Page 48 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump installs statue depicting 2024 assassination attempt in Oval Office

The sculpture was spotted sitting on a side table next to Trump's Resolute Desk on Friday as he signed several executive orders in front of reporters

US, China officials to meet in Geneva for tariff talks amid hopes globally

The US treasury secretary and America's top trade negotiator will meet with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland this weekend to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world's two biggest economies and to damage global commerce. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim. But there is hope that the two countries will scale back the massive taxes tariffs they've slapped on each other's goods, a move that would relieve world financial markets and companies on both sides of the Pacific Ocean that depend on US-China trade. US President Donald Trump last month raised U.S. tariffs on China to a combined 145%, and China retaliated by hitting American imports with a 125% levy. Tariffs that high essentially amount to the countries' boycotting each other's products, disrupting trade that last year topp

Judge pauses much of Trump admin's massive downsizing of federal agencies

The Republican administration must halt much of its dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce, a California judge ordered Friday. Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco issued the emergency order in a lawsuit filed by labour unions and cities last week, one of multiple legal challenges to Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the size of a federal government he calls bloated and expensive. The Court holds the President likely must request Congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime, Illston wrote in her order. The temporary restraining order directs numerous federal agencies to halt acting on the president's workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Personnel Management. The order, which expires in 14 days, does not require departments to rehire people. ...

Tufts grad student Ozturk freed on bail in setback to Trump administration

The Friday ruling in favor of Tufts student Rümeysa Ozturk marks a setback for the administration amid its crackdown on foreign students accused of antisemitic activism over the Israel-Hamas conflict

15 states sue Trump over emergency order to fast-track oil, gas projects

A coalition of 15 states is suing over President Donald Trump's efforts to fast-track energy-related projects, saying the administration is bypassing environmental protection laws and threatening endangered species, critical habitat and cultural resources. Trump issued an executive order declaring a national energy emergency on the first day of his presidency. The order urges oil and gas expansion through federal use of eminent domain and the Defense Production Act, which allows the government to use private land and resources to produce goods deemed to be a national necessity. Those kinds of steps are supposed to be reserved for actual emergencies, such as projects needed in the aftermath of disasters like hurricanes, flooding or major oil spills, the attorneys general wrote in the lawsuit filed in Washington state on Friday. But now, Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown and the other plaintiffs said, agencies like the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Interi

Mexico sues Google for labelling Gulf of Mexico as 'Gulf of America'

Mexico has sued tech giant Google over its labelling of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a change made by US President Donald Trump via executive order, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday. Sheinbaum did not provide details of the lawsuit during her daily press briefing, but said that Google had been sued. Mexico's Foreign Relations ministry had previously sent letters to Google asking it to not label Mexican territorial waters as the Gulf of America. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The body of water has shared borders between the United States and Mexico. Trump's order only carries authority within the US, Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change. Mexico argues that Gulf of America should only apply to the part of the gulf over the United States continental shelf. In February, Sheinbaum shared a letter from Cris Turner, Google's vice president of government affairs and

Pentagon orders removal of books on diversity, anti-racism, gender issues

The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on Friday. It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's campaign to rid the military of diversity and equity programmes, policies and instructional materials. And it follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo, which was signed Friday by Timothy Dill, who is performing the duties of the defence undersecretary for personnel. Educational materials at the libraries promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department's core mission, the memo states, adding that department leaders must promptly identify books that are not compatible with that mission and sequester them by May 21. By then, the memo says,

Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in federal agency purge

President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda. Hayden was notified in an email late Thursday from the White House's Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press. Confirmed by the Senate to the job in 2016, Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress. Carla," the email began. "On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service. A spokesperson for the Library of Congress confirmed that the White House told Hayden she was dismissed. Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under backlash from a conservative advocacy group that had vowed to root out those standing in the way of Trump's agenda. The ...

