https://www.scmp.com/rss/270036/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Former US attorney general Pam Bondi does not plan to appear for a planned interview with a House of Representatives committee on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files following her firing by US President Donald Trump, the Justice Department told Congress on Wednesday. Bondi was subpoenaed ‌last month to testify in her formal role as attorney general, rendering the demand invalid now that she no longer holds that title, a Justice Department official wrote in a letter to the House Oversight... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349438/bondi-wont-appear-us-lawmakers-over-epstein-files-justice-department-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349438/bondi-wont-appear-us-lawmakers-over-epstein-files-justice-department-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:39:44 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo It might have made a good April Fool’s joke. Unfortunately, it was not. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b*****ds, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Really, who writes like that? Even a tinpot dictator from some godforsaken hellhole would have written a less expletive-laden post to retain some personal dignity as a leader of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349114/why-donald-trump-now-needs-forever-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349114/why-donald-trump-now-needs-forever-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The city of Minneapolis released a video on Monday showing a chase and scuffle that ended in a non-fatal shooting in January and the suspensions of two federal officers involved in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The video – from a city-owned security camera – captured part of the incident in which federal officers chased a Venezuelan man to his home. Another Venezuelan man who lives there was shot during the confrontation. Federal authorities in February dropped... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349198/video-brings-new-scrutiny-minnesota-ice-shooting-after-charges-against-2-men-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349198/video-brings-new-scrutiny-minnesota-ice-shooting-after-charges-against-2-men-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:28:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for Steve Bannon, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump, to overturn his conviction in a case linked to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Bannon, a leading figure on the far-right, served four months in prison in 2024 for defying a subpoena to testify before a congressional panel investigating the 2021 attack. But he appealed to the Supreme Court to have the conviction overturned, a legal challenge the Trump administration joined in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349196/supreme-court-clears-path-overturn-conviction-ex-trump-aide-steve-bannon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349196/supreme-court-clears-path-overturn-conviction-ex-trump-aide-steve-bannon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:55:00 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang US President Donald Trump is seeking congressional approval for US$1.5 trillion in defence spending in his new budget proposal, underscoring his administration’s focus on military investment as the country remains engaged in conflict in the Middle East. The blueprint released by the White House on Friday for the financial year 2027 proposes a 44 per cent increase in the US defence budget – implementing the widely controversial plan first unveiled by Trump in a January social media post. If... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3349007/trump-administration-seeks-us15-trillion-defence-new-budget-request?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3349007/trump-administration-seeks-us15-trillion-defence-new-budget-request?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:26:42 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan After avoiding much of the churn, firings and senior official turnover that marked his first term, US President Donald Trump on Thursday added to the string of high-profile departures in recent days, as bad news heaped more pressure on the White House. The administration announced that US Attorney General Pam Bondi was leaving to be replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche, in an acting capacity. “We love Pam,” Trump wrote on social media. “She will be transitioning to a much-needed and important... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:46 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin China has emerged as a focal point in the debate over US birthright citizenship, as the nation’s Supreme Court appeared sceptical of oral arguments on Wednesday in a landmark case driven by President Donald Trump’s push to restrict the practice. Birthright citizenship “has spawned a sprawling industry of birth tourism”, said Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump’s top litigator, in his opening remarks before the highest court in the country. “Uncounted thousands of foreigners from potentially... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:21:48 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A federal judge has revoked the US citizenship of a naturalised married couple from China after their 2021 convictions for stealing sensitive medical trade secrets and sharing them with China, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Tuesday. On March 30, federal Judge James E. Simmons Jr. of California’s Southern District ordered the denaturalisation of Li Chen and Yu Zhou, ruling their crimes showed a lack of the “good moral character” required for American citizenship. Chen and Zhou... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348592/couple-convicted-stealing-trade-secrets-china-loses-us-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348592/couple-convicted-stealing-trade-secrets-china-loses-us-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:58:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Almost three years ago, New York City joined governments across the country in banning TikTok from its phones over security concerns about the Chinese social media site. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a bona fide social media star, took to the app to announce a reversal: “TikTok, we’re back.” The city will now allow agencies to start posting again on the short-form social media site as long as departments follow a set of security precautions, according to a memo from city cybersecurity... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348591/new-york-mayor-mamdani-puts-citys-government-back-tiktok?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348591/new-york-mayor-mamdani-puts-citys-government-back-tiktok?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:57:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US judge blocked Donald Trump on Tuesday from proceeding with construction of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, halting for now one of the Republican president’s most visible efforts to reshape the seat of American power. US District Judge Richard ‌Leon granted a request for a preliminary injunction by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organisation that brought a lawsuit alleging Trump exceeded his authority when he razed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348589/judge-halts-trumps-white-house-ballroom-project-unless-congress-approves-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348589/judge-halts-trumps-white-house-ballroom-project-unless-congress-approves-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:45:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that ban the discredited practice. An 8-1 High Court majority sided with a Christian counsellor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed that the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide if it meets a legal standard that few laws pass. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348580/us-top-court-rules-against-state-ban-conversion-therapy-lgbtq-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348580/us-top-court-rules-against-state-ban-conversion-therapy-lgbtq-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:14:39 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on birthright citizenship, with Chinese nationals at the centre of disputed claims of abuse amplified by US President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote on social media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:55:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US ⁠military is upgrading White House facilities for the new East Wing, the administration said on Monday, after US President Donald Trump said the ballroom would be built atop a “massive” fortified complex. “The military is making some upgrades ‌to their facilities here at the White House and I’m not privy to provide any more details on that,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing. Leavitt’s comments followed Trump’s own update on the US$400 million White House... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348457/white-house-ballroom-project-include-massive-military-complex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348457/white-house-ballroom-project-include-massive-military-complex?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:15:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Pentagon has flouted a court order blocking it from enforcing a policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Defence Department’s headquarters, a lawyer for The New York Times asserted on Monday in urging a federal judge to compel the government’s compliance with the 10-day-old order. US District Judge Paul Friedman did not immediately rule from the bench after hearing a second round of arguments from lawyers for the newspaper and the Trump administration. The New York Times claims Pentagon... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348453/new-york-times-accuses-pentagon-flouting-judges-order-blocking-its-press-access-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348453/new-york-times-accuses-pentagon-flouting-judges-order-blocking-its-press-access-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:59:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Huge crowds rallied on Saturday against US President Donald Trump from coast to coast, venting their fury over what they see as his authoritarian style of governing, his hardline immigration policies and the war with Iran. It is the third time in less than a year that Americans have taken to the streets as part of a grass-roots movement called “No Kings”, the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025. Organisers say they expect millions... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348264/us-israel-war-iran-rages-millions-angry-trump-expected-fill-us-streets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348264/us-israel-war-iran-rages-millions-angry-trump-expected-fill-us-streets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 13:43:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said he would sign an order to pay Transportation Security Administration officers in a bid to alleviate disruptions at US airports with lawmakers in Congress deadlocked on how to end a partial government shutdown. “I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullen, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,” Trump declared in a social... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348061/trump-says-hell-sign-order-pay-tsa-during-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348061/trump-says-hell-sign-order-pay-tsa-during-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:54:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Justice Department has settled for roughly US$1.2 million a lawsuit from Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat and was later pardoned. Court papers filed Wednesday do not reveal the settlement amount, but a person familiar with the matter, who spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose nonpublic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347921/justice-department-settles-lawsuit-trump-ally-michael-flynn-us12-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347921/justice-department-settles-lawsuit-trump-ally-michael-flynn-us12-million?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 23:05:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump will not attend a major annual gathering of American conservatives for the first time in a decade, a White House official said on Wednesday. The Republican billionaire has been a marquee fixture at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) since 2016, but will miss this year’s edition due to a busy schedule amid the “ongoing Iran conflict”, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The conference this year is being held from Wednesday to Saturday... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347920/trump-skip-major-annual-conservative-gathering-first-time-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347920/trump-skip-major-annual-conservative-gathering-first-time-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 22:15:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Newly released records in the ⁠now-dismissed classified documents case against US President Donald Trump raise fresh concerns over national security risks and potential private business motivations, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee said. The records, handed over by the US Department of Justice as part of the Republican-led panel’s investigation into former US Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump, show FBI investigators said in a 2023 memo that the classified... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347915/new-records-trump-documents-case-raise-concerns-over-business-conflict-us-lawmaker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347915/new-records-trump-documents-case-raise-concerns-over-business-conflict-us-lawmaker?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:29:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to rule in favour of President ⁠Donald Trump’s administration in its defence of the government’s authority to turn away asylum seekers when officials deem US-Mexico border crossings too overburdened to handle additional claims. The justices heard arguments in a legal dispute involving a policy called “metering” that the Republican president’s administration may seek to revive after it was dropped by Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden in 2021.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347771/supreme-court-justices-lean-towards-trump-asylum-processing-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347771/supreme-court-justices-lean-towards-trump-asylum-processing-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 20:24:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Minnesota sued ⁠the federal government on Tuesday, seeking ⁠access to evidence in the fatal shootings by federal officers of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and a shooting that injured another man during an immigration enforcement surge in the state, according to a complaint. The lawsuit against the US Department of ‌Justice and the Department of Homeland Security alleges authorities blocked state investigators from key evidence and information related to the shootings. In late January, following the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347770/minnesota-sues-government-access-evidence-3-shooting-deaths-federal-officers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347770/minnesota-sues-government-access-evidence-3-shooting-deaths-federal-officers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:44:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Delta Air Lines said ⁠on Tuesday it would ⁠suspend special services for ⁠members of Congress, citing the impact of a partial government shutdown that has disrupted US air travel. “Due to the impact on resources from the long-standing government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend ‌specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta. “Next to safety, Delta’s no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347765/delta-suspends-special-treatment-congress-government-shutdown-sows-airport-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347765/delta-suspends-special-treatment-congress-government-shutdown-sows-airport-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:03:50 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Is bulls*** worse than lying? The late Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt thought so. I am not entirely convinced that it’s always true, but in the case of US President Donald Trump, it most certainly is. I am not denying Trump is a constant liar, but I think the essential characteristic that defines his personality and career as a politician is his BS rather than lies. As Frankfurt wrote in his essay On Bulls***, “One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347538/donald-trump-purest-symbol-post-truth-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347538/donald-trump-purest-symbol-post-truth-america?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters A federal judge on Monday blocked US President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing a new policy that would subject thousands of refugees to arrest and detention if after a year in the United States they had yet to obtain green ‌cards. US District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston acted at the request of six refugees and two advocacy groups who argued the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) policy was an unlawful departure from decades of practice. The plaintiffs alleged the policy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347643/us-district-judge-blocks-trump-administration-detaining-thousands-refugees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347643/us-district-judge-blocks-trump-administration-detaining-thousands-refugees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:40:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters Absences among transportation security ⁠workers this weekend reached their highest since a partial US government shutdown began five weeks ago, the Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday, while immigration enforcement agents prepared to fill in for them at some of the busiest US airports. At airports in Houston, New York and Atlanta, more than one-third of Transportation Security Administration staff were calling in sick or otherwise absent, DHS said, as the shutdown left tens of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347514/trump-administration-touts-plan-ice-airports-amid-criticism-union-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347514/trump-administration-touts-plan-ice-airports-amid-criticism-union-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:19:27 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the September 11 attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has died. He was 81. “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement on Saturday. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.” No cause of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347449/robert-mueller-special-counsel-who-investigated-russia-trump-campaign-ties-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347449/robert-mueller-special-counsel-who-investigated-russia-trump-campaign-ties-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:59:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump ⁠on Saturday threatened to ⁠deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement ⁠agents to US airports if congressional Democrats do not immediately agree to fund airport safety. “I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one ‌has ever seen before,” Trump wrote in a social media post. Transportation Security Administration personnel are set to miss a second full pay cheque on March 27 amid a partial government shutdown... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347448/trump-threatens-put-ice-agents-airports-amid-tsa-funding-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347448/trump-threatens-put-ice-agents-airports-amid-tsa-funding-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:27:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Trump administration filed a lawsuit on Friday against Harvard University, accusing the institution of allowing a “hostile environment” towards Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus from 2023 to 2025. President Donald Trump has launched an offensive against major American universities, accusing them of giving free rein on their campuses to pro-Palestinian movements in the face of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, action which he equates with... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347411/us-government-sues-harvard-over-anti-israel-protests-cites-hostile-environment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347411/us-government-sues-harvard-over-anti-israel-protests-cites-hostile-environment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 05:27:23 +0000 Reuters Reuters A 31-year-old Georgia woman has been charged with murder after she took abortion medication and gave birth to a premature infant who died within hours, according to court documents and arrest records. Alexia Moore was arrested, charged and jailed by local police earlier this month ‌in coastal Camden County, Georgia, near the Florida border over the episode on December 30. Nearly all abortions in Georgia are illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347404/us-woman-charged-murder-after-taking-abortion-pill-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347404/us-woman-charged-murder-after-taking-abortion-pill-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 02:15:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters A federal arts panel comprised of members appointed by Donald Trump on Thursday unanimously approved a commemorative gold coin featuring his image, part of a series of coins the US Mint is planning to produce to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year. The 24-carat gold coin was the latest effort by Trump and his allies to put the president’s name on buildings, government programmes ‌and US currency since his second White House term began in January 2025. During a presentation by a US Mint... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347225/trump-picked-panel-approves-gold-coin-his-image-larger-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347225/trump-picked-panel-approves-gold-coin-his-image-larger-better?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:12:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The FBI is investigating whether Joe Kent, who resigned his position as a top counterterrorism official this week in protest of the Iran war, improperly shared classified information, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The investigation precedes Kent’s resignation Tuesday from his role as director of the US government’s National Counterterrorism Centre, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing FBI inquiry. But it comes as the Justice Department... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347098/fbi-investigating-top-us-security-official-who-resigned-over-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347098/fbi-investigating-top-us-security-official-who-resigned-over-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 03:04:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iran’s government has been degraded since the war began on February 28, but it ⁠appears to be intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking US and allies’ interests in the Middle East, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday. “The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury,” Gabbard said, referring to the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, in her opening statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347085/iran-can-still-attack-us-interests-government-appears-intact-spy-chief-gabbard-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347085/iran-can-still-attack-us-interests-government-appears-intact-spy-chief-gabbard-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:34:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday as expected, in defiance of President Donald Trump as the world’s largest economy battles stubborn inflation, weak labour demand and an “uncertain” outlook due to the war in Iran. The Fed’s 11-1 vote kept rates steady at a range between 3.50 per cent and 3.75 per cent, with officials flagging one expected rate cut by the end of the year. “The implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain,” the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347084/us-fed-defies-trump-keep-interest-rates-unchanged-amid-iran-war-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347084/us-fed-defies-trump-keep-interest-rates-unchanged-amid-iran-war-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:52:46 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Beijing is unlikely to attack Taiwan next year, given security and economic deterrents, including its belief that an amphibious assault could fail and that the technological, supply chain and investor costs would be huge, according to a US threat assessment released on Wednesday. The intelligence overview appeared to walk back a projection by the Pentagon last year that Beijing wanted to take the self-governing island by force as early as 2027 and comes as US President Donald Trump takes a more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347083/us-assesses-mainland-china-not-planning-attack-taiwan-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347083/us-assesses-mainland-china-not-planning-attack-taiwan-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:12:46 +0000 Dov H. Levin Dov H. Levin As Chinese science makes great strides, some US China hawks have been sounding the alarm. In their view, Chinese scientific progress is a significant national security threat to the United States, as it signals the relative decline of US scientific dominance and potentially creates dependence on China. In one extreme case of this view, Leland Miller, a senior consultant for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, declared in a recent interview that China discovering a cure for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346757/us-hawks-are-wrong-chinas-rise-science-benefits-america-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346757/us-hawks-are-wrong-chinas-rise-science-benefits-america-too?