Page 29 - Donald Trump Administration

Why Republicans oppose Trump's plan to send $2,000 tariff-funded cheques

Donald Trump is pushing for $2,000 tariff-funded rebate cheques next year, but key Republicans say soaring deficits, the $38 trillion national debt make the proposal difficult to support

Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign from Congress after fallout with Trump

Greene was among the Republicans who led the legislative effort to compel the Justice Department to release the files of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein

Loss of US intelligence may harm Ukraine more than a halt in weapons

If the Trump administration makes good on its threat, the effects on Ukraine might not be immediate but could eventually be disastrous

I'd 'feel comfortable' in Mamdani's New York, says Trump after 1st meeting

Trump adopted a conciliatory tone with Mamdani at the White House, vowing not to cut funds and highlighting common ground on rent, utilities and housing

Very productive meeting: Trump praises Zohran Mamdani in warm welcome

US President Donald Trump said he had a "very productive meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and expressed confidence "he can do a very good job, as the two adopted a mutually warm tone after months of engaging in bitter rhetoric against each other. Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House Friday. Trump said he enjoyed the meeting, which he described as great. We've just had a great meeting, a really good, very productive meeting. We have one thing in common, we want this city of ours that we love to do very well. I wanted to congratulate the Mayor. He really ran an incredible race against a lot of smart people, starting with the early primariesand he beat them easily, Trump said in the Oval Office, as Mamdani stood next to him. When asked if he would feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration, Trump responded emphatically, Yeah, I would, especially after the meeting. Absolutely. He added that t

Trump's wind-down of Education Department leaves schools fearing disruption

The Trump administration says its plan to dismantle the Education Department offers a fix for the nation's lagging academics a solution that could free schools from the strictures of federal influence. Yet to some school and state officials, the plan appears to add more bureaucracy, with no clear benefit for students who struggle with math or reading. Instead of being housed in a single agency, much of the Education Department's work will now be spread across four other federal departments. For President Donald Trump, it's a step toward fully closing the department and giving states more power over schooling. Yet many states say it will complicate their role as intermediaries between local schools and the federal government. The plan increases bureaucracy fivefold, Washington state's education chief said, undoubtedly creating confusion and duplicity for educators and families. His counterpart in California said the plan is clearly less efficient and invites disruption. Maryland's .

Trump's Ukraine envoy Kellogg to step down as US pursues new peace plan

President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has informed the White House he'll leave his post in January, according to two senior administration officials. The move comes as the White House is working on a new peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia's war in Ukraine that is being largely coordinated by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin. That plan calls for major concessions by Kyiv, including ceding territory to Russia and abandoning certain weaponry. The officials were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity about Kellogg's expected departure from the administration. They declined to comment on why Kellogg was departing. News of Kellogg's expected exit was first reported by Reuters. Kellogg was initially named special envoy for Ukraine and Russia during Trump's presidential transition. But his role shrunk as Witkoff, a real estate developer turned diplomat, ..

Trump eases tariffs on coffee, fruit, and beef from Brazil to lower costs

President Donald Trump has further loosened tariffs on Brazil as part of his effort to lower consumer costs for Americans. The decision, released Thursday, affects coffee, fruit and beef, among other goods. The White House said last week that Trump was rolling back some worldwide tariffs that were originally announced in April. However, Brazil said that didn't affect levies that Trump had enacted in July to punish the country for prosecuting his political ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Thursday's decision harmonises Trump's plans, ensuring that neither the April nor July tariffs apply to certain products. Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have been negotiating over trade, which could further reduce tariffs.

Trump calls Democrats' military video 'seditious' and punishable by death

President Donald Trump on Thursday accused half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition punishable by DEATH after the lawmakers all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community called on US military members to uphold the constitution and defy illegal orders. The 90-second video was first posted early Tuesday from Sen Elissa Slotkin's X account. In it, the six lawmakers Slotkin, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan speak directly to US service members, whom Slotkin acknowledges are under enormous stress and pressure right now. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution, Slotkin wrote in the X post. Trump on Thursday reposted messages from others about the video, amplifying it with his own words. It marked another flashpoint in the political rhetoric that at times has been thematic in his administrations, as well as among some in his MAGA base. Some Democrats accused him o

Vance urges patience as White House struggles with affordability concerns

While President Donald Trump has struggled to settle on a way to address Americans' concerns about high costs, Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered a more direct and empathetic message, saying, We hear you and there's a lot more work to do. But the American people need to have a little bit of patience, Vance said in remarks at an event hosted by Breitbart News. The vice president's remarks come as the White House grapples with how to speak to voters about the cost of living, an issue that emerged as a vulnerability for Republicans in this month's off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races. Vance said the Trump administration has made incredible progress in tackling cost-of-living concerns as they worked to undo policies from former President Joe Biden. As much progress as we've made, it's going to take a little bit of time for every American to feel that economic boom, which we really do believe is coming. We believe that we're on the front end of it,

