Page 72 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump orders removal of 'Biden era' attorneys over 'politicisation' of DOJ

Trump emphasised the need to "clean house" and restore confidence in the justice system, asserting that a fair justice system is essential for America's "golden age" to thrive

US judge denies request to halt Musk's access to federal agencies for now

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington rejected a bid for immediate court intervention from Democratic state attorneys general who contend Musk is exercising power to reshape the US government

Trump admin gives schools deadline to end DEI or risk losing federal money

The Trump administration is giving America's schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money, raising the stakes in the president's fight against "wokeness" and sowing confusion as schools scramble to comply. In a memo on Friday, the Education Department gave an ultimatum to stop using "racial preferences" as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other areas. Schools are being given 14 days to end any practice that treats students or workers differently because of their race. Educators at colleges nationwide were rushing to evaluate their risk and decide whether to stand up for practices they believe are legal. The sweeping demand threatens to upend all aspects of campus operations, from essays on college applications to classroom lessons and campus clubs. It's meant to correct what the memo described as rampant discrimination in education, often against white and Asian students. "Schools have been operating on the prete

Howard Lutnick named comm secy, to play key role for Trump's trade agenda

The Senate confirmed wealthy financier Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary on Tuesday, putting in place a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump's hardline trade policies. At the Commerce Department, Lutnick, who was CEO at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, will oversee 50,000 employees who do everything from collecting economic statistics to running the census to issuing weather reports. But he's likely to spend a lot of time -- along with Jamieson Greer, Trump's nominee to be the top US trade negotiator -- managing the president's aggressive plans to impose import taxes on US trading partners, including allies and adversaries alike. The Senate vote to confirm Lutnick was 51-45. Trump views the tariffs as a versatile economic tool. They can raise money to finance his tax cuts elsewhere, protect US industries and pressure other countries into making concessions on such issues as their own trade barriers, immigration and drug trafficking. Mainstream economists mostly view

Trump signs executive order to expand access to IVF, focus on cutting cost

The Order directs policy recommendations to protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments

Russia wants to stop barbarianism, senseless war: US Prez Donald Trump

On being asked about the talks between US officials and Russian representatives over ending war, Trump said that he is 'much more confident' and 'the talks were very good'

They have lot more money: Trump on $21 mn fund for India's 'voter turnout'

While he acknowledged his respect for India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump criticised the idea of funding voter turnout initiatives in the country

Export sector face uncertainty as Trump threatens reciprocal tariffs

To ease trade tension, India has already cut tariffs on several items, for example to 30 per cent on high-end motorcycles from 50 per cent and 100 per cent on bourbon whiskey from 150 per cent

India, US complement each other, can offer mutual trade concessions: Goyal

India and the US are committed to increasing bilateral trade to USD 500 billion and negotiating a "strong" trade agreement within the next 6-8 months, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. During the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, India and the US announced to more than double the two-way commerce to USD 500 billion by 2030 and negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by fall of 2025. Goyal said once his US counterpart takes charge, both countries will discuss the contours of the pact. "...In the next 6-8 months, by establishing a strong trade agreement, we are committed to increasing trade to USD 500 billion," Goyal told reporters here on the sidelines of CII's India-Qatar Business Forum meet. He added businesses of both the countries are excited about the agreement. When asked if the pact would have chapters related to goods, services and investments, he said, "My ...

Shein exec reassures investors after Trump crackdown on low-value imports

Shein investors include Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic, Declaration Partners, Brookfield, and Claure Group, according to PitchBook

FDA staff reviewing Musk's Neuralink among the employees fired by DOGE

The cuts included about 20 people in the FDA's office of neurological and physical medicine devices, several of whom worked on Neuralink

Guv mulls removing NYC Mayor after his 4 deputies quit amid ongoing turmoil

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she is weighing removing New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office after four of his top deputies announced their resignations in the latest fallout from the Justice Department's push to end his corruption case. Hochul, a Democrat, said she will convene a meeting of key leaders Tuesday in Manhattan for a conversation about the path forward." She said the departures of First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and other top officials raise serious questions about the long-term future" of Adams' administration. Adams, also a Democrat, has been under increasing scrutiny since the Justice Department's second-in-command ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week to drop his corruption case to ensure his cooperation in Republican President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown raising questions about the mayor's political independence and ability to lead the city. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove wrote that the case had unduly ...

