Page 7 - Trump Administration

Trump hosts glitzy dinner for wealthy donors to new White House ballroom

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed nearly 130 deep-pocketed donors, allies and representatives of major companies for a dinner at the White House to reward them for their pledged contributions to a massive new ballroom. The ballroom, whose price tag is now estimated at USD 250 million, is the most significant renovation that Trump, a former real estate mogul, is undertaking during his second term at the White House. All four sides of the ballroom -- which Trump said will be large and grand enough to hold even a presidential inauguration -- will be made of bulletproof glass, with its colour, window shape and molding keeping in character with the White House. Trump indicated that the fundraising and managing costs for the "phenomenal" ballroom were going well, predicting that he would have money left over after the project is done. "To me, there is nothing like the White House," Trump said, later adding, "It is just a special place so we have to take care of it." Men in

'Stopped 8 wars in 8 months, saved millions of lives', says Trump again

He suggested that his contributions toward global peace had not received due recognition

Brown university joins MIT in rejecting Trump's college compact invite

Brown President Christina Paxson wrote that she was worried that the compact, by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom

Judge temporarily blocks Trump admin from firing workers during shutdown

A US federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from firing workers during the government shutdown, saying the cuts appeared to be politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought. US District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco repeatedly pressed the assistant US attorney to explain the administration's rationale for the more than 4,100 layoff notices that started going out on Friday even though furloughed workers cannot access their work emails and there are no human resources specialists to assist with next steps. "It is very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programmes, and it has a human cost," she said. "It is a human cost that cannot be tolerated." She granted a temporary restraining order blocking the job cuts, saying she believed the evidence would ultimately show the cuts were illegal and in excess of authority. Asked for comment, the White House referred The Associated Press to the Office of Managemen

US strikes another boat carrying drugs off Venezuela, killing 6: Trump

President Donald Trump says the US struck another small boat that he accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela. The Republican president said Tuesday in a post on social media that six people aboard the vessel were killed in the strike and no US forces were harmed. It's the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as the Trump administration has asserted that it is treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. Frustration with the administration has been growing on Capitol Hill among members of both parties. Some Republicans are seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes. Democrats contend the strikes violate US and international law.

Vance warns of 'deeper' cuts for federal workers as shutdown enters day 12

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said there will be deeper cuts to the federal workforce the longer the government shutdown goes on, adding to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands who are already furloughed without pay amid the stubborn stalemate in Congress. Vance warned that as the federal shutdown entered its 12th day, the new cuts would be painful," even as he said the Trump administration worked to ensure that the military is paid this week and some services would be preserved for low-income Americans, including food assistance. Still, hundreds of thousands of government workers have been furloughed in recent days and, in a court filing on Friday, the Office of Management and Budget said well over 4,000 federal employees would soon be fired in conjunction with the shutdown. The longer this goes on, the deeper the cuts are going to be, Vance said on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. To be clear, some of these cuts are going to be painful. This is not a situation that we

Here's what to know about troop deployments in Memphis and other cities

Judges have stalled President Donald Trump's plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and in Portland, Oregon, but troops are now patrolling in Memphis, Tennessee, with the blessing of the state's governor. The troops, dressed in Guard fatigues and protective vests, with guns in their holsters, patrolled at a Bass Pro Shops store and a nearby tourist welcome centre beside the Mississippi River on Friday. It was unclear how many troops have been deployed to Memphis. Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to other cities as well, including Baltimore; the District of Columbia; New Orleans; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The federal government says the troops support immigration agents and protect federal property. The Guard troops in Memphis remain under the command of Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who supports their use to further a federal crackdown on crime. By contrast, Trump has attempted to deploy National Guard troops including some f

