[🇺🇸] USA News/Views

[Saif]

Source : https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/when-will-the-us-gain-independence-israel-3630511

When will the US gain 'independence' from Israel?

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin during a meeting in New York City, US on September 20, 2023. FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

In a video recorded in 2001, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said, "The main thing, first of all, is to hit them [Palestinians]. Not just one blow, but blows that are so painful that the price will be too heavy to be borne." Dismissing the possibility that the United States would be an obstacle to the perpetration of such gruesome crimes, he added, "I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won't get in the way."

When the above statement was first reported in various media outlets in 2010, Netanyahu's claim of Israeli influence over the US was met with disbelief and, in some quarters, with ridicule. Many thought it was inconceivable. How could Israel exercise such control over a country like the US?

More than a decade on, if we unpack the intricacies of US-Israel relations, we may not characterise Netanyahu's statements as hyperbolic or counterintuitive. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear understand that the US-Israel relationship is asymmetrical and lopsided in favour of the latter's interests. Successive US governments have been acting against the stated values and principles of their country in order to offer unconditional support for inhuman Israeli policies against Palestinians. US governments—both Democratic and Republican—have been routinely ignoring their own human rights stance by using the veto power at the UN Security Council to protect the Israeli state from criticism of its gross violations of human rights and international laws.

The US's acquiescent submission to Israeli authorities has become more conspicuous, and the magnitude of its catastrophic consequences more evident, since early October 2023 when Israel launched its ongoing genocide against Palestinians. At the expense of its domestic and international interests as well as its global standing, the US has been providing Israel with economic incentives and military munitions, which the latter has been using to slaughter innocent Palestinian children, women, and men and to demolish educational institutions and other critical facilities—all designed to trigger a mass exodus of the surviving Palestinians from their land.

There are instances when the US government treated its own citizens' lives as less valuable than the interests of Israel.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link below.​

 

[Old School]

In-depth, it is all about gaining independence from capitalism. Every country can become truly independent when decoupling itself from global capitalism. The USA is not bound to Israel per se, but it is bound to global capitalism, where Israel-linked people play the central role. Capitalism is the ultimate vehicle of imperialism, and that leads to the slavery of people who become dependent on the capitalist system to feed them. As long as the global capitalist system remains strong, there is no possibility of the USA decoupling itself from Israel. The writer of this article, Mr. Hasan, sees the symptoms but fails to diagnose the actual cause.

 

[Saif]

US slaps sanctions on leaders of Russia software firm Kaspersky

The United States unveiled sanctions Friday against 12 top leaders of the Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, a day after banning the sale of its popular antivirus software on national security grounds.

www.newagebd.net

US slaps sanctions on leaders of Russia software firm Kaspersky
Agence France-Presse. Washington, United States 22 June, 2024, 04:44

The United States unveiled sanctions Friday against 12 top leaders of the Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, a day after banning the sale of its popular antivirus software on national security grounds.

The widespread sanctions target many of Kaspersky Lab's most senior leaders, including its chief operating officer, while sparing the chief executive and the company itself, the Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the designation.

'Today's action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats,' said the US Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson.

'The United States will take action where necessary to hold accountable those who would seek to facilitate or otherwise enable these activities,' he added.

The Treasury sanctions come a day after the Commerce Department said it was banning the Moscow-headquartered cybersecurity firm from providing its popular antivirus products in the United States.

That announcement came after a lengthy investigation which, the Commerce Department said, found that Kaspersky's 'continued operations in the United States presented a national security risk due to the Russian government's offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky's operations.'

The move is the first such action taken since an executive order issued during Donald Trump's presidency gave the Commerce Department the power to investigate whether certain companies pose a national security risk.

Kaspersky, in a statement to AFP, said the Treasury's sanctions were 'unjustified and baseless,' adding that they were based on geopolitical concerns rather than a 'comprehensive evaluation' of the integrity of its products and operations.

'Neither Kaspersky nor its management team has any ties to any government,' it continued, calling the Treasury's allegations 'pure speculation, which lacks concrete evidence of a threat posed to US national security.'

Moscow hit out at the decision to ban the sale of Kaspersky's antivirus software.

'Kaspersky Lab is a company which is very, very competitive on the international level,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

'This is a favorite method of unfair competition from the part of the United States. They resort to such tactics every time.'

Unacceptable risk

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Friday that the company was subject to the 'jurisdiction, control, or direction of the Russian government, which could exploit the privileged access to obtain sensitive data.'

This poses 'an unacceptable risk to US national security or the safety and security of US persons,' he added in a statement.

While Kaspersky is headquartered in Moscow, it has offices in 31 countries around the world, serving more than 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients in more than 200 countries, according to the Commerce Department.

The latest sanctions target many senior leaders at Kaspersky, including long-serving chief operating officer Andrei Tikhonov and chief legal officer Igor Chekunov, the Treasury Department said.

Other individuals sanctioned include the firm's deputy CEO Daniil Borshchev, chief business development officer and board member Andrei Efremov, and its head of corporate communications, Denis Zenkin.​

 

[Saif]

Presidential debates and win-loss matrix

In an era of showmanship, debates between contenders of the world's most powerful position cannot be dismissed as a verbal contest. It is much more than that. The Thursday's debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump has been held much too early. Their candidatures are yet

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Presidential debates and win-loss matrix
NEIL RAY
Published :
Jun 30, 2024 21:47
Updated :
Jun 30, 2024 21:47

In an era of showmanship, debates between contenders of the world's most powerful position cannot be dismissed as a verbal contest. It is much more than that. The Thursday's debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump has been held much too early. Their candidatures are yet to be finalised. It has been held on the presumption that the two will get the nomination at their respective party conventions.

This time the presidential debate also breaks with the tradition set since 1988 of three such face-offs between presidential nominees overseen by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates with both sides complaining against it. The Trump camp brings charges of its biasness against the Republicans and close advisers to Biden considers commission procedures 'outmoded and fussy'. Only two such debates were agreed upon. The next debate is scheduled to be held on September 9 next.

The Thursday's debate was comprehensively clinched by Donald Trump as Biden fumbled, raising the question if the 81-year-old is too old for the Oval office. Against Trump's sharpness, Biden was slow and out of sorts. There have been calls from his Democratic Party for fielding a younger candidate after the poor show by Biden. When Biden had opportunities to pounce on Trump for the latter's Capitol Hill misadventure and felony convictions and other court trials, he had difficulty finding the right words and looked confused.

This debate alone cannot guarantee Trump's win in the presidential race but it will certainly give him and his Republican Party some mileage. Biden will have another shot to amend for his lapses on September 9 when the American Television Network (ABC) will host the second and final round of debate. The problem with the United States of America is that no political party other than the bipartisan rivalry between the Republican and Democratic Party has been able to challenge them. So, the American voters have to choose between either an erratic personality accused of undermining democratic procedures and an octogenarian frail person for their president.

This election, therefore, has the potential of decisively transform the world order if Trump, in particular, emerges victorious. He has indicated that he will not continue to help Ukraine in its war against Russia. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) may not remain the same with Trump coming to power. This may prompt reorganisation of the NATO with far-reaching consequences---both negative and positive. For Ukraine it is likely to be completely disastrous but the world may avoid the rising tension between Russia-China-North Korea axis and Western alignment.

Trump declared several times in the past that he would be able to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine. If his mediation helps bring about a permanent ceasefire between these two warring nations with debilitation of the NATO following US nominal participation or withdrawal, Ukraine may still survive and the world stands a very good chance of resting in peace. Wins in elections for far right political parties in Europe may complete the process. Trump may be a threat to what many of his compatriots consider US values, principles and strong points but his rallying cry "Make America Great Again", used first by Ronald Reagan, reverberates across that country.

De-escalation of military confrontation between rivals possessing intercontinental ballistic missiles courtesy of attention to home affairs by Biden's predecessor can thus avoid a possible world war. However, in case of Gaza conflict, Trump may be more unforgiving than Biden. Also, the unpredictability of his nature will always keep his countrymen and the rest of the world community guessing about his next move. Yet his second term of presidency, if he is elected, is more likely to be either tumultuous or stable depending on his success in advancing American economic and business interests vis-a-vis that of China. Particularly so, when the latter is growing militarily powerful and rehearsing for annexation of Taiwan and claiming its sole right to the South China Sea.​

 

[Saif]

Prospects of fascism in US

WITH the advent of a leader like Donald Trump, we have been watching for the last few decades that the United States is slowly becoming a fascist state. There is a quotation circulating since the last century and it goes like this: ‘When Fascism Comes to America, It Will Be Wrapped in the Flag.’...

www.newagebd.net

Prospects of fascism in US
Ali Manwar 03 July, 2024, 00:00

Virginia attorney general Jason Miyares joins Republican presidential candidate, former US president Donald Trump onstage during a rally at Greenbrier Farms on June 28 in Chesapeake, Virginia. | Agence France-Presse/Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker

WITH the advent of a leader like Donald Trump, we have been watching for the last few decades that the United States is slowly becoming a fascist state. There is a quotation circulating since the last century and it goes like this: 'When Fascism Comes to America, It Will Be Wrapped in the Flag.' Although it is more important than who said it, another cliché that has become popular in the 21st century is attributed to lexicographer Samuel Johnson, who coined the adage 'Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.'

On February 28, the Associated Press reported that former president Donald Trump faced four criminal indictments in four cities as he vied to reclaim the White House. The cases, totalling 91 felony counts, were winding through the courts at various speeds. Some might not reach trial this year while one was set to begin in a matter of weeks.

This would have ended a political leader's career in a civilised society. On May 30, only a month ago, Donald Trump (ex-POTUS) was awarded guilty verdicts by 12 jurors on all 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign. This ominous event not only increased his popularity among the US voters, but contributions to his campaign funds have seen a surge of donations by millions of dollars.

Notwithstanding Trump's criminality, immorality, deception, and stupendous illiteracy, US voters like him and want to see him in the White House again. As we approach the election date of November 5, it looks like a possibility unless 'we, the people' of this country, wake up to the reality. This refers to the United States constitution, which begins with the Preamble — We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Trump's return to the White House as the leader of the western world would bring unprecedented potential devastation to humanity. His proposed policies, if implemented, could lead to catastrophic outcomes, surpassing even the horrors of Hitler's regime. Here are a few things we know he wanted to do during his four years in the office. I am not a fortuneteller, but these are the probable scenarios that Trump himself expressed on various occasions.

First, Trump would like to establish a decisive, close relationship with Russia and Putin and, by implication, introduce some of Putin's favorite policy decisions — Ukraine will be conquered because NATO and US support for Ukraine will be withdrawn. This may also lead Putin to push ahead towards western Europe, if not further. This would be the most visible and immediate impact on the global scale.

We cannot imagine the economic impact of the US-Russia-China hegemony on the rest of the world's population. For the highly populated countries of Asia, two options would open up: join the hegemony as a colonial state or fight for your existence as an independent state, including India. Other states like Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines may eventually become the first countries to experience severe economic downturns and famines.

Second, Trump's policies could plunge the world into a post-apocalyptic nightmare akin to the Middle Ages. His withdrawal from all ecological global treaties to reverse the greenhouse effect would be a death knell for the environment. As we teeter on the edge of an environmental collapse, the impact of this policy reversal would not only lead to the destruction of millions through famine, pandemic, and war but also render the earth's surface scorched beyond recognition, with no hope of restoration. This would happen without a nuclear war, but nuclear war may also occur concurrently. That brings us to the question of Israel.

Third, in the Middle East, the political turmoil that began in April 2024, will most likely bring Israel and Muslim states (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey) into an open war with the possibility of a nuclear confrontation. Given the wishy-washy policies towards Israel, the use of nuclear options becomes more plausible than not.

Fourth, the ecological disaster would hit agriculture and mainly food production, creating a global food shortage for the overpopulated Asian and African countries. This would be a definitive outcome. At first, the whole sequence of events would start as unsuspecting 'inflation.' Rather than looking at the cause of the inflation, governments in these countries would focus on controlling the inflation rather than the downturn of the food supply.

Fifth, the immigration policies in the United States will shift to complete restrictions like Trump did in 2016, focusing on the Muslim ban. The oppressors become more violent in the second term, and Trump's followers are waiting to bring back pre-Lincoln and pre-civil war days back to the United States. The idea is to go back to the days of slavery, literally. In the day-to-day social domain, this would manifest as an extreme form of prejudice, racism, xenophobia, and violence towards any citizen who looks or talks differently. And for the trigger-happy Yankees, that would be the dream come true.

Democracy is dead.

Ask not why they find Trump attractive, but ask why the Germans liked Hitler. And be ready for the impending decline and fall of human civilisation.​

 

[Saif]

Trump escapes an assassination attempt.

 

[Old School]

It is a sad day for America. Anyone posting a "conspiracy theory" or blatant propaganda here will get a thread ban immediately without warning.

 

[Saif]

Kaspersky to officially leave the US

Kaspersky Labs, the Russia-based cybersecurity firm, has stated on its US website that the company will be leaving the United States. This announcement took place about a month after the US government banned Kaspersky from selling its antivirus software in the country.

www.thedailystar.net

Kaspersky to officially leave the US

Kaspersky's US website did not allow consumers to purchase any products, citing "purchase is unavailable for US customers". Image: Reuters/Dado Ruvic

Kaspersky Labs, the Russia-based cybersecurity firm, has stated on its US website that the company will be leaving the United States. This announcement took place about a month after the US government banned Kaspersky from selling its antivirus software in the country.
Last month, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced plans to bar the sale of antivirus software made by Kaspersky in the country, citing security risks posed by Russia's influence on the cybersecurity company.

Kaspersky did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The government also slapped sanctions in June on Kaspersky's senior leadership, including the chief business development officer, chief operating officer, legal officer and corporate communications chief, citing cybersecurity risks.

