Page 59 - Donald Trump Administration

US judge temporarily blocks parts of Trump's anti-DEI executive orders

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the US Department of Labour from implementing parts of President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at curbing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts among federal contractors and grant recipients. Judge Matthew Kennelly of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois halted the Labor Department from requiring federal contractors or grant recipients from certifying that they don't operate any programmes in violation of Trump's anti-DEI executive orders. That certification provision has stepped up pressure on companies and other organisations to revisit their DEI practices because if the government were to determine they violated the provision, they would be subject to crippling financial penalties under the False Claims Act. Thursday's ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed by Chicago Women in Trades, a nonprofit founded in 1981 that helps prepare women for work in skilled construction trades and has several contracts with

Suspected US airstrikes hit Houthi-held sites in Yemen, including Sanaa

Suspected US airstrikes pummelled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighbourhoods in the capital, Sanaa. The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than those under former president Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities. Initial reports from the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency referenced only one person being hurt in the attacks on Friday in Sanaa, Yemen's capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebel's stronghold of Saada and in Yemen's al-Jawf and Amran governorates. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge

Greenland forms new govt on eve of Vance visit to resist US annexation bid

Greenlandic lawmakers on Thursday agreed to form a new government, banding together to resist US President Donald Trump's efforts to annex the Arctic island, local media reported. Four of the five parties elected to Greenland's Parliament earlier this month have agreed to form a coalition that will have 23 of 31 seats in the legislature. The agreement is set to be signed on Friday, the newspaper Sermitsiaq reported, citing Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Demokraatit, the biggest party in Parliament. The agreement comes as Trump ramps up his effort to gain control of Greenland "one way or the other". US Vice-President J D Vance is scheduled to arrive in Greenland on Friday, where he will visit America's Pituffik Space Base, which supports missile surveillance and missile defence operations. After his centre-right party's surprise victory in the March 11 election, Nielsen said he wanted to form the broadest coalition possible to help resist US pressure. The final agreement exc

US judge to order govt to preserve Signal chat about Houthi military strike

A US federal judge on Thursday said he will order the Donald Trump administration to preserve records of a text message chat in which senior national security officials discussed sensitive details of plans for a US military strike against Yemen's Houthis. US district judge James Boasberg said during a hearing that he'll issue a temporary restraining order barring administration officials from destroying messages sent over the encrypted messaging app Signal. A nonprofit watchdog, American Oversight, requested the order. A government attorney said the administration already was taking steps to collect and save the messages. The Atlantic published the entire Signal chat on Wednesday. Its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, had been added to the discussion that included Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice-President J D Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. In the chat, Hegseth provided the ex

US Secretary of State vows stern response if Venezuela attacks Guyana

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday vowed that the United States will respond forcefully if Venezuela attacks Guyana amid an ongoing territorial dispute that includes massive oil and gas reserves. Rubio said it would be a "very bad day" for Venezuela should that happen. On the second leg of a three-nation tour of the Caribbean, Rubio was in Guyana as the Doland Trump administration ramps up engagement in the Western Hemisphere to promote energy independence and curb illegal migration, drug trafficking and gang violence. He made a brief stop in Georgetown on Thursday for talks with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and other officials before travelling to Suriname for an even shorter visit to Paramaribo. "The regional threats are based on illegitimate territorial claims by a narco-trafficking regime," Rubio told reporters at a joint news conference with Ali. "And I want to be frank, there will be consequences for adventurism. There will be consequences for aggressive actions.

White House withdraws Stefanik's UN envoy bid over tight GOP House margin

The White House has withdrawn Rep. Elise Stefanik's nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations, a stunning turnaround for President Donald Trump's Cabinet pick after her confirmation had been stalled over concerns about Republicans' tight margins in the House. Trump confirmed the decision in a Truth Social post on Thursday, saying that it was essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning. I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress, he said. Trump had tapped Stefanik, a New York Republican, to represent the US at the international body shortly after winning reelection in November. She was seen as among the least controversial Cabinet picks, and her nomination advanced out of committee in late January, but House Republicans' razor-thin majority kept her ultimate confirmation in a state of purgatory for the .

