Page 13 - Us Government

Trump says security team texting military op plan on Signal a minor glitch

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the texting of sensitive plans for a military strike against Yemen's Houthis this month to a group chat that included a journalist, saying it was the only glitch in two months of his administration even as Democratic lawmakers heaped criticism on the administration for handling highly sensitive information carelessly. Trump told NBC News that the lapse turned out not to be a serious one", and expressed his continued support for national security advisor Mike Waltz. Waltz, according to an article posted online by The Atlantic on Monday, appeared to have mistakenly added the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a chat that included 18 senior administration officials discussing planning for the strike. Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man," Trump said. He also appeared to point blame on an unnamed Waltz aide for Goldberg being added to the chain. It was one of Michael's people on the phone. A staffer had h

US Senate confirms Jay Bhattacharya, Marty Makary for top US health posts

Senate voted 53-47 along party lines to confirm Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University health economist and physician, to lead the National Institutes of Health

Trump backs Waltz after Atlantic editor's war plans group chat breach

Trump's comments fit with a broader effort by the administration to downplay the stunning breach, which created a firestorm in Washington over the Trump team's handling of sensitive information

DOGE cuts testing conservative voters' faith in poll for Gaetz's old seat

As the Trump administration forges ahead with its dramatic reshaping of the federal government, voters in a northwest Florida congressional district that's home to thousands of veterans will be among the first to put the president's agenda to an electoral test. The state's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump, is widely expected to win the special election in Florida's 1st Congressional District on April 1 and help pad Republicans' narrow majority in the US House of Representatives. The seat became vacant with the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz in a heavily Republican district. In a longshot bid, Democrat Gay Valimont is seeking to hinge the race on the Department of Government Efficiency Service's push to fire federal workers and dismantle federal agencies. A win for her would defy decades of political convention and could send loud signals about how the president's aggressive second term in the White House is playing with

Greenlanders unite to resist US as Trump seeks control of Arctic island

Lisa Solrun Christiansen gets up at 4 am most days and gets to work knitting thick wool sweaters coveted by buyers around the world for their warmth and colorful patterns celebrating Greenland's traditional Inuit culture. Her morning routine includes a quick check of the news, but these days the ritual shatters her peace because of all the stories about US President Donald Trump's designs on her homeland. I get overwhelmed,' Christiansen said earlier this month as she looked out to sea, where impossibly blue icebergs floated just offshore. The daughter of Inuit and Danish parents, Christiansen, 57, cherishes Greenland. It is a source of immense family pride that her father, an artist and teacher, designed the red-and-white Greenlandic flag. On his deathbed he talked a lot about the flag, and he said that the flag is not his, it's the people's, she said. And there's one sentence I keep thinking about. He said, I hope the flag will unite the Greenlandic people." Island of ...

Trump campaign manager sues Daily Beast over stories on how much he earned

The co-manager of US President Donald Trump's successful 2024 campaign has sued the Daily Beast for defamation over stories regarding how much he was paid for his work. The lawsuit on behalf of Chris LaCivita said the online publication's stories that he was paid USD 22 million over two years -- later corrected to USD 19.2 million -- created the false impression that LaCivita was personally profiting excessively from his work for the campaign and that he was prioritising personal gain over the campaign's success". The Daily Beast said it stood by its reporting, calling the lawsuit "meritless and a transparent attempt to intimidate the Beast and silence the independent press". Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos is representing LaCivita in the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Richmond, Virginia. The filing was first reported by Axios. The case continues a trend of aggressive action taken against the news media by Trump and those in his orbit. Trump has sued CBS News for USD 20

Donald Trump announces Hyundai's $5.8 billion US Steel investment

He emphasised the significance of the move, calling Hyundai "one of the largest companies in the world" and highlighting that the steel mill will supply Hyundai's auto plants in Alabama and Georgia

$1.8 trillion ESG market thrives as US govt agencies drive demand

Sales of so-called social bonds, which direct proceeds to areas like health, housing and education, jumped about 130 per cent to $657 billion globally last year

US imposes travel ban on former Argentine president over corruption charges

The State Department has banned former Argentine President Cristina Fernndez from entering the United States, accusing her of involvement in significant corruption while in office. The State Department also banned Fernndez' planning minister Julio Miguel De Vido and their families. Kirchner and De Vido abused their positions by orchestrating and financially benefiting from multiple bribery schemes involving public works contracts, resulting in millions of dollars stolen from the Argentine government, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement released Friday. He noted that multiple courts had convicted the pair on corruption charges. Fernndez has been a dominant political leader in recent years in the South American country. The United States will continue to promote accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain, Rubio said. These designations reaffirm our commitment to counter global corruption, including at the highest levels of government. In Novemb