Troops sent to Illinois by Trump can stay but can't be deployed, says court

National Guard troops sent to Illinois by President Donald Trump can stay in the state and under federal control, but can't be deployed to protect federal property or go on patrol for now, an appeals court ruled Saturday. The decision comes after federal Judge April Perry on Thursday ruled to temporarily block the National Guard deployment for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a danger of rebellion is brewing in Illinois during Trump's immigration crackdown. The appeals court on Saturday granted a pause in the case until it can hear further arguments. The on-again, off-again deployments stem from a political and legal battle over Trump's push to send the Guard to several US cities. His administration claims crime is rampant in those cities, despite statistics not always supporting that. If a president invokes the Insurrection Act, they can dispatch active duty military in states that fail to put down an insurrection or defy federal law. However, Perry said sh

Trump proposes ban on Chinese airlines using Russian airspace on US routes

US airlines have long criticised the decision to allow Chinese carriers to use Russian airspace on some flights, citing that it gives those carriers an advantage through shorter flight times and lower

US Justice dept indicts NY Attorney General Letitia James in fraud case

Letitia James was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020

We settled 7 wars, this is number 8, says Trump after Gaza ceasefire deal

Trump stated that he had ended seven "unendable" wars and reiterated his claim of having helped broker a truce between India and Pakistan earlier this year

Trump to undergo physical exam on Friday as health questions linger

While the White House described the visit as his regular yearly physical, the 79-year-old president had an annual exam just six months ago, on April 11

Canadian PM Carney to meet Trump amid strained ties between longtime allies

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday at a time when one of the world's most durable and amicable alliances has been fractured by Trump's trade war and annexation threats. Carney's second visit to the White House comes ahead of a review next year of the free trade agreement, which is critical to Canada's economy. More than 77 per cent of Canada's exports go to the US. Trump's talk of making Canada the 51st state and his tariffs have Canadians feeling an undeniable sense of betrayal. Relations with Canada's southern neighbour and longtime ally haven't been worse. We've had ups and downs, but this is the lowest point in relations that I can recall, said Frank McKenna, a former Canadian ambassador to the United States and current deputy chairman of TD Bank. Canadians aren't being instructed what to do; they are simply voting with their feet," he said. "I talk every day to ordinary citizens who are changing their vacatio

Lai urges Trump to support Taiwan as doubts rise over US commitment

In July, Lai reportedly postponed an overseas trip after the US denied him a transit stop in New York

US to take 10% stake in Canada's Trilogy Metals to unlock Alaska mining

Trump said the White House is reversing a Biden-era decision to reject Ambler Road, a project to help access vast critical mineral deposits in Alaska's Northern Brooks Range

Open to health care deal but government must reopen first, says Trump

President Donald Trump cracked the door slightly to negotiations with Democrats on the health care subsidies they've made central to the shutdown fight, then abruptly closed it Monday, leaving the two sides once again at a seemingly intractable impasse. Democrats are conditioning their support for a short-term funding patch on extending the health subsidies that lessen the cost of plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare. We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things, Trump told reporters. And I'm talking about good things with regard to health care. The comments were one of the few hopeful signs Monday as the government shutdown hit its sixth day. Negotiations between the two parties have been virtually nonexistent since the start of the shutdown despite the impact on federal services. But Trump later followed up those comments on his social media site to reinforce what GOP leaders in Congress

Judge halts Trump admin from sending National Guard troops to Oregon

President Donald Trump is sending 300 California National Guard members to Oregon after a judge blocked the administration from deploying that state's guard to Portland, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court. There was no official announcement from Washington that the California National Guard was being called up and sent to Oregon, just as was the case when Illinois' governor made a similar announcement Saturday about troops in his state being activated. Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The commander-in-chief is using the US military as a political weapon against American citizens, Newsom said in the statement. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States. A Trump-appointed federal judge

California Guv Newsom to sue Trump over sending National Guard to Oregon

The move marked another dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump's campaign to federalise law enforcement in Democratic states

US strikes another vessel off Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal drugs

Trump praised the Navy's efforts to combat what he called 'cartel terrorists'

Deportations are surging worldwide; how did this crisis become normalised?

In Australia, the Labour government has similarly established new powers to deport non-citizens to third states