Donald Trump Administration

Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura wins Honduras presidential election

Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras' presidential election, the country's electoral authorities said Wednesday afternoon, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nation's fragile electoral system. The election is continuing Latin America's swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician Jos Antonio Kast as its next president. Asfura, of the conservative National Party, received 40.27 per cent of the vote in the Nov 30 election, edging out four-time candidate Salvador Nasralla of the conservative Liberal Party, who finished with 39.39 per cent of the vote. Asfura, the former mayor of Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa, won in his second bid for the presidency, after he and Nasralla were neck-and-neck during a weeks-long vote count that fueled international concern. On Tuesday night, a number of electoral officials and candidates were already fighting and contesting the results of the electi

Trump calls kids on Christmas, warns against infiltration by 'bad Santa'

President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing children calling in about what presents they were excited about receiving, while promising not to let a "bad Santa" infiltrate the country and even suggesting that a stocking full of coal may not be so bad. Vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the president and first lady Melania Trump, participated in the tradition of talking to youngsters dialling into the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which playfully tracks Santa's progress around the globe. "We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa's a very good person," Trump said while speaking to kids ages 4 and 10 in Oklahoma. "We want to make sure that he's not infiltrated, that we're not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa." He didn't elaborate. Trump has often marked Christmases past with criticisms of his political enemies, including in 2024, when he posted, "Merry Christmas to the Radical Left Lunatics." During his first term, Trump wrote

One killed as US strikes another alleged drug-smuggling boat in Pacific

The US military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. In a social media post, US Southern Command said, Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Southern Command provided no evidence that the vessel was engaged in drug smuggling. A video posted by US Southern Command shows splashes of water near one side of the boat. After a second salvo, the rear of the boat catches fire. More splashes engulf the craft and the fire grows. In the final second of the video, the vessel can be seen adrift with a large patch of fire alongside it. Earlier videos of US boat strikes showed vessels suddenly exploding, suggesting missile strikes. Some strike videos even had visible rocket-like projectiles coming down on the boats. The Trump administration has said the strikes we

Judge orders Trump admin to allow court challenges for Venezuelan migrants

A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration must give legal due process to Venezuelan migrants flown to a notorious prison in El Salvador, either by providing court hearings or returning them to the US. US District Judge James Boasberg ordered the government to come up with a plan within two weeks for the men, who have since been returned to Venezuela in a prisoner swap. Plaintiffs should not have been removed in the manner that they were, with virtually no notice and no opportunity to contest the bases of their removal, in clear contravention of their due-process rights, Boasberg wrote. It's the latest development in a case that's been a legal flashpoint in the administration's sweeping crackdown on immigration. It started in March, after Trump invoked an 18th-century wartime law to send Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. Two planeloads of men were flown to the prison, despite a ver

Trump unveils plan for new battleship as part of US Navy's 'Golden Fleet'

President Donald Trump has announced a bold plan for the Navy to build a new, large warship that he is calling a battleship as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet." They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built, Trump claimed during the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The ship, according to Trump, will be longer and larger than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships and will be armed with hypersonic missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers all technologies that are still being developed by the Navy. Just a month ago, the Navy scrapped its plans to build a new, small warship, citing growing delays and cost overruns, deciding instead to go with a modified version of a Coast Guard cutter that was being produced until recently. The sea service has also failed to build its other newly designed ships, like the new Ford-class aircraft carrier and Columbia-class submarines, on time and on ...

US pauses leases for 5 offshore wind projects, cites national security risk

The statement said that this pause will give the Department, along with the Department of War and other relevant government agencies, time to work with leaseholders and state partners

Trump admin sues District of Columbia over its semiautomatic gun laws

The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, DC, over its gun laws, alleging that restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights. The US Department of Justice filed its lawsuit Monday in US District Court in the District of Columbia, naming Washington's Metropolitan Police Department and outgoing Chief of Police Pamela Smith as defendants and setting up another potentially seismic clash on how broadly the courts interpret individual gun possession rights. The United States of America brings this lawsuit to protect the rights that have been guaranteed for 234 years and which the Supreme Court has explicitly reaffirmed several times over the last two decades, the Justice Department states. It's the second such lawsuit the administration has filed this month: The Justice Department also is suing the US Virgin Islands, alleging the US territory is obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess an

21 Democratic-led states sue White House for Trump admin's CFPB funding

A coalition of 21 attorneys general from Democratic-led states sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its director, Russell Vought, on Monday, asserting that the White House's argument to withhold funds from the consumer protection agency is unconstitutional. The lawsuit has to do with the Trump administration's argument that the CFPB can only be funded by the Federal Reserve's profits. The Federal Reserve has been running a loss since 2022, a side effect of the Fed raising interest rates sharply to combat inflation, because it holds bonds that pay low interest from the pandemic, but it needs to pay out higher amounts of interest to the banks that hold their deposits with the bank. The White House has argued for several months that the CFPB cannot lawfully draw funds to fund its operations from the Fed if the Fed does not have combined earnings to allocate to the bureau. Without additional funds, the CFPB is expected to deplete its operating funds completely in January. T

Progress in US-led peace talks 'quite solid', says Ukrainian Prez Zelenskyy

Initial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, although he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement. Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage, the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises. There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I'm sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv. US President Donald Trump has for months been pushing for a peace agreement. However, the negotiations have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv. But US envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday he held productive and constructive talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives. Zelenskyy said that nearly 90% of Ukraine's demands have been .

