and we have a winning fight, because they're using our country as a piggy bank to rebuild China.

And when I was HUD secretary, we worked on the National Disaster Resilience Competition to invest in communities that were trying to rebuild from natural disasters in a sustainable way.

So they need to kind of reestablish and rebuild that.

I think it's important for us to develop new sources of energy here in America, that we change our tax code to make sure that we're helping small businesses and companies that are investing here in the United States, that we take some of the money that we're saving as we wind down two wars to rebuild America,

how can we rebuild Nepal?

vows to move heaven and earth to rebuild

The entire Pacific Northwest region will undergo a profound transformation after the significant earthquake, and while the federal government is likely to cover the entire reconstruction expenses, the economic damage to the Pacific Northwest will necessitate a generation to rebuild.

Flatland is scarce roads and railways must navigate rugged terrain and much of the area remains covered in dense Vegetation or protected national parks such as Kenting and Taroko But while Taiwan is very mountainous overall the western part consists of broad plains and rolling hills that provide ample space for cities infrastructure and perhaps most importantly Agriculture and more to that point the relatively flat land in the West allows for efficient transportation networks the construction of industrial hubs and the expansion of urban centers such as Taipei Taichung and Kaohsiung for example in 1999 Taiwan began construction of its first and only High-speed rail line linking the country's capital at Taipei with its large southern city, Kaohsiung Taiwan's high-speed rail which can travel up to 300 kilometers per hour can only really be built in flatter areas as Such nearly all of Taiwan's west coast is connected to its high-speed rail network Its east coast though It would be very challenging to make it work there due to the mountainous topography This kind of infrastructure keeps the country's population and industry focused on Taiwan's west coast, but it's not all about Infrastructure Taiwan is very prone to natural disasters But while it's a small island not all of Taiwan suffers these disasters in the same way frequent earthquakes and typhoons disproportionately impact the central and eastern regions You see the island sits at the boundary between the Philippine sea plate and the Eurasian plate making it highly seismically active In fact most of Taiwan's east coast between the cities of Taitung and Hualien Sits on the Chishang Fault a very active fault line that creates a large earthquake every few years in 2024 a magnitude 7.4 earthquake ripped through Hualien causing extensive damage and loss of life for the city and region While Taiwan's western cities can feel these same earthquakes They're rarely subjected to the full force in the same way as the country's east coast But also Taiwan's east coast routinely suffers from another devastating natural disaster large and powerful typhoons that form over the Pacific Ocean in 2024 alone Taiwan was hit by three powerful typhoons Typhoon Kong Ray the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan since 1996 sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour this storm slammed into the country's east coast causing Extensive damage during a period of time when Taiwan was still trying to rebuild after its recent earthquake And while the whole country was under a typhoon warning It's the country's east coast that took the brunt of it suffice it to say natural disasters Don't make living in eastern Taiwan easy, but there are other economic factors at play as well One of the biggest factors is Taiwan's economic relationship with mainland China the west coast facing the Taiwan Strait is Strategically positioned to facilitate trade and transportation links with China Which remains Taiwan's largest trading partner with more than 40% of Taiwan's goods exported to its cousin country Major ports such as Kaohsiung Taichung and Keelung handle the vast majority of Taiwan's international trade Serving as gateways for goods moving between Taiwan and the global market this proximity has influenced Taiwan's economic development With industries clustering in areas that provide easy access to shipping routes and international markets the eastern coast in Contrast faces the wide open Pacific Ocean making trade and transportation routes less convenient This proximity to the mainland is reflected throughout history early Chinese settlers who arrived in increasing numbers during the Ming and Qing Dynasties primarily landed on the western side of the island the West's flatter terrain and fertile plains allowed for agriculture While the indigenous populations in the central and eastern mountains resisted large-scale settlement Even during the Japanese colonial era when major infrastructure projects such as railways and roads were developed the emphasis remained on the west coast due to its economic potential and Accessibility while the Taiwanese government has made efforts to develop the east including improved transportation networks such as the Sihua highway And the Eastern Line Railway the region remains far less populated than the West Hualien and Taitung the largest cities in eastern Taiwan are small compared to their western counterparts and function more as regional centers than major urban hubs Today Taiwan's west coast is home to about 90% of all of Taiwan's population Or a little more than 21 million people this would be led by New Taipei with 4 million people Kaohsiung with 2.8 million Taichung and Taipei with 2.7 million Taiwan with 2.1 million and Tainan with 1.8 million people by contrast Central and eastern Taiwan is home to just 2.5 million people smaller than most of Taiwan's west coast cities This region would be led by Hualien and Taitung with just 106,000 people each Guys, I'm literally walking through Hualien as I record this and let me tell you The eastern side of Taiwan is Incredibly beautiful, which is to say if you ever do visit Taiwan Don't skip out on coming to the east coast because the geography here is stunning But if you don't plan on visiting Taiwan anytime soon, and you do want to experience it Be sure to check out the two videos I have on Taiwan over on my travel channel Alex and I first go down the west coast and then back up the east coast and it's a lot of fun I hope you enjoyed learning all about Taiwan If you did, please like the video and subscribe to the channel if you want to watch more videos consider this one on Columbia's empty West Coast and Be sure to check out my adventures in Taiwan right here.

The UK government says it remains absolutely committed to peace in Ukraine and that it's engaging with key allies After President Trump paused US military aid to the war-torn country a short while ago The EU Commission president outlined her plan to strengthen Europe's military capability Saying it would help the bloc get immediate military equipment to Ukraine An official in Washington explained President Trump's decision by saying the president's been clear that he's focused on peace We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well We're pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it's contributing to a solution Well since returning to the White House President Trump's claimed and on a number of occasions that the Biden administration gave Ukraine 350 billion dollars in military assistance BBC News has not been able to verify that figure Well, the US Department of Defense says the amount spent on military assistance to Ukraine in the three years since the Russian invasion Amounts to just over a hundred and eighty billion dollars President Trump's move come two days after that heated exchange between him and President Zelensky and Vice President Vance in the Oval Office Well speaking to Fox News before the military aid was paused Vice President Vance said the door is open if mr Zelensky is willing to talk peace mr. Vance also suggested that giving Washington an economic interest in the future of Ukraine would serve as a security guarantee If you want real security guarantees if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again The very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years the security guarantee and also the economic guarantee for Ukraine is to rebuild the country and Ensure that America has a long-term interest JD Vance there will Ukraine does produce some of its own weaponry But it does rely heavily on billions of dollars of aid from overseas allies such as America and Europe With more on all of that his BBC verifies Nick Hurdley What would a reduction in US support look like and could Europe step in to fill funding and equipment gaps?

We're separating polyester from cotton, from dye, and you rebuild the longer chain of the polymer itself.