Page 15 - White House

Musk is working for Trump as a 'special govt employee': White House

Elon Musk is working for President Donald Trump as a special government employee," according to a White House official, solidifying his controversial role in the administration but sidestepping some disclosure rules that are typical of federal workers. The official, speaking Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Musk has a government email address and office space in the White House complex. Musk, the world's richest man, has been granted broad latitude by Trump to reduce the size of the federal government. On Monday morning, the headquarters of the US Agency for International Development was abruptly shut down. Musk's team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, also has received access to sensitive payment systems at the US Treasury Department. Democrats fear that Musk is consolidating power within the federal government, acting without accountability and potentially against the law. Special government employees are usually appoin

No White House stay for Musk. He's crashing at a DC govt office instead

Elon Musk skips a White House stay to live in a DC govt office, pushing his 'hardcore work ethic' to new extremes as he leads government cost-cutting efforts from the inside

India, US working on PM Modi's early visit, dates being finalised: MEA

The two leaders emphasised their commitment to advance the US-India strategic partnership and the Indo-Pacific Quad partnership. They also discussed plans for PM Modi's visit to the White House

White House revokes Trump's memo freezing federal money after confusion

President Donald Trump's budget office on Wednesday rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country. The memo, which was issued Monday by the Office of Management and Budget, had frightened states, schools and organisations that rely on trillions of dollars from Washington. Administration officials said the pause was necessary to review whether spending aligned with Trump's executive orders on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. But on Wednesday, they sent out a two-sentence notice rescinding the original memo. The reversal was the latest sign that even with unified control of Washington, Trump's plans to dramatically and rapidly reshape the government has limits. Administration officials insisted that despite the confusion, their actions still had the intended effect by underscoring to federal agencies their obligations to abide by

Under Trump 2.0, White House opens briefing room to new media creators

Under the Trump administration's second term, the White House briefing room embraces a new era, offering seats to content creators, influencers, and podcasters to amplify diverse voices

Trump ordered delivery of price relief to Americans, says WH press secy

Criticising the previous President Joe Biden's administration, Leavitt said that Trump ended regulatory constraints and war on American energy

Where will Elon Musk's DOGE team work? Not in the Oval Office, Trump says

Elon Musk's DOGE team will not work in the Oval Office, President Trump clarified. Instead, Musk's office will be located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building

In call with PM Modi, Trump calls for progress toward 'fair' trade ties: WH

US President Donald Trump, in a "productive" phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sought a move towards a "fair" bilateral trading relationship and deeper India-US cooperation, according to the White House. The two leaders also discussed plans for Modi to visit the US, the White House said in a readout of the call on Monday. Today, President Donald J Trump held a productive call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. The two leaders discussed expanding and deepening cooperation," the readout said. They also discussed a range of regional issues, including security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. The President emphasised the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship, the White House said. The leaders discussed plans for Prime Minister Modi to visit the White House, underscoring the strength of the friendship and strategic ties between our nations, accordin

Netanyahu hopes to meet Trump in US as soon as next week, say officials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington as early as next week, according to two US officials familiar with preliminary planning for the trip. Should the trip come together in that timeframe, Netanyahu could be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump at the White House since his inauguration last week. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning remains tentative, said details could be arranged when Trump's special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travels to Israel this week for talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. The White House had no immediate comment on the plans, which were first reported by Axios. Netanyahu's spokesman, Omer Dostri, said Monday on the social platform X that the Israeli leader has not yet received an official invitation to the White House. An Israeli official, however, said Netanyahu is expected to go to the White House in February but did not have a dat

Israel, Lebanon extend deadline for troop withdrawal to Feb 18: White House

The White House said Sunday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until Feb. 18, after Israel requested more time to withdraw beyond the 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war in late November. Israel has said that it needs to stay longer because the Lebanese army has not deployed to all areas of southern Lebanon to ensure that Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence in the area. The Lebanese army has said it cannot deploy until Israeli forces withdraw. The White House said in a statement that the arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by the United States, will continue to be in effect until February 18, 2025. It added that the respective governments will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli or Lebanese governments. The Lebanese president's office ha

