Page 49 - Donald Trump Administration

US will stop bombing Yemen's Houthis after they stop targeting ships: Trump

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's ordering a halt to nearly two months of U.S. airstrikes on Yemen's Houthis, saying the Iran-backed rebels have indicated that they don't want to fight anymore and have pledged to stop attacking ships along a vital global trade route. We're going to stop the bombing of the Houthis, effective immediately, Trump said at the start of his Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. That likely means an abrupt end to a campaign of airstrikes that began in March, when Trump promised to use overwhelming lethal force after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing off Yemen in response to Israel's mounting another blockade on the Gaza Strip. At the time, they described the warning as affecting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Arabian Sea. Trump said the Houthis had indicated to U.S. officials that they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight. And we w

India has already agreed to drop its high tariffs to nothing: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said India has agreed to drop its high tariffs to nothing. I mean, India as an example, has one of the highest tariffs in the world. We're not going to put up with that, and they've agreed already to drop it. They'll drop it to nothing. They've already agreed. They would have never done that for anybody else but me, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to reporters as they met in the Oval Office to discuss the US-Canada trade. So we're going to put down some numbers and we're going to say our country is open for business and they're going to come in and they're going to pay for the privilege of being able to shop in the United States of America. It's very simple. It's very simple, he added. In the past, Trump has called India tariff king and a big abuser. Last month, Trump had said that negotiations with India over a bilateral trade deal are coming along great and he thinks we'll

Trump threatens 100% tariff on movies made outside US- what we know so far

President Donald Trump is eyeing Hollywood for his next round of tariffs, threatening to levy all films produced outside the US at a steep rate of 100%. Over the weekend, Trump accused other countries of stealing the movie-making capabilities of the US and said that he had authorised the Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of implementing this new import tax on all foreign-made films. But further specifics or dates weren't provided. And the White House confirmed that no final decisions had been made as of Monday. Trump later said that he would meet with industry executives about the proposal but a lot remains unclear about how an import tax on complex, international productions could even be implemented. If imposed, experts warn that such a tariff would dramatically hike the costs of making movies today. That uncertainty could put filmmakers in limbo, much like other industries that have recently been caught in the crosshairs of toda

Reopening Alcatraz adds to existing troubles for Federal Bureau of Prisons

Eleven inmate deaths in less than two months. More than 4,000 staff vacancies. A $3 billion repair backlog. And now, a stunning directive from President Donald Trump for the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons to REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! the notorious penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay that last held inmates more than 60 years ago. Even as the Bureau of Prisons struggles with short staffing, chronic violence and crumbling infrastructure at its current facilities, Trump is counting on the agency to fulfill his vision of rebooting the infamously inescapable prison known in movies and pop culture as The Rock. Trump declared in a social media post Sunday that a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz will house the nation's most ruthless and violent Offenders. It will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE," he wrote on Truth Social. Newly appointed Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III said Monday that the agency will vigorously pursue all .

Judge orders Trump admin to admit roughly 12,000 refugees amid legal battle

A judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to admit some 12,000 refugees into the United States under a court order partially blocking the president's efforts to suspend the nation's refugee admissions programme. The order from US District Judge Jamal Whitehead followed arguments from the Justice Department and refugee resettlement agencies over how to interpret a federal appeals court ruling that significantly narrowed an earlier decision from Whitehead. During a hearing last week, the administration said it should only have to process 160 refugees into the country and that it would likely appeal any order requiring it to admit thousands. But the judge dismissed the government's analysis, saying it required not just reading between the lines of the 9th Circuit's ruling, "but hallucinating new text that simply is not there. This Court will not entertain the Government's result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says, Whitehead wrote Monday. The

Donald Trump vows to meet Hollywood on tariff plan that shook industry

Film and entertainment figures struggled to interpret Trump's directive, which said the American movie industry is 'DYING' and cast foreign films as a national security threat

Message app Signal, used by NSA Waltz, under probe for possible breach

A spokesperson for TeleMessage confirmed the inquiry in a statement on Monday and said the app's services have been temporarily suspended

Trump admin urges judge to dismiss lawsuit restricting abortion pill access

The Trump administration on Monday asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit from three GOP-led states seeking to cut off telehealth access to abortion medication mifepristone. Justice Department attorneys stayed the legal course charted by Biden administration, though they didn't directly weigh in on the underlying issue of access to the drug that's part of the nation's most common method of abortion. Rather, the government argued the states don't have the legal right, or standing, to sue. The states are free to pursue their claims in a district where venue is proper, but the states' claims before this court must be dismissed or transferred pursuant to the venue statute's mandatory command, federal government attorneys wrote. The lawsuit from Idaho, Kansas and Missouri argues that Food and Drug Administration should roll back access to mifepristone. They filed their complaint after the Supreme Court preserved access to mifepristone last year. They want the FDA to prohibit telehealth ...

Washington lawyer sues Trump admin over revocation of security clearance

A prominent Washington attorney sued the Trump administration Monday over the revocation of his security clearance, calling it an act of improper political retribution that jeopardizes his ability to continue representing clients in sensitive national security cases. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, challenges a March presidential memorandum that singled out attorney Mark Zaid and 14 other individuals who the White House asserted were unsuitable to retain their clearances because it was no longer in the national interest. The list included targets of Trump's fury from both the political and legal spheres, including former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former President Joe Biden and members of his family. The action was part of a much broader retribution campaign that Trump has waged since returning to the White House, including by directing specific Justice Department investigations against perceived adversaries and ..