Datanomics: India remains top source of students in US in 2024-25

International students formed a record 6.1% of US enrolments in 2024-25, driven by a surge in Indian students even as overall visa policies remained tight

Leaders press on with G20 summit in South Africa without US and Trump

Leaders and delegates from the world's richest nations and top developing countries are gathering this weekend for the Group of 20 summit in South Africa, an event overshadowed by the boycott of US President Donald Trump and his administration. Africa's first G20 summit will see representatives of 42 countries, but not the United States, a founding member of the group and one that's supposed to be taking over its rotating presidency in Johannesburg. Trump has denounced South Africa's leadership of the G20 and said he would not attend, citing alleged discrimination of the country's white farmers. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he's told Trump that information about the alleged persecution of Afrikaners is completely false. Last Friday, Trump also said that no US officials would attend the gathering. The US boycott has dominated discussions more so than the summit's agenda, which includes climate resilience, debt sustainability for poor nations and growing ...

Over 250 arrested in North Carolina as immigration crackdown widens

Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people during a North Carolina immigration crackdown centred around Charlotte, the state's largest city, the US Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. The operation that began over the weekend is the latest phase of Republican President Donald Trump's aggressive mass deportation efforts that have sent the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities from Chicago to Los Angeles. Immigration officials have blanketed the country since January, pushing detention counts to all-time highs above 60,000. Big cities and small towns across the country are targeted daily amid higher-profile pushes in places such as Portland, Oregon, where more than 560 immigration arrests were made in October. Smaller bursts of enforcement have popped up elsewhere. The push to carry out arrests in North Carolina expanded to areas around the state capital of Raleigh on Tuesday, spreading fear in at least one immigrant-heavy suburb. Late ...

Trump to unveil 'Genesis Mission' to boost US AI efforts, says official

On Tuesday, Trump called on lawmakers to pass a federal standard governing artificial intelligence either in an upcoming defence spending bill or as standalone legislation

Trump names Stuart Levenbach to lead CFPB despite no financial experience

President Trump nominated Stuart Levenbach as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, choosing a person who has no banking or financial services experience to run a bureau that has been effectively inoperable since Trump was sworn into office. Levenbach is currently an associate director inside the Office of Management and Budget, handling issues related to natural resources, energy, science and water issues. Levenbach's resume shows significant experience dealing with science and natural resources issues, acting as chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during Trump's first term. The CFPB has been nonfunctional much of the year. Many of its employees have been ordered not to work, and the only major work the bureau is doing is unwinding the regulations and rules it put into place during President Trump's first term and during the Biden administration. The bureau's current acting director is Russell Vought, President Trump's budg

Nasa planning to divest, demolish buildings at Maryland's Goddard Centre

One of Nasa's premier science Centres, Goddard operates the agency's Hubble Space Telescope and works on science missions including ones that explore the solar system

Trump admin sues California over law banning masked federal agents

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Monday over California's new laws banning federal agents from wearing masks and requiring them to have identification while conducting operations in the state. The federal government has argued the laws threaten the safety of officers who are facing unprecedented harassment, doxing, and violence and said it will not comply with them. California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business under a bill that was signed in September by Governor Gavin Newsom. The law prohibits neck gaiters, ski masks and other facial coverings for local and federal officers, including immigration enforcement agents, while they conduct official business. It makes exceptions for undercover agents, protective equipment like N95 respirators or tactical gear, and it does not apply to state police. Newsom also signed legislation requiring law enforcement

What's next for the Epstein files after Trump's social media posts?

The House is heading toward a vote on a bill to force the Justice Department to release the case files it has collected on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, pushing past a monthslong effort by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders to stymie the effort. The push for more disclosure in the years-old sex trafficking investigation into Epstein has come roaring back since the House returned to Washington after a nearly two-month absence during the government shutdown. As lawmakers returned last week, they were greeted by new details from a tranche of Epstein's emails, including claims that Trump had spent hours at Epstein's house with a sex trafficking victim and that he knew about the girls." The new revelations and the coming vote showed one of the rare instances where Trump has not been able to exhibit almost total control over his party. Yet the sex trafficking case into Epstein has only grown in political influence since Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while ...

Deployed National Guard troops begin withdrawal from Chicago, Portland

Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, are being sent home, and those who will remain will continue to stay off the streets amid court battles over their domestic mission by the Trump administration, a defense official said Monday. The withdrawal of soldiers sent from California and Texas is part of a larger change to troop deployments after President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown in various cities with Democratic leadership. The official was not authorised to publicly discuss the issue and requested anonymity. US Northern Command said in a statement Sunday it was shifting and/or rightsising units in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago, although it said there would be a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city." In the coming days, 200 California National Guard troops currently deployed to Oregon will be sent home, and about 100 will remain in the Portland area doing training, the official said. The military also pla

Trump backs 500% tariffs on Russia trade partners: What it means for India

Donald Trump backs Senate legislation enabling tariffs of up to 500% on countries trading with Russia, a move that could significantly affect India and China