Page 20 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump to impose $100K fee per year for H-1B visas, likely to impact Indians

India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71 per cent of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7 per cent, according to government data

Hungary, following Trump, will designate Antifa terrorist group: PM Orban

Hungary will replicate a policy announced on Thursday by US President Donald Trump and designate Antifa a terrorist organisation, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is an umbrella term for loosely affiliated far-left activists and groups that resist fascism, fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations. It resembles more an ideology than an organisation, though some have embraced militant tactics. Orban, a right-wing populist and strong Trump ally, said in comments to state radio on Friday that he was pleased by Trump's announcement that he plans to designate Antifa as a major terrorist organisation in the United States. "Antifa is indeed a terrorist organisation," Orban said. In Hungary, too, the time has come for us to classify organisations such as Antifa as terrorist organisations, following the American model. It was unclear what prompted Orban's decision to make the move. Antifascist groups rarely engage in political actions in

South Korea's LG Energy used visa workarounds for staff before US crackdown

Over 300 Koreans, including 250 LG staff and contractors, were detained at LG's car battery venture with Hyundai Motor, in the US Department of Homeland Security's biggest immigration raid ever

Trump halts $400 mn Taiwan military aid amid push for China trade deal

Beijing sees Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy of 23 million people, as part of its territory and has regularly protested US arms transfers as provocative

Who is Brendan Carr? The regulator behind Jimmy Kimmel's suspension

Since Carr began leading the FCC in January, he has continued pulling from that playbook, making his priorities known and leaving the door open for companies to take steps to please him

Trump praises his hosts for royal welcome on UK visit, sidesteps key issues

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was tremendously thankful for the pageantry and splendour lavished on him during his second state visit to the United Kingdom as he wrapped up a trip that largely sidestepped major public disagreements over difficult trade and geopolitical issues. The mutual warmth, along with Trump's abundance of kind words bestowed on the host country, suggested that an all-out charm offensive by the royal family and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had its desired effect, even though there was a notable lack of progress on some key matters. Trump and Starmer signed what both sides hailed as a historic agreement on science and technology, and they held a roundtable with global business leaders where they suggested the deal could mean significant job gains. Among the topics tackled mostly in private talks between Trump and Starmer were the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and US tariff rates on steel imported from Britain. "The bond between our countries is .

Trump suggests possible US return to Afghan base, citing China proximity

President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that he is working to reestablish a US presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years after America's chaotic withdrawal from the country left the base in the Taliban's hands. Trump floated the idea during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he wrapped up a state visit to the UK and tied it to the need for the US to counter its top rival, China. We're trying to get it back, Trump said of the base in an aside to a question about ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Trump described his call for the US military to reestablish a position in Afghanistan as breaking news, the Republican president has previously raised the idea. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether it or the Pentagon has done any planning around returning to the sprawling air base, which was central to America's longest war. During his first presidency, Trump set the terms for the US withdrawal by ...

Experts resurrect Census Bureau advisory committee axed by Trump admin

A US Census Bureau advisory committee made up of scientific experts that was axed by the Trump administration earlier this year is resurrecting itself and meeting Thursday with no official blessing or formal ties to the statistical agency. The reconstitution of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee, rechristened with an Independent in front of its name, is a defiant gesture by the research community against the Trump administration's elimination last winter of three advisory committees made up of outside experts from private industry and academia. Unlike in past meetings, no Census Bureau staffers will be involved directly or indirectly during Thursday's conference. Will our scientific advice still find an ear at the Census Bureau? I do not know, said University of North Carolina sociologist Barbara Entwisle, who chairs the committee. However, it is a certainty that our recommendations will have no effect at all if we do not provide them. The decision to get the committee member

After royal pomp, Trump meets UK PM Starmer on final day of state visit

After the pomp, it's time for the politics. President Donald Trump will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, the final day of the US leader's state visit to Britain, with tech investment, steel tariffs and potentially tricky topics on the agenda. The president and first lady Melania Trump were feted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at Windsor Castle with all the pageantry the monarchy can muster: gold-trimmed carriages, scarlet-clad soldiers, artillery salutes and a glittering banquet in a grand ceremonial hall. British officials have festooned the trip with the kind of superlatives Trump revels in: It's an unprecedented second state visit for the US leader, featuring the biggest military honour guard ever assembled for such an occasion. On Thursday it is Starmer's turn to welcome the president to Chequers, a 16th-century manor house northwest of London that serves as a rural retreat for British leaders. Trump's British hosts want to celebrate the streng

Trump's Golden Dome blueprint complete; Pentagon silent on cost & scope

Earlier in May, Donald Trump unveiled $175 billion air defence plan, to place US weapons in space for the first time. But the Congressional Budget Office projects the cost will exceed his estimate

ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel's show indefinitely over remarks on Kirk's death

ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show indefinitely after comments that he made about Charlie Kirk's killing led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say it would not air the show. Kimmel, the veteran late-night comic, made several comments about the reaction to Kirk's assassination on his show Monday and Tuesday nights. He said that many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk. ABC, which has aired Kimmel's late-night show since 2003, moved swiftly after Nextstar Communications Group said it would pull the show starting Wednesday. Kimmel's comments about Kirk's death are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division. Nexstar operates 23 ABC affiliates. There was no immediate comment from Kimmel. On Twitter Wednesday night, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted: Welcome to Consequence Culture. Normal, common sense

