Page 54 - Us Government

US national debt hits record $34 trn as Congress gears up for funding fight

The federal government's gross national debt has surpassed USD 34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America's balance sheet in the coming years. The US Treasury Department issued a report on Tuesday logging US finances, which have become a source of tension in a politically divided Washington that could possibly see parts of the government shut down without an annual budget in place. Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed last June to temporarily lift the nation's debt limit, staving off the risk of what would be a historic default. That agreement lasts until January 2025. Here are some answers to questions about the new record national debt. HOW DID THE NATIONAL DEBT HIT USD 34 TRILLION? The national debt eclipsed USD 34 trillion several years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office's January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing USD 34 trillion in fiscal year 2029. B

Harvard Prez Claudine Gay resigns amid backlash over antisemitism testimony

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned on Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school's conduct policy. Gay announced her departure, which came just months into her tenure, in a letter to the Harvard community. She and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania came under fire last month for their lawyerly answers to a line of questioning from New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the colleges' code of conduct. The three presidents had been called before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer accusations that universities were failing to protect Jewish students amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel's intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticism for the mounting ...

Biden administration grants Louisiana power to approve carbon capture wells

The Biden administration is handing Louisiana regulators new power to attract and approve carbon capture projects at a time when the state's influential energy sector wants to make the Gulf Coast a hub for the rapidly expanding industry. Louisiana will be able to issue permits for wells that store carbon dioxide, a critical component of carbon capture and removal technology. In all but two other states, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for permitting. Proponents of the change say it will speed up approvals of new projects that are critical for reducing climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups had opposed the move, doubting that a state home to a concentrated stretch of oil, gas and petrochemical plants commonly called cancer alley is capable of proper industry oversight and protecting residents. The EPA said the Louisiana agreement includes safeguards to protect poorer, often majority-Black communities that live near those facilities and that

6 Indian-origin family members killed in fatal crash in Texas, US

In a tragic car accident, at least six Indian-origin family members, including two children, were killed in the US state of Texas, officials said. The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a minivan and a pickup truck collided head-on near Johnson County, near Fortworth, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Seven people of the same family were in the minivan, and only one of them, 43-year-old Lokesh Potabathula, survived with critical injuries. On Wednesday morning, the DPS identified the driver of the minivan, 28-year-old Rushil Barri of Irving, as one of the deceased victims. The other five in the van are from Alpharetta, Georgia: 36-year-old woman, Naveena Potabathula,64-year-old man, Nageswararao Ponnad, 60-year-old woman, Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old boy, Krithik Potabathula and 9-year-old girl, Nishidha Potabathula. The elderly were visiting their daughter Naveena and grandkids Karthik and Nishita from India, the Consulate General said. The

The late-night email to Tim Cook that set the Apple Watch saga in motion

Masimo's goal, people close to the matter say, was for the ITC to impose its ban in the summer

LIVE: Mamata unlikely to attend Ram Mandir inauguration, says TMC

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Police investigating incidents involving Colorado Supreme Court threats

Police said on Tuesday they are investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and providing extra patrols around their homes in Denver following the court's decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot. The Denver Police Department declined in an email to provide details about its investigations, citing safety and privacy considerations and because they are ongoing. The department "is currently investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and will continue working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate any reports of threats or harassment," the email said. Officers responded to the home of one justice on Thursday evening, but police said it appeared to be a hoax report. That case is also still being investigated police said. The FBI said it is working with local law enforcement on the matter. "We will vigorously pursue investigations of any th

US shoots down 12 'Iran-backed' Houthi attack drones, 5 missiles in Red Sea

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari termed the attacks "acts of terror" directed by Iran

Apple files appeal after Biden admin allows tribunal's ban on watch imports

The U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) order will go into effect on Dec. 26, barring imports and sales of Apple Watches that use patent-infringing technology for reading blood-oxygen levels

US govt condemns vandalism of Shri Swaminarayan Temple in California

We strongly condemn the defacing of SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Newark, California with anti-India graffiti, the Consulate posted on X

US intelligence suggests Iran 'deeply involved' in Red Sea attacks on ships

On Tuesday, a senior US military official said the Iranians are operating in the Red Sea when asked whether Iran is helping the Houthis select targets

Top US, Chinese military officials hold 1st high-level talks in over a year

The restoration of communication was identified as a priority in the recent talks between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping

US Steel sale to Japanese company warrants 'serious scrutiny': White House

President Joe Biden believes serious scrutiny is warranted for the planned acquisition of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, the White House said Thursday after days of silence on a transaction that has drawn alarm from the steelworkers union. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, indicated the deal would be reviewed by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which she participates in and includes economic and national security agency representatives to investigate national security risks from foreign investments in American firms. She said in a statement that Biden believes the purchase of this iconic American-owned company by a foreign entity even one from a close ally appears to deserve serious scrutiny in terms of its potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability. This looks like the type of transaction that the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment Congress empowered and the Biden administration ...

