Tag: Donald Trump

The US military has completed preparations for potential strikes against Iran that could take place as early as this weekend, according to reports citing sources familiar with the matter, though US President Donald Trump has not taken a final decision.

According to the reports, the White House has been briefed that US forces could be ready for action by the weekend following the deployment of additional air and naval assets to the Middle East. Sources cited in the reports said that the president has privately discussed both military and non-military options and has sought advice from senior officials and allied leaders.

Senior US national security officials held a meeting in the Situation Room on Wednesday to review developments related to Iran, according to people familiar with the discussions. Trump was also briefed by special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner regarding indirect contacts with Iran that took place a day earlier. The reports said it remains uncertain whether a decision will be taken before the weekend.

“He is spending a lot of time thinking about this,” a source was quoted as saying.

US and Iranian representatives exchanged messages for approximately three-and-a-half hours during indirect talks held in Geneva on Tuesday, according to the reports. Iran’s lead negotiator said that the discussions resulted in agreement on a “set of guiding principles,” while a US official said “there are still a lot of details to discuss.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran was expected to provide additional details on its negotiating position “in the next couple of weeks.” She did not say whether the president would delay any potential military action during that period.

Leavitt said diplomacy remained the administration’s preferred approach but confirmed military action had not been ruled out. “There’s many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran,” she was quoted as saying.

The reports also said the US has continued to reposition forces in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, which could arrive as early as this weekend. US Air Force refuelling aircraft and fighter jets based in the United Kingdom have also been moved closer to the Middle East.

Separately, satellite imagery analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security shows Iran reinforcing several nuclear facilities by covering parts of the sites with concrete and soil amid mounting US military pressure.

Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old from Warrington in Cheshire, was shot dead by her father at his home in Texas after they argued earlier that day about US President Donald Trump, an inquest has heard.

Harrison was shot in the chest on 10 January 2025 at the property in Prosper, near Dallas. Police in the town investigated her death as possible manslaughter, however a grand jury in Collin County declined to indict Kris Harrison and no criminal case was brought.

The inquest opened at Cheshire Coroner’s Court where her boyfriend, Sam Littler, gave evidence. He told the court the couple had travelled to the United States for a holiday and described a “big argument” on the morning of January 10 about Trump, who was preparing to be inaugurated for a second term.

Littler said that during the dispute she asked him: “How would you feel if I was the girl in that situation and I’d been sexually assaulted?”

He said Kris Harrison responded that he had two other daughters living with him so it would not upset him that much. Lucy then became “quite upset” and went upstairs.

About half an hour before they were due to leave for the airport, Littler said Lucy was in the kitchen when her father took her by the hand and led her into his ground-floor bedroom. Around 15 seconds later, he heard a loud bang followed by Harrison shouting for his wife.

“I remember running into the room and Lucy was lying on the floor near the entrance to the bathroom and Kris was just screaming, just sort of nonsense,” Littler told the court.

In a statement read to the inquest, Kris Harrison said he and his daughter had been watching a news item on gun crime when he told her he owned a firearm and asked if she wanted to see it. He said they went into the bedroom where he kept a Glock 9mm handgun in a bedside cabinet.

“As I lifted the gun to show her I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell,” he said, adding he could not recall whether his finger was on the trigger.

Harrison said he had previously attended rehabilitation for alcohol addiction and had “briefly lapsed” on the day of the shooting, drinking about 500ml of white wine because he was emotional about his daughter leaving. 

At the outset of the hearing, Ana Samuel, representing Kris Harrison, asked Coroner Jacqueline Devonish to step aside from the case. She argued that a fair-minded observer might conclude there was a “real possibility she was biased” and said the inquest had been conducted “in a manner more akin to a criminal investigation than a fact-finding inquiry.”

The application was challenged by Lois Norris, who represents Lucy Harrison’s mother, Jane Coates. Norris described the move as an “ambush by Mr Harrison’s legal team” and told the court that Kris Harrison was “the person in the room who shot Ms Harrison” and the only person present when the shooting occurred.

The inquest was adjourned until Wednesday, when the coroner is expected to deliver her conclusions.

US President Donald Trump criticised Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, attacking the performance for its language, choreography and cultural references in a Truth Social post issued shortly after it aired.

During his Super Bowl halftime performance, Bad Bunny handed a Grammy Award to a young Latino boy on stage, saying in Spanish, “Cree siempre en ti” (“always believe in yourself”). Social media briefly speculated the boy was Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old immigrant who was recently detained, but this was not the case. While Bad Bunny did not mention U.S. immigration authorities during the show, he has addressed related issues recently. At the Grammys last week, accepting the Album of the Year award for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, he said, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out,” dedicating the award to “all the people that had to leave their homeland…to follow their dreams.” 

Trump wrote that the performance was “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” He said the show was “a slap in the face to our country” and claimed it failed to reflect what he described as American standards of “Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”

Trump’s criticism focused in part on the language used during the performance. “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” he wrote, referring to Bad Bunny’s predominantly Spanish set. He also criticised the choreography, describing it as “disgusting,” and said it was inappropriate for children watching the broadcast.

Trump said there was “nothing inspirational” about the halftime show and referred to it as “a mess.” Although the performance did not mention him or his administration, Trump compared it to what he described as achievements under his leadership, saying the show was “an affront to the Greatness of America.”

Bad Bunny, a Grammy-winning artist from Puerto Rico, headlined the halftime show at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. His performance incorporated visual elements and staging tied to Caribbean and Latin American culture.

During one segment, Bad Bunny addressed the audience while transitioning between songs, saying in Spanish, “It’s because I never, never stopped believing in myself, and you too should believe in yourself.” The performance included a stage designed to resemble sugar cane fields and featured a piragua stand, a traditional shaved ice snack associated with Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny later performed songs including “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” and “NUEVAYoL” in front of a set designed as a marketplace labelled “La Marqueta.” 

