Tag: White House

Trump offers Putin condolences over plane crash

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday to offer his condolences after a deadly plane crash near Moscow, a White House official said. The call between the two leaders — who are at the center of an FBI investigation into Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election — took place after a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Domodedovo airport, killing all 71 people […]

US Senate leaders reach budget deal on eve of shutdown deadline

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US Senate leaders said Wednesday they had reached a bipartisan budget deal for 2018 and 2019 — a move which, if approved by Congress, would avert a second government shutdown in just three weeks. The deal, months in the making, was seen as a major achievement for both the ruling Republicans and opposition Democrats in a deeply divided Washington. The breakthrough came on the eve of a […]

Planning under way for Trump’s military parade: Dunford

BANGKOK, Thailand ( AFP) – The US military’s top officer said Wednesday that planning is underway after President Donald Trump ordered a military parade, an unconventional demand that has drawn comparisons to sabre rattling more commonly associated with autocrats. “I am aware of the president’s request and we are in the initial planning stages to meet the president’s direction,” General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a visit to the Thai capital […]

Trump focused on ‘strong’ fundamentals amid market sell-off

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump was focused on the long-term health of the economy, claiming the fundamentals were “exceptionally strong,” despite a strong market sell-off. Wall Street stocks endured a brutal first session of the week, with the Dow seeing its steepest ever one-day point drop, wiping 4.6 percent off the value of America’s 30 largest companies. “The president’s focus is on our long-term economic fundamentals, […]

Trump, Republicans release memo targeting FBI’s Russia probe

by Paul HANDLEY / Andrew BEATTY Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Donald Trump and his Republican allies unleashed a controversial memo accusing the FBI of bias and abuse of power Friday, intensifying a high-stakes fight between the White House and prosecutors investigating the president’s campaign team. Trump defied his own FBI director and the Justice Department to declassify the four-page Republican document, which implies malfeasance and partisanship at the very top of American law enforcement. […]

Christopher Wray, ‘low key’ FBI director in eye of the storm

by Chris Lefkow Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Christopher Wray, President Donald Trump’s hand-picked FBI director, told senators during his confirmation hearing not to be put off by his soft-spoken manner. “No one should mistake my low-key demeanor as a lack of resolve,” Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Anybody who thinks that I would be pulling punches as the FBI director sure doesn’t know me very well.” Just six months into the job, the […]

Train carrying US Republicans hits truck, killing one person

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A train carrying several dozens of Republican lawmakers including US House Speaker Paul Ryan collided with a garbage truck Wednesday in Virginia, killing one person and sending six others, including a congressman, to a hospital, officials said. The White House said no members of Congress were seriously injured, and that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the accident. At least 300 people, including lawmakers, […]

White House seeking to slash renewable energy research: report

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The Trump administration will ask Congress to cut funding for clean energy and energy efficiency programs by 72 percent in this year’s budget, according to a report in the Washington Post, underscoring its preference for fossil fuels. The Post said it had obtained draft documents that outlined the administration’s starting point for negotiations for the 2018 budget, set to be unveiled in February. Congress, which is ultimately tasked with deciding appropriations, could […]

US threatens new sanctions as Russia laughs off Putin list

by Dave Clark / and Olga Rotenberg in Moscow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States warned Tuesday that it may soon impose new sanctions on Russian figures, after Vladimir Putin laughed off the release of a US target list of his closest and richest allies. The world was braced for a US sanctions onslaught on Monday when a new law came into effect 180 days after President Donald Trump, still […]

Trump willing to be questioned ‘under oath’ in Russia probe

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would “love” to be questioned under oath by Russia collusion prosecutor Robert Mueller, saying it could happen in the coming weeks. Trump confirmed that his lawyers are in discussion with Mueller, who is leading the investigation into collusion between the US president’s election campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, and also into allegations that Trump tried to obstruct his probe. “I would love […]

Trump says ‘Dreamers’ could earn citizenship in 10-12 years

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was prepared to back a deal that would provide a pathway to citizenship to America’s so-called “Dreamer” immigrants over a period of 10 to 12 years. The latest approach by the White House suggests a key development in negotiations over some 700,000 immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children, and face deportation as early as […]

One year on, Trump leads divided US into government shutdown

by Dave Clark Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump marked the first anniversary of his inauguration Saturday with his government in shutdown, accusing Democrats of taking Americans hostage with their demands. From midnight Friday, in the absence of an agreed spending plan, federal services began to come to a halt or be scaled back, even as lawmakers continued to argue on the floor of the Senate. Essential services and military activity […]