Trump Administration

'Rats in sewer pipe': US Treasury Secy Bessent slams Iranian leadership

Bessent also said that a blockade will continue till a 'Freedom of Navigation' is achieved in Strait of Hormuz

Pentagon claims US blockade has cost Iran nearly $4.8 bn in oil revenue

The Department of War assessment suggests Iran has been denied close to $5 billion in oil earnings due to disruptions linked to US enforcement operations in the region

Trump says deadline for Congress to approve Iran war doesn't apply

The White House asserted to Congress in a letter Friday that hostilities with Iran have "terminated" despite the continued presence of U.S. armed forces in the region. The message from President Donald Trump effectively skirts a May 1 legal deadline to gain approval from members of Congress to continue the war with Iran. That deadline was already set to pass without action from Republican lawmakers who are deferring to the president. The letter brings into stark relief the bold but legally questionable assertion of presidential power at the heart of Trump's war, which he began without congressional approval two months ago. "The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated," Trump wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the Senate president pro tempore. He also made it clear in the letter that the war may be far from over. "Despite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a .

Democrats probe as Trump OKs nearly $2 bn payout to end wind projects

The Trump administration is spending nearly $2 billion to get energy companies to walk away from US offshore wind projects. Democrats in Congress are investigating. The Republican administration adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted President Donald Trump's efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Three agreements have been announced. US Reps. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, are demanding information about the first and largest of the three. Under a deal made public in March, French company TotalEnergies is getting $1 billion - essentially a refund of its leases for offshore wind projects off North Carolina and New York- if it invests the money in fossil fuel projects instead. Huffman said that is a "scam" and the administration is going to "light a lot of federal taxpayer money on fire if we let them." In a letter

Better get smart soon: Trump warns Iran on nuclear deal amid stalled talks

The President's remarks come at a time of heightened regional tension and a continued diplomatic stalemate

Funds to pay TSA, Homeland Security workers will soon run out: White House

The White House is warning Congress that funding to pay Department of Homeland Security personnel will "soon run out," sparking new threats of airport disruptions and national security concerns as the House slow-walks legislation to end what has been the longest-ever lapse in agency funding. In a memo late Tuesday to lawmakers, the Office of Management and Budget said money that President Donald Trump tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other workers through executive actions will be exhausted by May. It called on the House to quickly approve the budget resolution senators approved in an all-night session last week that would pave the way for full funding for the department. "DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk," the memo said. The pressure from the Trump administration could help House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose narrow Republican majority has been stalled out, tangled in internal party disputes

Trump claims King Charles aligns with US against Iran's nuclear ambitions

Trump claimed that the US remains resolute in its mission to prevent Tehran from achieving atomic capabilities, suggesting the King shared this conviction

Iran facing $170 mn daily loss as oil exports hit due to blockade: Bessent

Detailing the broader economic strategy, Bessent noted that the Treasury Department is intensifying financial restrictions through "Operation Fury"

US State Department to issue special passports featuring Trump's image

The redesigned passports will carry Trump's portrait overlaid on the Declaration of Independence on the inside cover, along with his signature in gold at the bottom

Beneath King Charles's jokes and decorum, there is subtle rebuttal to Trump

King Charles III gently pushed back against President Trump's attacks on Britain and Nato

Trump unhappy with peace proposal, says Iran 'figuring out its leadership'

Iran's most recent offer for resolving the two-month war would set aside discussion of its nuclear programme until the conflict was concluded and shipping disputes resolved

Senate Republicans block Democrats' attempt to end Trump's blockade of Cuba

Senate Republicans rejected legislation from Democrats on Tuesday that would have required President Donald Trump to end the US energy blockade on Cuba unless he receives approval from Congress. The vote on the war powers resolution showed how Republicans continue to stand behind Trump as he acts unilaterally to exert American force in a range of global conflicts, including Venezuela, Iran and Cuba - one of the US's closest neighbours yet a longtime adversary. Democrats have repeatedly forced votes on legislation to put a check on the president's ability to deploy military force in those conflicts, but none have succeeded. Tuesday's vote was the first pertaining to Cuba and would have forced the president to get approval from Congress before launching any attacks on the island nation. To dismiss the resolution, Republicans said that it was out of order because the US is not engaged in outright hostilities with Cuba. Their maneuver to dismiss the legislation succeeded on a 51-47 tall

