Page 37 - Us Government

Loved ones await recovery of 2 bodies from Baltimore bridge wreckage

A wooden cross is laden with Miguel Luna's personal belongings his construction uniform and work boots, a family photo, the flag of his native El Salvador but his body remains missing after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. More than a month has passed since six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths when a container ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns. Four bodies have been recovered, but Luna and another worker, Jose Mynor Lopez, have not been found. They were all Latino immigrants who came to the United States from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. They were fathers and husbands, brothers and grandfathers. They shared a common dream and a determination to achieve it. In an effort to honour their lives and their work, Baltimore County's close-knit Latino community has constructed an elaborate memorial near the south end of the bridge. It includes decorated wooden crosses, a painted canvas backdrop, bunches of

TikTok's US-based general counsel Erich Andersen to step down from role

Erich Andersen, the US-based general counsel for TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd, is stepping down from that role, the social media app said

Planning for potential transition underway as Biden admin kicks it off

President Joe Biden's administration on Friday formally began planning for a potential presidential transition, aiming to ensure continuity of government no matter the outcome of November's general election. Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent memos to all executive departments and agencies, directing them to name a point person for transition planning by May 3. It's the routine first step in congressionally mandated preparedness for presidential transitions. Next week, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients who also chaired Biden's 2020 transition effort will lead the first meeting of the White House Transition Coordinating Council, which consists of senior White House policy, national security and management officials, as required by the Presidential Transition Act. The act provides federal support for major party candidates to prepare to govern so that they can have personnel in place to take policy actions on their first day in ...

Hoping for soft landing for US economy, stagflation possible: Jamie Dimon

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says he's hopeful the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation without causing a recession but wouldn't rule out more troubling possibilities, such as stagflation. In an interview with The Associated Press at a Chase branch opening in The Bronx, Dimon said he remained cautious about the US economy and said inflation may be stickier for longer and that stagflation is on the list of possible things that could happen to the US economy. You should be worried about (the possibility of stagflation), Dimon said. Dimon did emphasise that he's still hopeful for the US economy to experience a soft landing, where growth slows but the economy avoids a recession even if inflation remains a little high, but he's not certain that is the most likely outcome. I'm just a little more dubious than others that a (soft landing) is a given, he said. The Fed rapidly raised interest rates in 2022 and 2023 after inflation reached the highest level in four decades. Fed officia

US announces new Patriot missiles for Ukraine as part of $6 bn aid package

The US will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defence systems as part of a massive USD 6 billion additional aid package, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Friday. The missiles will be used to replenish previously supplied Patriot air defence systems and are part of a package that also includes more munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and additional gear to integrate Western air defence launchers, missiles and radars into Ukraine's existing weaponry, much of which still dates back to the Soviet era. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the need for Patriots early Friday at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries gathering virtually in a Pentagon-led meeting. The meeting fell on the second anniversary of the group, which Austin said has moved heaven and earth since April 2022 to source millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket systems, armoured vehicles and even jets to .

Trump's media firm's first month of trading sends investors on a ride

There have been lawsuits, short-selling and rampant speculation. Now, as Trump Media & Technology Group approaches its first month as a publicly traded company, it's clear that like the man it's named after there's nothing typical about the stock. If I woke up tomorrow and shares were zero dollars, or $100, I would not be surprised, said Matthew Tuttle, a professional investor who bought $800 in Trump Media stock last week when it was at an all-time low. A day later, it had spiked in value. This is not going to move on fundamentals, earnings, or anything I was taught in business school about how a stock is supposed to move," he said. With Trump facing dozens of federal felony charges and hundreds of millions in legal expenses, Trump Media went public on March 26 on the Nasdaq exchange. Unlike many other stocks, it has been hard for traditional analysts and investors to figure out where it's heading. Here are some key takeaways from experts and regulator filings that help explain

Rupee depreciates 5 paise to 83.33 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee depreciated 5 paise to 83.33 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, tracking a strong greenback overseas and a positive trend in domestic equities. However, elevated crude prices in international markets and unabated foreign capital outflows capped the gains in domestic unit, forex traders said. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened weak at 83.30 against the dollar and then further slipped to 83.33, registering a fall of 5 paise over its previous close. In the initial trade, the domestic unit was moving in a tight range of 83.35-83.30 against the American currency. In the previous session on Thursday, the rupee had settled at 83.28 against the dollar. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.09 per cent to 105.54. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.35 per cent to USD 89.32 per barrel. In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 103.64 point

Blinken to meet Chinese counterpart in Beijing, discuss complex issues

Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea remain flashpoints, while the US is eager to see more progress on the curbing of China's supply of the chemicals to used to make fentanyl

Trump compares Israel's college protests to 2017 white nationalist rally

Trump, the Republican candidate for president in the November elections, also sought to place blame for the campus protests on Democratic President Joe Biden

Trump advisers discuss penalties for nations that move away from dollar

As president, Trump weighed forcibly weakening the dollar to support the domestic manufacturing sector

