Page 63 - Donald Trump Administration

Europe's troop shortages exposed as Trump warns shift in US security focus

In the year after Russia launched outright war on Ukraine, NATO leaders approved a set of military plans designed to repel an invasion of Europe. It was the biggest shake-up of the alliance's defence readiness preparations since the Cold War. The secret plans set out how Western allies would defend NATO territory from the Atlantic to the Arctic, through the Baltic region and Central Europe, down to the Mediterranean Sea. Up to 300,000 troops would move to its eastern flank within 30 days, many of them American. That would climb to 800,000 within six months. But the Trump administration warned last month that US priorities lie elsewhere. Europe must take care of its own security, and those goals now seem questionable. Mustering just 30,000 European troops to police any future peace in Ukraine is proving a challenge. Billions of euros are being shifted to military budgets, but only slowly, and the Europeans are struggling to fire up production in their defence industries. Beyond ...

Hundreds of US govt offices may begin closing this summer at DOGE's behest

Federal agencies will begin to vacate hundreds of offices across the country this summer under a frenetic and error-riddled push by Elon Musk's budget-cutting advisers to terminate leases that they say waste money. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency maintains a list of canceled real estate leases on its website, but internal documents obtained by The Associated Press contain a crucial detail: when those cancellations are expected to take effect. The documents from inside the General Services Administration, the US government's real estate manager, list dozens of federal office and building leases expected to end by June 30, with hundreds more slated over the coming months. The rapid pace of cancellations has raised alarms, with some agencies and lawmakers appealing to DOGE to exempt specific buildings. Several agencies are facing 20 or more lease cancellations in all, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the US Department of Agriculture and the US Geological

Trump's proposed 200% tariff on EU wines will hit demand, say US sellers

The United States is suddenly looking less bubbly for European wines. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned 50% tariff on American whiskey. Wine sellers and importers said a tariff of that size would essentially shut down the European wine business in the US. I don't think customers are prepared to pay two to three times more for their favorite wine or Champagne, Ronnie Sanders, the CEO of Vine Street Imports in Mt. Laurel Township, New Jersey, said. Jeff Zacharia, president of fine wine retailer Zachys in Port Chester, New York, said 80% of the wine he sells is from Europe. Importers depend on European wines for a big part of their distribution system, he said, and there's not enough US wine to make up for that. This is just going to have a major negative impact on the whole US wine industry in all aspects of it, including U.S. wineries, he said. Zacharia said there are

Trump admin asks SC to partly allow birthright citizenship restrictions

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out. In emergency applications filed at the high court on Thursday, the administration asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington that blocked the order President Donald Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term. Three federal appeals courts have rejected the administration's pleas. The order would deny citizenship to those born after February 19 whose parents are in the country illegally. It also forbids US agencies from issuing any document or accepting any state document recognising citizenship for such children.

Trump escalates trade war, pledges more tariffs after EU, Canada's response

The latest decision has marked an escalation in the already heated trade war between the US and other nations

Center-right party wins most votes in Greenland polls as Trump eyes control

The center-right Demokraatit Party won the most votes in Greenland's parliamentary elections, a surprise result as the territory went to the polls in the shadow of President Donald Trump's stated goal of taking control of the island one way or another. Both Demokraatit the Democrats and the second place party, Naleraq Point of Orientation favor independence from Denmark, but they have differences on the pace of change. Demokraatit's upset victory over parties that have governed the territory for years indicates that many in Greenland care just as much about healthcare, education, cultural heritage and other social policies. The unanticipated results came after huge crowds streamed into the polling station in the capital, Nuuk, throughout the day, warmed by sunny skies. Exhausted voting officials closed the polls well after the planned 8 pm local time on Tuesday to make sure everyone in line got a chance to cast their ballot. Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede in February called .

Senior USAID official asks staff to 'shred, burn all documents': Report

The effort also demonstrates the tumultuous way in which the Trump administration is dismantling the USAID, which once managed a $40 billion annual budget and had over 10,000 employees

Violence against Tesla dealership domestic terrorism, says Donald Trump

Activists have lately staged so-called Tesla Takedown protests to voice displeasure over Musk's role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce at the behest of Trump

Donald Trump dials back 50% Canada tariff threat, downplays recession

Trump's roller-coaster day saw him threaten to double duties on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50% after Ontario announced plans to place a surcharge on electricity sent to the US only to retreat back

Japan's trade minister fails to get assurances from US on tariff exemptions

Japan's trade minister said this week that he has failed to win assurances from US officials that the key US ally will be exempt from tariffs, some of which take effect on Wednesday. Yoji Muto was in Washington for last ditch negotiations over the tariffs on a range of Japanese exports including cars, steel and aluminum. Muto said Monday in Washington that Japan, which contributes to the US economy by heavily investing and creating jobs in the United States, should not be subject to 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and auto exports to America. His meetings with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett came just two days before the steel and aluminum tariffs are due to take effect. President Donald Trump has also said a possible 25% tariff on imported foreign autos could take effect in early April. Muto said the US officials acknowledged Japanese contributions and agreed to continue talks, but did not .

