Trump says he's not planning to fire Fed's Powell
Trump is open to the idea of firing Powell, a source told Reuters on Wednesday before Trump said he wouldn't, even as he unleashed a new barrage of criticism against the Fed chair for not cutting interest rates.
Trump polled some Republican lawmakers on firing Powell and received a positive response, the source told Reuters.
In response to a question about whether the White House has given any indication that the president intends to try to fire Powell, a Fed official pointed to Powell's public statements that he intends to serve out his term. REUTERS
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AsiaOne
18 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Trump administration tells US diplomats abroad not to opine on foreign elections, World News
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed US diplomats worldwide not to comment on the fairness or integrity of elections conducted by foreign countries, according to an internal note seen by Reuters on Thursday (July 17), in a significant departure from Washington's traditional approach of promoting free and fair elections overseas. The order, sent to all US diplomatic posts in a July 17 internal State Department cable, says the Department will no longer issue election-related statements or social media posts from Washington unless there is a "clear and compelling" foreign policy interest. "When it is appropriate to comment on a foreign election, our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests," said the cable, which was marked as "sensitive" but not classified. "Messages should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy, or the democratic values of the country in question," it said. It added that election-related messages should come from either the Secretary himself or the Department spokesperson and it barred US diplomats from issuing such statements without explicit approval from the agency's senior leadership. The cable referenced President Donald Trump's May 13 speech in Riyadh when he criticised what he called "Western interventionists" telling Middle Eastern countries how to govern their own affairs, saying that was no longer Washington's business and it was looking to forge partnerships. "While the United States will hold firm to its own democratic values and celebrate those values when other countries choose a similar path, the President made clear that the United States will pursue partnerships with countries wherever our strategic interests align," the directive said. When asked about the cable, a State Department spokesperson in emailed comments repeated some of the points in the directive and said that this approach was consistent with the administration's emphasis on "national sovereignty". The United States has traditionally viewed the promotion of human rights and democracy as well as press freedom as a core foreign policy objective, although critics have repeatedly pointed out the double standard Washington has had towards its allies. Under Trump, the administration has increasingly moved away from the promotion of democracy and human rights, largely seeing it as interference in another country's affairs. For example, it has moved to reshape the State Department's human rights bureau, which it said had become a platform for "left-wing activists to wage vendettas against 'anti-woke' leaders". Trump officials have repeatedly weighed in on European politics to denounce what they see as suppression of right-wing leaders, including in Romania, Germany and France, accusing European authorities of censoring views such as criticism of immigration in the name of countering disinformation. [[nid:720335]]
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The Wall Street Journal reported that the note, allegedly written by US President Donald Trump, was part of a collection of notes for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on July 17 threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal after it published a story about an alleged off-color letter written by him to late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman. The Journal story, which quickly reverberated around the US capital, says the note to Epstein bearing Mr Trump's signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image. 'The Editor of The Wall Street Journal ... was told directly by (White House press secretary) Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE,' Mr Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network. 'Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway,' he said. 'President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr (Rupert) Murdoch, shortly. The Press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don't even exist.' The alleged letter – which Mr Trump denies writing – is raunchy, as were others in the collection, the Journal reported. It contains several lines of typewritten text, contained in an outline of a naked woman drawn with a marker. 'The future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,' the Journal reported. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump diagnosed with vein condition causing leg swelling: White House World Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. What is it? Singapore 5 foreigners charged over scheme to deliberately get arrested in S'pore to sell sex drugs here Asia Appointment of Malaysia's new chief justice eases controversy over vacant top judge seats for now Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Singapore SPCA appoints Walter Leong as new executive director World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business Granddaughter of late Indonesian tycoon pays $25 million for Singapore bungalow 'The letter concludes: 'Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.'' Mr Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the figure, telling the Journal: 'This is not me. This is a fake thing.' 'I don't draw pictures of women,' he said. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' Mr Murdoch, who controls the NewsCorp media empire, was in Mr Trump's suite on July 13 at MetLife Stadium outside New York City for the Fifa Club World Cup final. Epstein row The Republican president was already facing a firestorm over his past relationship with Epstein, and claims that his administration is covering up lurid details of Epstein's crimes to protect rich and powerful figures. Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 – during Mr Trump's first term – after being charged with sex trafficking in a scheme where he allegedly groomed young and underage women for sexual abuse by the rich and powerful. The Trump-supporting far-right has long latched on to the scandal , claiming the existence of a still-secret list of Epstein's powerful clients and that the late financier was in fact murdered in his cell as part of a cover-up. Trump supporters expected the Republican to answer their questions on his return to office this January but now find themselves being told the conspiracy theories are false. The Justice Department and FBI said in a memo made public earlier this month there is no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a 'client list' or was blackmailing powerful figures. They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his suicide, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe. Then, on July 17, several US media outlets reported that a federal prosecutor who handled Epstein's case, who is the daughter of a prominent Trump critic, was abruptly fired. Ms Maurene Comey, whose father is former FBI director James Comey, was dismissed on July 16 from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan, several major US outlets reported. Ms Comey also prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate who has been criminally charged in connection with his activities. Maxwell is the person who compiled the leather-bound book of letters for Epstein in 2003, The Journal reported. 'The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it?' Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmaker Pat Ryan wrote: 'I think we now know EXACTLY why Donald Trump refuses to release the Epstein files.' AFP
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump nominating former Delta pilot to international aviation post
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is nominating former Delta Air Lines pilot Jeffrey Anderson to serve as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the White House said on Thursday, in a move opposed by a major airline pilots' union. The nomination comes as some U.S. senators want the Trump administration to advocate at the Montreal-based U.N. civil aviation body for raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots from 65 to 67. The United States has not had a permanent ambassador at ICAO since July 2022 when C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed an Airbus A320 on New York's Hudson River in 2009 after hitting a flock of geese, stepped down. The Air Line Pilots Association, a union which represents more than 79,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines, criticized Trump's nomination of Anderson, calling him unqualified. "It appears that Mr. Anderson's only real qualification for the post is his support of a position – raising the mandatory pilot retirement age – that would leave the United States as an outlier in the global aviation space and create chaos on pilot labor, and international and domestic flight operations," the union said in a statement. Last year, Congress rejected a push to raise the mandatory airline pilot retirement age to 67 from 65. International rules prevent airline pilots older than 65 from flying in most countries outside the U.S. The White House defended Anderson's nomination in a statement, noting he was a decorated veteran naval aviator with decades of experience as a pilot for Delta and a negotiator for ALPA "who will deliver on President Trump's vision of aviation safety for the American people at ICAO." ICAO plays a key role in global aviation safety. While it has no policing powers, ICAO uses consensus to set standards on everything from runways to seat belts. The agency was created after the United States invited more than 50 allies to agree in 1944 to a common air navigation system. The 193-nation body will hold its triennial assembly from September 23 to October 3 this year. REUTERS
