Tag Archives: US President Donald Trump

Defense News: What’s wrong with Trump accepting a 747 from Qatar? Everything

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As secretary of the Air Force, I was frustrated by Boeing’s failure to deliver the new Air Force One aircraft on time.

I can understand that President Trump would like a new aircraft, painted as he desires and available for use during his term in office. I cannot understand his willingness to accept the “gift” of a luxuriously appointed, used Boeing 747 from Qatar.

It is wrong to accept this gift from any perspective.

Read the rest of the article for a lengthy discussion of “any perspective”.

What’s wrong with Trump accepting a 747 from Qatar? Everything.
Opinion: The Qatari gift amounts to a flying palace rather than a flying White House meant for vital work, argues former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2025/05/16/whats-wrong-with-trump-accepting-a-747-from-qatar-everything

Manila Times: Trump family Gulf empire grows

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Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit next week, his son Eric was promoting his crypto firm in Dubai, while Don Jr. prepared to talk about “Monetizing MAGA” in Doha.

Last month, the Trump Organization struck its first luxury real estate deal in Qatar and released details of a billion-dollar skyscraper in Dubai whose apartments can be bought in cryptocurrency.

In a monarchical region awash with petrodollars, the list of Trump-related ventures is long and growing. However, the pres-idential entourage is not the only party cashing in, analysts say.

“Gulf governments likely see the presence of the Trump brand in their countries as a way to generate goodwill with the new administration,” said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

If the president chose, he could hopscotch the region from one Trump venture to another when he visits Saudi Arabia, Qa-tar and the United Arab Emirates next week on the first foreign tour of his second term.

Asked whether Trump would make visits or meetings linked to his own business interests or that of his family, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “ridiculous” to “even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit” and that he had “lost money for being president.”

LOL! The only person in Washington, D.C., who tells more lies than King Donald is Bimbo #1 Karoline Leavitt.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/05/12/business/foreign-business/trump-family-gulf-empire-grows/2110755

NPR: Vice President Vance says India-Pakistan fighting is ‘none of our business’

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Vice President Vance said that the current escalation between India and Pakistan was “fundamentally none of our business,” as they traded blows overnight Thursday and early Friday evening using drones and projectiles, reaching places that have not been targeted in decades on either side.

Vance spoke on Fox News late Thursday, in response to a question about if the Trump administration was worried about nuclear conflict. “We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible,” and added: “We can’t control these countries though.”

“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”

Useless apathetic worm! We have two nuclear friends coming to blows, and J.D. Dunce shrugs it off as “none of our business”. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

Vice President Vance says India-Pakistan fighting is ‘none of our business’
Vice President Vance said the fighting between India and Pakistan was “fundamentally none of our business.” Experts say the U.S. used to work hard to de-escalate crises between the nuclear states.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/09/nx-s1-5393719/vice-president-vance-india-pakistan-crisis

Bloomberg: Global Shift to Bypass the Dollar Is Gaining Momentum in Asia

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Banks and brokers are seeing rising demand for currency derivatives that bypass the dollar, as trade tensions add a sense of urgency to a years-long shift away from the greenback.

Firms are receiving more requests for transactions including hedges that sidestep the dollar and involve currencies such as the yuan, the Hong Kong dollar, the Emirati dirham and the euro. There’s also demand for yuan-denominated loans, and a bank in Indonesia is setting up a desk for the Chinese currency.

The vast majority of foreign-exchange trades use the dollar even if they’re transferring money between two local currencies. For example, an Egyptian company wanting Philippine pesos will typically transfer its local currency into the greenback before buying pesos with the dollars it receives. But companies are increasingly looking at strategies that skip the dollar’s role as a go-between.

Global Shift to Bypass the Dollar Is Gaining Momentum in Asia
Banks and brokers are seeing rising demand for currency derivatives that bypass the dollar, as trade tensions add a sense of urgency to a years-long shift away from the greenback.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/ar-AA1EqTN6

BBC: New Jersey mayor arrested for protesting at migrant centre

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The mayor of New Jersey’s largest city has been arrested after allegedly trying to force his way into a migrant detention facility.

Newark Mayor Ras Barak, who is running for New Jersey governor, “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings”, to leave Delaney Hall, a detention facility being run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to acting US attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba.

Barak was accompanied by three Democratic members of Congress, who were not arrested. They say they were there to conduct “oversight” to ensure that the facility is not violating any building safety ordinances.

It is unclear whether Barak faces criminal charges.

…

New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy said he was “outraged” by Baraka’s arrest and called for him to be immediately released.

New Jersey Democratic lawmakers Rob Menendez Jr, Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver were also present during the protest.