No kings on Presidents Day: Protestors denounce Donald Trump, Elon Musk

Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures to demonstrate on Monday at rallies corresponding with the Presidents Day holiday. Dubbed "No Kings on Presidents Day" by the 50501 Movement, the latest protests came less than two weeks after a similar nationwide event on February 5 drew participants in dozens of cities. Both protests denounced Trump and billionaire advisor Elon Musk, the leader of Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency, an outside-government organisation designed to slash federal spending. Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall, chanting "Elon Musk has got to go" and "No kings on Presidents Day!" The temperature was below freezing with wind chills in the teens. Boston protesters, some dressed in Revolutionary War-style clothing from the 1700s, carried signs saying such things as "This is a Coup" and "Cowards Bow to Trump, Patriots Stand Up". One sign had a depiction of Uncle S

Rubio arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of talks with Russia to end Ukraine war

The talks come after President Donald Trump last week spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and ordered top officials to begin negotiations on the war

Trump shrugs off EU's reported plans for US-style import curbs on food

Early targets could include US crops such as soybeans grown using pesticides that EU farmers are not allowed to use

Trump admin tries to bring back fired nuclear arms workers in DOGE reversal

The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation's nuclear weapons programmes, in an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE's blind cost cutting will put communities at risk. Three US officials who spoke to AP said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late on Thursday, with some losing access to email before they'd learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which saw about 30 per cent of the cuts. Those employees work on reassembling warheads, one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons enterprise, with the highest levels of clearance. The hundreds let go at NNSA were part of a DOGE purge across t

Trump admin fires FDA employees in food safety and medical devices

The Trump administration's effort to slash the size of the federal workforce reached the Food and Drug Administration this weekend, as recently hired employees who review the safety of food ingredients, medical devices and other products were fired. Probationary employees across the FDA received notices Saturday evening that their jobs were being eliminated, according to three FDA staffers who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. The total number of positions eliminated was not clear Sunday, but the firings appeared to focus on employees in the agency's centres for food, medical devices and tobacco products which includes oversight of electronic cigarettes. It was not clear whether FDA employees who review drugs were exempted from the layoffs. On Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to fire 5,200 probationary employees across its agencies, which include the National Institutes o

Israeli PM may go with Trump's idea to transfer Palestinians from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled that he was moving ahead with US President Donald Trump's proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, calling it "the only viable plan to enable a different future" for the region. Netanyahu discussed the plan with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who kicked off a Middle East visit by endorsing Israel's war aims in Gaza, saying Hamas "must be eradicated". That created further doubt around the shaky ceasefire as talks on its second phase are yet to begin. Rubio, in his upcoming stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, is likely to face more pushback from Arab leaders over Trump's proposal, which includes redeveloping Gaza under US ownership. Netanyahu has said all emigration from Gaza should be "voluntary" but rights groups and other critics say that the plan amounts to coercion given the territory's vast destruction. Netanyahu said he and Trump have a "common strategy" for Gaza. Echoing Trump, he said "the gates of hel

South African NGOs worry Trump's aid freeze will disrupt HIV treatment

At a rural village in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, unemployed 19-year-old Nozuko Majola is trying to figure out if she has enough money for the one-hour ride to collect her much-needed HIV medication, usually delivered to her home that can't be easily reached due to rough, untarred roads. Majola is one of millions of patients in South Africa affected by US President Donald Trump's global foreign aid freeze, raising worries about HIV patients defaulting on treatment, infection rates going up and eventually a rise in deaths. In 2024, think tank Human Sciences Research Council released figures showing that Majola's province recorded the second-highest HIV prevalence in the country, at 16 per cent, with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week. KwaZulu-Natal also had the highest number of people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, about 19,80,000. The country counts more than 7.5 million people infected with the virus that causes AIDS -- mo

Trump admin wants SC to permit firing of whistleblower agency head

The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit the firing of the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, according to documents obtained on Sunday that would mark the first appeal to the justices since President Donald Trump took office. The emergency appeal is the start of what probably will be a steady stream from lawyers for the Republican president and his administration seeking to undo lower court rulings that have slowed his second term agenda. The Justice Department's filing obtained by AP asks the conservative-majority court to lift a judge's court order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel. Dellinger has argued that the law says he can only be dismissed for problems with the performance of his job, none of which were cited in the email dismissing him. The petition was filed hours after a divided appeals court panel refused to lift the order on procedural grounds. The case is not ...