Even as US tries to bring aid to Gaza by sea, major concerns remain

The construction of a new port in Gaza and an accompanying US military-built pier offshore are underway, but the complex plan to bring more desperately-needed food to Palestinian civilians is still mired in fears over security and how the humanitarian aid will be delivered. The Israeli-developed port, for example, has already been attacked by mortar fire, sending high-ranking UN officials scrambling for shelter this week, and there is still no solid decision on when the aid deliveries will actually begin. While satellite photos show major port construction along the shore near Gaza City, aid groups are making it clear that they have broad concerns about their safety and reservations about how Israeli forces will handle security. Sonali Korde, an official with the US Agency for International Development, said key agreements for security and handling the aid deliveries are still being negotiated. Those include how Israeli forces will operate in Gaza to ensure that aid workers are not

India calls for revitalisation of UNGA, reform in global governance

He further highlighted that for the revitalisation of the General Assembly, the sanctity of the Annual General Debate and its associated elements must be restored, Pratik Mathur said

Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was overturned

The decision by New York's highest court to overturn the rape conviction of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has reopened a painful chapter in America's reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures an era that began in 2017 and helped launch the #MeToo movement. Here's what you need to know about why Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next: WHY WAS THE CONVICTION TOSSED? New York's Court of Appeals found the trial judge in the rape case prejudiced Weinstein with egregious improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that Weinstein wasn't charged with. In its 4-3 decision, the court's majority said it was an abuse of judicial discretion for Judge James Burke to allow testimony from these other women about "loathsome alleged bad acts and despicable behaviour. Without question, this is appalling, shameful, repulsive conduct that could only diminish defendant's character before the jury," they said. Weinstein's attorney A

Blinken in Shanghai; begins contentious talks with Chinese officials

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking with local government officials in Shanghai. Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Chen Jining, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. He also planned to speak to students and business leaders before heading to Beijing by train for what are expected to be contentious talks with national officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday shortly before President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements likely to anger the Chinese, including $8 billion to counter China's growing aggressiveness toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. It also seeks to force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform. China has railed against U.S. assistance to Taiwan, the self-governing island that it regards as a renegade province, and immediately condemned the move as a ...

US attacks Russia for vetoing UNSC resolution on Outer Space Treaty

The United States slammed Russia on Wednesday for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution on the Outer Space Treaty that put a legally-binding obligation that countries should not be putting weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including nuclear weapons, in orbit. "As we have noted previously, the United States assesses that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a nuclear device. We have heard President (Vladimir) Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement, after Russia vetoed the resolution at the UN headquarters in New York. "Today, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, proposed jointly by the United States and Japan, that would have reaffirmed the fundamental obligation of State Parties to the Outer Space Treaty not to place nuclear weapons in orbit around the Earth," Sullivan said. The ...

Senate passes bill forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok's US ops or face ban

TikTok, which says it has not shared and would not share US user data with the Chinese government, has argued the law amounts to a ban that would violate the US free speech rights of its users

TikTok promises to sue over potential US ban. What's the legal outlook?

Legislation forcing TikTok's parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. received President Joe Biden's official signoff Wednesday. But the newly minted law could be in for an uphill battle in court. Critics of the sell-or-be-banned ultimatum argue it violates TikTok users' First Amendment rights. The app's China-based owner, ByteDance, has already promised to sue, calling the measure unconstitutional. But a court challenge's success is not is not guaranteed. The law's opponents, which include advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, maintain that the government hasn't come close to justifying banning TikTok, while others say national-security claims could still prevail. For years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok. The U.S. has yet to provide public .

'No one above the law, not even the president,' says US Supreme Court

On the left and right, Supreme Court justices seem to agree on a basic truth about the American system of government: No one is above the law, not even the president. The law applies equally to all persons, including a person who happens for a period of time to occupy the Presidency, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in 2020. Less than a year earlier, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, then a federal trial judge, wrote, Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings. But former President Donald Trump and his legal team are putting that foundational belief to the test on Thursday when the high court takes up Trump's bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. Trump's lawyers argue that former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity for their official acts. Otherwise, they say, politically motivated prosecutions of former occupants of the Oval Office would bec

Trump in NY for hush money trial while top court hears immunity case in DC

A reluctant Donald Trump will be back in a New York City courtroom Thursday as his hush money trial resumes at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president. Jurors will hear more witness testimony from a veteran tabloid publisher, and Trump faces a looming decision over whether he violated a gag order imposed by the judge. But he had asked to skip out on his criminal trial for the day so he could sit in on the high court's special session, where the justices will weigh whether he can be prosecuted over his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. That request was denied by New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial on the hush money scheme that was meant to prevent harmful stories about Trump from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign. Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I c

New US rules mandate automatic refunds to customers for cancelled flights

The Joe Biden administration on Wednesday issued new rules that require airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed and protect consumers from costly surprise fees. "Too often, airlines drag their feet on refunds or rip folks off with junk fees. It is time Americans got a better deal. Today, my administration is requiring that airlines provide automatic refunds to passengers when they are owed and protect them from surprise fees," Biden said in a video statement. "This is about airlines treating passengers better and it will save people more than half-a-billion dollars, avoiding unwanted, expensive, unnecessary surprise airline fees," said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Biden said his administration is holding airlines accountable and bringing costs down for American families. "This is just one part of my administration's plan to prevent companies from playing the American people for suckers. It matters," he said. The White House said these rules wi