Page 2 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump halts federal use of Anthropic's technology in dispute over AI safety

President Donald Trump said Friday that he was ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology following the company's unusually public dispute with the Pentagon over artificial intelligence safety. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also said he was designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk, a move that could prevent US military vendors from working with the company. Hegseth's remarks, delivered in a social media post, came shortly after the Pentagon's deadline for Anthropic to allow unrestricted military use of its AI technology or face consequences - and nearly 24 hours after CEO Dario Amodei said his company "cannot in good conscience accede" to the Defense Department's demands. Trump's comments came just over an hour before the Pentagon's deadline for Anthropic to allow unrestricted military use of its AI technology or face consequences - and nearly 24 hours after CEO Dario Amodei said his company "cannot in good conscience accede" to the Defense Department's

Judge rejects request to block Trump WH from building $400 mn ballroom

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group's request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a USD 400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House. US District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's project. Leon said the group has a better chance of success if it amended its lawsuit. "Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President's constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn't bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds," he wrote. The privately funded group sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins ...

Hillary Clinton denies knowledge of Epstein's crimes in House deposition

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told US House lawmakers in New York on Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's or Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, starting off two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton. "I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein," Hillary Clinton said in an opening statement she shared on social media. The closed-door depositions in the Clintons' hometown of Chappaqua, a typically quiet hamlet north of New York City, come after months of tense back-and-forth between the former high-powered Democratic couple and the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee. It will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress. Yet the demand for a reckoning over Epstein's abuse of underage girls has become a near-unstoppable force on Capitol Hill and beyond. President Donald Trump, a Republican who has expressed regret that the ...

Most Americans see Iran as enemy, but doubt Trump's judgment: Poll

As the US and Iran head into their next round of nuclear talks in Geneva, a new AP-NORC poll finds that many US adults continue to view Iran's nuclear programme as a threat - but they also don't have high trust in President Donald Trump's judgment on the use of military force abroad. About half of US adults are "extremely" or "very" concerned that Iran's nuclear programme poses a direct threat to the United States, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research. About 3 in 10 are "moderately" concerned and only about 2 in 10 are "not very" concerned or "not concerned at all." The survey was conducted Feb 19-23, as military tensions built in the Middle East between the United States and Iran. The US is seeking a deal to limit Iran's nuclear programme and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says it is not pursuing weapons and has so far resisted demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or hand over its stockpi

Those killed in US boat encounter planned anti-govt uprising, says Cuba

Seven of 10 occupants were identified by name in a statement, which listed supplies on the boat that included assault rifles, Molotov cocktails, bullet-proof vests, telescopes and camouflage uniforms

Reviewing if any Epstein-related records were mistakenly withheld: US DOJ

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it was looking into whether it improperly withheld documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files after several news organisations reported that some records involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against President Donald Trump were not among those released to the public. The announcement followed news reports saying that a massive tranche of records released by the Justice Department did not include several summaries of interviews that the FBI conducted with an unidentified woman who came forward after Epstein's 2019 arrest and claimed to have been sexually assaulted by both Trump and Epstein when she was a minor in the 1980s. "Several individuals and news outlets have recently flagged files related to documents produced to Ghislaine Maxwell in discovery of her criminal case that they claim appear to be missing," the Justice Department said in a post on X. "As with all documents that have been flagged by the public, the Department i

Trump's pick to lead new DOJ unit scrutinised as he declares 'war on fraud'

President Donald Trump's pick to lead a new Justice Department division dedicated to rooting out fraud said Wednesday he would pursue prosecutions "without fear or favour" as questions grow about how the new unit will operate free of political influence from a White House that has declared a "war on fraud." The proposed National Fraud Enforcement Division has raised eyebrows not only because fraud is already prosecuted by the agency's Criminal Division but because the White House has suggested it will have an unusual role in overseeing the new division's work. Colin McDonald's nomination to serve as the first assistant attorney general in charge of the new division comes as the Trump administration has put fresh attention on allegations of widespread fraud in Minnesota. During his State of the Union speech Tuesday, Trump announced that Vice President JD Vance would lead the "war on fraud," accusing members of Minnesota's Somali community of having "pillaged" billions from American ..

Trump admin's 'third country' deportation policy is unlawful: US judge

The Trump administration's latest policy of deporting immigrants to "third countries" to which they have no ties is unlawful and must be set aside, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in a case that already reached the nation's highest court. US District Judge Brian E Murphy in Massachusetts agreed to suspend his decision for 15 days, giving the government time to appeal his latest ruling in the case. Murphy noted that the US Supreme Court ruled in the administration's favour last year, pausing Murphy's previous decision and clearing the way for a flight carrying several migrants to complete its trip to war-torn South Sudan, where they had no ties. Murphy said migrants challenging the Department of Homeland Security's policy have the right to "meaningful notice" and an opportunity to object before they are removed to a third country. The policy "extinguishes valid challenges to third-country removal by effecting removal before those challenges can be raised," the judge concluded. "These

