Page 2 - Us Government

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

Trump endorses Vivek Ramaswamy for 2026 Ohio guv race, calls him 'special'

US President Donald Trump has endorsed Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for the 2026 Ohio governor race, calling him 'young, strong and smart' and pledging his complete and total endorsemen

US to cut flight capacity by 10% at key airports as shutdown persists

The announced plans, if they impact the top 40 airports in the US, could cut as many as 1,800 flights, data analytics company Cirium said

A little noted element propelled Zohran Mamdani's rise: Gen Z loneliness

Members of Gen Z found something unexpected in the mayoral race: a chance to hang out. Their enthusiasm turned into real votes

Judge blocks Trump admin from deploying troops in Portland until Nov 7

A federal judge in Oregon on Sunday barred President Donald Trump's administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon until at least Friday, saying she found no credible evidence that protests in the city grew out of control before the president federalised the troops earlier this fall. The city and state sued in September to block the deployment. It's the latest development in weeks of legal back-and-forth in Portland, Chicago and other US cities as the Trump administration has moved to federalise and deploy the National Guard in city streets to quell protests. The ruling from US District Court Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, followed a three-day trial in which both sides argued over whether protests at the city's US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building met the conditions for using the military domestically under federal law. In a 16-page filing late Sunday, Immergut said she would issue a final order on Friday due to the voluminous evidence ...

Trump's nuclear tests will not involve explosions, says US energy secretary

New tests of the US nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Donald Trump will not include nuclear explosions, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said. It was the first clarity from the Trump administration since the president took to social media last week to say he had instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. I think the tests we're talking about right now are system tests, Wright said in an interview on Fox News' Sunday Briefing. These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions. Wright, whose agency is responsible for testing, added that the planned testing involves all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion. The confusion over Trump's intention started minutes before he held a critical meeting in South Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump took to his Truth Social platform and appeared to suggest he w

Flight delays persist in US as shutdown causes air traffic staff shortage

Flight delays continued at US airports Sunday amid air traffic controller shortages as the government shutdown entered its second month, with Newark airport in New Jersey experiencing delays of two to three hours. New York City's Emergency Management office said on X that Newark delays often ripple out to the region's other airports. Travellers flying to, from or through New York should expect schedule changes, gate holds, and missed connections. Anyone flying today should check flight status before heading to the airport and expect longer waits, the social media post added. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O'Hare were also seeing dozens of delays and one or two cancellations, along with major airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami, according to FlightAware. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travellers will start to see more flight disruptions the longer controllers go .

Food aid uncertainty deepens as US govt shutdown fight hits crisis point

The crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington came to a head as the federal food assistance programme faced delays and millions of Americans were set to see a dramatic rise in their health insurance bills. The impacts on basic needs food and medical care underscored how the impasse is hitting homes across the United States. Plans by the Trump administration to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme on Saturday were halted by federal judges, but the delay in payouts will still likely leave millions of people short on their grocery bills. It all added to the strain on the country, with a month of missed paychecks for federal workers and growing air travel delays. The shutdown is already the second longest in history and entered its second month on Saturday. This is more than a crisis, said the Rev John Udo-Okon, who runs the Word of Life Christian Fellowship International food pantry in the Bronx, where hundreds more people than .

2 United Airlines planes collide at LaGuardia amid US govt shutdown delays

No injuries reported; one of the planes had just arrived from Orlando, Florida, and was turning toward its gate when it accidentally clipped the tail of another United aircraft waiting to take off

Trial begins over Trump's plan to deploy National Guard in Portland

A federal trial over whether President Donald Trump can deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, began Wednesday, with a police commander describing on the witness stand how federal agents at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building repeatedly fired tear gas at nonviolent protesters. Attorneys for the city and state are attempting to block Trump from deploying troops by arguing that they aren't needed to enforce the laws and that the president should not be allowed to use the military to remedy a situation worsened by federal agents. Portland Police Bureau Cmdr. Franz Schoening called federal agents' actions at the building, which has been the site of mostly small protests since June, startling. State and federal law prohibit police agencies from using munitions, including tear gas, the way the federal officers have, Schoening said. City police officers themselves had been tear-gassed and forced to pull away from the scene, Schoening said. At one point during a large

US strikes another suspected drug boat in Pacific, killing all 4 onboard

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the US military carried out another strike on a boat he said was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing all four people aboard the vessel, as the Trump administration pursues its divisive campaign against drug cartels in the waters off South America. Hegseth said in a social media post that intelligence determined the craft was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. He said the strike was conducted in international waters and no US forces were harmed. A video posted by Hegseth shows a boat exploding into flames and smoke. The Trump administration has been conducting a nearly two-month campaign in the waters off of South America, while building up US military forces in the region. This has fueled speculation that the moves are aimed at ousting Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro, whom the US has accused of narcoterrorism. The Trump administration has shown no evidence to suppor