Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Trump is considering new sanctions on Russia as he grows frustrated over attacks in UkraineNew Foto - Trump is considering new sanctions on Russia as he grows frustrated over attacks in Ukraine

President Donald Trump could move ahead with new sanctions on Russia in the coming days as he vents frustration at Russian President Vladimir Putin for his aerial assault on Ukraine over the weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. Options were drawn up in the past several weeks to apply new measures punishing Moscow, but so far Trump hasnot approved them. The president said Sunday he would "absolutely" consider new sanctions in the aftermath of a sustained missile and drone bombardment that left many dead. "He's killing a lot of people," Trump said of Putin on Sunday. "I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him?" Trump could still decide not to apply the new sanctions, the people said, in keeping with past examples of him backing away from threats to target Russia over its actions in Ukraine. Trump has said privately he is concerned new sanctions could push Russia away from peace talks. Democratic and Republican lawmakers are lobbying Trump to significantly ratchet up US sanctions after the weekend attacks. "All of us, by our public statements as well as private contacts, are pressing very, very hard," Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told CNN on Monday. Blumenthal is a key figure behind a cross-party Senate bill, also sponsored by Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, which aims to impose "crippling" new measures on Moscow. It would include "secondary sanctions," like massive 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. More than 80 senators have signed on to the bipartisan bill so far. Afterspeaking with Putin last week, Trump told European leaders on a telephone call that he would not join them, for now, in applying new measures on Moscow, even though he had previously signaled a willingness to take a tougher approach to Putin, a European official said. Trump "believes, that right now if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking, and there is value in us being able to talk to them and to drive them to get to the table," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, a day after Trump and Putin spoke over the phone. "Like we will see, look they have to do this, no one is claiming that this is a guarantee." After Trump's most recent comments, French President Emmanuel Macron voiced hope the US leader would change course. "President Trump realizes that when President Putin said on the phone he was ready for peace, or told his envoys he was ready for peace, he lied," Macron said Monday. "We have seen once again in recent hours Donald Trump express his anger. A form of impatience. I simply hope now that this translates into action." Trmp has previously raised the notion of new sanctions on Russia's banking sector and secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian energy products. Both options have been drawn up, but it wasn't clear what specific steps Trump was considering in the wake of Russia's weekend bombardment in Ukraine. This story has been updated with additional reporting. Matthew Chance contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byDan Dunne
in
May 27, 2025

Trump is considering new sanctions on Russia as he grows frustrated over attacks in Ukraine

Trump is considering new sanctions on Russia as he grows frustrated over attacks in Ukraine President Donald Trump could move ahead with new...
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US Supreme Court spurns Native American challenge to Rio Tinto's Arizona copper projectNew Foto - US Supreme Court spurns Native American challenge to Rio Tinto's Arizona copper project

