Cindy McCain Recovering After Stroke

Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain and head of the UN World Food Program, suffered a mild stroke this week, according to the humanitarian organization. The statement said McCain, 71, is expected to make a full recovery and will be traveling from Rome, where the program is based, to Arizona to focus on her recuperation. She plans to return to the job after her doctors have cleared her, in four to six weeks, the AP reports. "I want to thank the medical staff in Italy for the excellent treatment I received," said McCain. "My recovery is progressing well thanks to their outstanding care."

McCain was appointed in March 2023 to lead the world's largest humanitarian organization after serving as US ambassador to the UN agencies for food and agriculture during the Biden administration. She has since become the face of the World Food Program, one of the few UN agencies that has received bipartisan support for its efforts to help nearly 150 million people confronting conflicts, disasters, and impacts of climate change this year. McCain and the WFP have been in the spotlight as the agency has sought to ease the humanitarian crises caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. "The fight against hunger has never been more critical," McCain said in the statement.