Trump admin imposes fresh sanctions on Iran ahead of nuclear talks

The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed another tranche of sanctions on people and companies accused of enabling Iran's ballistic missile program, drone production and illicit oil sales as the US presses Tehran to make a deal ahead of nuclear talks this week. The sanctions against 30 people, companies and ships come as President Donald Trump has massed the largest US buildup of warships and aircraft in the region in decades and has threatened to use military action in a bid to get Iran to constrain its nuclear program. The latest round of talks between US officials, including envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian negotiators via mediator Oman are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva. The new sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control include a list of ships accused of being part of Iran's "shadow fleet," which refers to rusting oil tankers that smuggle oil for countries facing stiff sanctions. Also targeted are drone manufacturing firms, including

US imposes 126% initial duty on Indian solar imports over subsidy concerns

The rates are based on a determination of foreign subsidies that the US says allowed exporters from the countries to undercut products from domestic solar producers

States sue Trump admin over changes to childhood vaccine recommendations

More than a dozen states have sued the Trump administration over its rollback of vaccine recommendations for children, calling the move an illegal threat to public health. The states on Tuesday argue that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention put children's lives at risk when it announced last month that it would stop recommending all children get immunised against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. Under the new guidance, which was met with criticism from medical experts, protections against those diseases are recommended only for certain groups deemed high risk or when doctors recommend them in what's called "shared decision-making." The new vaccine recommendations ignore long-standing medical guidance and will make states have to spend more to protect against outbreaks, the states, including Arizona and California, said. "The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue," Arizona Attorney General

Trump warns Iran, says would 'never' allow it to develop nuclear weapon

Trump reiterated that he will prefer to resolve the conflict through a diplomatic deal but said Tehran had not committed to not developing nuclear weapons

Trump admin weighs order requiring banks to collect citizenship data

While there are no rules against non-citizens opening bank accounts in US, a requirement to produce a passport or similar documentation could provide a new barrier for those in the country illegally

Trump admin sues New Jersey over restrictions on immigration arrests

The Trump administration is suing New Jersey over a state order that prohibits federal immigration agents from making arrests in nonpublic areas of state property, such as correctional facilities and courthouses. The Justice Department lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Trenton, challenges Gov Mikie Sherrill's February 11 executive order, which also bars the use of state property as a staging or processing area for immigration enforcement. Sherrill, a Democrat who took office January 20, "insists on harbouring criminal offenders from federal law enforcement," the lawsuit said, accusing her of attempting to obstruct federal law enforcement and thwart President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Sherrill's executive order "poses an intolerable obstacle" to immigration enforcement and "directly regulates and discriminates" against the federal government, said the lawsuit, which misspelled her name as "Sherill." Asked about the lawsuit Tuesday, Sherrill said: "What I think th

Trump's 10% global levy takes effect as US moves to rebuild tariff wall

Trump is applying the 10 per cent baseline levy under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the president to impose the charge for 150 days without congressional approval

EU hits pause on US trade deal after Trump announces 15% global tariff

Frustrated European officials pushed Monday for clarification on how US President Donald Trump's declaration of a 15 per cent global tax on imports would affect the trade deal they struck with Trump this summer as EU legislators hit pause on the deal's ratification until they get clarity. The European Parliament's trade committee postponed a committee vote on ratification after Trump said he would impose the new tariff, after the US Supreme Court struck down his use of an emergency powers law to set new import taxes. Trump then turned to another section of trade law to justify his imposition of the 15 per cent global rate, which take effect Tuesday. The EU position is expressed in five words: "A deal is a deal," said commission spokesman Olof Gill. "So now we are simply saying to the US, it is up to you to clearly show to us what path you are taking to honor the agreement." The US-EU deal called for a 15 per cent cap on tariffs on most European goods imports, while tariffs on US ...

US sheds light on its allegation of Chinese nuclear test, fear of arms race

A US official focusing on arms control on Monday provided what he called new, declassified details of a Chinese underground nuclear test nearly six years ago and urged countries to press China and Russia to do more on nuclear disarmament. Christopher Yeaw, assistant secretary of state for the bureau of arms control and nonproliferation, spoke to a UN-backed body after the last nuclear arms pact between the United States and Russia expired this month. That has ended limits on the arsenals of the world's biggest nuclear powers and raised concerns about a possible new arms race. Yeaw called for greater transparency from China and pointed to some shortcomings of the New START treaty, such as that it didn't address Russia's large arsenal of nonstrategic nuclear weapons - which counts up to 2,000 warheads. "But perhaps its greatest flaw was that New START did not account for the unprecedented, deliberate, rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup by China," he told the UN-backed Conference

Three killed as US military strikes alleged drug boat in Caribbean Sea

The US military said it killed three people Monday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Trump administration's months-long campaign against alleged traffickers. Monday's attack brought the death toll to at least 151 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in small vessels in early September. As with most of the military's statements on the more than 40 known strikes, US Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs but posted a video on X that showed a small boat with outboard engines being destroyed. "Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," Southern Command stated in a post on X. "Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action." President Donald Trump

Iran prepares nuclear counterproposal as Trump weighs military strikes

Iranian FM did not give specific timing for when Iran would deliver its counterproposal to Witkoff and Kushner but said a diplomatic deal could be achieved 'in a very short period of time'

For Europe Inc, US tariff relief brings unexpected trade uncertainty

Many firms cautioned that Trump could pursue other avenues to impose similar tariffs, reducing the benefit of lower levies, while tariff refunds are likely to be difficult to obtain