Trump Administration

Donald Trump's stock disclosure shows more than 1,000 trades in June

The transactions totaled between $78.1 million and $263.1 million in the filing published by the US Office of Government Ethics, which shows a range for each transaction rather than exact numbers

US SC allows Trump's $400 mn White House ballroom work to continue for now

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's USD 400 million ballroom project for now. Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday allowing work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. Lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval. That ruling was set to take effect on Friday. Roberts signed the order because he oversees appeals of Washington-based cases. The case comes before the nation's highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image. The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the high court's emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president's signature policies after fuller review. The administration has argued that the president has total authority to

US plans to pay $850 million of $5 billion it owes United Nations

The US government has notified Congress of its plans to pay USD 850 million of the several billion it owes to the United Nations, the largest payment the Trump administration would make to the world body since it demanded sweeping reforms in exchange for continued support as its largest donor. The State Department laid out its plans to transfer USD 725 million as part of its dues to the regular UN budget and USD 125 million toward UN peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to notifications sent to lawmakers this month and obtained by The Associated Press. The US is behind on about USD 5 billion in dues related to its UN membership, with more than USD 2 billion owed toward the regular budget and USD 3 billion for peacekeeping operations, the United Nations says. In February, the Trump administration made a single payment of USD 160 million shortly after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the institution was facing "imminent ...

Threatening friends and courting enemies in Trump's 'upside-down world'

The president's hostility to allies like Oman, Canada, South Korea, and his affection for adversaries like North Korea, may still shock some. But it comes as little surprise after a decade of upheaval

Trump admin sanctions International Criminal Court president, prosecutor

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its top prosecutors as it continues a campaign to dismantle the tribunal, which it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute US and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza. The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in US jurisdictions or come into contact with the US financial system. "The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty." The move is the latest by the Trump administration against the ICC, which it says has exceeded its ..

Kushner meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in effort to break logjam over Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to pull back the country's military until Hamas fully disarms. But the Trump administration is under pressure to show progress

Big, bold step: Trump welcomes Saudi-Turkey-Pak defence pact amid Iran war

US President Donald Trump has termed the Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan defence agreement a "big, bold and important first step" towards defending themselves in a "more meaningful way". Trump's remarks on Sunday came days after the three nations signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement -- holding any armed offensive against any of the three countries an attack against all of them. "Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Congratulations to the Great Leadership of the three Nations mentioned. THIS IS A BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP - WOW," Trump wrote. The agreement was signed August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. India said

Trump orders Pentagon to scale back US-South Korea joint military drills

President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea after he said it declined to help denuclearise Iran. The announcement comes days before one of two scheduled large-scale joint annual exercises between South Korean and US troops are set to begin this week . It also comes just days after North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing activities that are banned by the UN. The allies have said the 11-day exercises are meant to strengthen their readiness against threats from North Korea, and reiterated that they are defensive in nature.

German firms cut US investment to 3-yr low amid Trump's uncertain policies

First-half direct investments plunged by ‌nearly two-thirds year-on-year to €4.3 billion ($5 billion), the ​lowest level since 2023, according to ​calculations by the German Economic Institute

US says Iran naval blockade can continue indefinitely as talks stall

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US military has the capability to maintain a naval presence in the region to enforce its blockade of Iran

Trump admin to roll out 'economic isolation' plan for Iran next week

Iran's economy has already taken a significant hit from the war, with much of its industrial capacity destroyed and crude exports severely curtailed by the US blockade

Judge again bars Trump admin from implementing order to limit mail voting

A federal judge has ruled against President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and directly involve the US Postal Service in election operations in a way that would limit mail voting. US District Court Judge Indira Talwani had already halted the order Trump signed in March, his second one attempting to set national election rules. On June 25, she sided with Democratic state attorneys general in granting summary judgment, preventing the core parts of Trump's order from taking effect. Tuesday's ruling creates another legal hurdle for the Trump administration to overcome should it get the initial injunction lifted by the US Supreme Court. "That it is now less than 90 days before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections underscores the critical need for an injunction to prevent Defendants from changing election rules on the eve of the election," she wrote. The Trump administration in late July requested that the Supreme Court halt lower court decisi

Food company CEOs pushed White House to delay ultra-processed food policy

CEOs and trade group representatives sent letters and called the White House in a bid to delay the release of a white paper marking the first federal effort to define the controversial food category

Trump's former lawyer Todd Blanche sworn in as US attorney general

President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, was sworn in Monday as attorney general after a bruising confirmation fight that exposed bipartisan concerns about the Justice Department's direction under the Republican president. Another former Trump attorney - Emil Bove, now a federal appeals court judge - administered the oath of office to Blanche at the White House following early Saturday's Senate confirmation vote by the narrowest of margins. Blanche, a former federal prosecutor in New York, is officially taking command of a Justice Department he has been leading in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi's firing in April. With the confirmation battle behind him, Blanche now faces the challenge of having to navigate the demands of a president who has made no secret of his desire to use the law enforcement agency to target his political foes. Blanche will do so with an agency that has been hollowed out by resignations, firings and voluntary departures while also ...

Trump names staff secretary Will Scharf as new White House counsel

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his new White House counsel will be Will Scharf, the staff secretary who as the Trump-appointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission helped secure approval for the USD 400 million ballroom project. Trump said that, beginning September 1, Scharf will be replacing David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Trump noted that Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented him in a number of cases, including at the Supreme Court. "Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!" The shakeup in the White House counsel's office comes at a critical juncture - just months ahead of the midterm elections, where Trump's Republican Party will be fighting to hold on to control of Congress. Democrats have vowed to pursue investigations into Trump and his ...

US vaccine policy risks undermining use of tech to advance medical science

Flaws in US vaccine policy could make it impossible to leverage technology in optimal ways to advance medical science

Trump signs new birthright citizenship orders: What it means for Indians

Weeks after the US Supreme Court blocked his earlier order, Trump has signed two new executive orders targeting birth tourism and narrowing birthright citizenship eligibility

Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI to meet Trump officials about AI safety testing

Anthropic and OpenAI disclosed in recent days that their AI tools breached the systems of other companies, stirring concerns among US ‌lawmakers

Trump weighs $100,000 fee for foreign students to work after graduation

If implemented, the fee would put a popular post-graduate visa extension out of reach for many students

US Senate confirms Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence

The Senate has confirmed Jay Clayton to become head of the nation's intelligence agencies, putting a permanent director in place weeks after President Donald Trump sought to delay his nomination. Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, was confirmed 51-47 along party lines. Republicans had initially hoped to confirm Clayton in June, but Trump delayed his hearing in order to allow his temporary pick for the job, Bill Pulte, to take over for several weeks after former director Tulsi Gabbard resigned. Senators from both parties have expressed concerns about Pulte, a former housing regulator who had no intelligence experience. Pulte was in charge when Trump delivered a speech from the White House earlier this month doubling down on his false claims about the 2020 election, which he lost, and released classified documents that he said were relevant to his arguments. Pulte has also said he has presided over a