Page 19 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump signals start of land strikes on drug operations in Latin America

The US president for days has been pledging to broaden the effort, which comes after the Pentagon has launched a series of attacks on what it has called drug-smuggling boats

US justice dept seeks to block contempt probe in mass deportation case

The Justice Department asked an appeals court on Friday to block a contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March. The department also is seeking Chief Judge James Boasberg's removal from the case, accusing him of a "radical, retaliatory, unconstitutional campaign" against the Trump administration. It marks a dramatic escalation in the Justice Department's lengthy feud with the judge appointed to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, setting the stage for a showdown over the judiciary's power to serve as a check on an administration that has pushed the boundaries of court orders. The department wants the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule on its requests before Monday, when Boasberg is scheduled to hear testimony from a former government attorney who filed a whistleblower complaint. Department officials claim Boasberg is biased and creating "a circus th

Trump sued by preservationists over new White House ballroom project

President Donald Trump was sued on Friday by preservationists asking a federal court to halt his White House ballroom project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, is asking the US District Court to block Trump's White House ballroom addition, which already has involved razing the East Wing, until it goes through comprehensive design reviews, environmental assessments, public comments and congressional debate and ratification. The project has prompted criticism in the historic preservation and architectural communities, and among his political adversaries, but the lawsuit is the most tangible effort thus far to alter or stop the president's plans for an addition that itself would be nearly twice the size of the White House before the East Wing's demolition. "No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever -- not

US Navy admiral overseeing Trump admin's boat strikes hands over command

A US Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region. Adm. Alvin Holsey has retired one year into a posting that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at US Southern Command headquarters near Miami. In farewell remarks, Holsey did not mention the military operations or the reasons for his early retirement. But he urged his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and support for the rule of law. To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged, Holsey said. Holsey's shock retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administration's strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea an

US Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs set to rise

The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year. Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on January 1. Ahead of the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans that if they did not vote to extend the tax credits, "there won't be another chance to act, before premiums rise for many people who buy insurance off the ACA marketplaces. Let's avert a disaster, Schumer said. The American people are watching. Republicans have argued that Affordable Care Act plans are too expensive and need to be overhauled. The health savings accounts in the GOP bill would give money directly to consume

US has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, says Trump

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid mounting tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. It is the Trump administration's latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. "We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela -- a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said "other things are happening," but did not offer additional details, saying he would speak more about it later. The seizure was carried led by the US Coast Guard led effort and supported by the Navy, according to a US official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A day earlier, the US military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest that warplanes had come to the South American country's

Did the US commit a war crime at sea? Decoding the Pete Hegseth strike row

US lawmakers are probing a September 2 strike on an alleged drug boat off Venezuela and a reported second blast on survivors, raising questions on authority, war powers and the law of armed conflict

ICE arrests of Afghans surge after National Guard attack, say lawyers

On a recent afternoon, Giselle Garcia, a volunteer who has been helping an Afghan family resettle, drove the father to a check-in with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She warned him and his family to prepare for the worst. The moment the father stepped into the ICE office in California's capital city, he was arrested. Coming just days after the shooting of two National Guard troops by an Afghan national suspect, federal authorities have carried out increased arrests of Afghans in the US, immigration lawyers say as Afghans both in and outside the country have come under intense scrutiny by immigration officials. Garcia said the family she helped had reported to all their appointments and were following all legal requirements. He was trying to be strong for his wife and kids in the car, but the anxiety and fear were palpable, she said. His wife was trying to hold back tears, but I could see her in the rearview mirror silently crying. They had fled Afghanistan under threat by

Sleepy Donald? Trump battles the very label he once gave Joe Biden

Trump's cabinet-room snooze and his dismissal of affordability concerns are prompting comparisons with Biden's energy struggles from the last administration

US farmers call Trump's $12 bn aid package short-term relief, not recovery

The effects of the president's trade wars, which have squeezed demand and raised costs further, have left the sector in a state of extended uncertainty

12 FBI agents fired for kneeling during protest sue to get their jobs back

Twelve former FBI agents fired after kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest in Washington sued Monday to get their jobs back, saying their action had been intended to de-escalate a volatile situation and was not meant as a political gesture. The agents say in their lawsuit that they were fired in September by Director Kash Patel because they were perceived as not being politically affiliated with President Donald Trump. But they say their decision to take a knee on June 4, 2020, days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, has been misinterpreted as political expression. The lawsuit says the agents were assigned to patrol the nation's capital during a period of civil unrest prompted by Floyd's death. Lacking protective gear or extensive training in crowd control, the agents became outnumbered by hostile crowds they encountered and decided to kneel to the ground in hopes of defusing the tension, the lawsuit said. The tactic worked, the lawsuit assert

