Page 25 - Donald Trump Administration

US warship docks in Trinidad and Tobago to increase pressure on Venezuela

A US warship has docked in Trinidad and Tobago's capital as the Trump administration boosts military pressure on neighbouring Venezuela and its President Nicols Maduro. The arrival of the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, in the capital of the Caribbean nation is in addition to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which is moving closer to Venezuela. Maduro criticised the movement of the carrier as an attempt by the US government to fabricate "a new eternal war against his country. US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro, without providing evidence, of being the leader of the organised crime gang Tren de Aragua. Government officials from the twin-island nation and the US said the massive warship will remain in Trinidad until Thursday so both countries can carry out training exercises. A senior military official in Trinidad and Tobago told The Associated Press that the move was only recently scheduled. The official spoke under condition of anonymity due to lack of ..

Trump admin halts federal food aid from November 1 amid govt shutdown

The US Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out November 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on. The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly USD 5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That programme helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. Bottom line, the well has run dry, the USDA notice says. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. The shutdown, which began October 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans and some of those most in need unless a

Europe struggles to avoid being sidelined by Trump's world-shaping plans

When President Donald Trump took the stage in Egypt to hail the US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, a row of world leaders stood behind him like extras in a political drama. It was a telling image. European governments have struggled to play a significant role in diplomacy over the Gaza war, while the America First leader has played a central one, pushing longtime allies in Europe toward the sidelines. Closer to home, they have labored with mixed results to shape Trump's response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's obstinate pursuit of the Ukraine war, a conflict with profound consequences for the continent's future. Is Europe able to influence Trump? I think the short answer... is no, said Lindsay Newman, a geopolitical risk expert and columnist for GZERO Media. The policy and positioning of the US government on Ukraine, on Israel, on its relationship with Europe is defined by the president and those around him. Largely the president. Newman said Trump's ...

Trump to press Xi Jinping for release of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai

More than 30 lawmakers signed a letter headed by Scott, a US senator from Florida, asking Trump to raise the issue of Lai, noting that Lai is suffering from deteriorating health

From Apple to Meta: White House lists donors for Trump's $300 mn ballroom

The White House released the list of donors funding Trump's 90,000-sq-foot ballroom, costing $300 million, backed by tech giants, billionaires and private contributors

Trump not planning to meet Carney amid ongoing spat over Canada trade ad

Shortly before departing, Trump called the commercial "dishonest" and panned the decision to keep airing it during US broadcasts of the World Series

Trump's no. 1 Canadian enemy: Doug Ford embraces his role as antagonist

Ford said the ad will be paused from Monday to allow trade talks to resume but will still air over the weekend during the first two World Series games in Toronto

Trump claims Biden administration rigged 2020 election, spied on lawmakers

Trump said there were documents that proved Biden officials rigged the 2020 Presidential Election, citing Operation Arctic Frost and calling for accountability after FBI revelations

Bernanke, Yellen urge US Supreme Court to overturn Trump's tariffs

Economists say US trade deficits are normal and not the "unusual and extraordinary" threat cited by Trump for imposing emergency tariffs

US probes China's compliance with 2020 trade deal as Trump heads to Asia

U.S. officials are launching an investigation into whether China lived up to its commitments under a 2020 trade pact that President Donald Trump described at the time as an incredible breakthrough.' The announcement Friday by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer came the same day Trump was scheduled to head to Asia, where he said he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to ease trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies. Beijing has announced that Xi will travel to South Korea to attend a regional economic meeting and for a state visit, but it has yet to confirm that he will meet with Trump while both are in South Korea. The possible leaders summit is highly watched as trade tensions have risen again, with both countries imposing more trade restrictions on the other and Trump threatening a new 100% tariff on China. Beijing has demanded that the U.S. not threaten new restrictions while seeking talks with China, and it's not immediately clear how Greer'

Pentagon accepts $130 mn donation to help pay US army during govt shutdown

The Pentagon confirmed that it has accepted an anonymous USD 130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown, raising ethical questions after President Donald Trump had announced that a friend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls. While large and unusual, the gift amounts to a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used USD 6.5 billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without compensation. That's what I call a patriot, Trump said during a White House event Thursday when he disclosed the payment from the donor. The president declined to name the person, whom he called a friend of mine, saying the man didn't want the recognition. The Pentagon confirmed it had accepted the donation on Thursday under its general gif

