pride Rises Network, in discussion with Errin Haines of The 19th, Melanie Hul of Luminate and Amanda Litman of Run for Something, offers 10 ways to push back on Trump’s moves to authoritarianism on a panel promoting women’s empowerment and engagement in politics © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com  

Over the last 20 years, members of the CGI community across business, philanthropy, and government – more than 10,000 organizations and individuals – have partnered to launch more than 4,200 commitments that have improved the lives of more than 500 million people in over 180 countries. As a result of these partnerships:

  • Nearly 78 million people have improved access to financial services or capital.
    • More than $1.6 billion has been invested or loaned to small- and medium-sized enterprises.
    • Nearly 2.7 billion metric tons of CO2 were cut or abated.
    • More than 402 million acres of forest have been protected or restored.
    • Nearly 4 million clean jobs have been created.
    • More than 130 million people can more easily access maternal and child health and survival programs.
    • Nearly 38 million people can more easily access safe drinking water and sanitation.
    • More than 36 million people have received treatment for neglected tropical diseases.
    • More than $362 million in research and development funds has been spent on new vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics.

Highlights from this year’s program include:

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), led by Dr. Chelsea Clinton, along with Unitaid, Wits RHI, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, announced a groundbreaking agreement on HIV prevention to dramatically open access to lenacapavir, a revolutionary medicine that effectively prevents HIV transmission with two injections a year. Under the CHAI-negotiated deal, this will be affordable and available for just $40 per year in 120 low- and middle-income countries by 2027 © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
  • A bold opening address by President Clinton, condemning political violence, defending free speech, the free press and democracy, and how to bring the divided country together.
    • The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), along with Unitaid, Wits RHI, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, announced a groundbreaking agreement on HIV prevention to dramatically open access to lenacapavir, a revolutionary medicine that effectively prevents HIV transmission with two injections a year. Under the CHAI-negotiated deal, this will be affordable and available for just $40 per year in 120 low- and middle-income countries by 2027.
    • Secretary Clinton marked the 30th anniversary of her remarks at the UN World Conference on Women, and announced a new Commitment to Action – a landmark report by the Women’s Initiative at Columbia SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) and GWL Voices: Beijing+30: A Roadmap for Women’s Rights for the Next Thirty Years. The report outlines policy priorities critical to advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in the twenty-first century, including in the areas of democracy and human rights, technology, economic participation, and conflict and climate. 
    • The Clinton Presidential Center, along with the City of Little Rock and ENFRA, announced a partnership to build the Clinton Sustainable Energy District (CSED) to offset carbon emissions and reduce utility costs through a new district energy system and a 5-megawatt solar array.
Chelsea Clinton speaks with Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan, and Deepak Bhargava, President, Freedom Together Foundation about “Putting People First” in the digital space taking a quantum leap with A.I. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This year’s CGI Annual Meeting was reimagined to promote collaboration through Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. Secretary Clinton announced progress from these Working Groups that CGI will build action on in the coming years and months:

  • Out of the Innovative Finance Working Group, Kiva Microfunds will launch a new social enterprise fund of at least $10 million in 2026, in partnership with corporate foundations.  
    • The Health Working Group focused on using AI to overcome systemic gaps in chronic care; one project that came out of this group will expand maternal telehealth in Zimbabwe. 
    • In the Education Working Group, the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail initiative and UNIDOS US led a conversation about expanding access to early learning. The group is exploring a pilot program in three U.S. cities in 2026 to provide immigrant families with early education resources.
    • The Human Rights and Democracy Working Group focused on issues including accelerating women’s democratic participation and defending LGBTQ+ rights, and developed ideas from civic education programs for at-risk youth in Northern Ireland to anti-authoritarian initiatives worldwide.
    • Members of the Climate Working Group dug into the tough realities of climate change and mapped out bold plans, including creating a water fund to unlock economic opportunities for millions; building climate adaptation hubs across the tropical belt, starting at COP30 in November; and opening new markets to support regenerative farmers. 
    • The Economy Working Group focused on challenges like the care economy and access to capital. Out of that discussion came a commitment to launch a Global Network for National Service that will strengthen, expand, and scale national service programs around the world. 
    • The Truth and Information Working Group discussed ways to cut through misinformation and focus on building community. In the next year, a top priority will be advocating for state and local leaders to enact responsible regulations on tech platforms and give users more ownership over their data. 
    • The Humanitarian Response Working Group emphasized the need for innovation, preparedness, and localized responses to humanitarian crises around the world; with action items including a shared information system among responding NGOs, new funding opportunities, and innovative research-based tools.
President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Dr. Chelsea Clinton award the Clinton Global Citizen Award to entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for his transformative philanthropic work, including contributing $900 million to disability services, education, animal welfare, healthcare and numerous other community focused non-profits. Golisano was also an early supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative.

President Clinton also awarded the Clinton Global Citizen Award to entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for his transformative philanthropic work. As Founder of Paychex, a human resources software and service provider for small to medium sized businesses, Golisano has invested in endeavors that advance entrepreneurship and drive the success of numerous businesses and start-ups; he has also made more than $900 million in philanthropic contributions to disability services, education, animal welfare, healthcare — including four children’s hospitals that bear his name; Rochester, Syracuse, Ft. Myers and Buffalo — and numerous other community focused non-profits. Past recipients of the Clinton Global Citizen Award include President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Nadia Murad, and Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Find information on all 106Commitments to Action announced at CGI 2025 at clintonglobal.org.

