Page 41 - Trump Administration

Trump team plans firings of probationary workers at NIST, key agency for AI

NIST was responsible for helping implement key initiatives under the Biden administration, including funds for semiconductor manufacturing and setting standards for artificial intelligence use

Hundreds of current, ex-federal employees rally against firing of workers

Hundreds of current and former federal employees rallied on Wednesday outside the Department of Health and Human Services headquarters, protesting recent firings and their effect on public health, and directing much of their ire at Elon Musk and his agency's efforts to cut spending. "We are here today to fight for the future of science, to fight for your family's future, to give the American people hope," said Ian Fucci, a cancer researcher at the National Institutes of Health. "Consider the medications you rely on for diabetes, heart disease or cancer. These were developed in large part due to NIH and NIH-funded researchers. Is destroying years of progress into research really serving the American people? No." Amid frigid temperatures and light snow, attendees chanted slogans such as "Funding, not freezes" and "Stand up, fight back". They carried signs proclaiming, "Protect civil servants because they protect you!" and "In science we trust". Many said they were there to fight the .

Trump seeks greater control of independent regulators with new order

US President Donald Trump is moving to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. The executive order that Trump signed on Tuesday gives the president more power to shape the oversight of the financial system and lay out criteria for transportation safety, basic consumer protections and wireless, broadcast, satellite and broadband communications. It is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to assert greater authority over the government, possibly limiting the spending of congressionally approved funds in ways that could set up lawsuits and lead courts to weigh in. Past administrations saw public benefit in having regulators that could operate in the long-term interests of the country without the daily machinations of politics. Presidents could exercise informal control by whom they appointed to lead the agencies without ...

Senate GOP advances budget bill that funds Trump's mass deportations

Senate Republicans pushed ahead late on Tuesday on a scaled-back budget bill, a USD 340 billion package to give the Trump administration money for mass deportations and other priorities, as Democrats prepare a counter-campaign against the onslaught of actions coming from the White House. On a party-line vote, 50-47, Republicans launched the process, skipping ahead of the House Republicans who prefer President Donald Trump's approach for a "big, beautiful bill" that includes USD 4.5 trillion in tax cuts that are tops on the party agenda. Senate Republicans plan to deal with tax cuts later, in a second package. "It's time to act," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune on social media, announcing the plan ahead as the House is on recess week. "Let's get it done." This is the first step in unlocking Trump's campaign promises -- tax cuts, energy production and border controls -- and dominating the agenda in Congress. While Republicans have majority control of both the House and Senate,

Western tech firms adopt 'Anything but China' approach amid global tensions

This is a big shift from the 'China plus 1' strategy followed by companies to diversify supply chains

Trump admin fires FDA employees in food safety and medical devices

The Trump administration's effort to slash the size of the federal workforce reached the Food and Drug Administration this weekend, as recently hired employees who review the safety of food ingredients, medical devices and other products were fired. Probationary employees across the FDA received notices Saturday evening that their jobs were being eliminated, according to three FDA staffers who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. The total number of positions eliminated was not clear Sunday, but the firings appeared to focus on employees in the agency's centres for food, medical devices and tobacco products which includes oversight of electronic cigarettes. It was not clear whether FDA employees who review drugs were exempted from the layoffs. On Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to fire 5,200 probationary employees across its agencies, which include the National Institutes o

'Let's buy California': Danes clapback at Trump's attempt to buy Greenland

People of Denmark offer rule of law, universal healthcare, informed politics and more to Californians in petition to buy the state from Trump

Trump admin halts $400 mn armoured Tesla purchase by US State Department

US President Donald Trump had signed executive orders to roll back EV incentives and regulations, reversing the previous administration's climate policies

PM Modi, Donald Trump agree to negotiate bilateral trade agreement

US President says he will impose reciprocal tariff on India even as he acknowledges New Delhi's decision to reduce basic customs duties on certain items

Europe's pharma, car giants most at risk from Trump's tariff threats

Trump ordered his administration on Thursday to consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on a country-by-country basis

PM Modi departs for India after concluding 'very substantive' visit to US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed for India after concluding his visit to the US during which he held high-level bilateral talks with President Donald Trump on a wide range of subjects, including trade and technology, defence and security, energy and people-to-people ties. Modi arrived in the US from France on Wednesday. He was hosted by Trump on Thursday for their first bilateral talks since the Republican leader assumed the US presidency for a second term last month. During the talks, India and the US decided to take a big leap in broad-basing their strategic ties in several critical areas, including defence, energy, and critical technology. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said he had an "excellent" meeting with President Trump and that their talks "will add significant momentum to the India-USA friendship!" "President Trump often talks about MAGA. In India, we are working .

Trump admin lays off probationary govt workers, warns more cuts to come

The Trump administration has intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the US' largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, workers at some agencies on Thursday were warned that large workplace cuts would be coming. The decision on probationary workers, who generally have less than a year on the job, came from the Office of Personnel Management, which serves as a human resources department for the federal government. The notification was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss it publicly. It's expected to be the first step in sweeping layoffs. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that told agency leaders to plan for large-scale reductions in force. Elon Musk, whom President Trump has .

Robert Kennedy to take top US health job after Senate confirmation

The confirmation paves the way for him to be sworn in to the job overseeing multiple high-profile agencies, including the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

PM Modi, US President Trump plan joint press conference: Full schedule here

PM Modi US visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the United States, expected to discuss trade policies, reciprocal tariffs, and more

'Remove roots of the weed': Elon Musk wants US govt to cut entire agencies

Elon Musk's DOGE aims to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, largely by eliminating agencies deemed inefficient or unnecessary

High prices pose major economic challenge for Trump, shows inflation report

As a candidate last year, Donald Trump suggested he could easily conquer inflation and ease voters' fears about the economy. I will very quickly deflate, he promised at a California rally. We are going to take inflation, and we are going to deflate it. We are going to deflate inflation. We are going to defeat inflation. We're going to knock the hell out of inflation. Wednesday's consumer price index report showed that inflation is punching back and President Trump could end up facing the same challenges that dragged down his predecessor, President Joe Biden. The annual inflation rate has risen in the three months since the November election to 3%, with gasoline prices climbing despite Trump's claims that his return to the White House would signal increased oil production that would lower energy costs. Trump frequently makes far-reaching assertions about his power to bring about change only to find that it is no match for market forces. It's a humbling reminder that even US preside

Trump admin's move to cut govt spending pose risk to largest contractors

The efforts, led by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, have sparked concern about companies with federal contract exposure

75,000 US federal workers accept Trump's buyout programme, judge approves

The buyout is one of many approaches Trump is taking to slash a civilian workforce of 2.3 million that he has blasted as ineffective and biased against him

Trump admin battles employee lawsuit to block dismantling of USAID

The Trump administration will present an unforgiving argument for dismantling the US Agency for International Development to a federal judge Wednesday: USAID is rife with insubordination" and must be shut down for the administration to decide what pieces of it to salvage. The argument, made in an affidavit by political appointee and deputy USAID administrator Pete Marocco, comes as the administration confronts a lawsuit by two groups representing federal employees. USAID staffers deny insubordination and call the accusation a pretext to break up the more than 60-year-old agency, one of the world's biggest donors of humanitarian and development assistance. Accounts of USAID staffers filed Tuesday in support of the lawsuit revealed new details of the destruction of the agency. That includes a sworn statement from a USAID staffer describing a specific leader in billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency teams allegedly directing USAID staffers on Monday in the immedia

Is Elon Musk taking over the US govt: Here's how state capture works

Musk's aim could be to capture different pieces of the US government and turn the state into a tool for wealth extraction