Page 58 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump admin to review Harvard funding after Columbia yields to govt demand

Harvard University has become the latest target in the Trump administration's approach to fight campus anti-semitism, with the announcement of a new comprehensive review that could jeopardize billions of dollars for the Ivy League college. A federal anti-semitism task force is reviewing more than $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government to make sure the school is following civil rights laws, the administration announced Monday. The government also will examine USD 8.7 billion in grant commitments to Harvard and its affiliates. The same task force cut $400 million from Columbia University and threatened to slash billions more if it refused a list of demands from President Donald Trump's administration. Columbia agreed to many of the changes this month, drawing praise from some Jewish groups and condemnation from free speech groups, who see it as a stunning intrusion by the federal government. Dozens of other universities have been put on notice by the Trum

US will not get Greenland, assures PM Nielsen amid Trump's claims

The prime minister of Greenland pushed back Sunday against assertions by US President Donald Trump that America will take control of the island territory. Greenland, a huge, resource-rich island in the Atlantic, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming it's needed for national security purposes. President Trump says that the United States will get Greenland.' Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post. Nielsen's post comes a day after the US president told NBC News that military force wasn't off the table with regard to acquiring Greenland. In Saturday's interview, Trump allowed that I think there's a good possibility that we could do it without military force. This is world peace, this is international security, he said, but added: I don't take anything off the table. Greenland's residen

Ahead of April 2 tariffs deadline, Trump aides unsure 'what boss will do'

Despite public assurances aimed at calming markets, internal discord and unpredictable policy shifts have left many questioning the Trump administration's direction

Trump says using military force in Greenland still an option after rebuke

The Danish foreign minister on Saturday scolded the Trump administration for its tone in criticising Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the US. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen made the remarks in a video posted to social media after US Vice President JD Vance's visit to the strategic island. Later Saturday, though, US President Donald Trump maintained an aggressive tone, telling NBC News that I never take military force off the table" in regards to acquiring Greenland. Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism, Rasmussen said speaking in English. But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies. Greenland is a territory of Denmark, which is a NATO ally of the United Stat

US likely to revoke authorisations to foreign partners of Venezuela's PDVSA

In recent years, former President Joe Biden's administration granted the authorisations to secure Venezuelan oil supplies to refineries from Spain to India as exceptions to the US sanction regime

Transgender teens fight back Trump's ban on participation in girls' sports

Parker Tirrell, 16, enjoys her art classes, scrolling on TikTok and working at her new job at a pet store. But most of all, the transgender teen loves playing soccer. Until last year, that wasn't a problem. I was just living my life like any normal person, said Tirrell, who has played since she was 4. I was accepted. I had a nice, steady team that I played on all the time. Then came a cascade of obstacles, starting with a state ban on transgender girls in girls' sports, and most recently President Donald Trump's Feb. 5 executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." Now, life is anything but normal. Tirrell, along with Iris Turmelle, 15, another transgender girl, are the first to challenge Trump's order, six months after suing their own state over its ban and getting a court order allowing them to play. I just feel like I'm being singled out right now by lawmakers and Trump and just the whole legislative system for something that I can't control, Tirrell told The Associated P

Trump's attacks on 'Black Smithsonian' effort to sanitise racism: Critics

President Donald Trump's order accusing the Smithsonian Institution of not reflecting American history notes correctly that the country's Founding Fathers declared that all men are created equal. But it doesn't mention that the founders enshrined slavery into the US Constitution and declared enslaved persons as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of the Census. Civil rights advocates, historians and Black political leaders sharply rebuked Trump on Friday for his order, entitled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. They argued that his executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution is his administration's latest move to downplay how race, racism and Black Americans themselves have shaped the nation's story. It seems like we're headed in the direction where there's even an attempt to deny that the institution of slavery even existed, or that Jim Crow laws and segregation and racial violence against Black communities, Black families, Black individuals even ...

Pro-Palestine protests: Who has the US detained or deported so far?