City officials allege the private firm that signed a contract with ICE did not obtain proper permits and blocked necessary inspections. The firm has told media they haver the proper permits.

Earlier on Friday, Congresswoman Watson Coleman posted on social media: “We’re at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances.

New Jersey mayor arrested for protesting at migrant centre
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was part of a group of Democratic officials seeking to enter the facility housing detained migrants.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy904elvxj3o

France 24: Stockholm is latest city to refuse ‘bizarre’ US request to abandon diversity

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The Stockholm City Council has rejected the US embassy’s demand that it adopt the Trump administration’s anti-diversity policies, with Stockholm’s vice-mayor for planning calling the request “bizarre”. Several European nations and cities have slammed US efforts to force its anti-DEI policies on the continent.

Presumptuous idiots!!!!!!!!!!

In an email to the city’s planning office dated April 29, the US embassy asked that Stockholm officials sign a document promising that contractors would not operate any programmes promoting DEI that would violate current US law.

“It’s so bizarre,” Jan Valeskog, Stockholm’s vice-mayor for city planning, told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter on Tuesday.

The city council said Friday that it would not comply with the embassy’s demands or offer an official response.

“We were really surprised, of course,” Valeskog told The Associated Press.

“We will not sign this document at all, of course not.”

Stockholm is latest city to refuse ‘bizarre’ US request to abandon diversity
The Stockholm City Council has rejected the US embassy’s demand that it adopt the Trump administration’s anti-diversity policies, with Stockholm’s vice-mayor for planning calling the request “bizarre”.…

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250509-stockholm-refuses-bizarre-us-trump-request-to-reject-diversity-dei-policies

Inquirer: Trump moves to tax parcels; some retailers give up on US

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As the United States ends a tariff exemption for small parcels on Friday, some retailers have stopped selling to US customers while others are seeking temporary workarounds in the hope the tariff rate may be reduced.

The removal of “de minimis”—duty-free treatment of e-commerce packages worth less than $800—for products originating from China and Hong Kong exposes those goods to tariffs of 145 percent on most Chinese goods following US President Donald Trump’s decision last month. The move upended global trade and triggered retaliation from Beijing.

Trump moves to tax parcels; some retailers give up on US
LONDON—As the United States ends a tariff exemption for small parcels on Friday, some retailers have stopped selling to US customers while others are seeking temporary workarounds in the hope the tariff rate may be reduced. The removal of “de minimis”—duty-free treatment of e-commerce packages worth less than $800—for products originating from China and Hong Kong exposes those goods to tariffs of 145 percent on most Chinese goods following US…

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/trump-moves-to-tax-parcels-some-retailers-give-up-on-us/ar-AA1E4Aw6

Euronews: Trump asks Supreme Court to remove legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans

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US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans as part of his plans to begin mass deportations.

The move comes after a federal judge in San Francisco prolonged their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which had been due to expire in April.

Trump has no humanity whatsoever, thinks nothing of turning the lives of a third of a million people upside down on a whim.

Trump asks Supreme Court to remove legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans
The administration claims judges are interfering with its power over immigration and foreign policy. View on euronews

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/trump-asks-supreme-court-to-remove-legal-protections-from-350-000-venezuelans/ar-AA1E33XC

Inquirer: Nordics hope to attract US researchers alienated by Trump

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With US universities facing challenges to their independence and funding, Nordic countries hope their emphasis on academic freedom and strong welfare societies can lure researchers seeking to leave the United States.

“To researchers in the United States: welcome,” Sweden’s Education Minister Johan Pehrson told AFP, reaching out to academics affected by a wave of measures under US President Donald Trump.

“We can offer trust and long-term investments. We’ve got academic freedom. If you are looking for a place to do your work and contribute to solving global challenges, we value your knowledge,” the minister said in a written statement.

“Our aim is to make it easier for talented individuals to come to Sweden,” he added.

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/nordics-hope-to-attract-us-researchers-alienated-by-trump/ar-AA1E5aJB

RBC Ukraine: Trump may skip NATO summit if Europe fails to meet his demands

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US President Donald Trump may skip the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in The Hague this June. This will happen if European member states of the Alliance do not increase defense spending, Der Spiegel reports.

According to the outlet, the new US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has been pressing allies at every NATO ambassadors’ meeting to raise their defense budgets to 5% of GDP.

Would the buffoon’s absence really be a negative?

Trump may skip NATO summit if Europe fails to meet his demands
US President Donald Trump may skip the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in The Hague this June. This will happen if European member states of the Alliance do not increase defense spending, Der Spiegel reports. According to the outlet, the new US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has been pressing allies at every NATO ambassadors’ mee…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-may-skip-nato-summit-if-europe-fails-to-meet-his-demands/ar-AA1E4Nf1