Page 3 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump, UAE's Al Nahyan discuss bilateral ties, developments in West Asia

The two leaders also exchanged views on the latest developments in the West Asia

Vance or Rubio: Trump questions White House dinner attendees on 2028 race

US President Donald Trump sought to project Vice President J D Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a perfect team for the presidential elections in 2028. "Is it gonna be JD? Is it gonna be someone else? I don't know," Trump said while hosting a dinner for law enforcement leaders across the country in the Rose Garden on Monday evening. The president then went on to conduct an impromptu poll, drawing laughter from the attendees. "Who likes JD Vance?" and "Who likes Marco Rubio?", he asked as attendees cheered for their favourite choice. "Sounds like a good ticket," Trump added, clarifying that neither candidate has his endorsement. "That was a perfect ticket. By the way, I do believe that's a dream team, but these are minor details. That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance." "I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate," the president said. Trump is known to put up the Vance-Rubio question to his close circles in t

Donald Trump nominates David Cummins as TSA chief amid staffing concerns

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated David Cummins to head the Transportation Security Administration - which has had a rocky few months as employees went without paychecks and security lines grew long at airports across the country. Cummins, who worked as a senior vice president at Serco, a government contractor that works with local and federal agencies, would take over a TSA bruised by the longest partial government shutdown in history which ended late last month. During periods of the shutdown, employees at the TSA, currently overseen by acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, went without pay, thousands didn't show up to work and hundreds quit entirely. It left travellers frustrated over delays and missed flights and politicians pointed fingers over who was to blame for shutting down the Department of Homeland Security. Cummins has experience in transportation at Serco, and says on a LinkedIn profile, which appears to have been taken down, that he was co-awarded a "dozen

US colleges report 20% drop in foreign students amid Trump's visa clampdown

The turning point for US schools came last spring, when ICE agents arrested and detained dozens of foreign students, sometimes on campus or in dorms, and revoked the legal residency of thousands more

Trump admin cancels Biden-era conservation rule on 'use' of public lands

The Interior Department is cancelling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as President Donald Trump's administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land. The 2024 rule adopted under former President Joe Biden was meant to refocus the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, which oversees about 10 per cent of land in the US. It allowed public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling. But Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said the rule could have blocked access to hundreds of thousands of acres (hectares) of land - preventing energy and timber production and hurting ranchers who graze on public lands. Supporters argued that conservation had long been a secondary consideration at the land bureau, neglecting its mission under the 1976 Federal Lands Policy Management Act. While the bureau previously issued leases for ..

Trump admin moves to widen fertility benefit access under new rule

This measure comes at a time when the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement enthusiasts have raised concerns about the birth rate hitting record lows in US in recent years

US court finds Trump's latest 10% tariffs unlawful, blocks enforcement

Trump had imposed the 10% duties in February under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which had never previously been invoked

US DOJ targets slow immigration judges as Trump pushes faster deportations

The Justice Department is aiming to weed out immigration judges who it feels are ruling too slowly or aren't following the law, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said, as the Trump administration seeks to remake the courts and cut down on the backlog of 3.7 million cases to ease its mass deportation push. Blanche was in Phoenix to address the Border Security Expo, a yearly gathering that draws top immigration officials, local and state law enforcement officers and representatives from companies doing business with the federal government. Blanche's appearance at the gathering on Wednesday reflects the way immigration enforcement and border security has become a priority throughout the Trump administration. Blanche, who has led the Justice Department since Pam Bondi was ousted last month, spoke to The Associated Press after his appearance at the conference. His comments were some of the most detailed on the changes to immigration courts since he took over the role. "You take an

Build in US to access markets, says Lutnick; offers L-1 visas for business

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Monday asked businesses to manufacture in the US to access local markets and offered companies L-1 visas to bring employees to launch projects here. Addressing the SelectUSA Investment Summit at National Harbour in Maryland, Lutnick said the US has flipped the script and was now encouraging companies to set up shop in the US instead of outsourcing production to other countries. "If you want to successfully sell in the United States, build here. Build here. If you want to access our markets..., hire our workers and do it here," Lutnick said. He described it as the "old model" where the US exported its intellect and intellectual property and all other countries built the factories. "We sort of outsourced production everywhere else in the world, but with Advanced manufacturing, we can bring it back," he said. "Our trade agenda has made it clear. If you build here, and you hire here, and you strengthen our industrial base, we will help you. We w

US warns shipping firms of sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Hormuz

The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime. Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service. That "tollbooth" effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning. The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also "digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments," including ...

