Page 15 - Donald Trump Administration

Venezuela's V-P could face fate worse than Maduro if she defies US: Trump

US President Donald Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday in a telephone interview that Delcy Rodrguez, Venezuela's vice president, could pay a very big price if she doesn't do what he thinks is right for the South American country. That contrasted with the Republican president's comments about Rodrguez on Saturday when he said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with her and that she was willing to do what the US thinks is needed to improve the standard of living in Venezuela. But Rodrguez has criticised Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's removal from the country and has demanded that the US return him. Trump told the magazine that if she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro. The president told the New York Post in an interview Saturday that the US wouldn't need to station troops in Venezuela if she does what we want.

Venezuela Prez Maduro captured and flown out of country, announces Trump

Venezuela's government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas. The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power. People in various neighbourhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas. The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes, said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. We felt like the air was hitting us. Venezuela's government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets. People to the streets! the statement said. The Bolivarian .

Trump invites Japan PM Takaichi for first US visit amid tensions with China

President Donald Trump invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a phone call Friday to visit the United States this year, the Japanese foreign ministry said, in what would be the ultraconservative leader's first trip to the US since taking office in October. The White House is yet to confirm the call and the invitation. It comes as ties between Japan and China have been strained, ramping up tensions in the region. The US, a close ally of Japan, is seeking to strengthen its ties with Tokyo but also stabilize its relationship with Beijing ahead of a likely trip by Trump to China in April. Beijing staged two-day military exercises in the waters off Taiwan this week. Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, infuriated China late last year when she said Chinese military action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response, breaking away from former Japanese leaders' strategic ambiguity on the highly sensitive matter. In a statement Friday, the Japane

US Coast Guard search for survivors after attacks on alleged drug boat

The US Coast Guard said Friday it's still searching for people in the eastern Pacific Ocean who had jumped off alleged drug-smuggling boats when the US military attacked the vessels days earlier, diminishing the likelihood that anyone survived. Search efforts began Tuesday afternoon after the military notified the Coast Guard that survivors were in the water about 400 miles (650 kilometres) southwest of the border between Mexico and Guatemala, the maritime service said in a statement. The Coast Guard dispatched a plane from Sacramento to search an area covering more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres), while issuing an urgent warning to ships nearby. The agency said it coordinated more than 65 hours of search efforts, working with other countries as well as civilian ships and boats in the area. The weather during that time has included 9-foot seas and 40-knot winds. The US has not said how many people jumped into the water, and, if they are not found, how far the death toll may ris

More oil tankers turn away from Venezuela amid US threat to seize vessels

As part of Trump's pressure campaign, US forces have launched strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats that have killed more than 100 people, and seized two oil tankers

Trump orders divestment in $2.9 mn chips deal citing US security concerns

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the unravelling of a USD 2.9 million computer chips deal that he concluded threatened US security interests if the current owner, HieFo Corp., remained in control of the technology. The executive order cast a spotlight on a business deal that drew scant attention when it was announced in May 2024 during President Joe Biden's administration. The deal involved aerospace and defence specialist Emcore Corp. selling its computer chips and wafer fabrication operations to HieFo for USD 2.92 million a price that included the assumption of about USD 1 million in liabilities. But Trump is now demanding that HieFo divest that technology within 180 days, citing credible evidence that the current owner is a citizen of the People's Republic of China. HieFo was founded by Dr. Genzao Zhang and Harry Moore. According to a press release that came out after the deal closed, plans for the technology acquired from Emcore were to be overseen by largely the same

'If you break the law…': US embassy toughens tone amid H-1B backlog

Advisory issued as visa backlogs and immigration scrutiny intensify

US sanctions 4 Venezuelan oil firms, 4 more tankers in Maduro crackdown

The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four firms operating in Venezuela's oil sector and designated four additional oil tankers, which the U.S. accuses of being part of a shadow fleet serving Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro's government, as blocked property. The action is part of the Trump administration's monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro. U.S. forces also have seized two oil tankers off Venezuela's coast, are pursuing another and have conducted a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. A set of strikes announced Wednesday increased the death toll from the attacks to at least 110 people since early September. And in a new escalation marking the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil, the CIA carried out a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by drug cartels. The latest sanctions from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control target ships called Nord

Trump admin terminates lease for Washington's 3 public golf courses

The Trump administration has ended the lease agreement for three public golf courses in Washington, a move that offers President Donald Trump an additional opportunity to put his stamp on another piece of the nation's capital. The National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has operated Washington's three public courses on federal land for the last five years, said Wednesday that the Department of the Interior had terminated its 50-year lease agreement. The Interior Department said it was terminating the lease because the nonprofit had not implemented required capital improvements and failed to meet the terms of the lease. While it was unclear what the Trump administration's plans are for the golf courses, the move gives Trump, whose private company has developed numerous golf courses in the U.S. and abroad, the chance to remake links overlooking the Potomac River and in Rock Creek Park and a site that is part of Black golf history. Officials for the National Links Trust said in a ...

