Donald Trump Administration

Trump admin touts Iran deal as payday for US farmers, Tehran denies it

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance say their interim deal to end the war with Iran will deliver a financial windfall to American farmers. But the Iranians deny it. And, in the absence of more details, sanctions experts are flummoxed over exactly how billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets would make their way to the American heartland from the escrow accounts where they have been locked for years by US sanctions. A tentative agreement reached last week would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas once passed, and allow Iran to start selling its oil freely again during a 60-day period when the two countries will continue negotiating key issues. The memorandum of understanding also promised to unfreeze Iranian assets. Trump's deal has come under fire for failing to address the reasons the president cited for going to war with Iran on February 28, including curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions, its missile programme a

Anthropic not security threat: Trump dismisses concerns following AI curbs

Trump said Anthropic had 'behaved very responsibly' after the Commerce Department's order requiring approval before foreign nationals could access its most advanced AI models

US ends Hormuz blockade, downplays toll fears as negotiations restart

The interim agreement ended the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and launched a 60-day negotiation period to resolve disputes over Iran's nuclear programme and regional security issues

Apple agrees to work with Intel to manufacture chips in US, says Trump

The iPhone maker relies heavily on TSMC, whose advanced production lines are in high demand from AI chipmakers such as Nvidia and AMD

US saw risk of Anthropic AI models being used by foreign military: Lutnick

The stakes are high, with the government seeking assurances that the models cannot be used to harm the US, while Anthropic is pushing to restore access to its top-tier models

Trump's Iran deal faces scepticism, scrutiny as US lawmakers seek answers

Republicans on Capitol Hill said Monday they need more information about the agreement between the United States and Iran announced by President Donald Trump, and some are expressing scepticism as they ask the White House for details. The agreement announced Sunday to end the war in Iran, set for a ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva, is centered around reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the United States' naval blockade in the region, along with financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks. But Senate Republicans and Democrats who returned to Washington on Monday said there were still many unanswered questions about the deal and they need thorough briefings before it is finalised. "I just don't know enough about it," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters in the Capitol. "Even the people who follow this stuff closely up here don't know that much about it." Congressional leaders and intelligence committees generally receive higher-level intelligenc

Cybersecurity experts urge Trump admin to lift curbs on Anthropic AI models

A group of cybersecurity executives and experts is asking the Trump administration to lift its directive preventing the use of Anthropic's latest artificial intelligence models by foreign nationals, saying the move could help US adversaries more than it hurts them. Anthropic said Friday it has taken its latest artificial intelligence models, known as Fable 5 and Mythos 5, offline to comply with the directive. The AI giant said it did not believe the steps taken by the government were warranted by the concern it flagged about a potential security issue. Anthropic has said it was limiting use of some its latest technology to select customers because of its ability to surpass human cybersecurity experts in finding and exploiting computer vulnerabilities. The San Francisco-based company has had discussions with the White House previously about the latest models' capabilities. In the letter Sunday, more than 100 cybersecurity experts and leaders from companies including Adobe and Nvidi

Hormuz 'already partially open', to be fully reopened on June 19: Trump

Trump said that ships, including several carrying oil, had started moving out of the Strait of Hormuz following his announcement of the completion of the Iran-US peace deal

Trump threatens 100% tariff on French wine over digital tax: Report

Trump said he delivered the warning directly to French President Emmanuel Macron, demanding he remove the 3 per cent tax on US tech giants or face duties in the American market

Anthropic halts foreign access to advanced AI models on US govt's directive

The net effect of this order is that we must abruptly disable Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all our customers to ensure compliance; access to all other Anthropic models will not be affected, Anthropic said

OpenAI under investigation by coalition of US state attorneys general

OpenAI also has been sued by individuals claiming a range of harms from the company's chatbot on children and adults alike, including accusations it has led to deaths by suicide

US Justice Department approves Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros.