Trump should rethink revoking ex-officials' security details: Tom Cotton

President Donald Trump should rethink his decision to remove security details from three former senior national security officials, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday. That protection is not just for them, but also the public, said Sen. Tom Cotton, a Trump loyalist who nonetheless is pushing back against the president's targeting of those he perceived as adversaries. Cotton said a president needs to keep qualified individuals interested in serving the White House and that may sometimes require enhanced security for officials. The Arkansas senator said he would encourage Trump to revisit the decision for those people former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, a former senior policy adviser to Pompeo. All were involved in planning and discussions of the deadly drone strike on Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. The threat to anyone involved in President Trump's strike on Qasem Soleimani is .

Trump signs executive order to declassify JFK, RFK, MLK assassination files

Donald Trump's executive order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general, once confirmed, to devise a plan within 15 days to release the remaining JFK files

Donald Trump downplays threat of China using TikTok to spy on Americans

Trump suggested all electronic products manufactured in China could carry a spying risk, adding that TikTok's was not the most serious of them

Musk questions proposed $100 bn investment on AI venture, Altman fires back

Altman took to X to dispute Musk's characterisation on Wednesday, calling it wrong and suggesting Musk was upset because the pact could rival the billionaire's own AI efforts

Trump era begins with disappearance of reproductive rights website

Launched by the Biden administration in 2022, the site offered vital information on abortion, cancer screenings, prenatal care, and HIV testing

Trump finds new ways to flex presidential power after White House return

President Donald Trump is swiftly breaching the traditional boundaries of presidential power as he returns to the White House, bringing to bear a lifetime of bending the limits in courthouses, boardrooms and politics to forge an expansive view of his authority. He's already unleashed an unprecedented wave of executive orders, daring anyone to stop him, with actions intended to clamp down on border crossings, limit the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship and keep the popular Chinese-owned TikTok operational despite a law shutting down the social media platform. Democrats and civil rights organisations are rallying to fight Trump in court, but legal battles could drag on before slowing the president down. Meanwhile, Trump is drafting a new blueprint for the presidency, one that demonstrates the primacy of blunt force in a democratic system predicated on checks and balances between the branches of government. He's going to push it to the max, said Sen. Tommy Tuberville,

Trump defends pardon to those convicted of assaulting cops on Jan 6

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his decision to pardon people who were charged and convicted of assaulting police officers during the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, despite having run as an ally of law enforcement. "I am the friend of police, more than any president who's ever been in this office," he said. Trump told reporters at the White House that those he pardoned have already served years in prison, claiming murderers often aren't charged for their crimes. "We pardoned people who were treated unbelievably poorly," he said. Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes connected to the riot on his first day back in office.

OpenAI announces $500 bn 'The Stargate Project'; here's what we know so far

The Stargate Project will focus on building data centres dedicated exclusively to OpenAI as the company continues to expand its generative AI computing capabilities

Donald Trump inauguration: Melania looks goes viral; here's who wore what

Melania Trump stunned everyone with her looks at Donald Trump's inauguration, sparking conversations about tradition and personal expression

New US Secy of State Rubio is meeting with members of Quad; what's it for?

On his first full day as secretary of state, Marco Rubio is meeting with his counterparts from a group of countries known as the Quad, which is made up of the United States plus India, Japan and Australia, representing nearly 2 billion people and more than a third of global GDP. The grouping has been around for more than 15 years, but has recently grown in importance. What exactly is it? A diplomatic partnership, but maybe more? The Quad was established in 2007 to bring together countries that had worked together in response to the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Its members stress its diplomatic nature and broad focus on regional issues including infrastructure, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, climate change, and maritime security. Even though security is only part of the mix, the Quad is a major component of the American strategy to counter China's growing assertiveness and vast territorial claims in the region, including to virtually all of the ...