This morning on NBC’s Today Show, Jenna Bush Hager reported on President and Mrs. Bush’s recent trip to Tanzania and Zambia, highlighting the success of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and a new initiative aimed at fighting cervical cancer.

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Bush family visits Africa, sees ‘sense of hope’ (Jenna Bush Hager, NBC’s Today Show)

Former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush visit Africa to highlight the success of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and announce a new partnership to fight cervical cancer.

Politics/Foreign Policy 

U.S. expresses dissatisfaction with Egypt (Matt Lee, Associated Press)

The Obama administration pressed its concerns Wednesday with Egyptian officials over the ongoing violence and abuse of female demonstrators in Egypt.  The State Department said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had spoken by phone a day earlier to Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri to register deep U.S. unease about the situation, particularly well-documented attacks on women participating in anti-military protests by security forces. The conversation came after Clinton earlier this week bluntly called the treatment of the women a “disgrace” that dishonored this year’s revolution that ended decades of repressive rule.

2012ers duck radioactive D.C. debate (Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman, Politico)

The Republican presidential frontrunners have perfected the formula for ducking the debate in Washington: Wait for D.C. to hit an impasse. Express dismay at federal dysfunction. Snipe at the eventual resolution. Repeat. The latest example: far from rushing to steer the party away from a potentially disastrous showdown over the payroll tax holiday with President Barack Obama, the top Republican candidates are doing what they can to make themselves scarce. The consensus in GOP circles, though, is that they’re playing things exactly right. That’s because Congress has become so toxic, the legislative leaders in both parties so horrifically unpopular, that Obama’s challengers are better off running for cover than trying to take part in shaping the national conversation.

Concord Monitor Endorses Jon Huntsman (Concord Monitor Editorial Board)

If elected, he would provide mature, informed and steady leadership. He has a track record as governor of bringing all sides together to create an economic climate that helped his state prosper. And he has experience garnered while serving four presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. Combine the foreign policy experience of all the other candidates in the race and Huntsman would top it. He has played the game at its highest level, serving first as ambassador to Singapore, then as a trade representative on behalf of the United States at the United Nations and, at Obama’s request, as the United States’ ambassador to China.

US Peace Corps cuts Honduras role amid security fears (BBC News)

The US Peace Corps is pulling out of Honduras amid concerns over rising violence linked to organised crime.  The corps said it would withdraw its 158 volunteers from Honduras in January while it reviewed the security situation.  Training for new volunteers is also being halted in El Salvador and Guatemala.

Should U.S. Cut Off Aid to Saudi Arabia? (Bret Baier, Fox News Special Report)

Roundtable discussion on Saudi Arabia using U.S. foreign assistance dollars to produce textbooks that promote racism.