Trump announces new weapons for Ukraine, threatens tariffs on Russia
[unable to retrieve full-text content] US President Donald Trump announced a shipment of weapons for Ukraine while threatening tariffs on Russia.
Why are Afghan refugees being sent back to Taliban rule?
Afghans who fled decades ago are now being forced back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as Iran, Pakistan, or the US turn their backs on them. With refugees who were once promised safety now being deported into crisis, why are these countries choosing to abandon them, and what does this reveal about the state of asylum worldwide? Adblock test (Why?)
Trump again slams ‘stupid’ US Fed chairman over interest rate levels
The president’s frequent attacks against Jerome Powell have sparked concerns about the independence of the central bank. United States President Donald Trump has again attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, stepping up criticism that has sparked concerns over efforts to undermine the independence of the country’s central bank. In remarks before religious figures at the White House on Monday, Trump called Powell a “knucklehead” and insisted that he should lower interest rates. “He’s a knucklehead. Stupid guy. He really is,” Trump said, insisting that inflation is not currently a serious concern for the economy and that interest rates should be brought down to one percent. The US president’s frequent barbs and threats to replace Powell have previously spooked markets, wary of what some investors see as an effort to bring the central bank and the crafting of monetary policy under greater political control. The central bank chief has thus far refused to budge on the question of interest rates, saying that it is still too early to bring them down given sources of potential disruption such as changing tariff policy. Trump said over the weekend that he is planning to place important US trading partners such as the European Union and Mexico under a 30 percent tariff starting on August 1, and has warned other countries they could face similar rates or worse if they do not swiftly come to individual agreements with the US. Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to Trump, also stated over the weekend that the president might be able to fire Powell for cause, citing higher-than-expected expenses for the renovation of the bank’s headquarters. Advertisement The Fed has been in the process of renovating two buildings for its offices in Washington, DC for several years, with a current cost estimate of $2.5bn, about $700m more than originally anticipated. Such cost overruns are far from atypical in Washington, but officials in the Trump administration have pounced on them as a potential door to firing Powell, whom Trump has long criticised. Trump’s top budget adviser Russell Vought said last week that the White House is “extremely troubled” by the expense of the project, which critics saw as an effort to pile additional pressure on the central bank. Vought played an important role in the controversial conservative blueprint for a second Trump term known as Project 2025, which envisions a radical restructuring of government and consolidation of greater power in the executive branch. A spokesperson for the US Inspector General, a nonpartisan government watchdog, says that Powell has requested a review of the cost overruns. Adblock test (Why?)
Amritsar’s Golden Temple receives bomb threat, email says…; police beef up security
The Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar received a bomb threat on Monday, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said in a police complaint. Amritsar Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the police received a complaint.
Balasore sexual harassment case: Student succumbs to injuries after self-immolation; Odisha CM says…
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief and assured the family of the deceased that all those guilty in this case will face the strictest punishment as per the law.
Shubhanshu Shukla to return from ISS today: When and where to watch Axiom 4 touchdown live
Upon splashdown, the crew will be retrieved by recovery teams and Shukla will then begin a 7-day rehabilitation protocol to readjust to Earth’s gravity after spending over two weeks in microgravity.
Texas lawmaker proposes beefing up temporary worker program to ease farm labor shortages
The South Texas Republican’s “Bracero 2.0” legislation — named after a 1940s temporary labor program — would raise wages for migrant farmers and simplify applications for employers, amid other changes.
Texas disaster preparedness and flooding committee will visit Kerr County
The Senate panel consists of seven Republicans and two Democrats. It first meets in Austin next week, then in Kerrville on July 31.
Officials say at least 100 people still missing after July Fourth floods; recovery efforts could take months
At least 132 people have died. State and local leaders say getting an exact figure of the missing is difficult because so many people were visiting the Guadalupe River on the holiday weekend.
Hawley urges DHS Secretary Noem to declassify all Trump Butler rally assassination attempt documents
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to declassify all documents related to the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Hawley’s request comes a year after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired off several shots at Trump from a rooftop near the presidential rally grounds. The gunman had a clear shot and grazed the president’s ear. Even after a year, though, questions still remain about how Crooks was able to get a clear shot. In his letter to Noem, Hawley mentions the one-year anniversary of the first assassination attempt on Trump. RAND PAUL SAYS WE ‘AREN’T GOING TO KNOW’ THE MOTIVE OF TRUMP’S WOULD-BE ASSASSIN “This occasion marks a deeply troubling chapter in our nation’s history and serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency in preserving public trust during moments of national crisis,” he wrote. “To that end, I urge you to take the necessary steps to declassify all documents within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) related to the events of July 13, 2024. “As you know, assassination attempts against current and former presidents are rare but profoundly consequential events in American life,” Hawley continued. “And the American people rightly expect full transparency from their government.” The senator pointed to investigation stonewalling tactics from the Biden administration’s Secret Service and DHS, which he said ultimately denied basic facts to the American people. COULD BUTLER HAPPEN AGAIN? FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENTS WEIGH IN ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN 2025 “The public learned far more from whistleblowers than they did from public officials, and I released a report documenting these disclosures, many of which have been corroborated to date,” Hawley wrote. “In October of last year, in a unanimous vote, the Homeland Security Committee passed my legislation requiring the Secret Service release to the public all pertinent documents. “Now, I am requesting that you immediately declassify and release all documents relating to the first assassination attempt on President Trump within the full extent of your authority, subject only to the narrowest possible redactions necessary to protect ongoing operations or individual safety,” he said. “The public deserves a full and accurate account of this event, the circumstances that allowed it to happen, and the steps the government has taken since to strengthen protective measures.” Hawley requested a complete inventory of all classified or non-public materials related to the first assassination attempt on Trump, including reports, internal communications, threat assessments, after-action reviews and coordinated records with other agencies. CRITICAL SECURITY LAPSES BY SECRET SERVICE EXPOSED IN NEW REPORT ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT He also requested a formal explanation for the continued classification of materials Noem believes must remain restricted, as well as a proposed plan and timeline for the immediate declassification and public release of all remaining documents, all by July 30, 2025. Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment on the matter. Hawley released a report in September, detailing the failures of the Secret Service in connection with the attempted assassination of Trump in July, which included whistleblower allegations that are “highly damaging to the credibility” of the agency. The report uncovered a “compounding pattern of negligence, sloppiness, and gross incompetence that goes back years, all of which culminated in an assassination attempt that came inches from succeeding.” ONE YEAR AFTER TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING, WITNESSES SAY INVESTIGATIONS LEAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS Hawley accused the Secret Service, FBI and DHS of all trying “to evade real accountability.” “These agencies and their leaders have slow-walked congressional investigations, misled the American people, and shirked responsibility,” the report states. After the first of two assassination attempts against Trump in just over two months, Hawley visited the Butler rally site to interview whistleblowers and opened up a whistleblower tip line, encouraging those with relevant information to share with officials. Documents subpoenaed by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs also show major failures among the six U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agents who were suspended without pay in response to the assassination attempt. The documents were based on interviews with the agents and their colleagues and revealed that several agents admitted the existence of major security concerns at the Butler rally, but none of them elevated the concerns or helped produce a plan to properly cover the roof that provided Crooks a clear shot of Trump. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The documents show that some agents in charge never even conducted walk-throughs of the site. For example, the lead advance agent, documents show, never did a final security walk-through of the rally site because she was in the hospital for heat exhaustion, the special agent in charge said when questioned. Some of the agents were suspended without pay for various terms, though none of the agents were fired.