Trump security team's private data and passwords exposed in online leaks

An investigation by media company Der Spiegel reveals that mobile numbers, email addresses, and even passwords of Donald Trump's key security officials were found online

Court rejects Trump admin's bid to use wartime law for deportations

A federal appeals court in the US on Wednesday refused to lift an order barring the Donald Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law. A split three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the district of Columbia Circuit upheld a March 15 order temporarily prohibiting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Invoking the law for the first time since World War II, President Donald Trump's administration deported hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force. The Justice Department appealed after US district judge James Boasberg blocked more deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the US. That did not happen. Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan non-citizens who were being held in Texas. The case has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension between the Whit

Waltz owns up to Yemen military plan leak: 'I take full responsibility'

US NSA Mike Waltz admits mistakenly adding journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a Yemen military chat; President Donald Trump defends Waltz, says 'he is not getting fired'

Will Trump's far-reaching executive order on elections actually stick?

President Donald Trump's executive order seeking broad changes to how elections are run in the US is vast in scope and holds the potential to reorder the voting landscape across the country, even as it faces almost certain litigation. Trump wants to require voters to show proof that they are US citizens before they can register for federal elections, count only mail or absentee ballots received by Election Day, set new rules for voting equipment and prohibit non-US citizens from being able to donate in certain elections. A basic question underlying the sweeping actions he signed Tuesday: Can he do it, given that the Constitution gives wide leeway to the states to develop their own election procedures? Here are some of the main points of the executive order and questions it raises. Voters would need to provide citizenship documents to register Trump's order calls for the federal voter registration form to be amended so prospective voters must provide documentary proof of citizenshi

Columbia student can't be detained as she fights deportation, rules judge

A Columbia University student from South Korea facing potential deportation for her involvement in a pro-Palestinian protest can't be taken into immigration detention for now, a federal judge has ruled. The order marks at least a temporary reprieve for Yunseo Chung, and a setback for the Donald Trump administration's efforts to throw non-citizens out of the country for participating in campus protests that the government deems antisemitic and sympathetic to the militant group Hamas. The students say the government is targeting them for advocating for Palestinian rights. "As of today, Yunseo Chung no longer has to fear and live in fear of ICE coming to her doorstep and abducting her in the night," Chung attorney Ramzi Kassem said, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As a Manhattan federal judge considered Chung's case on Tuesday, another federal jurist in Syracuse considered the case of Cornell University doctoral student Momodou Taal, who also faces potentia

Trump says security team texting military op plan on Signal a minor glitch

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the texting of sensitive plans for a military strike against Yemen's Houthis this month to a group chat that included a journalist, saying it was the only glitch in two months of his administration even as Democratic lawmakers heaped criticism on the administration for handling highly sensitive information carelessly. Trump told NBC News that the lapse turned out not to be a serious one", and expressed his continued support for national security advisor Mike Waltz. Waltz, according to an article posted online by The Atlantic on Monday, appeared to have mistakenly added the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a chat that included 18 senior administration officials discussing planning for the strike. Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man," Trump said. He also appeared to point blame on an unnamed Waltz aide for Goldberg being added to the chain. It was one of Michael's people on the phone. A staffer had h

US Senate confirms Jay Bhattacharya, Marty Makary for top US health posts

Senate voted 53-47 along party lines to confirm Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University health economist and physician, to lead the National Institutes of Health

America's allies alarmed by leaked group chat about Yemen attack plans

As wake-up calls go, the alarms don't get much louder. Allies of the United States see the group chat between top US officials about a planned attack in Yemen that accidentally included a journalist as a jaw-dropping security breach which casts doubt on intelligence-sharing with Washington and the security of joint military operations. "Scary" and "reckless" was the verdict of one European diplomat about the discussion on the Signal messaging app about strikes on Houthi rebels. Neil Melvin, a security expert at defence think-tank the Royal United Services Institute, called it "pretty shocking". "It's some of the most high-ranking US officials seeming to display a complete disregard for the normal security protocols, he said. Beyond the security concerns raised by the leaked chat, US officials addressed the country's trans-Atlantic allies with disdain as Vice-President J D Vance complained about bailing out Europe and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed pathetic European ...

