Page 2 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump's diesel deal with Russia irks allies, unlikely to reduce prices

The decisions and the ceasefire are all a bet that lowering fuel prices will be the best way to win more votes next month despite the risk of a backlash from political friends and foes alike

Trump's deal with Russia gives Putin a boost in economic war with Ukraine

President Trump is moving to buy Russian diesel while also pressuring Ukraine to halt attacks on refineries, a lifeblood of Moscow's war machine

US Senators question legality of Trump's deal to allow Russian oil imports

A bipartisan group of US Senators have questioned the legality of President Donald Trump's decision to allow diesel imports from Russia, contending that it ran counter to a law banning such trade till Moscow ends the war in Ukraine. On Friday, after a phone call with Putin, Trump announced that he had struck a deal with Russia to immediately supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and the global marketplace. "Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin's brutal war against Ukraine," US Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Wyden (all Democrats), Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis (all Republicans), said in a statement here on Sunday. "President Trump's decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the US runs directly counter to that law," the Senators said. Trump's decision to allow imports of Russian oil to the US and global markets came weeks after the US Congress overwhelmingly pass

Judge orders Trump admin to cancel taxpayer-funded promotional TV ads

President Donald Trump must cancel any remaining television commercials paid for with millions of dollars in taxpayer money to promote his political message, a federal judge ordered on Sunday night, even as the administration said the ad campaign was coming to an end. US District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon in New York sided with a coalition that challenged the ads, including the nonpartisan watchdog Common Cause, who challenged the ads as an illegal misuse of funds. She told the administration to cancel any remaining ads, including any set to air Sunday night, in granting a temporary restraining order.

Trump names Katie Zacharia as White House press secy, replacing Leavitt

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his media company, will succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary. Trump revealed his selection of Zacharia on his Truth Social platform, where he often makes political and official announcements. Zacharia is a conservative commentator for Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the social media site. In naming Zacharia, Trump described her as "a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning." Zacharia briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year and has been a commentator for Fox News and Newsmax. Trump said Zacharia had been involved in his presidential campaigns, notably in swing states. A request for comment left with Zacharia was not immediately answered. A LinkedIn profile noted that she earned a law degree from Pepperdine University. Leavitt announced her departure Aug. 12 and left the position Aug. 27. Sh

US lifts Russian diesel sanctions until Apr 7, 2027, after Trump-Putin call

The US on Friday lifted sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel till April 7 next year. The announcement by the US Department of Treasury came minutes after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and struck a deal to supply diesel to the American and global markets. "...all transactions prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations that are related to the sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States, of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin are authorised through 12:01 am eastern daylight time, April 7, 2027," the Treasury Department said. Earlier, Trump said Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November, and one million tons immediately thereafter. Russia will then deliver another 3 million tons of diesel based on the condition of Russia's refineries, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Diesel prices have surged arou

80% of H-1B filings were for existing employees, not new hires: Microsoft

Microsoft has said 80 per cent of the 6000 H1-B visa applications it had submitted last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of existing employees and not to hire new people. The statement came on Thursday hours after Vice President J D Vance suspended Microsoft from a programme to apply for green cards for foreign workers, accusing it of abusing the system. "We believe in the strength and talent of the American workforce. That is why the vast majority of Microsoft employees in the US are Americans. We look forward to providing the administration with additional information," Microsoft said. "For example, of the approximately 6,000 H-1B visa applications we submitted in the last fiscal year, 80 per cent were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees. These were not to hire new people," it said. The remaining filings for new employees were for individuals already legally in the United States who decided to come work for us, and they equal only one per

Trump honours Elon Musk with National Medal of Science at White House

Trump, before presenting the award, described Musk as 'an industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live'

Trump's retreat: US forces pull back from Gulf, Britain amid Iran war

A war that was intended to demonstrate the reach of American power has now done the opposite. It is a lesson in unintended consequences

US to invest over $100 million on STEM programmes amid AI race with China

The initiative will fund fellowships for US citizens pursuing PhDs in science and engineering, while the NSF's Young Scholars programme will return with $30 million in government funding