DOJ said it reviewed more than 2 million documents obtained from 80 sources in evaluating the deal's impact on various segments of the entertainment industry

US appeals court allows Trump's 10% global tariff to stay in force for now

The US government can continue collecting the 10% worldwide tariff it imposed in February while legal challenges to the levies continue to work their way through the courts, a federal court ruled Thursday. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington decision handed a procedural win to the Trump administration, concluding that its case was "likely to succeed on the merits.'' At issue are temporary 10% worldwide tariffs President Donald Trump imposed after the Supreme Court in February struck down even broader double-digit tariffs the president had imposed last year on almost every country on Earth. The new tariffs, invoked under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, are set to expire July 24. Section 122, which had never been used to justify import taxes before, allows the president to impose worldwide tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days, after which congressional approval is needed to extend them. Section 122 is aimed at what it calls "fundamental international payment

Inside the White House panic over Epstein files and growing MAGA backlash

The president's top advisers gathered in a series of Situation Room meetings as they struggled to contain a scandal engulfing Donald Trump himself

Meeting Epstein was 'grave error in judgment': Bill Gates tells lawmakers

Bill Gates said Wednesday that he made a "grave error in judgment" by ever meeting with Jeffrey Epstein as the Microsoft co-founder faced questions behind closed doors from lawmakers about his relationship with the disgraced financier. In an opening statement provided to The Associated Press, Gates said he "should never have met with Epstein in the first place," but that he "never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct". The tech billionaire became the latest powerful figure linked to Epstein to testify before the House Oversight Committee. As Gates arrived at the Capitol, he noted that he was there voluntarily and said he hoped his testimony would be useful. "I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, the important work, of the committee, to find justice for the victims," he said. The committee chairman, Republican US Rep James Comer, formally requested that Gates testify after he appeared multiple times in a trove of documents relea

US refunds $22 bn in tariffs after court setback to Trump's trade policy

Administration began processing refunds in April after the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump didn't have the authority to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act

Trump admin to offer expedited visa interviews at select embassies for $750

The US State Department will offer a "premium" expedited service for foreigners seeking business or tourist visas to come to the United States that will set applicants back USD 750 -- on top of the initial fee of USD 185. In a notice to be published in the Federal Register this week, the department will unveil a pilot programme that will allow visa applicants to pay the USD 750 to schedule an appointment for an interview within 10 days of the payment at select US embassies and consulates. The pilot programme will run from July 1 to December 31, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the programme has not yet been announced. The move is a potential effort to ease conditions caused by the Trump administration's push to make entering the US more difficult. The administration has cracked down on most forms of migration for foreigners -- demanding that bonds of up to USD 15,000 be paid

US Pentagon adds Alibaba, BYD and Baidu to list of Chinese military firms

The Pentagon has added several prominent Chinese businesses, including tech giant Alibaba, electric car maker BYD and search engine Baidu, to its list of Chinese military companies, preventing them from getting US defense contracts. The list, updated and published Monday by the Pentagon, now sanctions well-known, non-state-owned Chinese companies that are not traditionally considered to be in the defense or security sector. It reflects growing wariness of Beijing's strategy of tapping the strength of non-state businesses for military purposes. Created in 2021 by a congressional mandate, the list seeks to identify Chinese companies that the Pentagon considers to have links to the Chinese military -- not only those directly controlled by the Chinese military and security forces but also those contributing to the country's defense industrial base. When updating the list last year, the Pentagon said the Chinese military sought to acquire advanced technologies and expertise developed by

US federal judge strikes down Trump's proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the USD 100,000 fee imposed by US President Donald Trump for H-1B applications was unlawful as it did not have the approval of Congress. "...the Court finds that the Policy imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress," US District Court judge Leo Sorokin in Boston, Massachusetts, said in a ruling. The H-1B programme is one of the most sought-after US work visas that allows American companies to hire skilled global talent. Trump's order proposing a USD 100,000 annual fee per H-1B worker left many uncertain about visa reforms and new requirements. In September last year, Trump signed a proclamation adding the USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. The fees are generally paid for by a sponsoring employer, and administration officials have cast it as an initiative to encourage companies to hire Americans instead. "Here, the substance and application of the USD 100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regard

Court cannot halt Trump's White House ballroom construction: Govt lawyer

Lawyers representing the federal government argued that a court could not stop construction of a White House ballroom because it was already underway and because of the sensitive security concerns they say the structure is meant to address. Attorney Yaakov Roth, speaking during an exchange with U.S. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Millett, said only Congress could halt the $400 million project. The administration has been asking the court to allow it to press on with the ballroom without congressional approval. At issue is an April 16 order from US District Judge Richard Leon for Trump's Republican administration to halt aboveground work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, allowed for construction to continue on belowground work on a bunker and other "national security facilities" at the site. The hearing Friday centered on who has standing to challenge government steps once they have already been taken and ..