NATO head and Trump meet in Florida for talks on global security
BRUSSELS — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said Saturday.
In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its secretary general, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida.
“They discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” the statement said without giving details.
It appeared to be Rutte’s first meeting with Trump since his Nov. 5 election. Rutte had previously congratulated Trump and said “his leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong” and that he looked forward to working with him.
Trump has for years expressed skepticism about the Western alliance and complained about the defense spending of many of its member nations, which he regarded as too low. He depicted NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the value of the alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades. He threatened not to defend NATO members that fail to meet defense-spending goals.
Rutte and his team also met Trump’s pick as national security adviser, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, and other members of the president-elect’s national security team, the NATO statement said.
Rutte took over at the helm of NATO in October.
Infant dies and 10 others sick in latest listeria outbreak tied to ready-to-eat meat
The cases appeared in California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York between July 31 and Oct. 24, the CDC said. Nine out of the 11 infected individuals were hospitalized.
Climate change plays a role in global rise of dengue fever
Over 12 million cases of dengue fever were reported in 2024, the most ever. A study suggests climate change has likely played a significant role in the disease's expansion.
What a mollusc shell and fiber optic cables have in common
A heart cockle shell has been found to let in light through a design that resembles fiber optic cables. This could inspire everything from helping coral survive to designing new camera lenses.
Bringing Thanksgiving food on a plane? Here is what you should know
Thanksgiving favorites such as mac and cheese, turkey and casseroles can be brought through TSA checkpoints. But cranberry sauce, maple syrup and gravy must go in checked baggage, the agency says.
In a ‘Still Life’ painting nothing moves — but, wait! Was that a dragon?
An authoritative artist has many rules for his still life painting. Too bad! Because the mouse, the dragon, the knight, and the princess are here to break them in this raucous new picture book.
South Africa’s illegal gold miners are locked in an underground standoff with police
Surviving on a diet of toothpaste and toilet paper, South Africa's notorious "zama-zama" illegal miners continue a weeks-long standoff with police in the darkness of a disused gold mine.
