Trump Administration

As fears of AI catastrophe magnify, Washington stirs, but mostly slumbers

President Trump has been at the forefront of the "what-me-worry?" crowd, refusing to engage on how to balance the risks and rewards of AI

US judge rules Trump DHS plan for 50% Fema staffing cuts as unlawful

A federal judge has ruled that a plan by the Trump administration to slash staffing at the federal agency tasked with responding to disasters by 50 per cent was unlawful. The opinion issued late Friday marked a victory for labour groups who had sued the agency. The labour organisation had argued that plans by the Department of Homeland Security violated congressional protections that were designed to safeguard the independence of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The issue of the FEMA staffing was part of a much larger lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and other labour groups, pushing back on efforts by the Trump administration to slash the federal workforce. US District Judge Susan Illston wrote in her opinion that top Homeland Security officials late last year directed FEMA's leadership to submit a staffing plan that included a 50 per cent staffing cut even though the agency's own supervisors objected. "Frankly, the FEMA staffing plan number

Trump's first major midterm money move: A $10 million Texas Senate ad blitz

The political group associated with President Donald Trump is spending USD 10 million on television and digital advertisements in the Texas Senate race, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission. This is the first significant spending in a premier general election contest by MAGA, Inc, and reflects how a once-safe Republican seat in Texas has become viable for Democrats with the candidacy of James Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the Republican nominee in the race. Trump's endorsement helped Paxton to defeat the incumbent, Sen John Cornyn, in a May primary runoff election. Public disapproval of Trump over the economy and the Iran war has been a headwind for many Republican candidates. Voters generally go against the party in control of the White House in midterm elections and Democrats are hoping to gain control of the House and Senate - with Texas being a symbolically powerful sign of how the political map

US set to take control of major portion of Venezuelan's oil wealth

The plan represents an unparalleled modern-day intervention into another country's economy, harkening back to British government control of Iran's oilfields

Trump admin in talks with Venezuela to take major stake in oil fields

The Venezuela talks follow the January seizure of strongman Nicolás Maduro by US forces and the installation of more amenable leadership in Caracas

Trump administration pauses all immigrant visa applications worldwide

The Trump administration has paused immigrant visa applications worldwide for consular officer training, delaying scheduled interviews as the US steps up checks on visa applicants

PM Takaichi says Japan will 'protect' ICC from US push to dismantle

The sanctioning of Akane and a senior trial lawyer by the US marks the latest escalation of attacks on the court by Washington, which says the ICC has unfairly targeted the US and Israel

Trump submits civil nuclear agreement with Saudi to Congress for review

President Trump has submitted to Congress for review an agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at bolstering the kingdom's civilian nuclear program, but continues to insist that it won't move forward if Saudi Arabia doesn't normalise relations with Israel, according to a Trump administration official. The classified document was submitted to Capitol Hill on Monday as required by the Atomic Energy Act, according to the administration official, a congressional aide, and two others familiar with the matter. All four spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the classified matter. The agreement was signed last month in Washington by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. But the next day, Trump announced he was requiring the Saudis to normalise relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords as part of the pact, raising doubts that the agreement would come to fruition. Neither the administration official nor the others ...

Dozens of Chinese, Hong Kong firms hit by Trump admin's Iran sanctions

US Treasury Dept unveiled a package targeting dozens of individuals and entities as part of what Treasury Secy Scott Bessent described as Operation Economic Outcast

US set for largest mass visa revocation ever, targets up to 200K foreigners

The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. If it happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history and would likely face legal challenges. Unless challenged or revised, the State Department is expected to announce in the coming weeks the revocation of so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two US officials. The action will be taken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. "We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently," said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. He declined

US SC sides with Trump admin on mail voting restrictions ahead of midterms

The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration Monday in a case over President Donald Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting, though it remains unclear how much can be implemented before the fast-approaching midterm elections. The decision leaves room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump's order, and other similar cases have already been filed. The US Postal Service laid out how it would implement the order last week, but time is running short to impose major changes with some states beginning to send mail ballots to voters in just a few weeks. The court's conservative majority didn't decide the legality of Trump's order, instead ruling that the states did not have the legal right to challenge it. "The Court's disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful. On that score, time will tell," the majority wrote in an unsigned order. The Supreme Court's .

US unveils 'economic D-Day' against Iran, warns trade partners of sanctions

The statement marked the latest bid to force capitulation from Iran, which has refused to bow to US demands despite months of US bombing that began in February as well as decades of economic sanctions

Donald Trump's stock disclosure shows more than 1,000 trades in June

The transactions totaled between $78.1 million and $263.1 million in the filing published by the US Office of Government Ethics, which shows a range for each transaction rather than exact numbers

US SC allows Trump's $400 mn White House ballroom work to continue for now

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's USD 400 million ballroom project for now. Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday allowing work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. Lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval. That ruling was set to take effect on Friday. Roberts signed the order because he oversees appeals of Washington-based cases. The case comes before the nation's highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image. The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the high court's emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president's signature policies after fuller review. The administration has argued that the president has total authority to

US plans to pay $850 million of $5 billion it owes United Nations

The US government has notified Congress of its plans to pay USD 850 million of the several billion it owes to the United Nations, the largest payment the Trump administration would make to the world body since it demanded sweeping reforms in exchange for continued support as its largest donor. The State Department laid out its plans to transfer USD 725 million as part of its dues to the regular UN budget and USD 125 million toward UN peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to notifications sent to lawmakers this month and obtained by The Associated Press. The US is behind on about USD 5 billion in dues related to its UN membership, with more than USD 2 billion owed toward the regular budget and USD 3 billion for peacekeeping operations, the United Nations says. In February, the Trump administration made a single payment of USD 160 million shortly after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the institution was facing "imminent ...

Threatening friends and courting enemies in Trump's 'upside-down world'

The president's hostility to allies like Oman, Canada, South Korea, and his affection for adversaries like North Korea, may still shock some. But it comes as little surprise after a decade of upheaval

Trump admin sanctions International Criminal Court president, prosecutor

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its top prosecutors as it continues a campaign to dismantle the tribunal, which it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute US and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza. The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in US jurisdictions or come into contact with the US financial system. "The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty." The move is the latest by the Trump administration against the ICC, which it says has exceeded its ..

Kushner meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in effort to break logjam over Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to pull back the country's military until Hamas fully disarms. But the Trump administration is under pressure to show progress

Big, bold step: Trump welcomes Saudi-Turkey-Pak defence pact amid Iran war

US President Donald Trump has termed the Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan defence agreement a "big, bold and important first step" towards defending themselves in a "more meaningful way". Trump's remarks on Sunday came days after the three nations signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement -- holding any armed offensive against any of the three countries an attack against all of them. "Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Congratulations to the Great Leadership of the three Nations mentioned. THIS IS A BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP - WOW," Trump wrote. The agreement was signed August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. India said

Trump orders Pentagon to scale back US-South Korea joint military drills

President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea after he said it declined to help denuclearise Iran. The announcement comes days before one of two scheduled large-scale joint annual exercises between South Korean and US troops are set to begin this week . It also comes just days after North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing activities that are banned by the UN. The allies have said the 11-day exercises are meant to strengthen their readiness against threats from North Korea, and reiterated that they are defensive in nature.