Page 29 - Donald Trump Administration

2 killed as US strikes eighth alleged drug-carrying boat, now in Pacific

The US military conducted its eighth strike against an alleged drug vessel, killing two people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday. The Tuesday night strike occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The seven previous strikes all targeted vessels in the Caribbean. According to Hegseth in a social media post, the strike killed two people, bringing the death toll from all the strikes to at least 34 people. In a brief video released by Hegseth, a small boat, half-filled with brown packages, is seen moving along the water. Several seconds into the video, the boat explodes and is seen floating motionless on the water in flames. In his post, Hegseth took the unusual step of equating the alleged drug traffickers to the group behind the September 11, 2001, attack. Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people, Hegseth said, adding there will be no refuge or forgiveness only justice. President Donald Trump has justified the .

Trump seeks $230 mn from Department of Justice over earlier investigations

The matter is unusual in American history, given that a sitting president is demanding money from the same government he leads, for probes that were conducted against him earlier

Senate Republicans head to White House amid stalemate on shutdown

As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands. Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year. With both sides showing no signs of movement, it's unclear how long the stalemate will last even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programmes will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead. I think the president's ready to get involv

Trump nominee Ingrassia under fire for racist slurs, 'Nazi streak'

The controversy is expected to seriously damage Paul Ingrassia's chances of confirmation and add pressure on the Trump administration, which is already facing criticism over several appointments

Trump admin relents, to resume student loan forgiveness for millions

The White House reached an agreement with the AFT last week to restart student loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers under 'Income-contingent' and 'Pay as you earn' plans

Businesses tell US Supreme Court that Trump tariffs are illegal $3 trn tax

The tariffs remain in place for now, even though the federal appeals court ruled that the president exceeded his authority by imposing them

Trump official cautions China against penalising firms investing in US

Greer's warning comes amid ongoing US-China maritime disputes, with China controlling over half the world's shipbuilding and seeking greater influence in the South China Sea

Case against Comey driven by Trump's 'personal animus', say his lawyers

Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge Monday to dismiss the case against him, calling it a vindictive prosecution motivated by personal animus and orchestrated by a White House determined to seek retribution against a perceived foe of President Donald Trump. The lawyers separately called for the indictment's dismissal because of what they said was the illegitimate appointment of the US attorney who filed the case days after being hastily named to the job by Trump. The two-prong attack on the indictment, which accuses Comey of lying to Congress five years ago, represents the opening salvo in what is expected to be a protracted court fight ahead of a trial currently set for January 5. The motions take aim not at the substance of the allegations but rather on the unusual circumstances of the prosecution, which included Trump exhorting his attorney general to bring charges against Comey as well as his administration's abrupt installation of a White House aide to serve

Trump can command Oregon troops, says US court, blocks deployment for now

An appeals court on Monday put on hold a lower court ruling that kept President Donald Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. However, Trump is still barred from actually deploying those troops, at least for now. US District Judge Karin Immergut issued two temporary restraining orders early this month -- one that prohibited Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland, and another that prohibited him from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all, after the president tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead. The Justice Department appealed the first order, and in a 2-1 ruling Monday, a panel from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the administration. The majority said the president was likely to succeed on his claim that he had the authority to federalise the troops based on a determination he was unable to enforce the laws without them. However, Immergut's second order remains in effect

Ukraine 'could still win' against Russia, says Trump but doubts outcome

Trump's remarks came during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where both leaders signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on critical minerals

US nuclear security agency furloughs 1,400 workers amid govt shutdown

The federal agency tasked with overseeing the US nuclear stockpile has begun furloughing employees as part of the ongoing federal government shutdown, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Monday. In a visit to Nevada, Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers as part of the shutdown, which began October 1. Nearly 400 federal workers will remain on the job, along with thousands of NNSA contractors, the Energy Department said. The NNSA, a semi-autonomous branch of the Energy Department, also works to secure nuclear materials around the world. Tough day today," Wright said in Las Vegas before a scheduled visit to the Nevada National Security Site in Mercury, Nevada. We're working hard to protect everyone's jobs and keep our national stockpile secure, Wright said. The furloughs do not pose an immediate threat to national security, Wright said, adding, "We have emergency employees and the current nuclear stockpile is safe. President .

Diwali timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness, says Trump

US President Donald Trump on Monday extended his wishes on Diwali, the festival of lights, and said it is a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate. Today, I send my best wishes to every American celebrating Diwali the Festival of Lights', Trump said in a statement. For many Americans, Diwali is a timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness. It is also a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate community, draw strength from hope, and embrace a lasting spirit of renewal, the US president said. As millions of citizens light diyas and lanterns, we rejoice in the eternal truth that good will always triumph over evil. To every American celebrating Diwali, may this observance bring abiding serenity, prosperity, hope, and peace, he added.

'Humbled' but unfazed, says George Santos after Trump commutes his sentence

Freed from the prison where he had been serving time for ripping off his campaign donors, former US Rep George Santos says he's humbled by his experience behind bars but unconcerned about the pearl clutching of critics upset that President Donald Trump granted him clemency. I'm pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics," Santos said on Sunday in an interview on CNN. Santos, who won office after inventing a bogus persona as a Wall Street dealmaker, pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft last year and began serving a seven-year sentence in July at a prison in New Jersey. But Trump ordered his release on Friday after he served just 84 days. Trump called Santos a rogue, but said he did not deserve a harsh sentence and should get credit for voting Republican. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Santos said he had learned a great deal and had a very large slice of humble pie, if not the whole pie while in prison. He also

Why millions joined 'No Kings' protests across US against Trump policies

About seven million people marched across 2,700 US cities in the latest 'No Kings' protests, denouncing Donald Trump's 'authoritarian' policies amid a government shutdown

Trump confident of brokering long-lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine

During a bilateral lunch with the Ukrainian President in the White House, Trump reiterated his confidence in facilitating an end to the ongoing war

Ex-Trump NSA Bolton pleads not guilty to 18 charges of mishandling files

Former Trump adviser John Bolton has denied charges of mishandling classified information, including sharing diary-like notes; court hearing set for November 21

Trump commutes prison sentence of former Republican lawmaker George Santos

Trump alleged, without providing any evidence, that Santos had been "horribly mistreated" while in prison, and signed a commutation releasing Santos from prison immediately

Trump govt sued by US labour unions for tracking immigrants' social media

US labour unions have sued the government for monitoring legal immigrants' social media, alleging that the surveillance violates free speech and creates fear of online expression

Ahead of Zelenskyy meeting, Trump uncertain of sending Tomahawk missiles

President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks at the White House on Friday, with the US leader signalling he's not ready to agree to sell Kyiv a long-range missile system that the Ukrainians say they desperately need. Zelenskyy gets his one-on-one with Trump a day after the US president and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict. In recent days, Trump had shown openness to selling Ukraine long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship. But following Thursday's call with Putin, Trump appeared to downplay the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 1,600 km. We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too, Trump said. We have a lot of them, but we need them. I mean we can't deplete our country. Zelenskyy had been seeking the weapons that would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into

US bombings fuel speculation over disappearances of fishermen in Trinidad

Opposition leaders in Trinidad are questioning Washington's offensive, echoing concerns expressed by US scholars and non-governmental organizations