Trump Administration

Reasons cited for US decision to withdraw are 'untrue': WHO chief

In a post on X, the WHO Chief hailed the contributions of the United States, a founding member of the WHO, which played a significant role in many of the WHO's greatest achievements

Trump hints at invoking Nato's Article 5 to address illegal immigration

Trump has proposed invoking Nato's Article 5 to protect America's southern border, questioning whether the alliance would defend the US while reiterating concerns over illegal immigration

Trump administration cancels solar projects in Puerto Rico as grid crumbles

The administration of US President Donald Trump has cancelled solar projects in Puerto Rico worth millions of dollars, as the island struggles with chronic power outages and a crumbling electric grid. The projects were aimed at helping 30,000 low-income families in rural areas across the US territory as part of a now-fading transition toward renewable energy. In an email obtained by The Associated Press, the US Energy Department said that a push under Puerto Rico's former governor for a 100 per cent renewable future threatened the reliability of its energy system. "The Puerto Rico grid cannot afford to run on more distributed solar power," the message states. "The rapid, widespread deployment of rooftop solar has created fluctuations in Puerto Rico's grid, leading to unacceptable instability and fragility." Javier Rua Jovet, public policy director for Puerto Rico's Solar and Energy Storage Association, disputed that statement in a phone interview Thursday. He said that some 200,00

Trump admin halts use of human fetal tissue in NIH funded research

The Trump administration announced Thursday that human fetal tissue derived from abortions can no longer be used in research funded by the National Institutes of Health. The policy, long urged by anti-abortion groups, expands restrictions issued during President Donald Trump's first term. The government has funded research involving fetal tissue for decades, under both Republican and Democratic administrations. The tissue, which otherwise would be thrown away, has been critical for certain research, including ways to fight HIV and cancer. Opponents of fetal tissue use say there are now alternatives, although many scientists say there aren't always adequate substitutes. In a statement Thursday, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya acknowledged the agency "has long maintained policies governing the responsible and limited use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research." Its use has declined since 2019. The USD 47 billion agency counted just 77 projects funded in 2024 that included fetal .

European pressure forced Trump to drop threats over Greenland: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that European pressure forced US President Donald Trump to back down from his threats to take control of Greenland, as EU leaders gathered to chart a new course in transatlantic relations. "Europe can make itself be respected, and that's a very good thing," Macron told reporters, as he arrived in Brussels for an emergency summit. "When we use the tools that we have at our disposal we get respect and that's what happened this week." On the eve of the EU meeting, Trump dramatically backed away from his insistence on "acquiring" Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. For the first time, he said that he would not use force to seize the island. Trump also dropped his threat of slapping tariffs on European nations that support Denmark. The EU's tools included a nonaggressive deployment of a few dozen troops to Greenland on a reconnaissance mission to prepare for future exercises and to send Trump a message that Europe is taking

Trump admin to expand ban on foreign aid for groups supporting abortion

The Trump administration is expanding its ban on US foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services to include assistance going to international and domestic organisations and agencies that promote gender identity as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. An administration official said Thursday that the State Department would release final rules that expand the scope of the "Mexico City" policy that has already severely reduced assistance to international organizations that provide abortion-related care. The policy was first established under President Ronald Reagan but rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations. The new rules, first reported by Fox News, would halt foreign assistance from going toward not only groups that provide abortion as a method of family planning but also those that advocate "gender ideology" and DEI, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the rules' publication in the Federal Register on Friday. The

How US withdrawal from WHO may affect global health powers, disease threats

The withdrawal is set to take effect this week, although WHO officials may not officially accept it because the US has unpaid dues from the last two years

Trump could still lead Board of Peace even after leaving White House

The possibility of a chair-for-life status for Trump is the latest wrinkle in the creation of the signature diplomatic initiative that is drawing resistance from fellow Group of Seven leaders

US forces seize seventh sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela

US military forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker connected with Venezuela on Tuesday as the Trump administration continues its efforts to take control of the South American country's oil. US Southern Command said in a social media post that US forces apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident and that the tanker was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump's "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. The military command did not say whether the US Coast Guard took control of the tanker as has been the case in prior seizures. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions for more details. The Sagitta is a Liberian-flagged tanker and its registration says it is owned and managed by a company in Hong Kong. The ship last transmitted its location more than two months ago when exiting the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. The tanker was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department under an executive order related to Russia's ...

