Page 12 - Us Government

Trump fires NSC officials after far-right activist questions staff loyalty

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's fired "some" White House National Security Council officials, a move that comes a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Trump downplayed Loomer's influence on the firings. But Loomer during her Oval Office conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his Make America Great Again agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter. They all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner. Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, also took part in the meeting with Loomer, the people said. Always we're letting go of people, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami on Thursday afternoon. People that we don't like or people that we don't think can do the job

Pentagon watchdog to review Hegseth's use of Signal to plan Houthi strike

The Pentagon's acting inspector general announced Thursday that he would review Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the Signal messaging app to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen. The review will also look at other defence officials' use of the publicly available encrypted app, which is not able to handle classified material and is not part of the Defence Department's secure communications network. Hegseth's use of the app came to light when a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, was inadvertently added to a Signal text chain by national security adviser Mike Waltz. The chain included Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and others, brought together to discuss March 15 military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis. The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD polici

Elon Musk will probably leave his administration in 'a few months': Trump

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Elon Musk would likely leave his administration in a few months, the clearest sign that his most powerful and disruptive adviser will be wrapping up his work inside the government. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Elon is fantastic but he has a number of companies to run." I want him to stay as long as possible," he said. "There's going to be a point where he's going to have to leave. Musk has spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency, which is playing a leading role in downsizing and overhauling the federal government. Trump said that work would continue within various agencies. The Republican president's comments came after a steady drumbeat of suggestions over the last week that Musk's time was limited. Musk also faced a setback Tuesday in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a state Supreme Court candidate despite more than USD 21 million in personal donations and his campaign appearance over the ...

Wary Europe awaits US Secretary of State Rubio with Nato's future on line

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels this week to a gathering of top diplomats from NATO countries and is sure to find allies that are alarmed, angered and confused by the Trump administration's desire to reestablish ties with Russia and its escalating rhetorical attacks on longtime transatlantic partners. Allies are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump's readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, amid a U.S. effort to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark as well as the military alliance itself have only increased the angst, especially as new US tariffs are taking effect against friends and foes alike. Rubio arrives in Brussels on Thursday for two days of meetings with his NATO counterparts and European officials, and he can expect to be confronted with questions about the future US role in the alliance. For 75 years, NATO has been anchored on American

Danish PM heads to Greenland as Trump seeks control of Arctic territory

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is travelling to Greenland on Wednesday for a three-day trip aimed at building the trust of Greenlandic officials at a time that the Trump administration is seeking control of the vast Arctic territory. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced plans for her visit after US Vice President JD Vance visited a US air base in Greenland last week and accused Denmark of underinvesting in the territory. Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically critical island that is becoming more accessible due to climate change. Trump has said that the landmass is critical to U.S. security. It is part of North America but is a semiautonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark. Frederiksen is due to meet the incoming Greenlandic leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, after an election last month that produced a new government. She is also to meet with the future Naalakkersuisut, the Cabinet, in a visit due to last through Friday. It has my deepest respect how

Anger against Trump may reduce US international visitors, warns forecaster

Anger over the Trump administration's tariffs and rhetoric will likely cause international travel to the US to fall even further than expected this year, an influential travel forecasting company said Tuesday. Tourism Economics said it expects the number of people arriving in the U.S. from abroad to decline by 9.4 per cent this year. That's almost twice the 5 per cent drop the company forecast at the end of February. At the beginning of the year, Tourism Economics predicted a booming year for international travel to the US, with visits up 9 per cent from 2024. But Tourism Economics President Adam Sacks said high-profile lockups of European tourists at the US border in recent weeks have chilled international travellers. Potential visitors have also been angered by tariffs, Trump's stance toward Canada and Greenland, and his heated White House exchange with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. With each policy development, each rhetorical missive, we're just seeing unforced error .

