Page 2 - Us Government

US plans to mandate social media checks for visa-free travellers

US Customs and Border Protection "is adding social media as a mandatory data element" as part of the screening process for travellers entering the US under the Visa Waiver Programme

US DOJ expands legal action against states refusing to share voter data

The Justice Department on Tuesday sued six more states in its ongoing campaign to obtain detailed voter data and other election information. The department announced it was suing Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington over their failure to produce statewide voter registration lists. It has portrayed the litigation as part of an effort to ensure the security of elections, but Democratic officials have raised concerns over how the data will be used and whether the department will follow privacy laws in protecting it. Tuesday's actions bring to at least 14 the number of states the Justice Department has sued in its quest for the voter information. Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly, said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the department's Civil Rights Division. States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they g

Review finds 44% of US truck driving schools non-compliant with govt rules

Nearly 44% of the 16,000 truck driving programmes listed nationwide by the US government may be forced to close if they lose their students after a review by the federal Transportation Department found they may not be complying with minimum requirements. The Transportation Department said Monday that it plans to revoke the certification of nearly 3,000 schools unless they can comply with training requirements in the next 30 days. The targeted schools must notify students that their certification is in jeopardy. Another 4,500 schools are being warned they may face similar action. Schools that lose certification will no longer be able to issue the certificates showing a driver completed training that's required to get a license, so students are likely to abandon those schools. It's not clear how many of those schools have been actively teaching students. Separately, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing trucking firms in California owned by immigrants to verify the status o

US halts all asylum decisions after shooting of National Guard members

The Trump administration has halted all asylum decisions and paused issuing visas for people travelling on Afghan passports, seizing on the National Guard shooting in Washington to intensify efforts to rein in legal immigration. The suspect in Wednesday's shooting near the White House that killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both of the West Virginia National Guard, is facing charges including first-degree murder. Investigators are seeking to find a motive for the attack. Rahmanullah Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War. He applied for asylum during the Biden administration and was granted it this year under President Donald Trump, according to a group that assists with resettlement of Afghans who helped U.S. forces in their country. The Republican administration is promising to pause entry to the United States from some poor nations and review Afghans and other legal ...

Ukrainian delegation to meet Rubio, Witkoff for talks on US peace plan

Presidential advisor Jaresh Kushner will also be present to hold talks with the Ukrainian officials in Florida, emphasising Washington's diplomatic push

Afghan national to be charged with murder in White House guard shooting

In August, US president Donald Trump had asserted that his government would seek capital punishment in every murder case that occurred in Washington, DC

Trump declares most Biden orders void, citing use of autopen signatures

Trump alleged Biden's staff used the autopen illegally and that the former president wasn't in control of his own presidency when the tool was being used

Amazon to invest $50 bn in AI infra for US govt after Meta, Anthropic

As part of the investment, the federal agencies will have access to AWS' AI tools, Anthropic's Claude family of models, and Nvidia chips, as well as Amazon's custom Trainium AI chips

US signals efforts to protect Nigeria's Christians after Trump's threat

President Donald Trump's administration is promoting efforts to work with Nigeria's government to counter violence against Christians, signalling a broader strategy since he ordered preparations for possible military action and warned that the US could go in guns-a-blazing to wipe out Islamic militants. A State Department official said this past week that plans involve much more than just the potential use of military force, describing an expansive approach that includes diplomatic tools, such as potential sanctions, but also assistance programs and intelligence sharing with the Nigerian government. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also met with Nigeria's national security adviser to discuss ways to stop the violence, posting photos on social media of the two of them shaking hands and smiling. It contrasted with Trump's threats this month to stop all assistance to Nigeria if its government continues to allow the killing of Christians. The efforts may support Trump's pledge to avoid mo

JFK's granddaughter reveals cancer diagnosis, criticises cousin RFK Jr

John F. Kennedy's granddaughter disclosed Saturday that she has terminal cancer, writing in an essay in The New Yorker that one of her doctors said she might live for about another year. Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, wrote that she was diagnosed in May 2024 at 34 when, after the birth of her second child, her doctor noticed her white blood cell count was high. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukemia with a rare mutation, mostly seen in older people, she wrote. Schlossberg, an environmental journalist, wrote she has undergone rounds of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants, the first using cells from her sister and the next from an unrelated donor, and participated in clinical trials. During the latest trial, she wrote that her doctor told her he could keep me alive for a year, maybe. Schlossberg noted that her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was on the national stage, first running for president and later ..

Google to challenge US govt over alleged digital ad monopoly in court

Google will confront the US government's latest attempt to topple its internet empire in federal court on Friday as a judge considers how to prevent the abusive tactics that culminated in parts of its digital ad network being branded as an illegal monopoly. The courtroom showdown in Alexandria, Virginia, will pit lawyers from Google and the US Department of Justice against each other in closing proceedings focused on the complex technology that distributes millions of digital ads across the internet each day. After a lengthy trial last year, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled in April that pieces of Google's ad technology had been rigged in a way that made it an illegal monopoly. That set up another 11-day trial earlier this fall to help Brinkema determine how to remedy its anti-competitive practices. Friday's closing arguments will give both Google and the Justice Department a final chance to sway Brinkema before she issues a ruling that probably won't come until early next ..

