Trump Administration

Pentagon eyes smaller troop cuts across Europe in shift from earlier plans

European allies had previously feared the US might cut as many as 25,000 troops, but a smaller cut is now more likely because the US has looked favorably on increased Nato defence spending

With shifting Iran rhetoric, Trump leaves W Asia in limbo about path ahead

President Donald Trump has had a lot to say about his thinking on the way ahead in the Iran war since Republicans were trounced in last week's midterm elections. In exchanges with reporters, broadcast interviews and social media posts since Election Day, he's somehow managed to back away from carrying out additional strikes while also backing away from the prospect of additional talks with the Islamic Republic's negotiators on ending the 8-month-old conflict. The president acknowledged on the day after the midterms that the war and the global economic tumult it's caused were partly to blame for Republicans' electoral losses, while maintaining it was the right thing to do. Then, at the start of this week, he huddled with Qatar's prime minister at the White House and afterwards told reporters that he believed it was highly unlikely he'd need to order new major strikes on Iran, declaring that the war "militarily is effectively over." But by Thursday, he was again raising questions abo

US ICE deported record 483,000 people in past year under Trump admin

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported roughly 51% more people in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 than the previous year, according to data released by the Department of Homeland Security

White House weighs Lutnick's ouster amid Nvidia chip export concerns

A growing number of lawmakers criticized Lutnick for the administration's refusal to add dozens of Chinese companies to a key US trade blacklist

Trump backed Huang despite spy allegations, urged him to fight for his job

The president called the Nvidia chief on Tuesday, continuing a pattern of supporting him even as the spy scandal was intensifying

US returns over $12 bn in oil proceeds to Venezuela since Maduro's ouster

The Trump administration says it has returned more than USD 12 billion, or almost 99 per cent, of the revenue obtained from the sales of Venezuelan oil since it ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro in January. In a report released Thursday by the State Department, the accounting firm KPMG said the sales of Venezuelan crude, along with minor amounts of gold, minerals and fertilizer, produced USD 12.26 billion. Almost all of the money has been returned to Venezuela under the terms of a broad energy deal reached with the country's interim authorities, according to the report. As of Sept. 30, the end of the 2026 budget year, USD 168.6 million remained in an escrow account managed by the US Treasury Department, the report said. Under the terms of the deal, Venezuelan crude is sold on the open market, with proceeds going into the US-managed account. Venezuelan officials then seek approval for those funds to be returned to the country to pay for infrastructure and humanitarian needs. The

Trump says US doesn't need Iran deal, asks Vance to tackle corruption

Trump said Washington no longer needs a deal with Tehran and asked Vice President JD Vance to shift his focus to alleged fraud and corruption in Democratic-run states and cities.

US Treasury Secy moved to military housing following Iranian threats

Bessent has been shifted to temporary military housing following threats from Iran, as he leads the Trump administration's efforts to tighten economic pressure on Tehran

Lutnick stalled Trump's crackdown on diversion of Nvidia chips to China

Trump on Thursday ​authorized a crackdown on companies suspected of diverting the chips for the third time this year

US judge temporarily blocks Trump admin's plan to deport detained Afghans

A federal judge in New York temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration plans to deport Afghans detained in the United States to Afghanistan or Pakistan on Tuesday, after advocates and dozens of members of Congress warned that their lives would be at risk. Judge Valerie Caproni's order expires Saturday, with no deportations planned before then. A letter led by California Democratic Rep. Scott Peters and signed by 65 other members of the House and Senate said they were "extremely concerned that sending vulnerable people" would expose them to "persecution, torture, or even death." The letter was sent Monday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Immigrant rights organizations have also warned that those deported could face retaliation from the Taliban. Thousands of Afghans fled persecution and feared for their lives after helping the U.S. military and aid groups in Afghanistan. The government's lawyer told the court at a .

US judge dismisses Trump admin lawsuit against Harvard over admissions data

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit against Harvard University over its alleged failure to provide admissions records that the Justice Department had demanded to ensure the Ivy League school stopped using affirmative action in admissions. The Justice Department said Harvard had "thwarted" efforts to investigate potential discrimination. It accused Harvard of refusing to comply with a federal investigation and asked a judge to order the university to turn over the records. But US District Judge Myong Joun concluded that the Justice Department didn't take the necessary procedural steps to obtain the data before filing the lawsuit. "Before taking enforcement action under the statutory framework, the agency must advise the recipient of its failure to comply and determine that compliance cannot be secured by voluntary means," Joun wrote. But Joun also said the ruling does not end the dispute over the data. "I decide a limited question: whether the Government has adequately ...

