Page 2 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump admin 'screwed up' communications around Epstein files, says Vance

Vice President JD Vance says the administration "absolutely" mishandled the communications surrounding the Epstein files and its contents. During a lengthy podcast interview with Joe Rogan released Wednesday, Vance pointed largely to former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who infamously stated that an alleged "client list" of Epstein's was "sitting on my desk right now." In addition to those comments, the Justice Department under Bondi had also offered conservative commentators and influencers binders that were called "The Epstein files: Phase 1? and "Declassified." "I know Pam. I like Pam. I don't think there was anything malicious going on," Vance told Rogan. "I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn't have." As a result, Vance said, Bondi was "roasted" publicly for it and led people to "mistrust" the administration's transparency efforts on the Epstein files. "We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein fil

More than half of House Democrats vote to cut Israel aid in growing split

More than half the House Democrats have voted to strip USD 3.3 billion in US aid from Israel, the most substantial signal yet that once rock-solid bipartisan support for the country is disintegrating in the aftermath of its war in Gaza that has killed thousands of Palestinians. Wednesday's vote tally, 104-314, was not enough to attach the amendment to a broader national security spending bill, but stands as a stark accounting of the shifting attitudes that are dividing the Democratic Party and the nation over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war strategy, now approaching its third year. The House's Democratic leadership split over the issue in what was largely seen as a test vote ahead of the US midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. More than 100 Democrats voted for the amendment to strip the foreign military aid money, and almost as many voted against. Most Republicans voted to preserve the Israel aid. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who ...

NYT files motion to quash DOJ subpoenas over Air Force One coverage

The New York Times has filed a motion to quash subpoenas that the Justice Department served on journalists who reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One, teeing up a significant court fight over press freedom and the government's ability to force reporters to identify sources. "As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish The Times for its coverage. They violate the constitutional rights of The Times and its journalists. We are going to court to defend our journalists' rights to report freely on the administration and to provide the public with stories that matter," David McCraw, the newspaper's senior vice president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement on Wednesday. The filing was made under seal in the Southern District of New York, where the journalists were summoned in subpoenas delivered last Friday to testify before a federal grand jury. The subpoenas, some of which were delivered to reporters at

Trump threatens to strike Iran power plants, bridges next week if no deal

Trump said US would target Iran's power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations

In Iran, Trump has encountered an opponent he cannot easily dominate

The president is accustomed to forcing other countries to bend to his will, but he is struggling to come up with a strategy to extract Iranian concessions as the cease-fire he brokered collapses

Trump admin orders ICE to suspend most vehicle stops after deadly shootings

Trump administration officials have told Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to suspend most vehicle stops after two deadly shootings in little over a week, according to a person familiar with the matter. The order came a day after an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian man in Maine, renewing criticism of the agency's tactics during enforcement operations. The suspension is not absolute and there's room for exceptions when executing a criminal warrant or working with partner agencies, according to a person who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement operations. The Department of Homeland Security said an ICE officer, "fearing for public safety," shot and killed the man Monday in the city of Biddeford while officers were watching the home of someone they believed was in the U.S. illegally and had a final order of removal from the country. Hundreds of people protested in Maine on Tuesday over the killing of a Colombian man by an ...

Trump admin subpoenas New York Times reporters after Air Force One stories

The Department of Justice has subpoenaed New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One, marking a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump's campaign against the media that has drawn condemnation for eroding a fundamental freedom of American democracy. The new jet, a present from the US ally that the administration spent USD 400 million on to retrofit and upgrade, entered service last week. But Trump used an older model Air Force One jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey and later referenced threats against him made by Iran. The subpoenas seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan next week, the Times said, adding that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes. They were issued after FBI Director Kash Patel and other Justice Department officials met at the White House on Friday to talk about the matter, according to a person familiar with the ..

Trump admin subpoenas multiple NYT journalists over Air Force One report

The Trump administration issued subpoenas on Friday to several New York Times journalists after its report this week on security concerns involving the new Air Force One, according to the paper. The new jet, which President Donald Trump received as a gift from Qatar, just entered service last week. The subpoenas seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, the paper said, adding that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes. The NYT report could not be independently confirmed and there was no immediate response from the White House or the Department of Justice. "The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects," said the paper's lawyer David McCraw in a Friday statement. The developments come after Trump flew the new Air Force One to a NATO summit in Turkey. B

Oregon withdraws legal challenge to delay Paramount-Warner Bros. deal

Oregon's AG has withdrawn a court motion seeking to delay Paramount's $110 bn acquisition of Warner Bros, saying the state is considering its next steps after a dispute over access to company records