US treasury to change tax credits in shift critics warn will hit immigrants

The US Treasury Department said Thursday it plans to reclassify certain refundable tax credits as federal public benefits," which will bar some immigrant taxpayers from receiving them, even if they file and pay taxes and would otherwise qualify. Tax experts say immigrants brought to the US illegally by their parents as children, known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status are most likely to be affected by the planned change. Foreign workers and student visa holders as well as some families with children who are US citizens could also be affected, depending on how the rule is written, they say. The Treasury Department's announcement was the latest sign of how the Trump administration has been taking a whole of government approach when it comes to immigration enforcement and looking to departments across the federal government not just Homeland Security to come up with ways to help carry out the president's hardli

Trump calls Democrats' military video 'seditious' and punishable by death

President Donald Trump on Thursday accused half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition punishable by DEATH after the lawmakers all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community called on US military members to uphold the constitution and defy illegal orders. The 90-second video was first posted early Tuesday from Sen Elissa Slotkin's X account. In it, the six lawmakers Slotkin, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan speak directly to US service members, whom Slotkin acknowledges are under enormous stress and pressure right now. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution, Slotkin wrote in the X post. Trump on Thursday reposted messages from others about the video, amplifying it with his own words. It marked another flashpoint in the political rhetoric that at times has been thematic in his administrations, as well as among some in his MAGA base. Some Democrats accused him o

Vance urges patience as White House struggles with affordability concerns

While President Donald Trump has struggled to settle on a way to address Americans' concerns about high costs, Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered a more direct and empathetic message, saying, We hear you and there's a lot more work to do. But the American people need to have a little bit of patience, Vance said in remarks at an event hosted by Breitbart News. The vice president's remarks come as the White House grapples with how to speak to voters about the cost of living, an issue that emerged as a vulnerability for Republicans in this month's off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races. Vance said the Trump administration has made incredible progress in tackling cost-of-living concerns as they worked to undo policies from former President Joe Biden. As much progress as we've made, it's going to take a little bit of time for every American to feel that economic boom, which we really do believe is coming. We believe that we're on the front end of it,

Fed minutes show divisions as most policymakers support further rate cuts

A majority of Federal Reserve policymakers expressed support in late October for further interest rate cuts, though not all committed to making the reduction at their next meeting in December, according to minutes released Wednesday. At the same time, many officials said it would likely be appropriate to keep rates unchanged for the rest of the year," a sign of strong divisions among policymakers about the central bank's next steps. Rate cuts by the Fed, over time, typically lower borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. Fed officials are deeply split over the biggest threat to the economy: weak hiring or stubbornly-elevated inflation. If a sluggish job market is the biggest threat, then the Fed would typically cut rates more. But it combats inflation by keeping rates elevated, or even raising them. Chair Jerome Powell had telegraphed the deep divisions among the Fed's 19-member interest-rate setting committee at a news conference following the October 28-29 ...

Deployed National Guard troops begin withdrawal from Chicago, Portland

Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, are being sent home, and those who will remain will continue to stay off the streets amid court battles over their domestic mission by the Trump administration, a defense official said Monday. The withdrawal of soldiers sent from California and Texas is part of a larger change to troop deployments after President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown in various cities with Democratic leadership. The official was not authorised to publicly discuss the issue and requested anonymity. US Northern Command said in a statement Sunday it was shifting and/or rightsising units in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago, although it said there would be a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city." In the coming days, 200 California National Guard troops currently deployed to Oregon will be sent home, and about 100 will remain in the Portland area doing training, the official said. The military also pla

Trump hosts Syria's interim Prez Al-Sharaa in landmark White House visit

President Donald Trump is hosting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, welcoming the once-pariah state into a US-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State group. It's the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state since the Middle Eastern country gained independence from France in 1946, and comes after the US lifted sanctions imposed on Syria during the decades the country was ruled by the Assad family. Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December and was named the country's interim leader in January. Trump and al-Sharaa who once had ties to al-Qaida and had a USD 10 million US bounty on his head first met in May in Saudi Arabia. At the time, the US president described al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter." It was the first official encounter between the US and Syria since 2000, when former President Bill Clinton met with Hafez Assad, .

'People against tariffs are fools': Trump vows $2,000 payout for Americans

US President Donald Trump defended his tariff policy, saying that every American, except the wealthy, will get a dividend of $2,000 from tariff revenues

After 40 days, bipartisan Senate deal moves to end US govt shutdown

A cross-party Senate agreement with the White House sets the stage for a vote to reopen the US government within days, ending weeks of halted services and political standoff

US senators work through weekend as shutdown drags on with no deal in sight

Senators are working through the weekend for the first time since the government shutdown began more than a month ago, hoping to find a bipartisan resolution that has so far eluded them as government workers have gone unpaid, airlines have been forced to cancel flights, and SNAP benefits have been delayed for millions of Americans. As the weekend session was set to begin Saturday, it was unclear if Republicans and Democrats could make any headway toward reopening the government and breaking a partisan impasse that has now lasted 39 days. Republicans on Friday rejected an offer from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for a year, with Thune calling it a nonstarter. Republicans have refused to engage with Democrats who are demanding that GOP leaders and President Donald Trump negotiate an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year. But GOP leaders have signalled an openness to