By Nate Raymond, Ernest Scheyder (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a Native American group's bid based on religious rights to block Rio Tinto and BHP from gaining control of Arizona land needed to build one of the world's largest copper mines - a project situated on land long used for Apache sacred rituals. The justices turned away an appeal by Apache Stronghold, an advocacy group comprised of Arizona's San Carlos Apache tribe and conservationists, of a lower court's ruling that allowed the federal government to swap acreage with the mining companies for their Resolution Copper project. Republican President Donald Trump's administration has sought to move forward with the land transfer and allow the mine's development, but a federal judge in Arizona on May 9 had temporarily blocked it from doing so pending the outcome of the appeal to the Supreme Court. Conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Gorsuch calling the court's decision a "grave mistake" that would allow the government to destroy the Apaches' sacred site without even at least hearing arguments in their case. "Just imagine if the government sought to demolish a historic cathedral on so questionable a chain of legal reasoning," Gorsuch said. "I have no doubt that we would find that case worth our time." The project is 55% owned by British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto and 45% by Australian mining company BHP. Rio Tinto is the project's operator. Both companies have spent more than $2 billion on the project without yet producing any copper. The plaintiffs sued in 2021 in Arizona federal court to block the project, saying it violated constitutional and statutory protections for religious rights. They argued that the project, because it would destroy a religiously important site, violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for the free exercise of religion, as well as a 1993 federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The destruction of the sacred site also would violate a 1852 treaty promising that the U.S. government would protect the land and "secure the permanent prosperity and happiness" of the Native American tribe, the plaintiffs said. 'AN ECONOMIC BOON' The Supreme Court's action was applauded on Tuesday by Mila Besich, the Democratic mayor of Superior, Arizona, the town closest to the Resolution project. "We've been waiting on this ruling for a very long time," Besich said. "For Superior and all of Arizona, this project will be an economic boon." The land swap was approved as part of a defense spending bill signed in 2014 by Democratic President Barack Obama, allowing the companies to exchange acreage they own for a plot of federally owned land about 70 miles (113 km) east of Phoenix known as Oak Flat. The swap was conditioned on an environmental impact statement for the mine being published by federal regulators, which occurred in January 2021 in the waning days of Trump's first term in office. The site sits atop a reserve of more than 40 billion pounds (18.1 million metric tons) of copper, a crucial component of electric vehicles and nearly every electronic device. The land, known as Chi'chil Biłdagoteel in the Apache language, has long been a place where Western Apaches have conduct sacred rituals, according to the Apache group's historian and its lawyers at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The mine, if it is built, would create a crater 2 miles (3 km) wide and 1,000 feet (304 m) deep that would destroy that worship site. Two other legal challenges to the project are winding their way through courts, one from the San Carlos Apache tribe itself and one from the Center for Biological Diversity, which opposes the mine on environmental grounds. After a federal judge declined to halt the land transfer in 2021, Apache Stronghold filed an emergency appeal. Shortly before former Democratic President Joe Biden's administration was to respond to that appeal, it announced in March 2021 that it was withdrawing the environmental impact statement, a move that froze the land transfer. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in two different rulings declined to block the transfer, mostly recently when a panel of 11 judges ruled 6-5 against the plaintiffs in March 2024. The panel split along ideological lines, with six judges appointed by Republican presidents in the majority. Judges in the majority throughout the appeals process said that while they were they were sensitive to the religious concerns, they felt compelled to rule narrowly on the question of whether the U.S. government can do what it wants with its own land. After Trump returned to office, the U.S. Forest Service on April 17 said it would republish within 60 days an environmental report needed for the Resolution Copper project land swap to occur. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Ernest Scheyder in Houston; Editing by Will Dunham)

byDan Dunne
in
May 27, 2025

US Supreme Court spurns Native American challenge to Rio Tinto's Arizona copper project

US Supreme Court spurns Native American challenge to Rio Tinto's Arizona copper project By Nate Raymond, Ernest Scheyder (Reuters) -The ...
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Israeli gunfire heard as crowds of Palestinians try to reach an aid center in GazaNew Foto - Israeli gunfire heard as crowds of Palestinians try to reach an aid center in Gaza

MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — An AP journalist says Israeli tank and gunfire was heard Tuesday while giant crowds of Palestinians tried to reach a newly opened aid distribution center in southern Gaza. There was no immediate word on whether there were any injuries. The firing came as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians walked through Israeli military lines to reach the distribution hub set up on the outskirts of Rafah by a U.S.-backed group that Israel has slated to take over food distribution in Gaza. It was the second day of operations at the hub. The AP journalist, positioned some distance from the distribution point, heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

byDan Dunne
in
May 27, 2025

Israeli gunfire heard as crowds of Palestinians try to reach an aid center in Gaza

Israeli gunfire heard as crowds of Palestinians try to reach an aid center in Gaza MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — An AP journalist says Israeli t...
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South Africa denies bending the rules to give Musk's Starlink preferential treatmentNew Foto - South Africa denies bending the rules to give Musk's Starlink preferential treatment

