Page 4 - Donald Trump Administration

Inside the White House panic over Epstein files and growing MAGA backlash

The president's top advisers gathered in a series of Situation Room meetings as they struggled to contain a scandal engulfing Donald Trump himself

Meeting Epstein was 'grave error in judgment': Bill Gates tells lawmakers

Bill Gates said Wednesday that he made a "grave error in judgment" by ever meeting with Jeffrey Epstein as the Microsoft co-founder faced questions behind closed doors from lawmakers about his relationship with the disgraced financier. In an opening statement provided to The Associated Press, Gates said he "should never have met with Epstein in the first place," but that he "never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct". The tech billionaire became the latest powerful figure linked to Epstein to testify before the House Oversight Committee. As Gates arrived at the Capitol, he noted that he was there voluntarily and said he hoped his testimony would be useful. "I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, the important work, of the committee, to find justice for the victims," he said. The committee chairman, Republican US Rep James Comer, formally requested that Gates testify after he appeared multiple times in a trove of documents relea

US refunds $22 bn in tariffs after court setback to Trump's trade policy

Administration began processing refunds in April after the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump didn't have the authority to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act

Trump admin to offer expedited visa interviews at select embassies for $750

The US State Department will offer a "premium" expedited service for foreigners seeking business or tourist visas to come to the United States that will set applicants back USD 750 -- on top of the initial fee of USD 185. In a notice to be published in the Federal Register this week, the department will unveil a pilot programme that will allow visa applicants to pay the USD 750 to schedule an appointment for an interview within 10 days of the payment at select US embassies and consulates. The pilot programme will run from July 1 to December 31, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the programme has not yet been announced. The move is a potential effort to ease conditions caused by the Trump administration's push to make entering the US more difficult. The administration has cracked down on most forms of migration for foreigners -- demanding that bonds of up to USD 15,000 be paid

US Pentagon adds Alibaba, BYD and Baidu to list of Chinese military firms

The Pentagon has added several prominent Chinese businesses, including tech giant Alibaba, electric car maker BYD and search engine Baidu, to its list of Chinese military companies, preventing them from getting US defense contracts. The list, updated and published Monday by the Pentagon, now sanctions well-known, non-state-owned Chinese companies that are not traditionally considered to be in the defense or security sector. It reflects growing wariness of Beijing's strategy of tapping the strength of non-state businesses for military purposes. Created in 2021 by a congressional mandate, the list seeks to identify Chinese companies that the Pentagon considers to have links to the Chinese military -- not only those directly controlled by the Chinese military and security forces but also those contributing to the country's defense industrial base. When updating the list last year, the Pentagon said the Chinese military sought to acquire advanced technologies and expertise developed by

US federal judge strikes down Trump's proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the USD 100,000 fee imposed by US President Donald Trump for H-1B applications was unlawful as it did not have the approval of Congress. "...the Court finds that the Policy imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress," US District Court judge Leo Sorokin in Boston, Massachusetts, said in a ruling. The H-1B programme is one of the most sought-after US work visas that allows American companies to hire skilled global talent. Trump's order proposing a USD 100,000 annual fee per H-1B worker left many uncertain about visa reforms and new requirements. In September last year, Trump signed a proclamation adding the USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. The fees are generally paid for by a sponsoring employer, and administration officials have cast it as an initiative to encourage companies to hire Americans instead. "Here, the substance and application of the USD 100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regard

Court cannot halt Trump's White House ballroom construction: Govt lawyer

Lawyers representing the federal government argued that a court could not stop construction of a White House ballroom because it was already underway and because of the sensitive security concerns they say the structure is meant to address. Attorney Yaakov Roth, speaking during an exchange with U.S. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Millett, said only Congress could halt the $400 million project. The administration has been asking the court to allow it to press on with the ballroom without congressional approval. At issue is an April 16 order from US District Judge Richard Leon for Trump's Republican administration to halt aboveground work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, allowed for construction to continue on belowground work on a bunker and other "national security facilities" at the site. The hearing Friday centered on who has standing to challenge government steps once they have already been taken and ..

US Congress nears approval of $70 bn boost for Trump's deportation agenda

With virtually no strings attached, Congress is on the verge of providing a sizable infusion of cash to the Department of Homeland Security, powering President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda for the remainder of his term in the White House. The nearly $70 billion package, which cleared the Republican-held Senate in a middle of the night vote and now heads to the House, was declared a "rotten bill" by the Democratic leader and an "ATM for ICE" by pro-immigrant advocates. But for those aligned with Trump's campaign promise for the largest mass deportation operation in US history, it all but guarantees an uninterrupted flow of money to carry out the administration's immigration enforcement operations - and comes on top of some $170 billion Congress already approved for the department last summer, as part of Trump's big tax breaks bill. "We're going to continue to arrest people, we're going to continue to detain people and we're going to keep deporting people," Trump border czar

