Page 7 - Trump Administration

US escalates rhetoric against Iran as blockade pressure intensifies

As the blockade deepens and rhetoric intensifies, the path forward remains uncertain, with both sides signaling resolve in a standoff that could shape regional security dynamics in the months ahead

'Iran has important chance to make a deal': Hegseth as US tightens blockade

Hegseth emphasized both diplomatic and military pathways, while asserting that enforcement actions are already underway across key waterways

US does not plan to renew Iranian, Russian oil waivers, says Scott Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the US does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea. And, he said, a renewal of the one-time waiver for Iranian oil at sea is totally off the table. "Not the Iranians," Bessent told The Associated Press. "We have the blockade, and there's no oil coming out." "And we think in the next two, three days, they're going to have to start shuttering production, which will be very bad for their wells." Bessent's statements come as the world is on edge over the US-Israeli war in Iran, and global energy markets have been ensnarled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The US originally issued a waiver for Russian oil sales and petroleum products in March with the intent of stabilising global energy markets after crude oil prices surged above USD 100 per barrel. The Treasury Department renewed the waiver two days after Bessent said at the White House that he had no plan

Amplifying 'racist trash': Democrats slam Trump's 'hellhole' remarks

Democrat leaders slammed US President Donald Trump for referring to India and some other countries as "hellholes" and accused him of turning the presidency into a reality TV gig by amplifying "racist trash" on social media. "Americans are struggling, and he's busy amplifying racist trash on social media, treating the presidency like a reality TV gig. This is a serious moment. Our country deserves leadership that acts like it," the House Foreign Affairs Committee-Democrats said in a post on X. The remarks came after Trump on Thursday kicked off a row by reposting comments by American radio show host Michael Savage that contained derogatory references to India. Savage had made the comments in the context of a case in the US Supreme Court challenging birthright citizenship. Addressing Vice President JD Vance, Congressman Ro Khanna, in a social media post, asked, "Any comment on the President insulting immigrants from 'China or India or some other hellhole on the planet'. Do you also .

US Senate passes budget plan for ICE in bid to reopen Homeland Security

The US Senate took the first steps in a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security early Thursday, voting to adopt a budget plan that would fund ICE and Border Patrol over Democratic objections and sending it to the House. The entire department has been shut down since mid-February as Democrats have demanded policy changes in the wake of fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents. Republicans are now trying to fund the two agencies through the complicated, time-consuming process called budget reconciliation, a maneuver that they also used to pass President Donald Trump's package of tax and spending cuts last year with no Democratic votes. "We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. The budget process only requires a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing filibuster rules

US Labour Secy exits Trump's Cabinet after allegations of power abuse

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump's Cabinet, the White House said Monday, after multiple allegations of abusing her position's power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job. Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month. Unlike other recent Cabinet departures, Chavez-DeRemer's exit was announced by a White House aide, not by the president on his social media account. "Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector," White House communications director Steven Cheung said on the social media site X. "She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives." He said Keith ...

New US-Iran deal 'far better' than 2015 deal: Trump slams Obama, Biden

Donald Trump vows 'better' Iran deal than Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as US team heads to Islamabad for talks

3 killed in US military strike on alleged drug boat in Caribbean Sea

The US military said it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people Sunday. The Trump administration's campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 181 people. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Despite the Iran war, the series of strikes have ramped up again in the past week or so, showing that the administration's aggressive measures to stop what it calls "narcoterrorism" in the Western Hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs. The attacks began as the US built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty. In the latest attack Sunday

Refund process for Trump tariffs begins today after court struck them down

A refund system for businesses that paid tariffs which the US Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump imposed without the constitutional authority to do so is scheduled to launch Monday. Importers and their brokers will be able to begin claiming refunds through an online portal beginning at 8 am, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency administering the system. It is the first step in a complicated process that also might eventually lead to refunds for consumers who were billed for some or all of the tariffs on products shipped to them from outside the United States. Companies must submit declarations listing the goods on which they collectively put billions of dollars toward the import taxes the court subsequently struck down. If CBP approves a claim, it will take 60-90 days for a refund to be issued, the agency said. The government expects to process refunds in phases, however, focusing first on more recent tariff payments. Any number of technical facto

Days after ordering burgers at Oval Office, Trump dubs move as 'tacky'

US President Donald Trump celebrated the first anniversary of "no tax on tips" policy with a doorstep delivery of burgers at the Oval Office -- a staged campaign he dismissed days later as "tacky" and "embarrassing". The White House ordered McDonald's cheeseburgers that were brought to the Oval Office by DoorDash delivery driver Sharon Simmons, a Republican supporter from Arkansas, and received personally by Trump. "We do these things in politics; they're a little embarrassing. They're a little tiny embarrassing, but we do them and you win by landslides," Trump said at a rally to celebrate the "no tax on tips" policy in Las Vegas on Thursday. Simmons had delivered two bags full of burgers and fries at the Oval Office on Monday with the White House highlighting that she had saved USD 11,000 in takes due to the "no tax on tips" policy. "Sharon delivered to the Oval Office -- to be honest, it was a little tacky," Trump said. "They come up with these crazy ideas like McDonald's the .

'Destroying New York': Trump slams Zohran Mamdani's plan to hike taxes

Mamdani, who was elected on a staunchly progressive platform, is an advocate of taxing the wealthiest New Yorkers to help fund more social programmes and close a projected gap in the city's budget

Trump picks former US Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz for CDC

Schwartz, who holds medical and law degrees, would be the fourth CDC leader during Trump's second term if confirmed by the Senate

US State Secy Marco Rubio likely to join Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington

The negotiations, set to take place at the United States Department of State, will also include US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and State Department counsellor Michael Needham

Trump slams US media outlet for 'false narratives' on Iran, demands apology

Trump alleged that despite media portrayals, Iran had been 'totally obliterated, militarily, and otherwise'

Three tankers attempt Strait of Hormuz transit after US flags blockade

The New Future, which has no clear links to Iran, and the US-sanctioned Auroura, began moving northeast early Monday from waters off the United Arab Emirates

Rescued airmen from Iran are in 'good shape', we're proud of them: Trump

The two crew members of the F-15E Strike Eagle, the first lost to enemy fire in the monthlong war, had both ejected from the cockpit on April 3 after Iran's military struck their plane

We pay trillions of dollars, they weren't there for us: Trump slams Nato

Trump said that the US spent trillions of dollars on guarding Europe against Russia

Strikes on alleged drug boats kill 5 in eastern Pacific, says US military

The US military said Sunday that it blew up two boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of five people and leaving one survivor, as the Trump administration pursues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America while preparing a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The attacks on Saturday bring the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 168 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in early September. As with most of the military's statements on the dozens of strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. Videos posted on X showed small boats moving across the water before they each were engulfed in a bright explosion. US Southern Command stated on X that it notified the US Coast Guar

Oil tankers steer clear of Strait of Hormuz as US prepares for blockade

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said any military vessels attempting to approach the Hormuz would be considered a violation of the ceasefire and be dealt with harshly and decisively

UK govt puts Chagos Islands deal on hold after Trump's opposition

Trump in February said a plan to hand over Chagos Island to Mauritius, while retaining control of the joint US-UK military base of Diego Garcia through a lease, was a 'big mistake'