CNN on Monday reported that Kaspersky Labs will "gradually wind down" its US operations and lay off US-based employees, starting July 20.

Kaspersky's US website did not allow consumers to purchase any products, citing "purchase is unavailable for US customers".

The new restrictions by the US government on inbound sales of Kaspersky software, which would bar downloads of software updates, resales and licensing of the product, will come into effect on September 29.
New US businesses for Kaspersky are to be blocked 30 days after the restrictions were first announced on June 20.​

 

[Lulldapull]

Listen to this shyster spew nonsense and propaganda. Very disappointed already with him:

 

[Bilal9]

Kaspersky to officially leave the US

Kaspersky Labs, the Russia-based cybersecurity firm, has stated on its US website that the company will be leaving the United States. This announcement took place about a month after the US government banned Kaspersky from selling its antivirus software in the country.

www.thedailystar.net

Kaspersky to officially leave the US
View attachment 6984
Kaspersky's US website did not allow consumers to purchase any products, citing "purchase is unavailable for US customers". Image: Reuters/Dado Ruvic

Kaspersky Labs, the Russia-based cybersecurity firm, has stated on its US website that the company will be leaving the United States. This announcement took place about a month after the US government banned Kaspersky from selling its antivirus software in the country.
Last month, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced plans to bar the sale of antivirus software made by Kaspersky in the country, citing security risks posed by Russia's influence on the cybersecurity company.

Kaspersky did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The government also slapped sanctions in June on Kaspersky's senior leadership, including the chief business development officer, chief operating officer, legal officer and corporate communications chief, citing cybersecurity risks.

CNN on Monday reported that Kaspersky Labs will "gradually wind down" its US operations and lay off US-based employees, starting July 20.

Kaspersky's US website did not allow consumers to purchase any products, citing "purchase is unavailable for US customers".

The new restrictions by the US government on inbound sales of Kaspersky software, which would bar downloads of software updates, resales and licensing of the product, will come into effect on September 29.
New US businesses for Kaspersky are to be blocked 30 days after the restrictions were first announced on June 20.​

This was expected for a long time. The See-I-A (and most of the US administration) accuses Kaspersky to spy for the Russian Govt. which they have officially stated.

No US Govt. agency buys Kaspersky products (mainly antivirus software) and even the private companies in the US are discouraged to buy Kaspersky stuff especially if they do business with the US Govt.

This has been going on for ten years or more. I am surprised it took them this long to leave US shores. Same thing with Huawei and other large Chinese IT related brands. Tiktok will leave soon too.

 

[Saif]

US hails meeting between Blinken, China FM

The United States hailed ‘open and productive’ discussions between China’s foreign minister and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Laos on Saturday in which Blinken raised...

www.newagebd.net

US hails meeting between Blinken, China FM
Agence France-Presse . Vientiane 27 July, 2024, 23:20

US secretary of state Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi as they meet on the sidelines of the 57th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane on Saturday. | AFP photo

The United States hailed 'open and productive' discussions between China's foreign minister and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Laos on Saturday in which Blinken raised US concerns over Beijing's 'provocative actions' around Taiwan.

Blinken's stop in Laos is part of a multi-nation Asia visit aimed at reinforcing regional ties in the face of Beijing's growing assertiveness, including in the South China Sea, and its deepening ties with Moscow.

The talks on the sidelines of a foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) lasted for one hour and twenty minutes, according to a senior State Department official.

Blinken raised 'US concerns about provocative actions' by China, including a simulated blockade of Taiwan following the May inauguration of its new president Lai Ching-te, the official said.

China claims the democratic island as its territory and slammed Lai's inauguration speech as 'confession of independence.'

Shortly before the meeting Blinken hit out at Beijing's 'escalatory and unlawful actions' in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines are locked in a territorial dispute.

Beijing claims the waterway—through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually—almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Wang also warned the Philippines over deploying a US medium-range missile system on its soil, saying it would 'create tension and confrontation in the region and trigger an arms race.'

The US Army said in April it had deployed the Mid-Range Capability missile system in the northern Philippines for annual joint military exercises.

Philippines military officials later said the system would be removed from the country.

Blinken arrived in Laos two days after the foreign ministers of China and Russia met with the 10-nation ASEAN bloc—and each other on the sidelines of the meeting.

On Thursday, Wang met Russia foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Vientiane and discussed 'building a new security architecture for Eurasia', according to Moscow's foreign ministry.

The pair also agreed to jointly 'counter any attempts by extra-regional forces to interfere in Southeast Asian affairs', it said.

China has a strong political and economic partnership with Russia, with NATO members labelling Beijing as a 'key facilitator' of Moscow's involvement in the war in Ukraine.​

 

[Lulldapull]

Indians think that hating us and partying up with the racist west is their salvation….……anytime Indian guy even answers back to blatant racism in the US, he gets shot dead!

Newly Married Indian-Origin Man Shot Dead In US In Suspected Road Rage

A 29-year-old Indian-origin man was shot dead in a suspected road rage incident in the US state of Indiana on Tuesday, the police said.

www.ndtv.com

 

[Lulldapull]

I try mentioning this on our other lesser forum, and the mods get uncomfortable.

Ajeeb baat hae no?



When you try educating our ghareeb badbakht on having a second option toward potentially leaving the west, fuckking earthquake happens on our other forum.

 

[Saif]

US, Japan deepen ties, take swipe at China

The United States and Japan issued scathing verbal attacks on China and Russia yesterday after high-level discussions on enhancing already close defence collaboration between Tokyo and Washington in an increasingly unstable region.

www.thedailystar.net

US, Japan deepen ties, take swipe at China

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara at their Foreign and Defense Ministerial (2+2) Meeting at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan yesterday. Photo: Reuters

The United States and Japan issued scathing verbal attacks on China and Russia yesterday after high-level discussions on enhancing already close defence collaboration between Tokyo and Washington in an increasingly unstable region.

A joint statement issued after "2+2" talks in Tokyo between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts said China's "foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others".

They also reiterated their "strong objections" to China's "unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea".

The communique also criticised Russia's "growing and provocative strategic military cooperation" with China, as well as Moscow's procurement of ballistic missiles and other equipment from North Korea "for use against Ukraine". It also expressed alarm at China's "ongoing and rapid expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal".

Blinken said US alliances were all "defensive in nature".

"They have no ambitions toward anyone else, and never have been or ever will be offensive in nature," he told a news conference.

"But at a time when unfortunately these threats are increasing, our alliances, our partnerships, they're getting deeper, they're getting stronger, they're getting more effective," he said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said: "We are at a historic turning point."

"Developments that shake the very foundation of a free and open international order based on the rule of law are continuing."

"We must deepen and develop the US-Japan alliance to safeguard the international order and enhance deterrence," she said.

China claims the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually, almost in its entirety, while Tokyo and Beijing are also at loggerheads over disputed Japan-controlled islands in the East China Sea.

The statement also confirmed US plans to establish in Japan a new Joint Force Headquarters, headed by a three-star US commander, for the 54,000 US military personnel stationed there.

It will serve as a counterpart to Japan's planned Joint Operations Command for all its armed forces, making the two militaries more nimble in the case of a crisis over Taiwan or the Korean peninsula.​

 

[Lulldapull]

US, Japan deepen ties, take swipe at China

The United States and Japan issued scathing verbal attacks on China and Russia yesterday after high-level discussions on enhancing already close defence collaboration between Tokyo and Washington in an increasingly unstable region.

www.thedailystar.net

US, Japan deepen ties, take swipe at China
View attachment 7169
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara at their Foreign and Defense Ministerial (2+2) Meeting at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan yesterday. Photo: Reuters

The United States and Japan issued scathing verbal attacks on China and Russia yesterday after high-level discussions on enhancing already close defence collaboration between Tokyo and Washington in an increasingly unstable region.

A joint statement issued after "2+2" talks in Tokyo between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts said China's "foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others".

They also reiterated their "strong objections" to China's "unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea".

The communique also criticised Russia's "growing and provocative strategic military cooperation" with China, as well as Moscow's procurement of ballistic missiles and other equipment from North Korea "for use against Ukraine". It also expressed alarm at China's "ongoing and rapid expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal".

Blinken said US alliances were all "defensive in nature".

"They have no ambitions toward anyone else, and never have been or ever will be offensive in nature," he told a news conference.

"But at a time when unfortunately these threats are increasing, our alliances, our partnerships, they're getting deeper, they're getting stronger, they're getting more effective," he said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said: "We are at a historic turning point."

"Developments that shake the very foundation of a free and open international order based on the rule of law are continuing."

"We must deepen and develop the US-Japan alliance to safeguard the international order and enhance deterrence," she said.

China claims the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually, almost in its entirety, while Tokyo and Beijing are also at loggerheads over disputed Japan-controlled islands in the East China Sea.

The statement also confirmed US plans to establish in Japan a new Joint Force Headquarters, headed by a three-star US commander, for the 54,000 US military personnel stationed there.

It will serve as a counterpart to Japan's planned Joint Operations Command for all its armed forces, making the two militaries more nimble in the case of a crisis over Taiwan or the Korean peninsula.​

Japan pays about $10 billion per year for the US forces to do sentry duty in Japan. Its chump change for Japan. No problem.......The Japanese are super smart on avoiding conflict with both Russia and China.

 

[Saif]

United States to change military command structure in Japan

United States defense secretary Lloyd Austin was set to announce Sunday an upgrade to US command structures in Japan, as Washington and Tokyo overhaul military cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China...

www.newagebd.net

United States to change military command structure in Japan
Agence France-Presse . Tokyo, Japan 28 July, 2024, 10:53

United States defense secretary Lloyd Austin was set to announce Sunday an upgrade to US command structures in Japan, as Washington and Tokyo overhaul military cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel in Japan who currently report back to Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, around 6,500 kilometres away and 19 hours behind.

But Austin, who on Sunday joined US secretary of State Antony Blinken for '2+2' talks with their counterparts in Tokyo, will announce a new Joint Force Headquarters headed by a three-star commander, a US military official said.

This will serve as a counterpart to Japan's planned Joint Operations Command for all its armed forces, making the two militaries more nimble in the case of a crisis over Taiwan or the Korean peninsula.

Prompted by unease about China and alarm about North Korea, Japan has in recent years been shedding its strict pacifist stance, ramping up defence spending and moving to obtain 'counterstrike' capabilities.

In April president Joe Biden and prime minister Fumio Kishida announced a 'new era' in cooperation at a summit at the White House.

This month Japan and the Philippines — Blinken and Austin's next stop for a '2+2'— signed a defence pact that will allow the deployment of troops on each other's territory.

This followed the first trilateral summit in April between the leaders of Japan, the Philippines and the United States in Washington.

As with Manila, Japan and South Korea have also moved to bury the hatchet over World War II with Biden hosting both countries' leaders at Camp David in last August.

Ahead of the Japan-US '2+2' meeting, Austin and Japanese defence minister Minoru Kihara held trilateral talks with Shin Won-sik, the first South Korean defence minister to visit Japan in 15 years.

They signed a memorandum of cooperation to further tighten ties, including on information sharing and trilateral exercises.

'Trilateral cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea has become stronger and unshakable even under various changes in the international situation,' Kihara told reporters after the meeting.

The discussions between Japan and the US were also set to cover enhancing Washington's 'extended deterrence' commitment to use its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to protect Japan.

China's military modernisation, North Korea's nuclear and missile work, and nuclear sabre-rattling in the Ukraine war have unsettled Japan, said Naoko Aoki, political scientist at the RAND think-tank.

'It is important for the United States to reassure Japan of its commitment and signal to potential adversaries that the alliance remains strong and that the United States is committed to using nuclear weapons if necessary to defend Japan,' she told AFP.

On Monday, Blinken and Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa will meet S Jaishankar and Penny Wong, their Indian and Australian counterparts in the Quad, an alliance seen as a bulwark against Beijing.

In Laos on Saturday Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi sparred over what the top US diplomat had criticised as Beijing's 'escalatory and unlawful actions' in the South China Sea.

The US should 'refrain from fanning the flames, stirring up trouble and undermining stability at sea', Wang said at the meeting, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Blinken also raised 'US concerns about provocative actions' by China, including a simulated blockade of Taiwan following the May inauguration of president Lai Ching-te.

China claims the democratic island as its territory and slammed Lai's inauguration speech as a 'confession of independence'.

Blinken also raised US concerns over China's support for Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.​

 

[Saif]

Japan pays about $10 billion per year for the US forces to do sentry duty in Japan. Its chump change for Japan. No problem.......The Japanese are super smart on avoiding conflict with both Russia and China.

Will Japan go nuclear to maintain balance of power with China and Russia?

 

[Lulldapull]

Will Japan go nuclear to maintain balance of power with China and Russia?

It’s the same ambiguity like Iran or Israel on nukes. Japan can go nuclear tonight…..but using nukes today is like committing suicide.

I’ve mentioned this before that nukes are suicide weapons. Anybody thinks they can use them and get away with the consequences is like they admitting that suicide is an option.

WW2 era legacy weapons got no place in the modern world.

And everyday now we are reminded that neither are airplanes nor tanks nor warships!

 

[Lulldapull]

Check this out guys......kinna budtameez hae ga Trump:

Harris Has low IQ, Trump Says - Other Media news - Tasnim News Agency

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former US president Donald Trump has said his rival for the November election, Vice President Kamala Harris, is a “low-IQ individual.”

www.tasnimnews.com

Oh bhaaaaaaannnnccchhhhh.........

 

[Saif]

Judge to sentence Trump before inauguration

The New York judge presiding over president-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case on Friday set sentencing for 10 days before his January 20 inauguration and said he was not inclined to impose jail time.

www.newagebd.net

Judge to sentence Trump before inauguration
Agence France-Presse . New York, United States 05 January, 2025, 00:50

Donald Trump

The New York judge presiding over president-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case on Friday set sentencing for 10 days before his January 20 inauguration and said he was not inclined to impose jail time.

