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Trump signs executive order to limit mail-in voting
United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order cracking down on mail-in voting, in a move that voting rights advocates have called unconstitutional. The order will require the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of verified U.S. citizens in each state who are eligible to vote. The executive order will almost certainly be challenged in court, which could block it from being enforced in time for the November midterm elections. “We want to have honest voting in our country, because if you don’t have honest voting, you can’t have, really, a nation if you want to know the truth,” Trump said in the Oval Office after signing the order. While signing the executive order, Trump claimed that cheating with mail-in voting was “legendary”. Repeated studies have found that documented cases of voter fraud, especially by non-citizens, are exceedingly rare. Trump even voted by mail himself recently in Florida. Voting-rights advocates have said that Trump’s planned restrictions on voting would disenfranchise millions of Americans. “There’s not a single provision in here that will withstand judicial review. This is a wholly unconstitutional EO,” Center for Election Innovation executive direct
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Xi Jinping to head to White House in May
China's President Xi Jinping is set to head to Washington DC to meet with United States President Donald Trump in May. The meeting has been anticipated for months, with the pair last speaking face-to-face at an airport summit in October of last year. This current meeting, set for 14-15 May at the White House, has already faced delays at the request of the Trump administration, who cited the war in Iran as the reason. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the new date for the meeting to reporters this week. “I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I am sure, a Monumental Event,” Trump said in a social media post.
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Homan confirms deployment of ICE agents to airports
Donald Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, have confirmed that ICE agents will be deployed to ease security lines amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The agents will help airport security agents who have been working without pay since the shutdown on 14 February, which led to more than 400 TSA officers quitting their jobs. Trump said Homan will lead the effort on a post on Truth Social. “On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all,” Trump posted. “The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!” Homan further confirmed Trump’s announcement in an interview with CNBC. “We will be at the airports tomorrow, helping TSA move those lines along,” Homan said, adding that ICE will assist in areas like guarding exit doors to relieve TSA agents for screening travellers. “We’re simply there to help TSA do their jobs in areas that don’t need their specialised expertise.” Details of the plan are stil
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Vance to hold oil meeting as concerns grow
United States Vice President JD Vance is set to host oil executives at the White House this week, as fears for a global energy crisis grow in the wake of conflict in the Middle East. The meeting will also have Energy Secretary Chris Wright in attendance, along with the board of the American Petroleum Institute. The board is comprised of some of the biggest oil company executives globally, and is the biggest oil and gas lobby group in the U.S. The meeting comes in response to growing concerns that the world could be facing a fuel and energy crisis, as fighting increases in Iran and surrounding nations, disrupting the export flow of gas, oil and petroleum. “We are fighting against it, and we promise that when this conflict draws to a close, when this operation draws to a close, we’re going to see those energy prices come back down to reality, because that’s what the president promised to do,” said Vance, speaking at an event on Wednesday.
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Trump waives shipping law amid oil shock
United States President Donald Trump has ordered a 60-day waiver of a century-old shipping law in a bid to stabilise energy markets disrupted by the conflict with Iran, as oil prices climb and global supply routes face sustained disruption. The White House confirmed the temporary suspension of the Jones Act on Wednesday, allowing foreign-flagged vessels to transport fuel and other commodities between U.S. ports. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move would enable “vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertiliser, and coal to flow freely” and strengthen supply chains during the crisis. The decision comes as the war involving the U.S., Israel and Iran constrains global energy flows, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Disruptions there have reduced tanker traffic and left hundreds of vessels stranded, according to shipping data cited by market intelligence firm Kpler. Benchmark crude prices have responded sharply. Brent crude rose 3.83% to settle at US$107.38 a barrel on Wednesday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate closed near US$96.32. The Jones Act, enacted in 1920 to support domestic shipbuilding and maritime employmen

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Senate negotiations ongoing as DHS shutdown continues
A counteroffer has been put forward by United States Democrats in an attempt to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The shutdown, which began on 14 February, is a result of Democrats demanding significant changes to immigration law enforcement in the wake of two civilians being killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and nationwide protests. The demands have been rejected by the Trump administration so far, resulting in a departmental shutdown, which includes workers such as Transport Security Administration officers at airports, who are working without pay. President Donald Trump took to social media overnight to blame the Democrats for a “purposeful DHS shutdown”, causing “chaos at the airports”. An anonymous White House official reported that the latest proposal was now being reviewed by the White House. The previous month has seen negotiations between the administration and Congressional Democrats, with both parties hoping to avoid airlines being impacted if TSA employees refuse to show up for unpaid work or leave the job completely, but so far no agreement has been reached.
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Trump criticises NATO allies refusing to join Iran war
United States President Donald Trump sharply criticised NATO countries for declining to be involved in the war against Iran, and has said the U.S. does not need NATO’s help. Trump had claimed in recent days that U.S. allies would send ships to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, though none have agreed to do so. The strait, where around 20% of global oil flows would usually transit, remains largely closed by Iran. “The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East,” Trump, a longtime NATO critic, wrote on social media. “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer “need,” or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea.” Trump also said NATO nations were “making a very foolish mistake” in a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin today, though Ireland is not a NATO member. Germany and Finland said this week that the war is not an issue for NATO, as the U.S. did not consult the bloc before beginning strikes on Iran. “NATO is indeed a defensive alliance, and we won't be dragged into any
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US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war
A senior United States counterterrorism official has resigned due to the war against Iran, saying Iran was not an imminent threat to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent was confirmed to the position last year and is the first high-ranking member of President Donald Trump’s administration to step down due to the war. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” wrote Kent in his resignation letter. Kent previously ran for a House of Representatives seat in Washington state, where his campaign had ties to right-wing extremist groups, the Associated Press reported. He was also formerly a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces and a CIA agent. “As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, said that Kent’s claim that Iran did not pose an imminent threat was correct. “Joe Kent’s
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Trump says he expects to have the honour of taking Cuba
United States President Donald Trump said he expects to have the “honour of taking Cuba”, after a U.S.-imposed oil blockade plunged the country into darkness due to a total power blackout. “Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “They’re a very weakened nation right now.” Trump also said he could do “anything (he) wants” with Cuba, amid U.S. negotiations with Havana over the country’s future. The New York Times also reported that U.S. officials told Cuba to remove its president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, from power during recent talks, citing four unnamed sources familiar with the discussions. Trump’s comments come as the U.S. enters its third week in the war against Iran. One of the reasons Trump gave for the war was to encourage the people of Iran to depose their government. After he finishes in Iran, Trump suggested he will turn his sights to Cuba, threatening a “friendly takeover” of the Caribbean nation, which has been an adversary of the U.S. for decades, except for a brief thaw when Barack Obama was president. These threats are the latest example of Trump’s more aggressive foreign policy during his second term as president. Trump also