____________________

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Top Global and Industry Leaders to Convene Next Week in NYC at Clinton Global Initiative

As CGI marks its 20th anniversary, the 2025 Annual Meeting has been reimagined to drive action on urgent global challenges, around the theme of “What’s Next”

Featured participants announced today include Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org and WaterEquity; Anthony Capuano, President and CEO, Marriott International; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder, Chobani; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Writer, Philanthropist, and Activist; Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia; Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan; Wendy Abrams, Co-Founder and CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation; Donna Karan, Founder, Urban Zen Foundation; Katherine Maher, President and CEO, NPR; Neil Buddy Shah, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; and more. Learn more about this year’s full program and participants at https://clintonglobal.org/2025 

    Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks with Matt Damon about his organization’s success in bringing clean drinking water to needy people around the world at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative. Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org and WaterEquity, is returning to this year, the 20th anniversary of the Clinton Global Initiative being held in New York City, Sept. 24-25 © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    NEW YORK, NY — The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced more leaders from across business, government, philanthropy, and civil society, convening at the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting September 24-25, uniting around this year’s theme of “What’s Next.” These leaders are poised to take action to confront new and worsening challenges on climate, health, the economy, humanitarian response, democracy and human rights, truth and information, education, and innovative finance. 

    This year marks the 20th anniversary of CGI. Since 2005, more than 500 million people in more than 180 countries have had their lives improved by more than 4,000 Commitments to Action launched through CGI.

    Last month, in a letter marking CGI’s 20th anniversary, President Clinton issued a stark call to action to the CGI community, outlining changes to this year’s meeting: “Given the scope of the challenges we face, this year’s CGI meeting will be different – by necessity. We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity.” Read President Clinton’s Call to Action here.

    To tackle these challenges, the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting is bringing together leaders of major charitable foundations, nonprofits, businesses, governments, unions, and more to chart solutions. Featured participants announced today include:

    • Global advocates and activists including Stacey Abrams, Founder, American Pride Rises Network; Wendy Abrams, Co-Founder & CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation; Vedika Bhandarkar, President and Chief Operating Officer, Water.org; Deepak Bhargava, President, Freedom Together Foundation; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org & WaterEquity; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Writer, Philanthropist, and Activist; Lindsay Ell, Artist, Songwriter, and Philanthropist; Dr. David C. Fajgenbaum, Co-Founder, Every Cure; Donna Karan, Founder, Urban Zen Foundation; and Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan; 
      • Journalists and leaders across media including Errin Haines, Editor at Large, The 19th; Margaret Hoover, Host, Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, PBS; Andrew Jack, Global Education Editor, Financial Times; Raj Kumar, Founding President and Editor-in-Chief, Devex; Nishant Lalwani, CEO, International Fund for Public Interest Media; Katherine Maher, President and CEO, NPR; Alan Murray, Founding President, The Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute; Matthew Segal, Co-Founder, ATTN; Jessica Sibley, CEO, TIME; Vitus Spehar, Creator, Under The Desk News; and Michael Vito Valentino, Editor-in-Chief, NowThis;
      • Business leaders including Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Rima Al Mokarrab, Chair, Tamkeen; Anthony Capuano, President and CEO, Marriott International; Michael Dowling, CEO, Northwell Health; Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia; Lutz Hegemann, President Global Health, Novartis International AG; Joe Kiani, Founder and Executive Chairman, Willow Labs; and Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder, Chobani;
      • Philanthropic leaders including Tonya Allen, President, the McKnight Foundation; DeAngela Burns-Wallace, President and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Marla Blow, CEO, Skoll Foundation; Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO, The Tony Elumelu Foundation; Kellea Miller, Executive Director, Human Rights Funders Network; Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen; Carmen Rojas, President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation; John-Arne Røttingen, CEO, Wellcome Trust; and Mark Suzman, CEO and Board Member, Gates Foundation;
      • Civil society and NGO leaders including Manish Bapna, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Kathy Higgins, CEO, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Kelley Robinson, President, Human Rights Campaign; Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund; Neil Buddy Shah, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; and Janti Soeripto, President and CEO, Save the Children US;
      • Government and multi-lateral leaders including U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware; St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew; Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor, New Mexico; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; and more.

    As part of President Clinton’s call to action last month, this year’s CGI Annual Meeting will be reimagined to promote collaboration through Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. These Working Groups include cross-sector collaborations on Climate, Democracy and Human Rights, The Economy, Education, Health, Humanitarian Response, Innovative Finance, and Truth and Information.

    Sponsors for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting include AFT, All Hands & Hearts, Amalgamated Bank, APCO, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Bob and Jane Harrison, Cure, Doha Forum, Equity Group Holdings Plc, Flagship Pioneering, Former Congressman David Trone, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Integra Capital, Interenergy Group, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Kokoro, MEBO International, Northwell Health, Pfizer, Pinterest, Sino-European Manufacturing Club, Strauss Media Strategies, Inc., Tarsadia Foundation, The EKTA Foundation, The Nima Taghavi Foundation, The John D. Evans Foundation, The Kiani Foundation, The Marc Haas Foundation, Ukraine Children’s Action Project, Varkey Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Postcode Lottery Group is serving as a partner for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting. Devex and Grist are media partners for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting. 

