Page 39 - Donald Trump Administration

Lawsuit challenges billions of dollars in Trump admin's funding cuts

Attorneys general from more than 20 states and Washington, DC, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging billions of dollars in funding cuts made by the Trump administration that would fund everything from crime prevention to food security to scientific research. The lawsuit filed in Boston is asking a judge to limit the Trump administration from relying on an obscure clause in the federal regulation to cut grants that don't align with its priorities. Since January, the lawsuit argues that the administration has used that clause to cancel entire programmes and thousands of grants that had been previously awarded to states and grantees. Defendants' decision to invoke the Clause to terminate grants based on changed agency priorities is unlawful several times over, the plaintiffs argued. The rulemaking history of the Clause makes plain that the (Office of Management and Budget) intended for the Clause to permit terminations in only limited circumstances and provides no support for a

Court orders Trump admin to return man wrongly deported to El Salvador

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the return of Jordin Alexander Melgar-Salmeron, deported to El Salvador on May 7 due to administrative errors, saying he must be brought back as soon as pos

Trump admin to provide $30 mn to Israeli group distributing food in Gaza

The Trump administration is providing USD30 million to an Israeli-backed group distributing food in Gaza, a US official said Tuesday. The request is the first known US government funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's aid distribution efforts amid the Israel-Hamas war. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic issue involving a controversial aid programme, confirmed that the US authorised the funding. The Associated Press reported Saturday that the American-led group had asked the Trump administration for the initial funding so it can continue its aid operation, which has been criticised by the UN, humanitarian groups and others.

US judge extends block on Trump-era ban on foreign students at Harvard

US District Judge Allison Burroughs granted Harvard a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of a June 4 proclamation that bars international students from entering the US

Shifting views and misdirection: How Trump decided to strike Iran

When Israel began its assault on Iran, President Trump kept his distance. But within days he was on a path that led to an extensive bombing mission aided by political and military ruses

Iran strikes threaten to split GOP at crucial moment for Trump's agenda

After the attack, the White House carefully avoided angering Trump's "America First" base, which opposes US involvement in foreign military conflicts

Trump's Iran strikes may face backlash from Maga's anti-war supporters

President Donald Trump's decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran could deepen a divide among some of the Republican's supporters, including high-profile backers who had said any such move would run counter to the anti-interventionism he promised to deliver. Notably though, immediately following Trump's Saturday announcement of the strike, some of those who had publicly spoken out against U.S. involvement voiced their support. The lead-up to the move against Iranian nuclear sites had exposed fissures within Trump's Make American Great Again base as some of that movement's most vocal leaders, with large followings of their own, expressed deep concern about the prospect of US involvement in the Israel-Iran war. With the president barred from seeking a third term, what remains unknown is how long-lasting the schism could be for Trump and his current priorities, as well as the overall future of his America First movement. Among the surrogates who spoke out against American ...

Japan scraps US meeting after Washington demands more defence spending

Japan and other US allies have been engaged in difficult trade talks with the United States over President Trump's worldwide tariff offensive

Vance blames California Democrats for protests, mocks Sen Padilla as 'Jose'

Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused California Gov Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests as he used his appearance in Los Angeles to rebut criticism from state and local officials that the Trump administration fuelled the unrest by sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Sen Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as Jose Padilla, a week after the Democrat was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration raids. I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater. And that's all it is. They want to be able to go back to their far-left groups and to say, Look, me, I stood up against border enforcement. I stood up against Donald Trump,' Vanc

Trump issues two-week ultimatum to Iran as Mideast conflict escalates

Israel intensifies strikes on Iran amid growing fears of wider regional conflict and rising civilian casualties

'Mindbogglingly' historic deal with Harvard may be near, says Trump

Trump's upbeat tone hints at a major shift in a key controversy of his term, as he accused US colleges of antisemitism and slammed them for promoting what he calls a liberal bias

Harvard secures longer reprieve from Trump's ban on foreign students

US Judge Allison Burroughs granted Harvard a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's May 22 order to revoke its ability to enrol international students

Ex-Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil released from ICE custody

Khalil claimed he'd been unlawfully held in retaliation for his activities to oppose Israel's war in Gaza with Hamas

US universities win case striking down agency's 15% research cost cap

Judge Talwani struck down the cap on Friday, finding it "arbitrary, capricious and contrary to the law," granting summary judgment to the suing schools plus the Association of American Universities

Israel, Iran launch strikes week into war as diplomatic efforts take shape

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as President Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and new diplomatic efforts appeared to be underway. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's bunker-buster bombs. He said he'll decide within two weeks whether the US military will get directly involved in the war given the substantial chance for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared headed to Geneva for meetings with the European Union's top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. A plane with his usual call sign took off from the Turkish city of Van, near the Iranian border, flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed. Iran typically acknowledges his departure hours afterward. Britain's foreign secret

Fed must prepare to act swiftly if economic data starts going sideways

Given all of the uncertainty, Powell is right to stay in wait-and-see mode, but he can't linger there too long once the data breaks

US court lets Trump control National Guards deployed to LA during protests

Appeals court ruled that even if the federal government did not notify California's governor before taking control of the National Guard, Newsom had no authority to veto the President's order

Alleged murderer of lawmaker could face death penalty, rarity for Minnesota

The man charged with killing a prominent Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another could face something that is a rarity for Minnesota but could become more common under the Trump administration: the death penalty. Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911, and the state's last execution was a botched hanging in 1906. But federal prosecutors announced charges against Vance Boelter on Monday that can carry the death penalty. It's not unheard of for state and federal prosecutors to both pursue criminal cases for the same offense, especially in high-profile matters. In this case federal authorities essentially grabbed the lead from the state prosecutor, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. Boelter had been scheduled to make his first court appearance on state charges Monday, but instead marshals took him from the county jail to the US courthouse in St Paul, where he appeared on the more serious federal charges. Boelter is accused of fatally shooting former Democratic House Speak

Trump turning US into electric vehicle laggard with rollback of policies

Trump ordered the elimination of subsidies and other measures boosting electric vehicles during his first day back in the White House in January

Trump admin blocked from cutting health funding for four municipalities

A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states. It's the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding for several states. US District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, and three cities: Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. The decision means the federal government must reinstate funding to the four municipalities until the case is fully litigated. Their lawsuit, filed in late April, alleged $11 billion in cuts to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs had already been approved by Congress and are being unconstitutionally withheld. They also argued that the administration's actions violate Department of Health and Human Services regulations. The cities and counties argued t