Page 45 - Trump Administration

Trump tariffs prompt Chinese firms to cut back US investment plans

A recent survey of Chinese firms operating in the US indicates that they plan to scale back their investments in the country, citing the impact of tariff policies of the Trump administration

Civil rights agency moves to fire judge fighting Trump's directives

The federal agency tasked with protecting workers' civil rights has moved to terminate a New York administrative judge who has resisted compliance with directives from the White House, including President Donald Trump's executive order decreeing male and female as two immutable sexes. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in response to Trump's order has moved to drop at least seven of its own pending cases representing transgender workers alleging discrimination, and is classifying all new gender identity-related discrimination cases as its lowest priority, signaling a major departure from its prior interpretation of civil rights law. EEOC Administrative Judge Karen Ortiz, who in February criticized the agency's Trump-appointed head, Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, in an email copied to more than 1,000 colleagues, on Wednesday was placed on administrative leave. She also received notice that the EEOC leadership sought to fire her, accusing her of profoundly unprofessional ...

Trump vows to slash US drug prices: Why do Americans pay more for pharma?

Unlike most developed nations, the United States lacks a centralised price control system. Instead, prices are set by pharmaceutical firms and negotiated by insurers

Donald Trump seeks to align US drug costs with cheapest ones abroad

The US government already negotiates prices for some of the highest-cost medicines used in Medicare health insurance under the Inflation Reduction Act

Hamas agrees to free last living US hostage in Gaza, says Trump envoy

Hamas said Sunday that the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the Israeli-blockaded territory and resume the delivery of aid. Two Hamas officials told The Associated Press they expect the release in the next 48 hours. US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Sunday in a message to AP that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a good will gesture toward Trump. The announcement of the first hostage release since Israel shattered a ceasefire in March comes shortly before Trump visits the Middle East this week. It highlighted the willingness of Israel's closest ally to inject momentum into ceasefire talks for the 19-month war as desperation grows among hostages' families and Gaza's over 2 million people under the new Israeli blockade. Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in New Jersey. He was abducted from his base during the Oct. 7, 2023, ...

No decision made on gifting Trump jet to use as Air Force One, says Qatar

President Donald Trump reportedly is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week, and US officials say it could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft. The Qatari government acknowledged discussions between the two countries about the possible transfer of a plane to be used temporarily as Trump's Air Force One, but denied that the jet is being gifted or that a final had been decision made. ABC News reported that Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library. The gift was expected to be announced when Trump visits Qatar, according to ABC's report, as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term. But hours after the .

'Killing children': Bill Gates rips Elon Musk over aid cuts to poor nations

Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of endangering millions by shutting down USAID, warning that the move could reverse decades of progress in child health and survival globally

Musk's Starlink gains from Trump tariff as nations try to ease tensions

Even a modest share of India's broadband market could yield close to $1 billion in annual revenue for Starlink, internal cables accessed by The Washington Post find

'Short-sighted move': 17 states sue Trump admin over $3.3 bn EV funding

Attorneys general from 17 states allege Donald Trump admin unlawfully froze EV charger funds approved under Biden-era law; say only Congress can block the $3.3 billion in infrastructure aid

Deep sea mystery: 99.999% of Earth's ocean floor still remains unexplored

A new study finds that humans have visually explored just 0.001 per cent of the deep seafloor - leaving vast areas unknown and raising concerns about biodiversity, climate, and deep sea mining

US must let migrants challenge Libya deportations in court, says judge

Deporting migrants to Libya without a chance to challenge the removals would violate a court order, a federal judge has said, after immigration attorneys reported that authorities told people they would be sent to the country with a history of human rights violations. US District Judge Brian E Murphy in Massachusetts has previously found that any migrants deported to countries other than their homelands must first be allowed to argue that removal would jeopardise their safety. He said on Wednesday that any "allegedly imminent" removals to Libya would "clearly violate this Court's Order". He also ordered the government to hand over details about the claims. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a news conference in Illinois that she "can't confirm" media reports of plans to remove people to Libya. President Donald Trump directed questions to DHS. Several migrants being held in South Texas were informed early Tuesday of plans to send them to Libya, attorne

Trump targets foreign drugs: Tariffs in 2 weeks, begins US mfg push

US President Trump has signed executive orders to speed up drug approvals and pharma infrastructure construction in the US

Adani team in talks with Trump admin to drop $265 million US bribery case

US SEC accused Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and other executives of securities fraud, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

'I set the deal': Trump says trade agreements may come as soon as this week

While Trump did not name countries, he suggested trade deals may be finalised within weeks as talks progress with several nations including India amid tariff tensions and slowdown fears

Over 15,000 USDA employees have taken Trump financial incentive to leave

President Donald Trump's administration has offered federal employees several months of pay and benefits if they opt to leave their jobs

Visa crackdown leads international students in US to rethink summer travel

On summer break from a PhD programme, an international student at University of California, San Diego, was planning a trip with a few friends to Hawaii. But after seeing international students across the United States stripped of their legal status, the student decided against it. Any travel, even inside the US, just didn't seem worth the risk. I probably am going to skip that to ... have as few interactions with governments as possible," said the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being targeted. International students weighing travel to see family, take a vacation or conduct research are thinking twice because of the Trump administration's crackdown, which has added to a sense of vulnerability. Even before students suddenly began losing permission to study in the US, some colleges were encouraging international students and faculty to postpone travel, citing government efforts to deport students involved in pro-Palestinian activism. As the scale of the ..

Trump backlash helps Australia's PM secure historic re-election win

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was poised to win the largest victory for his center-left Labor Party since 1946, both in terms of two-party preferred and overall seat count

Rubio takes on 2 key security roles after embracing Trump's vision

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been thrown into two top national security jobs at once as President Donald Trump presses forward with his top-to-bottom revamp of US foreign policy, upending not only longstanding policies that the former Florida senator once supported but also the configuration of the executive branch. Trump's appointment of Rubio to temporarily replace Mike Waltz as national security adviser is the first major leadership shake-up of the nascent administration, but Waltz's removal had been rumoured for weeks ever since he created a Signal group chat and accidentally added a journalist to the conversation where top national security officials shared sensitive military plans. So, just over 100 days into his tenure as America's top diplomat, Rubio now becomes just the second person to hold both positions. He follows only the late Henry Kissinger, who served as both secretary of state and national security adviser for two years under Presidents Richard Nixon and ...

Waltz seen using Signal during Cabinet meeting day before ouster as NSA

A Reuters photo reveals a glimpse of Mike Waltz's chats and calls with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff

Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS, NPR

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR as he alleged bias in the broadcasters' reporting. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS" and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organisations. The White House, in a social media posting announcing the signing, said the outlets receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.' The broadcasters get roughly half a billion dollars in public money through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and have been preparing for the possibility of stiff cuts since Trump's election, as Republicans have long complained about them.