    To mark the Clinton Global Initiative’s 20th Anniversary, Social Goods — a purpose-driven small business — and the Clinton Foundation are partnering to unveil a new, limited-edition collection where every item sold supports Foundation programs that advance solutions on economic opportunity, climate, public health, gender equality, and more.

    Previously announced participants include Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas; Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados; President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo; Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US; Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank; Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, Chairman and CEO, InterEnergy Group; Brendan Carr, CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Tim Cadogan, CEO, GoFundMe; John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Founder and Chair Emeritus, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development; John King, Chancellor, State University of New York; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Nancy Lindborg, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; James Mwangi, Group CEO, Equity Group Holdings; Reema Nanavaty, Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); Binaifer Nowrojee, President, Open Society Foundations; Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE USA; Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences; Kennedy Odede. Co-Founder and CEO, Shining Hope for Communities; Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations; Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest; Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler; Liz Shuler, President, AFL–CIO; Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada; Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council; Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; and more.

    You can follow updates and get more details about the CGI 2025 Meeting at https://clintonglobal.org/2025 

    Economic Development, Human Rights, Inequality, Joe Biden, News & Photo Features

    Clinton Foundation Report Shows 500 Million People Globally Benefited Since 2001 Through 4,100 Clinton Global Initiative Projects

    At the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting, President Joe Biden received the Clinton Global Citizen Award for his “uncommon decency and goodness” over a lifetime of public service. Chosen by President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea, the award recognizes individuals who embody global citizenship through their vision and leadership © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    Across the globe, the lives of 500 million people in more than 190 countries have benefited from the more than 4,100 projects and partnerships made through the Clinton Global Initiative’s programs and initiatives since 2001. This is just one of the impacts reported in its annual Impact Report. The report details a continued legacy that brings diverse and unlikely partners together to take action. In 2024, the Foundation focused on what worked around the world and how to keep moving forward in unprecedented times. 

    Some of the other key milestones reached in 2024 include:

     

    • 891,000 doses of lifesaving Naloxone distributed to recovery residences, high schools, universities, and community organizations in 20 states through the Overdose Response Network. 

    • 517,000 students and educators have participated in enriching educational and cultural programming free-of-charge at the Clinton Presidential Center. 

    • 21 million people worldwide have access to lifesaving HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria medications through the Clinton Health Access Initiative, an independent, associated organization.

    • 1.4 million children’s books donated and provided to families in communities that are under-resourced through Too Small to Fail, the Foundation’s early childhood initiative. 

    • 31 million U.S. children leading healthier lives through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative jointly founded by the Foundation and the American Heart Association.

    (Read the full Impact Report here – clintonfoundation.org/2024impactreport)

    In a joint letter to the Foundation’s community, President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton wrote, “For more than two decades, the Clinton Foundation has aspired to build a world where everyone has the opportunity to create better tomorrows for themselves, their families, and their communities. As we share in this report, in 2024 we saw how bringing together diverse and often unlikely partners from business, government, and civil society can be a practical strategy for delivering outsized impact across the United States and around the world.”

    “The gaps between what the public sector can provide and what the private sector can produce seem to be growing bigger each and every day. The work we do here will continue to help fill those gaps. Whether we’re launching targeted initiatives that test new solutions or expanding proven programs that have transformed millions of lives, we must work together to keep putting people first and building a better future,” the family shared.

    Some of the key moments that inspired action in 2024:

    • Using Media to Educate on Early Childhood: Too Small to Fail partnered with the FrameWorks Institute and Rockefeller Foundation to create a playbook for storytellers on how to frame the impact of climate change on children’s health. Secretary Clinton and Chelsea expanded on this work by hosting “Media that Motivates,” encouraging popular media to share stories that explore this topic
      • Protecting Children from Social Media: At the CGI 2024 Annual Meeting, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, launched a new CGI Commitment to Action through The Archewell Foundation’s Parents’ Network to help protect children from the harmful effects of social media.
      • A Critical NATO Milestone: President Clinton traveled to Prague to mark the 25th anniversary of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary joining NATO, which helped create a more peaceful, democratic Europe. In his keynote, he reflected upon his early support for NATO’s expansion at the time, as well as the continued importance of NATO and maintaining our global alliances.
      • Profiling Moments in American History: The Clinton Center’s permanent exhibitions chronicle American history and culture at the turn of the 21st century. Visitors experience full-scale replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and original works of art, such as the Crystal Tree of Light crafted by American artist Dale Chihuly. This dazzling glass sculpture was created for the Millennium Celebration and is part of the permanent collection at the Clinton Presidential Center.
      • Reflecting on Decades of Impact: In November, President Clinton released his memoir, “CITIZEN: My Life After the White House,” providing a detailed and moving account of his post-presidential years, including stories of the Clinton Foundation’s impact, the origin of the Clinton Global Initiative, key events of the 21st century, and the people who’ve inspired him to keep going
      • A Moment of Unity: At the CGI 2024 Annual Meeting, Yael Admi, co-founder of Women Wage Peace, and Reem Hajajreh, founder of Women of the Sun, discussed the historic partnership between their movements to promote a nonviolent resolution to conflict across the Middle East.
      • Marking Two Decades of Work in Little Rock: Former colleagues and friends from the Clinton Administration and Foundation community reunited at the Clinton Center’s 20th anniversary celebration. Administration alumni joined “The West Wing” stars Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, and Melissa Fitzgerald for a conversation about Hollywood moments and the real-world leadership that inspired the iconic show.

