Page 38 - Trump Administration

Trump defends Attorney General Bondi amid Maga backlash over Epstein files

As conservative influencers attack Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Epstein case, Donald Trump urges unity, calling the investigation 'a waste of energy'

DOJ said to fire more prosecutors, staff involved in Trump prosecutions

The Justice Department has fired additional lawyers and support staff who worked on special counsel Jack Smith's prosecutions of President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter. The overall number of terminations was not immediately clear but they cut across both the classified documents and election interference prosecutions brought by Smith, and included a handful of prosecutors who were detailed to the probe as well as Justice Department support staff and other non-lawyer personnel who aided them, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel moves that have not been publicly announced. The firings are part of a broader wave of terminations that have roiled the department for months and that have targeted staff who worked on cases involving Trump and his supporters. In January, the Justice Department said that it had fired more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on prosecutions of Trump, and last month fired at least three ...

Trump admin considers deporting third-country nationals to Africa

South Sudan has accepted eight third-country deportees from the U.S. and Rwanda says it's in talk with the administration of President Donald Trump on a similar deal, while Nigeria says it's rejecting pressure to do the same. Although few details are known, these initiatives in Africa mark an expansion in U.S. efforts to deport people to countries other than their own. The United States has sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama but has yet to announce any major deals with governments in Africa, Asia or Europe. While proponents see such programs as a way of deterring what they describe as unmanageable levels of migration, human rights advocates have raised concerns over sending migrants to countries where they have no ties or that may have a history of rights violations. Last year, U.K. Supreme Court ruled that a similar plan to deport rejected asylum-seekers to Rwanda was illegal. Trump meets with West African leaders Earlier this week, Trum

US state dept begins layoffs as SC ruling clears path for federal firings

US state department staffers have been informed of layoffs after a Supreme Court order overturned an injunction against executive-led agency restructuring without Congressional approval

Israel says Iran could recover enriched uranium at nuclear site hit by US

While Israeli officials suspect uranium remains at Isfahan, experts say any attempt by Iran to retrieve it would require a highly complex and difficult recovery effort

Freed from detention, Mahmoud Khalil files $20 mn claim against Trump govt

On a recent afternoon, Mahmoud Khalil sat in his Manhattan apartment, cradling his 10-week-old son as he thought back to the pre-dawn hours spent pacing a frigid immigration jail in Louisiana, awaiting news of the child's birth in New York. For a moment, the outspoken Palestinian activist found himself uncharacteristically speechless. I cannot describe the pain of that night, Khalil said finally, gazing down as the baby, Deen, cooed in his arms. This is something I will never forgive. Now, weeks after regaining his freedom, Khalil is seeking restitution. On Thursday, his lawyers filed a claim for $20 million in damages against the Trump administration, alleging Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests. The filing a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and th

Head Start will be cut off for immigrants without legal status: Trump govt

The Trump administration will restrict immigrants in the country illegally from enrolling in Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. The move is part of a broad effort to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who lack legal status. People in the country illegally are largely ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. But for decades they have been able to access some community-level programs such as Head Start and community health centers. HHS said it will reclassify those programs as federal public benefits, excluding immigrants in the country illegally from accessing them. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes were part of a larger effort to protect American citizens' interests. For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration, Kennedy said in a ...

George Mason University faces investigation in Trump admin's crackdown

The Trump administration on Thursday opened a civil rights investigation into the hiring practices at George Mason University, expanding a national campaign against diversity policies to Virginia's largest public university. The Education Department said it is responding to a complaint from multiple professors at George Mason who accuse the university of favoring those from underrepresented groups. The complaint takes aim at the university's president, Gregory Washington, saying he issued guidance that favors faculty candidates based on diversity considerations rather than their credentials, according to the department. It marks an expansion of the Trump administrations campaign to reshape higher education, which until recently focused on elite private institutions like Harvard and Columbia universities. George Mason is the second big public university to face scrutiny in recent weeks, following a Justice Department investigation at the University of Virginia that prompted the ...