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US congressional committee said ⁠on Tuesday it has ⁠issued a subpoena to Attorney General ⁠Pam Bondi to testify behind closed doors in its probe of the late convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi faces accusations that the Justice Department has concealed the names of powerful associates of Epstein in its release ‌of millions of documents related to the late financier. Under the subpoena, Bondi would give a sworn deposition to the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on ‌April... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346938/us-house-panel-subpoenas-pam-bondi-testify-epstein-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346938/us-house-panel-subpoenas-pam-bondi-testify-epstein-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:29:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s love affair with the Chicago shoe brand Florsheim took over the internet last week, after it was reported that he had gifted several members of his cabinet with new shoes, particularly the brand’s black cap-toe Oxfords named The Lexington. The unusual gifts were first reported last week in The Wall Street Journal, which said Trump had given out pairs of Florsheim shoes worth US$145 – at times even guessing people’s shoe size in front of them. “It’s a nice shoe,” Trump... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3346877/all-about-florsheim-shoe-brand-has-caught-us-president-donald-trumps-fancy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3346877/all-about-florsheim-shoe-brand-has-caught-us-president-donald-trumps-fancy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US federal appeal court allowed the Trump administration on Monday to temporarily resume summarily deporting undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in a 2-1 vote, lifted a block on the so-called third-country deportations that had been imposed by a lower court. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled last month that third-country deportations were unlawful but put his ruling on hold to allow the government time to file an appeal. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346805/trump-administration-can-resume-third-country-deportations-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346805/trump-administration-can-resume-third-country-deportations-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:35:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration ⁠has asked a judge to reconsider his ruling that has effectively blocked a criminal investigation into US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, according to court documents made public on Monday. Washington-based US District Judge James ‌Boasberg in a ruling unsealed on Friday blocked subpoenas issued by federal prosecutors in January seeking information about cost overruns in renovations at the Fed’s headquarters and Powell’s testimony to Congress... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346803/trump-administration-urges-judge-revisit-ruling-blocking-subpoenas-jerome-powell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346803/trump-administration-urges-judge-revisit-ruling-blocking-subpoenas-jerome-powell?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:13:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The BBC said on Monday it had asked a US federal court in Florida to dismiss a US$10 billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump against the British broadcaster. Trump launched a lawsuit last year over a BBC documentary that edited his 2021 speech ahead of the US Capitol riot. The documentary was “never aired in Florida – or the US” or available to stream there on any platform, a representative for the British Broadcasting Corporation said in a comment sent to Agence France-Presse. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346800/bbc-asks-florida-court-dismiss-trumps-us10-billion-lawsuit-over-january-6-speech-edit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346800/bbc-asks-florida-court-dismiss-trumps-us10-billion-lawsuit-over-january-6-speech-edit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:01:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A federal judge on Friday quashed US Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve in January, a severe blow to an investigation that has already attracted strong criticism on Capitol Hill. Judge James Boasberg said that a “mountain of evidence suggests” that the purpose of the subpoenas was simply to pressure the Fed to cut its key interest rate, as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded. Fed Chair Jerome Powell revealed the investigation on January 11, prompting Senator... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346568/judge-quashes-subpoenas-fed-chair-says-investigation-was-politically-motivated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346568/judge-quashes-subpoenas-fed-chair-says-investigation-was-politically-motivated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:17:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A UN-backed panel of independent experts focusing on racial discrimination has said that racist hate speech by US President Donald Trump and other American political leaders, along with a crackdown on immigration in the United States, have led to “grave human rights violations”. The Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued its decision on Wednesday and urged the US to suspend immigration enforcement operations at, and near, schools, hospitals, and faith-based... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346322/trumps-racist-hate-speech-fuelling-rights-violations-us-un-panel-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346322/trumps-racist-hate-speech-fuelling-rights-violations-us-un-panel-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:08:10 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick The Chilean capital Santiago awoke on Wednesday to a mixture of celebration and tension. As the city prepared for the inauguration of its centre-right president, the new government’s first crisis was already unfolding behind the scenes: an undersea fibre-optic cable linking the South American country to Hong Kong that had enraged Washington and may prove a watershed moment in how Latin America handles critical infrastructure projects and its partnership with Beijing. Jose Antonio Kast was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346261/inauguration-day-chiles-new-president-inherits-chinese-cable-scandal-and-us-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346261/inauguration-day-chiles-new-president-inherits-chinese-cable-scandal-and-us-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:44:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican candidate backed by US President Donald Trump will advance to a run-off against a Democrat in the Georgia race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the US House of Representatives, after a special election on Tuesday seen as a test of Trump’s sway over his party. Trump’s preferred candidate, former district attorney for four northwest Georgia counties Clay Fuller, will face Shawn Harris, a moderate Democrat who has sought to court disillusioned Trump voters, in ‌the April 7... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346176/us-special-election-replace-marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346176/us-special-election-replace-marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-run?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:41:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump has built a potential off-ramp by suggesting the Iran war could end soon, but the world is still guessing about whether he will take it – and whether Tehran will let him. With surging oil prices threatening the global economy and his political fortunes at home, Trump’s tone appeared to shift abruptly on Monday as he called the war “very complete” and a “short-term excursion”. But the 79-year-old commander-in-chief continued to send mixed messages about when the war... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346150/will-trump-taco-iran-analysts-say-hes-looking-way-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346150/will-trump-taco-iran-analysts-say-hes-looking-way-out?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:23:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Sixty-one years after state troopers attacked Civil Rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, thousands are gathering in the Alabama city this weekend, amid new concerns about the future of the Voting Rights Act. The March 7, 1965, violence that became known as Bloody Sunday shocked the nation and helped spur passage of the landmark legislation that dismantled barriers to voting for Black Americans in the Jim Crow South. But this year’s anniversary celebrations – events run all... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345904/us-activists-politicians-rally-anniversary-civil-rights-march?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345904/us-activists-politicians-rally-anniversary-civil-rights-march?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:28:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters A federal judge ruled ⁠on Saturday that Kari Lake’s ⁠leadership of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) ⁠for much of last year violated federal law, invalidating a sweeping series of actions she took to cut staff and end many operations at its Voice of America (VOA) unit. In another blow to the Donald Trump administration’s attempts to diminish various government agencies, US District Judge Royce Lamberth granted ‌a summary judgment in favour of plaintiffs – including VOA journalists and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345851/us-judge-voids-actions-voice-america-acting-ceo-kari-lake-including-mass-lay-offs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345851/us-judge-voids-actions-voice-america-acting-ceo-kari-lake-including-mass-lay-offs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:15:56 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Nearly five decades ago, in 1978, a dozen or so professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) were on a mission to visit their American counterparts as well as research institutes and factories across the United States. The visit, said to be personally approved by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, was designed to forge academic ties and led to sister-school agreements with four prestigious US universities, including the University of Michigan (UM). It was a pivotal moment in academic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US unexpectedly lost jobs in February while unemployment edged up, government data showed Friday, piling pressure on President Donald Trump’s economic agenda as key midterm elections approach. The world’s biggest economy shed 92,000 jobs last month, in a sharp reversal from the job growth of 126,000 in January, the Labour Department said. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, crept up to 4.4 per cent from 4.3 per cent. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett insisted Friday that the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345782/us-sheds-92000-jobs-warning-sign-trumps-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345782/us-sheds-92000-jobs-warning-sign-trumps-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:09:39 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s timeless romance captivated the world in the 1990s. Now, a whole new generation is obsessing over the couple, thanks to FX’s Love Story. The first season of the show, executive-produced by Ryan Murphy, focuses on the pair’s dizzying relationship unfolding under intense media scrutiny. It stars Tony-nominated actress Sarah Pidgeon as fashion publicist Carolyn Bessette and breakout talent Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr, son of former US president John F.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3345563/what-happened-designer-carolyn-bessettes-wedding-dress-narciso-rodriguez?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3345563/what-happened-designer-carolyn-bessettes-wedding-dress-narciso-rodriguez?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:00:12 +0000