Page 22 - Donald Trump Administration

Senate GOP blocks bid to curb Trump's military strikes on drug cartels

Senate Republicans voted down legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on President Donald Trump's ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels after Democrats tried to counter the administration's extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers to destroy vessels in the Caribbean. The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans voting in favour and one Democrat voting against. It was the first vote in Congress on Trump's military campaign, which according to the White House has so far destroyed four vessels, killed at least 21 people and stopped narcotics from reaching the US. The war powers resolution would have required the president to seek authorisation from Congress before further military strikes on the cartels. The Trump administration has asserted that drug traffickers are armed combatants threatening the United States, creating justification to use military force. But that assertion has been met with some unease on Capitol ...

UN to cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force amid US funding strains

The United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers in the next several months to evacuate far-flung global hotspots as a result of the latest US funding cuts to the world body, a senior UN official said. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, briefed reporters Wednesday on the 25 per cent reduction in peacekeepers worldwide as the United States, the largest UN donor, makes changes to align with President Donald Trump's America First vision. Around 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions will be sent back to their home countries. That comes as the UN plans to cut about 15 per cent of the peacekeeping force's USD 5.4 billion budget for next year. The decision to institute a major overhaul of the peacekeeping force known globally for their distinctive blue berets or helmets followed a meeting Tuesday ...

No signs of improvement: Gita Gopinath slams 'Liberation Day' tariffs

On April 2, Trump announced an unparalleled increase in tariffs on goods imported into the US from most of its trading partners during a ceremony labelled "Liberation Day"

US govt shutdown grinds into second week, but quiet talks emerging

Tours at the Capitol have come to a standstill. The House is keeping its doors closed, while the Senate is stuck in a loop of failed votes on a rejected plan to reopen the government. President Donald Trump is threatening to mass fire federal workers and refuse back pay for the rest. As the government shutdown enters a second week, there's no discernible endgame in sight. You have to negotiate, Sen Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, argued late into the evening on the Senate floor. That's the way it works. But no negotiations, at least publicly, are underway. Shutdown grinds on, but signs of quiet talks The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies as part of any plan to end the shutdown. But so have Democrats dug in, convinced that Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes and blaming Trump

Staffing shortages cause US flight delays as govt shutdown enters day 7

Staffing shortages led to more flight delays at airports across the US on Tuesday as the federal government shutdown stretched into a seventh day, while union leaders for air traffic controllers and airport security screeners warned the situation was likely to get worse. The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia, and at its air traffic control centres in Atlanta and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agency temporarily slowed takeoffs of planes headed to the first three cities. Major flight delays a day earlier also were tied to insufficient staffing during the shutdown, which began October 1. The FAA reported delays on Monday at the airports in Burbank, California, Newark, New Jersey and Denver. Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said the risk of significant disruptions to the US aviation system is growing by the day" as federal workers whose jobs are deemed critical continue working without pay. The .

US Gaza plan needs Trump's stamina and focus, not Nobel Prize distraction

Neither Israel nor Hamas fully supports the deal, with both sides issuing caveats and misrepresenting or ignoring key terms regarding Gaza's future

Trump deploys California Guard to Oregon despite setback from court

The troops arrived Saturday night with no prior notice to state officials, and more troops are on the way, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said in a statement Sunday

We're dealing with killers, savages, terrorists: US secy of State on Hamas

Trump says global negotiations with Hamas for hostage release and ending Gaza war are "very successful and proceeding rapidly"

Trump blames Democrats for federal layoffs as govt shutdown enters day 6

Republican and Democratic lawmakers at an impasse on reopening the federal government provided few public signs Sunday of meaningful negotiations taking place to end what is about to be a six-day shutdown with President Donald Trump saying that layoffs are occurring. Asked on Sunday night when federal workers would be fired as he has threatened to do, Trump told reporters: It's taking place right now and it's all because of the Democrats. The Democrats are causing the loss of a lot of jobs, Trump added, declining to answer a question about which agencies are subject to the cuts. The possibility of layoffs would escalate an already tense situation in which Washington lawmakers have struggled to find common ground and build mutual trust. Leaders in both parties are betting that public sentiment has swung their way, putting pressure on the other side to cave. Democrats are insisting on renewing subsidies to cover health insurance costs for millions of households, while Trump wants to

Trump marks Navy's 250th anniversary with rally-like event amid shutdown

President Donald Trump did not let the government shutdown interfere with a stop in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday to salute the Navy as it celebrates its 250th anniversary using his speech to praise both the Navy and himself. Trump delivered remarks that by his own recognition bordered on making it more like a campaign event, generating some applause from the crowd before closing out with a recording of his theme song, YMCA by Village People. Let's face it, this is a rally, Trump told the crowd that the Navy estimated to be 10,000 people. The president criticised his political opponents and attacked Democratic lawmakers as the shutdown entered its fifth day, causing military personnel to work without pay until the government reopens. I want you to know that despite the current Democrat induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don't worry about it," Trump said to cheers from the crowd. The government shutdown that began Wednesday has sparked partisan blam

