Donald Trump Administration

US Secretary of State Rubio warns of 'imminent threat' from radical Islam

Rubio further said that Radical Islamists are 'prepared to conduct acts of terrorism, assassination, murders' to gain their 'domination of different cultures and societies'

Trump admin to withhold SNAP from Democrat states over data refusal

President Donald Trump's administration has said it will move to withhold SNAP food aid from recipients in most Democratic-controlled states starting next week unless they provide information about those receiving the assistance. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that the action is in the works because those states are refusing to provide data the department requested such as the names and immigration status of the aid recipients. She said the cooperation is necessary in order to root out fraud in the programme. Democratic states have sued to block the requirement. About 42 million lower-income Americans, or one in eight, rely on SNAP to help buy groceries. The average monthly benefit is about USD 190 per person, or a little over USD 6 a day. The programme is not normally in the political spotlight, but it has been this year. As part of Trump's big tax and policy bill earlier in the year, work requirements are expanding to include people who ar

Trump administration plans to expand travel ban to nearly 30 countries

A list of the countries being added to the ban is expected to come soon, according to a Department of Homeland Security official

US vows to refocus G20 on driving growth, prosperity under its presidency

The US has said it will steer the G20 back to its "core mission" of driving economic growth and prosperity by prioritising regulatory reform, energy security and technological innovation during its year-long presidency of the grouping. America assumed the G20 presidency on December 1. The State Department in a statement on Monday said under President Donald Trump's leadership, the US will "return the G20 to focusing on its core mission of driving economic growth and prosperity to produce results". As we usher in these much-needed reforms, we will prioritise three core themes: unleashing economic prosperity by limiting regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovations, it said. The US will host the G20 Leaders' Summit in Miami, Florida, in 2026, coinciding with the country's 250th anniversary year. America took over the presidency from South Africa, but Trump did not attend the Johannesburg Summit held last mon

Trump holds Oval Office meeting on Venezuela amid questions on US strikes

The deliberations came as the US has stepped up pressure on Venezuela through strikes on drug boats and a significant military build-up in the Caribbean under 'Operation Southern Spear'

Trump had preventive heart and abdomen MRI scan, results 'normal': Doctor

Donald Trump's doctor says the President had MRI imaging on his heart and abdomen in October as part of a preventative screening for men his age, according to a memo from the physician released by the White House. Sean Barbabella said in a statement on Monday that Trump's physical exam included "advanced imaging" that is "standard for an executive physical" in Trump's age group. Barbabella concluded that the cardiovascular and abdominal imaging was "perfectly normal". "The purpose of this imaging is preventative: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function," the doctor wrote. The White House released Barbabella's memo after Trump on Sunday said he would release the results of the scan. He and the White House have said the scan was "part of his routine physical examination" but had declined until Monday to detail why Trump had an MRI during his physical in October at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or on what

Trump downplays Venezuelan airspace warning as US mulls new steps

The US is enacting a widening campaign in the Caribbean, one that began with fatal strikes on boats in international waters and continued when the US deployed additional Navy ships

I know who I am going to pick, says Trump on his choice of next Fed chair

Trump has frequently excoriated current Fed chief Jerome Powell for failing to lower rates swiftly and signalled he wants a chair who will more forcefully pursue cuts

Trump invites families of shot National Guard members to White House

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he's invited the family of a National Guard member fatally shot last week to the White House, saying he spoke to her parents and they were devastated. US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died after the Wednesday shooting in Washington, DC, while her seriously injured colleague, US Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remained in critical condition. The president said he's discussed a White House visit for the parents of both members of the West Virginia National Guard. I said, When you're ready, because that's a tough thing, come to the White House. We're going to honor Sarah, Trump told reporters. And likewise with Andrew, recover or not. In recent days, local vigils in West Virginia have honoured the soldiers, including one Saturday evening at Webster County High School, where Beckstrom attended classes. Sarah was the kind of student that teachers hoped for, she carried herself with quiet strength, a contagious smile and a positive energy that lif