Millions of workers have been cut from federal payroll, says Trump

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration has slashed "tremendous" numbers from federal payroll, adding that millions of federal workers were terminated by it. The president was appearing at Tuesday's White House press briefing to mark the first anniversary of the start of his second term. Scott Kupor, director of the US Office of Personnel Management, said last September that there would be roughly 300,000 fewer federal workers on the payroll nationwide by the end of 2025. The government employs roughly 2.5 million workers, including military members. Trump said the fired workers are getting much better jobs and much higher pay". From the start of Trump's second term one year ago, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by his then-advisor Elon Musk, instigated purges of federal agencies with the expressed mission of rooting out fraud, waste and abuse.

'I wish we didn't need Board of Peace': Trump slams UN incompetency

When asked whether he wants the Board of Peace to replace the United Nations, Trump said they "haven't been very helpful," but believed in the organisation's potential

US senator Steve Daines pushes for American pulses' access to Indian market

US Senator Steve Daines urged faster India-US trade talks, pressing for greater market access for American pulses, a long-standing and sensitive issue for New Delhi

Trump says he doesn't plan to remove Fed Chair Powell despite investigation

The Trump administration has opened a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell over cost overruns linked to a $2.5 bn project to renovate two historic buildings at the Federal Reserve's headquarters

US clears Nvidia's H200 chip sales to China, sparking security debate

According to the regulations, the chips will be reviewed by a third-party testing lab to confirm their technical AI capabilities before they can be shipped to China

Minnesota sues Trump admin to stop federal immigration crackdown surge

Minnesota and its two largest cities have sued the Trump administration to try to stop an immigration enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal officer and evoked outrage and protests across the country. The state, joined by Minneapolis and St Paul, on Monday said the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation. This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it must stop, state Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. These poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the federal state have terrorised Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct. Homeland Security is pledging to put more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota and says it has made more than 2,000 arrests since December. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ...

Trump to visit Ford factory to promote manufacturing amid job worries

President Donald Trump will travel to Michigan on Tuesday to promote his efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing, trying to counter fears about a weakening job market and worries that still-rising prices are taking a toll on Americans' pocketbooks. The day trip will include a tour of a Ford factory in Dearborn that makes F-150 pickups, the bestselling domestic vehicle in the U.S. The president is also set to address the Detroit Economic Club at the MotorCity Casino. November's off-year elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere showed a shift away from Republicans as public concerns about kitchen table issues persist. In their wake, the White House said Trump would put a greater emphasis on talking directly to the public about his economic policies after doing relatively few events around the country earlier in his term. The president has suggested that jitters about affordability are a hoax unnecessarily stirred by Democrats. Still, though he's imposed steep tariffs on U.S. tradin

Tech giants must bear cost of data centre electricity, says Trump

In a Truth Social post, he added that while the data centers "are key" to the artificial intelligence boom, the "big Technology Companies who build them must 'pay their own way"

BBC defends documentary targeted by Trump in $10 bn defamation lawsuit

The BBC on Monday asked a federal judge in Miami to pause the exchange of evidence in the suit, filed last month, until a ruling is issued on the broadcaster's motion to dismiss the case, which is due

Harvard enrolls record international students despite Trump admin curbs

The share of foreign students enrolled at Harvard in the fall of 2025 rose slightly to 28%, or 6,749 students, according to data published by the university

Jeanine Pirro going after Fed's Jerome Powell, heedless of backlash

The probe elicited objections from lawmakers and comments from President Donald Trump that suggest he's trying to distance himself from the matter