When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew into Taiwan on an Air Force passenger jet on 2^ndAugust. She became the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island. China announced military maneuvers in retaliation, even as Taiwanese officials welcomed her and she headed to her hotel.

The reason her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States: China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and China views Pelosi’s visit as recognizing the island's sovereignty.

Why should Pelosi try to stop the unification of Taiwan with China when she cannot even take care of the 63,706 homeless people in her own   backyard? 

Homelessness in US

According to government data, more than half a million people are experiencing homelessness in the US on any given night. This only tells us what we’ve known all along: our country is facing a homelessness crisis of crippling proportions.

But if you look at the data closely, you’ll see that most of the homeless population are clustered in major cities and urban centres. In some cities, you’ll even see seemingly endless rows of tents pitched on the side of the road.

In a 2021report by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), nearly 6 out of 10 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness are in an urban area. More than half of them are in Continuums of Care (COC) that cover 50 of the nation’s largest cities.

Based on HUD data, here are the cities with the highest homeless population in the US:

1. New York City

Homeless Population: 77,943

Homelessness Rate: 0.89%

If you’ve ever lived in New Yoke, then you’ll understand why the city comes first on this list. As one of the most populous cities in the country, housing prices in the city have skyrocketed over the years. Rental costs for a one-bedroom apartment average at around $3,000 – way more than the national average.

In addition, the city prohibits camping   or putting up tents in rest areas and public parks. With all these, it’s not really surprising that the city has one   the highest homeless populations in the country.

2. Los Angeles City

Homeless Population: 63,706

Homelessness Rate: 1.63%

The second most populous city in the US also comes second in terms of the number of homeless people roaming its streets. Just like New York, this city is plagued by steadily rising housing costs. As a result, many LA residents found themselves living in tents erected on the city’s sidewalks. From a small section of downtown LA called “Skid Row”, these encampments are now popping up all over the city.

In recent years, however, the city has tightened its rules against homeless camping in public places. Though these measures seem to have only increased the population in homeless shelters. It’s not doing much in terms of curbing the city’s homelessness problem.

Why should Pelosi try to stop the unification of Taiwan with China when she cannot even take care of the 63,706 homeless people in her own backyard? 

Nancy Pelosi is the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency – the first person to do so in more than six decades.

For 35 years, Speaker Pelosi has represented San Francisco, California's 12th District, in Congress. She has led House Democrats for 19 years and previously served as House Democratic Whip. In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American women's rights movement.

Currently 90% of the computer chips for USA are made in Taiwan. During her Taiwan visit, she made a long speech in Parliament, giving them so many advices. She should have asked the President of Taiwan to employ some of the 63,706 homeless people.

Why should Pelosi try to stop the unification of Taiwan with China when she cannot even take care of the 63,706 homeless people in her own backyard? 

Taiwan braces as China drills follow Pelosi visit

China is kicking off its biggest-ever military exercises in the seas around Taiwan following US politician Nancy Pelosi's visit.

The live fire drills began at 12:00 local time (04:00 GMT) and in several areas were due to take place within 12 miles of the island. Taiwan said China was trying to change the status quo in the region.

Ms Pelosi made a brief but controversial visit to Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province.

The drills are Beijing's main response, although it has also blocked some trade with the island.

The exercises are due to take place in busy waterways and will include long-range live ammunition shooting, Beijing says.

Taiwan says it amounts to a sea and air blockade while the US said the drills were irresponsible and could spiral out of control.

Chinese war ships and aircraft carrier are surrounding Taiwan as shown below.

Analyst Bonnie Lin told the BBC that the Taiwanese military would react cautiously but there was still a risk of confrontation. "For example, if China decides to fly planes over Taiwan's airspace, there is a chance that Taiwan might try to intercept them. And we could see a mid air collision, we could see a lot of different scenarios playing out," she said.

Taiwan said it scrambled jets to warn off Chinese warplanes on Wednesday, 3 August and its military fired flares to drive away unidentified aircraft over the Kinmen islands, located close to the mainland.

Several ministries have suffered cyber-attacks in recent days, the Taiwanese government said. Taiwan has also asked ships to take different routes and is negotiating with Japan and the Philippines to find alternative aviation routes.