Judge Juan Merchan said Trump, the first former president ever convicted of a crime, can appear either in person or virtually at his January 10 sentencing.

In an 18-page decision, Merchan upheld Trump’s conviction by a New York jury, rejecting various motions from Trump’s lawyers seeking to have it thrown out.

The judge said that instead of incarceration he was leaning towards an unconditional discharge—meaning the real estate tycoon would not be subject to any conditions.

The sentence would nevertheless see Trump entering the White House as a convicted felon.

The 78-year-old Trump potentially faced up to four years in prison but legal experts—even before he won the November presidential election—did not expect Merchan to send the former president to jail.

‘It seems proper at this juncture to make known the court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration,’ the judge said, noting that prosecutors also did not believe a jail term was a ‘practicable recommendation’.

Trump, who is expected to lodge an appeal that could potentially delay his sentencing, denounced the decision late Friday.

‘This illegitimate political attack is nothing but a Rigged Charade,’ he wrote on his platform Truth Social.

Calling Merchan a ‘radical partisan’, Trump added that the order was ‘knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the presidency as we know it.’

Trump was convicted in New York in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election to stop her from revealing an alleged 2006 sexual encounter.

Trump’s attorneys had sought to have the case dismissed on multiple grounds, including the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling last year that former US presidents have sweeping immunity from prosecution for a range of official acts committed while in office.

Merchan rejected that argument but he noted that Trump will be immune from prosecution once he is sworn in as president.

‘Finding no legal impediment to sentencing and recognising that presidential immunity will likely attach once defendant takes his oath of office, it is incumbent upon this court to set this matter down for imposition of sentence prior to January 20, 2025,’ the judge said.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung denounced Merchan’s decision to set sentencing for the former president, calling it a ‘direct violation of the Supreme Court’s Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence.’

‘This lawless case should have never been brought and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,’ Cheung said in a statement.

‘President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the Witch Hunts,’ he said.

‘There should be no sentencing, and president Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead,’ Cheung added.

Trump also faced two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith, but both were dropped under a long-standing justice department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.

In those cases, Trump was accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden and removing large quantities of top secret documents after leaving the White House.

Trump also faces racketeering charges in Georgia over his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election results in the southern state, but that case will likely be frozen while he is in the White House.​

 

[Saif]

Biden says he could have defeated Trump

Joe Biden thinks he could have won reelection if he had stayed in the White House race, he said in an interview published Wednesday -- while conceding he was unsure if he would have served another full term.

www.thedailystar.net

Biden says he could have defeated Trump

Joe Biden thinks he could have won reelection if he had stayed in the White House race, he said in an interview published Wednesday -- while conceding he was unsure if he would have served another full term.

The 82-year-old Democrat, who leaves office on January 20, was asked by USA Today if he believed victory over Republican Donald Trump was a realistic prospect last November, and he pointed to unspecified polling and said: "I think yes."

"I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old. And so I did talk about passing the baton," Biden said.

"But I don't know. Who the hell knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?"​

 

[Saif]

Trump sentenced to 'unconditional discharge' for hush money conviction

A judge sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge Friday for covering up hush money payments to a porn star despite the US president-elect's last-ditch efforts to avoid becoming the first felon in the White House

www.thedailystar.net

Trump sentenced to 'unconditional discharge' for hush money conviction

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on December 16. Photo: AFP

A judge sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge Friday for covering up hush money payments to a porn star despite the US president-elect's last-ditch efforts to avoid becoming the first felon in the White House.

The judge spared Trump prison or a fine even though the 34 counts of falsifying business records on which he was convicted in May 2024 carried potential jail time.

Instead, New York judge Juan Merchan handed down the mildest criminal sanction available, an unconditional discharge -- a relatively uncommon measure.

"Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances," said Merchan.

"The only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction without encroaching on the highest office of the land is an unconditional discharge."

Trump attended his sentencing virtually, with the judge, lawyers and media packed into the scruffy Manhattan courtroom that was the backdrop to the trial's high drama, legal wrangling and vitriolic personal attacks by the divisive Republican.

"This has been a very terrible experience. I think it's been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system," Trump said before the discharge was passed.

"It was done to damage my reputation, so I would lose the election."

The former president appeared on screens in the courtroom with two large US flags behind him, wearing a red tie with white stripes and looking on impatiently as the brief proceeding unfolded.

Ahead of the sentencing, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said Trump had been convicted of a "premeditated and continuous deception."

"The verdict in this case was unanimous and decisive and it must be respected," he said.

The trial saw Trump forced to look on as a string of witnesses testified that he had fraudulently covered up illicit payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in an effort to stop her disclosing their tryst ahead of the 2016 presidential election, which he ultimately won.

Trump had sought a suspension of the criminal proceedings after a New York State appeals court dismissed his effort to have the hearing delayed.

But the Supreme Court ruled that the sentencing could proceed.

Prosecutors opposed the effort to stave off sentencing, 10 days before Trump is due to be sworn in for a second term, arguing it was wrong for the apex court to hear the case when the mogul still had avenues of appeal to pursue in New York.

FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CONVICTION

An unconditional discharge is a measure without any sanctions or restriction that nonetheless upholds the jury's guilty verdict -- and Trump's infamy as the first former president to be convicted of a felony.

The 78-year-old Trump had potentially faced up to four years in prison.

"He's sticking his middle finger at the judge, the jury, the system of justice, and laughing," said Pace University law professor and former prosecutor Bennett Gershman ahead of the sentencing.

Outside the courthouse, Trump supporters held a giant banner emblazoned with their idol's name that was buffeted by high winds. There was also a small vigil of anti-Trump demonstrators behind a hoarding reading "Trump is guilty."

Trump's counsel had argued sentencing should have been postponed while the Republican appealed his conviction, but New York state Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer rejected that on Tuesday.

Trump repeatedly called the prosecution a "witch hunt" which Steinglass said was "designed to have a chilling effect."

"This defendant has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system," the career prosecutor said.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche said he "very, very much disagree with much of what the (prosecution) just said."

Trump was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election on Monday, four years after his supporters rioted at the US Capitol as he sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.​

 

[Saif]

How Trump’s resurgence could affect the global order

Will Trump pressure Gulf states to sever ties with China, risking economic fallout?

www.thedailystar.net

How Trump’s resurgence could affect the global order

US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2017. FILE PHOTO: AFP

As Donald Trump prepares to assume office as the 47th president of the United States, the world braces for a seismic shift in global politics. His second term, bolstered by a stronger electoral mandate and full Republican control of both chambers of Congress and the Supreme Court, is poised to challenge the fragile framework of the so-called "rules-based international order." This order, long championed by Western democracies, particularly the US, may be heading toward an uncertain future under Trump's leadership. His unpredictable and transactional approach to both domestic and foreign policy suggests that the US' global role could be radically redefined, with profound consequences for geopolitics.

A mandate for disruption

First, Trump's return to power is unlike his first term. He steps into the Oval Office now with fewer constraints. Republican dominance in Congress and a conservative Supreme Court majority effectively give him an open field to enact his agenda. However, this concentration of power doesn't guarantee smooth sailing. Trump's presidency is likely to encounter internal divisions, public backlash, and global resistance.

On the other hand, Trump's hardline rhetoric and actions signal that he will govern with an iron fist. His renewed pledge to implement aggressive immigration policies foreshadows a crackdown on undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. His appointed border chief has already hinted at mass deportations, even involving naturalised citizens. The suggested approaches will undoubtedly devastate countless families but may also backfire due to labour shortages in key industries like agriculture and construction, exacerbating inflationary pressures in an already fragile economy.

The high-tech sector also stands at a crossroads. Trump's protectionist trade policies, including a proposed 25 percent levy on Canadian and Mexican imports and punitive measures against China, threaten to ignite trade wars. While such policies may appeal to nationalist sentiments, they risk crippling supply chains and driving up consumer prices. Even Trump's behind-the-scenes adviser, Elon Musk, has warned that the US' economic future depends on attracting skilled labour—a policy area seemingly at odds with Trump's restrictive immigration stance.

The UN and the decline of multilateralism

Perhaps the most telling indicator of Trump's global stance will be his treatment of international institutions. His disdain for multilateral organisations like the United Nations is well-documented. During his first term, Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, signalling his disregard for collective global action.

This time, Trump may go further. If the UN condemns US or Israeli actions, Trump could threaten to slash funding or even withdraw from the organisation altogether. His administration is likely to disregard international law when it clashes with US interests. Ironically, Trump's blatant dismissal of global norms might expose the hypocrisy of a system that enforces international law selectively—harshly penalising adversaries while excusing allies.

Foreign policy: Isolationism or neo-imperialism?

In foreign policy, Trump's intentions are murkier but no less concerning. His approach to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will be a litmus test for his broader global strategy. During his first term, Trump dismissed the conflict as irrelevant to US interests. Now, he may attempt to position himself as a peacemaker by engaging Russian President Vladimir Putin in back-channel diplomacy. However, such a move could fracture NATO and undermine the Atlantic alliance that has underpinned Western security since World War II.

Biden's strategy of militarily containing Russia has left Ukraine devastated and Europe on edge. Trump's potential pivot toward conciliation with Russia could force European allies to reconsider their security postures. Yet, this rapprochement might also embolden Moscow, accelerating the erosion of the post-Cold War order. The US could face a painful choice: accept strategic setbacks or escalate forcefully to reassert dominance.

In the Middle East, Trump's policies are expected to be even more aggressive than during his first term. His unwavering support for Israel is likely to deepen, potentially encouraging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue further annexation of the occupied West Bank and continue military aggression in Gaza. Trump's disregard for Palestinian rights, coupled with his administration's readiness to recognise illegal settlements, could permanently extinguish hopes for a two-state solution.

The possibility of Trump launching strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities or pushing for regime change in Tehran raises the spectre of a wider regional conflict. His "maximum pressure" campaign, marked by the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during the first Trump administration, failed to curb Iran's influence. Still, Trump appears undeterred and may double down on the confrontational strategy. Such actions could inflame anti-American sentiment, destabilise the Gulf region and strain relationships with traditional allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump's relationship with Gulf monarchies, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will likely be in the spotlight. His first foreign trip as President in his first term was to Riyadh, underscoring the strategic importance he places on these alliances. But gulf nations have been diversifying their alliances, deepening ties with China and even engaging diplomatically with Iran. Saudi Arabia's growing relationship with Beijing—joining BRICS and partnering in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization—poses a potential conflict with Trump's "America First" agenda. Will Trump pressure Gulf states to sever ties with China, risking economic fallout? Or will he tolerate these relationships to maintain regional stability?

The Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states, could also expand under Trump. Saudi Arabia remains hesitant to formally recognise Israel without progress on Palestinian statehood. Israel's intransigence makes such normalisation unlikely, potentially stalling Trump's ambitions for deeper Israeli-Arab integration.

Trump's second term could take the US down one of two distinct paths. A return to isolationism would accelerate the decline of US global dominance, creating space for a multipolar world led by rising powers like China. Alternatively, Trump might adopt a neo-imperialist model, blending nationalist rhetoric with aggressive military and economic strategies. This approach could drag the US into more direct confrontations, resembling the Cold War but with more fragmented battle lines.

Unlike the 20th century, today's geopolitical tensions are not centered in Europe. While Trump may focus on Russia-Ukraine and Middle Eastern conflicts, South Asia might remain relatively untouched—at least during the early years of his presidency. This selective engagement could leave critical regions vulnerable to Chinese and Russian influence.

On the other hand, Trump's authoritarian tendencies, evident during his first term, are likely to intensify. His admiration for strongmen like Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un reveals his comfort with autocratic governance. Trump has openly mused about having dictatorial powers, raising concerns about democratic backsliding in the US.

Trump's second presidency is set to redefine global politics in unpredictable ways. His leadership could either bolster the US' waning dominance or accelerate its decline. Trump's actions could reshape alliances, provoke conflicts, and challenge the very foundations of the global system as we know it now. While a lot remains to be seen, one thing is for certain: the world is entering uncharted territory. And with Trump at the helm, the journey ahead will be anything but predictable.

Dr Rakib Al Hasan is a physician, author, activist and international award-winning youth leader of Bangladesh. He is the founder and executive director of the Centre for Partnership Initiative.​

 

[Saif]

Key Trump executive orders signed on day one

On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including rescinding Biden-era executive actions and withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord...Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during his campaign that he would be a d

www.thedailystar.net

Key Trump executive orders signed on day one

Photo: AFP

On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including rescinding Biden-era executive actions and withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord.

Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during his campaign that he would be a dictator only on "day one" and use his presidential powers to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.

"After that, I'm not a dictator," he said.

As executive orders rolled in on Monday, the accelerated pace amounted to a shock-and-awe campaign. Trump promised in his inaugural speech that these orders would amount to a "complete restoration of America".

So far, here's what we know about the most significant executive orders and actions Trump signed on Monday.

ENDING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

The order: Along with a slew of immigration-focused orders, Trump is targeting automatic citizenship for US-born children of immigrants in the country illegally, to begin 30 days from January 30.

What Trump said: The order specifies that it would limit birthright citizenship if a person's "mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person's birth", or "when that person's mother's presence in the United States at the time of said person's birth was lawful but temporary".

What it means: Birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil, is protected by the 14th amendment and any attempt to revoke it will likely bring immediate legal challenges. The order attempts to deny documents recognising US citizenship for individuals who meet that criteria and are born in the US 30 days after the order was signed.

LEAVING THE WHO

The order: Trump signed an order to have the US exit the World Health Organization (WHO).