People with ties to American universities, most of whom have shown support for pro-Palestinian causes, have been detained in the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. President Donald Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being pro-Hamas, referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war against Hamas in Gaza. More than half a dozen people are known to have been taken into custody or deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in recent weeks. Rumeysa Ozturk Federal officers detained 30-year-old Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk on Tuesday as she walked along a street in suburban Boston. A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said without providing evidence that an investigation found Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, engaged in activities in support of Hamas," a US-designated terrorist

US judge temporarily blocks deportations to third countries without appeal

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration Friday from deporting people who have exhausted legal appeals to countries other than their own without first being allowed to argue that it would jeopardise their safety. US District Judge Brian E Murphy ruled that people with final orders of removal must have a meaningful opportunity to argue that being sent to a third country presents a level of danger deemed worthy of protection. His order remains in effect until the case advances to the next stage of arguments. The decision is a setback for an administration that has sent people to countries including Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador when it is difficult to deport them to their homelands. In some cases a judge may determine that a person's homeland is too dangerous but authorities can send them to a third country. The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but administration attorneys argued that a temporary halt would ...

Donald Trump calls first talk with new Canadian PM 'extremely productive'

US President Donald Trump said Friday that his first call with new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was extremely productive and Carney said Trump respected Canada's sovereignty both in private and public but added that the relationship has changed. The call came as Trump has declared a trade war on Canada and has threatened to use economic coercion to make Canada the 51st US state, a position that has infuriated Canadians. Trump avoided any mention of that in his social media post and in public remarks later. "We had a very good conversation. Mark called me," Trump said. We had a very very good talk. He's going through an election. We'll see what happens. Trump didn't refer to the prime minister as governor as he did with Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau. The US president, in his social media post, said the two sides agree on many things and will be meeting immediately after Canada's upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that wil

Trump admin cancels clean energy grants as it prioritises fossil fuels

President Donald Trump's administration is terminating grants for two clean energy projects and roughly 300 others funded by the Department of Energy are in jeopardy as the president prioritizes fossil fuels. The DOE is cancelling two awards to a nonprofit climate think tank, RMI in Colorado, according to a document from the agency confirming the cancellations that was reviewed by The Associated Press on Friday. One was for nearly $5.3 million to retrofit low-income multifamily buildings in Massachusetts and California to demonstrate ways to reduce the use of energy and lower planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The other was for USD 1.5 million to assess business models for electric vehicle carsharing in US cities. The department wrote that it had determined the awards do not meet the administration's objectives. Both awards are on a list of about 300 clean energy projects under review. President Donald Trump declared an energy emergency early in his term and is working to speed

Major law firm reaches deal with Donald Trump to bypass White House order

A prominent international law firm has reached a deal with President Donald Trump to provide at least USD 100 million in free legal services and to review its hiring practices, averting a punishing executive order like the ones directed at nearly a half-dozen other major legal institutions in recent weeks. The deal with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom was announced just hours after two other law firms sued in federal court over executive orders meant to sanction them over their association with attorneys who have previously investigated Trump. Those firms, Jenner and Block and WilmerHale, say in their lawsuits that the orders amount to an unprecedented assault on the legal system and represent an unconstitutional form of presidential retaliation. In a message to the firm, Skadden Arps' managing partner, Jeremy London, said the firm had learned in recent days that the Trump administration intended to issue an executive order targeting it over its pro bono legal work and its ..

Pete Hegseth's younger brother serving as Pentagon liaison, senior adviser

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's younger brother is serving in a key position inside the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security liaison and senior adviser, Hegseth's office confirmed. The high-profile job has meant meetings with a UFC fighting champion, a trip to Guantanamo Bay and, right now, travelling on the Pentagon's 747 aircraft as Hegseth makes his first trip as defense secretary to the Indo-Pacific. Phil Hegseth's official title is senior adviser to the secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and liaison officer to the Defense Department, spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson said in a statement Thursday. Phil Hegseth, one of a number of talented DHS liaisons to DOD, is conducting touch points with US Coast Guard officials on the Secretary's Indo-Pacific trip," which includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Japan, Wilson said in response to a query by The Associated Press. Border security, the responsibility of DHS, has been highlighted as one of the top .

