Ellen DeGeneres backs comedian in heated Trump row
The US President lashed out at the comedian over the weekend as he branded her a 'threat to humanity' on his Truth Social platform and threatened to revoke her US citizenship but Ellen has
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Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Trump could meet Putin over Ukraine soon: official
President Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, a White House official says, as the US prepares to impose secondary sanctions, including potentially on China, to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Such a face-to-face meeting would be the first between a sitting United States and Russian president since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021, some eight months before Russia launched the biggest attack on a European nation since World War 2. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have not met since December 2019 and make no secret of their contempt for each other. The New York Times reported that Trump told European leaders during a call on Wednesday that he intended to meet with Putin and then follow up with a trilateral involving the Russian leader and Zelenskyy. "There's a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon," Trump told reporters. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy." The details emerged following a meeting on Wednesday between Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff that Trump described as having achieved "great progress" in a Truth Social post, although later said he would not call it a breakthrough. A Kremlin aide said the talks were "useful and constructive." The diplomatic manoeuvers come two days before a deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports, including oil. Trump on Wednesday also said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% duties announced earlier on India over its purchases of Russian oil. "We did it with India. We're doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China," he said. The White House official earlier said that while the meeting between Witkoff and Putin had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Trump had threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged "signals" on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Trump. Zelenskyy said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more "inclined" to a ceasefire. "The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details - neither us nor the US," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. Trump on Truth Social said he had updated some of Washington's European allies following Witkoff's meeting. A German government spokesperson said Trump provided information about the status of the talks with Russia during a call with the German chancellor and other European leaders. PRESSURE ON INDIA - AND MAYBE CHINA? Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50% - among the steepest faced by any US trading partner. India's external affairs ministry called the decision 'extremely unfortunate.' The Kremlin says threats to penalise countries that trade with Russia are illegal. Trump's comment on Wednesday that he could impose more tariffs on China would be a further escalation between the world's two biggest economies. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week warned Chinese officials that continued purchases of sanctioned Russian oil would lead to big tariffs due to legislation in Congress. The US and China have been engaged in discussions about trade and tariffs, with an eye to extending a 90-day tariff truce that is due to expire on August 12, when their bilateral tariffs shoot back up to triple-digit figures. AIR STRIKES Bloomberg and independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine - an idea mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin. Such a move, if agreed, would fall well short of the full and immediate ceasefire that Ukraine and the US have been seeking for months. But it would offer some relief to both sides. Since the two sides resumed direct peace talks in May, Russia has carried out its heaviest air attacks of the war, killing at least 72 people in the capital Kyiv alone. Trump last week called the Russian attacks "disgusting." Ukraine continues to strike Russian refineries and oil depots, which it has hit many times. Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump's sanctions ultimatum because he believes he is winning the war and his military goals take precedence over his desire to improve relations with the US, three sources close to the Kremlin have told Reuters. The Russian sources told Reuters that Putin was sceptical that yet more US sanctions would have much of an impact after successive waves of economic penalties during the war.
1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
Trump to put additional 25% import taxes on India over Russian oil purchases
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to place an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its ally to 50%. The tariffs would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes. Trump's moves could scramble the economic trajectory of India, which until recently was seen as an alternative to China by American companies looking to relocate their manufacturing. China also buys oil from Russia, but it was not included in the order signed by the Republican president. As part of a negotiating period with Beijing, Trump has placed 30% tariffs on goods from China, a rate that is smaller than the combined import taxes with which he has threatened New Delhi. Trump had previewed for reporters on Wednesday that the tariffs would be coming, saying the US had a meeting with Russia on Wednesday as the Trump administration tries to end the war in Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT Trump had not spoke about the new tariffs Thursday, but he posted on Truth Social that special envoy Steve Witkoff's talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin were 'highly productive". The Indian government on Thursday called the additional tariffs 'unfortunate". The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including privacy concerns over road user charges, possible changes to Wellington's waterfront, and one of the biggest sports memorabilia heists ever. (Source: 1News) 'We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that India would take all actions necessary to protect its interests. Jaiswal said India has already made its stand clear that the country's imports were based on market factors and were part of an overall objective of ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people. Ajay Srivastava, a former Indian trade official, said the latest tariff places the country among the most heavily taxed US trading partners and far above rivals such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. 'The tariffs are expected to make Indian goods far costlier with the potential to cut exports by around 40%-50% to the US,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT Srivastava said Trump's decision was 'hypocritical' because China bought more Russian oil than India did last year. President Donald Trump, right, speaks with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House (Source: Associated Press) 'Washington avoids targeting Beijing because of China's leverage over critical minerals, which are vital for US defence and technology,' he said. In 2024, the US ran a US$45.8 billion (NZ$77.1 billion) trade deficit in goods with India, meaning America imported more from India than it exported, according to the US Census Bureau. American consumers and businesses buy pharmaceutical drugs, precious stones and textiles and apparel from India, among other goods. At the world's largest country, India represented a way for the US to counter China's influence in Asia. But India has not supported the Ukraine-related sanctions by the US and its allies on Moscow, even as India's leaders have maintained that they want peace. The US and China are currently in negotiations on trade, with Washington imposing a 30% tariff on Chinese goods and facing a 10% retaliatory tax from Beijing on American products. The planned tariffs on India contradict past efforts by the Biden administration and other nations in the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations that encouraged India to buy cheap Russian oil through a price cap imposed in 2022. The nations collectively capped Russian oil a US$60 (NZ$101.13) per barrel at a time when prices in the market were meaningfully higher. ADVERTISEMENT The intent was to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, forcing the Russian government either to sell its oil at a discount or divert money for a costly alternative shipping network. The price cap was rolled out to equal parts scepticism and hopefulness that the policy would stave off Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The cap has required shipping and insurance companies to refuse to handle oil shipments above the cap, though Russia has been able to evade the cap by shipping oil on a 'shadow fleet' of old vessels using insurers and trading companies located in countries that are not enforcing sanctions. But oil prices have fallen with a barrel trading on Wednesday morning at US$65.84 (NZ$110.99), up 1% on the day.
NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Trump threatens federal takeover of Washington DC after attack on Doge worker
Trump's Truth Social post was accompanied by an image of a young person smeared in blood, sitting shirtless on the ground. Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy and girl from Maryland and charged them with unarmed carjacking, the department said in a news release. Two other people familiar with the details of the case, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the suspects are being held at the city's youth detention centre. The attack is the latest seemingly random assault on a federal staffer in Washington, intensifying scrutiny of the nation's capital from Congress and the White House. In June, 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was killed in crossfire near the District's convention centre. He was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, working for Republican Representative Ron Estes of Kansas. No one has been charged in his death. Trump and a Republican Congress have cast the Democratic-led capital as a place ruined by liberal policies. The office of Mayor Muriel Bowser (Democrat) declined to comment yesterday. Year to date, violent crime is down 26% in the District compared with 2024, according to DC police data. Yesterday, Trump called for children as young as 14 to be prosecuted as adults, adding that he may have 'no choice' but to take over the city. 'Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime,' he wrote about Sunday's (Monday NZT) incident. 'If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Focus on crime Trump posted on Truth Social soon after US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro visited the White House. Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, said she spoke with Trump about DC crime. In a video posted to her X account, she said: 'Our job is to get guns off the street, drugs off the street, take care of those individuals who are threatening, carjacking other people and make this city safe and clean again. That's just what we're going to do. And if you don't buy into it, you're going to have to deal with us.' Tim Lauer, a spokesperson for Pirro, declined to comment on the Coristine case, saying it was not handled by the US Attorney's office. Lauer also declined to confirm whether Pirro had flagged the case to Trump during their meeting. Under DC law, the attorney-general's office prosecutes most juvenile crime. The US Attorney for DC - the federal prosecutor in charge of most adult criminal cases in the District - has the power to charge 16- and 17-year-olds as adults if they are accused of certain violent crimes, including murder, rape, armed robbery and burglary. DC Attorney-General Brian Schwalb (D) said he could not comment on specific cases but called the incident 'disturbing'. 'No one who lives in, works in, or visits DC should experience this; it is horrific and disturbing,' he said in a statement. 'I cannot comment on specific cases, but know that when [the Metropolitan Police Department] brings us cases with sufficient evidence of juveniles who have broken the law and hurt people, we will prosecute them and ensure they face consequences for their actions.' A spokesman for the office also declined to provide information about the case, citing juvenile confidentiality laws. The incident The attempted carjacking occurred at about 3 am local time in the 1400 block of Swann Street Northwest, a residential, tree-lined area. According to police, the teens approached Coristine and one other person, who were 'standing next to their vehicle', then 'demanded the vehicle and assaulted one of the victims'. During the assault, a police cruiser 'pulled into the block causing the suspects to flee', the police department said. One of the victims was treated on the scene. It was not a targeted attack, a police spokesman said. Earlier this year, Coristine moved into new roles as a senior adviser at the State and Homeland Security departments, raising concerns among some diplomats and others about his potential access to sensitive information and the growing reach of his tech billionaire boss into America's diplomatic apparatus. Coristine, who is now working at the Social Security Administration, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Push for control Trump has long derided the capital as a 'dirty, crime-ridden death trap' and pledged to turn it around. This spring, he ordered the creation of the 'DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,' a vehicle for his long-held fixations on quality-of-life issues in the city, including homelessness encampments and graffiti, and his broader mission to ramp up deportations and arrests nationwide. At an executive order signing, Trump said 'somebody from Doge was very badly hurt' and said DC will have to 'straighten their act out in the terms of government and in terms of protection, or we're going to have to federalise and run it the way it's supposed to be run'. Democrats have long controlled every branch of local government, though DC officials wield limited power. Congress can nullify local laws and can give the president's administration control of much of the city's public safety apparatus. DC won limited self-government in 1973 when Congress passed the Home Rule Act, giving residents the power to elect their own mayor and city council.
