Page 131 - Donald Trump

Trump's conflicting relation with Putin takes spotlight at Alaska summit

Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could be a decisive moment for both the war in Ukraine and the US leader's anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he's gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as pretty smart for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he's expressed frustrations with Putin and threatened more sanctions on his country. At the same time, Trump has offered conflicting messages about his expectations for the summit. He has called it really a feel-out meeting to gauge Putin's openness to a ceasefire but also warned of very severe consequences if Putin doesn't agree to end the war. For Putin, Friday's meeting is a chance to repair his relationship with Trump and unlace the West's isolation of his country following its invasion of Ukraine 3 1/2 years ago. He's been open about his desire to rebuild US-Russia relations now that Trump is back in the White House. The Wh

Here's why Maga wants Elon Musk back in Trump's camp ahead of midterms

Maga leaders are urging Elon Musk to reunite with President Donald Trump, saying his support and funding could be key for Republicans to win the upcoming midterm elections

Trump questions Putin's stance ahead of Alaska summit on Ukraine war

Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska for the first time in six years, aiming to assess the Russian leader's position on the Ukraine war and prospects for a ceasefire

Trump admin's lawsuit against Maryland federal judges critised in court

A judge on Wednesday questioned why it was necessary for the Trump administration to sue Maryland's entire federal bench over an order that paused the immediate deportation of migrants challenging their removals. US District Judge Thomas Cullen didn't issue a ruling following a hearing in federal court in Baltimore, but he expressed skepticism about the administration's extraordinary legal manoeuvre, which attorneys for the Maryland judges called completely unprecedented. Cullen serves in the Western District of Virginia, but he was tapped to oversee the Baltimore case because all of Maryland's 15 federal judges are named as defendants, a highly unusual circumstance that reflects the Republican administration's aggressive response to courts that slow or stop its policies. At issue in the lawsuit is an order signed by Chief Maryland District Judge George L. Russell III that prevents the administration from immediately deporting any immigrants seeking review of their detention in a ..

Melania Trump threatens Hunter Biden with $1 bn suit over Epstein claims

Melania's attorney, Alejandro Brito, demanded that Hunter immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statement

The answer is no: Trump on persuading Putin to halt attacks on civilians

Trump also said that he could raise the issue of the alleged Russian hacking of the US federal court filing system

Trump warns of severe consequences if Putin does not agree to stop war

President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that there will be very severe consequences if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war against Ukraine after the two leaders meet for a summit later this week in Alaska. Trump made the comment in response to a question from a reporter after announcing this year's Kennedy Centre Honours recipients in Washington. He did not say what the consequences might be. The remark came soon after Trump consulted with European leaders, who said the president assured them he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Putin on Friday in Anchorage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined several of Kyiv's main allies in the virtual meeting with the US leader, and Zelenskyy told the group that Putin is bluffing ahead of the planned summit about Russia's ability to occupy all of Ukraine and shake off sanctions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said afterward that important decisions could

Brazil's Lula announces $5.5 bn in credits for exporters hit by US tariffs

The Brazilian government on Wednesday unveiled a plan to support local exporters affected by a 50 per cent tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on several products from the South American nation. Dubbed Sovereign Brazil," the plan provides for a credit lifeline of 30 billion reais (USD 5.5 billion), among other measures. Brazil's President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva described the plan, which includes a bill to be sent to Congress, as a first step to help local exporters. Congressional leaders attended Wednesday's ceremony, a first in months, in a sign of growing political support for the leftist leader in response to Trump's tariffs. Other measures announced by the Brazilian government include postponing tax charges for companies affected by US tariffs, providing 5 billion reais (USD 930,000) in tax credits to small and medium-sized companies until the end of 2026 and expanding access to insurance against cancelled orders. The plan also incentivises public purchases of items th

