Page 18 - White House

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 ...

Trump Inauguration highlights: Trump signs order for US to exit WHO, withdraws from Paris Accords

Donald Trump Inauguration Day LIVE Updates: Stay with us for all the latest news updates as Trump takes over the White House

Trump has 'America First' as his top most priority, says White House

US President Donald Trump has "America First" as his priorities and this includes making America safe again, making the country affordable, achieving energy dominance, draining the swamp and bringing back American values, the White House said on Monday. Minutes after Trump's inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, the White House said he would take bold action to secure the border and protect American communities. This includes ending Biden's catch-and-release policies, reinstating Remain in Mexico, building the wall, ending asylum for illegal border crossers, cracking down on criminal sanctuaries, and enhancing vetting and screening of aliens. Trump's deportation operation will address the record border crossings of criminal aliens under the prior administration. The President is suspending refugee resettlement, after communities were forced to house large and unsustainable populations of migrants, straining community safety and resources, it said. The Armed Forces

Triumphant Trump promises show of strength on return to White House

Even before Trump was to take office at noon, aides detailed a raft of executive actions that he will sign immediately, including 10 focused on border security and immigration

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th US President: What to watch for

The excitement is palpable as President-elect Donald Trump gears up for his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States.

Trump meets with GOP senators as supporters cheer his Oval Office return

President-elect Donald Trump consulted privately with Republican senators Sunday before heading off to a series of events designed to celebrate his return to power and the Make America Great Again movement despite deep national political divisions on the eve of his inauguration. The private meeting featured a breakfast at Blair House, the president's official guest residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and gave top GOP leaders a chance to lay last-minute plans barely 24 hours before Trump moves back into the White House. Meanwhile, Trump supporters, many arriving from around the country and decked out in their fanciest clothes, including fur coats, filled parties both formal and informal at hotels and restaurants close to the White House. As they moved between the festivities, some could be heard chanting MAGA or simply stating it as a greeting to fellow revelers. Sunday is Trump's first full day back in Washington since his election victory and gives him a

Donald Trump returns to White House with a rare indoor inauguration

Trump's guest list is a mix of billionaires, businessmen, tech executives, foreign heads, and former presidents

How the White House is preparing for incoming US President Donald Trump

Most presidents get to move into the White House once. President-elect Donald Trump is doing it twice, and his wife, Melania, says it's a lot easier the second time around. I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process, the incoming first lady said recently. She described their first move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2017 as challenging. Regardless of who is president, the whole process also challenges the White House residence staff: The maids, butlers and others who look after the president's private living space have about five hours from start to finish on Inauguration Day to move out one first family and settle in the next one. Everything needs to be planned to the minute, Melania Trump said on Fox News' Fox & Friends. The clock starts ticking when the outgoing and incoming presidents leave the White House together for a shared limousine ride to the Capitol for the swearing-in. As soon as they leave, the executive residence staff