UBS agrees to pay $511 million to end Credit Suisse's US tax investigation

A Credit Suisse unit pleaded guilty to conspiring to help its customers hide more than $4 billion from the Internal Revenue Service in at least 475 offshore accounts, the Justice Department said

Trump admin halts new grants to Harvard over unmet White House demands

Harvard University will receive no new federal grants until it meets a series of demands from President Donald Trump's administration, the Education Department announced Monday. The action was laid out in a letter to Harvard's president and amounts to a major escalation of Trump's battle with the Ivy League school. The administration previously froze USD 2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, and Trump is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status. In a press call, an Education Department official said Harvard will receive no new federal grants until it demonstrates responsible management of the university and satisfies federal demands on a range of subjects. It applies to federal research grants and not federal financial aid students receive to help cover tuition and fees. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the decision on a call with reporters. The official accused Harvard of serious failures in four areas: antisemitism, racial discrimination, ..

US Defence Secretary directs 20% cut to top military leadership positions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active duty military to shed 20 per cent of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration keep pushing the services to streamline their top leadership positions. Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions. In a memo dated Monday, Hegseth said the cuts will remove redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership. On top of the cuts to the top-tier four-star generals, Hegseth has also directed the military to shed an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or equivalent Navy rank. Hegseth said the cuts aimed to free the military from unnecessary bureaucratic layers. The news of the cuts was first reported by CNN.

Over 15,000 USDA employees have taken Trump financial incentive to leave

President Donald Trump's administration has offered federal employees several months of pay and benefits if they opt to leave their jobs

Trump criticises Sheinbaum for rejecting US troops offer to Mexico

President Donald Trump on Sunday said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected his proposal to send US troops to Mexico to help thwart the illegal drug trade because she is fearful of the country's powerful cartels The comments by Trump came a day after Sheinbaum confirmed that Trump pressed her in a call last month to accept a bigger role for the US military in combating drug cartels in Mexico. Trump said it was true that he proposed sending the troops to Mexico and lashed into Sheinbaum for dismissing the idea. Well she's so afraid of the cartels she can't walk, so you know that's the reason," Trump said in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. "And I think she's a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can't even think straight. The US military presence along the southern border with Mexico has increased steadily in recent months, following Trump's order in January to increase the army's role in .

Trump orders reopening, expansion of Alcatraz prison in California

President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a California island. In a message on his Truth Social site Sunday evening, Trump wrote that, For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That's the way it's supposed to be. That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders," he wrote, adding: "The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. The prison was closed in 1963, and Alcatraz Island is currently .

JD Vance blends diplomacy, dealmaking and family time in global travels

When JD Vance was running for vice president, he walked across an airport tarmac in Wisconsin one August day when his campaign travels happened to intersect those of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and approached Air Force Two. Besides wanting to take a poke at Republican Donald Trump's rival for avoiding the press, Vance said, "I just wanted to check out my future plane. It's an aircraft he now knows well. In the opening months of Trump's term, Vice President Vance has travelled all over the globe family in tow to conduct top-level diplomacy for the administration, in addition to taking a number of domestic trips. His international forays have featured a mix of meetings with world leaders, sharply crafted speeches advancing US policy, soft power appearances to build goodwill and family time at tourist sites along the way. Diplomacy before family and cultural sights Vance's trips have included a five-day trip to Europe in February, a hastily reorganised trek to ...

US army's 250th anniversary parade to be held on Donald Trump's birthday

The Army on Friday confirmed there will be a military parade on President Donald Trump's birthday in June, as part of the celebration around the service's 250th birthday. Plans for the parade, as first detailed by The Associated Press on Thursday, call for about 6,600 soldiers to march from Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall along with 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters. Until recently, the Army's birthday festival plans did not include a massive parade, which officials say will cost tens of millions of dollars. But Trump has long wanted a military parade, and discussions with the Pentagon about having one in conjunction with the birthday festival began less than two months ago. The Army's 250th birthday happens to coincide with Trump's 79th birthday on June 14. In a statement Friday, Army spokesman Steve Warren said the Army's birthday celebration will include a spectacular fireworks display, a parade, and a daylong festival on the National Mall.

CIA, other spy agencies set to shrink workforce under Trump admin plan

The White House plans to cut staffing at the CIA and other intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency, Trump administration officials told members of Congress, The Washington Post reported Friday. A person familiar with the plan but not authorised to discuss it publicly confirmed the changes to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The administration plans to reduce the CIA workforce by 1,200 over several years, and cut thousands of positions at the NSA and other intelligence agencies. The Post reported that the reductions at the CIA include several hundred people who have already opted for early retirement. The rest of the cuts would be achieved partly through reduced hirings and would not likely necessitate layoffs. In response to questions about the reductions, the CIA issued a statement saying CIA Director John Ratcliffe is working to align the agency with Trump's national security priorities. These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse th

Trump stokes Harvard feud with threat to revoke tax-exempt status

Experts say that revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status would be a long process through the Internal Revenue Service and likely the courts - and that it could take years

US labels Haitian gangs as terror groups as experts warn of impact on aid

The US on Friday officially designated a powerful gang coalition in Haiti as a foreign terrorist organisation, raising concerns the move could deepen the country's humanitarian crisis at a critical time. The Viv Ansanm coalition, which means Living Together, joins a list of eight Latin American criminal organisations under that category. Gran Grif, the biggest gang to operate in Haiti's central Artibonite region, also was added to the list, as reported by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Friday. The US Department of State warned that persons, including American citizens, that engage in certain transactions or activities with these entities, or these individuals may expose themselves to sanctions risk. But it's nearly impossible for aid groups and others to avoid dealing with gangs in Haiti. The Viv Ansanm coalition controls at least 85 per cent of the capital,