What Trump said: "World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It's not going to happen anymore," Trump said at the signing. He accused the WHO of mishandling the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

What it means: The US will leave the WHO in 12 months' time and stop all financial contributions to its work. The US is the biggest financial backer to the United Nations health agency.

RENAMING THE GULF OF MEXICO

The order: Trump ordered two name changes: the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Mount Denali.

What Trump said: "President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American Civilization," the executive order said in part.

What it means: Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the "Gulf of America", something he promised earlier this month at a press conference. He will rechristen Alaska's Mount Denali as Mount McKinley, a change first made by former president Barack Obama in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents.

It will have no bearing on what namespreferences are used internationally.

REVOKING ELECTRIC VEHICLE TARGETS

The order: Trump revoked a non-binding executive order signed by Biden aimed at making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 electric.

What Trump said: "The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity," Trump said on Monday afternoon.

What it means: Part of an effort to repeal Biden's environmental protections, Trump has also promised to roll back auto pollution standards finalized by Biden's administration last spring.

RECLASSIFYING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, MAKING THEM EASIER TO FIRE

The order: Trump's executive order reclassified thousands of federal employees as political hires, making it much easier for them to be fired.

What Trump said: Aides to the president have long heralded mass government firings as part of an attack on the so-called "administrative" or "deep" state.

What it means: Trump effectively reinstates "Schedule F", an executive order he signed in the last year of his first term, seeking to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers. (Biden rescinded the order.)

Key aides to Trump have called for mass government firings. Project 2025 made attacks on the deep or administrative state a core part of Trump's second term. The rightwing playbook called for civil servants deemed politically unreliable to be fired and replaced by conservatives.

DECLARING A NATIONAL ENERGY EMERGENCY

The order: Trump declared a national energy emergency as part of a barrage of pro-fossil fuel actions and efforts to "unleash" already booming US energy production that included also rolling back restrictions in drilling in Alaska and undoing a pause on gas exports.

What Trump said: The order means "you can do whatever you have to do to get out of that problem and we do have that kind of emergency," Trump said at the White House late on Monday.

What it means: The declaration would allow his administration to fast-track permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure. It is likely that the order, part of a broader effort to roll back climate policy, will face legal challenges.

CREATING A POLICY RECOGNISING ONLY TWO GENDERS

The order: Trump signed an order to remove "gender ideology guidance" from federal government communication, policies and forms. The order makes it official policy that there are "only two genders, male and female".

What Trump said: "Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination," the order states.

What it means: The order reverses a Biden-era executive action on the acceptance of gender identity.

PAUSING THE TIKTOK BAN

The order: Trump signed an executive order temporarily delaying the enforcement of a federal ban on TikTok for at least 75 days.

What Trump said: "I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn't have originally," Trump said at the White House, as he signed executive orders according to the New York Times.

What it means: Trump ordered his attorney general to not enforce the law requiring TikTok's sale. Trump says the pause allows for time to chart an "appropriate course forward" to protect national security and not abruptly shut down the popular app. In his first term, Trump favored a TikTok ban, but has since changed his position due to factors including his own popularity on the app.

RESCINDING 78 BIDEN-ERA EXECUTIVE ACTIONS

The order: Trump ordered 78 Biden-era executive actions to be rescinded, including at least a dozen measures supporting racial equity and combating discrimination against gay and transgender people.

What Trump said: "I'll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration," Trump told a crowd in Washington after his inaugural speech. He also said he would end policy "trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life" and push for a "colour blind and merit-based" society.

What it means: The orders signal a reversal of Biden-era policy that prioritized implementing diversity measures across the federal government. Trump repealed orders signed by Biden advancing racial equity for underserved communities and the aforementioned order combating discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

DECLARING A NATIONAL BORDER EMERGENCY

The order: Trump signed an order at the White House declaring an emergency at the southern US border, along with several other immigration-related policies.

What Trump said: "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came," Trump said in his inauguration speech.

What it means: The executive action paves the way to send US troops to the southern border and makes good on campaign promises to implement hardline immigration policies. There are limited details about how the administration planned to execute its sprawling set of immigration actions that were all but certain to face legal and logistical challenges.

Immigrant communities across the country are bracing for Trump's promise to carry out the "largest deportation program in American history", beginning as early as Tuesday morning.

ISSUING PARDONS FOR JANUARY 6 DEFENDANTS

The order: Trump issued pardons for offenders and commutations related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He will direct the Department of Justice to dismiss cases currently in progress.

What Trump said: "I'm going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons, to get them out," Trump said during his rally speech. "We'll be signing pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people." Trump said he has pardoned about 1,500 defendants charged in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and issued six commutations.

What it means: Trump made his pledge to issue pardons for those with convictions related to the January 6 Capitol attack a core part of his re-election campaign. On the campaign trail, Trump often featured the national anthem sung by prisoners in a Washington DC jail. There are more than 1,500 people federally charged with associated charges.

With Trump back in the White House, justice department investigations into January 6 crimes are expected to cease.

WITHDRAWING FROM THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

The order: Trump issued executive action withdrawing the US from the 2015 Paris agreement, along with a letter informing the United Nations of the decision.

What Trump said: "I am immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip off" Trump said during a rally at the Capital One Arena. In his inaugural speech, Trump said he would use executive action to "end the Green New Deal".

What it means: In 2017, Trump exited the Paris agreement. Upon taking office in 2021, Biden rejoined. Monday's order makes good on a Trump election promise to withdraw from the 2015 global treaty seeking to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Exiting the Paris agreement is part of Trump's broader efforts to roll back climate protections and policy. Trump has described Biden's efforts to grow the US's clean energy sector as "the green new scam".

Source: The Guardian​

 

[Saif]

Trump’s foreign policy moves on day one

Donald Trump said he planned to impose 25% tariffs on both Canada and Mexico and withdrew from a signature international climate treaty during an impromptu, wide-ranging news conference from the Oval Office where he tackled topics from trade wars to TikTok and said he was “not confident” that th

www.thedailystar.net

Trump’s foreign policy moves on day one

Photo: AFP A photo illustration shows the front pages of some of Britain's national newspapers, dominated by the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America, in London on January 21, 2025.

Donald Trump said he planned to impose 25% tariffs on both Canada and Mexico and withdrew from a signature international climate treaty during an impromptu, wide-ranging news conference from the Oval Office where he tackled topics from trade wars to TikTok and said he was "not confident" that the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel would hold.

The offhand remarks came as Trump signed a flurry of executive orders on domestic and international politics, including a decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organisation, which analysts have warned could hamper efforts to fight future pandemics.

The US was withdrawing from the organisation, the order said, due to "the organisation's mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states." The US is the largest funder of the Geneva-headquartered organisation.

Trump also signed an executive order on Monday evening declaring a 90-day pause in the disbursement of US foreign development assistance, effectively leaving millions of dollars in aid in limbo, dependent on a decision by Marco Rubio, who was confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate as the first cabinet member of the new Trump administration.

Trump also reversed Biden administration sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in a concession to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a crucial ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The decisions came fast and furious in the first hours of Trump's presidency and indicated how US foreign policy would take a sharp and idiosyncratic turn under the new president's vision of an "America first" foreign policy that values US interests above all.

On trade, the US president punted on a campaign pledge to issue tariffs on Canada and Mexico on day one of his new administration. However, he said he would issue the new tariffs on the North American neighbours on 1 February in what would mark an extraordinary about-face in US trade policy that would considerably raise prices for American consumers.

"We are thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada because they're allowing vast numbers of people … to come in, and fentanyl to come in," Trump said. "I think we'll do it Feb 1."

Mexico was the US's largest trading partner in 2023 with a total two-way goods trade of $807bn, an amount that surpassed US trade with China, according to the US State Department.

At the same time, Trump made news in breezy remarks on topics from a ban on TikTok to his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the three-year-old war in Ukraine.

Asked about the war in Ukraine, Trump said he would meet Putin "very soon" and said that his Russian counterpart was "destroying Russia" by refusing to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine.

On whether he could broker a ceasefire, he said: "I have to speak to President Putin, we're gonna have to find out. He can't be thrilled. He's not doing so well. I mean, he's grinding it out."

He was confident that he could convince Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, a signature policy of his previous administration.

But when asked whether he could maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, he said he was "not confident. That's not our war, that's their war."

"I think they're very weakened on the other side," he said, referring to Gaza and the militant group Hamas. "I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site. That place has really got to be rebuilt in a different way."

Asked whether he was ready to help Gaza rebuild, he said "maybe," and then launched into an offhand discussion that harkened back to his days as a real estate developer.

"You know Gaza is interesting it's a phenomenal location," he said. "On the sea, best weather… some beautiful things could be done with it."

Source: The Guardian​

 

[Lulldapull]

He'll turn Gaza next into a fukking Jurassic park themed 'Great Adventure' Disneyland location from the sounds of it.

Irans watching all his moves and will play spoiler.

 

[Saif]

Produce in US or pay tariffs

US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to global elites in a video message to the World Economic Forum yesterday: Make your product in the United States or pay tariffs.

www.thedailystar.net

Produce in US or pay tariffs
Trump tells Davos elites

​

• Federal judge blocks Trump's bid to restrict birthright citizenship​
• Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600b trade, investment boost​

US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to global elites in a video message to the World Economic Forum yesterday: Make your product in the United States or pay tariffs.

Beamed on a giant screen in the Swiss Alpine village of Davos, Trump received a loud round of applause from political and business A-listers who had eagerly awaited his appearance all week.

Speaking from the White House, Trump touted his plans to cut taxes, deregulate industries and crack down on illegal immigration.

But he also had a tough message.

"Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth," Trump said.

"But if you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff."

In his wide-ranging speech, Trump made a link between the war in Ukraine and oil prices.

Trump said he would ask Saudi Arabia and the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring down crude prices.

"If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately," he said.

The US leader then fielded question from the top executives of Bank of America, Blackstone investment firm, Spanish group Banco Santander and French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies.

Trump is always a top draw in Davos, making waves at two previous in-person appearances during his first term in 2018 and 2020.

But showing up this year was tougher as the forum happened to start on the day of his inauguration in Washington on Monday.

Scores stood in line to hear him speak. Some in the audience included European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Trump already gave Davos a taste of what is to come since his inauguration on Monday.

He has threatened tariffs on China, the European Union, Mexico and Canada, pulled the United States from the Paris climate pact and renewed his claim the Panama Canal, just to name a few.

His plans to cut taxes, reduce the size of the US federal government and deregulate industries likely found a sympathetic ear amongst many businesses, though economists warn the policies could rekindle inflation.

US trade partners and rivals already had a chance to react in Davos earlier this week, as they brace for a second round of his America First policies.

Without invoking Trump's name, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang warned: "There are no winners in a trade war."

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels was ready to negotiate with Trump.

But she also underscored the European Union's diverging policy with him on climate, saying the bloc would stick by the Paris accord.

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on cooler heads to prevail during a WEF panel discussion on tariffs on Thursday, warning that tit-for-tat levies would be "catastrophic" for the world economy.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in the United States put a temporary block on Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.

It comes after a flurry of lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.

"This is a blatantly unconstitutional order," senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington state.

"I've been on the bench for over four decades, I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is," said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.

Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America's national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.

It says, in part: "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."

Trump's order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.​

 

[Saif]

Rubio says Trump serious about buying Greenland

US president Donald Trump is serious about seeking to buy Greenland, secretary of state Marco Rubio said Thursday, after Denmark was rattled by his threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory.

www.newagebd.net

Rubio says Trump serious about buying Greenland
Agence France-Presse . Washington 31 January, 2025, 22:35

Marco Rubio

US president Donald Trump is serious about seeking to buy Greenland, secretary of state Marco Rubio said Thursday, after Denmark was rattled by his threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory.

In an interview, Rubio played down the threat of the United States using military force against Denmark, a NATO ally, but said of Trump’s remarks on Greenland, ‘This is not a joke.’

‘President Trump’s put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it,’ Rubio told SiriusXM Radio.

‘This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved,’ Rubio said.

Referring to NATO guarantees to Denmark, Rubio said: ‘We have a defence ag Residents chant slogas while holding banners during a protest against the Congolese government and expressing support for the M23 armed group in Goma on Friday. reement with them to protect Greenland if it becomes under assault.’

‘If we’re already on the hook for having to do that, then we might as well have more control over what happens there,’ he said.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has rallied European allies over the threats from Trump, with whom she was said to have had a tense telephone conversation.

Rubio said that while he was not on the phone call with Frederiksen, Trump ‘just speaks bluntly and frankly with people.’

‘And ultimately I think diplomacy in many cases works better when you’re straightforward as opposed to using platitudes and language that translates to nothing,’ Rubio said.

Rubio voiced concern that rival China, looking for Arctic access, would gain ground in Greenland through state-run companies.

‘It is completely realistic to believe that the Chinese will eventually, maybe even in the short term, try to do in Greenland what they have done at the Panama Canal and in other places,’ Rubio said.​

 

[Saif]

Trump set to order steep tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, China

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order on Saturday imposing hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China, threatening to ignite a trade war that could disrupt more than $2.1 trillion of annual trade. Trump, who is working from his Mar-a

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump set to order steep tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, China
REUTERS
Published :
Feb 01, 2025 23:53
Updated :
Feb 01, 2025 23:53

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order on Saturday imposing hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China, threatening to ignite a trade war that could disrupt more than $2.1 trillion of annual trade.

Trump, who is working from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida this weekend, said on Friday that there was little that the top three US trading partners could do to forestall the tariffs.

Just 12 days into his second term, Trump is upending the norms of how the United States is governed and interacts with the wider world. On Friday, he pledged to proceed with the levies despite acknowledging they could cause disruption and hardship for American households.

A model gauging the economic impact of Trump's tariff plan from EY Chief Economist Greg Daco suggests it would reduce US growth by 1.5 percentage points this year, throw Canada and Mexico into recession and usher in "stagflation" at home.