Trump announces 50% tariff on copper imports; experts warn of price surge

Industry experts warn that the US is dependent on copper imports, and levies could increase costs across critical industries from electronics and automobiles to infrastructure and defence

Trump slaps 50% tariff on Brazil over Bolsonaro 'witch hunt' trial

US President Donald Trump triggers a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports over Jair Bolsonaro's prosecution, prompting sharp retaliation from President Lula

Trump administration sues California over transgender athlete policies

President Donald Trump's administration sued the California Department of Education on Wednesday for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams, alleging the policy violates federal law. The move escalates a battle between the Republican administration in Washington and Democratic-led California over trans athletes. The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department says California's transgender athlete policies violate Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. The department says California's rules are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signalling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys. US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned other states that allow trans girls to compete in female athletics that they could also face challenges by the federal government. If you do not comply, you're next, she said in a video posted on social media. We will protect girls in girls sports. The st

Trump admin resumes sending some weapons to Ukraine after Pentagon pause

The Trump administration has resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, a week after the Pentagon had directed that some deliveries be paused. The weapons now moving into Ukraine include 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS, two US officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. It's unclear exactly when the weapons started moving. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the pause last week to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. The Pentagon has denied that Hegseth acted without consulting President Donald Trump. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that had not been announced publicly.

Supreme Court clears way for Trump's plans to downsize federal workforce

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs. The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. The court said in an unsigned order that no specific cuts were in front of the justices, only an executive order issued by Trump and an administration directive for agencies to undertake job reductions. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only dissenting vote, accusing her colleagues of a demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President's legally dubious actions in an emergency posture. Trump has repeatedly said voters gave him a mandate to remake the federal government, and he tapped billionaire ally Elon Musk to lead the charge through DOGE. Musk recently left his role. Tens of thousand

Trump slams Mamdani over threat to arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu in NYC

US President Donald Trump's remark was a reference to Zohran Mamdani's criticism of Netanyahu and Israel's actions in Gaza

Trump calls Musk's America Party 'ridiculous', says doomed to fail

Trump's remarks came a day after tech billionaire Elon Musk officially launched the America Party, a political platform he said was aimed at challenging what he called a 'one-party system' in the US

Trump to start sending tariff letters Friday; global duties begin August 1

The Trump administration will send letters to trade partners from Friday announcing unilateral tariff rates, which must be paid starting August 1

Harvard warns foreign students on airport scrutiny, social media posts

Harvard warned students that US officials can check social media and devices during visa and border checks, and deny entry based on content found by State Dept or Customs and Border Protection

US SC clears way for deportation of several immigrants to South Sudan

The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the deportation of several immigrants who were put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan, a war-ravaged country where they have no ties. The decision comes after the justices found that immigration officials can quickly deport people to third countries. The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outside their homeland where they could be in danger. The court's latest order makes clear that the South Sudan flight detoured weeks ago can now complete the trip. It reverses findings from federal Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts, who said his order on those migrants still stands even after the court lifted his broader decision. The Trump administration has called the judge's finding a lawless act of defiance. Attorneys for the eight migrants have said they could face imprisonment, torture and even death if sent to South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have threatened t

MAGA backers hail Trump for Ukraine arms pause after rebuke of Iran strikes

President Donald Trump is getting praise from his most ardent supporters for withholding some weapons from Ukraine after they recently questioned the Republican leader's commitment to keeping the US out of foreign conflicts. This week's announcement pausing deliveries of key air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment to Ukraine comes just a few weeks after Trump ordered the US military to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Bombing those sites in Iran had some hardcore supporters of the "Make America Great Again" movement openly questioning whether Trump was betraying his vow to keep America out of stupid wars" as he inserted the US military into Israel's conflict with Tehran. With the Ukraine pause, which affects a crucial resupply of Patriot missiles, Trump is sending the message to his most enthusiastic backers that he is committed to following through on his campaign pledge to wind down American support for Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia

US recalls top diplomat in Colombia as tensions with President Petro rise

The Trump administration on Thursday recalled its top diplomat in Colombia for urgent consultations after recent comments from Colombia's president appearing to question the US position on an alleged plan to remove him from office. The US State Department said Thursday that the charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Bogota, John McNamara, would be returning to Washington following baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels of the government of Colombia. Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded in kind, recalling Colombia's ambassador to Washington for consultation. He said he wants to talk to Amb. Daniel Garca Pea about progress on Colombia's priorities in the bilateral relationship. US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in statement that the administration would also be pursuing other measures to make clear our deep concern over the current state of our bilateral relationship. The statement did not elaborate on the reasons for the recall. Petro has