Trump backs Waltz after Atlantic editor's war plans group chat breach

Trump's comments fit with a broader effort by the administration to downplay the stunning breach, which created a firestorm in Washington over the Trump team's handling of sensitive information

US Vice-President JD Vance to join wife Usha in Greenland on March 28

US Vice-President J D Vance has said that he's joining his wife on a Friday trip to Greenland, suggesting in an online video that global security is at stake. We're going to check out how things are going there, Vance said in a video shared on Tuesday. Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it's important to protecting the security of the entire world, he said. US President Donald Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that his country should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of American ally Denmark. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia also seek access to its waterways and the nearby natural resources. The office of second lady Usha Vance said on Sunday that she would depart on Thursday for Greenland and return on Saturday. Usha Vance and one of her three children h

Journalist accidentally added to Trump team's Yemen attack chat group

Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg says he was mistakenly added to a Signal chat where top US officials discussed detailed plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen

DOGE cuts testing conservative voters' faith in poll for Gaetz's old seat

As the Trump administration forges ahead with its dramatic reshaping of the federal government, voters in a northwest Florida congressional district that's home to thousands of veterans will be among the first to put the president's agenda to an electoral test. The state's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump, is widely expected to win the special election in Florida's 1st Congressional District on April 1 and help pad Republicans' narrow majority in the US House of Representatives. The seat became vacant with the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz in a heavily Republican district. In a longshot bid, Democrat Gay Valimont is seeking to hinge the race on the Department of Government Efficiency Service's push to fire federal workers and dismantle federal agencies. A win for her would defy decades of political convention and could send loud signals about how the president's aggressive second term in the White House is playing with

Greenlanders unite to resist US as Trump seeks control of Arctic island

Lisa Solrun Christiansen gets up at 4 am most days and gets to work knitting thick wool sweaters coveted by buyers around the world for their warmth and colorful patterns celebrating Greenland's traditional Inuit culture. Her morning routine includes a quick check of the news, but these days the ritual shatters her peace because of all the stories about US President Donald Trump's designs on her homeland. I get overwhelmed,' Christiansen said earlier this month as she looked out to sea, where impossibly blue icebergs floated just offshore. The daughter of Inuit and Danish parents, Christiansen, 57, cherishes Greenland. It is a source of immense family pride that her father, an artist and teacher, designed the red-and-white Greenlandic flag. On his deathbed he talked a lot about the flag, and he said that the flag is not his, it's the people's, she said. And there's one sentence I keep thinking about. He said, I hope the flag will unite the Greenlandic people." Island of ...

Columbia student protester sues Trump admin to stop deportation order

Another Columbia University student claimed on Monday that the Donald Trump administration has targeted her for deportation over her pro-Palestinian views, accusing immigration officials in a lawsuit of employing the same tactics used on Mahmoud Khalil and other college activists. Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old lawful permanent resident, said the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved to deport her after she was arrested on March 5 while protesting the Ivy League school's disciplinary actions against student protesters. News reports at the time identified her as being among a group of protesters arrested after a sit-in at a library on the adjacent Barnard College campus. Within days of her arrest, Chung said in the lawsuit, ICE officials signed an administrative arrest warrant and went to her parents' residence seeking to detain her. On March 10, Chung said, a federal law enforcement official told her lawyer that her lawful permanent resident status was being "revoked". T