Latest news with #Trumps'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Calmes: Will the Qatar gift to Trump fly?
The real value of President Trump's acceptance of a $400 million 'palace in the sky' — a super luxe Boeing 747-8 grift, er, gift, from the oil-rich Qatari royal family — could be in what it reveals to his fellow Americans about his unprecedented, global grab for wealth and its trappings. After all, most Americans struggle to grasp the Trump family's open leveraging of presidential clout, especially when it comes to the complex world of cryptocurrency. Various deals have made Trump a 'crypto billionaire,' in the Wall Street Journal's phrase, in a matter of months. Americans' eyes also glaze over at the complicated, lucrative branding deals with foreign investors eager to slap the Trump name on hotels, residential towers and resort golf courses, especially in the Middle East, thereby gaining an in with the world's most powerful person. 'Golden Age … for Trumps' was the headline last week in Axios, aptly turning Trump's inaugural promise, 'a golden age for America,' on its head. Read more: Trump returns to the Middle East with tech titans, seeking trillion-dollar deals Now, finally, Trump is making it easy for everyone to fathom his corruption. Who can't smell the stink of taking a tricked-out jet from a foreign government keen to curry U.S. favor, and in particular Qatar, which Trump decried in his first term for its financing of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah? Even Republicans untied their tongues to question this Trumpian transaction, along with MAGA celeb-loyalists Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer. 'If this were Biden, we would be furious,' Nikki Haley correctly wrote on social media. Critics from across the spectrum rushed to name the plane: Swamp Force One, Grift Force One, Hamas Force One. And who can't see the hypocrisy of this purportedly populist president, who only recently suggested that American girls sacrifice dolls for his tariffs, grousing on Tuesday to Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One about how shabby his 'much smaller and less impressive' presidential plane looks alongside the shiny new 747s of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the three petro-states he's visiting this week. Read more: Calmes: It's all Trump's economy now 'He is infuriated that he begins his second term flying around in the same aging planes that once transported President George H.W. Bush' in the early 1990s, the New York Times reported in February. Boo-hoo. The backlash over Qatar's promised largesse plainly has riled a president who's surrounded with sycophants, enablers and a compliant Republican Congress in this second term, and isn't accustomed to being second-guessed. For days after ABC News broke the airplane story on Sunday, Trump assailed his 'stupid' critics. 'Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,' he wrote on social media from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. 'You'd have to be stupid to believe that a $400 million plane, offered by a foreign government, is 'free,' ' former Obama advisor David Axelrod countered on X. Read more: Calmes: The 'USA' brand was 250 years in the making. It took just 100 days to trash it Exactly. Besides, the Qatari jet would actually cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars after it was scoured for bugs and transformed it into an airborne command center capable of withstanding missile attacks and nuclear blast fallout. I'm skeptical he'll ever take possession. But let the plane pile-on continue — Trump deserves it — if this simple scandal helps Americans focus on how fully he's exploiting the presidency for self-enrichment. In his first term, Trump and his family were relatively careful to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest involving foreign investments. ('Relatively' is doing a lot of work there.) No more. Read more: Calmes: The case that proves the U.S., under Trump, no longer stands for rule of law Even Trump's Mideast trip is all business — the country's and as importantly, his own — despite the turmoil in Gaza and Yemen. In his previous term, Trump's first state visit also was to the region; since then, the sovereign-wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have seeded Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's investment firm with a reported $4.8 billion. Ahead of the trip, Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, did advance work of a sort: He hopscotched the countries his father would soon visit promoting the family crypto and real estate ventures. In Dubai he was center stage for the announcement that a firm backed by Abu Dhabi would finance a deal using $2 billion in digital coins from the Trumps' cryptocurrency business, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the family. More such deals are underway. In Qatar, Eric Trump watched as a government official signed the paperwork for a Trump-branded golf course and luxury villa complex, to be built by a Saudi firm. It's one of several such projects in the region. Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. was leapfrogging among Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, prospecting with paid speeches about the 'Trump Business Vision 2025' and visiting foreign officials and politicians. The family formed its cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, just before the election and it's already a global force, with foreigners galore investing in it in bids for the president's favor. As the company's 'Chief Crypto Advocate,' Trump regularly urges people to buy up its digital tokens; next week, he'll dine at one of his golf courses with the 220 top buyers of his $Trump memecoin. Meanwhile, as president, he's using his official powers to spur the industry. He's has signed executive orders promoting crypto, appointed a crypto-friendly chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and shuttered the government's crypto crimes task force. No less than the Wall Street Journal editorial board fretted back in January that Trump, by blurring crypto profiteering and the presidency, was 'inviting trouble with what looks like remarkably poor judgment.' Absolutely. And that trouble — legal, political and ethical — could be a heck of a lot worse than the furor over a $400-million jet fit for a king. @jackiekcalmes Get the latest from Jackie CalmesCommentary on politics and more from award-winning opinion me up. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Will the Qatar gift to Trump fly?