Department of Justice is reviewing over 5.2 mn documents related to Epstein

The Department of Justice has expanded its review of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to 5.2 million as it also increases the number of attorneys trying to comply with a law mandating release of the files, according to a person briefed on a letter sent to U.S. Attorneys. The figure is the latest estimate in the expanding review of case files on Epstein and his longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell that has run more than a week past a deadline set in law by Congress. The Justice Department has more than 400 attorneys assigned to the review, but does not expect to release more documents until Jan. 20 or 21, according to the person briefed on the letter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. The expanding scope of the disclosure and the additional legal firepower committed to it showed how the Epstein file investigation will continue to occupy significant attention in Congress and the White House, almost ..

US military strikes 3 suspected drug-smuggling boats, killing three at sea

The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck three more boats that were allegedly smuggling drugs, killing three people while others jumped overboard and may have survived. The statement by U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks occurred. Previous attacks have been in the Caribbean Sea and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. A video posted by Southern Command on social media shows the boats traveling in a close formation, which is unusual, and the military said they were in a convoy along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. The military did not provide evidence to back up the claim. The military said three people were killed when the first boat was struck, while people in the other two boats jumped overboard and distanced themselves from the vessels before they were attacked. Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search and rescue .

Fight over Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee heads to US appeals court

The H-1B visa program is a cornerstone of employment-based immigration, allowing companies in the US to hire college-educated foreign workers for specialized occupations

Trump indicates US 'hit' Venezuelan facility linked to alleged drug vessels

President Donald Trump has indicated that the US has hit a facility in South America as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the US offered no other details. Trump made the comments in what seemed to be an impromptu radio interview Friday. The president, who called radio host John Catsimatidis during a program on WABC radio, was discussing US strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, which have killed at least 105 people in 29 known strikes since early September. I don't know if you read or saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from," Trump said. "Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So, we hit them very hard. Trump did not offer any additional details in the interview, including what kind of attack may have occurred. The Pentagon on Monday referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Defence Secretary Pete Hegs

Trump warns Iran against reviving nuclear programme amid Netanyahu's visit

President Donald Trump warned Iran against reconstituting its nuclear program as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his home in Florida for wide-ranging talks. The warning comes after Trump has insisted that Tehran's nuclear capabilities were completely and fully obliterated by U.S. strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites in June. But Israeli officials have been quoted in local media expressing concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel. Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, Trump told reporters as he welcomed Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago estate. And if they are, we're going to have to knock them down. We'll knock them down. We'll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that's not happening. Iran has insisted that it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program. But Netanyahu was expected

Trump Class battleships may not be a big hit: Why experts are doubtful

Donald Trump says the new Trump Class battleships will be the deadliest ever built, but experts warn they may not be as he has planned

California drops lawsuit against Trump's high-speed rail funding revocation

Originally planned for completion by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion, the project is now forecast to cost between $89 billion and $128 billion, with service now expected to start by 2033

China sanctions 20 US defence firms, executives over Taiwan arms package

Under the sanctions, the affected companies' all assets within China will be frozen and Chinese organisations and individuals are also prohibited from conducting transactions with these firms

'Merry Christmas to dead terrorists': Trump on ISIS strike, warns more to come

Trump claimed ISIS fighters in northwest Nigeria had been killing civilians, "primarily innocent Christians," and said US strikes would continue if the violence does not stop

'Sleazebags': Trump slams Democrats over Epstein files in Christmas post

Trump claimed that those facing scrutiny are largely Democrats, asserting that when names emerge from what he described as 'ongoing Radical Left Witch Hunt,' there would be a lot of explaining to do

US struck IS targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians: Trump

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday night that he had launched a "powerful and deadly strike" against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after he spent weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians. The president's post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and what effects it had and the White House did not immediately provide further details. "Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!" the president posted on his social media site. Last month, Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution. The State Department then announced in recent weeks that it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members