Biden, Harris screwed our country: Trump after shooting near White House

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also accused the previous Biden administration of committing an "act of national self-sabotage" by letting immigrants like Lakanwal into the country

US, Ukraine talks on Russia productive, but much work yet to be done: Rubio

US and Ukrainian officials completed roughly four hours of talks Sunday aimed at finding an endgame to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters afterward that the session was productive but work remains in the search for a peace deal. It's not just about the terms that ends fighting, Rubio said. It's about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. ... I think we built on that today, but there's more work to be done." The high-level negotiations in Florida came days before President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will be in Moscow to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Rubio, Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, represented the American side in the talks, held at a sensitive time as Ukraine continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in 2022 while dealing with a domestic corruption scandal. Diplomats have focused on revisions to a proposed US-authored plan that was developed in

Northwestern reaches $75 mn deal with Trump admin to restore funding

Northwestern, which has campuses in Evanston, Illinois, and Chicago, had been crippled financially by the federal freeze and was self-financing its research, paying millions of dollars each month

Trump admin, judge face off over flights to El Salvador in contempt probe

Two planes carrying Venezuelan migrants out of the US were midair on March 15 when a federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration to turn them around. Instead, the planes landed in El Salvador hours later, touching off an extraordinary power struggle between the judicial and executive branches of the US government over what happened and why the judge's order went unexecuted. That fight entered a critical phase on Friday when US District Judge James Boasberg relaunched an investigation to determine whether the Republican administration deliberately ignored his instruction, letting the planes continue onto El Salvador. The judge previously concluded it did and threatened to have the responsible official or officials prosecuted on a contempt charge. The administration has denied any violation. But an appeals court threw Boasberg's decision out. The contempt probe appeared dead until, in yet another twist, a larger panel of judges on the same appeals court ruled on ...

Trump vows strict curbs on legal migration after White House shooting

Trump's administration remained largely silent on how any of those changes would be made, which countries would be targeted or how sweeping the actions could be

Trump declares most Biden orders void, citing use of autopen signatures

Trump alleged Biden's staff used the autopen illegally and that the former president wasn't in control of his own presidency when the tool was being used

One of the National Guard members shot near White House has died: Trump

Federal authorities have identified the suspected shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who previously worked with US forces and the CIA in Afghanistan before arriving in US in 2021

Afghan immigrant drove across US to ambush Guard troops near White House

An Afghan national who worked with the CIA in his native country and immigrated to the US in 2021 drove from Washington state to shoot two West Virginia National Guard members deployed in Washington, DC, just blocks from the White House, US officials said Thursday. The suspect had worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to a cousin who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to provide a motive for Wednesday afternoon's brazen act of violence, which comes as the presence of troops in the nation's capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint. Pirro identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalised in critical condition. Pirro said that the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, launched an ambush-style att

Did Trump ask them to lower temperature on Taiwan? No comment, says Japan

Takaichi hasn't retracted remarks she made on Nov 7 that linked Japan's security to a Taiwan contingency, the first such instance for a sitting prime minister

US forces to use Dominican Republic base in expanded anti-drug campaign

Aircraft will be refuelled and logistical tasks will take place at the San Isidro base and Las Americas international airport near Santo Domingo, according to President Luis Abinader

Russia's frozen assets at the centre of Ukraine peace deal negotiations

Money is as central to Europe's vital support of Ukraine as ammunition and intelligence. Yet, the bloc's most viable funding mechanism involves seizing billions of dollars worth of Russian assets that US President Donald Trump has proposed taking over. The first draft of Trump's 28-point peace plan called for an investment scheme for Ukraine's reconstruction controlled by the US but financed by USD 100 billion in frozen Russian assets matched by another USD 100 billion from the European Union with 50 per cent of profits sent back to Washington. The plan surprised Europeans, who have spent years fiercely debating the fate of Russia's frozen fortune. Those funds are central to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plan to both maintain pressure on Russia and increase support for Ukraine as mysterious drone incursions and sabotage operations rattle European capitals. "I cannot see any scenario in which the European taxpayers alone will pay the bill," she said Wednesday