Trump picks former personal lawyer Todd Blanche for attorney general post

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, tapping his former personal lawyer who has aggressively pursued the Republican president's agenda while leading the Justice Department in an acting role. Trump said at a dinner at the White House that he plans to nominate Blanche formally on Thursday, according to a video of the event posted on social media by a White House aide. "We are going to make him permanent attorney general," Trump said at the Rose Garden event. Blanche sought quickly to position himself as the favourite for the permanent job after Pam Bondi's firing in April, accelerating investigations into Trump foes and announcing a nearly USD 1.8 billion fund meant to compensate the president's allies for alleged political persecution. The proposed fund created a bipartisan firestorm that forced the Justice Department to scrap the idea earlier this week in an extraordinary about-face. Blanche was brought into the Just

Trump plans $700 mn in new coal support using Cold War-era defence powers

Trump admin has framed energy issues in existential terms as it eyes domestic need to sustain power-hungry AI data centers and aims to marginalise foreign adversaries that hold fossil fuel reserves

US arrests 30 Indians living and working illegally, deportation planned

About 30 individuals from India, found to be living in the US illegally and working as commercial truck drivers, have been arrested as part of a federal operation and will soon be deported. The US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Monday that during the week of May 11-15, Border Patrol agents from Yuma Sector in Arizona arrested 52 individuals during 'Operation Checkmate' for being in the US illegally, including 36 who were found to be driving semi-trucks. Out of the 36 illegal semi-truck drivers arrested, 30 were from India, while the remaining six were from Mexico, El Salvador, and Russia. They had commercial driver's licenses from states such as California, New York, Washington and Virginia, while some did not possess any form of driver's license. Most possessed employment authorisation documents, which were obtained during the Joe Biden administration and were no longer valid. All individuals were processed in accordance with federal law and will be ...

New inflation warning from bond market adds to Trump's midterm challenges

The world is getting more uptight about lending money to President Donald Trump's government - causing interest rates to climb in ways that are worsening affordability pressures, hampering economic growth and creating a new risk for Republicans in November's mid-term elections. The energy price spike triggered by the Iran war has seeped into the price of bonds that help fund the US government. Interest rates on a 10-year US Treasury note are topping 4.44%, up from 3.95% before the war started at the end of February. Average mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels in nine months, while auto sales are slumping. The challenge is global in scale, as interest rates have risen for multiple countries as the world has been adjusting to the prospect of higher inflation, mounting questions about the sustainability of government debt and a dramatic surge in investment in artificial intelligence. Trump has tried to assure Americans that he has a plan to trim the roughly USD 1.8 ...

Fed would lose credibility if President can fire officials, says Powell

Powell exited the top job at the Fed earlier this month with a legacy in part defined by his defense of the central bank against relentless pressure from Trump and his allies

Trump admin to appeal US court order mandating broad tariff refunds

US Customs and Border Protection launched a new online portal to process refund claims on April 20, signaling that it intended to repay at least some of the approximately $1 billion in refund

'We're not there yet, but very close': Vance on US, Iran peace deal

The Trump administration has several times said a deal to end the fighting was close, only to have Iran dispute or downplay the claims

Trump's pressure campaign brought Iran to the table: US Treasury secy

Speaking about the potential US deal with Iran, Bessent stressed that it depends on President Donald Trump, who is resolute on his demand against Iran's nuclear programme

US Treasury Secy Bessent confirms steps toward $250 bill featuring Trump

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that his department has prepared the design for a USD 250 bill featuring President Donald Trump, anticipating the passage of stalled legislation in Congress to put the president on a new denomination of legal tender. Bessent said at the White House that authorising the new currency will be up to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that "we have created the bill" because "we have to be prepared". The secretary downplayed the idea that the administration is pushing the matter, despite Trump's penchant for infusing his name and likeness across the nation's capital and into the observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Yet he also insisted there is nothing inappropriate about Trump's visage being part of the seminal national celebration. "The president does not do it; the House and the Senate have to do it," Bessent said at the White House, referring to legislation, introduced by Representative Joe Wilson, R-SC,

Trump's Iran bind deepens as Hormuz crisis fuels war pressure at home

Adding to the challenge are his own comments over the years, lambasting his predecessors for signing or considering deals similar to the one that has the best chance of success

Trump admin tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez

The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, a longtime target of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, according to current and former US law enforcement officials, in the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation. It is unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodriguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email "there was never an investigation into her to shut down". But DEA records obtained by The Associated Press earlier this year show she consistently surfaced on the radar of federal law enforcement dating to at least 2018, though she has never been criminally charged in the US like several other senior Venezuelan officials. The directive to pause scrutiny into Rodriguez was meant to avoid upsetting the administration's efforts to

Ex-CIA officer picked to replace Gabbard slammed 'toxic' DEI culture

Lukas warned that the American intelligence community, which comprises 18 agencies, had become 'aimless, bloated, risk-averse, and disconnected at times from the core mission of intelligence'