Page 55 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump admin admits it cut aid to some UN food programmes by mistake

The State Department said Tuesday that it had rolled back an undisclosed number of sweeping funding cuts to UN World Food Program emergency projects in 14 impoverished countries, saying it had terminated some of the contracts for life-saving aid by mistake. There were a few programs that were cut in other countries that were not meant to be cut, that have been rolled back and put into place, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. Bruce said she had no immediate information on which countries had U.S. funding for food aid restored after a dayslong cutoff. She gave no explanation for how some contracts came to be canceled in error. The World Food Program didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The Associated Press reported Monday that the Trump administration cut funding to WFP emergency programs helping keep millions alive in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and 11 other countries, many of them struggling with conflict, according to the agency and official

US pushes ahead with 104% tariffs on China, says open to talks with others

The administration has scheduled talks with South Korea and Japan, two close allies and major trading partners, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is due to visit next week

China poses threat to Panama Canal, says US defense secretary Hegseth

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China, but that together the US and Panama will keep it secure. Speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Nuez de Balboa Naval Base after a meeting with Panama President Jos Ral Mulino, Hegseth said the US will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation. "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades," he said. Hegseth alluded to ports at either end of the canal that are controlled by a Hong Kong consortium, which is in the process of selling its controlling stake to another consortium including BlackRock Inc. China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area," Hegseth said. "That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less ..

US Supreme Court puts hold on reinstatement of fired federal employees

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employees who were let go in mass firings aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government. The justices acted in the administration's emergency appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California ordering that 16,000 probationary employees be reinstated while a lawsuit plays out because their firings didn't follow federal law. The effect of the high court's order will keep employees in six federal agencies on paid administrative leave for now. A second lawsuit, filed in Maryland, also resulted in an order blocking the firings at those same six agencies, plus roughly a dozen more. But that order only applies in the 19 states and the District of Columbia that sued the administration. The Justice Department is separately appealing the Maryland order.

Trump admin in early talks to hold military parade in DC on June 14

The Trump administration is having early discussions about a grand military parade in Washington this summer, something that is a long-held dream of President Donald Trump. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that the administration had reached out to the city about holding a parade on June 14 that would stretch from Arlington, Virginia, where the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery are located, across the Potomac River and into Washington. The Army is in early discussions about potentially adding a parade to the Army's 250th birthday festival, which is being held June 14, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been made. June 14 is also Trump's 79th birthday. The White House in a statement said that no military parade has been scheduled." The Army birthday festival, which has been in the planning stages for about two years, is to include an array of activities and displays on the National M

Trump's pick to oversee state department personnel meets resistance

The appointment of a junior foreign service officer to serve as the senior official in the State Department's personnel office is facing opposition and concern from current and former US diplomats and their union. The American Foreign Service Association, which represents U.S. diplomats, the American Academy of Diplomacy and numerous current foreign service officers expressed concern Monday about last week's appointment, which comes amid heightened anxiety over potential widespread firings of career personnel as the Trump administration slashes federal jobs. Both organizations said the appointment of Lew Olowski, who joined the foreign service in 2021, to temporarily run the State Department's Bureau of Global Talent is an affront to the long-held standard that the post be occupied by either a current senior or retired career diplomat. The appointment of Olowski, a lawyer, has raised eyebrows among current diplomats because of his numerous pro-Trump and anti-immigrant writings in ..

Over 50 countries have reached out for tariff talks, say Trump advisors

Top administration officials said Sunday that more than 50 countries targeted by President Donald Trump's new tariffs have reached out to begin negotiations over the sweeping import taxes that have sent financial markets reeling, raised fears of a recession and upended the global trading system. The higher rates are set to be collected beginning Wednesday, ushering in a new era of economic uncertainty with no clear end in sight. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said unfair trade practices are not "the kind of thing you can negotiate away in days or weeks. The United States, he said, must see what the countries offer and whether it's believable. Trump, who spent the weekend in Florida playing golf, posted online that WE WILL WIN. HANG TOUGH, it won't be easy. His Cabinet members and economic advisers were out in force Sunday defending the tariffs and downplaying the consequences for the global economy. There doesn't have to be a recession. Who knows how the market is going to react i

'Hands Off!': Why protesters say Trump and Musk have gone too far

Protesters took to streets against US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in what they see as the billionaire-led erosion of civil liberties, social safety nets, and democratic governance

US revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, says Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the United States was revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the African nation's government of "taking advantage of the United States". "Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them," Rubio said in a statement, adding that "South Sudan's transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle". Besides revoking visas, Rubio said the US would "prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders". South Sudan's political landscape is fragile and recent violence between government troops and armed opposition groups has escalated tensions. Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged regional and international leaders to prevent South Sudan from falling over the abyss into another civil war. Guterres warned that the world's newe

Around 500 law firms sign brief opposing Trump's orders on legal community

President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting the legal community pose a grave threat to our system of constitutional governance and to the rule of law itself, according to a court filing submitted Friday by more than 500 law firms. The brief represents the most organized pushback to date against a series of White House executive orders that have sought to punish some of the country's most elite firms and to extract concessions from them. Some of the targeted firms have sued to halt enforcement of the orders, while others have struck deals with the White House either to avert an order or to have it rescinded. The filing was submitted as part of a lawsuit filed by Perkins Coie, which is among the firms that have challenged the orders in court. The order against that firm and others demands that security clearances of its lawyers be suspended, that federal contracts be terminated and that employee access to federal buildings be restricted. The firm won a court order temporarily