    Honoring a Lifetime of Leadership: At the CGI 2024 Annual Meeting, President Joe Biden received the Clinton Global Citizen Award for his “uncommon decency and goodness.” Chosen by President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea, the award recognizes individuals who embody global citizenship through their vision and leadership.

    Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart.  Through CGI’s unique model, more than 10,000 organizations have launched more than 4,000 Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable projects and programs – that are making a difference in the lives of more than 500 million people in 180 countries.

    Read the full annual Impact Report – including highlights from Foundation programs and initiatives around the world – at clintonfoundation.org/2024impactreport.

    See also:

    AT CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE, FIRST LADY ANNOUNCES $500 MILLION MORE FUNDING FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH RESEARCH; PRESIDENT BIDEN RECEIVES GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD

    Civil Rights, Climate Action, Human Rights, Immigration-Migration-Refugees, Inequality, News & Photo Features

    Clinton Global Initiative, Taking Place Sept. 18-19 in NYC, Focuses on Facilitating Actions that Make Tangible Difference in Lives Around the World


    At the 2022 Clinton Global Initiative, themed “Taking Action Together,” President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton present the Clinton Global Citizen Award to long-time fighter for human, civil, workers and immigrant rights, Dolores Huerta. This year’s meeting, taking place Sept. 18-19 in NYC, will focus on what it takes to keep going—to maintain and advance progress, in spite of the difficulties that arise. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    The Clinton Global Initiative taking place in New York City September 18-19, is aimed at bringing together organizations across government, business, and civil society; established and emerging leaders; activists and advocates; and community workers and doers who are on the front lines of our most pressing global challenges, and facilitate collaborations and actions that have real impact on people’s lives around the world.

    Launched by President Clinton in 2005, CGI has built a community of doers who are taking action to make a tangible difference in people’s lives around the world.

    CGI works with partners to develop Commitments to Action, which are new, specific, and measurable solutions. Since 2005, more than 3,900 Commitments to Action have been launched through CGI. At the 2022 meeting, members of the CGI community launched more than 140 Commitments to Action that are now improving access to health care, advancing sustainability, creating employment opportunities, supporting refugee resettlement, and more.

    President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton, in a letter to the CGI community,  said this year’s meeting would focus on how to “keep going” – in spite of the difficulties that arise – to build a stronger future for all.

    “We all have the power to make a difference, and therefore the responsibility at least to try. This fundamental belief is what led us to call the CGI community back together in 2022. The response was remarkable: more than 2,000 leaders attended our September meeting in New York City, where more than 650 partnering organizations came together to launch more than 140 Commitments to Action – new, specific, measurable projects. All told, the CGI community has now made more than 3,900 Commitments.

    “Throughout 2023, we’ve built on that momentum, convening leaders, innovators and dreamers across geographies and areas of focus to forge new partnerships and drive further action, all to achieve more durable, meaningful and yes, measurable impact. In the spring alone, we hosted events on five continents to get input from the CGI network and bring more partners into the fold—and we heard from you over and over again how important it is to reconvene CGI again this September.

    “That’s why, on September 18-19, we will gather again in New York City. This year’s meeting will focus on what it takes to keep going—to maintain and advance progress, in spite of the difficulties that arise, and increase our capacity to cross the divides and make common cause with one another wherever possible to build a stronger future for all.

    “At CGI’s annual meeting, we’ll hear from those who are tackling some of today’s most pressing issues, including climate change, health inequities, food insecurity, economic inequality, threats to democracy around the world, and record-breaking refugee displacement. We will examine ways to channel energy and investment to scale solutions that are already improving people’s lives, and explore how tools like AI can be responsibly harnessed for good. As always, the focus will be on what we can do, not what we can’t—and will highlight how even seemingly small actions, when taken together, can turn the tide on even our most stubborn challenges.”

    At CGI 2023, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton will be joined by leaders from across business, government, philanthropy, and civil society, including Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Ajay Banga, World Bank President; Jason Buechel, CEO, Whole Foods; Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education; Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO, Airbnb; Daniels, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Directors/Writers/Producers; Philip E. Davis, Prime Minister, The Bahamas; Patrick Dempsey, Actor, Producer, Founder and Board Member of The Dempsey Center; Michael J. Fox, Founder, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research; Maura Healey, Governor, Massachusetts; Kathy Hochul, Governor, New York; Padma Lakshmi, Host/Executive Producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation, Writer, and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador; Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO, MercyCorps; David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue Committee; La June Montgomery Tabron, President and CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Wes Moore, Governor, Maryland; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization; Noel Quinn, CEO, HSBC; J.B. Pritzker, Governor, Illinois; Liev Schreiber, Co-Founder, Blue Check Ukraine; Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation; will.i.am, President & Founder, i.am Angel Foundation.

