Page 13 - Donald Trump Administration

Pentagon accepts $130 mn donation to help pay US army during govt shutdown

The Pentagon confirmed that it has accepted an anonymous USD 130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown, raising ethical questions after President Donald Trump had announced that a friend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls. While large and unusual, the gift amounts to a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used USD 6.5 billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without compensation. That's what I call a patriot, Trump said during a White House event Thursday when he disclosed the payment from the donor. The president declined to name the person, whom he called a friend of mine, saying the man didn't want the recognition. The Pentagon confirmed it had accepted the donation on Thursday under its general gif

US govt shutdown means no inflation data next month for 1st time in decades

The government shutdown likely means there won't be an inflation report next month for the first time in more than seven decades, the White House said Friday, leaving Wall Street and the Federal Reserve without crucial information about consumer prices. Because surveyors cannot deploy to the field, the White House has learned there will likely NOT be an inflation release next month for the first time in history, the Trump administration said in an email. Some of the inflation data is collected electronically, but most is gathered in person by government employees who visit stores across the country. The Bureau of Labour Statistics, which prepares the inflation report, has already reduced the data collected each month because the Trump administration's hiring freeze left some cities without surveyors. The announcement follows Friday's release of September inflation data, which showed prices ticked higher but remained lower than many economists had expected. That report, which was ...

US flies supersonic B-1 bombers near Venezuela coast amid drugs crackdown

The U.S. military flew a pair of supersonic, heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela, a little over a week after another group of American bombers made a similar journey as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack. The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off of Venezuela, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. Maduro faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. Adding to the speculation, the U.S. military since early September has been carrying out lethal strikes on vessels in the waters off Venezuela that Trump says are trafficking drugs. According to flight tracking data, a pair of B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday and flew through the Caribbean and up to the coast of Venezuela. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, confirmed that a training flight of B-1s to

White House to fight lawsuits challenging $100K H-1B visa fee hike

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday (local time) claimed that the H-1B system has been exploited, driving down American wages

Trump seeks quick wins on trade, fentanyl and rare-earths in key Xi meeting

Trump has also floated an elusive agreement on nuclear weapons and expressed a desire to convince Xi to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine

Trump warns China over fentanyl smuggling via Venezuela ahead of meeting Xi

Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Busan, South Korea

Israeli PM meets US Secretary of State Rubio to discuss Gaza peace plan

Meanwhile, as per The Times of Israel, a US official said that US President Donald Trump will "f**k" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli leader jeopardizes the Gaza ceasefire deal

Paul Kapur sworn in as US Assistant Secy for South & Central Asian Affairs

Indian-American author and security expert Paul Kapur has been officially sworn in as the new Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State. His sworn in was announced by the Bureau in a social media post on late Wednesday night. "Welcome to @State_SCA, Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur! This morning Dr. Kapur was officially sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs," it said. As Assistant Secretary, Kapur will oversee America's diplomatic engagement and strategic partnerships in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. He succeeds Donald Lu, who served in the post since 2021. Kapur was born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mother. He served as a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the US Naval Postgraduate School. He is a visiting fellow at Stanf

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