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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
As federal takeover threats loom, the city of Washington waits for the White House to make its move
WASHINGTON (AP) — Around 2 a.m., noisy revelers emerging from clubs and bars packed the sidewalks of U Street in Washington, many of them seeking a late-night slice or falafel. A robust but not unusual contingent of city police cruisers lingered around the edges of the crowds. At other late-night hot spots, nearly identical scenes unfolded. What wasn't apparent in Friday's earliest hours: any sort of security lockdown by a multiagency flood of uniformed federal law enforcement officers. That's what President Donald Trump had promised Thursday, starting at midnight, in the administration's latest move to impose its will on the nation's capital. In short, Trump's promised law enforcement surge to take control of the streets of D.C. did not appear to unfold on schedule. A two-hour city tour, starting around 1 a.m. Friday, revealed no overt or visible law enforcement presence other than members of the Metropolitan Police Department, the city's police force. That still might change in coming evenings as Trump puts into action his longstanding plans to 'take over' a capital city he has repeatedly slammed as unsafe, filthy and badly run. According to his Thursday declaration, the security lockdown will run for seven days, 'with the option to extend as needed.' On Friday night, a White House official said Thursday night's operations included arrests for possession of two stolen firearms, suspected fentanyl and marijuana. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said more than 120 members of various federal agencies — the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service — would be on duty Friday night, upping the complement of federal officers involved. 'This is the first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, D.C.,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who publicly faced off against Trump in 2020 when he called in a massive federal law enforcement response to disperse crowds of protesters, has not said a public word since Trump's declaration. The MPD has gone similarly silent. A crackdown came after an assault The catalyst for this latest round of D.C. takeover drama was the assault last weekend on a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking. The victim, Edward Coristine, nicknamed 'Big Balls,' was among the most visible figures of Trump's DOGE, which was tasked with slashing federal bureaucracy. Police arrested two 15-year-olds and say they're still seeking other members of the group. Trump quickly renewed his calls for the federal government to seize control. 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He later doubled down on those comments, telling reporters he was considering everything from repealing Washington's limited 'home rule' autonomy to 'bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.' The threats come at a time when Bowser's government can legitimately claim to have reduced the number of homicides and carjackings, both of which spiked in 2023. The number of carjackings overall dropped significantly the following year in 2024, from 957 to just under 500, and is on track to decline again this year, with less than 200 recorded so far more than halfway through the year. The portion of juveniles arrested for carjacking, though, has remained above 50%, and Bowser's government has taken steps to reign in a new phenomenon of rowdy teenagers causing disarray and disturbances in public spaces. Emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council earlier this summer imposed tighter youth curfew restrictions and empowered Police Chief Pamela Smith to declare temporary juvenile curfew zones for four days at a time. In those areas, a gathering of nine or more kids under the age of 18 is unlawful after 8 p.m. This lies within presidential authority Trump is completely within his powers in deploying federal law enforcement assets on D.C. streets. He could also deploy the National Guard, although they are not one of the dozen participating agencies listed in his declaration. The first Trump administration called in the National Guard during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and again on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters overran the Capitol Building. But further steps, including taking over the police department, would require a declaration of emergency — something legal experts believe would most likely be challenged in court. That approach would fit the general pattern of Trump's second term in office; he has declared repeated states of emergency on issues ranging from border protection to economic tariffs and, in many cases, moved forward while the courts sorted them out. These declarations have enabled his administration to govern via executive order. On Wednesday, Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare new sanctions on Russia. Imposing a full federal takeover of Washington would require a congressional repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973. It's a step that Trump said lawyers are examining, but it could face pushback. That law was specific to Washington, not other communities in the United States that have their own home rule powers but generally retain representation in their state legislatures, said Monica Hopkins, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the measure allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor, council and local commissioners. The district had been previously run by federally appointed commissioners and members of Congress, some of whom balked at having to deal with potholes and other details of running a city of 700,000 residents. So far, Trump's longstanding criticisms of Washington can be felt most directly in the actions of the National Park Service, which controls wide swaths of land throughout the capital. In Trump's second administration, the NPS has aggressively stepped up its clearing of homeless encampments on Park Service land and recently carried out a series of arrests of people smoking marijuana in public parks. Earlier this week, the NPS announced that a statue of a Confederate military leader that was toppled by protesters in 2020 would be restored and replaced in line with an Executive Order. ___ Associated Press reporters Mike Pesoli, Michael Kunzelman and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