The real value of President Trump's acceptance of a $400 million 'palace in the sky' — a super luxe Boeing 747-8 grift, er, gift, from the oil-rich Qatari royal family — could be in what it reveals to his fellow Americans about his unprecedented, global grab for wealth and its trappings. After all, most Americans struggle to grasp the Trump family's open leveraging of presidential clout, especially when it comes to the complex world of cryptocurrency. Various deals have made Trump a 'crypto billionaire,' in the Wall Street Journal's phrase, in a matter of months. Americans' eyes also glaze over at the complicated, lucrative branding deals with foreign investors eager to slap the Trump name on hotels, residential towers and resort golf courses, especially in the Middle East, thereby gaining an in with the world's most powerful person. 'Golden Age … for Trumps' was the headline last week in Axios, aptly turning Trump's inaugural promise, 'a golden age for America,' on its head. Now, finally, Trump is making it easy for everyone to fathom his corruption. Who can't smell the stink of taking a tricked-out jet from a foreign government keen to curry U.S. favor, and in particular Qatar, which Trump decried in his first term for its financing of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah? Even Republicans untied their tongues to question this Trumpian transaction, along with MAGA celeb-loyalists Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer. 'If this were Biden, we would be furious,' Nikki Haley correctly wrote on social media. Critics from across the spectrum rushed to name the plane: Swamp Force One, Grift Force One, Hamas Force One. And who can't see the hypocrisy of this purportedly populist president, who only recently suggested that American girls sacrifice dolls for his tariffs, grousing on Tuesday to Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One about how shabby his 'much smaller and less impressive' presidential plane looks alongside the shiny new 747s of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the three petro-states he's visiting this week. 'He is infuriated that he begins his second term flying around in the same aging planes that once transported President George H.W. Bush' in the early 1990s, the New York Times reported in February. Boo-hoo. The backlash over Qatar's promised largesse plainly has riled a president who's surrounded with sycophants, enablers and a compliant Republican Congress in this second term, and isn't accustomed to being second-guessed. For days after ABC News broke the airplane story on Sunday, Trump assailed his 'stupid' critics. 'Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,' he wrote on social media from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. 'You'd have to be stupid to believe that a $400 million plane, offered by a foreign government, is 'free,' ' former Obama advisor David Axelrod countered on X. Exactly. Besides, the Qatari jet would actually cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars after it was scoured for bugs and transformed it into an airborne command center capable of withstanding missile attacks and nuclear blast fallout. I'm skeptical he'll ever take possession. But let the plane pile-on continue — Trump deserves it — if this simple scandal helps Americans focus on how fully he's exploiting the presidency for self-enrichment. In his first term, Trump and his family were relatively careful to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest involving foreign investments. ('Relatively' is doing a lot of work there.) No more. Even Trump's Mideast trip is all business — the country's and as importantly, his own — despite the turmoil in Gaza and Yemen. In his previous term, Trump's first state visit also was to the region; since then, the sovereign-wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have seeded Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's investment firm with a reported $4.8 billion. Ahead of the trip, Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, did advance work of a sort: He hopscotched the countries his father would soon visit promoting the family crypto and real estate ventures. In Dubai he was center stage for the announcement that a firm backed by Abu Dhabi would finance a deal using $2 billion in digital coins from the Trumps' cryptocurrency business, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the family. More such deals are underway. In Qatar, Eric Trump watched as a government official signed the paperwork for a Trump-branded golf course and luxury villa complex, to be built by a Saudi firm. It's one of several such projects in the region. Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. was leapfrogging among Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, prospecting with paid speeches about the 'Trump Business Vision 2025' and visiting foreign officials and politicians. The family formed its cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, just before the election and it's already a global force, with foreigners galore investing in it in bids for the president's favor. As the company's 'Chief Crypto Advocate,' Trump regularly urges people to buy up its digital tokens; next week, he'll dine at one of his golf courses with the 220 top buyers of his $Trump memecoin. Meanwhile, as president, he's using his official powers to spur the industry. He's has signed executive orders promoting crypto, appointed a crypto-friendly chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and shuttered the government's crypto crimes task force. No less than the Wall Street Journal editorial board fretted back in January that Trump, by blurring crypto profiteering and the presidency, was 'inviting trouble with what looks like remarkably poor judgment.' Absolutely. And that trouble — legal, political and ethical — could be a heck of a lot worse than the furor over a $400-million jet fit for a king. @jackiekcalmes
The Star
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
FBM KLCI drifts slighly lower in anticipation of OPR decision
KUALA LUMPUR: The blue-chip FBM KLCI idled below the 1,550 resistance as it awaited the central bank's policy decision later in the day. The benchmark index dropped 2.97 points to 1,546.93 as investors sat by the sidelines even as regional markets climbed as Trump suggested he had struck his first trade deal amid the ongoing tariffs war. There were an equal number of advancing issues to declining - with 413 stocks on each side of the ledger- as the market kept to a holding position. Volume was 2.18 billion shares changing hands for RM1.33bil. Blue chips that were dragging on the main index included Nestle down 38 sen to RM87.06, Kuala Lumpur Kepong down 32 sen to RM19.60 and PPB dropping 16 sen to RM12.10. Asian markets rose on Thursday, alongside US futures, in anticipation of details over Trumps' trade deal, which the New York Times claims was made with Britain. Japan's Nikei rose 0.35% to 36,909 while China's composite index added 0.38% to 3,355. Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.1% to 22,941. Singapore's Straits Times rose 0.2% to 3,873.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Paso school board member Kenney Enney defends boycotting class over trans policies
On April 21, 2025, the headline on a letter to the editor from H. K. Davie of Templeton asked the question: 'Are Moms for Liberty breaking the law if they keep SLO County students home?' The simple answer is no, primarily because they are not behind the proposed grassroots school boycott. But to play along, let's say that boycotting schools is breaking the law. Opinion Civil disobedience has been a time-honored tradition in our republic since its founding, whether it was the Sons of Liberty tossing tea into Boston Harbor or civil rights marchers fighting against segregationists by sitting at 'whites only' lunch counters. Whether it's refusing to sit in the back of the bus or boycotting schools, breaking the law for what is good, right and true is sometimes necessary. Leftists usually celebrate boycotts and sickouts. I don't recall any objections in San Luis Obispo County about breaking the law when left-wing teachers organized sickouts to oppose immigration policies or spending cuts. Why is it that H. K. Davie and leftists are now so concerned about a sickout in support of protecting girls' rights under Title IX? I don't recall any outrage over the fact that California has openly violated federal immigration laws for almost 10 years. Yet when parents and students protest the fact that their civil rights are being violated, the left is suddenly concerned? Article VI clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states: 'This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.' When state law and federal law are in conflict, federal law is supreme. California laws allowing boys in girls' spaces or permitting boys to compete in girls' sporting events is in conflict with federal law (Title IX) and President Trumps' executive order regarding the protection of girls' private spaces and sports. California laws allowing school officials to lie to parents regarding the health and welfare of their children is a violation of parents' rights under Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Fourteenth Amendment. The fact that officials in Sacramento and school districts in San Luis Obispo County refuse to abide by their oaths of office and protect the civil rights of those girls attending the public schools of this county has created this situation. Brave young ladies like Celeste Duyst at Arroyo Grande High School are speaking out and 70% of Californians polled agree that Celeste's rights and the rights of tens of thousands of girls throughout the state are being violated. If leftists are concerned about violating the law, then I recommend they contact their school board trustees and demand that they abide by President Trump's Executive Orders and all aspects of Title IX. Kenney Enney, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, represents trustee area 7 on the Paso Robles school board.
