Page 8 - Us President

President-elect Trump vows to undo new Biden ban on offshore drilling

President-elect Donald Trump complained on Tuesday that President Joe Biden was undermining his transition to power a day after the incumbent moved to ban offshore energy drilling in most federal waters. Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, used his authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. All told, about 625 million acres of federal waters were withdrawn from energy exploration by Biden in a move that may require an act of Congress to undo. I'm going to put it back on day one," Trump told reporters at his private club in Florida. He pledged to take it to the courts if we need to." Trump said Biden's effort part of a series of final actions in office by the Democrat's administration was undermining his plans for once he's in office. You know, they told me that, we're going to do everythin

Jimmy Carter eulogised by Harris, congressional leaders at US Capitol

Nearly 44 years after Jimmy Carter left the nation's capital in humbling defeat, the 39th president returned to Washington for three days of state funeral rites starting Tuesday. Carter's remains, which had been lying in repose at the Carter Presidential Centre since Saturday, left the Atlanta campus Tuesday morning, accompanied by his children and extended family. Special Air Mission 39 departed Dobbins Air Reserve Base north of Atlanta and arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. A motorcade carried the casket into Washington for a final journey to the Capitol, where members of Congress will pay their respects. In Georgia, eight military pallbearers held Carter's casket as cannons fired on the tarmac nearby. They carried it to a vehicle that lifted it to the passenger compartment of the aircraft, the iconic blue and white Boeing 747 variant that is known as Air Force One when the sitting president is on board. Carter never travelled as president on the jet, which first flew as Ai

Trump declines to rule out military action to take Panama Canal, Greenland

He reiterated his interest in making Canada into a US state and criticized American spending on Canadian goods and military support for Canada, one of the country's closest allies

Biden tells New Orleans mourners they are not alone; honours victims

President Joe Biden told mourners in New Orleans on Monday that they are not alone as he paid tribute to victims of the deadly New Year's attack and channelled the pain felt by their loved ones. Biden made the remarks at St. Louis Cathedral in the city's historic French Quarter. not far from the area where an Army veteran drove a truck into revellers last week, killing 14 and injuring 30 more. Biden praised so many that ran toward the chaos, trying to help save others," including first responders. He noted the city's enduring strength and resilience amid tragedy, invoking past devastation like Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The city's people get back up," Biden said. "That's the spirit of America as well. Biden met privately with grieving families, survivors and first responders before the prayer service. He also stopped at a makeshift memorial where the attack had begun to unfold. It is being investigated as an act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group. Biden has made doze

Trump Jr plans surprise visit to Greenland after talk of US purchase

The visit is private and Trump has scheduled no official meetings, Kleist said. Trump Jr. does not have an official role within his father's incoming administration

Judge denies Trump's bid to halt Friday's hush money case sentencing

US President-elect Donald Trump was thwarted Monday in his bid to indefinitely postpone this week's sentencing in his hush money case while he appeals a ruling that upheld the verdict and put him on course to be the first president to take office convicted of crimes. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered Friday's sentencing to proceed as scheduled, rejecting arguments from Trump's lawyers who said it should be halted while they ask a state appeals court to reverse his decision to let the conviction stand. Trump can still ask the appeals court to intervene and order a stay, or pause. Otherwise, he'll be sentenced a little more than a week before he is inaugurated to a second term. Trump's lawyers have told Merchan that if his sentencing happens, he will appear by video rather than in person. The judge had given him the option in light of the demands of the presidential transition process. Merchan last Friday denied Trump's bid to throw out the verdict because of his impending retu

Carter had little use for presidents club, made friends with Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter and the man he beat for president, Gerald Ford, got so tight after office that their friendship became a kind of buddy movie, complete with road trips that were never long enough because they had so much to gab about. Carter did not get along nearly so well with the other living presidents. The outsider president was an outlier after his presidency, too. Nevertheless, past and present Oval Office occupants will attend Carter's state funeral this week in what could be the largest gathering of the presidents club since five attended Washington services for George H W Bush in December 2018. As a member of that elite, informal club, Carter was uniquely positioned to do important work for his successors, whether Democrat or Republican. He achieved significant results at times, thanks to his public stature as a peacemaker, humanitarian and champion of democracy, and his deep relationships with foreign leaders, troublemakers included. But with Carter, you never knew when he'd

Americans shouldn't forget Capitol attack, but it won't repeat: Biden

President Joe Biden is decrying what he calls an unrelenting effort to downplay a mob of Donald Trump supporters overrunning the US Capitol in an attempt to block certification of the 2020 election seeking to contrast that day's chaos with what he promises will be an orderly transition returning Trump to power for a second term. In an opinion piece published Sunday in The Washington Post, Biden recalled Jan. 6, 2021, writing that violent insurrectionists attacked the Capitol. We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault," Biden wrote. "And we should be glad we will not see such a shameful attack again this year. Congress will convene amid snow in Washington on Monday to certify Trump's victory in November's election in a session presided over by the candidate he defeated, Vice President Kamala Harris. No violence, or even procedural objections, are expected this time, marking a return to a US tradition that launches the peaceful transfer of presidential power. Tha