The show concluded with fireworks during a performance of “DtMF.” Lady Gaga later joined Bad Bunny on the field for a salsa-style rendition of her song “Die With a Smile,” followed by an appearance by Latin artist Ricky Martin.

In the same Truth Social post, Trump also criticised the NFL’s kickoff rules, calling the league’s dynamic kickoff format “ridiculous” and urging officials to reverse the change.

Bad Bunny has faced criticism from conservative figures since he was announced as the Super Bowl halftime performer, with Trump’s comments reflecting broader opposition from right-wing voices to the NFL’s selection of the Puerto Rican singer.

US President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against Trevor Noah over a joke referencing the “Epstein Files” made during the comedian’s opening monologue at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Trump responded hours after the ceremony, criticising both the awards show and its host. “The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards”. 

The president accused Noah of making an incorrect claim. “Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island,” Trump added.

He denied any connection to the island linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media”. Trump also warned of legal action. “Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$. Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!”

The remarks come a day after Noah opened the Grammys with repeated political references aimed at Trump. The most direct came following Billie Eilish’s Song of the Year win, when Noah linked the award to Trump in a joke referencing Greenland. “That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Political references continued throughout the ceremony, with Noah joking about his decision to step down as host. “This is my sixth and final time hosting,” he said. “I believe in term limits. Leave when your time is up.”

US Representative Ilhan Omar has said that the syringe attack against her on tuesday was linked to anger over deportations of Somali immigrants, suggesting that US President Donald Trump bears responsibility for the incident.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference at Minneapolis’ Karmel Mall, Omar said the attacker believed deportations of Somalis under Trump’s policies were insufficient.

“The man that attacked me was specifically upset that Trump’s order to deport Somalis was not yielding enough deportations of Somalis,” Omar said.

“He wanted to come get the person he thought was protecting the Somalis,” she said, referring to the suspect, 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak.

She claimed that threats against her increase when Trump publicly comments about her and the community she represents. “The facts show that since I have been in elected office, every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket,” Omar said.

According to the congresswoman, threats against her declined during the four years Trump was out of office but rose again after his return. “They plummeted for four years when he was not in office, and now they are the highest of all members of Congress since he reassumed his vitriol,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be where I am at today, having to pay for security, having the government to think about providing me security, if Donald Trump wasn’t in office and if he wasn’t so obsessed with me,” Omar said.

She also pointed to remarks Trump made at an Iowa rally shortly before the attack. “It is ironic that just last night, he was on stage, moments before I was attacked, talking about me,” she said.

Omar criticised Trump’s response when he was later asked about the incident. “Then when asked about my attack, he said, ‘I don’t think about her.’ Does he not remember? Is he suffering from dementia?” she asked. 

The attack occurred on Tuesday during a town hall meeting in North Minneapolis, when Anthony Kazmierczak rushed the stage and sprayed Omar with a liquid using a syringe, according to witnesses and video footage.

The substance was later identified as apple cider vinegar.

Omar was not injured in the incident and continued speaking at the town hall shortly afterward.

Kazmierczak has been charged with third-degree assault and is being held by authorities. A neighbour described him as being “heavily medicated” and a supporter of Trump.

At the Iowa rally, Trump told supporters that Omar “comes from a country that’s a disaster.”  “It’s considered, I think, the worst country. It’s not even a country,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has said on Tuesday that his proposed ‘Board of Peace’ could one day replace the United Nations, while marking one year since the start of his second term at the White House.

During a speech that lasted over an hour, Trump called the UN “not very helpful” before he took questions from reporters. When asked whether the Board of Peace could take the place of the United Nations, he said it “might”. He added that while the UN had “potential”, he had never considered approaching the organisation to resolve conflicts.

During the same appearance, Trump released a list of what he called achievements from his year back in office, citing actions taken on domestic and foreign policy. 

The idea of a Board of Peace has previously been linked to Trump’s plan for Gaza. Under that proposal, the Board was intended to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump later said the scope would be expanded to address conflicts in other parts of the world.

Observers have said that the creation of such a body could weaken the role of the United Nations. Rights experts and advocates have also said that Trump leading a board tasked with supervising the affairs of a foreign territory resembled a colonial structure.

The ceasefire in Gaza reached under Trump’s plan has faced repeated violations. Since the truce began in October, more than 460 Palestinians, including over 100 children have been reported killed, according to figures cited in reports.

Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts has called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment after Trump suggested he would have been less inclined to pressure Denmark over Greenland had he received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Invoke the 25th Amendment,” Markey wrote on social media, sharing an image of a New York Times report that detailed Trump linking his interest in Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Prize in a text message sent to Norwegian Prime Minister (PM) Jonas Gahr Støre.

According to the Times, Støre received a message from Trump on Sunday in which the US president bluntly stated that missing out on the Peace Prize had strengthened his resolve to pursue Greenland more aggressively, despite it being a territory of Denmark.

In the message, Trump wrote: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars Plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Peace Prize, is a private body rather than a government institution, although its members are appointed by Norway’s parliament.

Markey’s demand to remove Trump under the 25th Amendment is widely seen as unlikely to gain momentum. The process would require Vice President JD Vance and a majority of the president’s Cabinet to formally notify Congress that Trump is unable to carry out the responsibilities of his office.

If such a declaration were submitted, presidential authority would immediately be transferred to the Vice President. 

Under the Amendment, Congress would then have 21 days to ratify the decision. A two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives would be needed to uphold Trump’s removal. Failing that, the president would resume his powers.