Vance accuses Denmark of neglecting Greenland as Trump pushes for takeover

US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that Denmark has "underinvested" in Greenland's security and demanded that Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump continues to talk of taking over the Danish territory. The pointed remarks came as Vance visited US troops on Pituffik Space Base on the mineral rich, strategically critical island. Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland, Vance said. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change. Vance said the US has no option but to take a significant position to ensure the security of Greenland as he encouraged a push in Greenland for independence from Denmark. I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States, Vance said. We could make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they'

Donald Trump backs budget fix to restore DC funds, urges House to pass it

President Donald Trump is pushing the House of Representatives to pass a measure that would prevent immediate financial disaster for the District of Columbia even as he continues to level harsh criticism at the city and its leaders. In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, he wrote, The House should take up the D.C. funding fix' that the Senate has passed, and get it done IMMEDIATELY. It's the first direct public indication from the Republican president that he supports efforts to restore a USD 1.1 billion hole in the district's budget, and it's a major boost for Democratic Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser's campaign to reverse a legislative change that she says would devastate the capital city. Earlier this month, the House passed a federal government funding bill that would force the district's government to revert to its 2024 budget parameters, effectively cutting USD 1.1 billion from its budget midway through the financial year. Bowser spearheaded an intense congressional lobbyi

Musk deletes post promising to deliver $2 mn to Supreme Court race voters

Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday deleted a social media post in which he had announced plans to hold a rally in Wisconsin to personally hand over USD 2 million to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the state's hotly contested Supreme Court race. Musk deleted the post from his social media platform, X, about 12 hours after he initially posted it late Thursday night. He had posted that he planned to give USD 1 million each to two voters at the event on Sunday, just two days before the election that will determine ideological control of the court in the battleground state. The action was announced despite a Wisconsin law that explicitly prohibits giving anything of value in exchange for a vote. Musk said that attendance at his talk would be limited only to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election, without explaining how he would verify that. I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to

Stronger deterrence needed against China in disputed sea: US defence chief

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration would boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against threats from the communist Chinese and ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea. Hegseth spoke during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines, his first stop in his first trip to Asia to reaffirm Washington's ironclad commitment to the region under Trump. Ahead of the visit, China called the United States a predator and an unreliable ally. Trump's America First foreign policy thrust has triggered concerns in Asia about the scale and depth of US commitment to the region. Hegseth's decision to make the Philippines his first stop in Asia, followed by Japan both US treaty allies facing territorial disputes with China was the strongest assurance yet by the US under Trump to maintain a security presence in the region. Deterrence is necessary around the world but specifically in this regio

Why does Trump want US to control Greenland? Location, resources and more

The US has expressed interest in expanding its existing military presence on the island, including placing radars there to monitor the waters between the island, Iceland and Britain

US colleges face funding cuts as Trump ties aid to policy compliance

After decades of partnership with the US government, colleges are facing new doubts about the future of their federal funding. President Donald Trump's administration has been using the funding spigot to seek compliance with his agenda, cutting off money to schools including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. All the while, universities across the country are navigating cuts to grants for research institutions. The squeeze on higher education underscores how much American colleges depend on the federal government a provider of grants and contracts that have amounted to close to half the total revenue of some research universities, according to an Associated Press analysis. It adds up to a crisis for universities, and a problem for the country as a whole, say school administrators and advocates for academic freedom. America's scientific and medical research capabilities are tightly entwined with its universities as part of a compact that started after World War

Musk says he will finish most of $1 trn federal cost cuts within weeks

DOGE estimates it has saved US taxpayers $115 billion as of March 24 through actions including workforce reductions, asset sales and contract cancellations