Trump prefers not to strike Iran even as frustration over talks mounts

Speaking in Florida, Trump said, 'Maybe we're better off not making a deal at all,' without elaborating, he added, 'we can't let this thing go on'

'Final proposal' to rescue Spirit Airlines under consideration: Trump

President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration was still weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines, with talks ongoing and no final decision yet on whether to move forward with a potential bailout for a carrier mired in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in less than two years. Trump emphasised that a deal to rescue the financially strapped airline remained under review. The president did not provide details but said an announcement could come later Friday or Saturday. "We're looking at it. If we could do it, we'll do it. But only if it's a good deal," he said, speaking to reporters before departing the White House for Florida. The possibility of a bailout first emerged publicly last week, when Trump floated the idea of the US government offering Spirit a financial lifeline to help keep the airline from going bust and out of business. Separately, a lawyer for the airline told a US Bankruptcy Court that Spirit was in advanced talks with the government

Trump's pick for surgeon general has both praised and criticised his govt

Dr. Nicole Saphier is President Donald Trump's latest pick for the vacant role of US surgeon general, a nomination that ended the embattled campaign of his previous candidate, Dr. Casey Means, after it became clear she didn't have the votes to advance out of a Senate committee. Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, has promoted several aspects of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda, including removing food additives, cutting ultraprocessed foods from diets and encouraging exercise. But she has been a more vocal advocate for vaccination than Kennedy, and at times she has criticized the Trump administration's handling of health issues as "embarrassing." If confirmed as the nation's doctor, Saphier would be empowered to issue advisories that warn of public health threats. Surgeons general also have used the office to advocate on vaccination issues - though the office doesn't create vaccine policy. Means, a Stanford ...

Trump lifts tariffs on British whisky to toast departing King Charles

The President said he would soon be removing tariffs and restrictions related to Scotland's ability to work with Kentucky on whisky and bourbon

Trump admin says war in Iran has been 'terminated' before 60-day deadline

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval. The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days. A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, "the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb 28 have terminated." The official said the US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7. While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on th

Trump weighing reduction of US troop presence in Germany after Iran feud

President Donald Trump on Wednesday levelled a new threat against NATO ally Germany, suggesting he could soon reduce the US military presence there as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the US-Israel war against Iran. Trump made the threat after Merz earlier this week said that the US was being "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership and criticised Washington's lack of strategy in the war. Trump has also repeatedly railed against NATO for the alliance's refusal to assist the US in its two-month-old war. "The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time," Trump said in a social media post. Merz had said earlier Wednesday that his personal relationship with Trump remained "as good as ever," but he had "had doubts from the very beginning about what was started there with the war in Iran." During his first term in the White House, Trump also moved to cut US ..

Powell plans to stay on at Fed after term, cites legal action by Trump team

Jerome Powell said he plans to remain on the board of the Federal Reserve after his term as chair ends next month "for an undetermined period of time," citing the "unprecedented" legal attacks against the central bank by the Trump administration. "I worry these attacks are battering this institution and putting at risk the things that really matter to the public," Powell said at a press conference after the Fed announced its decision to keep its benchmark interest rate steady. Powell's decision to stay denies President Donald Trump a chance to fill a seat on the central bank's seven-member governing board with his own appointee. The Senate Banking Committee earlier approved Powell's successor as chair, Trump appointee Kevin Warsh, on a party-line vote. Powell would continue as a Fed governor, possibly until January 2028. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on X Friday that her office was ending its probe into the Fed's extensive building renovations because

Hegseth faces tough questions on Iran war in first congressional appearance

Making his first appearance before Congress since the Trump administration went to war against Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced withering questioning Wednesday from sceptical Democrats over a costly conflict being waged without congressional approval. The war has cost USD 25 billion so far, according to Pentagon numbers presented to the House Armed Services Committee during a contentious hearing ostensibly focused on the administration's 2027 military budget proposal. It would boost defence spending to a historic USD 1.5 trillion. While Republicans focused on the details of military budgeting and voiced support for the Iran operation, Democrats grilled Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the ballooning costs of the war, the huge drawdown of critical US munitions and the bombing of a school that killed children. Some lawmakers also questioned President Donald Trump's dealings with allies and his shifting justification for the ...

FCC orders early review of ABC's broadcast licence after Jimmy Kimmel row

The US Federal Communications Commission has ordered an early review of American Broadcasting Company's (ABC) local station broadcast licences, after US President Donald Trump called for firing of the network's late night host Jimmy Kimmel. The early review of broadcast licences is considered as an extraordinary move against the network whose programming has often angered the president. "Disney's ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days - in other words, by May 28, 2026," the FCC order published Tuesday read. The FCC review covers eight channels of the network and is related to an ongoing investigation into the network's diversity initiatives. However, the order came a day after Trump and First Lady Melania called for the firing of Kimmel for his "expectant widow" remarks on his show last week. Trump sought to link Kimmel's remarks with the attempted storming of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturd

Trump not happy with Iran's latest proposal to end war: US official

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Washington "will not negotiate through the press" and reiterated that its red lines remain unchanged as it pursues an end to the conflict