Trump Says US, Philippines 'Very Close' to Finalizing Deal; US to Leave UNESCO by 2026

President Donald Trump on Tuesday welcomed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House, saying the two countries were close to finalizing a trade agreement. "We're going to talk about trade today and we are very close to finishing a trade deal, a big trade deal actually," Trump told reporters at the start of his meeting with the Philippine leader.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that he will meet his Chinese counterpart next week in Stockholm and discuss what is likely to be an extension of an August 12 deadline for a deal to avert sharply higher tariffs. Bessent told Fox Business Network's Mornings With Maria program that trade with China was in "a very good place" and the meetings in Stockholm would take place next Monday and Tuesday.

The United States will withdraw from the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by the end of 2026, the State Department confirmed on Tuesday, citing ideological differences and what it described as an anti-Israel bias and “globalist” agenda out of step with U.S. foreign policy.