Trump's attacks on 'Black Smithsonian' effort to sanitise racism: Critics

President Donald Trump's order accusing the Smithsonian Institution of not reflecting American history notes correctly that the country's Founding Fathers declared that all men are created equal. But it doesn't mention that the founders enshrined slavery into the US Constitution and declared enslaved persons as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of the Census. Civil rights advocates, historians and Black political leaders sharply rebuked Trump on Friday for his order, entitled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. They argued that his executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution is his administration's latest move to downplay how race, racism and Black Americans themselves have shaped the nation's story. It seems like we're headed in the direction where there's even an attempt to deny that the institution of slavery even existed, or that Jim Crow laws and segregation and racial violence against Black communities, Black families, Black individuals even ...

At least one killed as US airstrikes pound Yemen, hit Sanaa military site

Suspected US airstrikes pounded Yemen overnight into Saturday, reportedly killing at least one person as the American military acknowledged earlier bombing a major military site in the heart of Sanaa controlled by the Houthi rebels. The full extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the attacks followed an intense night of airstrikes early Friday that appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities. Meanwhile, an AP analysis of satellite photos show the American military also has moved long-range stealth B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean a base far outside of the range of the rebels that avoids using allies' Mideast .

US judge temporarily blocks deportations to third countries without appeal

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration Friday from deporting people who have exhausted legal appeals to countries other than their own without first being allowed to argue that it would jeopardise their safety. US District Judge Brian E Murphy ruled that people with final orders of removal must have a meaningful opportunity to argue that being sent to a third country presents a level of danger deemed worthy of protection. His order remains in effect until the case advances to the next stage of arguments. The decision is a setback for an administration that has sent people to countries including Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador when it is difficult to deport them to their homelands. In some cases a judge may determine that a person's homeland is too dangerous but authorities can send them to a third country. The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but administration attorneys argued that a temporary halt would ...

Donald Trump backs budget fix to restore DC funds, urges House to pass it

President Donald Trump is pushing the House of Representatives to pass a measure that would prevent immediate financial disaster for the District of Columbia even as he continues to level harsh criticism at the city and its leaders. In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, he wrote, The House should take up the D.C. funding fix' that the Senate has passed, and get it done IMMEDIATELY. It's the first direct public indication from the Republican president that he supports efforts to restore a USD 1.1 billion hole in the district's budget, and it's a major boost for Democratic Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser's campaign to reverse a legislative change that she says would devastate the capital city. Earlier this month, the House passed a federal government funding bill that would force the district's government to revert to its 2024 budget parameters, effectively cutting USD 1.1 billion from its budget midway through the financial year. Bowser spearheaded an intense congressional lobbyi

Musk deletes post promising to deliver $2 mn to Supreme Court race voters

Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday deleted a social media post in which he had announced plans to hold a rally in Wisconsin to personally hand over USD 2 million to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the state's hotly contested Supreme Court race. Musk deleted the post from his social media platform, X, about 12 hours after he initially posted it late Thursday night. He had posted that he planned to give USD 1 million each to two voters at the event on Sunday, just two days before the election that will determine ideological control of the court in the battleground state. The action was announced despite a Wisconsin law that explicitly prohibits giving anything of value in exchange for a vote. Musk said that attendance at his talk would be limited only to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election, without explaining how he would verify that. I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to

Stronger deterrence needed against China in disputed sea: US defence chief

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration would boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against threats from the communist Chinese and ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea. Hegseth spoke during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines, his first stop in his first trip to Asia to reaffirm Washington's ironclad commitment to the region under Trump. Ahead of the visit, China called the United States a predator and an unreliable ally. Trump's America First foreign policy thrust has triggered concerns in Asia about the scale and depth of US commitment to the region. Hegseth's decision to make the Philippines his first stop in Asia, followed by Japan both US treaty allies facing territorial disputes with China was the strongest assurance yet by the US under Trump to maintain a security presence in the region. Deterrence is necessary around the world but specifically in this regio