Netanyahu presses Trump for fresh Iran strikes after US midterm elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday's midterm elections in the United States, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter. A return to full-scale war with Iran could help Netanyahu to form an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week's elections. US President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes while pushing for a deal with Iran. The two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks last week with Iranian officials. The two officials said the mediators are trying to advance a framework for Iran to cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in return for the US lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. They said more talks are planned for this week. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified briefing

US had good conversations with Iran on finding deal to end conflict: Vance

US Vice President JD Vance offered measured optimism on Monday that a deal can still be struck to prevent President Donald Trump from following through on his threat to potentially order new strikes on Iran after the crucial midterm elections in the United States. Vance sent a letter to Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, last week, but the White House has offered scant details about the contents of that correspondence. Trump told reporters that letter was focused on assisting Iran with "medical supplies and various things." But Vance on Monday suggested there's reason to believe that the US and Iran could still come to an agreement. "We've had a number of good conversations with the Iranians," Vance told reporters on Monday when asked about the letter. "I actually just spoke with the president of the United States about an hour ago about this. Look, the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We're going to keep

US Supreme Court rejects Trump admin's push to set aside California ballots

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push for California to set aside thousands of mail ballots from people President Donald Trump's administration claims are noncitizens, a decision that comes on the eve of the pivotal midterm elections. The high court refused to intervene in a case involving 20,000 people the Republican administration flagged as likely noncitizens on the largely Democratic state's voter rolls. It was the latest in a flurry of election-related litigation the day before the midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress for the last two years of Trump's second term. In California, the Trump administration had asked the high court to set aside the challenged ballots until the voters' citizenship status could be verified. But officials there said that the list appeared to be filled with errors and that setting the ballots aside could effectively disenfranchise legal voters. The high court did not detail its reasoning, as is common in emergency decisions.

US consortium pushes for $4.4 billion LNG project in Pakistan: Report

A consortium of American companies, backed by US President Donald Trump's administration, is seeking up to USD 4.4 billion in investment for an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Pakistan, according to a media report on Monday. The proposed project will cover imports, storage, regasification, gas transmission and sales to large consumers on a merchant basis, the Dawn newspaper reported. LNG is natural gas that has been cooled to around minus 162 degrees Celsius, turning it into a liquid and reducing its volume by about 600 times. This makes it easier to store and transport by specialised ships. At its destination, the LNG is converted back into gas through a process called regasification and supplied to consumers. It is used to generate electricity, fuel industrial processes, produce fertilisers and provide energy for heating and cooking. It is also used as a fuel in some vehicles and ships. Pakistan currently has no LNG storage facilities, leaving its supplies of ..

Trump admin face criticism over inflammatory posts ahead of midterms

The Trump administration's online accounts are circulating images of a pumpkin carved with a sombrero design and a fake Halloween-themed background around a Black man apparently accused of food assistance fraud, in social media posts slammed by critics as inflammatory rhetoric. Only days before the midterm elections, the posts coincide with the government's sweeping campaign to show its aggressive immigration enforcement, and highlight efforts to crack down on fraud to save taxpayers money when rising healthcare costs and other economic stressors have made affordability a top voter concern. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted Saturday on the social platform X a photo of the Black man standing in front of stacks of what appear to be US currency with the headline, SNAP FRAUDSTER, an apparent reference to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. He is holding aloft what appears to be a bill set aflame. "Some costumes come with a price tag.

42% of California voter names flagged by Trump admin not on rolls: Analysis

More than 4 in 10 names flagged as possible noncitizen voters in California by the Trump administration cannot even be found on the state's voter rolls, according to a legal filing Saturday by an immigrant rights group. It's the first outside analysis of a list that the Department of Justice has used to threaten prosecution of election officials. The analysis also found that thousands of US citizens appear to be flagged as ineligible to vote on the government's list. The contention was made in a filing by two UCLA data scientists who analysed the 20,930 names that the department demanded that California election officials treat as possible illegal voters by separating their ballots during the vote count on Election Day. Multiple judges have rejected the demand as unconstitutional and a threat to democracy, and local and state officials have said the list appears riddled with errors. The breadth of its problems was outlined in Saturday's filing. It describes an analysis by two memb

US lawmakers warn banks, ports of probe over Russian diesel imports

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has warned American banks, port authorities and fuel distributors that importing Russian diesel could invite legal action and congressional investigations. In letters to the heads of major financial institutions, ports and fuel distributors, the lawmakers said companies facilitating imports in violation of US law could face criminal and civil liability. The letters came amid reports that shipments of Russian diesel were headed to American shores after President Donald Trump earlier this month granted a waiver allowing Moscow to supply diesel to global markets, including the US. The lawmakers cited Section 2 of the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act of 2022, which generally prohibits the importation of Russian-origin energy products, including diesel fuel. Such imports are allowed only after the President certifies to Congress that Russia has ceased all military hostilities in Ukraine and that it poses no immediate threat to NATO members. The .

'I had to do it': Trump says US-Canada tariff dispute to end 'soon'

Trump predicts a swift resolution to the tariff dispute with Canada but offers no details, as Michigan Republicans flag concerns over the impact on the auto industry

Trump names Vance, Rubio among potential 2028 Republican candidates

Trump says the Republican Party has a 'great bench' of contenders for the White House