Page 33 - Donald Trump Administration

FBI removes two top officials amid Capitol riot probe controversy

Brian Driscoll, the bureau's former acting director, and Steven Jensen, who's been leading the Washington Field Office since April, were instructed to leave

Trump's birthright order barred nationally, fourth ruling since SC decision

A federal judge in Maryland late on Thursday ruled that President Donald Trump's administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily, issuing the fourth court decision blocking the president's birthright citizenship order nationwide since a key US Supreme Court ruling in June. US District Judge Deborah Boardman's preliminary injunction was expected after the judge said last month she would issue such an order if the case were returned to her by an appeals court. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to her later in July. Since June, two other district courts, as well as an appellate panel of judges, have also blocked the birthright order nationwide. An email to the White House for comment was not immediately returned. Trump's January order would deny citizenship to children born to parents living in the US illegally or temporarily. Boardman in February issued a preliminary injunction blocking it nationwid

EPA cancels $7 billion Biden-era grant programme to boost solar energy

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday terminated a USD 7 billion grant programme that was intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 9,00,000 lower-income US households. It's the latest Trump administration move hindering the nation's shift to cleaner energy. The funding, part of Democratic President Joe Biden's Solar for All programme, was awarded to 60 recipients including states, tribes and regions for investments such as rooftop solar and community solar gardens. Solar, a renewable energy, is widely regarded as a way to introduce cleaner power onto the electrical grid and lower energy bills for American consumers.

Trump says he would meet Putin even if the Russian leader avoids Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader won't meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump, when asked by a reporter if Putin would need to meet with Zelenskyy in order to secure a meeting with the US, said: No, he doesn't. No. His comments followed Putin's remarks earlier in the day that he hoped to meet with Trump next week, possibly in the United Arab Emirates. But the White House was still working through the details of any potential meetings, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Putin's announcement came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine or suffer additional economic sanctions. When asked Thursday at the White House whether his deadline for Friday would hold, Trump said of Putin: "It's going to be up to him. We're going to see what he has to say. It's going to be up to him. Very disappointed." The preside

Trump may order colleges to prove they don't consider race in admissions

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order requiring colleges to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions, according to a fact sheet shared by the White House ahead of the Thursday signing. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students' lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays. Trump's Republican administration is accusing colleges of using personal statements and other proxies to consider race. The executive order is similar to parts of recent settlement agreements the administration negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research funding. The universities agreed to give the government data on the race, grade point average and standardised test scores of applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. The schools also agreed to an audit by the government and to release .

Trump to nominate top economic aide Stephen Miran to Federal Reserve board

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate a top economic adviser to the Federal Reserve's board of governors for four months, temporarily filling a vacancy while continuing his search for a longer-term appointment. Trump said he has named Stephen Miran, the chair of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers, to fill a seat vacated by governor Adriana Kugler, a Biden appointee who is stepping down Friday. Miran, if approved by the Senate, will serve until January 31, 2026. The appointment is Trump's first opportunity to exert more control over the Fed, one of the few remaining independent federal agencies. Trump has relentlessly criticised the current chair, Jerome Powell, for keping short-term interest rates unchanged. Miran has been a major defender of Trump's income tax cuts and tariff hikes, arguing that the combination will generate enough economic growth to reduce budget deficits. He also has played down the risk of Trump's tariffs generating higher inflation,

US judge rules Trump admin cannot reallocate disaster relief funds

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from reallocating USD 4 billion meant to help communities protect against natural disasters. US District Judge Richard G Stearns in Boston granted a preliminary injunction sought by 20 Democrat-led states while their lawsuit over the funding moves ahead. The states argue the Federal Emergency Management Agency lacks the authority to end the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities programme and redirect more than USD 4 billion of its funding. The programme aims to harden infrastructure around the country against potential storm damage. FEMA initially announced it was ending the programme, but later said in a court filing that it was evaluating it. "Although the Government equivocates about whether it has, in fact, ended the BRIC programme, the States' evidence of steps taken by FEMA to implement the announced termination portend the conclusion that a determination has in fact been made and that FEMA is inching ...

