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US Prez Biden signs govt funding legislation, averts shutdown crisis

President Joe Biden on Saturday signed legislation that averts a government shutdown heading into Christmas, bringing a final close to days of upheaval in Washington after Congress passed a bipartisan budget plan just past the deadline and rejected Donald Trump's core demand in the negotiations. The deal funds the government at current levels through March 14 and provides USD 100 billion in disaster aid and USD 10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had insisted lawmakers would meet our obligations and not allow federal operations to close. But the outcome at the end of a tumultuous week was uncertain after Trump had insisted the deal include an increase in the government's borrowing limit. If not, he had said, then let the closures start now. Johnson's revised plan was approved 366-34, and it was passed by the Senate by a 85-11 vote after midnight. By then, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations. There will be no ...

Crypto companies Kraken, Ripple, Ondo donate to Trump's inauguration

Coinbase donated $1 million to the Trump-Vance inauguration committee before the election results were known, according to the company

Bald eagle: Icon of freedom, now officially America's national bird

For nearly 250 years, the bald eagle has represented self-reliance and virtue for Americans-and it is now finally getting its due

US Senate passes bill to raise troop pay, aims to counter China's power

The Senate passed a defence bill on Wednesday that authorises significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to USD 895 billion while also stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. The annual defence authorisation bill usually gains strong bipartisan support and has not failed to pass Congress in nearly six decades, but the Pentagon policy measure in recent years has become a battleground for cultural issues. Republicans this year sought to tack on to the legislation priorities for social conservatives, contributing to a months-long negotiation over the bill and a falloff in support from Democrats. Still, the bill passed comfortably 85-14, sending it to President Joe Biden. Eleven senators who caucus with Democrats, as well as three Republicans, voted against the legislation. The bill "isn't perfect, but it still includes some very good things that ...

Trump sues Iowa newspaper, alleges fraud in pre-election polling results

Trump alleges election interference and fraud over Des Moines Register poll

Joe Biden calls for ban on congressional stock trading Washington

President Joe Biden endorsed a ban on congressional stock trading in an interview that's being released this week, belatedly weighing in on an issue that has been debated on Capitol Hill for years. Nobody in the Congress should be able to make money in the stock market while they're in the Congress, Biden said. The interview was conducted by Faiz Shakir, a political adviser for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and published by A More Perfect Union, a pro-labour advocacy and journalism organisation. The Associated Press reviewed a video of the interview before its release. It's unclear what impact Biden's statement could have, coming only a month before his term ends. The Democratic president spoke to Shakir about his economic legacy, which includes supporting unions, investing in clean energy projects and signing infrastructure. But Shakir also asked about congressional stock trading, which has been a catalyst for populist anger at Washington. For example, when the coronavirus pandemic was ..

China plans record budget deficit of 4% of GDP in 2025, up from 3%

These targets are usually not announced officially until an annual parliament meeting in March. They could still change before the legislative session

Biden establishes national monument for 1st female US Cabinet secretary

President Joe Biden on Monday established a national monument honouring the late FDR-era Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet and a driving force behind Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal programmes after the Great Depression. Perkins is one of America's greatest labour leaders, and that's not hyperbole, Biden said. Perkins cemented the idea that if you're working a full-time job, you shouldn't have to live in poverty, Biden said. The outgoing Democratic president signed the proclamation establishing the monument in Newcastle, Maine, after a speech at the Department of Labor as he seeks to burnish his legacy as a champion of women's and labour rights with just over five weeks left in his term. The department's building is named after Perkins, who helped President Roosevelt formulate policies behind the 1930s New Deal agenda and create safeguards in the national economy following the Great Depression that began in 1929. Perkins was the ...

How US President-elect Donald Trump's tariffs could backfire in the future

Beyond alienating friends and partners, Mr Trump's tariffs will probably fail to advance his apparent goal of reducing the US trade deficit

Trump's trade adviser warns against China's attempt to manipulate currency

Peter Navarro, Trump's new senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, said White House would not interfere with the Treasury's review to see foreign trade partners are not manipulating currencies

Democratic senators urge Biden to extend temporary protections for migrants

Democratic senators are urging President Joe Biden to extend temporary protections for migrants in the US before he leaves office, warning that millions of people could be forced to return to unsafe countries once President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House. The senators have been quietly urging the White House to take executive actions that would attempt to extend legal protections for migrants into Trump's administration, and the White House has been discussing what steps to take. But any actions from the outgoing president would happen in the wake of an election that Trump won on promises of hardline immigration enforcement. The Democratic Party is also debating internally how it should approach immigration and border security after its election losses. The Biden administration earlier this week made permanent a rule that extends work authorisations for asylum seekers, but has not made commitments on other priorities for immigration advocates and Democrats. With just wee

