Page 21 - Donald Trump Administration

Rubio to visit Israel after Vance, ensure fragile Gaza ceasefire holds

As US Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel comes to a close, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would be travelling to the country to keep the momentum on the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Earlier this week, Vance announced the opening of a civilian military coordination centre in southern Israel where some 200 US troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries planning the stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza. Rubio told journalists at Joint Base Andrews late Wednesday that he plans to visit the centre and appoint a Foreign Service official to work alongside the top US military commander in the Middle East, Vice Adm Brad Cooper. The US is seeking support from other allies, especially Gulf nations, to create an international stabilisation force to be deployed to Gaza and train a Palestinian force. We'd like to see Palestinian police forces in Gaza that are not Hamas and that are going to do a good jo

Trump approves $25 mn in disaster aid to help Alaska recover from storms

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is approving USD 25 million in disaster aid for Alaska after back-to-back storms including the remnants of a typhoon ravaged coastal villages, displaced about 2,000 people and led to one of the most significant evacuation airlifts in state history. Trump said on social media that he informed Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy he was approving the money to help recovery efforts. Last Thursday, Dunleavy sought an expedited major disaster declaration connected to the storm impacts from earlier this month. On Wednesday, his office said Trump's declaration clears the way for federal aid for related to recovery and reconstruction, unemployment assistance and disaster loans for small businesses. While damage assessments are still being tallied, two of the hardest-hit communities were the low-lying Yup'ik villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which were devastated by record high water levels amid the storm surge from the remnants of Typhoon Halong. Th

US lawmakers urge Trump to scrap $100K H-1B visa fee hurting startups

The Congress members warned that the move could especially harm small and early-stage companies that depend on global talent to grow

University of Virginia signs deal with Trump admin, secures federal funding

As part of the accord, the university agreed to provide the government with data on its admissions and hiring processes, as well as campus programming, through 2028

Trump planning to demolish White House East Wing to build new ballroom

Trump unveiled his ballroom plans over the summer, after long complaining about wanting a larger room for entertaining at the White House

US imposes new sanctions on Russia's top oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new sanctions Wednesday against Russia's two biggest oil companies and blasted Moscow's refusal to end its senseless war as U.S.-led efforts to end the war floundered and the Ukrainian president sought more foreign military help. The sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as dozens of subsidiaries, followed months of bipartisan pressure on President Donald Trump to hit Russia with harder sanctions on its oil industry. Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire, Bessent said in a statement. Given Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia's two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin's war machine. Bessent said the Treasury Department was prepared to take further action if necessary to support Trump's effort to end the war. We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions. Bessent made the comments as NATO Secretary General Mark .

2 killed as US strikes eighth alleged drug-carrying boat, now in Pacific

The US military conducted its eighth strike against an alleged drug vessel, killing two people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday. The Tuesday night strike occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The seven previous strikes all targeted vessels in the Caribbean. According to Hegseth in a social media post, the strike killed two people, bringing the death toll from all the strikes to at least 34 people. In a brief video released by Hegseth, a small boat, half-filled with brown packages, is seen moving along the water. Several seconds into the video, the boat explodes and is seen floating motionless on the water in flames. In his post, Hegseth took the unusual step of equating the alleged drug traffickers to the group behind the September 11, 2001, attack. Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people, Hegseth said, adding there will be no refuge or forgiveness only justice. President Donald Trump has justified the .

Trump seeks $230 mn from Department of Justice over earlier investigations

The matter is unusual in American history, given that a sitting president is demanding money from the same government he leads, for probes that were conducted against him earlier

Senate Republicans head to White House amid stalemate on shutdown

As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands. Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year. With both sides showing no signs of movement, it's unclear how long the stalemate will last even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programmes will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead. I think the president's ready to get involv

Trump nominee Ingrassia under fire for racist slurs, 'Nazi streak'

The controversy is expected to seriously damage Paul Ingrassia's chances of confirmation and add pressure on the Trump administration, which is already facing criticism over several appointments

Trump admin relents, to resume student loan forgiveness for millions

The White House reached an agreement with the AFT last week to restart student loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers under 'Income-contingent' and 'Pay as you earn' plans

