Page 2 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump admin to appeal US court order mandating broad tariff refunds

US Customs and Border Protection launched a new online portal to process refund claims on April 20, signaling that it intended to repay at least some of the approximately $1 billion in refund

'We're not there yet, but very close': Vance on US, Iran peace deal

The Trump administration has several times said a deal to end the fighting was close, only to have Iran dispute or downplay the claims

Trump's pressure campaign brought Iran to the table: US Treasury secy

Speaking about the potential US deal with Iran, Bessent stressed that it depends on President Donald Trump, who is resolute on his demand against Iran's nuclear programme

US Treasury Secy Bessent confirms steps toward $250 bill featuring Trump

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that his department has prepared the design for a USD 250 bill featuring President Donald Trump, anticipating the passage of stalled legislation in Congress to put the president on a new denomination of legal tender. Bessent said at the White House that authorising the new currency will be up to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that "we have created the bill" because "we have to be prepared". The secretary downplayed the idea that the administration is pushing the matter, despite Trump's penchant for infusing his name and likeness across the nation's capital and into the observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Yet he also insisted there is nothing inappropriate about Trump's visage being part of the seminal national celebration. "The president does not do it; the House and the Senate have to do it," Bessent said at the White House, referring to legislation, introduced by Representative Joe Wilson, R-SC,

Trump's Iran bind deepens as Hormuz crisis fuels war pressure at home

Adding to the challenge are his own comments over the years, lambasting his predecessors for signing or considering deals similar to the one that has the best chance of success

Trump admin tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez

The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, a longtime target of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, according to current and former US law enforcement officials, in the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation. It is unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodriguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email "there was never an investigation into her to shut down". But DEA records obtained by The Associated Press earlier this year show she consistently surfaced on the radar of federal law enforcement dating to at least 2018, though she has never been criminally charged in the US like several other senior Venezuelan officials. The directive to pause scrutiny into Rodriguez was meant to avoid upsetting the administration's efforts to

Ex-CIA officer picked to replace Gabbard slammed 'toxic' DEI culture

Lukas warned that the American intelligence community, which comprises 18 agencies, had become 'aimless, bloated, risk-averse, and disconnected at times from the core mission of intelligence'

US to keep out green-card holders returning from Ebola-hit regions

CDC said in a statement that the rule won't permanently bar affected green-card holders but provides the agency with the authority to restrict entry when necessary

Trump critics sue to block payouts from $1.8 bn 'Anti-Weaponisation Fund'

A coalition of President Donald Trump's critics, including a fired prosecutor and a college professor acquitted of assaulting federal agents at a protest, sued Friday to block payouts from a new USD 1.776 billion settlement fund for Trump allies claiming to be victims of a weaponised government. The lawsuit adds fuel to a mounting backlash against the Trump administration's creation of an "Anti-Weaponisation Fund" to resolve the Republican president's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. Plaintiffs' attorneys from the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward are seeking a court order halting the fund's implementation and preventing the Trump administration from disbursing any payouts from it. The federal suit, filed in Alexandria, Virginia, claims there is no legal basis or accountability behind the fund. "The unlawfulness that has imbued the Anti-Weaponization Fund from its inception requires that it be wholly dismantled," the suit ...

'Hello Greenland!': Trump posts image against Nuuk skyline amid tensions

This comes after Greenlanders held a spirited protest on Thursday against the opening of a new American Consulate building in downtown Nuuk, Greenland's capital

Despite 'good signs' in Iran talks, 'other options' remain on table: Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that despite 'good signs' in Iran talks, 'other options' remain on the table. Being careful not to sound overtly optimistic, Rubio told reporters Thursday that while Pakistan and other regional allies are hard at work to bring a diplomatic resolution on Iran, with some officials travelling to Tehran today, Washington remains ready with alternative plans. "The president's preference is to do a good deal. That's his preference. It's always been his preference. If we can get a good deal done, that would be great," he said. "But if we can't get a good deal, the president's been clear he has other options." Rubio said that Iran's plan to toll Strait of Hormuz would make deal 'unfeasible' Talking to reporters on the tarmac in Florida, Rubio once again blasted Tehran's effort to financially benefit from its chokehold on the critical waterway. "No one in the world is in favour of a tolling system. It can't happen. It would be unacceptable