President Biden inks Social Security bill in rare public signing ceremony

Social Security Fairness Act will boost Social Security payments to more than 2.5 million retirees - some by as much as $550 a month- by changing formulas used to reduce benefits for certain beneficia

Ex-US President Carter's six-day state funeral begins in Georgia's Americus

Mourners lined the main street in Plains, where Carter was born and lived most of his life

Elon Musk a majority-maker, and he won't let US Congress forget it

A political action committee controlled by the world's richest man spent $19.2 million in the final six weeks of the 2024 election to back Republicans in too-close-to-call races around the country

Here's why US flags are being flown at half-staff on Inauguration Day

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed frustration that flags will be flying at half-staff when he takes office later this month. It's an action put in place by President Joe Biden to honour the late President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100. It's not a timeline that Trump can do anything about until after he takes office. Here's what to know about why flags are lowered when a president dies, who can issue that order and how long the process lasts: Why are US flags being flown at half-staff? On Sunday, Biden ordered that US flags be flown at half-staff in honour of the late former president. It's an honor that indicates that the country or a state is in mourning. The US flag code lays out parameters for lowering the US flag to half-staff, including a 30-day period for current or former presidents to cover flags at federal government buildings and their grounds, as well as at US embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels. Flags ca

No jail time: Judge sets Trump's sentencing in hush money case for Jan 10

In an extraordinary turn, a judge Friday set President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money case for January 10 little over a week before he's due to return to the White House but indicated he wouldn't be jailed. The development nevertheless leaves Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes. Judge Juan M Merchan, who presided over Trump's trial, signalled in a written decision that he'd sentence the former and future president to what's known as a conditional discharge, in which a case gets dismissed if a defendant avoids rearrest. Merchan rejected Trump's push to dismiss the verdict and throw out the case on presidential immunity grounds and because of his impending return to the White House. The judge said he found no legal impediment to sentencing Trump and that it was incumbent on him to sentence Trump prior to his swearing in on January 20. Only by bringing finality to this matter will the interests of justice be served,

Donald Trump slams Democrats over New Orleans car-ramming incident

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday (local time) on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' historic French Quarter

Zelenskyy confident of Trump's capability of ending Putin's aggression

Ukrainian President further emphasised the nation's commitment to bringing its people back home and spoke about the 189 Ukrainians who were recently freed

Social media companies face global tug-of-war over free speech

"The censorship and advertising boycott cartel must end now!" Elon Musk, the owner of X, whom Trump has appointed to cut the federal budget, posted on his site last month

Jimmy Carter funeral services to be held across Georgia, Washington DC

Funeral services honouring former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100, will be held in Georgia and Washington, DC, beginning Saturday, January 4, and concluding Thursday, January 9. Here's a list of events, as provided by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region. All times are Eastern Standard. SATURDAY, JANUARY 4 The state funeral begins with the arrival of the Carter family at Phoebe Sumter Medical Centre in Americus, Georgia, at 10:15 a.m. Current and former Secret Service agents will carry Carter's remains to the hearse and walk alongside the hearse as the motorcade departs from the medical centre. The motorcade then travels through Carter's hometown of Plains, Georgia, for a brief pause in front of his family's farm at 10:50 a.m. During the pause, the National Park Service will ring the historic farm bell 39 times. The motorcade to Atlanta resumes at 10:55 a.m. It will stop at Georgia's State Capitol for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. Carter's remains will t

How American presidents have planned their own funerals over the years

Jimmy Carter's memorial journey will end at his house in the tiny town of Plains, Georgia, where he grew up on a peanut farm. That is where his wife, Rosalynn, was laid to rest last year in a burial plot that they chose years ago. But before Carter reaches his humble final destination, there will be an interstate choreography of grief, ceremony and logistics that is characteristic of state funerals. Ever since the nation's founding, America has bid farewell to former presidents with an intricate series of events weaving together longstanding traditions and personal touches. Funerals often are planned by the presidents themselves, who usually have years after leaving the White House to ponder how they want to be memorialised. They are very much involved in the planning process, and the decisions that they make tell us a lot about who they are, how they see the presidency, and how they want to be remembered by the American people, said Matthew Costello, senior historian for the White

The time when 'carpenter' Carter helped build 100 houses near Lonavala

For 100 low-income families near Lonavala, around 80 km from Mumbai, Jimmy Carter was a godsend as he had helped build their houses in 2006. For a week in October that year, the former US President and his wife Rosalynn worked alongside the families and about 2,000 international and local volunteers to build homes at Patan village near Lonavala, a popular hill station. The volunteers included Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and Bollywood actor John Abraham. The houses were built under the aegis of NGO Habitat for Humanity. Carter volunteered his carpentry skills and raised money to boost the organization's profile. Since 1984, Carter donated one week of his time and his building skills every year to the organization. Carter, who left the White House in 1980 at the end of his first and only term as US President, had said in an interview that his mother Lillian joined the Peace Corps when she was 67 and worked in a leper colony near Mumbai. "She was very near Bombay in a little village

Statesman of great vision: PM Modi expresses grief over Carter's demise

In 1978, Jimmy Carter travelled to India as US President. He met India's then-President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and then-Prime Minister Morarji Desai