Page 10 - Donald Trump

Trump admin tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez

The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, a longtime target of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, according to current and former US law enforcement officials, in the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation. It is unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodriguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email "there was never an investigation into her to shut down". But DEA records obtained by The Associated Press earlier this year show she consistently surfaced on the radar of federal law enforcement dating to at least 2018, though she has never been criminally charged in the US like several other senior Venezuelan officials. The directive to pause scrutiny into Rodriguez was meant to avoid upsetting the administration's efforts to

US launches fresh defensive strikes on Iran after drone threat near Hormuz

The US military on Wednesday conducted its second defensive strike this week against Iran after officials said they observed aggressive activity from the Iranian military. Two US officials told The Associated Press that US military forces shot down four Iranian drones and struck a base that was about to launch a fifth drone after determining they posed a threat to the Strait of Hormuz. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive military operations. President Donald Trump asserted on Wednesday that Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and insisted that November's midterm elections will not make him rush into a deal to end the nearly three-month-old conflict that has spurred unease across the global economy. Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed confidence that a deal is near. Over the weekend, he even declared that his administration and Tehran had "largely negotiated" a settlement, though the talks are still in flux. The president i

Zelenskyy asks Trump for more US air defence aid against Russian attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to US President Donald Trump and Congress asking for more American-made air defence ammunition to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers have backed a draft bill to have bank employees join the fight against Ukraine's long-range drones that strike deep inside Russia - with trained bank staff shooting down the unmanned aircraft. The steps came after a recent escalation in aerial attacks by both sides in the more than four-year war that followed Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbor. Neither side has been able to make much progress on the 1,250-km front line. Also on Wednesday, Anne Keast-Butler, head of UK's intelligence agency GCHQ, asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "going backwards on the battlefield". New data shows that "almost half a million Russian soldiers have now been killed since the conflict began," she added. Ukraine has pounded Russ

Iran 'negotiating on fumes', says Trump, shrugs off midterms' impact on war

President Donald Trump asserted on Wednesday that Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and insisted that November's midterm elections won't make him rush into a deal to end the nearly three-month-old conflict that's spurred unease across the global economy. Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed confidence that a deal is near. Over the weekend, he even declared that his administration and Tehran had "largely negotiated" a settlement, though the talks are still in flux. The president is looking for a settlement that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him with a credible argument that Iran's nuclear capability has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict that's been politically unpopular for Republicans. But as things stand, Trump also risks finding that closure to his war of choice comes with an unsatisfactory ending. The emerging deal puts off many critical issues to be resolved later and has already exposed the Republican presiden

US rejects Iranian media's report on 'draft deal' to restore Hormuz traffic

The remark came after Iranian state television reported that Tehran had committed to restoring commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within one month

Trump set to meet Cabinet as he looks to seal deal to end Iran war

President Donald Trump will meet with his Cabinet on Wednesday at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the war with Iran, just days after insisting that his administration and Tehran had "largely negotiated" a settlement but with the negotiations still in a state of flux. As he prepares to huddle with his top aides, Trump is projecting confidence that he's closing in on a deal that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him a credible argument that Iran's nuclear capability has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict that's been politically unpopular for Republicans. But as things stand, Trump also risks finding closure to his war of choice comes with an unsatisfactory ending. The emerging deal puts off many critical issues to be resolved later and has already exposed the president to fierce criticism - even from some of his own supporters - that Iran's hardline leaders will emerge from the conflict battered but emboldened. It all comes to

'Everything checked out perfectly': Trump wraps up 3-hour medical visit

US President Donald Trump had another medical exam on Tuesday, putting his health under renewed public scrutiny after he has worked to dismiss concerns over his age and stamina. The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre for what the White House described as preventive medical and dental checkups. It was Trump's fourth publicly-disclosed medical exam since he returned to office for a second term, and it comes as he tries to project strength ahead of midterm elections that will test his sway with voters. In a social media post after the visit, Trump said that he had just finished his "6 month physical" and that "Everything checked out PERFECTLY." The White House did not immediately release a written report from Trump's doctors. For decades, administrations have released selected results from presidential physicals, offering the public a glimpse at the commander-in-chief's health. But the results are filtered through the Whit

