Devastating news has hit the political world. This is not what people wanted to hear.
And a former presidential candidate’s wife has suffered a terrifying medical emergency.
Cindy McCain, the widow of the late Senator John McCain and current leader of the U.N. World Food Program, faced a sudden health challenge last week with a mild stroke. According to the organization’s latest press release, she’s bouncing back strong.
At 71 years old, McCain is set to head back to her home state of Arizona from Rome, where the World Food Program calls home.
The plan is straightforward: she’ll step away from her duties for four to six weeks until cleared to return.
“I want to thank the medical staff in Italy for the excellent treatment I received,” McCain said.
“My recovery is progressing well thanks to their outstanding care.”
McCain stepped into her role at the World Food Program in March 2023, right after wrapping up her stint as the U.S. ambassador to U.N. food and agriculture agencies during the Biden administration. It’s a position that puts her at the helm of the planet’s biggest humanitarian outfit.
But let’s not forget the political twists in her story. McCain turned heads when she ditched Republican ranks to back Joe Biden in the 2020 election. She became a vocal ally for the Democrats, especially after Donald Trump called out her husband’s record and service in the military.
Despite the partisan divide, McCain has emerged as the public voice for the World Food Program, an arm of the U.N. that somehow still draws support from both sides of the aisle. This year alone, they’re tackling aid for nearly 150 million folks hit hard by wars, natural calamities, and what some call climate shifts.
Lately, McCain and her team have been thrust into the thick of major global hotspots, like the brutal clash between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel’s push into Gaza. These conflicts have sparked massive humanitarian needs, and the WFP is right there trying to plug the gaps.
Just a few weeks back, after a firsthand look at Gaza, McCain opened up to The Associated Press about the dire situation on the ground. She made it clear that food supplies are falling way short in the Palestinian areas.
She even reached out directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pressing for more aid to flow in without delay. Her words carried weight amid growing concerns about starvation.
This came hot on the heels of reports from top food crisis experts declaring famine in Gaza’s biggest city, with fears it could engulf the whole strip unless fighting stops and aid barriers come down.
“I personally met mothers and children who were starving in Gaza,” McCain stated. “It is real and it is happening now.”
Beyond the headlines, McCain has long championed kids’ causes, sitting on the board of Operation Smile—a group that fixes facial issues for children worldwide. She’s traveled to places like India, Morocco, and Vietnam to see the impact up close.
Taking over from David Beasley, the ex-governor of South Carolina, McCain inherited a program that navigated rough waters through the COVID mess and the food shortages kicked off by Russia’s move into Ukraine.
Under Beasley, the World Food Program snagged the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, recognized for battling the weaponization of hunger in wars and strife.
Now, with McCain on the mend, deputy executive director Carl Skau will handle the daily grind at the WFP until she’s ready to jump back in.
In her statement last week, McCain expressed rock-solid trust in her crew to keep things rolling without missing a beat.
She has “full confidence” in the team “to stay laser-focused on delivering urgently needed food assistance to the more than 100 million people WFP is working to serve across 87 countries.”