    Additional featured participants include Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, Founder, President, and CEO, InterEnergy; Nicole Hockley, CEO, Sandy Hook Promise; Eugenia Kargbo, Arsht-Rock Chief Heat Officer, Freetown, Sierra Leone; Francine Katsoudas, Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco; Sophia Kianni, Founder and Executive Director, Climate Cardinals; Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and Author; Peter Laugharn, President and CEO, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; Sage Lenier, Founder & Executive Director, Sustainable & Just Future; Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo, Founder, The Cacao Project; Janet Murguía, President, UnidosUS; Vaishali Nigam-Sinha, Co-Founder & Chairperson, Sustainability, ReNew Energy Global PLC; ‘Aholotu Palu, Chief Executive of the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company; Amy Pope, Incoming Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM); Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Founder and CEO, Zipline; Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Founder & Chair, Council for Inclusive Capitalism and CEO, E.L. Rothschild; Paul Stormoen, CEO, OX2; Pete Upton, CEO and Chairperson, Native CDFI Network; Asha Varghese, President, Caterpillar Foundation; Gary White, Co-Founder, Water.org; Debra Whitman, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer, AARP; Darrin Williams, CEO, Southern Bancorp.

    Previously announced featured participants include José Andrés, Founder and Chief Feeding Officer, World Central Kitchen; Orlando Bloom, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; Albert Bourla, CEO, Pfizer; Jesper Brodin, Chairman and CEO, INGKA Holding; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org; Tony Elumelu, Founder and Chair, The Tony Elumelu Foundation; Ilan Goldfajn, President, Inter-American Development Bank; Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Ashley Judd, Author and Goodwill Ambassador, UNFPA; Karlie Kloss, Entrepreneur and Founder of Kode With Klossy; Lorenzo P. Lewis, Founder, the Confess Project; Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Co-Founder and Chair of Higherlife Foundation and Delta Philanthropies; Cindy H. McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme; Ai-jen Poo, President, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF; Ai Weiwei, Artist; and more.

    The schedule for CGI 2023, including plenary and spotlight sessions, can be found at www.clintonglobal.org/2023.

    Sponsors for the CGI 2023 meeting span a broad range of supporters from business, philanthropy, and civil society. CGI is grateful for their support in building a convening that will help drive action across the major global challenges of our time. They include InterEnergy/Evergo, Domuschiev Impact, AFT, American Beverage, APCO Worldwide, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Beatrice Snyder Foundation, Bob and Jane Harrison, Caterpillar Foundation, Christie’s, Cisco, Dream, The EKTA Foundation, The Elevate Prize Foundation, Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, Flagship Pioneering, Fondation Botnar, Global Education Foundation, Global Sae-A, JetBlue, Joyce Aboussie, The Marc Haas Foundation, The Masimo Foundation, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, MEBO International, Pernod Ricard USA, Pfizer Inc., SAP, Tarsadia Foundation, Teena Hostovich, The Nima Taghavi Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In addition, Postcode Lottery Group is serving as a partner for the CGI 2023 Meeting. For the second consecutive year, decision intelligence company Morning Consult is serving as the official data partner.

    The CGI 2023 Meeting will also include the return of two programs launched in 2022 – CGI Greenhouse that directly connects entrepreneurs with partnership and scaling opportunities; and the CGI Story Studio that inspires action through stories of frontline leaders and lived experiences.

    You can livestream the event by registering to participate.

    For schedules and information, visit www.clintonglobal.org/2023. Follow CGI on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and X, for meeting news and highlights.

    Global Affairs, Israel, Israel-Palestine

    At Passing of Shimon Peres, Reflecting on Passed Over Opportunity for Israel-Palestine Peace

    Israel President Shimon Peres greets Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
    Israel President Shimon Peres greets Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    By Karen Rubin, News & Photo Features

     As we mark the passing of Shimon Peres, the former President of Israel, who New York Times in its obituary called  A Pillar of Israel, From Its Founding to the Oslo Accords, I reflect back on what was very possibly the closest Israel and Palestine ever came to forging a true peace, and it came during the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative, when Peres sat next to Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, on a panel with President Bill Clinton and Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and provided a roadmap to cooperation. Here’s my column from that panel, on September 21, 2010:

     Israel, Palestine Leaders Offer Vision of Peace – and It Looks Real

    Prayers for peace in the Middle East are a ritual in Great Neck, and for one hour last week at the Clinton Global Initiative, a vision for peace seemed less than a perennial dream, and took the shape of a real prospect.

    During a special session at the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders, business moguls, philanthropists and do-gooders who labor at nongovernmental organizations, the President of Israel and the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority painted their vision of what peace would look like: a vast economic region with joint projects including a water pipeline crossing the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, modern irrigation techniques that could make the Palestinian desert bloom as it does in Israel, even a regional electric grid, and an economic boom that could snuff out the anger that fuels terrorism. There would even be equality for women.

    President Bill Clinton, Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and Israel President Shimon Peres give vision of peace at 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
    President Bill Clinton, Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and Israel President Shimon Peres give vision of peace at 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    And for that hour, it all seemed within grasp, with the Bahrainian Crown Prince giving his imprimatur to how the whole region would benefit from a peace “dividend.”

    But just days after, the expiration of Israel’s 10-month moratorium on settlement building in the disputed territory of the West Bank which brought out jubilant and triumphant settlers who released white-and-blue balloons, has burst that bubble of optimism over whether the Palestinian Authority will follow through on its threat to pull out of this latest effort at peace negotiations.

    Still, the Palestinians seemed to hang in there as the Obama Administration – Sec. Hillary Clinton and special envoy George Mitchell – were frantically trying to keep things together.

    Here’s why this time might be different: the leaders were able to specify the economic and social benefits.

    What is more, the body language looked good.

    Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority and Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel shook hands, genuinely, then took seats next to each other, rather than bookending President Bill Clinton and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Seated elbow to elbow, Fayad and Peres looked straight into each other’s faces when the other was speaking. Mostly.

    President Clinton posed the question to the Prime Minister first: “Assume that the parties come together, and don’t want to wait another decade, what would peace look like?”

    Fayyad, offered his vision of what peace would look like in the state of Palestine, but when I heard him say “Jerusalem as its capital” I thought the session would end as quickly as it began, or veer off. But Peres never addressed the remark; his body language did not change.

    But Fayyad continued: “What the region might look like minus the conflict? The vast economic potential – the region looks like a single economic space. ..vast growth potential, that can be exploited by dealing with elements that impeded commerce across state lines…That’s the kind of region that I believe can emerge after so many decades of conflict, with obvious benefits – for Arabs, Israelis and the rest of the Arab world.

    “Amongst the possibilities: infrastructure improvements that cut across borders. Several have been on the drawing board – one is [close to] the heart of Shimon Peres – a project intended to link the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, to deal with ever shrinking [water supplies] that threatens to make it even more dead than it is. That’s one project that could happen..even before the conflict over. Something that could prepare for a better future. There are a lot of projects of direct benefit, cutting across boundaries in the region – in the area of energy, electricity, regional power grid….

    “We could devote more energy, time and resources to bring about development –economic, socially, culturally. [Peace] would remove all the obstacles to interact with the rest of humanity on the basis of shared values, equal opportunity, no discrimination against women… ”

    Women’s rights, Fayyad said “is something that unfortunately has caused us a lot of problems in region and around the world. The problem has to be addressed not only because of vast potential if women are afforded opportunity, but because it’s the right thing to do… ”

    Then to Peres, Clinton said, “Suppose peace was made 3 or 4 days ago. What does Israel want out of it, what can Israel do to make sure it takes hold In order to make sustainable peace? [Particularly in the area of food production]… Today you can produce food not by size or land but science and technology. There is almost no water, yet [Israel’s] agriculture produces eight times more from same acre than 50 years ago.”

    Technology has unleashed economic development throughout the developing world, and can do its magic in the Middle East, as well. Sharing Israel’s innovations with the Palestinian state would be a key benefit of the peace dividend, Peres offered.

    "One thing both of us agree – not just governmental intervention but private initiative…we all are ready to accept high tech in their countries- that has nothing to do with territory… it's global," Israel President Shimon Peres tells Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. "We are ready in Israel to share what we have.” © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
    “One thing both of us agree – not just governmental intervention but private initiative…we all are ready to accept high tech in their countries- that has nothing to do with territory… it’s global,” Israel President Shimon Peres tells Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. “We are ready in Israel to share what we have.” © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    “One thing both of us agree –  not just governmental intervention but private initiative…we all are ready to accept high tech in their countries- that has nothing to do with territory… it’s global,” Peres said. “The two young boys that created Google didn’t hurt anyone…[technology] can build an economy, and I think that should be the first…. We are ready in Israel to share what we have. Our high tech started with agriculture. You can have it the next morning, and provide food to the children. That’s number one, after peace. Number two is health. ..There is no hospital in Israel where you don’t have Arab doctors and Arab patients….   If we can live in peace in hospital, why can’t we live in peace out of hospital?

    “Next: Education. The moment we have peace is the moment we can provide for education.

    “Other things: Tourism. Tourism accounts for 17% of world economy, and we have everything to attract the largest amount of tourists but peace.  If we shall make peace – with the Palestinians and the Jordanians, have enough points of attraction to promote ..

    “Water. We are saving half of the water that is being used elsewhere. By irrigation, by recycling, by introducing vegetation that don’t drink so much water, using electronic controls. All of this is available.

    “Now when it comes to electricity – the choice is that everyone will build a nuclear reactor for electricity… The greatest nuclear reactor in the world is the sun. The sun is democratic, open to everyone. We know already how to produce solar energy, but not to produce it in a competitive way. We believe by [marshalling] solar energy…. it  would enable us to be natural, would be cheaper…and  give the people water and electricity..

    “We introduced ‘drip irrigation,’ now we have ‘drip electricity’ – we can move electricity from one place to another without physical connection.” [Israeli companies have developed a technology that transmits electricity the same way, over the same architecture, as wireless voice communications.]

    “We can send electricity 2-4 miles away, and it can reach the target. It is quite revolutionary,” he said.

    “I believe that the future, that the most sensational 10 years in human life will occur because of the level of computerization.”

    President Clinton noted that even in this economic downturn, Israel has done well, “and  most certainly will be the first to have 100,000 electric cars on the road.”

    Israel and Palestine have a lot to gain from a peace dividend, but how might countries in the region like Bahrain benefit? Will there be a regional economy, and what does that mean for you? President Clinton posed to Prince Salman.

    “Our region is caught between the rule of the gun and the rule of Koran, captive market and capitalist markets, pluralism and plutocrats,” Prince Salman said. “The region has been held back by the negative. In every choice, people have singled out their fear, mistrust, disappointment, in the ability of governments to achieve the dignity they [deserve]. We must achieve this peace – because the future is very bright.”