'Gone absolutely crazy': Trump again slams media coverage on Iran conflict

Trump's outburst came through a Truth Social post in which he called out the media outlets and democrats over the framing of the narrative around the conflict

Quad launches $20 bn critical minerals initiative to cut China dependence

The Quad foreign ministers launched initiatives on critical minerals, energy security and maritime surveillance amid concerns over the grouping's future under Donald Trump

US strikes southern Iran, including missile launch sites, in 'self-defence'

The US military said it carried out "self-defence" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were "proceeding nicely". The strikes were done "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces", but the military was "using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire", Capt. Tim Hawkins, US Central Command spokesman, said in a statement on Monday. Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalising relations with Israel. The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favour a harder line on Iran,

Democrats feud over stock trading amid anti-corruption push against Trump

After three terms in the US House and two unsuccessful campaigns for the US Senate, Colin Allred said he's heard plenty about voters' suspicions that politicians are just trying to make a buck in Washington. "'What about the stock trading in Congress? What about people getting rich in Congress?'" Allred said they ask him regularly. "And I have to say to them, you're absolutely right about that, too. We need to be better." He's challenging Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic runoff for a Dallas-area House seat on Tuesday, and he's one of several candidates trying to harness populist anger over congressional stock trading. Allred has denounced Johnson for trades involving companies like Palantir, a data analytics firm with ties to President Donald Trump's administration. Johnson said her trades were handled by a financial manager, and she accused Allred of being "only out for himself". She pointed to financial disclosures that showed Allred's wealth nearly doubling during his own tim

Iran's enriched uranium will be turned over to US or destroyed, says Trump

Trump said this decision will be taken in 'conjunction and collaboration' with Iran, signalling Tehran's relaxing its stand as the two countries attempt to reach a peace agreement

India-US trade deal may be sealed in weeks, not months: Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the India-US trade deal could be finalised within weeks and reaffirmed President Donald Trump's support for India

Trump says US-Iran deal will be meaningful or there will be no deal

Iran and ​the United States have played down ​hopes for an imminent breakthrough in efforts to end ​their three old war on Monday

West Asia crisis: Why Trump is asking Arab leaders to join Abraham Accords

Donald Trump's proposal signals the US's attempt to use a potential Iran deal to expand diplomatic ties with Israel and reshape regional alliances in West Asia

US making progress with Iran on Hormuz, but Trump remains cautious: Rubio

The US has made significant progress in negotiations with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but President Donald Trump is maintaining a cautious approach and will not accept a bad deal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday. The remarks by the US Secretary of State, currently on a four-day trip to India, came amid indications that the US and Iran are looking at a preliminary deal to reopen the shipping lane before hammering out a comprehensive peace agreement. "Work is still in progress. We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today," he told a small group of reporters before leaving for Agra. "So we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of get the Strait open, enter into a very real, significant time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said The US Secretary of State said there has been global support for the ongoing efforts to end the conflict in West Asia, but added that the road to

Rubio downplays anti-India rhetoric row, says Trump a 'big fan' of Modi

President Donald Trump is a big fan of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, seeking to dismiss allegations of rising anti-India rhetoric in the US. The top diplomat's remarks on Monday came against the backdrop of a swirling controversy after the video of his response to a reporter's question on Sunday on instances of alleged racism towards Indians in the US went viral. Though the reporter did not clarify, many saw his question as a reference to Trump's remarks referring to India along with China as a "hellhole" appearing to accuse people from the two countries of abusing America's birthright citizenship. The US Secretary of State is currently on a four-day trip to India that is aimed at recalibrating the bilateral relations that have faced headwinds since mid-last year. "The President is a big fan of India, a big fan of Prime Minister Modi. I wouldn't be here if the President didn't want me to be here. He wouldn't have sent some

'Not going to make bad deal': Rubio says Iran pact still 'work in progress'

Highlighting that the negotiations have good faith and support among the Gulf partners, the US Secretary of State called it the 'right thing for the world to get done'

Five main issues yet to be resolved in possible US-Iran peace deal

President Trump says the US and Iran could be close to a peace deal; big issues at stake include the fate of Iran's nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz

To get Hormuz open, Trump had to leave the hardest issues for later

President Trump is hailing the agreement with Iran as groundbreaking, even as he admits it "isn't even fully negotiated." But the nuclear stockpile, enrichment and missiles have not been discussed