https://www.scmp.com/rss/523934/feed The latest news and top stories on Richard Blumenthal. A Democratic Senator representing Connecticut, he has served since 2011, following a distinguished twenty-year tenure as Connecticut’s Attorney General. His career highlights include leading significant lawsuits against tobacco companies and Microsoft, advocating for consumer protection and championing environmental stewardship. As a senator, he co-spearheads bipartisan legislation for sanctions against Russia, works on veterans’ affairs... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Days after the operation that abducted then Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump’s nominee to command US forces in Latin America dodged pressure from senators to endorse a military-first plan to counter China’s growing influence in the region. Lieutenant General Francis Donovan, who is nominated to lead US Southern Command (Southcom), repeatedly declined to say whether Washington should rely mainly on force projection to push back against Beijing’s expanding footprint. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340106/trump-pick-south-america-command-sidesteps-china-questions-senate-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340106/trump-pick-south-america-command-sidesteps-china-questions-senate-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:00:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline. The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen US senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337670/after-missing-epstein-files-deadline-trump-admin-says-it-may-need-few-more-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337670/after-missing-epstein-files-deadline-trump-admin-says-it-may-need-few-more-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 21:20:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration said on Friday it was formally withdrawing a plan by his predecessor to require airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when US flight disruptions are caused by carriers. In December 2024, the US Transportation Department (DOT) under then-president Joe Biden sought public comment on writing rules to require airlines to pay US$200 to US$300 for domestic delays of at least three hours and up to US$775 for longer delays. In September, the USDOT first... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332883/trump-administration-scraps-bidens-airline-compensation-plan-delayed-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332883/trump-administration-scraps-bidens-airline-compensation-plan-delayed-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:02:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump is redoubling his efforts to end the war in Ukraine, announcing a second meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin one day before sitting down with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Trump’s announcement came shortly after finishing a call with Putin on Thursday. A date has not been set, but Trump said the meeting would take place in Budapest, Hungary, and suggested that it could happen in about two weeks. “I believe great progress was made with today’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329302/ukraine-war-trump-speaks-putin-zelensky-presses-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329302/ukraine-war-trump-speaks-putin-zelensky-presses-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:01:01 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose steep secondary tariffs on countries trading with Russia has raised alarm in India over the future of its discounted oil purchases from Moscow, with analysts warning the issue could complicate negotiations on a bilateral trade deal with Washington. Trump vowed on Monday to impose “very severe tariffs” if Russia did not end its war in Ukraine within 50 days. Washington would target Moscow’s remaining trade partners with measures aimed at choking off... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3318295/india-fix-over-trumps-tariff-threat-aimed-russian-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3318295/india-fix-over-trumps-tariff-threat-aimed-russian-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 10:00:17 +0000