DA suggests judge could halt Trump's hush money case, uphold conviction

Prosecutors are urging a judge not to throw out President-elect Donald Trump's hush money criminal conviction but suggesting a willingness to end the case in a way that would preserve the verdict while avoiding punishment or a protracted legal fight. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books, including asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to consider treating the case the way he would when a defendant dies. That would effectively put the case into a permanent state of suspended animation. Trump's conviction would stand, but everything would freeze, including any appeal action. It is unclear if that option is viable under New York law. As applied here, this Court could similarly terminate the criminal proceeding by placing a notation in the record that the jury verdict removed the presumption of innocence; that defendant was never sentenced; and that his conviction was neither

When John F Kennedy wrote a 'letter of thanks' to law student SM Krishna

When John F Kennedy thanked SM Krishna for his support during the 1960 campaign, little did he know that the young law student would later shape India's politics

With vows to shake up Washington, Donald Trump is in class of his own

In the history of American politics, there's no shortage of presidents who promised to shake up Washington once they got to the White House. But Donald Trump may prove to be in a class of his own, and he appears more interested in beating the federal government into submission than recalibrating it. In staffing his administration, Trump has shown an inclination to select people who distrust or even disdain the agencies that they've been chosen to lead, setting up a potential war of attrition between the incoming Republican president and American institutions. There's been nothing like what Trump is suggesting to do," said Doug Brinkley, a presidential historian. "We're talking about dismantling the federal government. Trump's approach will become even clearer this week as Kash Patel, his choice for FBI director, heads to Capitol Hill for an initial round of meetings with senators who will decide whether to confirm him to the post. A former national security official who has branded

US President-elect Donald Trump promises swift action on immigration

Donald Trump said he can't guarantee that his promised tariffs on key US foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and he suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC's Meet the Press that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and US involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning things do change. A look at some of the issues covered: Trump hems on whether trade penalties could raise prices Trump has threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn't believe economists' predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that US an households won't be paying more as they shop. I can't guaran

Donald Trump set to receive 'Patriot of the Year' award at FOX Nation event

President-elect Donald Trump, largely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago in recent weeks, will make a rare appearance outside his Florida resort to accept the Patriot of the Year" award at FOX Nation's Patriot Awards on Thursday night. Trump, who has been announcing job picks as he builds out his administration, will travel to New York's Long Island for the annual awards ceremony from the Fox News streaming platform. The event is being hosted by Fox host Sean Hannity, a friend of Trump's who stepped in after the president-elect nominated Pete Hegseth, the original host, as defence secretary. The annual awards honour and recognise America's finest patriots, including military veterans, first responders and other inspirational everyday heroes, according to Fox. Trump wrote on his Truth Social site earlier this week that he looks "greatly forward" to receiving the Patriot of the Year award, an honour he called so nice! The award marks the culmination of Fox's reembrace of the president-elect, w

Trump names Adam Boehler for negotiating release of hostages abroad

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named a health care executive to serve as his administration's lead hostage negotiator at a time when the US is trying to secure the release of prisoners in Gaza and other regions around the world. Adam Boehler will serve as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. That role has been held since 2020 by Roger Carstens, who was appointed by Trump and remained in the job for the duration of the Biden administration. During that period, the US has brought home several dozen Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained in countries including Russia among them, WNBA star Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich Iran, China, Venezuela and Afghanistan. Boehler is the founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm, and also served as the first CEO of the International Development Finance Corporation. In a statement announcing the appointment, Trump described Boehler as the lead negotiator on

Why Trump's tariff threat over Brics currency may be false alarm

While there is a strong case for tariff reduction, India must be prepared to engage with the US establishment more actively to present its position

Hunter Biden gun case dismissed after President Joe Biden's sweeping pardon

A federal judge dismissed the gun case against Hunter Biden on Tuesday after President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for his son. US District Judge Maryellen Noreika closed the case the week before Hunter Biden was to be sentenced. He could have faced up to 25 years in prison, though as a first-time offender he likely would have gotten far less time or avoided prison entirely. Prosecutors opposed dismissing the case, arguing in court documents that a pardon shouldn't wipe away the case "as if it never occurred". Hunter Biden was convicted on three felonies after he lied on a federal form to purchase a gun in Delaware by saying he wasn't a drug user in 2018, a period when he has acknowledged being addicted. The Justice Department special counsel is also opposed to dismissing a case filed in California after he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes. A federal judge in Los Angeles hasn't yet ruled in that case. The president's Sunday decision to go back on previous pledges and issu

Senior US diplomat to visit India, Nepal, Sri Lanka for cooperation talks

Biden Administration's point person for South and Central Asia will visit India, Sri Lanka and Nepal this week, the first after the November 5 presidential elections. The trip by the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu will be on a visit to the three countries from December 3 to December 10, the State Department said. The visit aims at strengthening cooperation with key partners in South Asia to promote regional prosperity and security, it said. In New Delhi, Lu will support US-India collaboration in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. He will join Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink to lead US participation in the US-India East Asia Consultations. The Consultations, along with separate meetings with senior Indian officials, will provide an opportunity to exchange perspectives on global and regional issues, an official release said. On December 5, Lu will travel to Colombo t