    He said that the region represents a $1 trillion market, and by 2020 will be a $2 trillion market…”It grew at 70% in the last 8 years, 40% [of exports] go to the region, so you can start to see that regional economic cooperation is a reality… and if we can build on what President Peres said about science… that the world in 15-20 years will be fundamentally different, then the future will be bright, whether agriculture, medicine, productivity. I am very optimistic…. the ease by which we can communicate, the productivity we have gained… in the development of human history, this is a flash, a spike.

    “We will be cooperating, the dislocations that shake us, to our core, will be absent. ….It is a future I see very much in a positive way…. That I will dedicate myself to, to come true, and one in which all of us have a role to play.

    “The private sector in US., government in Middle East. We must all believe in this process, make the hard choices that need to be made, and when the process looks shaky, that we are there to support it. Thank you Mr. President, for getting us here today, and even though I am on the periphery and not a direct negotiator, my life, my children’s lives will be immeasurably better.”

    Giving a vision of hope, Peres suggested it might finally be time. “In Europe, if someone would have stood up in 1943 that in 30-40 years, Europe would be united, people would laugh. It took generations for French, Germans, British to come together. The young people, anyway, live in a different world. They are connected personally. The world is more connected, and the younger you are, the more connected.

    “Today the greatest choice before the Middle East is either to be a Middle East of independent states or fall under the spell of Iranians,” Peres said. “This is the greatest danger. Under the spell of Iranians is also terror. We have a common menace, if not a common enemy, so we have a common purpose.

    But Clinton noted, “If the vision [for peace and regional cooperation] you are sketching out takes hold, the Iranians would have a very different choice than they do today. It would maximize that the current fears we have can be resolved in a peaceful way, and maximize the risk if they choose not to do that.”

    "I think peace would be better for everyone," Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad tells Israel President Shimon Peres at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. "People throughout the region could interact more freely – in peace, security.” © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
    “I think peace would be better for everyone,” Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad tells Israel President Shimon Peres at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative. “People throughout the region could interact more freely – in peace, security.” © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    “I think [peace] would be better for everyone,” said Fayyad. “People throughout the region could interact more freely – in peace, security. We could focus on doing things better, governing better, providing services more effectively. Our economy is only 4% the size of the Israeli economy – that alone, even if you don’t factor in what this means in regional cooperation, and better access to rest of region — simply by virtue of sitting alongside such a huge economy, that is Israel. When you begin to factor in other benefits – tranquility, civility in the region, you can see how the benefits would begin to spread. That would happen on the strength of having some serious partnerships here.”

    Halevay  (It should only happen).

    –Karen Rubin, Columnist

    ________________________________

    © 2016 News & Photo Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. For editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news-photos-features.com, email editor@news-photos-features.com. Blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/NewsPhotosFeatures.  ‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures, Tweet @KarenBRubin

    Election 2016

    Day 3 of DNC to Focus on Hillary Clinton’s Credentials to be Commander in Chief

    President Bill Clinton, in the novel role of candidate’s spouse, tells those private stories about their life together and Hillary Clinton’s fights of her life and abilities as a change-maker © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
    President Bill Clinton, in the novel role of candidate’s spouse, tells those private stories about their life together and Hillary Clinton’s fights of her life and abilities as a change-maker © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia will focus on the now historic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton  as Commander in Chief.

    Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention culminated with the history-making nomination of the first woman for president by a major party. It built to an amazing crescendo, with the vigorous roll call vote brought to dramatic conclusion when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders moved to suspend the rules and declare Hillary Clinton the nominee by acclamation, and with overall, the party projecting all-important unity. It climaxed with a display of all 44 presidents to date, culminating in a virtual shattering of a glass ceiling and a live video appearance of Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, NY, surrounded by friends and families, expressing her gratitude for the high honor and historic milestone.

    The evening was devoted to showcasing fights Hillary Clinton has waged her entire life – for families and children, civil rights, health care, for gun violence prevention, for 9/11 responders and victims, and finally, for national security. Her life was best encapsulated by President Clinton, who spoke, not as a former President, but as the candidate’s spouse, giving a tour de force in recounting their personal story and how she has been a true change-maker. And in each instance, the stark contrast with the experience, values, character, temperament were drawn between what Hillary Clinton has done and accomplished and  the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

    The third day of the convention will focus even more intently on national security.

    “Tonight will focus and spotlight the Secretary’s strength and qualifications to be Commander in Chief, versus Donald Trump’s reckless, dangerous approach to national security,” said John Podesta, chair of Hillary for America.

    The message will be presented by people who know her well: John Hutson, a retired rear admiral who switched party affiliation from Republican to Democrat;  Gold Star wife, Jamie Dorff; combat veteran Kristen Kavanaugh; and Leon Panetta, former CIA director and Secretary of Defense.

    “Their perspective will show the temperment, judgment, experience needed in a Commander in Chief, the kind of person they would want leading the armed forces and why Hillary Clinton has that unique combination of attributes to successfully carry the mantle of the job,” said Jake Sullivan, foreign policy advisor, Hillary for America.

    The variety of perspectives will underscore “why Trump is simply temperamentally unfit and unqualified to be commander in chief – his strange policy ideas like more countries getting nuclear weapons, or his rebuke to our core allies, the way he denigrates our armed forces, calling our military ‘a disaster’, saying ‘I know more about defeating ISIS, believe me,’ saying the military would commit war crimes if he orders them to. He has disrespected the military and that will shine through tonight. He also shows a fascination with dictators and strongmen, such as Saddam Hussein, Kim Jung Il, and Vladimir Putin,” Sullivan said.