Trump admin fires democrats on fed board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances

The Trump administration has dismissed five out of seven members on Puerto Rico's federal control board that oversees the US territory's finances, sparking concern about the future of the island's fragile economy. The five fired are all Democrats. A White House official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the board "has been run inefficiently and ineffectively by its governing members for far too long and it is time to restore common sense leadership". Those fired are board chairman Arthur Gonzalez, along with Cameron McKenzie, Betty Rosa, Juan Sabater and Luis Ubias. The board's two remaining members -- Andrew G Biggs and John E Nixon -- are Republicans. The board confirmed in a brief statement that the five were terminated and noted that the board would continue to fulfil its mandate and work "in the interest of the people of Puerto Rico". Sylvette Santiago, a spokesperson for the board, did not immediately return a message seeking comment on whether the board members would

Epstein victims oppose Trump-era push to unseal grand jury documents

The request comes amid a controversy sparked by the Trump administration's decision last month not to release documents that could reveal some of Epstein's clients

Trump to sign order creating task force for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Trump has been an enthusiastic booster for major international sporting events scheduled to occur in the US under his watch, boasting about both the Olympics and the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Epstein's ex Ghislaine Maxwell moved to a low-security Texas prison camp

Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas as her criminal case generates renewed public attention. The federal Bureau of Prisons said Friday that Maxwell had been transferred to Bryan, Texas, but did not explain the circumstances. Her attorney, David Oscar Markus, also confirmed the move but declined to discuss the reasons for it. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the disgraced financier, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She had been held at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, until her transfer to the prison camp in Texas, where other inmates include Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and Jen Shah of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Minimum-security federal prison camps house inmates the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk. Some don't even have fences. The prison camps were originally designed with low .

Judge pauses Trump admin's push to expand fast-track deportations

A federal judge agreed on Friday to temporarily block the Trump administration's efforts to expand fast-track deportations of immigrants who legally entered the US under a process known as humanitarian parole a ruling that could benefit hundreds of thousands of people. US District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, DC, ruled that the Department of Homeland Security exceeded its statutory authority in its effort to expand expedited removal for many immigrants. The judge said those immigrants are facing perils that outweigh any harm from pressing pause on the administration's plans. The case presents a question of fair play for people fleeing oppression and violence in their home countries, Cobb said in her 84-page order. In a world of bad options, they played by the rules, she wrote. Now, the Government has not only closed off those pathways for new arrivals but changed the game for parolees already here, restricting their ability to seek immigration relief and subjecting them to summary

India reacts with outrage to Trump's tariff hike, 'dead' economy remarks

India is hardly alone in facing Trump's trade wrath - and not the subject to the very highest rates - but the news left business and political leaders wondering how to cope with the fallout

Fed Governor Adriana Kugler to resign, opening spot for a Trump pick

Trump and his allies have applied intense pressure on the Fed and Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, which policymakers have declined to do so far this year

'A good step': Trump welcomes reports of India halting Russian oil imports

Amid tariff threats and narrowing price gaps, India's oil firms have paused Russian crude orders; MEA says no official directive

Cornell nears $100 mn White House deal to restore frozen research funds

One of the issues still under discussion is whether the pact would call for a resolution monitor to supervise how Cornell is carrying out changes required by the US

US judges challenge claim that emergency law lets Trump impose tariffs

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., is considering the legality of "reciprocal" tariffs that Trump imposed on a broad range of US trading partners in April

Trump wants to see Russia-Ukraine peace deal by August 8, US tells UN

Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia '10 days from today' if Moscow showed no progress toward ending its war in Ukraine

US appeals court to decide legality of Trump's power to impose tariffs

A panel of all of the court's active judges, eight appointed by Democratic presidents and three appointed by former Republican presidents, will hear arguments scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET

Trump child savings a/cs back door for privatising Social Security: Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the Trump administration was committed to protecting Social Security hours after he said in an interview that a new children's savings program President Donald Trump signed into law is a back door for privatising Social Security. Bessent said Wednesday evening that the accounts created under Trump's tax break-and-spending cut law will supplement the sanctity of Social Security's guaranteed payments. This is not an either-or question: our Administration is committed to protecting Social Security and to making sure seniors have more money, Bessent said in a post on X. Bessent's remarks about privatising Social Security, which he made at a forum hosted by Breitbart News, were striking after Trump's repeated promises on the campaign trail and in office that he would not touch Social Security. It also reignited an issue that has dogged Republicans for years. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Democrats quickly