Page 34 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump admin launching new health tracking system with big tech's help

The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness. Leaders from more than 60 companies, including major tech companies such as Google and Amazon, as well as prominent hospital systems like the Cleveland Clinic, will convene at the White House on Wednesday afternoon to discuss what the administration is calling a digital health ecosystem." The new system will focus on diabetes and weight management, conversational artificial intelligence that helps patients, and digital tools such as QR codes and apps that register patients for check-ins or track medications. The initiative, spearheaded by an administration that has already freely shared highly personal data about Americans in ways that have tested legal bounds, could put patients' desires for more convenience at their ...

UCLA to pay more than $6 million to settle lawsuit on antisemitism

UCLA became a flashpoint in spring 2024 as campus protests escalated nationwide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza

Kremlin silent as Trump cuts new deadline for Putin to halt Ukraine war

Trump has threatened sanctions in 10-12 days on countries buying Russian exports, including energy, unless Putin agrees to ceasefire-down from the earlier 50-day deadline

Trump gets economy he wants, but growth risks may spoil his victory lap

President Donald Trump is getting his way with the world economy. Trading partners from the European Union to Japan to Vietnam appear to be acceding to the president's demands to accept higher costs in the form of high tariffs for the privilege of selling their wares to the United States. For Trump, the agreements driven by a mix of threats and cajoling, are a fulfillment of a decades-long belief in protectionism and a massive gamble that it will pay off politically and economically with American consumers. On Sunday, the United States and the 27-member state European Union announced that they had reached a trade framework agreement: The EU agreed to accept 15 per cent US tariffs on most its goods, easing fears of a catastrophic trans-Atlantic trade war. There were also commitments by the EU to buy USD 750 billion in US energy products and make USD 600 billion in new investments through 2028, according to the White House. We just signed a very big trade deal, the biggest of them .

New York to Tokyo: Japan proposes capital for UN office relocation

Tokyo Governor Koike pitches relocation of UN offices to Japan, citing safety, affordability, and the US retreat from WHO, Unesco under President Donald Trump

Nearly 4,000 Nasa workers set to exit voluntarily: Here's why it matters

Leadership turns to voluntary exits to avoid layoffs, but experts warn of long-term impact on missions and innovation

US data experts unite to save public statistics amid political interference

The data nerds are fighting back. After watching data sets be altered or disappear from U.S. government websites in unprecedented ways after President Donald Trump began his second term, an army of outside statisticians, demographers and computer scientists have joined forces to capture, preserve and share data sets, sometimes clandestinely. Their goal is to make sure they are available in the future, believing that democracy suffers when policymakers don't have reliable data and that national statistics should be above partisan politics. There are such smart, passionate people who care deeply about not only the Census Bureau, but all the statistical agencies, and ensuring the integrity of the statistical system. And that gives me hope, even during these challenging times, Mary Jo Mitchell, director of government and public affairs for the research nonprofit the Population Association of America, said this week during an online public data-users conference. The threats to the U.S.

Trump struggles to shake off Epstein scandal once stoked by his own allies

Despite the sun bearing down on him and the sweat beading across his face, President Donald Trump still lingered with reporters lined up outside the White House on Friday. He was leaving on a trip to Scotland, where he would visit his golf courses, and he wanted to talk about how his administration just finished the best six months ever. But over and over, the journalists kept asking Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein case and whether he would pardon the disgraced financier's imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. People should really focus on how well the country is doing, Trump insisted. He shut down another question by saying, I don't want to talk about that. It was another example of how the Epstein saga and his administration's disjointed approach to it has shadowed Trump when he's otherwise at the height of his influence. He's enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he's struggled t

US Education Dept to release remaining withheld grant money for schools

The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programmes, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than USD 6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release USD 1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and non-profits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money cam

Prosecutor of Jan 6 Capitol riot cases sues Justice dept over his firing

Michael Gordon prosecuted some of the most notorious members of the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. His latest case to make is proving that the Justice Department fired him because he was good at his job. Gordon sued the federal government Thursday, claiming his June 27 termination was politically motivated retribution for his work on prosecuting Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. He and two other former Justice Department officials are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the department, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Executive Office of the President. Dozens of Justice Department attorneys have been fired, demoted or forced out or have quit since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Gordon and the other plaintiffs Patricia Hartman and Joseph Tirrell appear to be the first of them to file a lawsuit. Hartman was a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Columbia. Tirrell led the department'

