Trump slams another WSJ report, denies being warned against firing Fed chief Powell
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump called the story "typically untruthful" and said no one had to explain to him what impact firing Powell would have on financial markets.
"The Wall Street Journal ran a typically untruthful story today by saying that Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, explained to me that firing Jerome 'Too Late' Powell, the Worst Federal Reserve Chairman in History, would be bad for the Market," Trump wrote.
"Nobody had to explain that to me. I know better than anybody what's good for the Market, and what's good for the U.S.A," he added. "If it weren't for me, the Market wouldn't be at Record Highs right now, it probably would have CRASHED! So, get your information CORRECT. People don't explain to me, I explain to them!"
According to The Hill, Trump has been pushing to remove Powell over his handling of interest rates. However, legal experts believe the president does not have the direct authority to fire the Fed chair. News of Trump's efforts to do so has reportedly caused concern on Wall Street.
The Federal Reserve, when contacted, said it had "nothing to share" on the matter, The Hill reported.
Meanwhile, Trump has also filed a defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. The legal action comes after the newspaper published a story that included a birthday message Trump had allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019.
The message, reportedly typed inside the outline of a naked woman and signed by Trump, said, "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday -- and may every day be another wonderful secret," according to The Hill.
In the lawsuit, Trump claimed that the report had caused him "overwhelming financial and reputational harm" and demanded billions of dollars in damages.
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Observer
9 hours ago
- Observer
Why are Thailand and Cambodia Fighting?
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Cambodia's prime minister and the acting prime minister of Thailand had agreed to meet immediately and quickly work out a ceasefire as he sought to end the conflict between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, which has entered a third day. Thai and Cambodian forces attacked each other in the Thai province of Trat on Saturday, creating a new front in the battle over their shared border, in the deadliest clashes between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. At least 34 people have died in the conflict, which began Thursday with an eruption of violence near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both nations, after two months of tension. Thailand and Cambodia are each negotiating trade deals with the United States, but it was unclear if Trump's intervention would actually end the fighting. China has also offered to mediate talks. It is the largest trading partner for Thailand and Cambodia, and has increased its influence in the region as governments in Southeast Asia are becoming wary of the United States. The border tensions have contributed to a political crisis in Thailand: On July 1, a Thai court suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, because of comments she made about the dispute, which goes back decades. The conflict marks a split between Shinawatra's father and Cambodia's leader, whose decades-long relationship had been the glue holding the two neighbors together despite the intractable border dispute. What started this conflict? Each nation accused the other of firing first on Thursday. The Thai army said that Cambodia had fired rockets into civilian areas in four Thai provinces, prompting Thailand to send F-16 fighter jets to strike targets in Cambodia. Cambodian officials said that Thai soldiers had opened fire on Cambodian troops first, at Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a temple claimed by both nations. They said Cambodian forces returned fire some 15 minutes later. In Thailand, at least 13 civilians and seven soldiers have been killed. In Cambodia, there have been at least 13 deaths, including those of five soldiers. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated from areas along the border, while in Cambodia, 35,000 people have fled their homes. Who is working on a ceasefire? In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said he spoke by phone with Cambodia's leader, Hun Manet, and Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai. The president said that he told both leaders that it was inappropriate to 'get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States 'until the fighting STOPS.' Thailand and Cambodia are both negotiating trade deals with the United States. 'They will hopefully get along for many years to come,' Trump wrote. In an earlier post, he said he was 'trying to simplify a complex situation!' It was unclear whether Trump's intervention would lead to a genuine breakthrough. Cambodia said Friday that it had agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Malaysia but accused Thailand of reneging on the deal. Thailand responded by saying that any ceasefire had to be based on 'appropriate, on the ground conditions,' and that Cambodia's continued attacks showed a lack of good faith. On Friday, representatives of Cambodia and Thailand spoke at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, with each side accusing the other of escalating the violence. On Thursday, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said that Thailand and Cambodia were China's 'friendly neighbors,' adding that Beijing had been working to facilitate talks. What are the origins of the border tensions? The ownership of Prasat Ta Muen Thom is disputed by the two countries. Hun Sen claimed in a social media post that a Thai military commander had 'started this war' by ordering the closure of the temple on Wednesday, and opening fire on Cambodian troops the next day. Thailand has accused Cambodia of starting the conflict. The temple is in the Surin province of Thailand, on the disputed border with Cambodia, and people there speak Khmer as well as Thai, highlighting the cultural overlap with Cambodia, where Khmer is the official language. The province is known for ruins from the Khmer Empire, which lasted from the ninth to the 15th century. One such ruin is Prasat Ta Muen Thom. Arguments about where the border should be and who owns the temples in the region have led to decades of disputes. In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple, another temple about 95 miles away. In 2013, the court, the top judicial body of the United Nations, tried to clarify the 1962 decision. It said that Cambodia had sovereignty over the immediate area around that temple, but it left unresolved who controlled a larger disputed area. The two countries have had occasional military clashes and nationalist rivalries for hundreds of years. The border disputes can be traced to a 1907 map created during French colonial rule in Cambodia. The two countries interpret the map differently. Military fighting has broken out intermittently since 2008, but the last time that a major clash turned deadly was in 2011. Why was Thailand's prime minister suspended? In June, Paetongtarn spoke by phone to Hun Sen, Cambodia's de facto leader, to discuss the escalating border tensions. Hun Sen has had close ties to her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister of Thailand and the leader of a powerful political dynasty, as well as one of the country's richest men. Hun Sen posted a recording of their call, in which Paetongtarn seemed to disparage Thailand's powerful military and take a deferential tone. She called Hun Sen 'uncle' and told him that she would 'arrange' anything he wanted. In response, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to express their outrage. Although Paetongtarn apologized, she has faced pressure to resign. In early July, a Thai court suspended her. This article originally appeared in
Times of Oman
10 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Trump demands prosecution of Kamala Harris over alleged million-dollar endorsement payments
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) demanded that Kamala Harris and several top American celebrities be prosecuted for allegedly receiving and paying millions of dollars for endorsements during the 2024 presidential election. Trump called the move "totally illegal" and accused Democrats of breaking campaign finance laws. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump accused Harris of spending millions of dollars to buy endorsements from stars such as singer Beyonce, TV host Oprah Winfrey, and civil rights activist Al Sharpton. He alleged the endorsements were paid for and not genuine, and called for legal action. "I'm looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyonce for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for 'expenses,' to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV 'anchor,' Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING! These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO." "Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala and all of those who received Endorsement money BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted," he further added. Trump's fresh attack comes amid controversy over his own handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Earlier, Trump slammed the investigation into the Epstein case as a politically motivated campaign. He referred to it as a "con job" by Democrats to distract from his performance, The Hill reported. "The Radical Left Democrats are doing everything in their power to distract and obfuscate from our GREAT six months of service to America, results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history," Trump posted on Truth Social. He added, "They have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM. Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this HOAX."