AsiaOne
01-08-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Trump hits dozens of countries with steep tariffs, including 35% for Canadian goods, World News
US President Donald Trump slapped dozens of trading partners with steep tariffs ahead of a Friday (Aug 1) trade deal deadline, including a 35 per cent duty on many goods from Canada, 50 per cent for Brazil, 25 per cent for India, 20 per cent for Taiwan and 39 per cent for Switzerland. Trump released an executive order listing higher import duty rates of 10 per cent to 41 per cent starting in seven days for 69 trading partners as the 12.01am EDT (12.01pm in Singapore Time) deadline approached. Some of them had reached tariff-reducing deals and some had no opportunity to negotiate with his administration. The order said that goods from all other countries not listed in an annex would be subject to a 10 per cent US tariff rate. Trump's order said that some trading partners, "despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgement, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters." Trump issued a separate order for Canada that raises the rate on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35 per cent from 25 per cent previously, saying Canada had "failed to co-operate" in curbing fentanyl flows into the US. The higher tariffs on Canadian goods contrasted sharply with Trump's decision to grant Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30 per cent on many goods to provide more time to negotiate a broader trade pact. A US official told reporters that more trade deals were yet to be announced as Trump's higher "reciprocal" tariff rates were set to take effect. "We have some deals," the official said. "And I don't want to get ahead of the President of the United States in announcing those deals." Regarding the steep tariffs on goods from Canada, the second largest US trading partner after Mexico, the official said that Canadian officials "haven't shown the same level of constructiveness that we've seen from the Mexican side." The extension for Mexico avoids a 30 per cent tariff on most Mexican non-automotive and non-metal goods compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade and came after a Thursday morning call between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. [[nid:720809]] "We avoided the tariff increase announced for tomorrow," Sheinbaum wrote in an X social media post, adding that the Trump call was "very good." Approximately 85 per cent of US imports from Mexico comply with the rules of origin outlined in the USMCA, shielding them from 25 per cent tariffs related to fentanyl, according to Mexico's economy ministry. Trump said the US would continue to levy a 50 per cent tariff on Mexican steel, aluminium and copper and a 25 per cent tariff on Mexican autos and on non-USMCA-compliant goods subject to tariffs related to the US fentanyl crisis. "Additionally, Mexico has agreed to immediately terminate its Non Tariff Trade Barriers, of which there were many," Trump said in a Truth Social post without providing details. Korea deal, India discord South Korea agreed on Wednesday to accept a 15 per cent tariff on its exports to the US, including autos, down from a threatened 25 per cent, as part of a deal that includes a pledge to invest US$350 billion (S$453 billion) in US projects to be chosen by Trump. But goods from India appeared to be headed for a 25 per cent tariff after talks bogged down over access to India's agriculture sector, drawing a higher-rate threat from Trump that also included an unspecified penalty for India's purchases of Russian oil. Although negotiations with India were continuing, New Delhi vowed to protect the country's labour-intensive farm sector, triggering outrage from the opposition party and a slump in the rupee. [[nid:720806]] Trump's rollout of higher import taxes on Friday comes amid more evidence they have begun driving up consumer goods prices. Commerce Department data released Thursday showed prices for home furnishings and durable household equipment jumped 1.3 per cent in June, the biggest gain since March 2022, after increasing 0.6 per cent in May. Recreational goods and vehicles prices shot up 0.9 per cent, the most since February 2024, after being unchanged in May. Prices for clothing and footwear rose 0.4 per cent. Tough questions from judges Trump hit Brazil on Wednesday with a steep 50 per cent tariff as he escalated his fight with Latin America's largest economy over its prosecution of his friend and former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies. [[nid:720820]] The run-up to Trump's tariff deadline was unfolding as federal appeals court judges sharply questioned Trump's use of a sweeping emergency powers law to justify his sweeping tariffs of up to 50 per cent on nearly all trading partners. Trump invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare an emergency over the growing US trade deficit and impose his "reciprocal" tariffs and a separate fentanyl emergency. The Court of International Trade ruled in May that the actions exceeded his executive authority, and questions from judges during oral arguments before the US Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit in Washington indicated further scepticism. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier that the United States believes it has the makings of a trade deal with China, but it is "not 100 per cent done," and still needs Trump's approval. US negotiators "pushed back quite a bit" over two days of trade talks with the Chinese in Stockholm this week, Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to end escalating tit-for-tat tariffs and a cut-off of rare earth minerals. [[nid:720810]]
