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Donald Trump Administration
US Vice President JD Vance-led talks for peace with Iran may have been unsuccessful, but the 21-hour-long discussions helped build goodwill with the new leadership in Tehran, according to a media report. The Washington Post, quoting unnamed US officials, reported that the measure of goodwill established during the talks in Islamabad has made Washington believe that Iran may accept their terms to end the deadly and costly war. It said that President Donald Trump's announcement of a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could force Iran to agree to a deal. "A US official with knowledge of the negotiations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said Vance was keenly aware going into the negotiations of the mistrust and risk of misunderstanding between the United States and Iran," the report said. The official said Vance and the US negotiators had developed rapport and became warmer with each other. Trump appeared to share the assessment. "We had a ve
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is launching a new podcast that he says will begin "a new era of radical transparency in government," according to a teaser video first obtained by The Associated Press. The show, titled 'The Secretary Kennedy Podcast', will launch next week and feature Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine crusader who has reshaped the country's health policy, in conversation with doctors, scientists and agency staff, US Department of Health and Human Services officials told the AP ahead of the launch. In the teaser video, in a slick HHS-branded studio with ominous music playing in the background, Kennedy bills it as a new way to expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick. "We're going to name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to public health," Kennedy says in the nearly 90-second clip. Joining the Trump administration last year gave Kennedy a new platform for his views, some of which contradict the overwhelming consensus of scientist
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has cautioned that the US-Israel conflict with Iran could deepen further if the temporary ceasefire, reached "under political compulsions" by President Donald Trump, does not hold through. In an interview with PTI Videos, Bolton said Trump pushed for a ceasefire because of the political implications of rising gas prices in the US, the plunge in his popularity among the masses, and because an extended conflict with Iran could result in a severe setback for the US. "Well, I think a deeper, more lasting conflict is entirely possible. The real issue is Trump. He's been so concerned about the price at the pump of gasoline, the political implications for him. His popularity has gone down noticeably He may not care about all these broader considerations," Bolton said. "He (Trump) looks out after himself and that may be what dominates his thinking. And if so, I think that could result in a severe setback for the United States," Bolton said to
The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill as part of an overhaul to increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling. The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring together the functions of the current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Doing so will enable a "streamlined approach" that will maintain existing regulatory protections and rigorous safety standards, he said. The combined agency will "deliver clearer coordination, better service to the public and stronger, more integrated oversight of offshore energy development," Burgum said in a statement. The new name is reminiscent of the old Minerals Management Service, which for decades was the federal agency responsible for overseeing offshore drilling. In April 2010, a deadly explosion destroyed BP's Deepwater Horizon drilli
US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom won final approval from a key agency on Thursday, despite a federal judge recently ordering a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years. The 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region, went ahead with the vote because US District Judge Richard Leon's ruling - which came two days earlier - affects construction activities but not the planning process, said the commission's Trump-appointed chair, Will Scharf. A vote of 8-1, with two commissioners voting present and one absent, allowed the plan to move forward. Despite the agency's approval, however, the judge's ruling and a legal fight over the ballroom could stall progress on a legacy project that Trump is racing to see completed before the end of his term in early 2029. It's among a series of changes
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department's culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president's perceived enemies. The departure followed months of scrutiny over the Justice Department's handling of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation and failed efforts to meet Trump's unwavering demands for criminal cases against his adversaries. As Trump's own frustrations mounted, he began privately discussing firing Bondi, people familiar with the matter say. "Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year," Trump said in a statement. He added, "We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced a
The Supreme Court seemed poised Wednesday to reject US President Donald Trump's restrictions on birthright citizenship in a momentous case that was magnified by his unparalleled presence in the courtroom. Conservative and liberal justices questioned whether Trump's order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens comports with either the Constitution or federal law. Arguments lasted more than two hours in a crowded courtroom that included not only Trump, the first sitting president to attend arguments at the nation's highest court, but also Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and in seats reserved for the justices' guests, actor Robert De Niro. The case frames another test of Trump's assertions of executive power that defy long-standing precedent for a court with a conservative majority and a robust view of presidential power, which has largely ruled in the Republican president
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran's energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war with Tehran is not reached "shortly." Trump said the US is negotiating with Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, in an interview with the New York Post published Monday. The former Revolutionary Guard commander was previously floated as Washington's negotiating partner, but has denied Iran is talking to the US and said Pakistan-facilitated discussions were merely a cover for American troop deployments. Meanwhile, Israel has invaded southern Lebanon to push out Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, who have fired rockets and drones across the border, in a campaign that Israeli officials suggest could become a prolonged occupation. Three UN peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon in less than 24 hours, but it's unclear who was responsible. US stocks edged higher in shaky trading Mond