US VP Vance backs Trump tariffs after years of criticising protectionism

Vance applauded in the Rose Garden as President Donald Trump announced a broad new round of tariffs aimed at reviving US manufacturing, calling it a declaration of "economic independence"

US consumers rush to buy high-end items before Trump's tariffs kick in

John Gutierrez had been thinking about buying a new laptop for the past year. The Austin, Texas, resident needed a computer with faster processing and increased storage for his photography work and had his sights set on a product from a Taiwanese brand. Then President Donald Trump announced expansive new import tariffs Wednesday, including a 32% tax on imports from Taiwan. That same day, Gutierrez ordered the laptop, with a base price of $2,400, from a retailer in New York specializing in photo and video gear. I thought I'd bite the bullet, buy it now, and then that way I'll have the latest technology on my laptop and don't have to worry about the tariffs, he said. Gutierrez was among the U.S. consumers rushing to buy big-ticket items before the tariffs take effect. Economists say the tariffs are expected to increase prices for everyday items, warning of potentially weakened U.S. economic growth. The White House hopes the tariffs prod countries to open their economies to more Ameri

Trump admin rolls back forest protections in bid to ramp up logging

President Donald Trump's administration acted to roll back environmental safeguards around future logging projects on more than half of US national forests under an emergency designation announced Friday that cites dangers from wildfires. Whether the move will boost lumber supplies as Trump envisioned in an executive order last month remains to be seen. Former President Joe Biden's administration also sought more logging in public forests to combat fires, which are worsening as the world gets hotter, yet U.S. Forest Service timber sales stayed relatively flat under his tenure. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins did not mention climate change in Friday's directive, which called on her staff to speed up environmental reviews. It exempts affected forests from an objection process that allows outside groups, tribes and local governments to challenge logging proposals at the administrative level before they are finalized. It also narrows the number of alternatives federal officials can

Nationwide 'Hands Off!' protests target Trump, Musk over policy moves

Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk plan to rally across the US on Saturday to protest the administration's actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues. More than 1,200 Hands Off! demonstrations have been planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and fair-elections activists. The protests are planned for the National Mall in Washington, DC, state capitols and other locations in all 50 states. The White House did not return an email message seeking comment about the protests. Trump has promoted his policies as being in the best interest of the US. Protesters are assailing the Trump administration's moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health programs. Musk, a Trump advis

Hegseth to travel to Panama for meetings after Trump's demands for canal

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week to meet with leaders of the Central American country following recent Trump administration allegations of Chinese interference in the operations of the critical Panama Canal shipping lane. President Donald Trump has complained about the US relinquishing control of the waterway to Panama more than 20 years ago and has threatened to retake it, arguing that the US was being overcharged for using it. Panama's government has denied Trump's assertion that China exerts influence over the canal. Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that Hegseth will participate in the 2025 Central American Security Conference. He said Hegseth will take part in meetings that will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations toward our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere. He did not mention the canal, which was built by the US in the early 1900s as it look

US Energy Dept flags thousands of nonessential jobs for possible DOGE cuts

The Energy Department has identified thousands of federal workers it deems "nonessential and would not be protected if there is another round of large-scale firings, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. The jobs at risk include more than 8,500 positions across the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration -- which upgrades and maintains the nation's nuclear warheads. The department identified them as eligible to be cut to meet the goals of President Donald Trump's executive order for mass reductions in federal employees. It was not clear if every position identified as nonessential would be eliminated. All federal agencies had until March 13 to identify what departments and positions could be consolidated in a planning process to streamline the agencies and ready them for potential large scale reductions in force, Trump's February 26 order directed. Asked if large-scale firings are coming, the Energy Department, through spokesperson Ben

Facing funding cuts, Cornell, Brown look to short-term borrowing for cash

By tapping commercial paper or selling longer-term debt, colleges can keep their cash stockpiles to help weather the uncertainty

Trump's reciprocal tariffs to threaten defence ties, Pentagon supply chains

In a statement delivered at the White House, US President Donald Trump described the imposition of reciprocal tariffs as 'a declaration of economic independence'

Sri Lanka's target to be land mines free by 2028 at risk as US reviews aid

Thavarathnam Pushparani fought on the front lines for the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels against the Sri Lankan forces in its decadeslong separatist war and later took to clearing the land mines on the same battle lines. But the Trump administration's suspension of aid threatens Sri Lanka's demining operations, pushing the livelihoods of thousands like Pushparani into uncertainty. What is more uncertain for Sri Lanka now is its obligation to rid the island nation of mines by 2028 under the Ottawa Treaty, which it ratified in 2017. Pushparani has experienced the civil war in its full fury. In her family, her husband, father and two brothers died fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as the rebel group was formally known. Two other siblings are missing. She was born in eastern Sri Lanka and while still in school, her family had to move to the northern parts of the nation after a countrywide ethnic pogrom against minority Tamils by majority Sinhala mobs in 1983. The ...

Donald Trump open to reducing tariffs in return for 'phenomenal' offers

Trump broadly defended his tariff program despite a stock market meltdown, saying he was happy that interest rates were falling and believed that the economic turbulence would settle