Iconic 'Black Lives Matter' mural removed post Trump's encroachment threats

Bowser, a Democrat, ordered the painting and renamed the intersection Black Lives Matter Plaza as a public act of defiance in June 2020

Trump likely wants minerals refining on Pentagon bases to boost US output

Move is one of several planned for an executive order Trump could sign as soon as Wednesday after he told the US Congress last week he would 'take historic action'

Trump revokes security clearances of Blinken, Sullivan, other Biden aides

US Director Of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard stated that the action has been taken on the directive given by US President Donald Trump

Purge of USAID programmes complete with 83% cut, says Marco Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the Trump administration had finished its six-week purge of programmes of the six-decade-old US Agency for International Development, and said he would move the 18% of aid and development programmes that survived under the State Department. Rubio made the announcement in a post on X. It marked one of his relatively few public comments on what has been a historic shift away from US foreign aid and development, executed by Trump political appointees at State and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency teams. Rubio in the post thanked DOGE and our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform in foreign aid. President Donald Trump on Jan 20 issued an executive order directing a freeze of foreign assistance funding and a review of all of the tens of billions of dollars of US aid and development work abroad. Trump charged that much of foreign assistance was wasteful and advanced a liberal ...

US Senate confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Trump's labour secretary

The Senate voted Monday to confirm Lori Chavez-DeRemer as U.S. labor secretary, a Cabinet position that puts her in charge of enforcing federally mandated worker rights and protections at a time when the White House is trying to eliminate thousands of government employees. Chavez-DeRemer will oversee the Department of Labor, one of several executive departments named in lawsuits challenging the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to order layoffs and access sensitive government data. The Labor Department had nearly 16,000 full-time employees and a proposed budget of $13.9 billion for fiscal year 2025. Some of its vast responsibilities include reporting the U.S. unemployment rate, regulating workplace health and safety standards, investigating minimum wage, child labor and overtime pay disputes, and applying laws on union organizing and unlawful terminations. Several prominent labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamster

Elon Musk eyes Social Security and Medicare as key targets for cuts

Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about social security on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending. The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump, suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste needed to be cut. Most of the federal spending is entitlements, Musk told the Fox Business Network. That's the big one to eliminate. The comments on the popular program and other benefits provided to Americans could rattle politicians on both sides of the aisle as Musk works to downsize the federal government, especially as he already faces blowback for his chainsaw-wielding approach to laying off workers and slashing programs. Musk's estimate for the level of fraud in entitlements far outpaces figures from watchdogs like Social Security's inspector general, who previously said there was $71.8 billion in improper payments from fiscal years 2015 thro

Trump admin halts funding for 2 cybersecurity projects, including elections

The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars in federal funding from two cybersecurity initiatives, including one dedicated to helping state and local election officials. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, has ended about $10 million in annual funding to the nonprofit Center for Internet Security, a CISA spokesperson said in an email Monday. It's the latest move by Trump administration officials to rein in the federal government's role in election security, which has prompted concerns about an erosion of guardrails to prevent foreign meddling in U.S. elections. CISA announced a few weeks ago that it was conducting a review of its election-related work, and more than a dozen staffers who have worked on elections were placed on administrative leave. That followed an administration move to disband an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence operations, including those that target U.S. elections. I have grave concern for .

US to speed up weapons shipments to Taiwan amid concerns over pausing aid

Taiwan depends on US military support to fend off China, which wants to bring the democracy of 23 million people under its control someday, by force if needed

US has 'just about' ended pause on Ukraine intel sharing, says Trump

Trump said his administration was looking at a variety of things with respect to tariffs on Russia and that officials are not concerned about military exercises involving Russia, China and Iran

Scholars stranded in US, abroad amid funding freeze of govt dept programmes

Aubrey Lay a Fulbright scholar was supposed to get paid for three months of work by the U.S. government through his teaching assistantship at a school for Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. Instead, he only got about one week's pay, and no word on when he might see the rest of his grant. Lay is among scholars around the world who depend on State Department funding to participate in long-established programs like Fulbright and who say their payments have been abruptly cut off after getting a notice that officials were reviewing their activities. The move appears to be in line with the White House's initiative to sharply slash government spending - a shakeup that has affected scores of federal agencies. The government is facing even more dramatic changes in the coming weeks and months. President Donald Trump has directed agencies to prepare plans for widespread layoffs, known as reductions in force, that will likely require more limited operations at agencies that provide critical ...