Rudolph Giuliani files for bankruptcy following $148 mn defamation loss

Chapter 11 protection will give Giuliani time to pursue an appeal of the Georgia lawsuit while providing transparency and fairness for creditors, the lawyers said

US, allies avoiding another veto of UN resolution on critical aid for Gaza

The United States, key allies and Arab nations engaged in high-level diplomacy in hopes of avoiding another US veto of a new UN resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza ahead of a long-delayed vote now scheduled for Thursday morning. The US has been struggling to change the text's references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war. Another sticking point is the inspection of aid trucks into Gaza to ensure they are only carrying humanitarian goods. The current draft proposes a U.N. role, an idea Israel is likely to oppose. US President Joe Biden told reporters on his way back from Milwaukee, Wisconsin late Wednesday afternoon that we're negotiating right now at the UN the contours of a resolution that we may be able to agree to. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, which sponsored the Arab-backed resolution, said earlier that high-level discussions are underway to try to reach agreement on a text that can be adopted. Everyone wants to see a ...

US deepened partnership with India, boosted cooperation via Quad: Blinken

The US State Secretary further said that the US is more closely aligned than ever with the G7, with the EU, and with other allies and partners on the challenges presented by Beijing

Biden denounces Trump as 'doubling down' on support for insurrection

President Joe Biden said it's self-evident that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss but stopped short of commenting on a Colorado legal case that would bar him from the state's ballot. The Democratic president made the comments about his likely Republican opponent in next year's election shortly after landing in Milwaukee for an event focused on the economy. Whether the 14th Amendment applies or not, we'll let the court make that decision," Biden told reporters on the tarmac after stepping off Air Force One. "But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it. Biden also criticised Trump for his recent comments that migrants were poisoning the blood of the country. "I don't believe, as the former president said again yesterday, that immigrants are polluting our blood," Biden said in a speech at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce. The economy and our nation are

US pushes environmental enforcement after more than a decade of budget cuts

The Environmental Protection Agency conducted more on-site inspections of polluting industrial sites this year than any time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said on Monday as it seeks to reinvigorate its enforcement programme after more than a decade of budget cuts. EPA opened nearly 200 criminal investigations this year, a 70 per cent increase over 2022, the agency said in a report. It completed nearly 1,800 civil settlements, a 9 per cent increase over 2022. More than half the inspections and settlements involved poor and disadvantaged communities long scarred by pollution, the agency said, reflecting the Biden administration's emphasis on environmental justice issues. But some parts of EPA's enforcement efforts still lag. In 2023, for example, it charged 102 defendants criminally. The Trump administration charged more every year, although most years only marginally. Nearly 200 defendants were charged in the latter years of the Obama administration. There is,

2022 federal elections in US not tainted by foreign interference: Report

Foreign hackers did not change vote totals or otherwise compromise the integrity of federal elections last year in the United States, according to a declassified US government report made public on Monday. The report does identify multiple instances in which hackers linked to Iran, China and Russia connected to election infrastructure, scanned state government websites and copied voter information. But it says there is no evidence that any of the cyber activity had any impact on the election or on the vote totals. We have no evidence that any detected activity prevented voting, changed votes, or disrupted the ability to tally votes or to transmit election results in a timely manner; altered any technical aspect of the voting process; or otherwise compromised the integrity of voter registration information or any ballots cast during 2022 federal elections, the report says. The report, a joint document prepared by the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, ...

Biden envoy to meet with Abbas, discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza

The United States national security adviser and the Palestinian president were set Friday to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza which, according to a senior US official, could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by Hamas in its 2007 takeover of the territory. The proposal, floated as one of several, was the first specific indicator of Washington's vision for security arrangements in Gaza if Israel achieves its US-backed objective to end Hamas control of the besieged enclave. Any role for Palestinian security forces in Gaza is bound to elicit strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to maintain an open-ended security presence there and says it won't allow a postwar foothold for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, a West Bank-based autonomy government led by President Mahmoud Abbas. On Thursday, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, spoke to Israeli leaders about a timetable for winding down the intense combat phase of the war. The