Fed chair refutes Trump, says he's wrong on central bank renovation costs

President Donald Trump rattled off a number to shame Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell about the renovation costs of the Fed's headquarters and America's central banker dared to correct him. Live on video. The exchange occurred Thursday in the plywood-sheathed headquarters of the Fed that are still under construction. Both men wore white hard hats and dark suits. Trump spoke with utter certainty, while Powell skeptically cocked his eyebrows. Trump claimed the renovation project was over budget at a $3.1 billion price tag, while Powell pushed back and said the president was including an extra building that had been renovated five years ago. The Fed has maintained that renovation costs are $2.5 billion, an increase from $1.9 billion. It looks like it's about $3.1 billion, went up a little bit or a lot, said Trump. Powell shook his head in disagreement. I'm not aware of that, Mr. President, he responded. It just came out, said Trump, pulling a folded piece of paper from his suit .

Paramount's $8 bn Skydance deal gets FCC nod after months of turmoil

Federal regulators on Thursday approved Paramount's $8 billion merger with Skydance, clearing the way to close a deal that combined Hollywood glitz with political intrigue. The stamp of approval from the Federal Communications Commission comes after months of turmoil revolving around President Donald Trump's legal battle with 60 Minutes, the crown jewel of Paramount-owned broadcast network CBS. With the specter of the Trump administration potentially blocking the hard-fought deal with Skydance, Paramount earlier this month agreed to pay a $16 million settlement with the President. Critics of the settlement lambasted it as a veiled a bribe to appease Trump, amid rising alarm over editorial independence overall. Further outrage also emerged after CBS said it was canceling Stephen Colbert's Late Show just days after the comedian sharply criticized the parent company's settlement on air. Paramount cited financial reasons, but big names both within and outside the company have questioned

US ends Gaza ceasefire talks early, accuses Hamas of lacking 'good faith'

The United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday. While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Witkoff said in a statement. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It was unclear what alternative options" the U.S. was considering. The White House had no immediate comment. At a news briefing Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not offer details on what the alternative options the U.S. is considering. When pressed for clarity on whether and how the U.S. would proceed, Pigott did not offer clarity and said, This is a very dynamic situation. He said there's never been a questi

Gabbard's claims of anti-Trump conspiracy not supported by documents

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard this month declassified material that she claimed proved a treasonous conspiracy by the Obama administration in 2016 to politicise US intelligence in service of casting doubt on the legitimacy of Donald Trump's election victory. As evidence, Gabbard cited newly declassified emails from Obama officials and a five-year-old classified House report in hopes of undermining the intelligence community's conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to boost Trump and denigrate his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Russia's activities during the 2016 election remain some of the most examined events in recent history. The Kremlin's campaign and the subsequent US government response were the subject of at least five major investigations by the Republican-led House and Senate intelligence committee; two Justice Department special counsels; and the department's inspector general. Those investigations either concluded or accepted the

Trump set to visit Federal Reserve today, intensifying pressure on Powell

Trump's repeated criticism of Powell and talk of firing him has rattled markets, raising concerns over central bank independence-a cornerstone of the global financial system

Trump signs executive order banning 'woke AI' in federal government use

Citing threats to trust and accuracy, Trump orders agencies to use only AI models that are 'truthful, ideologically neutral', and free from 'DEI-driven distortions'

US court finds Trump's push to end birthright citizenship unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump's order seeking to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, affirming a lower-court decision that blocked its enforcement nationwide. The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes after the push was also blocked by a federal judge in New Hampshire, and puts the issue one step closer to quickly coming back before the Supreme Court.

Columbia to pay over $220 mn in deal with Trump to restore federal funding

Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus, the university announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay the $200 million settlement over three years to the federal government, the university said. It will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty, acting University President Claire Shipman said. The administration pulled the funding, because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia then agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the ...

Bondi told Trump in May his name appeared multiple times in Epstein files

Trump was briefed in May on his name appearing in Epstein files. During the meeting, Bondi also told Trump that names of several other high-profile individuals had been mentioned in the files

AG Bondi urged to testify over claim she told Trump he was in Epstein files

Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing Democratic calls to testify before Congress following a newspaper's revelation that she told President Donald Trump that his name appeared in the files of the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bondi told Trump his name was among many high-profile figures mentioned in the files, which the Justice Department this month said it would not be releasing despite a clamor from online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and members of Trump's base. Trump's personal ties to Epstein are well-established and his name is already known to have been included in records related to the wealthy financier, who killed himself in jail in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, responded to the report by calling on Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. We need to bring Bondi and Patel into the Judiciary Committee to