Trump team eyes tariff cuts, rare earths relief in China trade talks

The talks are expected to be exploratory, focusing on airing grievances rather than resolving the many issues between the US and China, according to people familiar with the matter

Trump proposes 30-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war, threatens sanctions

His remarks come as both Russia and Ukraine reported attacks on security forces despite a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin

Trump names Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in DC

President Donald Trump has said he is naming Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital after abandoning his first pick for the job. Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, co-hosts the network's show "The Five" on weekday evenings. She was elected as a judge in New York's Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county's elected district attorney. Trump tapped Pirro to at least temporarily lead the nation's largest US Attorney's office after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. for the position earlier on Thursday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was naming Pirro as the interim US attorney in Washington D.C., but didn't indicate whether he would nominate her for the Senate-confirmed position on a more permanent basis. "Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the Histor

'None of our business': Vance says US won't get involved between India, Pak

In an interview with Fox News, Vance further stated that while the US cannot control India and Pakistan, it can encourage the two nuclear-armed neighbours to de-escalate

Will not renegotiate security deal with US, despite protests: Panama prez

Panama President Jos Ral Mulino has said he will not renegotiate an agreement with the United States to give US troops access to Panamanian facilities, despite protests charging that he compromised the country's sovereignty. On Tuesday, thousands of Panamanians marched in the capital in the largest protest yet against an agreement signed during last month's visit by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The US embassy followed with a statement Wednesday saying that the agreement did not allow for establishing military bases in Panama. A US military presence in Panama is sensitive, since people still remember the US invasion in 1989 and US President Donald Trump has suggested that the US take back control of the Panama Canal. "Panama's sovereignty is not at stake, it's not handed over, it's not given," Mulino said during his weekly press conference on Thursday. He insisted the agreement would not lead to US bases in Panama. The locations where US troops and contractors will have access

Trump to withdraw Ed Martin nomination for DC US Attorney amid concerns

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would pull his nomination of Ed Martin Jr. to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, bowing to bipartisan concerns about the conservative activist's modest legal experience and divisive politics. Trump abandoned his pick to lead the nation's largest US Attorney's office two days after a key Republican senator said he could not support Martin for the job due to his defence of rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He's a terrific person, and he wasn't getting the support from people that I thought, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the status of Martin's confirmation. He later added: But we have somebody else that will be great, indicating the announcement will be made in the next two days. Trump said he still wants to bring Martin into the administration, whether at the Justice Department or elsewhere, and signalled that he had little capacity to call on-the-fence senators to lobby them

Trump pushes for tax rate hike on wealthy earning $2.5 million or more

The president's proposal calls for creating a new 39.6 per cent tax bracket for individuals earning at least $2.5 million, or couples making $5 million

FBI chief Patel says bureau needs more funding, breaks from Trump admin

Kash Patel's remarks came after the 2026 budget proposal indicated a cut of over $500 mn from the FBI's funding as a part of the White House's effort to 'reform and streamline' the department

NYPD arrests over 70 after masked protesters seize Columbia library

The incident renewed attention from the Trump administration, which in March cancelled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia after protesters stormed a building at affiliate Barnard College

Trump plans to announce US will call Persian Gulf Arabian Gulf: Officials

President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the US will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two US officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf. The US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The White House and National Security Council didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of Gulf of Arabia and Arabian Gulf is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran formerly Persia threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company's decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. On Google Maps in the US, the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). .

Columbia University lays off 180 after Trump pulls $400 mn for antisemitism

Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday. We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources, the university said. Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard. University spokesperson Jessica Murphy declined to say whether more layoffs were expected, but said Columbia is taking a range of steps to create financial flexibility, including maintaining current salary levels and offering voluntary retirement incentives. Research will also be scaled back, with some departments winding down .

Top Trump officials to meet with Chinese counterparts amid trade war

Top US officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland, the administration announced Tuesday, in the first major talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months. It comes amid growing US market worry over the impact of the tariffs on the prices and supply of consumer goods. Trump had claimed previously that the US and China were holding negotiations on lowering tariffs, which Beijing has denied, saying Trump must first lower his stiff tariffs. Bessent earlier Tuesday testified to a House committee that the US and China have not engaged in negotiations but as early as this week, the US will be announcing trade deals with some of the US' largest trading partners. The Chinese Commerce Ministry