"We have stressed that steep tariff increases against US trading partners could create a stagflationary shock - a negative economic hit combined with an inflationary impulse - while also triggering financial market volatility," Daco wrote on Saturday.

That volatility was evident on Friday, when the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar both slumped after Trump vowed to fulfil his threats. US stock prices also fell and Treasury bond yields rose.

Trump set the Feb 1 deadline to press for strong action to halt the flow of the opiate fentanyl and precursor chemicals into the US from China via Mexico and Canada, as well as to stop illegal immigrants crossing US borders.

But during a lengthy White House exchange with reporters, Trump brushed aside the notion that his threats were merely bargaining tools:

"No, it's not ... we have big (trade) deficits with, as you know, with all three of them."

He also said revenue was a factor and the tariffs may be increased, adding: "But it's a lot of money coming to the United States."

Trump did, however, mention a potential carve-out for oil from Canada, saying that tariff rate would be 10%. But he indicated that wider tariffs on oil and natural gas would be coming in mid-February, remarks that sent oil prices higher.

At nearly $100 billion in 2023, imports of crude oil accounted for roughly a quarter of all US imports from Canada, according to US Census Bureau data.

HIGHER COSTS

Trump acknowledged that higher costs could be passed on to consumers and that his actions may cause short-term disruptions, but said he was not concerned about their impact on financial markets.

Jake Colvin, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents major US companies, said imposing tariffs on key trading partners "could impact the cost and availability of everything from avocados to air conditioners to cars and risks shifting the focus of our relationships away from constructive dialogue."

Although Trump speaks of "charging" other nations for tariffs, they are paid by importing companies, and sometimes passed on to consumers.

Automakers would be particularly hard hit, through tariffs on vehicles assembled in Canada and Mexico. Their vast regional supply chain, where components can cross borders several times before final assembly, would further exacerbate these costs.

And Trump said import taxes were also being considered on European goods, as well as on steel, aluminum and copper, and on drugs and semiconductors.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the tariffs would be implemented immediately, and details would be published on Saturday. It typically takes weeks for tariffs to take practical effect.

RETALIATION EXPECTED

Trump's move is expected to draw retaliatory tariffs, potentially disrupting more than $2.1 trillion in annual two-way US trade with its top three trading partners.

Canada has drawn up detailed targets for immediate retaliation, including duties on Florida orange juice, a source familiar with the plan said.

Its broader list of targets could cover C$150 billion ($103 billion) worth of US imports, but it will hold public consultations before acting, the source said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also threatened retaliation, but said she would "wait with a cool head" for Trump's decision and was prepared to continue a border dialogue with him.

China has been more circumspect, but vowed to defend its trade interests.

A spokesperson for Beijing's embassy in Washington said: "There is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, which serves the interests of neither side nor the world."​

 

[Saif]

End China’s influence of canal or face US action

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday warned Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino that Washington will “take measures necessary” if Panama does not immediately take steps to end what President Donald Trump sees as China’s influence and control over the Panama Canal.

www.thedailystar.net

End China’s influence of canal or face US action
US top diplomat Rubio warns Panama

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday warned Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino that Washington will "take measures necessary" if Panama does not immediately take steps to end what President Donald Trump sees as China's influence and control over the Panama Canal.

Mulino, after the talks with the top US diplomat in Panama City, signaled he would review agreements involving China and Chinese businesses, and announced further cooperation with the US on migration, but reiterated that his country's sovereignty over the world's second busiest waterway is not up for discussion.

Rubio delivered a message from Trump that China's presence - through a Hong Kong-based company operating two ports near the canal's entrances - was a threat to the waterway and a violation of the US-Panama treaty, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

"Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty," Bruce said.

Rubio did not spell out exactly what steps Panama must take or what US retaliation would look like.

Upon returning to office, Trump threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, built by the United States in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in 1999, claiming the canal is being operated by Beijing.

He has refused to rule out use of military force over Panama, drawing criticism from Washington's Latin American friends and foes alike. On Sunday, Trump said that he did not think troops would be necessary, but that Panama had violated the agreement and the United States would take back the canal.​

 

[Saif]

US startup Apptronik raises $350 mln to create humanoid robots

US-based robotics firm Apptronik has secured $350 million in a recent funding round, spearheaded by B Capital and Capital Factory, with additional backing from Google’s parent company Alphabet. The funding will be used to scale production of the company’s humanoid robot, Apollo, which is...

www.thedailystar.net

US startup Apptronik raises $350 mln to create humanoid robots

Apollo, the humanoid robot built by Apptronik, Inc. at Austin, Texas, US. Photo: Reuters/Evan Garcia/File photo

US-based robotics firm Apptronik has secured $350 million in a recent funding round, spearheaded by B Capital and Capital Factory, with additional backing from Google's parent company Alphabet.

As per a report by Reuters, the funding will be used to scale production of the company's humanoid robot, Apollo, which is designed to automate tasks in supply chains, such as moving packages in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

The investment places Apptronik alongside other robotics players, such as Tesla and Nvidia-backed Figure AI, in the rapidly evolving field of humanoid robotics, states the report. With AI advancements at the forefront, these companies are racing to develop robots capable of performing increasingly complex tasks. Elon Musk's Tesla, for instance, has made significant strides in its Optimus robot, which is intended to assist with household chores.

As per Reuters, Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas described the funding as a pivotal moment for the robotics industry, likening it to the rapid growth seen in large language models (LLMs) in 2023. He pointed to 2025 as a key year for robotics, anticipating major developments in the field.

Apptronik aims to extend Apollo's use beyond logistics, with plans to explore applications in sectors like healthcare and elder care. The company has also confirmed partnerships with Google DeepMind's robotics team, automotive giant Mercedes-Benz, and logistics firm GXO. However, details regarding these commercial agreements remain under wraps, adds the report.​

 

[Saif]

Trump deporting people at a slower rate than Biden's last year in office

US President Donald Trump deported 37,660 people during his first month in office, previously unpublished US Department of Homeland Security data show, far less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden's administration. A senior Trump administratio

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump deporting people at a slower rate than Biden's last year in office
REUTERS
Published :
Feb 22, 2025 01:10
Updated :
Feb 22, 2025 01:10

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conduct an arrest as part of US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging immigration crackdown in Chicago, Illinois, US January 26, 2025 in a still image from video. Photo : Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS/Files

US President Donald Trump deported 37,660 people during his first month in office, previously unpublished US Department of Homeland Security data show, far less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden's administration.

A senior Trump administration official and experts said deportations were poised to rise in coming months as Trump opens up new avenues to ramp up arrests and removals.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Biden-era deportation numbers appeared "artificially high" because of higher levels of illegal immigration.

Trump campaigned for the White House promising to deport millions of illegal immigrants in the largest deportation operation in US history. Yet initial figures suggest Trump could struggle to match higher deportation rates during the last full year of the Biden administration when large numbers of migrants were caught crossing illegally, making them easier to deport.

The deportation effort could take off in several months, aided by agreements from Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica to take deportees from other nations, the sources said.

The US military has assisted in more than a dozen military deportation flights to Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and India. The Trump administration has also flown Venezuelan migrants to the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay. Trump said in late January that his administration would prepare to detain up to 30,000 migrants there despite pushback from civil liberties groups.

The military-assisted deportations could grow considering the Pentagon's vast budget and ability to surge resources, according to Adam Isacson, a security expert with the Washington Office on Latin America think tank.

EXPANDING DEPORTATIONS

Meanwhile, the administration is moving to make it easier to arrest deportable migrants without criminal records and to detain more people with final deportation orders.

Last month, the Justice Department issued a memo allowing ICE officers to arrest migrants at US immigration courts, rolling back a Biden-era policy that limited such arrests.

On Wednesday, the US State Department designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and seven other criminal gangs and cartels as terrorist organizations. Under US immigration law, alleged gang members designated as terrorists and people with ties to the groups could become deportable.

The Trump administration is also pulling from ICE’s investigative arm, the Justice Department, the IRS, and State Department to assist with arrests and investigations.

Jessica Vaughan, a policy director at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower levels of immigration, said those investigative agents could help crack down on employers who hire workers without legal status and people who have final deportation orders.

“Those are all harder cases,” Vaughan said. “In the case of a worksite operation, you've got a lot of planning to do, some investigation that precedes it, all of which takes a lot of time.”

During Trump’s first three weeks in office, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested about 14,000 people, border czar Tom Homan said last week. That amounts to 667 per day - twice last year’s average but on pace for a quarter million arrests annually - not millions.

ICE arrests spiked to around 800-1,200 per day during Trump’s first week in office, then fell off as detention centers filled up and officers surged to target cities returned home.

“It's going to be like turning a supertanker for the first few months,” Isacson said. “The civilian part of the US government can only do so much.”

During Trump's first month in office, ICE doubled arrests of people with criminal charges or convictions compared with the same period a year ago, according to data provided by DHS.

While arrests have risen, ICE detention space remains a limiting factor. The agency currently holds around 41,100 detainees, with funding to hold 41,500.

About 19,000 of those detainees were arrested by ICE while about 22,000 were picked up by US border authorities, according to agency data published in mid-February.

Of the 19,000 arrested by ICE, around 2,800 had no criminal record, according to the same agency data. The figure was up from 858 in mid-January, before Trump took office.

The Republican-led US Senate on Friday passed a bill to provide $340 billion over four years for border security, deportations, energy deregulation and additional military spending. But the party remains divided on how to move forward with the funding plan, with Trump pressing for the funding to be combined with tax cuts.​

 

[Saif]

Trump urges Musk to be more aggressive in bid to shrink US government

US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged billionaire Elon Musk to be more aggressive in his efforts to shrink the federal government despite uproar over layoffs and deep spending cuts. “Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted all in

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump urges Musk to be more aggressive in bid to shrink US government
REUTERS
Published :
Feb 22, 2025 21:22
Updated :
Feb 22, 2025 21:22

Elon Musk listens to US President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, Feb 11, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged billionaire Elon Musk to be more aggressive in his efforts to shrink the federal government despite uproar over layoffs and deep spending cuts.

“Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted all in uppercase letters on his Truth Social platform. “Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA!”

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE - an entity created by Trump - has swept across federal government agencies, firing tens of thousands of federal government workers from scientists to park rangers, mostly those on probation.​

 

[Saif]

UN rights chief laments ‘shift in direction’ in United States

The UN rights chief yesterday voiced deep concern over the United States’ “fundamental shift” in direction since Donald Trump returned to power, and decried the “unchecked power” of “unelected tech oligarchs”.

www.thedailystar.net

UN rights chief laments ‘shift in direction’ in United States

The UN rights chief yesterday voiced deep concern over the United States' "fundamental shift" in direction since Donald Trump returned to power, and decried the "unchecked power" of "unelected tech oligarchs".

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, Volker Turk voiced his strongest rebuke to date of the dramatic about-face seen in the United States in recent weeks.

"We have enjoyed bipartisan support from the United States of America on human rights over many decades," he said, before adding: "I am now deeply worried by the fundamental shift in direction that is taking place domestically and internationally".

Without naming Trump, he decried that "policies intended to protect people from discrimination are now labelled as discriminatory".

"Progress is being rolled back on gender equality. Disinformation, intimidation and threats, notably against journalists and public officials, risk undermining the work of independent media and the functioning of institutions."

Turk also lamented that "divisive rhetoric is being used to distort, deceive and polarise".

"This is generating fear and anxiety among many," he warned. "On these issues and more, my office will continue building on our long history of constructive engagement."

Since returning to the White House on January 20, Trump has signed a whopping 79 executive orders touching on issues from foreign policy to transgender rights.​

 

[Saif]

Greenland rejects Trump pledge to make the island American

Greenland’s prime minister on Wednesday hit back at President Donald Trump’s pledge to take the Arctic territory ‘one way or the other’, insisting that islanders did not see their future with the United States or even Denmark...

www.newagebd.net

Greenland rejects Trump pledge to make the island American
Agence France-Presse . Nuuk, Denmark 05 March, 2025, 22:08

Sermitsiaq Mountain looms behind a row of houses in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday. US president Donald Trump has strained relations with Denmark by repeatedly signalling that he wants control over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory which will hold legislative elections on March 11. | AFP photo

Greenland’s prime minister on Wednesday hit back at President Donald Trump’s pledge to take the Arctic territory ‘one way or the other’, insisting that islanders did not see their future with the United States or even Denmark.

Mute Egede rejected Trump’s expansionist ambitions to annex the sparsely populated but mineral-rich and strategically placed island, in a partisan address to the US Congress in Washington on Tuesday.

‘We don’t want to be Americans, or Danes either. We are Greenlanders. The Americans and their leader must understand that,’ Egede wrote in a Facebook post.

‘We are not for sale and can’t just be taken. Our future is decided by us in Greenland,’ he said, six days before the island’s legislative elections where the longstanding question of independence tops the agenda.

Trump offered only passing lines on world affairs in his speech, focusing on his domestic goals like rounding up undocumented immigrants and slashing government spending.

But he repeated his aspirations to take Greenland and claimed an initial victory on retaking control of the Panama Canal.

Trump said he had a message for the ‘incredible people’ of Greenland. ‘We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,’ he added.

But he made clear he would not give up if persuasion fails, saying: ‘One way or the other we’re going to get it.

‘We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.’

Denmark, of which self-governing Greenland is part, also rebuffed Trump’s aspirations to take the island, with China and Russia increasingly active in the Arctic, as climate change opens up sea routes.

In Copenhagen, Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen told public broadcaster DR that US annexation of Greenland ‘won’t happen’.

‘The direction that Greenland wants to take will be decided by Greenlanders,’ he said.

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called for cool heads to prevail.

‘I think everyone, including us, should be cautious about having all kinds of opinions about the future’ of Greenland, he told Danish television TV2.