Russia fully committed to achieving peace, says US envoy Steve Witkoff

The negotiations were held between Russia and the United States as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Washington to increase pressure on Moscow

Trump admin removes nearly 30 career diplomats from foreign service posts

The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts as it moves to reshape the US diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully supportive of President Donald Trump's America First priorities. The chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January, according to two State Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel moves. All of them had taken up their posts in the Biden administration but had survived an initial purge in the early months of Trump's second term that targeted mainly political appointees. That changed on Wednesday when they began to receive notices from officials in Washington about their imminent departures. Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, although they typically remain at their posts for three to four years. Those affected by the shake-up are not losing their foreign service jobs

US Coast Guard pursuing another tanker helping Venezuela skirt sanctions

The US Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government. The pursuit of the tanker, which was confirmed by a US official briefed on the operation, comes after the US administration announced Saturday it had seized a tanker for the second time in less than two weeks. The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly about the ongoing operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Sunday's pursuit involved a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion. The official said the vessel was flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order. The Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the US Coast Guard, deferred questions about the operation to the White House, which did not offer comment on the operation. Saturday's predawn seizure of a Panama-flagg

Vivek Ramaswamy challenges Conservatives on surging bigotry on the Right

The leading Republican candidate for Ohio governor is calling out his party for rising intolerance, including against Indian American immigrants and their children, like him.

US trade chief criticises India, EU as negotiations drag on into 2026

He also said negotiations with India that began earlier this year still haven't resulted in an agreement - noting that the US had concluded deals with a slew of other partners

Yale, US universities plan student loan options as Trump caps grad debt

Graduate student loans account for half of the outstanding $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio, according to the Education Department

US Department of Justice appeals dismissal of James, Comey indictments

The Justice Department had said earlier it would appeal Currie's ruling, but since then, prosecutors have tried and failed twice to convince other grand juries to approve the charges against James

Trump announces lower drug price deals with 9 major pharma companies

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that nine drugmakers have agreed to lower the cost of their prescription drugs in the US. Pharmaceutical companies Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis and Sanofi will now rein in Medicaid drug prices to match what they charged in other developed countries. As part of the deal, new drugs made by those companies will also be charged at the so-called most-favoured-nation pricing across the country on any newly launched medications for all, including commercial and cash pay markets as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Drug prices for patients in the US can depend on a number of factors, including the competition a treatment faces and insurance coverage. Most people have coverage through work, the individual insurance market or government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which shield them from much of the cost. Patients in Medicaid, the state and federally funded program for peopl

Head of group suing over White House ballroom backs Trump-picked chairman

The president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation said Friday she trusts the Trump-appointed chairman of a federal planning commission to do his job and give serious review to President Donald Trump's proposal to add a ballroom to the White House. Carol Quillen said in an interview that she takes Will Scharf, chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, at his word after he said at the panel's December meeting that the review process would be treated seriously once the White House submits the plans. Scharf said at that meeting that he expected to receive the plans sometime this month, and the panel's review process would happen at a normal and deliberative pace. Quillen said she trusted that would be the case. I take him at his word that the process will be conducted as it always is, deliberately and seriously, and that the commission will do its job," she said. The White House has not responded to multiple queries about when the ballroom plans will be shared

Epstein files: Clinton photos draw attention in recent release by US DOJ

The Justice Department released thousands of files Friday about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but the incomplete document dump did not break significant ground about the long-running criminal investigations of the financier or his ties to wealthy and powerful individuals. The files included a small number of photos of President Donald Trump, sparing the White House for now from having to confront fresh revelations about an Epstein relationship that the administration for months has tried in vain to push past. It did, however, feature a series of never-before-seen photos of Bill Clinton from a trip that the former president appears to have take with Epstein decades ago. Reaction to the disclosures broke along mostly partisan lines. Democrats and some Republicans seized on the limited release to accuse the Justice Department of failing to meet a congressionally set deadline to produce the Epstein files. White House officials on social media gleefully promoted a photo of Clint

'Seen us engaged' in resolving India-Pak conflict: US Secy of State Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to the conflict between India and Pakistan that US President Donald Trump claims he resolved along with several others this year, saying the American leader has made it a priority to be a peacemaker. Trump has repeated the claim of stopping the conflict between India and Pakistan nearly 70 times so far. Rubio said that the US remains engaged around the world, including in conflicts that perhaps are not central to everyday life in America. The President has made it a priority to be a peacemaker and so you've seen us engaged whether it's Russia, Ukraine, or India and Pakistan or Thailand and Cambodia, which is an ongoing challenge, Rubio said Friday at a year-end news conference. He said that some of the conflicts resolved by the US have deep roots that go back many, many years, but we are prepared to be engaged and helpful. In ways that perhaps other nations can't, we've been viewed as indispensable in that regard, and it's a role the ...