Trump's 'paper tiger' jab at Russia echoes Mao's propaganda against US

Nearly 80 years after Mao Zedong called the United States a paper tiger to boost morale at home, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are exchanging barbs who is the paper tiger of today. In a September 23 post on Truth Social, Trump mocked Russia's military powers and called the country a paper tiger, prompting the Kremlin to push back. Trump backed off, but on Tuesday he brought back the dismissive rhetoric when addressing a roomful of generals and admirals. You're four years fighting a war that should have taken a week," Trump said of Russia's war with Ukraine. "Are you a paper tiger? On Thursday, Putin retorted, We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO, and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident, and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is? He added: A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then. Those familiar with modern Chinese history have found it amusing, odd and not without irony that an American president should be .

US govt shutdown drags on as Senate funding vote fails to break deadlock

Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown faded Friday as Democrats refused to budge in a Senate vote and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government. On the third day of the shutdown, a Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government fell well short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. Senators were expected to depart for the weekend, and there have been few signs of any real progress towards ending the congressional standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend healthcare benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day after day of voting on the House-passed bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels. I don't know how many times you're going to give them a chance to vote no, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said at a news conference Friday. He added that he would give Democratic senators the weekend to

US appeals court rules Trump admin can't end birthright citizenship

A federal appeals court in Boston ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily, adding to the mounting legal setbacks for the president's birthright order. A three-judge panel of the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals became the fifth federal court since June to either issue or uphold orders blocking the president's birthright order. The court concluded that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claims that the children described in the order are entitled to birthright citizenship under the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. The panel upheld lower courts' preliminary injunctions, which blocked the birthright order while lawsuits challenging it moved ahead. The order, signed the day the president took office in January, would halt automatic citizenship for babies born to people in the US illegally or temporarily. The lessons of history' thus give us every reason to be wary of

US plans $2,500 incentive for migrant teens to return home voluntarily

The scheme, initially targeting 17-year-olds in federal custody, offers $2,500 to return home voluntarily, raising concerns it could pressure minors to abandon asylum claims and legal protections

$100K H-1B visa fee could hurt key sectors: US business groups warn Trump

Industry groups have warned the Trump administration that the $100,000 H-1B fee could block foreign skilled workers, affecting tech, healthcare, and other critical sectors across the US economy

Hamas accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan after Trump issues ultimatum

Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians. The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the October 7 attack into Israel. It was unclear how the US and Israel would respond to partial acceptance. Hamas said it was willing to release hostages according to the plan's formula, likely referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body. But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a unanimous Palestinian stance reached with other factions and based

Pfizer's drug-price deal with Trump follows months of negotiation deadlock

Pfizer and the White House were deadlocked for months over lowering US drug prices, with Trump demanding quick results from drug executives right from the start of his second term

Trump goes online to target Democrats as US govt shutdown continues

On Thursday morning, as thousands of federal employees stayed home and faced potential layoffs because of the government shutdown, President Donald Trump got right to work on social media. He started by sharing praise from supporters. Then he falsely claimed that DEMOCRATS WANT TO GIVE YOUR HEALTHCARE MONEY TO ILLEGAL ALIENS. And then he announced that he would meet with his top budget adviser to figure out where to make permanent cuts to federal programmes that are a political SCAM. All that was before 8 am, just one flurry in a blizzard of online commentary from the president as the government shutdown entered a second day. Like so many other times when he's faced complex crises with no easy solutions, Trump seems determined to post his way through it. The stream of invective and trolling has been remarkable even for a 79-year-old president who is as chronically online as any member of Gen Z. His style is mirrored by the rest of his administration, which so far seems more interest

Trump uses govt shutdown to target federal workers, halt key projects

President Donald Trump has seized on the government shutdown as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce and punish detractors, by threatening mass firings of workers and suggesting irreversible cuts to programmes important to Democrats. Rather than simply furlough employees, as is usually done during any lapse of funds, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said layoffs were imminent. The Office of Management and Budget announced it was putting on hold roughly USD 18 billion of infrastructure funds for New York's subway and Hudson Tunnel projects in the hometown of the Democratic leaders of the US House and Senate. Trump has marvelled over the handiwork of his budget director. He can trim the budget to a level that you couldn't do any other way, the president said at the start of the week of OMB Director Russ Vought, who was also a chief architect of the Project 2025 conservative policy book. So they're taking a risk by having a shutdown, Trump said during an event

New York's Statue of Liberty torch may go dark as US govt shutdown drags on

The shutdown threatens to close New York's Statue of Liberty and freeze billions in federal funds, hitting social services, safety programmes and city infrastructure