US threats to take Greenland would once have been unthinkable, with Denmark a treaty ally of the United States under NATO.

But Trump has made clear he has little patience for European allies, which he again denounced for not spending more on their militaries, with Trump instead seeing a return to an era of big powers taking what they want.

He has similarly vowed to take back the Panama Canal, the crucial link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that the United States handed to Panama at the end of 1999.

Trump declared triumph after Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison decided to sell its Panama ports to a US-led consortium.

Trump and secretary of state Marco Rubio had complained that rival China had gained too much influence over the canal and could shut it down in a conflict with the United States.

‘To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it,’ he said, as he mentioned the port deal.

‘We didn’t give it to China. Gave it to Panama — and we’re taking it back,’ he said.

Trump had earlier not ruled out military force to seize either the Panama Canal or Greenland.

Trump has paradoxically sought to cast himself as a peacemaker. He has vowed to end the war in Ukraine and has rattled allies by suspending aid to the country, which Russia invaded three years ago.

Trump and vice president JD Vance berated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky when he visited the White House on Friday, calling him ungrateful.

Addressing Congress, Trump read a message from Zelensky in which the Ukrainian leader sought to repair the damage and voiced a willingness to a sign a deal in which the United States would take much of Ukraine’s mineral wealth.

‘It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,’ Trump said.

The Trump administration at the same time has cancelled more than 90 per cent of US development assistance, traditionally a key source of US non-military influence.

Trump has described aid as not in the US interest.​

 

[Saif]

Panama president says Trump ‘lying’ about reclaiming canal

Panamanian president Jose Raul Mulino on Wednesday accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of ‘lying’ about Washington taking back the Panama Canal...

www.newagebd.net

Panama president says Trump ‘lying’ about reclaiming canal
Agence France-Presse . Panama City 05 March, 2025, 22:02

Panamanian president Jose Raul Mulino on Wednesday accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of ‘lying’ about Washington taking back the Panama Canal.

‘Once again, president Trump is lying. The Panama Canal is not in the process of recovery,’ Mulino wrote on X.

‘I reject, on behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, this new affront to the truth and to our dignity as a nation,’ Mulino added, after Trump said that his administration had started to take back the vital waterway.

‘To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it,’ Trump said in a speech to Congress Tuesday. ‘We’re taking it back.’

Under mounting pressure from Washington, Hong Kong firm Hutchison said Tuesday it had agreed to sell its lucrative Panama Canal ports to a US-led consortium.

CK Hutchison Holdings said it would offload a 90-per cent stake in the Panama Ports Company and sell a slew of other non-Chinese ports to a group led by asset manager BlackRock.

The sellers will receive $19 billion in cash, the company said.

Hutchison subsidiary PPC has for decades run ports at Balboa and Cristobal on the Pacific and Atlantic ends of the interoceanic waterway.

But since taking office in January, Trump has complained that China controls the canal — a vital strategic asset that the United States once ran.

He has refused to rule out a military invasion of Panama to regain control, sparking angry protests and a complaint to the United Nations by the Central American nation.

Since 1999, the canal has been run by the Panama Canal Authority — an autonomous entity whose board of directors is appointed by Panama’s president and National Assembly.

The 80-kilometer long canal handles five per cent of global maritime trade, and 40 per cent of US container traffic.

Beijing has consistently denied interfering in the canal.​

 

[Saif]

French deputy asks for return of Statue of Liberty

France should take back the Statue of Liberty because the US no longer represents the values that led France to offer the statue, a French Euro-deputy said Sunday.

en.prothomalo.com

French deputy asks for return of Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was unveiled in New York City’s harbour on 28 October 1886 for the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence as a gift from the French people to America. It designed by Frenchman Auguste Bartholdi

A plane is seen during take off in New Jersey behind the Statue of Liberty in New York`s Harbor as seen from the Brooklyn borough of New York on 20 February 2016 Reuters file photo

France should take back the Statue of Liberty because the US no longer represents the values that led France to offer the statue, a French Euro-deputy said Sunday.

“Give us back the Statue of Liberty”, centre-left politician Raphael Glucksmann said at a convention of his Place Publique centre-left movement.

“We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,’” he told cheering supporters.

“‘We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home,’” he added.

The Statue of Liberty was unveiled in New York City’s harbour on 28 October 1886 for the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence as a gift from the French people to America. It designed by Frenchman Auguste Bartholdi.

Paris does have a far smaller copy of the statue on a small island on the Seine in Paris.

Glucksmann, a staunch defender of Ukraine, has strongly criticised President Donald Trump’s radical change of US policy on the war.

He also took aim at Trump’s cuts to US research institutions, which has already prompted a French government initiative to attract some of them to work in France

“The second thing we’re going to say to the Americans is: ‘if you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who, through their freedom and their sense of innovation, their taste for doubt and research, have made your country the world’s leading power, then we’re going to welcome them,’” continued Glucksmann.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, his government has cut federal research funding and sought to dismiss hundreds of federal workers working on health and climate research.

Glucksmann also criticised far-right leaders in France, accusing them of being a “fan club” for Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who is spearheading the president’s efforts to cut spending.​

 

[Saif]

US senator and Trump supporter Daines meets China’s vice premier in Beijing

U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng with warm exchanges in front of journalists on Saturday even as tensions between their countries spiked over trade tariffs and the handling of the illegal trade in fentanyl. Daines, the firs

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

US senator and Trump supporter Daines meets China’s vice premier in Beijing
AP
Published :
Mar 22, 2025 20:18
Updated :
Mar 22, 2025 20:18

U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng with warm exchanges in front of journalists on Saturday even as tensions between their countries spiked over trade tariffs and the handling of the illegal trade in fentanyl.

Daines, the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January, will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday and the nation’s No. 2 official will give him an introduction to China’s policies, according to He.

Daines, who previously worked for American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble in south China’s economic hub of Guangzhou, said this trip marked his sixth visit to China. He had met Li in 2018, when he served as the Communist Party secretary of Shanghai.

He said this visit comes at a time when there are some important issues to discuss between China and the U.S.

“I’ve always believed in having constructive dialogue and that has been the nature of all my visits to China over the course of many years,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in China posted on X later Saturday that Daines voiced Trump’s ongoing call for Beijing to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors from China. Daines also expressed hopes that further high-level talks between the two countries will take place in the near future.

Vice Premier He said that China firmly opposes the politicization and weaponization of economic and trade issues, and is willing to engage in candid dialogue with the U.S. on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, official news agency Xinhua reported. He said the two countries have many common interests and they can become partners and friends to achieve mutual success.

Ahead of the trip that began on Thursday, Daines’ office said he is coordinating closely with the White House and will be “carrying President Trump’s America First agenda.” Daines served as a go-between during the first Trump administration when tariffs were also a major issue.

Daines, a senator for Montana, said on X earlier this week that he would be talking with Chinese officials about curbing the production and distribution of fentanyl and “the need to reduce the trade deficit and ensure fair market access for our Montana farmers, ranchers and producers.”

Just months into Trump’s second term, tensions between the world’s two largest economies have risen after the U.S. imposed 20% duties on Chinese goods and drew retaliatory tariffs of 15% on U.S. farm goods from China. Additionally, the U.S. accuses China of doing too little to stop the export of precursor materials for fentanyl, a highly potent opiate blamed for tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S.

In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier this month accused Washington of “meeting good with evil” and said China will continue to retaliate for the United States’ “arbitrary tariffs.”

Beijing also responded with a report detailing its efforts to control the illegal trade in fentanyl, specifically the ingredients for the opioid that are made in China.

The report said that China and the U.S. have held multiple high-level meetings since early last year to promote cooperation, and that its Narcotics Control Bureau holds regular exchanges with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

China is committed to cooperation, the report said, “but firmly opposes the U.S. imposition of unlawful sanctions and unreasonable pressure on China on the pretext of responding to fentanyl-related issues.”

Daines arrived in Beijing on Thursday and met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. His trip to the Chinese capital followed a visit to Vietnam where he met top leaders.​

 

[Saif]

Trump signs election order calling for proof of US citizenship to vote

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that would require voters to prove they are US citizens and attempts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. The sweeping order also would seek to take federal funding away from states that do not c

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump signs election order calling for proof of US citizenship to vote
REUTERS
Published :
Mar 26, 2025 23:04
Updated :
Mar 26, 2025 23:04

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that would require voters to prove they are US citizens and attempts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day.

The sweeping order also would seek to take federal funding away from states that do not comply.

Trump has long questioned the US electoral system and continues to falsely claim that his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.

The president and his Republican allies also have made baseless claims about widespread voting by non-citizens, which is illegal and rarely occurs.

Last year the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved a bill that would ban non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections, a practice that is already illegal. It did not pass the Senate, which was then controlled by Democrats.

The White House's order seeks to achieve similar goals. Voting rights groups argued that it, like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act that did not become law, would disenfranchise voters, particularly people of color, who do not have access to passports or other required identification.

"We've got to straighten out our elections," Trump said on Tuesday as he signed the order at the White House. "This country is so sick because of the elections, the fake elections and the bad elections, we're going to straighten that out one way or the other."

The order is likely to draw legal challenges.

"This is a blatant attack on democracy and an authoritarian power grab," said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of advocacy group Public Citizen.

In recent years Republicans have tried to put more restrictions on voting, while Democrats have sought to make it easier to vote by supporting mail-in ballot access and early voting opportunities.

Public Citizen noted that about 146 million Americans do not have a passport, and Brennan Center research showed 9 percent of US citizens who are eligible to vote, or 21.3 million people, do not have proof of citizenship "readily available."

According to US law, the US secretary of state can unilaterally cancel passports if it determines they were "illegally, fraudulently, or erroneously obtained" or created through illegality or fraud.

The White House argued that Trump's order would prevent foreign nationals from interfering in US elections. Under the new directive, voters would be asked a citizenship question on the federal voting form for the first time.

"Federal election-related funds will be conditioned on states complying with the integrity measures set forth by federal law, including the requirement that states use the national mail voter registration form that will now require proof of citizenship," a White House fact sheet about the order said.

The order criticized policies allowing mail-in ballots to arrive and be counted after Election Day. The order said Trump's policy is to "require that votes be cast and received by the election date established in law."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states along with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC, will count ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day, regardless of when they arrive.

Trump's order also requires the secretary of Homeland Security to ensure states have access to systems that verify the citizenship or immigration status of people who register to vote.

It also directs the Department of Homeland Security and an administrator from the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency to review states' voter registration lists, using a subpoena if necessary, to make sure they are consistent with federal requirements.

The Republican National Committee said on Tuesday it had requested public records from 48 states and Washington, DC, to check how they maintain their voter registration lists.

"Voters have a right to know that their states are properly maintaining voter rolls and quickly acting to clean voter registration lists by removing ineligible voters," RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.​

 

[Saif]

Trump plans to fine migrants $998 a day for failing to leave after deportation order

The Trump administration plans to fine migrants under deportation orders up to $998 a day if they fail to leave the United States and to seize their property if they do not pay, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. The fines stem from a 1996 law that was enforced for the first time in 2018,

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump plans to fine migrants $998 a day for failing to leave after deportation order
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 08, 2025 22:28
Updated :
Apr 08, 2025 22:28

The Trump administration plans to fine migrants under deportation orders up to $998 a day if they fail to leave the United States and to seize their property if they do not pay, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

The fines stem from a 1996 law that was enforced for the first time in 2018, during President Donald Trump's first term in office. The Trump administration plans to apply the penalties retroactively for up to five years, which could result in fines of more than $1 million, a senior Trump official said, requesting anonymity to discuss non-public plans.

The Trump administration is also considering seizing the property of immigrants who do not pay the fines, according to government emails reviewed by Reuters.

In response to questions from Reuters, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that immigrants in the U.S. illegally should use a mobile app formerly known as CBP One - rebranded as CBP Home under Trump - to "self deport and leave the country now."

"If they don’t, they will face the consequences," McLaughlin said. "This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order."

DHS warned of the fines in a March 31 social media post.

Emails reviewed by Reuters show the White House has pressed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to handle the issue of penalties, property seizures for migrants who don't pay, and the sale of their assets.

The Department of Justice’s civil asset forfeiture division could be another option for the seizures, one email said.

President Donald Trump kicked off a sweeping immigration crackdown after taking office in January, testing the bounds of U.S. law to increase arrests and deportations. The planned fines target the roughly 1.4 million migrants who have been ordered removed by an immigration judge.

WHITE HOUSE PRESSURE

Trump invoked the 1996 law during his first term to levy fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars against nine migrants seeking sanctuary in churches. The administration withdrew the penalties, but then proceeded with smaller fines of about $60,000 per person against at least four of the migrants, according to court records.

President Joe Biden stopped issuing the fines and rescinded related policies when he took office in 2021.

Scott Shuchart, a top ICE policy official under Biden, said migrants and their supporters could challenge the fines in court but that the threat alone could have a chilling effect.

"Their point isn't really to enforce the law, it's to project fear in communities," he said.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The proposed asset seizures against the migrants who fail to comply with final deportation orders could impact U.S. citizens or permanent residents in their households.

The immigration advocacy group FWD.us estimates that some 10 million migrants with no legal status or temporary protections are living with U.S. citizens or permanent residents in what are known as "mixed status households."