Times of Oman
14 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Indian diaspora leaders urge government action over passport-related delays in repatriating mortal remains
Washington DC: Advocacy groups called for streamlined procedures after airlines refused to transport mortal remains without original passports. Indian diaspora organisations have written to India's Home Secretary requesting urgent intervention to address bureaucratic obstacles preventing grieving families from repatriating their loved ones' remains to India. The letter, sent by prominent advocacy groups including TEAM Aid and Jaipur Foot USA, highlights a growing crisis affecting Indian families worldwide when Indian citizens die abroad without their passports readily available. The issue has intensified after Air India faced multiple fines from India's Bureau of Immigration, prompting the airline to adopt a strict policy refusing to transport human remains without the deceased's original passport-even when Indian embassies have issued No Objection Certificates (NOCs). Other airlines have reportedly followed suit with similar policies, creating what advocacy leaders describe as a "deeply distressing and devastating situation" for bereaved families. Prem Bhandari, chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, and Mohan Nannapaneni, founder of TEAM Aid, authored the letter to Home Secretary Govind Mohan outlining the humanitarian crisis. TEAM Aid's Founder and President, Mohan Nannapaneni, along with his dedicated team of volunteers, has facilitated the repatriation of over 4,000 mortal remains from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to every state across India. The organisations explain that passports often become inaccessible when individuals die abroad due to heart-wrenching circumstances. In cases involving accidents, suicides, or homicides, documents may be held by investigating officers for weeks or months. Immigration authorities sometimes retain passports in cases involving asylum seekers or visa violations, leaving families in agonising limbo. "In several tragic cases, the deceased individual lives alone, and their passport is often inaccessible at the time of death," the letter states, painting a picture of isolated deaths far from home. Residences are sometimes sealed during investigations, making document retrieval impossible while families desperately wait to bring their loved ones' home. The human cost of these policies is starkly illustrated in the case of Rahul Patel, whose tragic story has become emblematic of the crisis facing Indian families abroad. "For over a week now, the tragic, untimely, and unnatural death of Rahul Patel has left his mortal remains stranded in a funeral home despite all documentation, including the NOC from the Indian Consulate, being in order," Bhandari said. "The only hurdle is the passport, stuck with customs in Chicago for the last three days, delaying its cancellation. No airline is willing to transport the body due to fear of penalties." The personal toll on families is devastating. "Meanwhile, I receive calls at odd hours from the deceased's brother, Dilip Patel, from Gujarat every day whose family hasn't slept--desperately waiting to bring Rahul home," Bhandari added, highlighting the sleepless nights and anguish that define the experience of families caught in this bureaucratic maze. Despite Indian consulates showing compassion by issuing NOCs that acknowledge missing passports, families face additional trauma when remains arrive in India. Airport immigration officials sometimes detain bodies for hours, citing the absence of original travel documents, creating further delays in an already agonising process. "We used to occasionally ship human remains even when the original passport was unavailable, with the support of the Indian Consulate-issued No Objection Certificate (NOC)," says Nannapaneni. "However, due to recent penalties imposed on airlines by the Bureau of Immigration, carriers are now refusing to transport remains without an original passport. This has created heartbreaking challenges for grieving families who are unable to fulfill sacred religious rites and ensure a dignified final journey to their loved ones' homeland." The advocacy groups note this heartbreaking scenario occurs "even after families have endured days of emotional turmoil and logistical challenges to bring their loved one's home." Chief Advisor Prem Bhandari raises a fundamental question about the current system: "Indian Consulates, Embassies, and High Commissions issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the repatriation of mortal remains only after verifying the deceased's Indian nationality. Therefore, penalising airlines in such cases is neither understandable nor justified." His words underscore the frustration felt by families caught between competing bureaucratic requirements while trying to honour their departed loved ones. In light of this growing crisis, TEAM Aid's Chief Advisor, Prem Bhandari, has formally appealed to the Home Secretary of the Government of India, urging immediate intervention and a permanent resolution to protect and support Indian families in distress abroad. The organisations are requesting a formal directive or circular to airport and immigration authorities across India, stipulating that valid embassy NOCs mentioning passport unavailability should be sufficient for releasing remains without further delays. "We humbly request your intervention to streamline the process," the letter states with quiet desperation, emphasising that the issue "affects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of their families." The groups describe the matter as a "critical humanitarian concern" requiring immediate government attention to support the Indian diaspora community, particularly the substantial population in North America.