US shuts India-based call centre operation that defrauded elderly Americans

US authorities have shut down an India-based call centre operation that allegedly defrauded hundreds of elderly Americans of millions of dollars through tech support scams, following a years-long investigation that led to the conviction of five "telemarketing fraudsters". In a social media post on Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Boston said that the probe also resulted in the arrest and conviction of a former employee of the call routing company used by the fraudsters. It said the call centre scam targeted hundreds of elderly victims in the US and abroad and defrauded them of millions of dollars, and two senior executives who operated a business that enabled it have just admitted to turning a blind eye to this widespread fraud. "This comes after an FBI Boston investigation that has resulted in the arrests & convictions of a former employee of their call routing company, and five India-based telemarketing fraudsters," it said. American senior citizens deserve ..

Trump to sign order on AI, cybersecurity amid push for tighter oversight

MAGA activists, including ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon and right-wing political organiser Kremer, have been pressing to require AI developers to submit their most capable models for security tests

Trump admin targets Cuba's leaders, generals and spies with new sanctions

The punitive action is part of the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's push to squeeze the island's economy, most notably through a de facto energy blockade

Trump filing reveals investments in sushi chain, Nvidia, Apple and Amazon

The filing shows that he or his investment advisers made more than 3,700 trades in the first quarter, reigniting conflict-of-interest concerns around the Trump administration

Pentagon halts deployments to Poland, Germany to reduce troops in Europe

The Pentagon is drawing down thousands of troops in Europe by cancelling deployments to Poland and Germany as opposed to yanking forces already stationed there, US officials say, as President Donald Trump has tussled with allies over the Iran war and called for changes. Several U.S. officials confirmed that 4,000 troops from the Army's 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland this week. The Trump administration had previously said it was cutting US forces only in Germany, and the decision spurred questions and criticism in both Warsaw and Washington. Two officials told The Associated Press that the deployments were canceled after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to move a brigade combat team out of Europe. One of them said the choice of which unit was left to military leaders. Besides the Army combat team based in Fort Hood, Texas, the memo also led to the cancellation of an upcoming ...

Agree 100% with Xi that US was on decline, but under Biden: Trump

US President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was "100 per cent correct" in his assessment that the US was a nation in decline, but the remarks referred to the years of his predecessor Joe Biden. "When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100 per cent correct," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He said the US "suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women's sports, Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI), horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!" Trump asserted that the US has seen "an incredible rise" during the first 16 months of his administration and pointed to record stock markets and 401(k)s, military victories, renewed economic strength and what he described as a booming job market. Trump als

Anthropic's dispute with US govt emerges as risk factor for Figma, others

Design software maker Figma Inc. said it may harm its ability to sell to the government if Anthropic continues to be declared a 'supply chain risk'

Senate confirms Trump pick Warsh as chairman of Federal Reserve

The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, bringing new leadership to the world's most powerful central bank at a fraught moment for the global economy. Warsh was confirmed Wednesday in a largely party-line vote. His nomination had been thrown into doubt in recent months after Republican Sen Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he would block the nomination while the Justice Department investigated Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Powell probe was dropped in April, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm Warsh. Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged colleagues to support Warsh during a floor speech Wednesday morning, saying it's critical that a Fed chair "understand not only the macro" but also "appreciate the microeconomy: and that's the hardworking Americans, their jobs and their livelihoods". "Kevin Warsh is just such a person," Thune said. Warsh, 56, a former top Fed official, will become chair at an unusually difficult time fo

'Virtual treason': Trump accuses US media of giving 'false hope' to Iran

Trump made the latest slew of remarks in a post on Truth Social and slammed the press for 'aiding and abetting' by giving 'false hope' to Iran