Why does Trump want US to control Greenland? Location, resources and more

The US has expressed interest in expanding its existing military presence on the island, including placing radars there to monitor the waters between the island, Iceland and Britain

Musk says he will finish most of $1 trn federal cost cuts within weeks

DOGE estimates it has saved US taxpayers $115 billion as of March 24 through actions including workforce reductions, asset sales and contract cancellations

Suspected US airstrikes hit Houthi-held sites in Yemen, including Sanaa

Suspected US airstrikes pummelled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighbourhoods in the capital, Sanaa. The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than those under former president Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities. Initial reports from the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency referenced only one person being hurt in the attacks on Friday in Sanaa, Yemen's capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebel's stronghold of Saada and in Yemen's al-Jawf and Amran governorates. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge

Greenland forms new govt on eve of Vance visit to resist US annexation bid

Greenlandic lawmakers on Thursday agreed to form a new government, banding together to resist US President Donald Trump's efforts to annex the Arctic island, local media reported. Four of the five parties elected to Greenland's Parliament earlier this month have agreed to form a coalition that will have 23 of 31 seats in the legislature. The agreement is set to be signed on Friday, the newspaper Sermitsiaq reported, citing Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Demokraatit, the biggest party in Parliament. The agreement comes as Trump ramps up his effort to gain control of Greenland "one way or the other". US Vice-President J D Vance is scheduled to arrive in Greenland on Friday, where he will visit America's Pituffik Space Base, which supports missile surveillance and missile defence operations. After his centre-right party's surprise victory in the March 11 election, Nielsen said he wanted to form the broadest coalition possible to help resist US pressure. The final agreement exc

US judge to order govt to preserve Signal chat about Houthi military strike

A US federal judge on Thursday said he will order the Donald Trump administration to preserve records of a text message chat in which senior national security officials discussed sensitive details of plans for a US military strike against Yemen's Houthis. US district judge James Boasberg said during a hearing that he'll issue a temporary restraining order barring administration officials from destroying messages sent over the encrypted messaging app Signal. A nonprofit watchdog, American Oversight, requested the order. A government attorney said the administration already was taking steps to collect and save the messages. The Atlantic published the entire Signal chat on Wednesday. Its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, had been added to the discussion that included Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice-President J D Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. In the chat, Hegseth provided the ex

US Secretary of State vows stern response if Venezuela attacks Guyana

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday vowed that the United States will respond forcefully if Venezuela attacks Guyana amid an ongoing territorial dispute that includes massive oil and gas reserves. Rubio said it would be a "very bad day" for Venezuela should that happen. On the second leg of a three-nation tour of the Caribbean, Rubio was in Guyana as the Doland Trump administration ramps up engagement in the Western Hemisphere to promote energy independence and curb illegal migration, drug trafficking and gang violence. He made a brief stop in Georgetown on Thursday for talks with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and other officials before travelling to Suriname for an even shorter visit to Paramaribo. "The regional threats are based on illegitimate territorial claims by a narco-trafficking regime," Rubio told reporters at a joint news conference with Ali. "And I want to be frank, there will be consequences for adventurism. There will be consequences for aggressive actions.

There was no classified information: Gabbard on Yemen strikes chat leaks

During a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard firmly denied that the messages contained classified info

Judge orders June trial for US government's felony case against Boeing

A federal judge in Texas has set a June trial date for the US government's years-old conspiracy case against Boeing for misleading regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people. US district judge Reed O'Connor did not explain in the scheduling order he issued on Tuesday why he decided to set the case for trial. Lawyers for the aerospace company and the justice department have spent months trying to renegotiate a July 2024 plea agreement that called for Boeing to plead guilty to a single felony charge. The judge rejected that deal in December, saying that diversity, inclusion and equity policies the justice department had in place at the time might influence the selection of a monitor to oversee the company's compliance with the terms of its proposed sentence. Since then, O'Connor had three times extended the deadline for the two sides to report how they planned to proceed. His most recent extension, granted earlier this month, gave them