News.com.au
24-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Lunch Wrap: ASX lifts and miners bounce back after tariff de-escalation
ASX edges higher as tariff de-escalation pushes miners higher
 Oil wobbles on OPEC supply ramp-up talk
 ResMed says Trumps' tariffs won't apply to its products The ASX lifted again on Thursday morning, with the ASX 200 climbing 0.5% by lunchtime, AEST. Not a thumping rally, but enough to keep the mood upbeat. Investors seemed to breathe a little easier as whispers emerged from Washington that President Trump might be looking to ease those monster 145% tariffs on China. Word is, they could be dialled back to somewhere between 50% and 65%. Nothing official, but it was enough to give Wall Street a jolt overnight. The S&P 500 hit a two-week high, Nasdaq surged 2.5%, while the Dow had a crack at a 400-point gain. Tesla jumped nearly 6% after Elon Musk promised to actually spend more time running the company, instead of moonlighting at DOGE. Intel, meanwhile, is swinging the axe, with plans to cut over 20% of its headcount as it tries to get back to its engineering roots. The chip giant's been wobbling a bit lately, and the new boss, Lip-Bu Tan, reckons it's time for a clean-out and he's not mucking around. In other markets, Brent is hovering around a two-week low as rumours grow that OPEC+ might open the taps further. Concerns also still remain for the oil market that this whole tit-for-tat tariff drama could dent energy demand, especially if it drags on. Back home, most of the big lift came from the miners this morning. Gold stocks, which faced a bloodbath on Wednesday, bounced back strongly. Emerald Resources (ASX:EMR) and Newmont Corporation (ASX:NEM) clawed back 4%. Iron ore names like BHP (ASX:BHP) and Fortescue (ASX:FMG) also rallied, helped by the iron ore price popping back above US$100 a tonne. In large caps news, Kathleen Valley lithium mine operator Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) gained 3% after reporting a solid 17% lift in March quarter revenue. Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) said its gold production and sales dipped during the March quarter, down to 75,497 ounces and 64,322 ounces respectively, though it insists it's still on track to hit its full-year guidance. And, Generation Development Group (ASX:GDG), headed by former Olympics champ Grant Hackett, crashed 17% despite growing its asset base in the March quarter. Looks like the market expected more from its first quarter as an ASX 200 club member. ASX SMALL CAP WINNERS Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks for April 24 : Security Description Last % Volume MktCap M2R Miramar 0.004 100% 14,698,944 $1,993,647 EEL Enrg Elements Ltd 0.002 50% 1,500,000 $3,253,779 RAN Range International 0.003 50% 333,334 $1,878,581 PPY Papyrus Australia 0.011 38% 13,750 $4,565,454 ACS Accent Resources NL 0.008 33% 60,000 $2,838,764 BNL Blue Star Helium Ltd 0.008 33% 1,473,566 $16,169,312 RDS Redstone Resources 0.004 33% 2,618,087 $2,776,135 CUS Coppersearchlimited 0.022 29% 180,006 $2,017,456 RFA Rare Foods Australia 0.009 29% 485,766 $1,903,883 GCM Green Critical Min 0.012 28% 29,194,954 $17,655,105 KNI Kunikolimited 0.175 25% 135,330 $12,169,398 FHS Freehill Mining Ltd. 0.005 25% 1,905,216 $12,314,111 TAR Taruga Minerals 0.011 22% 1,330,000 $6,354,241 PDN Paladin Energy Ltd 4.850 22% 5,257,867 $1,587,861,950 BMG BMG Resources Ltd 0.012 20% 1,298,293 $8,383,972 JLL Jindalee Lithium Ltd 0.285 19% 295,832 $17,662,044 ABE Ausbondexchange 0.039 18% 218,181 $3,718,048 AGE Alligator Energy 0.028 17% 14,454,597 $92,966,384 AKN Auking Mining Ltd 0.007 17% 429,095 $3,448,673 SPX Spenda Limited 0.007 17% 175,201 $27,691,293 TEG Triangle Energy Ltd 0.004 17% 5,600,699 $6,267,702 TOE Toro Energy Limited 0.225 15% 1,033,453 $23,454,960 AEE Aura Energy 0.115 15% 781,040 $89,074,814 CU6 Clarity Pharma 2.055 14% 1,448,202 $580,039,660 Gold Mountain (ASX:GMN) has been poking around its Ararenda Project in northeast Brazil, and reckons it's onto something big. Early test results from stream sediment samples show some chunky copper-gold anomalies stretching across 20 kilometres, which line