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump threatens to revoke huge TV star's US citizenship for speaking out
Rosie O'Donnell moved her family to Ireland after Trump was re-elected - saying she'll only return "when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights" Donald Trump has threatened to revoke the US citizenship of TV host Rosie O'Donnell after she spoke out about him. The comedian, who was born in the United States, moved her family to Ireland earlier this year after Trump was re-elected - saying: "when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back." The pair have been feuding for more than a decade, after trading insults online while she was a host on TV's The View in the 2015. And she has continued to be critical of the US President, posting on social media this week that he had "has put this country in danger". Today, Trump lashed out on his Truth Social platform, saying he's giving "serious consideration" to revoking her citizenship - something he is not legally able to do. He wrote: "Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. "She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" To remove the citizenship of a natural born citizen of the US would put Trump in breach of the 14th Amendment of the constitution, which guarantees: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States." The President's outburst will prompt questions about whether he is trying to distract from the row engulfing his administration over dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Washington is abuzz with talk of Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino failing to turn up to work on Friday, following a furious confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Epstein investigation - with some suggesting Bondi could be fired. Following Trump's Truth Social post, Ms O'Donnell posted on TikTok: "The POTUS ladies n gentlemen is a disgrace to all our beautiful country stands for – he is a danger to the nation – a mentally ill untreated criminal who lied to America for a decade on the apprentice ... and u fell for it – its so tragic – had u grown up in Ny – as i did and he did – u too would know what a total fool he is – add me to the list of people who oppose him at every turn – its now or never america – my little posts from dublin upset him – go arrest a few brown people u truly evil man child.'
AFP
24-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Fabricated Trump Truth Social post seized upon by ousted S. Korean president's supporters
"Martial law is a rebellion? A comedy sound. Martial law and rebellion mean the opposite," reads the purported Truth Social post by US President Donald Trump, which was shared as a screenshot on Facebook on June 22, 2025. The Korean-language Facebook post says this was the first time the US leader had mentioned ousted South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law on December link). Then-US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell said at the time -- weeks before Trump was sworn in for a second term in office -- that Washington was "deeply surprised" and Yoon had "badly misjudged" the decision (archived link). Yoon's suspension of civilian rule, which was lifted hours later after a unanimous vote in the National Assembly, saw him impeached and then removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 3. "Indeed Yoon Suk Yeol was right and Yoon Again continues!" adds the Facebook post, which appears to reflect the views of the former president's supporters and uses a slogan adopted by those who believe his removal was illegitimate (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on June 23, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The same purported Truth Social post was shared in similar Korean-language Facebook, Threads and X posts as well as on South Korean forum Ilbe. Yoon's supporters have sought Trump's support in hopes that he would legitimise Yoon's martial law declaration, as both leaders have employed similar rhetoric about election fraud and alleged communist infiltration (archived here and here). "Finally President Trump is coming to the rescue of President Yoon! We always knew he would," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "Trump understands that the martial law declaration was a necessity." The Truth Social post, however, is fabricated. There have also been no official reports about Trump commenting on South Korea's domestic political situation or the December 3 declaration of martial law. Fabricated post A search for the purported post on Trump's Truth Social feed and archives of his account, captured regularly by the Internet Archive, returns no matching results. Moreover, a visual analysis of the purported post reveals inconsistencies with genuine posts on the Truth Social platform. The fabricated post lacks a timestamp and date, which normally appear in the bottom right corner of Truth Social posts. The text in the purported post also fails to align with the figure for "ReTruths" as it should in genuine posts on the platform. Image Comparison between the falsely shared image (left) and a Truth Social post from Trump's account on June 22 (right), with its alignment and timestamp highlighted in blue by AFP A visual comparison of used in the false post is also different from the font "Inter", which is used on the platform and can be previewed on Google (here and here). Image Screenshot showing differences between the text used in the fabricated post and the "Inter" font used on Truth Social The US in the days before and after June 22 -- when the fabricated post started to circulate in Korean-language social media posts -- are about the Iran-Israel conflict and US domestic politics (archived here, here and here). AFP previously debunked multiple doctored images suggesting Trump had extended support to Yoon following his botched declaration of martial law.