Kash Patel defends Epstein files, signals probe into alleged Trump letter

FBI Director Kash Patel defended the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files Wednesday as he returned to Capitol Hill for a second day to face intense questioning from Democrats over his promises of transparency surrounding the wealthy financier's criminal case. The political blowback over the Trump administration's decision in July not to publicly release more investigative files from Epstein's case was at the center of Patel's five-hour appearance before the House Judiciary Committee. It followed an at-times raucous hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday during which Democrats focused their attention on their criticism that Patel has politicized the bureau and turned it into a weapon against Trump's perceived enemies. Here's a look at some key takeaways from Wednesday's hearing: Some of the most explosive exchanges centered around the Justice Department's handling of files related to the Epstein sex trafficking investigation as well as the F

Kash Patel faces Senate over probe into Kirk's killing, FBI upheaval

Kash Patel will confront sceptical Senate Democrats at a congressional hearing Tuesday likely to be dominated by questions about the investigation into Charlie Kirk's killing as well as the recent firings of senior officials who have accused the FBI director of illegal political retribution. The appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee represents the first oversight hearing of Patel's young but tumultuous tenure and provides a high-stakes platform for him to try to reassure wary lawmakers that he is the right person for the job at a time of internal upheaval and mounting concerns about political violence inside the US. Patel will be returning to the committee for the first time since his confirmation hearing in January, when he sought to reassure Democrats that he would not pursue retribution as director. He'll face questions Tuesday about whether he did exactly that when the FBI last month fired five agents and senior officials in a purge that current and former officials s

Suspect in Kirk shooting to face charges today before first court hearing

Prosecutors are preparing to file a capital murder charge Tuesday against the Utah man who authorities say held a leftist ideology and may have been radicalised online before he was arrested in the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson are expected to come ahead of the first court hearing since he was accused last week of shooting Kirk, a conservative activist credited with energising the Republican youth movement and helping President Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024. Investigators have been piecing together evidence, including a rifle and ammunition engraved with anti-fascist and meme culture messaging, found after the shooting Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem. Kirk was speaking there on one of his many campus visits where he relished debating just about everyone. Prosecutors in Utah County are considering several charges against Robinson, the most serious being aggravated murder because it could bring the death penalty i

Indian-origin man's murder was preventable: US agencies blame Biden admin

US law enforcement agencies said the savage and gruesome killing of an Indian-origin motel manager in Dallas would never have happened if the accused was not released into the country by the Biden administration. A hotel manager was beheaded in front of his family by a convicted predator, an illegal alien from Cuba. Cuba refused to take him, so the Biden admin released him onto the American streets a week prior to President Trump taking office, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a post on X Monday. Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old Cuban national with a violent criminal history. The federal agency said that the criminal illegal alien should never have been in America in the first place. Describing Cobos-Martinez as a vile monster, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that he beheaded Nagamallaiah in front of his wife and child and proceeded to kick the victim's head on the ...

Trump flies in for UK state visit amid hopes for trade, tech deals

US President Donald Trump arrives in the United Kingdom on Tuesday for a state visit during which the British government hopes a multibillion-dollar technology deal will show the transatlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of the Western alliance. State visits in Britain blend 21st-century diplomacy with royal pageantry. Trump's two-day trip comes complete with horse-drawn carriages, military honour guards and a glittering banquet inside a 1,000-year-old castle all tailored to a president with a fondness for gilded splendour. King Charles III will host Trump at Windsor Castle before the president holds talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, the British leader's rural retreat. Starmer's office said the visit will demonstrate that the UK-US relationship is the strongest in the world, built on 250 years of history after that awkward rupture in 1776 and bound by shared values of belief in the rule of law and open ..

Trump deploys National Guard to Memphis, calling it 'replica' of Washington

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities. Trump made the announcement with Republican Tennessee Gov Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, calling what's coming a "replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts" in Washington. That was a reference to last month, when the president deployed National Guard troops to the nation's capital and federalised the city's police force in a crackdown he has since argued reduced crime. Trump said that, in addition to troops, the push in Memphis would involve officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US Marshall's service: "We're sending in the big force now." Shortly before Trump's announcement, the White House said on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than t

US drops Colombia as drug war partner, puts it on rogue nation list: Petro

The move is likely to hit foreign investment, multilateral funding and tourism, as a long-time ally of Washington now finds itselfin the same rogue category as Venezuela, Bolivia and Myanmar

Judge rules Trump admin illegally fired thousands of probationary workers

The Trump administration's central human resources office acted illegally when it directed the mass firings of probationary workers as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to downsize the federal workforce, a judge has ruled. US District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco said Friday in awarding judgment to a coalition of labour unions and nonprofits that the US Office of Personnel Management "unlawfully exceeded its own powers and usurped and exercised powers reserved by Congress to each individual" federal agency to hire and fire its own workers. He said the government "disagrees but does not persuade" in its defence that the office did not direct employment decisions, but merely offered guidance to other agencies. "Judge Alsup's decision makes clear that thousands of probationary workers were wrongfully fired, exposes the sham record the government relied upon, and requires the government to tell the wrongly terminated employees that OPM's reasoning for firing them was ...

Vance hosts Kirk's radio show from White House to honour his 'friend'

Vice President JD Vance on Monday hosted the radio programme of Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist who was assassinated last week, telling listeners that the best way he knows how to honour his friend is to be a better husband and father. Vance hosted The Charlie Kirk Show from his ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. The livestream of the two-hour programme was broadcast in the White House press briefing room and featured a series of appearances by White House and administration officials who knew the 31-year-old Kirk. Vance, who transported Kirk's body home to Arizona aboard Air Force Two last week, opened by saying he was filling in for somebody who cannot be filled in for, but I'll do my best. The Republican vice president, 41, was especially close to Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, one of the nation's largest political organisations with chapters on high school and college campuses. The two began a friendshi