The steep fines could hit lower-income immigrants. An analysis of 2019 Census data by the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute found 26% of households with unauthorized immigrants had incomes below the federal poverty line.​

 

[Saif]

President Trump on the warpath

For a president of United States (US) who declared before election that he would like to end all wars, Donald Trump's actions and declarations after he took office make him anything but a pacifist or a globalist. If economic confrontations are considered as close cousins of shooting wars, then the

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

President Trump on the warpath
Hasnat Abdul Hye
Published :
Apr 08, 2025 23:55
Updated :
Apr 08, 2025 23:55

For a president of United States (US) who declared before election that he would like to end all wars, Donald Trump's actions and declarations after he took office make him anything but a pacifist or a globalist. If economic confrontations are considered as close cousins of shooting wars, then the list of belligerent moves crafted by the Trump administration on the bilateral trade front reveal president Trump to be a pugnacious warrior on all fronts. In declaring trade war through tariffs against both friends and foes to resuscitate American manufacturing and vowing to use force for achievement of geo-political goals, Trump has made it abundantly clear that he wants to upend the existing world order violently, if that is what his grand plan requires. Judged by this narrow nationalist perspective, Trump appears no better than Adolf Hitler who waged a world war to retrieve and promote German interests, ignoring the safety and welfare of people of other countries. A brief overview of the policy declarations and actions taken by the Trump Administration so far may show whether this apprehension is reasonable enough to merit serious attention of all countries and call for their unified stand against the fascist display of national interests by America.

The transitional team, put together by president-elect Donald Trump with loyalists, knew what their taskmaster wanted as the agenda for his second term presidency, has prepared a detailed plan of action in each area of his interest. For this the team simply re-booted the programme of the neo-cons and extended the Trumpian political and economic agenda, as revealed during his first term in office. If there is little new in the plan of action unfurled so far, the urgency and ferocity of the policy push across the spectrum of governance is unmistakable. In every sector of intervention, policies are being articulated through presidential executive orders bypassing legislature and ignoring court orders. In internal policy actions the executive branch has thus assumed totalitarian authority, giving the go by to separation of powers enshrined in American constitution. There has been nothing gradual about this tilt towards arch conservatism and autocratic governance chosen to implement it. Everything has been outlined in details and carried out in one fell swoop as is the case with wars waged against enemies.

In the war unleashed on the home front, the values and programs adopted and pursued through policies and programmes by moderates and liberals are in the crossfire of Trump administration. Ditching the ideals of 'diversity, equality and inclusiveness' (DEI), purges of civil and military functionaries have started with a missionary zeal. The policy of affirmative action that somewhat ensured equality in education and employment for groups disadvantaged because of gender, race and sexual orientations, has been denounced under the rubric 'woke' and replaced with the blue print of a divided society. In the polity also, various changes in the electoral process (restricting voting rights, amending powers of election officials etc) through executive orders, democracy as practiced before (free and fair election, accountability of the executive branch) is under serious threat. Even the constitutional limitation on a person elected as president only for two terms may be set aside to suit the ambition of the incumbent president.

The war being waged on the home front includes reversal of policies on such scientific matters of grave import as climate change. As he did during his first term in office, president Trump has pulled America out of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord once again, on the grounds that concerns about climate change are not based on scientific facts and that controlling carbon emissions is not in the interest of America. Simultaneous with the withdrawal from the Paris Accord, Trump administration has terminated all financial incentives for industries to transition into green technology. Furthermore, the cap on drilling for new oil and gas reserves has been removed, followed by the slogan 'drill baby drill'. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA), tasked to protect environment through enforcement of regulations and sponsor research has been effectively dismantled.

On the pretext of reducing the budgetary debt burden public expenditures on such vital areas as federal grants for scientific research have been drastically slashed. The entire Department of Education has been abolished, terminating its beneficial role in various areas of education promotion. Using the same argument, thousands of federal employees have been dismissed or sent on early retirement putting pressure on the job market.

Tech and media giants having backed president Trump in the last election have got their wish about a loose and weak regulatory framework fulfilled as previous rules and regulations controlling their activities have either been whittled down or abolished. Same holds true for financial institutions like banks and institutions linked to the Wall Street.

Unabashedly ushering in a plutocratic regime, president Trump has met the demands of industrial and financial institutions for reduced tax burden. Corporate income tax has been slashed to 20 per cent, while capital gains tax has been brought down to 15 per cent. It is estimated that extending the expiring 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act would decrease the federal revenue by $4.5 trillion from 2025 through 2035.

To help investors and industrial titans, president Trump is determined to have the basic interest rate lowered from its present level of 4.25 - 4.50 per cent and has been putting pressure on the Federal Reserve Bank. The Fed wants to reduce the base rate after inflation comes down to 2 per cent from its present 2.9 per cent and has kept the pause in rate hike for the present. President Trump, livid with anger, has fumed against the Fed chairman and may be plotting for his removal.

The abrupt and global reciprocal tariff imposed by Trump administration on 60 countries on April 2, from tiny Madagascar to economic giants like China and European Union (EU,) has brought sharp response from leaders of most of the major economies. In response, China has slapped 34 per cent retaliatory tariff in addition to the existing 20 per cent on all American exports to China. EU is likely to respond with tit for tat tariff soon.

Together with the domestic economic policy decisions, the backlash of the new tariff will fuel recessionary pressure in the American economy. It is estimated that the cumulative effect of the policy decisions on American economy will result in 2.5 per cent less growth in GDP. The global economy is now in the same stage as it was in the decade of '30s of last century when tariff war led to recession in all the industrialised countries. The IMF has made the forecast that as a result of the widespread tariff imposed by president Trump, the global economy faces 'significant risk'.

If president Trump's economic policies are full of dire consequences, both for middle and working class Americans and people belonging to those classes in other countries, his foreign policy harks back to the days of imperialism, gunboat diplomacy and world wars, all wrapped together. His penchant for deal making with a big stick may prove to be disastrous for global peace and security, unless held in check domestically or internationally.

Soon after assuming office president Trump declared that he would like to take over Panama Canal and Greenland from their present administration by the governments of Panama and Denmark. The whole world was in awe and amazement hearing this declaration of intent by the leading light of democracy. Ignoring disbelief and shock by the whole world president Trump sent his secretary of state to Panama and vice president to Greenland to press home the policy of taking over. The Panama government has seemed to placate the Trump administration after agreeing to replace the ownership of Chinese companies managing the canal with Blackstone, an American investment company. In Greenland, the idea of ownership by America has been seen as tantamount to a blatant aggression and roundly condemned by Denmark and the people of Greenland.

In respect of Gaza, the Palestinian strip in middle-east under Israeli occupation undergoing genocide for over one year, the policy announced by president Trump envisages it being taken over by America and developed as a Mediterranean Riviera, with the Palestinians relocated in other countries. The ruthlessness embedded in this idea has come as a shock to world leaders and peace loving people everywhere. The cruelty and greed revealed in this policy declaration has shown president Trump as a person obsessed with the spirit of aggrandizement and hate even when it may spell catastrophe for a nation or the people of the whole world, including the average citizens of America. His latest move into foreign affairs in pursuance of narrow geo-political interests in the middle- east may prove to be the most dangerous, leading to world war three. In presenting Iran a choice to make a deal on its nuclear program or else be bombed by America, president Trump has thrown diplomacy of mutual respect by the window. His sabre- rattling over Iran's nuclear programme may turn out to be the most dangerous and consequential policy declaration for world peace since the second world war.

By his words and deeds during the first quarter of his term president Trump has left no doubt that he is a megalomaniac and a warmonger who can only cause pain and suffering to the vast majority of the peace loving people in the world, including America. He is a clear and present danger to the world and has to be stopped in his tracks by populist protests and warnings by world leaders.

Trump is the face of all evils, the like of which the world saw only a few times in the past. As in the case of past monsters, Donald Trump has to be defeated.​

 

[Saif]

Vietnam to buy US defence, security products to tackle trade gap

Vietnam will buy more American goods, including defence and security products, and has asked for a 45-day delay in the imposition of US tariffs, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a statement issued late on Monday. Hanoi will also seek faster deliveries of commercial planes that Vietnamese air

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Vietnam to buy US defence, security products to tackle trade gap
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 08, 2025 13:47
Updated :
Apr 08, 2025 13:47

Vietnam will buy more American goods, including defence and security products, and has asked for a 45-day delay in the imposition of US tariffs, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a statement issued late on Monday.

Hanoi will also seek faster deliveries of commercial planes that Vietnamese airlines have ordered from the US, Chinh said at a cabinet meeting late on Monday.

The Southeast Asian country, a major regional manufacturing base for many Western companies, last year had a trade surplus of more than $123 billion with the US, its largest export market.

Chinh said Vietnam had asked the US to delay the 46% tariff rate that US President Donald Trump announced last week to allow time for negotiations.

Vietnam was seeking to "negotiate with the US side for balanced and sustainable trade, in line with the interests of the two sides," the statement said.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro highlighted major concerns on Monday, including transhipping from China, the dumping of seafood and other goods, and intellectual property issues.

"They engage in intellectual property theft," Navarro told CNBC, regarding Vietnam. "They have the biggest number of cases aside from China at the Department of Commerce on the dumping."

In Monday's statement, Chinh said Vietnam would review issues such as its monetary policy, exchange rate, non-tariff barriers and ensuring the correct origin of goods, in line with the concerns aired by Navarro.

In a statement on Tuesday, following a tariff task force meeting, the government said Vietnam was also considering adjustments to its current bilateral trade agreement with the United States, adding content on tax and intellectual property.

The country's benchmark stock index .VNI has fallen nearly 14% since Trump's announcement of the tariffs on Apr 2. The index fell 6.26% to 1,135 in early trade on Tuesday.

On Friday, Trump and Vietnam's leader To Lam agreed to discuss a deal to remove tariffs, both leaders said after a telephone call that Trump described as "very productive".

Since an arms embargo was lifted in 2016, US defence exports to Vietnam have been largely limited to coastguard ships and trainer aircraft.

Last year sources said there were talks on sales of Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules military transport planes to Hanoi.​

 

[Saif]

Crisis of democracy in America

Global perceptions of America as a democratic country have deteriorated across the world over the past year and are now worse than views on China in the same respect, according to an annual study of perceptions of democracy published in the first week of May this year. The survey did not go into de

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Crisis of democracy in America

Hasnat Abdul Hye
Published :
May 28, 2025 00:04
Updated :
May 28, 2025 00:04

Global perceptions of America as a democratic country have deteriorated across the world over the past year and are now worse than views on China in the same respect, according to an annual study of perceptions of democracy published in the first week of May this year. The survey did not go into details on the criteria used, but the Alliance of Democracies Foundation (ADF) which commissioned it said its aim was to defend and promote democratic values. When asked why perceptions of America as a democratic country had slipped, the Alliance founder and former NATO secretary general, Anders Rasmussen mentioned the trade war, mistreatment of Ukraine president Zelensky during his visit to White House and letting down allies on trade and security issues by the present American administration. "It is no surprise that opinions have slipped even among people like me who spent years admiring the United States and what it stood for," he said when asked to explain the findings of the survey. These comments, strictly speaking, are not indicators of the practice of democracy, nor do they explain the causes behind the decisions taken. Perceptions are not based on facts but there are random anecdotal evidences within a given timeframe that lead to them. Before mentioning and analysing these evidences in a broader context, a brief summary of the ADF survey findings may be helpful.

First, the size of the sample used by the survey to arrive at the conclusions is worth mentioning. It is seen that the survey, conducted between April 9 and 23 with polling firm NIRA Data, were based on more than 111,000 respondents worldwide (100 countries). Though the number of countries in the sample appears satisfactory, the same cannot be said about the respondents in the absence of data regarding their nationality, age, gender, educational qualifications and professions. In the survey, the perception of Trump was negative in 82 of the 100 countries surveyed, higher than Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping, who were viewed negatively in 61 and 44 countries, respectively. The use of heads of states in a survey designed to formulate perception of democracy appears problematic, even misleading because the assessment on the status of democracy has to be based on practice where institutions and their functioning's more important than personalities. Institutions in Russia and China are amenable to authoritarian rule, whereas in America, these are ostensibly suited to democracy. By this metrics alone, in any survey on democracy the inclusion of Russia and China is erroneous and irrelevant.

With this caveat, the main findings of the 2025 survey of the Alliance for Democracies can be summarised before moving on to more substantive issues on the state of democracy in America.

The survey has ranked the perception of countries within a scale from -(minus) 100 per cent to + (plus) 100 per cent. According to the survey, the net perception rating of America as a democracy fell to -5 per cent from +22 per cent last year, indicating a greater number of respondents with a negative view of the country compared with those with a positive view. The share of countries with a positive image of America (as a democracy) dropped to 45 per cent from 76 per cent last year, the survey has showed. These findings, in the absence of use of indicators and basis of evaluation, are not very persuasive.

A more relevant survey on the state of democracy worldwide, America included, is the annual survey by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). According to the Democracy Index for 2024 prepared by EIU, only 45 per cent of the world's population lives in full democracy, 15 per cent in hybrid regimes and 39 per cent in authoritarian regimes. The Democracy Index prepared by EIU is based on 60 indicators, grouped into five categories: (a) electoral process and pluralism; (b) functioning of government; (c) political participation; (d) political culture and (e) civil liberties. Countries are scored from zero to ten in five categories with the overall index rating being a simple average of the five categories mentioned. Based on their average score, each country is classified as one of the four types of regimes: (1) full democracies (2) flawed democracies (3) hybrid regimes and (4) authoritarian regimes.

The Democracy Index report for 2024 showed America as a 'flawed democracy', the same status as shown for the year in 2018, implying there has been no improvement in the substance of democracy in America, during the five year period of 2018-2025. It will be interesting to see where America is placed in the Democracy Index after the performance of the Trump Administration in various areas of policy decisions and legislations. If during the five year period, between 2018 and 2024, that included parts of both Trump and Biden Administration, on the basis of the five categories of indicators, America was classified into the second category i.e. 'flawed democracy', the performance trending during first five months of the second term of president Trump may qualify the country for a lower status in the democracy scale, perhaps showing it somewhere between hybrid and authoritarian regimes.