    “The simple proposition: this person should not be given command of the armed forces, the nuclear codes, or the title commander in chief.”

    Trump’s coziness with Putin is of concern in light of the growing certainty that Russia state actors were behind the leak of DNC emails.

    “She, like any Republican, Democrat, Independent who cares about national security is alarmed by the prospect and proposition that Russia is interfering in the American election – that’s not political, it’s a national security issue. She believes it is obviously new to see them interfering in an American election, but it is part of a pattern of Russia interfering in domestic affairs of other countries. Over past few years, Putin has increasingly taken positions at odds with the interests of the US. Unlike Trump who praises Putin, adopts pro-Putin positions and inserts them into his platform, she has taken a firm, tough, ultimately smart position on dealing with Russia going forward.”

    “Secretary Clinton believes the Number One priority of a president and commander-in-chief is keep American people safe, and no more important is that the threat of radical jihadist terrorism is stopped, pushed back and ultimately defeated,” Sullivan said. “We will hear about that and the combination of strength and smarts it takes to execute a strategy to achieve that. Her history and experience working on this set of issues, and the broader story. To defeat a threat that is now in dozens of countries around world will take global coalition, using intelligence, pushing back in the US, Europe, everywhere, disrupting flows of men, money, propaganda and fighters moving across country. All that will require a president who can forge relationships, has relationships and has the temperment. Over the course of the next two days, you will see our conviction that Trump doesn’t.”

    The evening will also focus on keeping the nation safe, spotlighting Clinton’s commitment to reduce gun violence, with families of victims of Orlando, Charleston and Sandy Hook, and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords with her husband Mark Kelly.

    Also, “making the case for the unique post-partisan nature of this election” will be former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who won his elections as a Republican and as an independent.

    Mayor Bloomberg will talk about the reason he has come to the conclusion that Hillary is right choice to be a stable leader on economic matters and why Donald Trump through his life in business is incapable of managing the economy, let alone managing his own affairs without creating disaster for his workers, investors, contractors – focus will be on economic choice facing the American people.”

    The evening will be topped off with speeches from Vice President Joe Biden, VP designate Tim Kaine and  President Barack Obama.

    All the speakers will talk about what’s at stake in this election – the loss of loved ones and personal experiences and the President and Vice President will talk about working directly with Hillary as senator and Secretary of State.

    Tim Kaine will have chance to let American people know what he’s been involved with his entire career –interestingly, in parallel fashion to Hillary, his decision in law school to work in a missionary school in Honduras – serving in local government  as mayor of Richmond, bringing people together, being the Lt. Governor and Governor and then US Senator from Virginia – his life and story will be told.

    “Tim Kaine has a long history,” Podesta said. “What got him into politics was fight for social justice, fight that everyone could get education to live up to their God-given potential –  whether fighting for immigration reform, standing up to gun lobby in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, creating economic conditions to create jobs in Virginia, he brings strong credentials, deep conviction. He’s been on the city council, mayor, governor, senator. He is well qualified for this job and four-square with Hillary Clinton in pushing forward a very progressive agenda and we look forward to him making that case and talking about his life story, talking about people left out and left behind.:

    President Bill Clinton speaks to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia© 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
    President Bill Clinton speaks to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia© 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

    With Secretary Clinton about to give one of the biggest speeches of her life, Sullivan said, “I can faithfully report she is in a positive frame of mine,” having made history as the first woman to be nominated for president from a major party. “She is in an even more positive frame of mind, because she views Thursday as an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about her ideas, her vision, what motivates her. She cares deeply [about this country and people] and wants to communicate that.”

    Asked whether Clinton is linked to closely with President Obama, Podesta said, “From the beginning of this campaign, she celebrated the success of the Obama presidency but also said there are new challenges that need to be taken on going forward – how to make the economy work better for working people. This president inherited the worst recession since the Great Depression and kept us from falling into a second Great Depression –that is a tremendous accomplishment. His job approval is more than 50%. She believes he has done a terrific job for the American people, but she is not running for his third term. She has her own ideas, and will lay them out for the American people, where she wants to go and take the country.”

    One of these areas is breaking with Obama on TPP which Clinton has said she would oppose, not renegotiate.

    “She is against TPP before the election and after the election,” Podesta said. “She has a long economic agenda that includes investing in infrastructure, enforcing trade laws, raising the minimum wage, fighting for the right to organize, making sure college is affordable.  She is not interested in renegotiating the TPP.”

    The convention will “take a moment to celebrate the success of Barack and Michelle Obama  and the Bidens – the role models, the kind of leadership they have offered.

    “President Obama will talk about the Hillary Clinton he knows – the Hillary he competed against in the 2008 primaries but who he found to be the right person to be his partner in carrying out foreign policy for the country, to reset America’s position in the world, the bond they built, the friendship they built, and why she is the right choice for the American people.

    “It will be a chance to celebrate Obama’s accomplishments, talk about the future, and  speak directly to the American people about the kind of leader she was working for him as part of his administration. It is a unique moment in that sense. We are looking forward to it, and looking forward to him being out on campaign trail in the fall – we will use him as much as we can. He is a great and effective person to inform the American people, frame the choice and talk about what the stakes are, what the job is like, sitting behind the desk making the life/death decisions a president has to make and why she is the right choice and Donald Trump is not.”