Trump proposing $12 bn aid for farmers hit hard by trade war with China

President Donald Trump is planning a USD 12 billion farm aid package, according to a White House official a boost to farmers who have struggled to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs after the president raised tariffs on China as part of a broader trade war. According to the official, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of a planned announcement, Trump will unveil the plan Monday afternoon at a White House roundtable with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers and farmers who raise cattle and grow corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, rice, wheat, and potatoes. Farmers have backed Trump politically, but his aggressive trade policies and frequently changing tariff rates have come under increasing scrutiny because of the impact on the agricultural sector and because of broader consumer worries. The aid is the administration's latest effort to defend Trump's economic stewardship and answer voter angst about rising costs even a

Trump warns Netflix-Warner deal could pose major antitrust 'problem'

Netflix has "a very big market share, and when they have Warner Bros, you know, that share goes up a lot," the president said, adding that he will be personally involved in the decision-making process

I've ended 8 wars largely because of trade: Trump at Kennedy Center Honors

As Trump highlighted what he sees as the security advantages of tariffs, his comments came ahead of a key Supreme Court ruling on whether he exceeded presidential authority in imposing broad duties

Trump to host Kennedy Centre Honours for Stallone, Kiss, Gaynor and others

Sylvester Stallone, Kiss and Gloria Gaynor are among the luminaries being celebrated Sunday at the annual Kennedy Centre Honours, with Donald Trump hosting the show, the first time a president will command the stage instead of sitting in an Opera House box. Since returning to office in January, Trump has made the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, which is named after a Democratic predecessor, a touchstone in a broader attack against what he has lambasted as woke anti-American culture. Trump said in August that he had agreed to host the show. The Republican president said Saturday at a State Department dinner for the honourees that he was doing so at the request of a certain television network. He predicted that the broadcast, scheduled to air Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+, would have its best ratings ever. It's going to be something that I believe, and I'm going to make a prediction: This will be the highest-rated show that they've ever done and they've gotten some ...

Trump admin recalls education dept workers to tackle civil rights backlog

The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of Education Department staffers who were slated to be laid off, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families. The staffers had been on administrative leave while the department faced lawsuits challenging layoffs in the agency's Office for Civil Rights, which investigates possible discrimination in the nation's schools and colleges. But in a Friday letter, department officials ordered the workers back to duty starting Dec. 15 to help clear civil rights cases. A department spokesperson confirmed the move, saying the government still hoped to lay off the staffers to shrink the size of the department. "The Department will continue to appeal the persistent and unceasing litigation disputes concerning the Reductions in Force, but in the meantime, it will utilize all employees currently being compensated by American taxpayers," Julie Hartman said in a statement. In the let

US judge questions Trump's authority over California National Guard troops

A federal judge on Friday sharply questioned the Trump administration's authority and need to maintain command of California National Guard troops it first deployed to Los Angeles in June following violent protests. At a hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge Charles Breyer suggested conditions in Los Angeles had changed since the initial deployment, and he questioned whether the administration could control state Guard troops forever under its interpretation of federal law. "No crisis lasts forever," he said. "I think experience teaches us that crises come and crises go. That's the way it works." He pressed an attorney for the government for any evidence that state authorities were either unable or unwilling to help keep federal personnel and property in the area safe and noted President Donald Trump had access to tens of thousands of active duty troops in California. California officials have asked Breyer to issue a preliminary injunction returning control of remaining ...

US Border Patrol imposes $5,000 fee on illegal US border crossers

The fee was approved by Congress under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included billions of dollars for immigration enforcement

Foreign student spending in US falls record 5.3% on visa crackdown

The 5.3 per cent decline - amounting to about $3 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate - follows a crackdown by the Trump administration on visas for foreign students

US, Ukraine officials report progress on creating postwar security plan

President Donald Trump's advisers and Ukrainian officials said Friday they'll meet for a third day of talks after making progress on creating a security framework for postwar Ukraine and are urging Russia to commit to peace. The officials, who met for a second day in Florida on Friday, issued a joint statement that offered broad brushstrokes about the progress they say that's been made as Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a US-mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war. "Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings," the statement said. "Parties also separately reviewed the future prosperity agenda which aims to support Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, joint USUkraine economic initiatives, and long-term recovery projects." US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's talks in Florida with