Though American politicians never tire of grandstanding for American democracy as the epitome of the model, the reality on the ground have belied that claim with variations in respect of degree under different presidencies. The fundamental principles of separation of powers (ensuring accountability of elected and appointed authorities), liberty and equality enshrined in American constitution have never been fully observed in the history of the republic. It is not only recently when the country, under the stewardship of a maverick president, that American practice of democracy has been examined by analysts and found to fall short in some or all of the above salient respects. The critique of American brand of democracy, particularly its manifestations in established political institutions, is as old as the republic. President Trump, in his second term, has already widened this divergence between the requirements of democratic dispensation as enshrined in the constitution and actual practice.

Firstly, Trump administration has severely undermined the constitutional obligation of ensuring civil liberty by denying allegedly undocumented immigrants due process of law. Not only some immigrants have been denied access to courts of law to defend themselves, they have been treated inhumanely and sent to notorious prisons in third countries. Likewise federal funds for universities have been withheld without giving them any chance to plead their case, thereby hurting collective liberty. Secondly, in several cases court verdicts against executive orders of the president have been cynically ignored, violating the separation of powers. Even the supreme court judges have been threatened with action in the event of their dissenting rulings against executive orders given by the president. This disregard, nay contempt, of judiciary, the guardian of civil liberty, has never been so blatant as it has been recently. As if to drive home the superiority of the executive branch over judiciary, a federal judge in Minnesota was arrested from the precincts of the court last month on dubious charges of giving protection to illegal immigrants. Secondly, the requirements of legislative approval for cutting off of federal funding from and winding up of government agencies have been brushed aside, striking at the root of separation of power enshrined in the constitution.

If civil liberty and separation of power have been treated shabbily by the Trump administration, the constitutional principle of ensuring equality has not fared any better. The official negation of the principle of Diversification, Equality and Inclusiveness (DEI) has practically closed all avenues for equitable access to education, sports and employment by the physically and socially handicapped and groups other than the two genders. Thirdly, the complicity of legislature with the executive is also at work now, undermining the principle of equality. The tax cut proposal of the Trump administration benefitting the rich at the cost of classes below them in the income ladder has been passed by the Republican- majority House of Representatives recently. If the trends set in motion during the first five months become the norm for the Trump administration, the state of democracy in America can be said to be in suspended animation. By the metrics of EIU for preparation of Democracy Index, on the basis of prevailing decision- making, America can very plausibly be placed in the category of 'authoritarian regimes.'

The question is: why is democracy endangered now or exposed to weakening, in spite of provisions in the constitution for separation of powers, civil liberty and equity? There are mainly two reasons for the subversion of democratic procedure of governance in America. The first is the limitation on the legislative power of Congress to thwart the unconstitutional decisions of the president. This limitation becomes manifest when in both houses of the Congress the party of the president has a majority, as is the case now. The only legal deterrent against an errant president being impeachment by the legislature, this is not plausible when his party has the majority in both houses. The separation of powers, crafted so carefully and assiduously by the founding fathers of the American republic to restrain untrammelled powers of the executive branch (president) has been rendered vulnerable and dicey because of this reality. Only an amendment of the constitution, allowing a lower number of majority votes, can get around this constitutional impasse. But it is highly unlikely that any party enjoying majority in both houses of Congress will be inclined to consider this amendment seriously.

The second factor holding democracy as a hostage is the pervasive presence and round the clock public relationing by numerous lobbies that influence legislation and executive orders of the president. In almost all cases, the lobbies represent the classes or groups, including foreign powers that have deep pockets to spend. This is a source of not only political corruption but also of unequal power in American society to influence legislation and decision-making by the executive. In both respects, the democratic ethos becomes a victim.

Only a dispassionate bi-partisan review of the lacunae in the legal provisions for checks and balances in the exercise power leading to necessary amendments can extricate America from the ever present paralysis facing democracy. The proverbial sixty five thousand dollar question is: do the American politicians worry about this seriously to bring about qualitative change in the practice of democracy? More pertinently, is the American public aware about the swindling by their representatives and ready to launch a country- wide movement for the establishment of genuine democracy?​

 

[Saif]

In row with Trump, Musk says will end critical US spaceship programme

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said Thursday he would begin "decommissioning" his company's Dragon spacecraft -- vital for ferrying NASA astronauts

en.prothomalo.com

In row with Trump, Musk says will end critical US spaceship programme
AFP Washington, USA
Published: 06 Jun 2025, 09: 05

In this file photo taken on 10 February, 2022 Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas. Twitter owner Elon Musk on 17 March, 2023 put out word that he will make public the long-secret algorithm for recommending tweets. The code used for recommending the posts suggested to users will become "open source" at the end of March, Musk said in a tweet of his own. AFP

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said Thursday he would begin "decommissioning" his company's Dragon spacecraft -- vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station -- after US President Donald Trump threatened to terminate his government contracts.

"In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Musk wrote on X.

The comments -- which the mercurial billionaire later appeared to walk back -- came after Trump and Musk's nearly year-long political alliance imploded in spectacular fashion, with the two trading public insults on social media.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon -- a gumdrop-shaped capsule that flies atop a Falcon 9 rocket and splashes down in the ocean -- is currently the only US spacecraft certified to carry crew to the ISS under a contract worth more than $4.9 billion.

A variant, Cargo Dragon, delivers supplies, as the name suggests.

Following Musk's announcement, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens said on X that the government space agency would "continue to execute upon the President's vision for the future of space."

"We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met," she said.

NASA had hoped to certify Boeing's Starliner for crewed missions, but that program has faced severe delays.

Its most recent test flight last year ended in failure after the spacecraft experienced propulsion issues en route to the orbital lab with its first astronaut crew.

The Starliner ultimately returned to Earth empty, while the two astronauts were brought home by SpaceX earlier this year.

Crew Dragon's certification in 2020 ended nearly a decade of US reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets to transport astronauts following the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

American astronauts still fly aboard Soyuz rockets, while Russian cosmonauts ride on Crew Dragons under a longstanding seat-swap agreement.

In addition to NASA missions, Crew Dragon also flies private missions -- most recently Fram2, which carried tourists over the Earth's poles.

The next scheduled crew launch is Tuesday's Axiom-4 mission, which will see a Crew Dragon transport astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to the ISS.​

 

[Saif]

Trump deploys military in LA to quell anti-immigration protests

About a dozen National Guard members were seen in video footage on Sunday morning lining up at a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, where detainees from immigration raids on Friday were taken, sparking protests that continued on Saturday.

www.thedailystar.net

Trump deploys military in LA to quell anti-immigration protests

Members of the California National Guard stand outside the Edward R Roybal federal building after their deployment by US President Donald Trump, in response to protests against immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, US on June 8, 2025. Reuters/Mike Blake

California National Guard arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday, deployed by President Donald Trump after two days of protests by hundreds of demonstrators against immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's hardline policy.

About a dozen National Guard members were seen in video footage on Sunday morning lining up at a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, where detainees from immigration raids on Friday were taken, sparking protests that continued on Saturday.

The complex is near Los Angeles City Hall, where another protest against the immigration raids is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. U.S. Northern Command confirmed National Guard troops had started deploying and that some were already on the ground.

"These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of deploying the National Guard because he wants "a spectacle."

Footage showed at least a half dozen military-style vehicles and riot shields on Sunday at the federal building where the Department of Homeland Security said about "1,000 rioters" had protested on Friday. Reuters could not verify the DHS account.

On Saturday law enforcement faced off against a few hundred protesters in Paramount in southeast Los Angeles and then later on Saturday with about 100 people in downtown Los Angeles, according to Reuters witnesses. Federal law enforcement was seen firing gas canisters in Paramount and downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to try and disperse protesters.

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 27 people on Saturday for failure to disperse from the downtown protest, police spokesperson Norma Eisenman said. She said she could not comment on whether LAPD used less lethal force. Less lethal force refers to crowd control tactics such as pepper balls.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested three people on Saturday on suspicion of assaulting an officer. Sheriff's deputies did use "less lethal force" in Paramount, spokesperson Deputy Brenda Serna said, but she could not specify which exact tactics were used.

'ZERO TOLERANCE'

The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant part of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made an immigration crackdown a hallmark of his second term.

Trump in a presidential memorandum on Saturday said he was deploying at least 2,000 National Guard personnel following what he described as "numerous incidents of violence and disorder" in response to the enforcement of federal immigration law, as well as "credible threats of continued violence."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert."

"There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job. The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE," Hegseth said in a social media post on Sunday, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, whose California district includes Paramount, on Sunday criticized the president's decision to deploy National Guard troops, arguing that local law enforcement has adequate resources to respond.

"We don't need the help. This is him escalating it, causing tensions to rise. It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Barragan told CNN's "State of the Union."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings, to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations.

Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day.

But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges.​

 

[Saif]

US to pull some personnel from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the US is preparing a partial evacuation

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

US to pull some personnel from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran

Published :
Jun 12, 2025 08:45
Updated :
Jun 12, 2025 08:45

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the US is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to US and Iraqi sources.

The four US and two Iraqi sources did not say what security risks had prompted the decision and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than 4.0 per cent, according to Reuters.

A US official said the State Department had authorised voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait.

The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest US posture. “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel due to heightened regional tensions,” the advisory said.

The decision by the US to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and US intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

"They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters. "We've given notice to move out."

Asked whether anything can be done to lower the temperature in the region, Trump said: "They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can't have a nuclear weapon."

Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and in an interview released earlier on Wednesday said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand.

Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that if Iran was subjected to strikes it would retaliate by hitting US bases in the region.

The US embassy in Kuwait said in a statement on Wednesday that it had "not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational."​

 

[Saif]

The new reality: International students face rising uncertainty in the US

US international students face fear, silence, and rising threats in 2025.

www.thedailystar.net

The new reality: International students face rising uncertainty in the US

Demonstrators hold a banner during a "Stand Up for Internationals" rally on the campus of Berkeley University in Berkeley, California, April 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS

In the era of Trump 2.0, news has continually emerged providing backing to the claim that the US is "no longer a safe destination for international students". Indeed, too much has changed in the past few months, from random threats of deportation for actions labelled as 'un-American' to checking phones and personnel for any signs of 'un-American' ways of thinking. The lives of international students living in the US are in a precarious position.

In addition, there is also the looming fear of many students losing access to their funding or scholarships. New sorts of threats constantly pop up with new administrative decisions being taken by the government. Students, amidst all of this, manage to live life with growing panic and uncertainty.

Kibria*, an undergraduate student studying in the state of Alabama, shares her anxiety. "I haven't particularly had to go through anything severe, nor have I had to face any major cut in my scholarship. Yet, I have developed terrible anxiety by simply watching the news and trying to follow what's happening. I keep thinking that they will, someday, come for me. It has gotten to the point where the anxiety harms me on a daily basis."

There is, of course, a very legitimate reason for paranoia of this nature. It was March 8, 2025, when Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who graduated from Columbia University and holds an American green card, was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security without any warrants. As of writing this article, he remains imprisoned and is waiting for a hearing from the US Department of Justice that threatens to deport him on claims which, according to a video reported by CNN, have no merit or backing.

He is not the only victim either, as several other college students have reportedly been taken into custody in the weeks that followed. Their fault? Participating or helping in organising protests at their respective campuses for Palestine. Many of these students have thus far been let go of, but Mahmoud Khalil still remains confined and awaiting a hearing.

This wave of events has had a major impact on international students currently in the US. As Anusha*, a graduate student in the state of Georgia, puts it, "I have almost completely stopped talking about Palestine online in fear of deportation. Even when I am outside, I have to be extra careful and often delete all my social media apps if I think they will go through my phone. Travelling is completely out of the question at this point. I feel guilty because I often ask myself what I am even doing here if I can't exercise my right to free speech, let alone attend a protest. But then, I am terrified of what might happen if I do."

Tanvir*, an undergraduate student currently in Texas, shares a similar sort of panic. "From what I can tell, those of us who already have a scholarship or receive an aid of some kind are not all that likely to lose it due to any funding cuts. That may sound like a relief, but the rate at which new things are happening, I can't help but feel like that will change soon."

Tanvir bemoans, "I am also, basically, stranded here. I cannot go back to my country anytime soon because there's a huge chance I will just be denied re-entry to the US."

Afia*, a recent graduate living in New York, has also stated that there has been a notable lack of conversation around Palestine altogether. "Not just on social media, no matter where you go, college students have been silenced by the recent incidents."

She adds, "Very few large-scale protests have taken place in the last few months. College administrations have tightened their rules against these demonstrations, so it has become scarier to actually participate in any of them."

Since early May, reports of newly emerging pro-Palestine protests have emerged, particularly from Columbia University, Yale University, and the University of Washington. However, most of these protests were quickly met with mass arrests, suspensions, and, in other contexts, withholding of degrees. While Campus was unable to identify any international students amongst the numbers, it is entirely possible that internationals who may be present will end up facing repercussions if not worse.

Amongst the onslaught of administrative processes becoming a reality, the most pressing one is the latest development with the US Government and Harvard. On May 23, the US Government announced that it would be halting Harvard's ability to enrol international students. Amidst the chaos this has created, many have wondered if a government is even allowed to do such a thing.

Campus reached out to Bangladeshi students currently at Harvard, and while they are currently too distressed and in the dark to make any comments to shed light on the situation, they have notified us that Harvard is working tirelessly to inform all their international students of any further developments. Most recently, Harvard made a public post announcing their decision to protect their international students. While that can seem hopeful, the future still looks grim as the onslaught of draconian laws persecuting international students for their stance against genocide seems to have no end in sight.

In this complete lack of a silver lining, students from Bangladesh and worldwide continue under enforced silence, with their futures largely uncertain.

References:

1. CNN (May 23, 2025). Judge denies request to terminate Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil's deportation proceedings.

2. Axios (May 8, 2025). Where Pro-Palestinian campus protests are emerging again.​