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's minister of communications on Tuesday denied accusations that a draft policy watering down Black ownership requirements for tech firms was not proposed to benefit the Starlink business of white South African-born tech billionaireElon Musk. Under South African law, foreign-owned companies are required to sell 30% of their subsidiaries to shareholders who are Black, or from other racial groups disadvantaged under the apartheid system of white minority rule, in order to acquire a license. However, Communications Minister Solly Malatsi on Friday proposed easing the requirement, prompting criticism from various political parties. He put forward the directive days after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with U.S.President Donald Trumpat the White House, when Trump madebaseless claimsthat white South African farmers were being systematically killed. A senior lawmaker, Khusela Diko, questioned the timing of the directive and whether the country was bending over backwards to accommodate Musk's Starlink satellite telecoms business. On Tuesday Malatsi appeared before Parliament in Cape Town to defend the move and denied suggestions it was introduced specifically for Starlink. Lawmakers questioned whether the directives were correctly opening up the playing field for foreign players or tampering with the government's economic empowerment agenda by catering to Starlink. Musk hasrepeatedly denouncedthe Black ownership laws and said on social media that Starlink wasn't able to get a license to operate in South Africa because he was white. South African authorities say Starlink hasn't formally applied. Malatsi said the regulations would allow for more than one new operator to enter the market, boosting competition. "We are not attempting to open a special dispensation for Starlink or any other company or an individual," Malatsi told lawmakers, adding that work on the policy direction started around September, and was not prompted by the recent meeting between Trump and Ramaphosa. "There is no conspiracy on our part with regard to this policy direction," said the minister. Stakeholders, industry players and the public have been given 30 days to send in submissions and provide comment before the framework is finalized.

byDan Dunne
in
May 27, 2025

South Africa denies bending the rules to give Musk's Starlink preferential treatment

South Africa denies bending the rules to give Musk's Starlink preferential treatment JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's minister of ...
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Trump administration moves to cut all remaining federal contracts with HarvardNew Foto - Trump administration moves to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard

By Nandita Bose and Nate Raymond WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -The Trump administration plans to terminate the federal government's remaining contracts with Harvard University, according to a letter scheduled to be sent to federal agencies on Tuesday. The letter, from the U.S. General Services Administration, directs all federal agencies to review and potentially terminate or reallocate their contracts with Harvard University, citing concerns over racial discrimination in admissions, alleged discriminatory hiring practices, and failure to protect Jewish students from harassment. It also references the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and recent campus incidents as evidence of Harvard's failure to uphold federal standards and values. A copy of the letter, first reported by the New York Times, was reviewed by Reuters. Two administration officials familiar with the matter said it will be sent to agencies on Tuesday. One of the officials said the federal government's remaining contracts with Harvard University are valued at approximately $100 million. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The move is the latest indication of the Trump administration's intent to cripple Harvard, widely considered the nation's most elite and culturally influential university, by targeting its financial stability and global standing. Since last month, the administration has frozen approximately $3.2 billion in grants and contracts with the university and has attempted to block its ability to enroll international students. The administration has framed its actions against Harvard as a civil rights battle, accusing the university of liberal bias, illegal racial admissions practices, and tolerating antisemitism. Harvard has countered that the fight centers on its First Amendment rights, alleging the Trump administration seeks to control its staff, curriculum, and enrollment. In one lawsuit filed last month, Harvard is seeking to recover over $3 billion in federal funding. In another, filed last week, it is asking a federal court to restore its ability to enroll international students. The GSA letter directs agencies to submit a list of contract cancellations by June 6. Contracts for critical services would be transitioned to other vendors rather than canceled immediately, it said. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington and Nate Raymond in New YorkEditing by Rod Nickel)

byDan Dunne
in
May 27, 2025

Trump administration moves to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard

Trump administration moves to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard By Nandita Bose and Nate Raymond WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuter...
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