May 21, 2025 8:53 AM

Trump Unveils $175B Golden Dome Missile Defense System, Cites China and Russia Threats

President of the United States Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had selected a design for the $175-billion Golden Dome missile defense shield and named a Space Force general to head the ambitious program aimed at blocking threats from China and Russia. The program, first ordered by Trump in January, aims to create a network of satellites, perhaps numbering in the hundreds, to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles. Trump told a White House press conference that U.S. Space For...

May 20, 2025 3:57 PM

Trump’s mass layoff threat drives U.S. government workers to resign

Tens of thousands of U.S. government workers have chosen to resign rather than endure what many view as a torturous wait for the Trump administration to carry out its threats to fire them, say unions, governance experts and the employees themselves. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on taking office to dramatically slash the size and cost of government. Four months later, mass layoffs at the largest agencies have yet to materialize and courts have slowed the process. Instead, mo...

May 16, 2025 11:41 AM

Peace breakthrough unlikely as Putin declines to meet Zelenskiy in Turkey

Russia's Vladimir Putin spurned a challenge to meet face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Turkey on Thursday, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine's president said his defence minister would head up Kyiv's team. They will be the first direct talks between the sides since March 2022, but hopes of a major breakthrough were further dented by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin. U....

May 15, 2025 5:03 PM

Berlin backs Trump’s demand to hike NATO spending target to 5%

Germany on Thursday backed U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to more than double NATO's defence spending target to 5% of GDP, as Washington urged countries to eliminate any "weak links" in the alliance caused by a lack of military investment. "We are following him (Trump), and we see this as a clear commitment by the United States to NATO's Article 5," Germany's new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, referring to the military alliance's mutual defence pact. Wadephul, who took office ear...

May 15, 2025 4:44 PM

Trump floats possible new F-55 warplane and F-22 upgrade

The United States is examining the possible development of a twin-engined warplane to be known as the F-55, as well as an upgrade to its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor called the F-22 Super, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday. Trump was speaking at a meeting of business leaders, including the heads of Boeing BA.N and GE Aerospace in Doha, a day after announcing a string of business deals, including an order from Qatar for 160 Boeing commercial jets. Trump referred to the proposed F-55 a...

May 15, 2025 12:00 PM

Trump’s ‘palace in the sky’ plane gift concerns some Republicans

Multiple congressional Republicans raised concerns about President Donald Trump's desire to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar, as rival Democrats slammed the plan as an illegal foreign donation and national security threat. Trump said on Monday that it would be "stupid" for him to refuse Qatar's offer of the Boeing 747-8 airplane, which would be used as U.S. "Air Force One," the jet American presidents travel on when they fly around the globe. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister...

May 14, 2025 8:50 AM

Trump says US to lift Syria sanctions, secures $600 billion Saudi deal

President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S. The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to the White House which called it the largest "defense cooperation agreement" Washington has ever done. The end of sanctions on Syria would be a huge boost for a country that ...

May 5, 2025 11:21 AM

Trump says Hollywood ‘dying’; orders 100% tariff on non-US movies to save it

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country, saying the U.S. movie industry was dying a “very fast death” due to the incentives that other countries were offering to draw American filmmakers. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said he was authorizing the relevant U.S. ...

May 2, 2025 3:20 PM

Democrats call for probe into Trump’s executive order on museums

House Democrats are calling on the Smithsonian inspector general to launch an investigation into U.S. President Donald Trump’s March executive order targeting federally funded museums, arguing that the directive may violate federal law and compromise the institution’s independence. In a letter signed by 71 Democrats that was first shared with Reuters, U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Paul Tonko are challenging Executive Order 14253 that was issued in March to remove exhibits, sculpt...

May 2, 2025 10:12 AM

US backs PM Modi, calls for “responsible resolution” amid tensions over Kashmir attack

The United States stands firmly with India in the fight against terrorism and fully supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Thursday. “Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. As President Donald Trump conveyed to Prime Minister Modi last week, the United States stands firmly with India against terrorism, and Prime Minister Modi has o...