Author: potus

Postal Service says working with US border agency on ‘efficient collection mechanism’ for Donald Trump’s China tariffs.The United States Postal Service (USPS) has said it will accept parcels from China again, reversing a suspension that followed President Donald Trump’s decision to end a trade provision used by retailers to ship low-value packages duty-free to the US. USPS said in a statement that it would continue accepting “all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts”, effective as of Wednesday. “The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for…

On Jan. 9, 1964, 200 Panamanian high school students marched peacefully to Balboa High School, located in the heart of the Canal Zone. Panamanians widely resented the U.S.-controlled district as a colonial enclave within their own country. The protesters sought to raise the Panamanian flag alongside the school’s lone U.S. flag, symbolizing a demand for national sovereignty and an end to U.S. rule. U.S. police officers allowed only six students to proceed to the school, where they were met by a crowd of more than 2,000 Americans, who booed and verbally attacked the protesters and physically desecrated the Panamanian flag.…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Callers are getting busy signals and voicemail inboxes are full at many U.S. Senate offices as people try to reach out and voice their opinions on President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, executive orders and moves to dismantle various federal programs.A memo distributed to Senate staff on Tuesday said there was a higher number of calls than usual and that some callers were having trouble getting through.“The Senate is experiencing an unusually high volume of inbound calls. External callers may receive a temporary busy signal when phoning a Senate office,” according to the memo obtained by The…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Agency for International Development employees and contractors are discussing potential lawsuits targeting the unprecedented attack on the federal agency by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to four sources familiar with the talks.Lawsuits based on loss of income could be used to bring up weighty constitutional claims over presidential power in the face of congressional legislation that set up and funds the agency and its programs. They would be the latest in a stream of lawsuits against Trump’s aggressive and unprecedented use of executive action, with more expected to follow as he seeks to unilaterally reshape the federal…

Lawmakers vote to send articles of impeachment against Duterte to the Senate for trial.Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has been impeached by the lower house of Congress after lawmakers, many of whom are allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, signed a petition to remove her from office. While specifics have not been divulged, the impeachment vote on Wednesday follows a string of complaints accusing Duterte of crimes ranging from the misuse of public funds to plotting Marcos’s assassination. Duterte has consistently denied wrongdoing and has described moves against her as a political vendetta. “Having been filed by more than one-third of…

Tech giant says in updated ethics policy that it will use AI in line with ‘international law and human rights’.Google has dropped a pledge not to use artificial intelligence for weapons or surveillance in its updated ethics policy on the powerful technology. In its previous version of “AI Principles”, the California-based internet giant included a commitment not to pursue AI technologies that “cause or are likely to cause overall harm”, including weapons and surveillance that violates “internationally accepted norms”. Google’s revised policy announced on Tuesday states that the company pursues AI “responsibly” and in line with “widely accepted principles of…

Announcement comes as US President Donald Trump confirms he is considering eliminating the aid agency.The administration of United States President Donald Trump has ordered nearly all directly-hired staff of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to be placed on leave as part of the Republican’s drive to radically shrink the government. USAID said on Tuesday that all direct hire personnel would be put on leave from Friday, apart from “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs”. USAID personnel posted overseas will be recalled from their postings within 30 days, the agency said in a…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to criticism Tuesday after he announced that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had offered to accept deportees from the U.S. of any nationality, as well as violent U.S. citizens currently serving time in American prisons.”That’s an offer President Bukele made. Obviously, we’ll have to study it on our end,” Rubio said Tuesday afternoon while speaking to reporters in Costa Rica, the third stop of his first foreign trip as secretary of state. “There are obviously legalities involved. We have a Constitution, we have all sorts of things, but it’s a very generous offer.”The administration…

(The Center Square) — Tuesday was crossover in Virginia’s legislature, the last day the chambers can consider their own legislation.From Wednesday on, the House of Delegates can only consider Senate bills and vice versa.Democratic MajorityThe session has progressed much like last session. Democrats have used their majorities in both the House and Senate to push through partisan legislation. But Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has shown that he isn’t afraid to use his veto pen.The Washington Post reported in 2017 that former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe had “vetoed more bills than any governor in Virginia history.” But in 2024, the first General…

The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is asking the Trump administration to do some explaining about U.S. citizens who were caught up in recent immigration enforcement actions.Following up on a report by NBC News, Rep. Jamie Raskin, House Judiciary Committee ranking member, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a subcommittee ranking member, asked for an accounting of immigration enforcement actions since Jan. 20 involving U.S. citizens.The request was made in a letter signed by Raskin, D-Md., and Jayapal, D-Wash., whose subcommittee oversees immigration. It was sent Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Caleb Vitello, Immigration and Customs Enforcement…