Page 37 - Trump Administration

Chinese smartphone prices drop 45% in US as export volumes crash in June

Chinese smartphone exports to the US plunged 71% in June, despite a 45% drop in average prices amid tariff tensions

Trump raises base tariff to 15%, hints at 50% cap ahead of Aug 1 deadline

New US tariffs starting August 1 will range from 15% to 50%, with tougher terms for nations with strained ties; India pursues interim pact amid deadline pressure

How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang won over Trump who wanted to split his company

Not Tim Cook or Elon Musk, but Jensen Huang has emerged as the most influential tech executive in Washington as Donald Trump reverses decision to dismantle Nvidia

US fertility rate reached new low in 2024 with 1.6 kids per woman: CDC

The fertility rate in the US dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman, new federal data released Thursday shows. The US was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all. The new statistic is on par with fertility rates in western European countries, according to World Bank data. Alarmed by recent drops, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase falling birth rates, like issuing an executive order meant to expand access to and reduce costs of in vitro fertilisation and backing the idea of baby bonuses that might encourage more couples to have kids. But there's no reason to be alarmed, according to Leslie Root, a University of Colorado Boulder researcher focused on fertility and population policy. We're

Obama office rejects Trump's 'treason' charge as weak distraction attempt

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard issued a report last Friday detailing the alleged election fraud, stating that officials involved were engaged in a treasonous conspiracy

China trip 'not too distant', says Trump amid easing trade tensions

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a trip to China might be not too distant, raising prospects that the leaders of the world's two largest economies may meet soon to help reset relations after moving to climb down from a trade war. Trump made the remarks while hosting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House, where he praised the fantastic military relationship with Manila as the U.S. looks to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Yet, Trump still said the U.S. is getting along with China very well. We have a very good relationship." He added that Beijing has resumed shipping to the U.S. record numbers of much-needed rare earth magnets, which are used in iPhones and other high-tech products like electric vehicles. Widely speculated about since Trump returned to the White House, a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be expected to stabilize even for a short while a difficult relationship defined by mistrust and ...

US Justice Department seeks to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury files

US Justice Department moves court to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury records after Donald Trump demands transparency; Trump sues Wall Street Journal for $10 billion over 'defamatory' Epstein report

Trump admin tells embassies to limit criticism of foreign elections

The State Department is pulling back from commenting on or criticising elections overseas unless there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest in doing so. In new guidance issued Thursday to all US embassies and consulates abroad, the department said that those outposts should refrain from issuing statements that invoke any particular ideology and that what they may say must be in line with President Donald Trump's stated position that the US will respect the sovereignty of all foreign nations. "Consistent with the administration's emphasis on national sovereignty, the department will comment publicly on elections only when there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest to do so," according to the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press. The department has for decades issued statements highly critical of or questioning the legitimacy of certain elections, notably in authoritarian countries. That is changing as the Trump administration has

Trump reaps $50 bn from tariffs as world 'chickens out' from retaliation

Data from the US Treasury shows that the US customs revenue soared significantly in the second quarter to $64 billion, up $47 billion from the same period last year

US Senate approves Trump's $9 bn cut on foreign aid, public broadcasting

US Senate narrowly passes $9 billion Trump budget cut targeting public broadcasting and foreign aid; measure heads to House amid mounting criticism

Decoded: What are Epstein files and why is Trump admin not releasing them?

US President Donald Trump slammed his supporters as weaklings for believing Democratic "bullshit" on Jeffrey Epstein, saying he no longer wants their support. Here's a decoded on the Epstein files

State dept layoffs affect Trump priorities like intelligence, energy, China

One employee coordinated intelligence activities. Another worked to leverage US energy interests abroad. And a third was an expert on strategic competition with China. They are just some of the more than 1,300 State Department employees fired last week, eliminating hundreds of years of institutional knowledge and experience. The move has stunned America's diplomatic workforce, not only as their careers abruptly end but as they wonder who if anyone will fill in on what they call critical work to keep the US safe and competitive on the world stage. Many of the positions and offices abolished Friday under Secretary of State Marco Rubio's dramatic reorganisation plan overlap with priorities President Donald Trump has laid out for his second term, such as combating visa fraud and countering China. Other cuts could have wide impact on everyday life, including processing Americans' passport applications. Trump administration officials have defended the mass dismissals, saying they are .

Why did Trump admin allow Nvidia to resume H20 AI chips sales to China?

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration has allowed the resumption of sales of H20 AI chips because the company will not be giving its best technology to China

'Credible Epstein files should be released', says Trump amid MAGA backlash

Trump flip-flops on the release of the 'Epstein files' as his supporters express outrage on the lack of transparency, fuelling speculation about potential cover-ups involving high-profile figures

Trump admin pulls back deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in LA

About 2,000 National Guard troops will be released from duty because the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said

Trump admin fires 17 immigration court judges across 10 states, says union

Seventeen immigration court judges have been fired in recent days, according to the union that represents them, as the Trump administration pushes forward with its mass deportations of immigrants in the country. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents immigration court judges as well as other professionals, said in a news release that 15 judges were fired "without cause" on Friday and another two on Monday. The union said they were working in courts in 10 different states across the country California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia. "It's outrageous and against the public interest that at the same time Congress has authorised 800 immigration judges, we are firing large numbers of immigration judges without cause," said the union's President Matt Biggs. "This is nonsensical. The answer is to stop firing and start hiring." The firings come as the courts have been increasingly at th

US won't publish major climate change report on Nasa website as promised

The Trump administration has taken another step to make it harder to find major, legally mandated scientific assessments of how climate change is endangering the nation and its people. Earlier this month, the official government websites that hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments went dark. Such sites tell state and local governments and the public what to expect in their backyards from a warming world and how best to adapt to it. At the time, the White House said NASA would house the reports to comply with a 1990 law that requires the reports, which the space agency said it planned to do. But on Monday, NASA announced that it aborted those plans. "The USGCRP (the government agency that oversees and used to host the report) met its statutory requirements by presenting its reports to Congress. NASA has no legal obligations to host globalchange.gov's data," NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said in an email. That means no data from the assessment or t

Trump to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine in major shift on arms policy

In a major policy shift, Trump approves Patriot missile aid to Ukraine after earlier freeze; Zelenskyy says talks with Trump were positive as Russian strikes intensify across Ukrainian cities

King Charles to host Trump for state visit between September 17-19

US President Donald Trump will make an unprecedented second state visit to the UK between Sept. 17 and 19 when he will be hosted by King Charles II and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace said Monday. Trump, who is a big supporter of the royal family, particularly of the monarch, will be accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump during the three-day visit, the palace confirmed. No US president has been invited for a second state visit. Trump previously enjoyed the pomp and pageantry of the state visit in 2019 during his first term when he was hosted by Charles' late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The invitation for the second state visit from the king was hand-delivered by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February during a meeting at the White House. After reading it, Trump said it was a great, great honor and appeared particularly pleased by the fact he will be staying at Windsor Castle, to the west of the capital. That's really something, he said. Precedent for ..

Senate panel blames Secret Service failures in Trump rally shooting attempt

The findings were released on the one-year mark of the shooting, which jolted the 2024 presidential campaign