up with a known mineralised zone nearby. It's sniffing out signs of a large IOCG-style system and with more results on the way, the company said it's keen to drill. Pursuit Minerals (ASX:PUR) released its quarterlies today. The company said during the quarter, it's been busy at its Rio Grande Sur lithium project over in Argentina, which is starting to hit some solid milestones. The company fired up its lithium carbonate pilot plant in Salta and produced its first batch from synthetic brine. Pursuit is also rolling out a staged production plan aiming for over 15,000 tonnes a year, and the numbers from its recent resource upgrade are feeding straight into the feasibility study due out in the first half of 2025. Forbidden Foods (ASX:FFF) is finding its groove after snapping up Oat Milk Goodness, with March racking up its best sales month since the new crew took over. Net sales hit $1.1 million for the quarter, more than double what it was this time last year, and online orders are still climbing. Costco's placed another chunky order – its biggest yet – and the company is building up stock to keep pace with demand. Sabre Resources (ASX:SBR) is offloading its Ninghan Gold Project to Capricorn Metals in a deal worth $1.6 million, with most of the payment coming in Capricorn shares. It's pocketed a $100k deposit and could score up to $1.75 million more down the track if Capricorn kicks off drilling, confirms a decent gold resource, and gives the green light to mine. Sabre's also keeping a small royalty on any gold dug up. ASX SMALL CAP LOSERS Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks for April 24 : Code Name Price % Change Volume Market Cap 88E 88 Energy Ltd 0.001 -33% 6,981,035 $43,400,718 FTC Fintech Chain Ltd 0.004 -33% 583,050 $3,904,618 T3D 333D Limited 0.006 -25% 22,222 $1,409,468 NGX Ngxlimited 0.100 -20% 73,985 $11,326,480 CTN Catalina Resources 0.002 -20% 776,798 $4,159,399 FAU First Au Ltd 0.002 -20% 58,227 $5,179,983 LML Lincoln Minerals 0.004 -20% 2,665 $10,512,849 VFX Visionflex Group Ltd 0.002 -20% 5,000,000 $8,419,651 TRP Tissue Repair 0.205 -18% 628,015 $15,116,211 CTT Cettire 0.540 -18% 5,388,646 $249,711,034 KPO Kalina Power Limited 0.005 -17% 5,315,165 $17,365,318 SHP South Harz Potash 0.005 -17% 72,000 $6,495,472 REE Rarex Limited 0.032 -16% 14,943,330 $30,432,142 8CO 8Common Limited 0.017 -15% 6,695 $4,481,898 IR1 Irismetals 0.135 -14% 300,698 $26,926,103 AAU Antilles Gold Ltd 0.003 -14% 100,000 $7,442,287 CLA Celsius Resource Ltd 0.006 -14% 1,907,211 $20,352,998 FFF Forbidden Foods 0.006 -14% 5,514,266 $4,984,714 HHR Hartshead Resources 0.006 -14% 3,226,541 $19,660,775 ODE Odessa Minerals Ltd 0.006 -14% 6,993 $11,196,728 W2V Way2Vatltd 0.006 -14% 350,000 $6,538,001 OBM Ora Banda Mining Ltd 1.030 -14% 5,855,173 $2,250,645,829 C1X Cosmosexploration 0.074 -13% 13,378 $8,794,661 AGD Austral Gold 0.061 -13% 95,141 $42,861,795 Motor-sports cooling system specialist, PWR (ASX:PWH), took a 5% hit after announcing that founder and CEO Kees Weel is stepping back temporarily to focus on his health. While Weel will still be involved in steering the company's direction, day-to-day operations are now in the hands of the executive leadership team, with Matthew Bryson stepping in as acting CEO. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Hillgrove Resources (ASX:HGO) has mobilised contractors, equipment, and labour to fast-track development of the Nugent decline at its Kanmantoo site, with first ore on track for processing in the December 2025 quarter. This milestone marks the start of Stage 1 in the company's 12-month production ramp-up strategy. EU-funded geophysical exploration has kicked off at Latitude 66 (ASX:LAT) flagship KSB Project in Finland's Kuusamo Schist Belt, as part of the €5 million UNDERCOVER initiative led by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). Backed by Horizon Europe, the three-year project aims to advance deep exploration for critical raw materials using innovative and environmentally friendly techniques. At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Hillgrove Resources and Latitude 66 are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.