US prepares military for possible new Iran strikes, Trump yet to decide

The Pentagon has instructed US Central Command to prepare for possible renewed strikes on Iran, with potential targets including energy, infrastructure and nuclear facilities

Trump says Iran war will end 'very quickly', oil prices will tumble

Trump said the US had taken away Iran's nuclear power and predicted a swift end to the war, while Tehran rejected his claims over the Iranian oil minister's resignation

Trump eases restrictions on use of dyed diesel in bid to cut fuel costs

Trump signed an order allowing wider use of tax-exempt red diesel on roads through year-end, seeking to ease fuel costs for farmers, truckers and workers ahead of the midterm elections

Trump says his super PAC will pay for taxpayer-funded ads glorifying him

President Donald Trump said Monday that he will stop using taxpayer funds for television advertisements glorifying himself that sparked a major backlash, and instead tap his super PAC to cover costs going forward. In a post on his social media site, Trump defended the ads, which cost at least USD 1.5 million in federal funds and have drawn intense criticism. Trump said they were "positive promotion for our Great USA." "This is a rather standard thing to do," the president wrote, while blaming intense criticism for using taxpayer funds on the ads on the "Radical Left." But the president added that he'd "decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc." That is Trump's political war chest, which had amassed more than USD 400 million by the end of July. Trump has begun to tap it to boost Republican candidates around the country ahead of midterm elections. Trump provided no details on reimbursing taxpayers for ads that alrea

Trump declines to reveal next move on Iran, says conflict 'won't be long'

The US president said the situation was "working out very well" and predicted oil prices would fall once the Iran conflict ends, without giving details of his next steps or a timeline

US court blocks Trump admin's border wall project in Texas' Big Bend region

A federal court in Texas on Friday issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from building a border wall and other infrastructure across the state's Big Bend region. The news marks a major win for landowners, businesses and environmentalists in the region who have united to oppose the planned infrastructure projects, which are part of a USD 46 billion effort by the Trump administration to line the southern border with a mix of 30-foot-tall steel walls, vehicle barriers, roads and surveillance technology. Judge Kathleen Cardone said in her ruling that the plaintiffs were "likely to succeed on the merits of at least one of the claims in suit, that there is a likelihood that they will suffer serious, irreparable harm without an injunction, and that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in their favour." Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Opponents of the bor

Trump announces $200 billion South Korean investment in US projects

The package includes eight nuclear power plants, an Alaska gas pipeline and a 6-GW Texas power facility, though Seoul said the $54 billion Alaska project was not yet final

Trump hails US military's exit from Iraq after 12 yr Islamic State mission

The US military announced Wednesday that it completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group and prompting President Donald Trump to hail the conclusion of "a very expensive excursion into Hell." The last US troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington. Trump, in a social media post, described the withdrawal by a September 30 deadline as "orderly." Appearing soon after at a White House event celebrating Hispanics, he spoke at length about the withdrawal and said, "It's been a long time with very bad decision making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place. It was a quagmire. For many, many years it lasted. But soon that part of history will be over." He said the shift was a victory for the US, Iraq and a sign of victory over the Islamic State group. The withdrawal, agreed on two years ago, comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between the United States

US economy grew 2.2% in Q2 on rising consumer spending, investment: US govt

The US economy grew at a solid 2.2 per cent pace from April through June as consumer spending and business investment came in strong. Growth in gross domestic product - the nation's output of goods and services - decelerated from a 2.5 per cent pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The second-quarter growth was an improvement on the department's previous estimate of 1.5 per cent - a surprise to economists who had expected little or no change in the GDP number. Consumer spending - which accounts for about 70 per cent of US economic activity - increased at a healthy 3.8 per cent annual pace, up from 0.7 per cent in the January-March period. Spending has been helped by a strong stock market, which reflects enthusiasm over the prospects for artificial intelligence, enriches wealthy investors and gives them more money to buy things with. The overall growth number was dragged down by imports. They are subtracted from growth because GDP is only suppos