Publicly declare Strait of Hormuz open, won't attack ships: US tells Iran

The US is demanding that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor won't be attacked anymore, senior US officials said Friday, adding that internal Tehran power struggles have made it difficult to reach and keep a deal. The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe to reporters the state of play with Iran, said the resumption of strikes this week came after what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners trying to sabotage the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington. It comes as US President Donald Trump reiterated on social media Friday that he views the interim ceasefire deal as "OVER!" But he said the US would continue talks aimed at putting a permanent end to the war. The officials said Friday that Trump is giving US negotiators limited time to reach a deal with Iran, but, in a sign of the challenges ahead, they underscored that the president had a wide range of options if talks .

US judge orders E Jean Carroll be paid $5.8 mn in Trump sex abuse case

The writer E. Jean Carroll can collect USD 5.8 million held in escrow since a jury found that President Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed her, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Trump's lawyers immediately appealed but were denied an emergency order to block the payment from being made. Trump deposited the money in an account shortly after a jury ruled against him in 2023. The US Supreme Court recently let the civil verdict stand, clearing the way for Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to release the money. The initial USD 5 million award has grown with interest. The jury found Trump attacked Carroll in 1996 in the dressing room of a luxury Manhattan department store, and defamed her after she described it publicly in a 2019 memoir, during his first term as president. Trump called her allegations false and said " she's not my type " in an interview. Trump's lawyers said Wednesday they would continue to appeal and accused his political opponents of using the legal system against him. They ..

As Iran ceasefire frays, Trump faces a muddled war and limited options

US President Donald Trump appears to be confronting the consequences of a cease-fire deal cobbled together in haste, with little movement toward resolving the key issues driving the conflict

Lawsuit accuses Trump admin of giving secret data to Iran on asylum seekers

The lawsuit claims that an Iranian official requested a list of its citizens subject to deportation, and the administration of President Donald Trump provided about 150 names

Trump reiterates push for US control of Greenland ahead of Nato summit

Trump argued that Denmark has not invested enough in Greenland and said the island's strategic importance is growing as China and Russia expand their presence in the Arctic

Building White House helipad for new, more powerful Marine One: Trump

President Donald Trump said Monday that he's building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, insisting that the landing area is needed to accommodate new, more powerful presidential choppers. Confirmation of the project came as construction crews had already begun working on the helipad on the South Lawn, where the president had UFC build a temporary arena for a cage fight celebrating his 80th birthday. He said the project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to USD 6 million. "It's got the seal of the White House on it in granite, in carved granite," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's really a beautiful thing." The president did not offer details on how long the work would take. It is the latest major construction project he has overseen in an effort to increasingly mold the White House in his own image. The helipad can handle new choppers, Trump says ------------------------------------------------------ Some of Trump's major White House ...

Trump posts doctored Air Force One photo featuring Barack, Michelle Obama

President Donald Trump on Sunday posted a falsified image of former president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, waving before boarding an Air Force One that had been spray-painted with graffiti. It came months after another racist post by the president that showed the couple as primates in a jungle. That one was deleted after stiff, bipartisan backlash. The latest image shows the Obamas smiling and waving at the top of stairs alongside a baby blue and white presidential plane with graffiti painted on it that included the Democrat's campaign slogan "Yes We Can," "Obama" and "BLM," short for Black Lives Matter. The post also shows graffiti in Arabic on the plane that says the phrase "alhamdulillah," which means "praise be to God" or "thank God." The use of graffiti is a coded message to remind people of crime and urban decay and has been used in racist messaging against Black people in the past. Trump has a yearslong record of intensely personal criticism of the Obamas, and

Trump mixes patriotism and partisanship in US 250th anniversary speech

President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared "one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time." Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They appeared before flags that symbolized some of the most significant and challenging moments in American history, from the one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln's casket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers. Yet Trump also leaned into partisan territory unusual for an Independence Day address, which presidents typically use as a moment to unify the country. Instead, he stumped again for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that's encountering challenges even from Trump's fellow .

Europe has replaced most assets cut by US from Nato war plans: Official

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Sir John Stringer said that European members have replaced most of the assets cut from US contingency plans, calling it a sign of a stronger Europe within Nato

Trump marks 250 yrs of US Independence with proclamation, grants 6 pardons

The proclamation celebrated the nation's founding, its historical milestones and outlined Trump's vision for what he described as a 'new American Golden Age'

'Fake news': Israel rejects report on alleged threat to Iranian negotiators

According to the NYT, cited by the Times of Israel, US officials allegedly warned Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf of possible Israeli assassination attempts