Businesses tell US Supreme Court that Trump tariffs are illegal $3 trn tax

The tariffs remain in place for now, even though the federal appeals court ruled that the president exceeded his authority by imposing them

Trump official cautions China against penalising firms investing in US

Greer's warning comes amid ongoing US-China maritime disputes, with China controlling over half the world's shipbuilding and seeking greater influence in the South China Sea

Case against Comey driven by Trump's 'personal animus', say his lawyers

Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge Monday to dismiss the case against him, calling it a vindictive prosecution motivated by personal animus and orchestrated by a White House determined to seek retribution against a perceived foe of President Donald Trump. The lawyers separately called for the indictment's dismissal because of what they said was the illegitimate appointment of the US attorney who filed the case days after being hastily named to the job by Trump. The two-prong attack on the indictment, which accuses Comey of lying to Congress five years ago, represents the opening salvo in what is expected to be a protracted court fight ahead of a trial currently set for January 5. The motions take aim not at the substance of the allegations but rather on the unusual circumstances of the prosecution, which included Trump exhorting his attorney general to bring charges against Comey as well as his administration's abrupt installation of a White House aide to serve

Trump can command Oregon troops, says US court, blocks deployment for now

An appeals court on Monday put on hold a lower court ruling that kept President Donald Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. However, Trump is still barred from actually deploying those troops, at least for now. US District Judge Karin Immergut issued two temporary restraining orders early this month -- one that prohibited Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland, and another that prohibited him from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all, after the president tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead. The Justice Department appealed the first order, and in a 2-1 ruling Monday, a panel from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the administration. The majority said the president was likely to succeed on his claim that he had the authority to federalise the troops based on a determination he was unable to enforce the laws without them. However, Immergut's second order remains in effect

Ukraine 'could still win' against Russia, says Trump but doubts outcome

Trump's remarks came during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where both leaders signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on critical minerals

US nuclear security agency furloughs 1,400 workers amid govt shutdown

The federal agency tasked with overseeing the US nuclear stockpile has begun furloughing employees as part of the ongoing federal government shutdown, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Monday. In a visit to Nevada, Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers as part of the shutdown, which began October 1. Nearly 400 federal workers will remain on the job, along with thousands of NNSA contractors, the Energy Department said. The NNSA, a semi-autonomous branch of the Energy Department, also works to secure nuclear materials around the world. Tough day today," Wright said in Las Vegas before a scheduled visit to the Nevada National Security Site in Mercury, Nevada. We're working hard to protect everyone's jobs and keep our national stockpile secure, Wright said. The furloughs do not pose an immediate threat to national security, Wright said, adding, "We have emergency employees and the current nuclear stockpile is safe. President .

Diwali timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness, says Trump

US President Donald Trump on Monday extended his wishes on Diwali, the festival of lights, and said it is a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate. Today, I send my best wishes to every American celebrating Diwali the Festival of Lights', Trump said in a statement. For many Americans, Diwali is a timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness. It is also a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate community, draw strength from hope, and embrace a lasting spirit of renewal, the US president said. As millions of citizens light diyas and lanterns, we rejoice in the eternal truth that good will always triumph over evil. To every American celebrating Diwali, may this observance bring abiding serenity, prosperity, hope, and peace, he added.

'Humbled' but unfazed, says George Santos after Trump commutes his sentence

Freed from the prison where he had been serving time for ripping off his campaign donors, former US Rep George Santos says he's humbled by his experience behind bars but unconcerned about the pearl clutching of critics upset that President Donald Trump granted him clemency. I'm pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics," Santos said on Sunday in an interview on CNN. Santos, who won office after inventing a bogus persona as a Wall Street dealmaker, pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft last year and began serving a seven-year sentence in July at a prison in New Jersey. But Trump ordered his release on Friday after he served just 84 days. Trump called Santos a rogue, but said he did not deserve a harsh sentence and should get credit for voting Republican. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Santos said he had learned a great deal and had a very large slice of humble pie, if not the whole pie while in prison. He also

Why millions joined 'No Kings' protests across US against Trump policies

About seven million people marched across 2,700 US cities in the latest 'No Kings' protests, denouncing Donald Trump's 'authoritarian' policies amid a government shutdown