Tag: Region Americas

Trump’s ‘bald power grab’ could set US on path to dictatorship, critics fear

Unusually for him, Donald Trump made no great fuss as he signed one drily worded executive order last Tuesday. Public attention was distracted that day – by the headline-grabbing drama of Elon Musk bludgeoning his way through the federal bureaucracy, by immigrants deported to Guantánamo Bay, and by the torrent of other directives Trump has issued since his inauguration last month. But Trump’s 69th executive order of his second presidency, under the deceptive title of “Ensuring accountability for all agencies”,…

Donald Trump revives Canada’s Liberals in electoral turnaround

Until last month, Canada’s Liberal party appeared destined for electoral oblivion. Its leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had just quit amid plunging poll ratings, blamed by voters for a stagnating economy and taunted as a “woke liberal” by a newly elected US president. But Donald Trump’s first month in power has galvanised Canadian politics. He has threatened to use “economic force” to annex his northern neighbour, imposing — and then postponing — punishing tariffs and accusing it of flooding America…

Seized, settled, let: how Airbnb and Booking.com help Israelis make money from stolen Palestinian land

The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom. The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal…

Tesla Feels the Wrath of Anti-Elon Musk Backlash

Tae Helton, a car aficionado who lives minutes from Tesla Inc.’s (TSLA) flagship California factory, bought one Tesla for the family fleet and nearly purchased a second one last year. After Elon Musk made gestures resembling a Nazi salute at an inauguration event for President Donald Trump last month, he wants nothing to do with the brand. “The pride and the good feeling I had driving in it is gone for me,” Helton said of the Model 3 he’s driven…

White House official pushes to axe Canada from Five Eyes intelligence group

Here’s a suggestion Canadians may actually like: A White House official has proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network as Donald Trump increases pressure on the country he talks about turning into the 51st US state. Peter Navarro, one of the US president’s closest advisers, is pushing for the US to remove Canada from the Five Eyes — which also includes the UK, Australia and New Zealand — according to people familiar with his efforts inside the administration. Trump…

Musk’s DOGE team hit by resignation of 21 technology staffers

More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.” “We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honour…

US Justice Department accuses judge reviewing Trump transgender military ban of misconduct

Feb 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday filed a rare judicial misconduct complaint, accusing the judge hearing a challenge of President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military of “hostile and egregious misconduct.” The complaint, said U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., violated the judicial code of conduct by disrespecting a Justice Department lawyer and failing to uphold the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. During two hearings in the case this…

Bernie Sanders Warns Iowa City About Rise Of Oligarchy Power In The United States

– On Saturday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) held the first stop on his tour ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ in Iowa City, Iowa.

Pentagon plans to cut 5,400 workers starting next week

The Defense Department said Friday that it’s cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place. It comes after staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, were at the Pentagon earlier in the week and received lists of such employees, U.S. officials said. They said those lists did not include uniformed military personnel, who are exempt. Probationary employees are generally those on the job for less than a year and who have yet…

Israeli Freight Forwarder Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Violating Export Restrictions Imposed on Russia

Gal Haimovich, 49, of Israel, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to Russia, including for the benefit of sanctioned Russian airline companies. In addition, Haimovich paid the full forfeiture amount of $2,024,435.44 at today’s sentencing. As part of his plea agreement, Haimovich admitted that his scheme involved deceiving U.S. companies about the true destination of the goods at…

J.D. Vance meets leader of far-right German party after complaining free speech in Europe ‘in retreat’

U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance met the leader of a German far-right party during a visit to Munich on Friday, nine days before a German election and after lecturing European leaders about the state of democracy. Vance met with Alice Weidel, the co-leader and candidate for chancellor of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, his office said. Mainstream German parties say they won’t work with the party, a stance often referred to as a “firewall.” Polls put Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in second place going into…

‘You should have never started it’: Trump blames Kyiv for war

President Donald Trump this week falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war that has cost tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives, causing outrage and alarm in a country that has spent nearly three years fighting back a much larger Russian military. Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “ a dictator without elections” and claimed his support among voters was near rock-bottom. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the disinformation is coming from Russia, and some of what Trump has said does echo Russia’s own narrative of the conflict….

Trump calls Zelensky ‘a dictator,’ marking new low for fragile U.S.-Ukraine relationship

The relationship between the United States and Ukraine, which has helped Kyiv fend off the Russian invasion for the past three years, appeared on the verge of collapse Wednesday as the presidents of the two countries publicly traded insults. The furor has the potential to leave Ukraine – which is already losing ground along the front line – without the support of its biggest ally, as U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukraine’s future existence into question. The relationship between Mr….

YAPP USA Automotive Systems to Pay $14.2M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection Program Loan

YAPP USA Automotive Systems Inc., a corporation with its principal place of business in Michigan, has agreed to pay $14,208,496 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible. Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans…

Ford slashes manager stock bonuses to cut costs, boost performance

About half the middle managers at Ford Motor will not get stock bonuses this year in what is seen internally as CEO Jim Farley’s latest attempt to cut the automaker’s bloated costs, according to six people familiar with the matter. The stock awards are usually paid in March, but senior managers have been told to select which half of their middle management staff will receive them, four of the sources said. Ford said the change was meant to incentivize an…

Health Net Federal Services and Centene Corporation Agree to Pay Over $11 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability for Cybersecurity Violations

Note: View the settlement agreement here. Health Net Federal Services Inc. (HNFS) of Rancho Cordova, California and its corporate parent, St. Louis-based Centene Corporation, have agreed to pay $11,253,400 to resolve claims that HNFS falsely certified compliance with cybersecurity requirements in a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to administer the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) TRICARE health benefits program for servicemembers and their families. In 2016, Centene acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Health Net…