Trump agency lists 8 buildings for sale after real estate policy reversal

The eight properties listed were far more in keeping with the routine disposal process run by the General Services Administration, which often acts as a landlord for other federal agencies

Gabbard's visit to India highlights strong US-India ties: US official

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's meetings in India focused on bilateral cooperation in areas of intelligence-sharing, defence, counter-terrorism, and transnational threats, an American official said. Gabbard's visit to New Delhi highlighted the decades strong US-India relationship that is bolstered by the leadership of and friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, a spokesperson at the office of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said. She arrived in the national capital early Sunday on a two-and-a-half-day trip in the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration. Gabbard held separate meetings with Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. "In India, the DNI held several bilateral engagements, including with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the spokesperson said. "DNI Gabbard's meetings in India focused on ..

Federal judge blocks DOGE from accessing Social Security data for now

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security Administration systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans. The decision from US District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland also requires the team to delete any personally identifiable data they may have. It comes after labor unions and retirees asked for an emergency order limiting DOGE access to the agency and its vast troves of personal data. They said DOGE's nearly unlimited access violates privacy laws and presents massive information security risks. A recently departed Social Security official who saw the DOGE team sweep into the agency said she is deeply worried about sensitive information being exposed. The Trump administration says DOGE has a 10-person team of federal employees at the Social Security Administration, seven of whom have been granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identifiable information. The administration has

Who is Rasha Alawieh, the doctor US deported over pics of Hassan Nasrallah?

Rasha Alawieh was reportedly held for at least 36 hours before being deported to Lebanon on Saturday, despite a federal judge's order to delay her removal

US Commerce department bureaus ban China's DeepSeek on govt devices

US officials and members of Congress have expressed concerns about the threat of DeepSeek to data privacy and sensitive government information

Trump visits Kennedy Center putting his mark on national arts institution

President Donald Trump on Monday is visiting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he is taking a tour and chairing a meeting of its board of directors. It was his first time at the venerable institution since he began remaking it at the start of his second term in office. Trump fired the previous board of the Kennedy Center, writing on social media that they do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. He replaced them with loyalists and installed himself as chairman. The Republican president's allies have complained that the Kennedy Center, which is known for its annual celebration of notable American artists, had become too liberal and woke with its programming. We have to straighten it out. It's not a good situation," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday evening. He was also expected to discuss plans to improve the Kennedy Center and its upcoming artistic programming. Several artists and productions have backed out of performances

Republican legislation seeks to ban Chinese nationals from studying in US

A group of House Republicans on Friday put forward legislation seeking to prevent Chinese students from studying in American schools, as some US lawmakers are targeting China over national security concerns. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., introduced the bill that could bar Chinese nationals from receiving visas that allow foreigners to travel to the US to study or participate in exchange visitor programmes. Five other Republicans co-sponsored the measure. By granting Chinese nationals such visas, the US has "invited" the Chinese Communist Party "to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security", Moore said in a statement. "It's time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals." The measure is unlikely to pass, and it has drawn criticism from organisations and scholars over concerns that hostile policies and rhetoric toward Chinese students could hurt US interests. "No policy should target individuals sol

Senate approves funding bill just before shutdown deadline, sends to Trump

The Senate passed a six-month spending bill on Friday hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. The essentially party-line vote, 54-46, reflected gnawing Democratic angst over how to confront the Trump administration as its Department of Government Efficiency fires federal workers and dismantles operations. Democrats argued over whether to fight even risking a shutdown and fumed that Republicans drafted a measure that included little of their input, shortchanging health care, housing and other priorities. But in the end, enough of the Democratic senators decided a government shutdown would be even worse, and backed Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's strategy to allow the bill to come forward. "A shutdown will allow DOGE to shift into overdrive," Schumer said. "Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster ...

Senior USAID official asks staff to 'shred, burn all documents': Report

The effort also demonstrates the tumultuous way in which the Trump administration is dismantling the USAID, which once managed a $40 billion annual budget and had over 10,000 employees

Ukraine-US accord on a ceasefire proposal puts the onus on Vladimir Putin

The accord reached in Saudi Arabia by US and Ukrainian negotiators for a 30-day halt in the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago

US condemns attacks on Syrian minorities as coastal violence escalates

The violence erupted in Syria's coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous, where security forces clashed with fighters loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad