DAVOS: US President Donald Trump arrives in Davos for a showdown with European leaders on Wednesday as his bid to seize Greenland threatens to tear the transatlantic alliance apart.&nbsp;Trump mocked the Europeans a day before heading to the World Economic Forum, where he will be the star of a dark, self-made drama over the fate of the autonomous Danish territory.&nbsp;But leaders gathered at the Swiss ski resort have closed ranks against Trump&#39;s aggressive stance, with French President Emmanuel Macron vowing to stand up against &quot;bullies&quot; and the EU promising an &quot;unflinching&quot; response.&nbsp;Asked how far he was prepared to go to<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/eu-leaders-take-stage-in-davos-as-trump-rocks-global-order" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">acquire Greenland</a>&nbsp;from Denmark, a fellow NATO member, Trump told reporters: &quot;You&#39;ll find out.&quot;&nbsp;Later, as he left the White House, the president admitted he had &quot;no idea&quot; how the trip to Davos would pan out.&nbsp;It got off to an inauspicious start when a &quot;minor electrical issue&quot; forced his presidential jet to turn back shortly after takeoff, and Trump and his entourage had to switch to another plane.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s eagerly awaited speech at the annual gathering of the world&#39;s economic and political elite, which he is attending for the first time in six years, is scheduled for 2:30 pm (1330 GMT).&nbsp;But as the biggest rift opens between Washington and Europe in decades over his Greenland ambitions, Trump said he would have a number of meetings on the issue at Davos. &lsquo;Downward spiral&rsquo;Trump insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advancement.&nbsp;He has turned up the pressure by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-also-has-a-lot-to-lose-from-threatened-tariffs-french-minister" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatening tariffs</a>&nbsp;of up to 25% on eight European countries for backing Denmark, prompting Europe to threaten countermeasures against the United States.&nbsp;Trump dismissed European threats to fire a trade &quot;bazooka&quot; at the United States.&nbsp;&quot;Anything they do with us...all I have to do is meet it, and it&#39;s going to go ricocheting backwards,&quot; he said in an interview with News Nation.&nbsp;&quot;But we&#39;re not looking into that. We&#39;ll probably be able to work something out, possibly even during the next few days,&quot; he added.&nbsp;At Davos on Tuesday, Macron, in sunglasses because of a burst blood vessel, warned against US attempts to &quot;subordinate Europe&quot;, and blasted Trump&#39;s tariff threats as &quot;unacceptable.&quot;&nbsp;Macron was the subject of Trump&#39;s mockery as he publicly revealed a text message from the French leader proposing a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday, on Greenland, as well as on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/macron-says-kyiv-allies-to-meet-in-paris-early-january" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine</a>.&nbsp;Trump later said he would not join any such meeting, while Macron clarified to AFP that no gathering was scheduled.&nbsp;European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a &quot;downward spiral&quot;.&nbsp;And Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has sought to reduce his own country&#39;s dependence on Washington since Trump called for it to become the 51st US state, won a standing ovation at Davos for his stance.&nbsp;&quot;Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark,&quot; Carney said.&nbsp;In his Davos speech, the White House said Trump wanted to focus on the US economy amid a cost-of-living crisis that threatens his Republicans in the 2026 midterms.&nbsp;But the US president&#39;s extraordinary assertion of US power on the world stage one year into his second term, means Greenland will form the backdrop to the address.&nbsp;&#39;End of NATO&#39;Greenland&#39;s prime minister said on Tuesday his tiny population of 57,000 must be prepared for military force.&nbsp;Lithuania&#39;s President Gitanas Nauseda told AFP at Davos that any such move by the United States against a fellow ally &quot;would be the end of NATO.&quot;&nbsp;Trump said he had done &quot;more for NATO than anyone&quot; and questioned whether allies would help the United States &mdash; even though Denmark was among those who did after the September 11, 2001 attacks.&nbsp;On Thursday, meanwhile, Trump is set to formally announce the first charter of his so-called &quot;Board of Peace,&quot; a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.&nbsp;The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but a draft of the charter seen by AFP does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.

Americas

Insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advancement.

Trump arrives in Davos amid Greenland tensions

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro raised questions over Americans paying for artificial intelligence services used in India in a recent interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, Indian media reported. Speaking on the program &ldquo;Real America&rsquo;s Voice,&rdquo; US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s trade advisor Navarro said it was unfair for Americans to subsidize technology infrastructure that serves large overseas user bases. &ldquo;Why are Americans paying for AI in India? ChatGPT operates on US soil and uses American electricity, servicing large users of ChatGPT in India &hellip; and elsewhere around the world,&rdquo; Navarro said during the interview. His remarks focused on the location of data centers and energy use in the United States, arguing that domestic resources were supporting global demand without sufficient benefit returning to American consumers. Navarro also raised concerns about foreign purchases of US agricultural land. He claimed overseas buyers were paying prices far above market value, which he warned could fuel higher food costs in the United States. He said such trends, if left unchecked, could add pressure to food inflation and undermine domestic agricultural interests. The comments come amid broader trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi, particularly over energy and tariff policies. Russian oilAccording to AFP, India increased its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil following Russia&rsquo;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, after Moscow faced sweeping Western sanctions, including restrictions on oil sales.&nbsp; US officials, including Navarro, have criticized the move, with the trade adviser previously referring to it as &ldquo;Modi&rsquo;s war,&rdquo; AFP reported.&nbsp; <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 2;' id="isPasted">In October last year, Trump said that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil, describing it as a &ldquo;big step&rdquo; to increase pressure on Moscow. Indian officials later claimed that assertion, saying no such assurance or conversation had taken place.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 2;' id="isPasted"> Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said Monday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was eager to &ldquo;please&rdquo; him, while renewing a warning that Washington could further raise tariffs on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil if New Delhi does not &ldquo;help&rdquo; address the issue.

White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro attends the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 11, 2025 in New York City (Getty Images via AFP)

India

Peter Navarro raises questions over Americans paying for artificial intelligence services used in India in a recent interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

White House adviser questions why Americans bear cost of AI used in India

WASHINGTON: US and Russian officials are meeting in Miami this weekend for new talks on President Donald Trump&#39;s plan for ending the Ukraine war, a White House official told AFP Wednesday.&nbsp;The talks come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed progress during two days of meetings in Berlin between Kyiv and Trump&#39;s envoys, while warning that Moscow was preparing for a &quot;new year of war.&quot;&nbsp;Trump&#39;s roving envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to take part on the US side, while Putin&#39;s economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, is set to be in the Russian delegation, Politico reported.&nbsp;The White House official did not give details of the US and Russian teams.&nbsp;There has been a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-ukraine-deal-close-europe-proposes-peace-force" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">flurry of international diplomacy</a>&nbsp;in recent weeks to end the four-year war, with Witkoff and Kushner having met Putin in the Kremlin in November and the Ukrainians and European leaders in Berlin.&nbsp;But large differences remain all around.&nbsp;Ukraine and the United States say there has been progress on&nbsp;future security&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-offers-natolike-security-to-ukraine-expects-russia-to-accept" target="_blank">guarantees for Kyiv</a>, but they disagree on which&nbsp;territory Ukraine would have to cede.&nbsp;Putin, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that Moscow would &quot;certainly&quot; achieve its objectives in the war, including seizing the territories it claims are its own.

Europe

The talks come after Ukrainian president hailed progress during two days of meetings in Berlin between Kyiv and Trump's envoys, while warning that Moscow was preparing for a 'new year of war.'

US, Russia to hold talks on Ukraine in Miami this weekend: White House

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Riyadh wants to join the Abraham Accords but only with a &ldquo;clear path of two-state solution,&rdquo; placing the Israeli-Palestinian issue at the forefront of his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump. Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, the crown prince said, &ldquo;We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution.&rdquo; He added, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible.&rdquo; Trump said he had pressed the prince to pursue normalization with Israel as part of the regional agreements launched during his first term. The renewed diplomatic push came during a lavish welcome for the Saudi leader, whom Trump greeted with cannon fire, a horseback parade, and a military flypast featuring F-35 jets that he said the United States would &ldquo;soon sell to Riyadh.&rdquo; Inside the Oval Office, Trump praised the crown prince as an &ldquo;incredible&rdquo; partner, while bin Salman announced a dramatic expansion of Saudi investments in the United States. &ldquo;We can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment,&rdquo; the prince said. Trump, grinning, asked him to confirm the figure. The crown prince responded: &ldquo;Definitely.&rdquo; The show of warmth reflects Trump&rsquo;s efforts to strengthen ties with the Gulf kingdom as he seeks to transform the Gaza ceasefire into a broader regional peace process. Saudi crown prince&rsquo;s insistence on securing a two-state framework, however, places the Palestinian question at the center of any future Saudi&ndash;Israeli normalization efforts.

In a meeting with US President Donald Trump, the Saudi crown prince says Israel normalization requires a clear two-state path, while also announcing plans to boost Saudi investment to nearly $1 trillion.

Saudi crown prince says two-state solution key to Israel normalization talks

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Sunday he backed lawmakers&#39; efforts to release more files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite previous opposition to the measure. &quot;House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,&quot; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. <div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115562626931599548/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">&nbsp;</iframe></div> The 79-year-old Republican has accused Democrats of pushing an &quot;Epstein hoax&quot; after emails emerged in which the disgraced financier suggested Trump &quot;knew about the girls.&quot; Some critics have accused Trump of trying to conceal details about his own alleged wrongdoing -- something the president denies -- by looking to block the vote. The issue has divided his typically loyal Republican party and driven a rift between Trump and some of his closest allies within his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Over the weekend, Trump withdrew his endorsement for Congresswoman and MAGA stalwart Marjorie Taylor Greene&#39;s 2026 re-election bid. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would hold a vote this week on a bid to force the Justice Department to release the remaining files relating to the Epstein probe. &quot;Some &#39;members&#39; of the Republican Party are being &#39;used,&#39; and we can&#39;t let that happen,&quot; Trump said in his post, in reference to lawmakers who backed a call by Democrats to release the files. Justice Department probe&nbsp;After the longest-ever US government shutdown ended last week, lawmakers in the US House of Representatives released a trove of emails obtained from Epstein&#39;s estate. In one, Epstein wrote that Trump &quot;spent hours&quot; with one of the victims at his house, and another referred to the president as &quot;dirty.&quot; Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the messages &quot;raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein&#39;s horrific crimes.&quot; After the email trove&#39;s release, Trump demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI investigate links between Epstein and ex-president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, along with former Harvard president Larry Summers, who served as Clinton&#39;s treasury secretary. The order for a probe comes even though the FBI and Justice Department said in a memo in July that they had not uncovered evidence that would justify an investigation of uncharged third parties. With the help of Ghislaine Maxwell, who acted as a recruiter, Epstein brought underage girls to his residences -- notably in New York and Florida -- where they were sexually abused. Before Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial in a pedophile trafficking case, he had been required to register as a sex offender in Florida after pleading guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution, including from a minor. Trump&#39;s conspiracy-minded supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and have been furious since the FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that Epstein had killed himself while in jail, did not blackmail any prominent figures and did not keep a &quot;client list.&quot;

Trump reverses stance, backing House vote to release Jeffrey Epstein files, amid party divisions and past allegations. He urges investigations into Clinton and Summers, denying wrongdoing, following emails linking him to Epstein’s victims.

In reversal, Trump supports House vote to release Epstein files

Reuters

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration on Wednesday froze $26 billion for Democratic-leaning states, following through on a threat to use the government shutdown to target Democratic priorities.&nbsp;The targeted programs included $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress&#39;s top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois.&nbsp;Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, warned that the administration might extend its purge of federal workers if the shutdown lasts more than a few days.&nbsp;The moves made clear that Trump would carry out his threat to take advantage of the shutdown to punish his political opponents and extend his control over the $7 trillion federal budget, established by the US Constitution as the domain of Congress.&nbsp;&quot;Billions of dollars can be saved,&quot; he wrote on Truth Social late on Wednesday.&nbsp;The government shutdown, the 15th since 1981, suspended scientific research, financial oversight, environmental cleanup efforts and a wide range of other activities.&nbsp;Approximately 750,000 federal workers were ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, began working without pay. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it would provide burials at national cemeteries but would not erect headstones or mow the grass.&nbsp;Vance said at a White House briefing that the administration would be forced to resort to layoffs if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, adding to the 300,000 who will be pushed out by December. Previous shutdowns have not resulted in permanent layoffs.&nbsp;The US Patent and Trademark Office said it would lay off 1% of its 14,000 employees, according to an internal letter seen by Reuters.&nbsp;Schumer alleges shutdown &lsquo;blackmail&rsquo;Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said the funding freeze for subway and harbor projects in his home of New York would throw thousands out of work.&nbsp;Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, also from New York, said Trump was targeting regular Americans for partisan aims.&nbsp;&quot;He is using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail,&quot; Schumer said.&nbsp;Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was concerned that the freezing of infrastructure funds for New York could make it harder for Congress to exit the shutdown.&nbsp;&quot;They need to be really careful with that, because they can create a toxic environment here,&quot; Tillis said. &quot;So hopefully they&#39;re working with the leader, and the leader with them, on not creating more work to get us out of this posture.&quot;&nbsp;Republican Senate Leader John Thune dismissed concerns that the spending freeze amounted to hostage-taking.&nbsp;&quot;Well, vote to open up the government, and that issue goes away, right? I mean, it&#39;s pretty straightforward,&quot; he said at a press conference.&nbsp;Jeffries said he had not had any contact with the White House since a meeting with Trump earlier in the week.&nbsp;&quot;We haven&#39;t heard from the White House since the White House meeting on Monday,&quot; he said in a CNN interview. &quot;Clearly, they wanted to shut the government down.&quot;&nbsp;Different day, different vote, same resultsMeanwhile, the Senate again rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through November 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but they need the support of at least seven of Schumer&#39;s Democrats to meet the chamber&#39;s 60-vote threshold for spending bills.&nbsp;At issue on the government funding front is $1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.&nbsp;A bipartisan group of senators huddled on the floor during the vote, trying to find a path forward.&nbsp;&quot;I want to see that a deal is a deal, and I would like to see the Republicans make a commitment to work with us on health care,&quot; said Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who represents many federal workers near the nation&#39;s capital. &quot;But I&#39;ve never said that has to be all I&#39;s dotted and T&#39;s crossed because that could be complicated.&quot;&nbsp;Democrats are also seeking guarantees that Trump will not be able to ignore spending bills he signs into law, as he has repeatedly done since returning to office.&nbsp;Both sides sought to pin the blame on the other, looking for an advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.&nbsp;Democrats said Republicans were responsible for the disruption, as they control the levers of power in Washington.&nbsp;Republicans said Democrats were surrendering to partisan pressures to oppose Trump, even though they have routinely backed spending bills in the past. They also repeated a false claim that the Democratic proposal would extend health coverage to people who are in the country illegally.&nbsp;According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Democratic plan would only restore coverage to certain categories of immigrants who are in the country legally, such as asylum seekers and people on work visas.&nbsp;Several government agencies posted notices on their websites blaming the &quot;radical left&quot; for the shutdown - a possible violation of a law known as the Hatch Act meant to insulate nuts-and-bolts government services from partisan politics.&nbsp;The longest US government shutdown, which stretched over 35 days in 2018-2019 during Trump&#39;s first term, ended in part after flight delays caused by air traffic controllers calling in sick.

government shutdown 2025, federal govt shutdown, US Congress

The targeted programs include $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress's top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois.

White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown slap

WASHINGTON DC: Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are heading to the White House for a meeting with the United States (US) President Donald Trump on Monday in a late effort to avoid a government shutdown, but both sides have shown hardly any willingness to budge from their entrenched positions. If government funding legislation isn&#39;t passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Tuesday night, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and nonexempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation&#39;s economy. Republicans are daring Democrats to vote against legislation that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but Democrats have held firm. They&#39;re using one of their few points of leverage to demand Congress take up legislation to extend health care benefits. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/bb054db6-2bbc-491e-86b9-392bbf06c22f-President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters after greeting supporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP).jpg" alt="President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters after greeting supporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters after greeting supporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP)</figcaption></figure> &ldquo;The meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation,&rdquo; Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday on NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Meet the Press.&rdquo; Trump has shown little interest in entertaining Democrats&#39; demands on health care, even as he agreed to hold a sit-down meeting Monday with Schumer, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. The Republican president has said repeatedly he fully expects the government to enter a shutdown this week. &ldquo;If it has to shut down, it&rsquo;ll have to shut down,&rdquo; Trump said Friday. &ldquo;But they&rsquo;re the ones that are shutting down government.&rdquo; The Trump administration has tried to pressure Democratic lawmakers into backing away from their demands, warning that federal employees could be permanently laid off in a funding lapse. &ldquo;Chuck Schumer said a few months ago that a government shutdown would be chaotic, harmful and painful. He&rsquo;s right, and that&#39;s why we shouldn&#39;t do it,&rdquo; Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Sunday on &ldquo;Meet the Press.&rdquo; Still, Democrats argued Trump&#39;s agreement to hold a meeting shows he&#39;s feeling the pressure to negotiate. They say that because Republicans control the White House and Congress, Americans will mostly blame them for any government shutdown. But to hold on to their negotiating leverage, Senate Democrats will likely have to vote against a bill to temporarily extend government funding on Tuesday, just hours before a shutdown &mdash; an uncomfortable position for a party that has long denounced shutdowns as pointless and destructive. The bill has already passed the Republican-controlled House and would keep the government funded for seven more weeks while Congress works on annual spending legislation. Any legislation to fund the government will need support from at least 60 senators. That means that at least eight Democrats would have to vote for the short-term funding bill, because Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to vote against it. During the last potential government shutdown in March, Schumer and nine other Democrats voted to break a filibuster and allow a Republican-led funding bill to advance to a final vote. The New York Democrat faced fierce backlash from many in his own party for that decision, with some even calling for him to step down as Democratic leader. This time, Schumer appears resolute. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re hearing from the American people that they need help on health care and as for these massive layoffs, guess what? Simple one-sentence answer: They&rsquo;re doing it anyway,&rdquo; he said. Democrats are pushing for an extension to Affordable Care Act tax credits that have subsidized health insurance for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits, which are designed to expand coverage for low- and middle-income people, are set to expire at the end of the year. Some Republicans are open to extending the tax credits but want changes. Thune said Sunday that the program is &ldquo;desperately in need of reform&rdquo; and Republicans want to address &ldquo;waste, fraud and abuse.&rdquo; He has pressed Democrats to vote for the funding bill and take up the debate on tax credits later. It remains to be seen whether the White House meeting will help or hurt the chances for a resolution. Negotiations between Trump and Democratic congressional leaders have rarely gone well, and Trump has had little contact with the opposing party during his second term. The most recent negotiation in August between Schumer and the president to speed the pace of Senate confirmation votes for administration officials ended with Trump telling Schumer to &ldquo;go to hell&rdquo; in a social media post. Trump also abruptly canceled a meeting that was planned with congressional leaders last week, calling Democrats&#39; demands &ldquo;unserious and ridiculous.&rdquo; Schumer argued that the White House coming back to reschedule a meeting for Monday showed that &ldquo;they felt the heat.&rdquo;

The Capitol is seen during rainy weather just days before federal money runs out which could trigger a government shutdown, in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP)

Democratic and Republican leaders meet President Trump in a last-ditch effort to prevent a government shutdown as both sides remain deeply divided over funding and healthcare issues.

US government shutdown nears as leaders meet amid budget deadlock

WASHINGTON: The White House is telling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workers if the government shuts down next week.&nbsp;In a memo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next week, that are not otherwise funded and are &ldquo;not consistent with the President&#39;s priorities.&rdquo; That would be a much more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when federal workers not deemed essential were furloughed but returned to their jobs once Congress approved government spending.&nbsp;A reduction in force would not only result in layoffs but also eliminate their positions, triggering yet another massive upheaval in a federal workforce that has already faced major rounds of cuts this year due to efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency and elsewhere in the Trump administration.&nbsp;Once any potential government shutdown ends, agencies are asked to revise their reduction-in-force plans &ldquo;as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,&rdquo; according to the memo, which was first reported by Politico.&nbsp;This move from OMB significantly increases the consequences of a potential government shutdown next week and escalates pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The two leaders have kept nearly all of their Democratic lawmakers united against a clean funding bill pushed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans that would keep the federal government operating for seven more weeks, demanding immediate improvements to health care in exchange for their votes. Democrats refuse to budge In statements issued shortly after the memo was released, the two Democrats showed no signs of budging.&nbsp;&ldquo;We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings,&rdquo; Jeffries wrote in a post on X. &ldquo;Get lost.&rdquo;&nbsp;Jeffries called Russ Vought, the head of OMB, a &ldquo;malignant political hack.&quot;&nbsp;Schumer said in a statement that the OMB memo is an &ldquo;attempt at intimidation&quot; and predicted the &ldquo;unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court, or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.&rdquo;&nbsp;OMB prepares for shutdown OMB noted that it held its first planning call with other federal agencies earlier this week to plan for a shutdown. The budget office plays point in managing federal government shutdowns, particularly planning for them ahead of time. Past budget offices have also posted shutdown contingency plans &mdash; which would outline which agency workers would stay on the job during a government shutdown and which would be furloughed &mdash; on its website, but this one has not.&nbsp;The memo noted that congressional Democrats are refusing to support a clean government funding bill &ldquo;due to their partisan demands,&rdquo; which include an extension of enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus a reversal of Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans&rsquo; big tax and spending cuts law.&nbsp;&quot;As such, it has never been more important for the Administration to be prepared for a shutdown if the Democrats choose to pursue one,&quot; the memo reads, which also notes that the GOP&#39;s signature law, a major tax and border spending package, gives &ldquo;ample resources to ensure that many core Trump Administration priorities will continue uninterrupted.&rdquo;&nbsp;OMB noted that it had asked all agencies to submit their plans in case of a government shutdown by Aug. 1.&nbsp;&ldquo;OMB has received many, but not all, of your submissions,&rdquo; it added. &ldquo;Please send us your updated lapse plans ASAP.&rdquo;

Democrat leaders say they will not be "intimidated" by threats to engage in mass firings.

White House orders agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of shutdown

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden on Wednesday by putting a picture of a so-called &quot;autopen,&quot; instead of his likeness, in a new gallery of presidential portraits in the White House. Republican Trump has alleged, without evidence, that Biden&#39;s use of the automated technology to sign pardons and other documents was part of a cover-up of the Democrat&#39;s cognitive decline. Now he has doubled down on the allegation by putting a picture of Biden&#39;s signature and the device, in place of his portrait, in a new &quot;Walk of Fame&quot; located in the colonnade that runs along the White House Rose Garden. &quot;The Presidential Walk of Fame has arrived on the West Wing Colonnade. Wait for it...&quot; Trump&#39;s Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X along with a video of the new display. The camera pans along a line of black and white, gold-framed presidential portraits, hanging along the colonnade in chronological order, before it reaches the picture of the autopen representing Biden. The White House separately posted a photo of Trump himself -- whose portraits as the 45th and 47th US president are on either side of Biden&#39;s -- looking at the new addition. The Biden autopen portrait will be visible by guests attending a dinner later Wednesday in the Rose Garden, where Trump has recently replaced the grass with a patio. Trump had previewed the move in an interview with the conservative Daily Caller earlier this month, saying: &quot;We put up a picture of the autopen.&quot; The 79-year-old almost obsessively bashes his now 82-year-old predecessor, seeking to blame him for a host of ills including inflation and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Biden autopen portrait is meanwhile the brashest step yet in billionaire property developer Trump&#39;s revamp of the more than 200-year-old presidential residence in Washington. Trump notably has covered the Oval Office with gold decorations, installed huge flagpoles and is now building a giant ballroom. He has also moved a painting of Democrat Barack Obama from its original position and, breaking with precedent, hung several paintings of himself in the White House.

Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden by replacing his official White House portrait with an image of an autopen signature, intensifying claims of Biden’s cognitive decline and showcasing Trump’s controversial revamp of presidential traditions.

Trump trolls Biden with White House 'autopen' portrait

Hammaad Qayyum Khan

ISLAMABAD: Since US President Donald Trump&#39;s return to office, his &ldquo;America First&rdquo; economic policies have attracted $8.7 trillion in new investment in manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure, according to the official White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/investments/" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">website</a>.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968084910654275662&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 755px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>The White House states that these investments are made possible by President Trump&rsquo;s leadership and are fueling job growth, innovation, and opportunity across every corner of the country.Foreign investments&nbsp;Major foreign investments include $1.4 trillion from the United Arab Emirates, focused on technology, aerospace, and energy; $1.2 trillion from Qatar, in technology and manufacturing; and $1 trillion from Japan, in auto plants and US steel, according to the White House website.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1923309237771358316&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 851px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1923309237771358316"></iframe></div></div>Additional investments include $600 billion from Saudi Arabia, $500 billion from India, $450 billion from South Korea, and $600 billion from EU firms under a trade deal.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1922736506176725217&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 851px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1922736506176725217"></iframe></div></div>US-based companies&nbsp;US-based companies have also made significant commitments.&nbsp;Apple announced $600 billion in manufacturing and AI training; NVIDIA committed $500 billion to AI infrastructure and supercomputers; and Amazon pledged $34 billion for AI expansion in its cloud division.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1953493903367118873&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 875px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1953493903367118873"></iframe></div></div>Other notable investments include $200 billion from Micron for semiconductor manufacturing and R&amp;D, $150 billion from IBM for growth and operations, and $100 billion from TSMC for a semiconductor fabrication facility in Arizona.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1881831115755057376&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 923px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1881831115755057376"></iframe></div></div>In the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, Johnson &amp; Johnson committed $57 billion, AstraZeneca and Genentech each announced $50 billion, and Bristol Myers Squibb pledged $40 billion. Additional investments include $27 billion from Eli Lilly, $23 billion from Novartis, and $10 billion from AbbVie.In the energy and environment sector, JERA announced $200 billion in annual US LNG purchases, Westinghouse pledged $6 billion for 10 new nuclear reactors, and FirstEnergy committed $15 billion for grid expansion and an apprenticeship program, according to the White House website.&nbsp;Reuters review&nbsp;On July 8, 2025, a report was published by Reuters regarding the Trump website&rsquo;s claim that his policies spurred $2.6 trillion in US investments. The Reuters review found that nearly half of the investments began under former President Joe Biden or reflected routine spending. Many projects were planned or incentivized before Trump took office, it said.

Business

Since President Trump took office, his “America First” policies, as outlined on the official White House website, have attracted $8.7 trillion in US and foreign investments across the technology, manufacturing, and energy sectors.

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