Trump admin ordered to restore some withheld grant funding to UCLA

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore millions of dollars in National Science Foundation grants it has withheld from the University of California, Los Angeles, saying they were made in violation of her earlier court ruling. US District Judge Rita F. Lin ruled late Tuesday that the NSF must reinstate the research grants that were suspended for reasons she had already ruled arbitrary and capricious, and gave the administration until Aug. 19 to show compliance or explain why it hasn't restored the money. It was not immediately clear how much funding could be returned to UCLA. The school's chancellor said last week that the Trump administration has pulled USD584 million in federal grants from various federal agencies. The judge's ruling applies specifically to NSF grants. UCLA's money as been frozen as part of a wider pressure campaign targeting universities that Trump says are out of step with his political agenda. University of California researchers challen

Judge weighs if Trump violated law by deploying National Guard to LA

A federal judge in San Francisco is weighing whether the Trump administration violated federal law by sending National Guard troops to accompany immigration agents on raids in Southern California. A three-day trial on the matter concluded Wednesday. California has argued the troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits military enforcement of domestic laws. Lawyers for the administration said the law doesn't apply because President Donald Trump called up the National Guard under an authority that allows their deployment if "the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States. Federal and military officials were called to testify, and the trial's third day largely focused on weedy arguments about the 1878 law and whether the court even had a role in determining the limits of presidential power. Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard members and later 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June after protests in response to immigration .

No unilateral peace deal in Alaska: Zelenskyy, European leaders urge Trump

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz convened a virtual summit with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European leaders

Dollar extends losses as Fed rate cut hopes and political pressure grow

The dollar index, measuring the currency against a basket of peers, fell 0.2 per cent to 97.81, its lowest since July 28, extending its 0.5 per cent drop on Tuesday

Trump warns of severe consequences if Putin doesn't stop war after summit

Trump did not provide a timeframe for a second meeting. He is to meet Putin in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday

Trump Wins Fight to Withhold Billions of Dollars in Foreign Aid

In a 2-1 decision on Wednesday, the appellate panel reversed a Washington federal judge who found that US officials were violating the Constitution's separation of powers principles

Leaving top Trump admin post? President may have ambassadorship for you

Diplomacy may be soft power, but in President Donald Trump's administration, it is also lately a soft landing. National security adviser Mike Waltz was nominated as United Nations ambassador after he mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal chat discussing military plans. Trump tapped IRS Commissioner Billy Long to be his ambassador to Iceland after Long contradicted the administration's messaging in his less than two months in the job. And Trump last weekend named State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as deputy representative to the UN after she struggled to gel with Secretary of State Marco Rubio's close-knit team. The new appointments can be viewed as consolation prizes for leaving a high-profile post in the Trump administration following rocky tenures. But they also reflect the degree to which Trump is trying to keep his loyalists close, even if their earlier placements in the administration were ill-fitting. Breaking with the reality TV show that helped make Trump a ...

Trump tariff impact: US kids to see higher price tag on Christmas toys

Majority of US retail firms put their orders on hold due to uncertainty in tariff situation

Zelenskyy rejects ceding Donbas to Russia, seeks role in US-Russia talks

Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine give up the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that together form Donbas as a condition to unlock a ceasefire

Zelenskyy to visit Berlin for meetings ahead of Trump-Putin summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Berlin on Wednesday to join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks with European and US leaders ahead of the Trump-Putin summit later this week, the German government said. Merz has convened a series of virtual meetings on Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine's leaders heard ahead of a summit that they have been sidelined from. Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, to prepare for a virtual call with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call between leaders involved in the coalition of the willing countries prepared to help police any future peace agreement will take place last. Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year. Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was

Russian forces advance in Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin Alaska summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns of fresh Russian offensives as Trump and Putin prepare for talks in Alaska without Kyiv at the table

Alaska's Russian ties in spotlight as Trump, Putin meet in the 49th state

When US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state's long history with Russia and with international tensions. Siberian fur traders arrived from across the Bering Sea in the first part of the 18th century, and the imprint of Russian settlement in Alaska remains. The oldest building in Anchorage is a Russian Orthodox church, and many Alaska Natives have Russian surnames. The nations are so close Alaska's Little Diomede Island in the Bering Strait is less than 5 kilometres from Russia's Big Diomede that former Gov. Sarah Palin was right during the 2008 presidential race when she said, You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, though the comment prompted jokes that that was the extent of her foreign policy experience. Alaska has been US territory since 1867, and it has since been the location of the only World War II battle on North American soil, a focus of Cold War tensions and t