Newsweek
26-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Trump Says Iran Deal Close to Avoid "A Lot of People Dead"
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, stating, "We've had some very, very good talks with Iran," and suggesting that "something good" might be announced in the coming days. In the same briefing, he sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Moscow's intensified aerial assaults on Ukraine, describing Putin as "absolutely crazy." These contrasting remarks underscore Trump's complex and divided stance on two of America's most pressing foreign policy challenges. Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and the foreign ministries of Iran and Russia for comment. Why It Matters Progress in Iran's nuclear talks marks a key step in curbing Tehran's atomic ambitions, a long-standing concern for the U.S. and its allies. A deal could ease Middle East tensions, lower proliferation risks, and allow limited economic engagement. But uranium enrichment remains the main obstacle—Iran calls it a matter of sovereignty, while the U.S. sees it as a route to weaponization. A diplomatic resolution with Iran could let the U.S. shift focus to other threats, including Russia's escalating war in Ukraine, where Trump's tougher rhetoric highlights America's foreign policy balancing act. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Sunday, May 25, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Sunday, May 25, 2025. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo What to Know After the fifth round of nuclear talks mediated by Oman in Rome, Trump said there had been "very, very good talks" and suggested news could come soon: "I don't know if I'll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good." He added, "I'd love that to happen because I'd love to see no bombs dropped and a lot of people dead," but warned that military options remain if diplomacy fails. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it "one of the most professional rounds" and said Tehran had "firmly stated" its position. The key obstacle remains uranium enrichment: Iran insists it will continue, "with or without a deal," while the U.S. demands a full halt. Trump Rebukes Putin Trump struck a starkly different tone when shifting from Iran to Russia, sharply criticizing Vladimir Putin following Moscow's largest aerial assault on Ukraine since 2022. "What the hell happened to him? He's killing a lot of people," he said, later posting on Truth Social that Putin "has gone absolutely crazy." He added that new sanctions were "absolutely" on the table, though none have yet been imposed. Donald Trump Truth Social 05.25.25 08:46 PM EST I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles… — Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 26, 2025 What People Are Saying U.S. President Donald Trump: "We've had some very, very good talks with Iran... I think we could have some good news on the Iran front." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: "The fact that we are now on a reasonable path... is itself a sign of progress." Negar Mortazavi, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, editor and host of The Iran Podcast told Newsweek: "U.S. and Iran as well as Oman have all signaled an overall positive sense after the talks. Iran has publicly reiterated that zero enrichment can be a dealbreaker for them. And the fact that talks have not yet collapsed is an indication that the U.S. may be considering this red line. So I am hopeful that they can bridge the gap with the help of mediators." What Happens Next President Trump has promised an update on the Iran talks within days, which could signal either a breakthrough or a setback on the nuclear issue. Meanwhile, the U.S. faces pressure to respond firmly to Russia's intensified attacks in Ukraine, with new sanctions likely under serious consideration. How Washington manages these parallel crises will be critical for its global standing and security strategy.