US govt shutdown means no inflation data next month for 1st time in decades

The government shutdown likely means there won't be an inflation report next month for the first time in more than seven decades, the White House said Friday, leaving Wall Street and the Federal Reserve without crucial information about consumer prices. Because surveyors cannot deploy to the field, the White House has learned there will likely NOT be an inflation release next month for the first time in history, the Trump administration said in an email. Some of the inflation data is collected electronically, but most is gathered in person by government employees who visit stores across the country. The Bureau of Labour Statistics, which prepares the inflation report, has already reduced the data collected each month because the Trump administration's hiring freeze left some cities without surveyors. The announcement follows Friday's release of September inflation data, which showed prices ticked higher but remained lower than many economists had expected. That report, which was ...

US flies supersonic B-1 bombers near Venezuela coast amid drugs crackdown

The U.S. military flew a pair of supersonic, heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela, a little over a week after another group of American bombers made a similar journey as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack. The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off of Venezuela, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. Maduro faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. Adding to the speculation, the U.S. military since early September has been carrying out lethal strikes on vessels in the waters off Venezuela that Trump says are trafficking drugs. According to flight tracking data, a pair of B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday and flew through the Caribbean and up to the coast of Venezuela. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, confirmed that a training flight of B-1s to

White House to fight lawsuits challenging $100K H-1B visa fee hike

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday (local time) claimed that the H-1B system has been exploited, driving down American wages

Trump seeks quick wins on trade, fentanyl and rare-earths in key Xi meeting

Trump has also floated an elusive agreement on nuclear weapons and expressed a desire to convince Xi to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine

Trump warns China over fentanyl smuggling via Venezuela ahead of meeting Xi

Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Busan, South Korea

Israeli PM meets US Secretary of State Rubio to discuss Gaza peace plan

Meanwhile, as per The Times of Israel, a US official said that US President Donald Trump will "f**k" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli leader jeopardizes the Gaza ceasefire deal

Paul Kapur sworn in as US Assistant Secy for South & Central Asian Affairs

Indian-American author and security expert Paul Kapur has been officially sworn in as the new Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State. His sworn in was announced by the Bureau in a social media post on late Wednesday night. "Welcome to @State_SCA, Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur! This morning Dr. Kapur was officially sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs," it said. As Assistant Secretary, Kapur will oversee America's diplomatic engagement and strategic partnerships in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. He succeeds Donald Lu, who served in the post since 2021. Kapur was born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mother. He served as a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the US Naval Postgraduate School. He is a visiting fellow at Stanf

Rubio to visit Israel after Vance, ensure fragile Gaza ceasefire holds

As US Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel comes to a close, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would be travelling to the country to keep the momentum on the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Earlier this week, Vance announced the opening of a civilian military coordination centre in southern Israel where some 200 US troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries planning the stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza. Rubio told journalists at Joint Base Andrews late Wednesday that he plans to visit the centre and appoint a Foreign Service official to work alongside the top US military commander in the Middle East, Vice Adm Brad Cooper. The US is seeking support from other allies, especially Gulf nations, to create an international stabilisation force to be deployed to Gaza and train a Palestinian force. We'd like to see Palestinian police forces in Gaza that are not Hamas and that are going to do a good jo

Trump approves $25 mn in disaster aid to help Alaska recover from storms

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is approving USD 25 million in disaster aid for Alaska after back-to-back storms including the remnants of a typhoon ravaged coastal villages, displaced about 2,000 people and led to one of the most significant evacuation airlifts in state history. Trump said on social media that he informed Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy he was approving the money to help recovery efforts. Last Thursday, Dunleavy sought an expedited major disaster declaration connected to the storm impacts from earlier this month. On Wednesday, his office said Trump's declaration clears the way for federal aid for related to recovery and reconstruction, unemployment assistance and disaster loans for small businesses. While damage assessments are still being tallied, two of the hardest-hit communities were the low-lying Yup'ik villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which were devastated by record high water levels amid the storm surge from the remnants of Typhoon Halong. Th