https://www.scmp.com/rss/521504/feed The latest news and top stories on Mike Johnson, current Speaker of the US House of Representatives, who was elected in October 2023. A constitutional lawyer by background, he previously served as a US Representative for Louisiana’s 4th congressional district since 2017, and in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He chaired the Republican Study Committee and was Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference. Known as a social conservative, his expertise lies in constitutional law,... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump and many of his leading Christian supporters and top Republicans are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a “return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country”. The America Reads the Bible event – with each participant reading a passage aloud – is being live-streamed from the Museum of the Bible in Washington and other locations. It featured a video of Trump from the Oval Office on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350934/trump-reads-bible-after-high-profile-clash-pope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350934/trump-reads-bible-after-high-profile-clash-pope?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:48:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters US congressman Eric Swalwell said on Monday he will resign from the House of Representatives, bowing to pressure from both Democrats and Republicans to leave Congress or face expulsion following sexual misconduct allegations that upended his campaign for governor. The California Democrat vowed to fight the allegations but said ‌he must also “take responsibility and ownership” of his mistakes. “Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349966/swalwell-quit-congress-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349966/swalwell-quit-congress-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:03:14 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin A bipartisan resolution that would block US President Donald Trump from launching further strikes on Iran failed to pass the Senate floor on Wednesday, as the Pentagon pledged to “accelerate” its actions in a war that’s “just getting started”. In a 52-47 procedural vote on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate blocked a war powers resolution aimed at curbing Trump’s ability to escalate military action against Iran, preventing the measure from reaching the floor for debate. The resolution... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345487/us-senate-rejects-bid-curb-trumps-iran-war-powers-pentagon-set-increase-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345487/us-senate-rejects-bid-curb-trumps-iran-war-powers-pentagon-set-increase-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:42:10 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier President Donald Trump faced noteworthy pushback over his signature tariff policy in the US Congress this week as his popularity slipped and more lawmakers in his party appeared willing to risk his wrath. While the pushback is unlikely to result in any immediate concrete change to his aggressive tariff policy, which has roiled markets and upended global supply chains, it represents a striking challenge for a president who has lashed out at critics and otherwise maintained an iron grip on his... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3343243/trump-faces-rare-pushback-within-his-party-over-tariffs-polls-slide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3343243/trump-faces-rare-pushback-within-his-party-over-tariffs-polls-slide?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 22:59:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump signed a roughly US$1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote. “This bill is a great victory for the American people,” Trump said. The vote on Tuesday wrapped up congressional work on 11 annual appropriations bills that fund... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342294/us-shutdown-track-end-house-approves-trump-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342294/us-shutdown-track-end-house-approves-trump-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:02:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Congress has teed up a Tuesday vote on a spending bill to end the government shutdown, following a House committee vote late on Monday. The shutdown followed a breakdown in spending negotiations amid Democratic anger in response to federal immigration agents killing two US citizens in Minneapolis, which derailed talks over new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Late Friday, the Senate had passed a package clearing five outstanding funding bills to cover most federal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342160/trump-urges-no-changes-spending-bill-end-3-day-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342160/trump-urges-no-changes-spending-bill-end-3-day-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:07:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Republican National Committee has vastly outpaced Democrats in the crush for cash ahead of the midterm elections, holding a nearly US$100 million advantage at the close of 2025, according to year-end filings to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). As Democrats have struggled in the Trump era, the RNC tallied US$172 million raised in 2025, with US$95 million cash on hand at year’s end. In contrast, the Democratic National Committee posted US$145 million for the year, with US$14 million on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342028/fundraising-hauls-show-rnc-vastly-outpacing-democrats-ahead-midterm-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342028/fundraising-hauls-show-rnc-vastly-outpacing-democrats-ahead-midterm-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 23:12:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters US House ‍Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he believes he has the Republican votes to end a partial government shutdown within days and that the chamber will debate Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms for two weeks after that. “I’m confident that we’ll do it at ⁠least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town,” Johnson said on NBC’s Meet the Press. Transport problems are persisting following a snowstorm that affected travel in the southeastern US. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342021/us-house-speaker-johnson-says-he-has-votes-end-partial-government-shutdown-tuesday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342021/us-house-speaker-johnson-says-he-has-votes-end-partial-government-shutdown-tuesday?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:34:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Senate leaders were scrambling to save a bipartisan spending deal and avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday as Democrats have demanded new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country. Democrats struck a rare deal with US President Donald Trump Thursday to separate funding for the Homeland Security Department from a broad government spending bill and fund it for two weeks while Congress debates curbs on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341750/trump-seeks-avoid-shutdown-democrats-block-funding-demand-ice-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341750/trump-seeks-avoid-shutdown-democrats-block-funding-demand-ice-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:32:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US lawmakers voted on Thursday to revive health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year, offering hope to millions of Americans facing steep premium hikes – and pressuring the Senate to follow suit. The bill, which passed with Democratic support and backing from a small bloc of Republicans defying their own leadership, would extend enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act – widely known as Obamacare – for three years. Those subsidies lower monthly insurance costs for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339246/us-house-votes-extend-obamacare-subsidies-thanks-revolt-among-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339246/us-house-votes-extend-obamacare-subsidies-thanks-revolt-among-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 23:43:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump is considering making an offer to buy Greenland, the White House said on Wednesday, despite the island’s people and controlling power Denmark making clear they are not interested. Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out force to seize the strategic Arctic island, prompting shock and anger from Denmark and other long-standing European allies of the United States. After a request from Copenhagen, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would soon hold discussions with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339105/trump-plots-buy-greenland-nato-ally-denmark-seethes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339105/trump-plots-buy-greenland-nato-ally-denmark-seethes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 20:45:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Approaching the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honouring the police who defended democracy that day is nowhere to be found. It’s not on display at the Capitol, as is required by law. Its whereabouts aren’t publicly known, though it’s believed to be in storage. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has yet to formally unveil the plaque. And the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to dismiss a police... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338822/where-january-6-memorial-plaque-missing-tribute-sparks-legal-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338822/where-january-6-memorial-plaque-missing-tribute-sparks-legal-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:00:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans. The stunning move comes after House Republican leaders pushed ahead with a healthcare bill that does not address the soaring monthly premiums that millions of people will soon endure when the tax credits for those who buy insurance... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336830/4-republicans-defy-house-speaker-force-vote-extending-obamacare-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336830/4-republicans-defy-house-speaker-force-vote-extending-obamacare-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:56:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Thursday accused half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after the lawmakers - all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community - called on US military members to uphold the Constitution and defy “illegal orders”. The 90-second video was first posted early Tuesday from Senator Elissa Slotkin’s X account. In it, the six lawmakers - Slotkin, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333614/punishable-death-trump-suggests-seditious-democrats-should-be-executed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333614/punishable-death-trump-suggests-seditious-democrats-should-be-executed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:38:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican-controlled US Congress voted almost unanimously on Tuesday to force the release of Justice Department files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an outcome President Donald Trump had fought for months before ending his opposition. Two days after Trump’s abrupt about-face, the House of Representatives passed the measure with a vote of 427-1, sending a resolution requiring the release of all unclassified records on Epstein to the Republican-majority Senate, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333318/us-lawmakers-vote-overwhelmingly-force-release-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333318/us-lawmakers-vote-overwhelmingly-force-release-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:50:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on forcing the release of investigative files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with passage seen as all but guaranteed after President Donald Trump dropped his long-standing opposition. Trump’s reversal late on Sunday came days after a House petition gathered enough support to force a vote, a rare instance of House Republicans defying the president’s wishes. Until the weekend, Trump and his staff had lobbied hard... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333171/us-house-push-forward-epstein-vote-after-trump-reversal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333171/us-house-push-forward-epstein-vote-after-trump-reversal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:03:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said House Republicans should vote to release the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case, a startling reversal after previously fighting the proposal as a growing number of those in his own party supported it. “We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on social media late Sunday after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333016/us-house-speaker-says-nothing-hide-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333016/us-house-speaker-says-nothing-hide-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:22:24 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The longest government shutdown in US history has ended, but it could take days - and in some cases a week or more - before normal operations resume. Payroll systems must be updated to pay out weeks of back wages. Backlogs of grant disbursements, loan applications and customer calls that went unanswered for 43 days would need to be cleared. Delayed environmental permits, workplace inspections and contracting activities have stacked up across federal agencies. The work of reopening the government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332617/us-government-reopens-costs-43-day-shutdown-will-linger-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332617/us-government-reopens-costs-43-day-shutdown-will-linger-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 07:30:56 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han US President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the record-breaking US government shutdown after the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan funding deal on Wednesday. The signing at the White House in Washington capped a 43-day stoppage that has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay and disrupted public services in the United States. However, just how quickly full government services and operations would resume was not immediately clear. “This is no way to run a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3332563/us-government-shutdown-house-representatives-votes-end-historic-funding-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3332563/us-government-shutdown-house-representatives-votes-end-historic-funding-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:27:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn in as the newest member of Congress on Wednesday, more than seven weeks after she won a special election in Arizona to fill the House seat last held by her late father. Grijalva was sworn in by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday shortly before the House returned to session to vote on a deal to fund the federal government. After delivering a floor speech, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to eventually trigger a vote to release files related... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332559/democrat-adelita-grijalva-sworn-providing-last-signature-needed-epstein-files-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332559/democrat-adelita-grijalva-sworn-providing-last-signature-needed-epstein-files-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 22:35:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Supreme Court on Tuesday extended an order blocking full Snap payments, amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume. The order keeps in place at least for a few more days a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. The order will expire just before midnight on Thursday. The Senate has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332404/us-supreme-court-lets-trump-continue-cuts-snap-food-aid-even-shutdown-nears-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332404/us-supreme-court-lets-trump-continue-cuts-snap-food-aid-even-shutdown-nears-end?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 23:49:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The longest-ever US government shutdown moved towards an eventual resolution on Monday, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in a 60-40 vote passing a compromise deal, sparking intraparty backlash. Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been increasingly disrupted. Severe impacts on air traffic have begun to mount in recent days, with more than 1,000 flights... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332269/end-us-government-shutdown-sight-senate-passes-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332269/end-us-government-shutdown-sight-senate-passes-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 02:34:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters A federal appeal court late on Sunday allowed a judge’s order to stand that directs US President Donald Trump’s administration to fully fund this month’s food aid benefits for 42 million low-income Americans during the ongoing US government shutdown. The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to halt Thursday’s decision by a Rhode Island judge requiring the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to spend US$4 billion set aside for other purposes to ensure Americans receive full... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332205/us-court-rules-trump-cannot-withhold-us4-billion-food-aid-42-million-americans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332205/us-court-rules-trump-cannot-withhold-us4-billion-food-aid-42-million-americans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:38:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel. In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund the government until January 30 and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills. If the Senate eventually passes the amended measure, it still must be approved by the House of Representatives... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332129/us-shutdown-may-be-nearing-end-senators-support-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332129/us-shutdown-may-be-nearing-end-senators-support-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:07:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters The economic impact of the US government shutdown is far worse than expected, but the US economy is likely to rebound quickly once it ends, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Friday. Construction projects are starting to slow down and travel is suffering, Hassett said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “Travel and leisure is a place that’s really being heavily hit right now, and if it continues to get hit, if the air travel thing goes south for another week or two, then... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332000/us-government-shutdown-far-worse-expected-white-house-adviser-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332000/us-government-shutdown-far-worse-expected-white-house-adviser-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:27:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal government shutdown. Forty airports were slated for the cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter stand-off, particularly over health insurance subsidies, federal agencies have been grinding to halt since funding lapsed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331996/us-airline-chaos-cancels-800-flights-budget-crisis-hits-air-traffic-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331996/us-airline-chaos-cancels-800-flights-budget-crisis-hits-air-traffic-control?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 13:33:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters US President Donald Trump accused “kamikaze” Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the 35-day record set during the Republican leader’s first term. Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programmes – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, that helps millions of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331679/trump-blames-kamikaze-democrats-longest-ever-us-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331679/trump-blames-kamikaze-democrats-longest-ever-us-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:47:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US government shutdown became the longest ever on Wednesday, topping the 35-day record set during Donald Trump’s first term, as his administration warned of holiday air travel chaos and threatened Americans’ benefits in a bid to force a resolution. Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programmes - including aid that helps millions of Americans afford groceries - hang in limbo. There... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331587/us-government-shutdown-becomes-longest-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331587/us-government-shutdown-becomes-longest-history?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:44:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US government shutdown was poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans dragged into a new month. Millions of people could lose food aid benefits, healthcare subsidies were set to expire and there were few real talks between the parties over how to end it. US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday that he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats who were demanding negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3331259/us-shutdown-set-drag-6th-week-trump-pushes-republicans-change-senate-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3331259/us-shutdown-set-drag-6th-week-trump-pushes-republicans-change-senate-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:12:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he did not want Americans to “go hungry” and was ready to maintain funding for food aid a day before some 42 million people would lose their monthly assistance. In a lengthy social media post, Trump said “Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay” the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits once funding expires on November 1 during the ongoing government shutdown, but added that he has instructed them to “clarify... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331136/us-judges-order-trump-administration-continue-snap-food-aid-despite-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331136/us-judges-order-trump-administration-continue-snap-food-aid-despite-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 18:37:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US government shutdown barrelled towards its second month on Friday and the pain is spreading fast – with federal workers broke, food aid vanishing and millions of Americans caught in the crossfire. What started on October 1 as a Washington sideshow has morphed into a slow-motion implosion of public services and a growing economic convulsion, with federal offices dark and President Donald Trump’s government stuck in neutral. Republicans warned that millions will begin feeling the full force... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331126/americans-facing-hunger-shutdown-enters-second-month-starting-become-very-real?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331126/americans-facing-hunger-shutdown-enters-second-month-starting-become-very-real?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:03:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “it’s too bad” he was not allowed to run for a third term, conceding the constitutional reality even as he expressed interest in continuing to serve. “If you read it, it’s pretty clear,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad.” The president’s comments, which continue his on-again, off-again musings about a third term, came a day after House Speaker Mike Johnson said it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330694/trump-says-hed-love-third-term-house-speaker-johnson-says-theres-no-path?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330694/trump-says-hed-love-third-term-house-speaker-johnson-says-theres-no-path?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 22:35:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The agency responsible for safeguarding the US nuclear stockpile began placing most staff on enforced leave Monday, an official said, as yet another congressional vote to end the crippling government shutdown failed. With the stand-off about to enter its fourth week, some 1,400 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration were due to receive notices telling them they had been placed on unpaid furlough. “Due to the Democrat shutdown, approximately 1,400 NNSA federal employees will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329716/us-begins-sending-nuclear-workers-home-government-shutdown-drags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329716/us-begins-sending-nuclear-workers-home-government-shutdown-drags?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 17:41:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The 20-day US federal government shutdown is likely to end this week, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Monday. “I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end sometime this week,” White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an interview on CNBC, referring to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, said his “friends in the Senate” believed it was “bad optics for Democrats to open the government before the ‘No Kings’... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329711/us-shutdown-near-end-after-no-kings-rallies-says-white-house-adviser-kevin-hassett?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329711/us-shutdown-near-end-after-no-kings-rallies-says-white-house-adviser-kevin-hassett?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:26:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 US states at “No Kings” protests on Saturday, venting anger over President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as “Hate America” rallies. Organisers said seven million people marched in protests spanning New York to Los Angeles, with demonstrations popping up in small cities across the US heartland and even near Trump’s home in Florida. “This is what democracy looks like!” chanted thousands in Washington near the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329539/us-braced-nationwide-no-kings-protests-against-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329539/us-braced-nationwide-no-kings-protests-against-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:30:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Vice-President J.D. Vance on Sunday said there will be deeper cuts to the federal workforce the longer the government shutdown goes on, adding to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands who are already furloughed without pay amid the stubborn stalemate in Congress. Vance warned that as the federal shutdown entered its 12th day, the new cuts would be “painful”, even as he said the Trump administration worked to ensure the military is paid this week and some services would be preserved for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328733/vance-warns-deeper-cuts-ahead-federal-workers-government-shutdown-enters-12th-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328733/vance-warns-deeper-cuts-ahead-federal-workers-government-shutdown-enters-12th-day?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 23:02:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The White House said on Friday it had begun mass lay-offs of federal workers as US President Donald Trump sought to amp up pressure on opposition Democrats to end a government shutdown that has crippled public services. With the crisis set to go into a third week and no off-ramp in sight, Trump’s budget chief Russ Vought confirmed on social media that the administration had begun following through on its threat to begin firing some of the 750,000 public servants placed on enforced leave. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328609/substantial-shutdown-firings-have-begun-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328609/substantial-shutdown-firings-have-begun-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 18:07:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US government shutdown is set to stretch into next week after senators voted on Friday for a fourth time to reject a funding fix proposed by US President Donald Trump’s Republicans. Federal agencies have been out of money since Wednesday, with a wide range of public services crippled, as a result of deadlocked talks in Congress on how to keep the lights on. Tourist sites such as the Washington Monument have closed, key data on employment has been delayed and some official websites have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327852/us-government-shutdown-drag-next-week-senate-funding-vote-fails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327852/us-government-shutdown-drag-next-week-senate-funding-vote-fails?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:35:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Donald Trump signalled on Thursday that he planned to follow through on his threat for mass lay-offs of US federal workers as he ratcheted pressure on Democrats to back moves to end the government shutdown. The Republican US president announced he would meet budget chief Russell Vought “to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent”. Trump’s announcement on social media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327695/trump-piles-pain-democrats-over-us-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327695/trump-piles-pain-democrats-over-us-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:56:53 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China’s embassy in Mexico issued a sharp rebuke after a US diplomat urged the country to help Washington reduce reliance on Chinese-made semiconductors, calling the remarks coercive and accusing the United States of practising “economic bullying”. In a statement posted on Wednesday on X, the embassy said recent comments by Mark Johnson, the chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Mexico, “revealed Washington’s true intentions”. Johnson had told the Mexico-US Semiconductor Forum that the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327556/china-slams-trumps-envoy-mexico-over-push-cut-dependence-chinese-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327556/china-slams-trumps-envoy-mexico-over-push-cut-dependence-chinese-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:54:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US government began shutting down on Wednesday after lawmakers and President Donald Trump failed to break a budget impasse during acrimonious talks that hinged on Democratic demands for healthcare funding. Republicans and Democrats immediately blamed each other for the deadlock that would impact hundreds of thousands of government workers and the millions of Americans who use the services they provide. The shutdown, which would stop work at multiple federal departments and agencies, comes as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327445/trump-says-us-government-will-probably-shut-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327445/trump-says-us-government-will-probably-shut-down?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 19:03:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ahead of a meeting between lawmakers and US President Donald Trump, the Republican leaders of Congress sought on Sunday to blame Democrats for an impasse before a looming deadline to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown and urged them to agree to a short-term bill to buy some time. Without passage of funding legislation, parts of the government would close on Wednesday, the first day of the US government’s 2026 financial year. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327171/republicans-urge-democrats-agree-short-term-bill-keep-us-government-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327171/republicans-urge-democrats-agree-short-term-bill-keep-us-government-open?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:38:52 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service A vigil held in the US capital of Washington on Sunday for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk reportedly drew a “full house” of mourners, including top Republican officials, as authorities said the man arrested in connection with the killing was not cooperating. Among those in the 2,460-seat concert hall at the Kennedy Centre in Washington were House Speaker Mike Johnson, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr and White... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325531/thousands-throng-us-memorial-charlie-kirk-slain-right-wing-activist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325531/thousands-throng-us-memorial-charlie-kirk-slain-right-wing-activist?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 03:07:37 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US House Oversight Committee on Tuesday publicly posted the files it has received from the Justice Department on the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The folders contained hundreds of image files of years-old court filings related to Epstein and Maxwell. They also contained video files appearing to be body cam footage from police searches, as well as law enforcement interviews with victims with their faces obscured. The Justice... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324115/us-house-oversight-committee-releases-batch-files-epstein-and-maxwell-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324115/us-house-oversight-committee-releases-batch-files-epstein-and-maxwell-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 23:08:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump has moved to unilaterally cancel US$4.9 billion in federal funding authorised by Congress, escalating the fight over who controls the nation’s spending. In a letter posted online late on Thursday, Trump told House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that he plans to withhold funding for 15 international programmes. The US Constitution grants funding power to Congress, which every year has to pass legislation to fund government operations. The White House must secure... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323717/trump-bypasses-congress-cut-us5-billion-foreign-aid-using-tool-not-seen-50-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323717/trump-bypasses-congress-cut-us5-billion-foreign-aid-using-tool-not-seen-50-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:20:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Justice Department’s No 2 official met with Ghislaine Maxwell on Thursday, the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The meeting in Florida, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday he was working to arrange, was part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent following fierce backlash from parts of US President Donald Trump’s base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319513/epsteins-ex-maxwell-answered-every-question-us-justice-department-her-lawyer-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319513/epsteins-ex-maxwell-answered-every-question-us-justice-department-her-lawyer-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:41:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday sent lawmakers home early for a six-week summer break, to avoid being forced into awkward votes on the probe into the late, politically connected sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The furore around the disgraced financier, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking minors, is still roiling Donald Trump’s administration two weeks after his Justice Department effectively closed the case, announcing there was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319343/republican-lawmakers-avoid-awkward-epstein-votes-taking-early-summer-break?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319343/republican-lawmakers-avoid-awkward-epstein-votes-taking-early-summer-break?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 17:36:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States’ destruction of a warehouse worth of emergency food that had spoiled has drawn outrage, but lawmakers and aid workers have said it was only one effect of President Donald Trump’s abrupt slashing of foreign assistance. The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives early on Friday approved nearly US$9 billion in cuts to foreign aid as well as public broadcasting, formalising a radical overhaul of spending that Trump first imposed with strokes of his pen on taking office... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318676/destruction-hundreds-tonnes-expired-foreign-food-aid-symbol-us-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318676/destruction-hundreds-tonnes-expired-foreign-food-aid-symbol-us-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 03:36:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump has lashed out at his own supporters, accusing them of being duped by Democrats, as he tries to clamp down on criticism over his administration’s handling of much-hyped records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, which Trump now calls a “Hoax”. “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this “b******t, hook, line, and sinker,” Trump wrote Wednesday on social media, using an expletive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318496/trump-slams-own-supporters-weaklings-falling-epstein-hoax?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318496/trump-slams-own-supporters-weaklings-falling-epstein-hoax?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:21:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US Justice Department should release all “credible” information from its probe into notorious sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein as he sought to douse a firestorm of criticism from his supporters over his handling of the case. The president was facing the most serious split of his political career from his famously loyal right-wing base over suspicions that his administration was covering up lurid details of Epstein’s crimes to protect rich and powerful figures they... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318369/trump-addresses-growing-firestorm-over-handling-epstein-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318369/trump-addresses-growing-firestorm-over-handling-epstein-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 02:56:06 +0000