FCC orders early review of ABC's broadcast licence after Jimmy Kimmel row

The US Federal Communications Commission has ordered an early review of American Broadcasting Company's (ABC) local station broadcast licences, after US President Donald Trump called for firing of the network's late night host Jimmy Kimmel. The early review of broadcast licences is considered as an extraordinary move against the network whose programming has often angered the president. "Disney's ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days - in other words, by May 28, 2026," the FCC order published Tuesday read. The FCC review covers eight channels of the network and is related to an ongoing investigation into the network's diversity initiatives. However, the order came a day after Trump and First Lady Melania called for the firing of Kimmel for his "expectant widow" remarks on his show last week. Trump sought to link Kimmel's remarks with the attempted storming of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturd

Preventing Iranian nuclear weapon remains 'core issue', says Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked in a Fox News interview about Iran's latest proposal, which would postpone discussions on its nuclear programme but end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade and ends the war. "There's no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future, if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon," Rubio said. "That fundamental issue still has to be confronted," he said. "That still remains the core issue here." Asked if he thinks the Iranians are serious about a deal, Rubio said they are skilled negotiators looking to buy time. "We can't let them get away with it," Rubio said. "We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.

Trump pursues new import taxes to replace tariffs rejected by Supreme Court

When the Supreme Court killed his favorite tariffs in February, President Donald Trump promptly rolled out temporary import taxes to replace them. But those stopgap levies expire in less than three months. Now the administration is scrambling to put more durable tariffs in place to keep revenue flowing into the US Treasury and to shore up the president's protectionist wall around the American economy. Starting this week, the Office of the US Trade Representative will begin hearings in two investigations that are expected to lead to a new round of US tariffs - taxes paid by importers in the United States and usually passed on via higher prices to consumers who are already fed up with the high cost of living. Trump's newest tariff push is sure to face more challenges in court but is likely to prove sturdier than the one the Supreme Court tossed out. First up is a hearing Tuesday and Wednesday into whether 60 economies - from Nigeria to Norway and accounting for 99% of US imports - do

White House to review president's security; spotlight on line of succession

A top White House official has convened a meeting of the US Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security later this week to review security for President Donald Trump after the shooting incident at the annual journalists' dinner on Saturday. The foiled attack at the Washington Hilton hotel, the venue of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, has also brought into focus the presidential line of succession as several cabinet secretaries were present at the event. Susan Wiles, the White House chief of staff, has called a meeting of the Secret Service and the DHS leadership to discuss protocol and practices as Trump is set to participate in several public events in the run-up to the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said officials had discussed having a designated survivor and the line of succession prior to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. "But there were several members of the ..

Trump welcomes King Charles at White House amid strains in US-UK ties

The long-planned event is intended to mark the 250th anniversary of US's independence from Britain, though its diplomatic mission has taken on new urgency amid Trump's recent feud with PM Keir Starmer

WH press dinner shooting accused charged with Trump assassination attempt

The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives was on Monday charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump. He appeared in court to face charges in a chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. Cole Tomas Allen was taken into custody after the shooting on Saturday night and was charged in federal court in Washington. Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover. Allen, of Torrance, California, is being represented by lawyers with the federal defender's office and sat beside them in court in a blue jail uniform. He also was charged with transport of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce and with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He did not enter a plea. The judge assigned two assistant public defenders to represen

'Shots fired!': How chaos unfolded at Washington Hilton during press dinner

At that moment on Saturday night, President Trump and many of America's top government officials and journalists were one floor down, crammed into the ballroom for a black-tie dinner

Security at correspondents' dinner worked as intended, say experts

The episode raised fresh questions about whether the Secret Service was sufficiently prepared to protect the president in an age of rising threats and spasms of political violence